Still Growin' Up Now

by slainy00

Summary:

Darry is trying his best to raise his two brothers. That doesn't mean it's easy.

Notes:

For context, in this AU Johnny doesn't kill Bob, as the gang makes it to the park looking for Ponyboy after he ran away. Dally and Johnny are alive and (sorta) well. This is mainly focusing on Darry's POV of slices of life raising his brothers and navigating his own issue adjusting to his role as the eldest. Not beta'd so sorry for any mistakes its just me and my stream of conciousness here.

Chapter 1: Chap 1

It’s not every day that Darry gets off of work early, especially so early that the boys haven’t even gotten out of school for the day. He can’t help but smile to himself as he walks down main street, realizing how much free time is left in his day. He isn’t in much of a hurry, he’s already deposited his paycheck at the bank, so he’s able to take his time, glancing in the shop windows as he goes. The sign in the window of the diner on the corner next to the bank is enough to catch his attention that he stops. Free Mumps and Measles Vaccine Today! He skims over the poster, and then thinks about the article he’d read in the paper the other day when he was having breakfast. He should get one; In fact, he’s sure all of the boys could use one. He sighs a bit at this thought, remembering the flu shot debacle that occurred in September last year. He realizes that making them come get the shot will likely make his free afternoon much more stressful, but having it be free is real handy, and will look great to the state that his brothers are kept up to date with vaccinations and such. Maybe if he bribes them with food, they’ll put up less of a fight with him? He muses on the idea as he turns to head for his truck, and decides to make the drive over to the DX to pick the gang up, knowing they were going to meet Soda there after school anyways.

---

“Darry, don't you remember what happened last time?” Soda whines as they take a place beside Dally, who’s leaning on the outside of the DX with a smoke, waiting for the boys from school to arrive. Darry knew Soda was going to whine, but he’s more willing to tolerate it over the absolute shitshow that will be Ponyboy when he finds out the plan for the afternoon.

“What’s the problem?” Dally asks, though he looks thoroughly uninterested as he says it.

“We’re going down to the diner on main street, they’re doing a vaccine clinic,” Darry replies, purposefully not phrasing it as a question of if he’d like to come. God knows ultimately Dallas Winston does what he wants, but occasionally Darry can corral him into doing things.

“Scared of a little needle Sodapop?” Dally prods, his shit eating grin across his face as he turns to actually look at them.

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Soda mumbles, giving Darry another imploring look, but Darry knows he can’t budge. Dally must remember the same incident, because he lets out his signature laugh, smoke puffing out of his mouth like a dragon between his huffs of laughter.

“Hell's it even for, man? It’s summer, the flu ain’t until the fall,” Dally points out, always one to argue for the simple entertainment value he seems to get from starting arguments.

“Mumps and measles,” Darry replies, cracking his knuckles as he watches Two Bit come whipping into the DX, his distinct loud laughter audible with the car windows down.

“The fuck is a mumps?” Dally murmurs, stumping out the end of his smoke with his boot. Despite all his griping, he pushes off from the wall and makes his way over to Darry’s truck, climbing into the bed and lounging as if he is in the backseat of a limousine.

“Darry! What you doing here so early?” Two Bit exclaims, half hanging out the driver’s side window of his car in greeting.

“Got off early, figured we could all get something to eat at the diner on main,” Darry says casually, and he hears a snicker from Dallas, who he very subtly flips off behind his back.

“Sounds good to me, floor it, Two Bit!” Steve hollers, never one to ask many questions. Two Bit shifts his gear, purposefully making the wheels spin out a bit before he starts rolling out of the lot, and Darry can hear Ponyboy and Johnny making a commotion in the back seat.

“C’mon lets get this over with,” Darry murmurs to Soda, who despite his complaints has perked up mostly at the prospect of spending time with the gang. He hops into the cab of the truck. “Don’t you dare fall out the back of my truck, Dally!” Darry shouts over his shoulder as he climbs behind the wheel, not waiting to hear a response as he starts up the engine.

They park right behind Two Bit outside the diner, and for once Darry is hopeful that Ponyboy's tendency to be less than aware of his surroundings works in his favor. Hopefully, he can at least get him inside the diner before he notices the sign for the vaccines. Dally has hopped out of the bed of the truck, slinging an arm around Johnny companionably as he and Ponyboy pile out of the backseat of Two Bit’s car.

“After you good sirs,” Two Bit chortles as he grabs the door, holding it open wide as he gestures for his friends to head in. Darry brings up the rear, hoping to at least be a barrier to escapes if need be.

“Hey check it out!’ Two Bit says, nodding over at the table a nurse has set up beside the soda fountain bar top. She has paperwork out in front of her, and is chatting companionably with the soda jerk. There’s a couple of chairs set up for people to sit in across from the nurse, and thankfully Darry doesn’t see any needles out on the table at the moment.

“Hi boys! Might I interest you in some free vaccines today?” The nurse asks with a grin, turning their way. Darry takes a moment to look at the girl, though she looks to be around their age, he doesn’t recognize her. She’s wearing the uniform nurses will wear in the hospital, and has dark blonde hair that's pulled back out of her face. Similar to his, her eyes are a bright blue, and she has a smile that makes him want to blush. He watches Ponyboy stiffen at the mention, and he whips towards Darry, eyes wide. Darry takes a deep breath, trying to build up all the patience he can for what's about to occur.

“I think that’s a great idea, don’t you guys?” He asks, though his tone doesn’t leave much room for argument. He tries to play dumb, acting as if this a mere coincidence.

“I dunno what a mumps is, but sure,” Two Bit says with a shrug as he grabs a form with a flourish, looking at it with his relaxed grin. Clearly he senses that Darry was gonna goad them into it one way or another.

“Darry,” Ponyboy says, his voice soft, and god when he looks over at the kid and he swears the color is already draining out of his face.

“Pony,” he murmurs quietly, pulling close by wrapping an arm around his shoulder, “You’re fine.”

“If you all could just fill out these forms for me, that way you can have this included in your medical records.” The nurse says with comforting a smile, and Darry sees her eyeing Ponyboy, clearly clued in to his building distress.

“And here I thought we were coming to have some fun,” Steve mutters bitterly, but he still grabs a form to fill it out.

“Darry, can you fill mine out?” Soda asks, though he’s already handing him the blank sheet. Darry nods, knowing Soda’s handwriting is abysmal.

“Grab me two extras please?” Darry asks, moving to the bar, ushering Ponyboy to sit on a stool at the bar while he begins filling out the form.

“Darry, I don’t feel so good,” Pony murmurs, looking a bit green around the gills.

“Pony you’re working yourself up,” Soda says, giving him a reassuring hug while Darry skims over the form, before beginning the next one.

“I’m not!” Ponyboy protests weakly, trying to shake Soda off halfheartedly. Darry finishes his forms and hands them back to the nurse, Betty, her name tag reads.

“Alrighty, who would like to go first?” She asks, gesturing to the seat next to hers as she is pulling out supplies.

Ponyboy stiffens and shoots Darry another pleading look, but Johnny saves them the trouble, and takes a seat next to the nurse’s table, shucking off his jacket to bear his upper arm with a calm demeanor that only he can have.

“Alright Johnny, just relax this arm for me, I’ll give you a warning before I poke you,” Betty says softly, checking over his paperwork quickly. Darry can tell she realizes Johnny’s a bit skittish even on a good day.

“Okay,” Johnny murmurs, though overall he looks pretty unbothered by the whole affair.

“Alright, 1, 2, 3,” she says calmly, and Darry watches as she swiftly administers the shot with a flourish, and even Johnny blinks in surprise.

“Hey Pony, see it’s not so bad,” Johnny reassures as the nurse applies a bandaid and gives Johnny an encouraging pat on the arm.

“Says you!” Ponyboy snaps back, squirming under Soda’s reassuring arm slung over his shoulder.

“Pony,” Darry says, a warning in his tone. No need to take his nerves out on others.

“Thank you,” Johnny says softly, giving the nurse a nod as he rises from the chair, which is immediately taken by Two Bit who has already rolled up the sleeve of his Mickey shirt.

“Of course darlin!” She says with a smile. Darry makes a mental note of this. Usually the nurses are soc girls who went to college, and very often they’re quite wary of any greaser guys. This girl doesn’t seem intimidated at all, even with Dallas Winston standing around looking ready to act on his role of guard dog at any moment, especially when Johnny was in the chair.

“Can I get a lollypop if I don’t cry?” Two Bit asks with a grin as she wipes his arm with an alcohol pad.

“I just ran out,” she replies in a deadpan voice, though the basket for kids is right beside her, still full. Two Bit laughs at this, somehow amused by his own antics, so much so that he doesn’t seem to notice that she gives him the shot. Once he gets ahold of himself, he looks back at her,

“Well are you gonna do it?”

“I already did,” she replies, pointing to the bandaid on his arm in explanation.

“No kidding?!” Two Bit laughs, pushing up out of the chair, “I like her!”

“Alright, next,” Betty says, giving Two Bit a playful smile. Steve gets the shot without a fuss, which Darry is thankful for, honestly he’s just glad at least up until this point Ponyboy hasn’t tried to bolt. He makes sure Soda is keeping an arm around their younger brother before he moves away to take the chair after Steve, rolling up the sleeve of his t-shirt.

“Oh this is the best kind of arm for giving vaccines,” Betty murmurs, gently wiping off his upper left arm with a cold alcohol wipe just as she had done with the others before.

“Why’s that?’ Two Bit pipes in, eyes alight with amusement.

“Shots have to go into the muscle, and he’s got big muscles,” Betty replies, and Darry feels a blush creeping up his neck. “Relax this arm.” She says, giving his arm a gentle pat. He nods, trying to release the tension in his muscles. “There we go!” He glances over at her and sees she’s preparing the shot, and he averts his gaze. He will never admit it now, but like his brother, he really hates needles. He used to cry and cry when he had to go to the doctor with his momma. Now he keeps his cool as best he can, because if he panics, it will set Ponyboy off completely. He knows he’s the adult now, and needs to be strong. But he can’t help but secretly wish someone would hold and comfort him the way Soda does for Ponyboy.

“Don’t be nervous darlin,” a soft voice whispers, only loud enough for him to hear, with the feeling of a gentle hand on his shoulder giving it a soft squeeze. He looks over at Betty who gives him a small smile with a knowing look that reminds him of the one his mom would give him too. It shakes him, feeling like someone is able to sense his internal turmoil.

“Small poke,” she narrates louder, shaking him from his thoughts and he does everything he can to keep a grimace off his face. It doesn’t feel pleasant, and he feels the slight dizziness that he always gets when he gets a shot, especially since it burns as she pushes down the plunger. “All done!” she says, her voice steady and reassuring as she presses a bandaid over his arm.

“Thank you ma’am,” He says, giving her a nod. He moves to nudge Soda into the chair, but before he can, Dally has plopped in the chair, his mischievous grin evident and Darry feels himself grow tired in anticipation for the inevitable antics he sees brewing.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing over here on the east side?” Dally croons, leaning towards her reaching for a loose strand of hair and tucking it behind her ear. “Drew the short straw being sent over here, huh sweetheart?”

“I volunteered to,” she replies, she calmly wipes his arm as she pushes his arm away from her cheek, seemingly unbothered.

“Yeah, sure ya did. How old are you, doll? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” Darry realizes that while he’s under the guise of flirting, Dally is also trying to dig for information about the girl.

“Too old for you,” she replies, giving her head a shake of exasperation, but she still shows no signs of intimidation under his advances. Dally opens his mouth to push but she cuts him off, “Twenty one.”

“I could show you a real good time baby! Could I interest you in heading to the Dingo for a drink and perhaps you could come up to my room after and show me- OW SHIT!” Dallas’ crass attempt at what Darry thinks is flirting is cut off as she calmly administers the shot, Darry thinks she’s holding back a grin.

“Darry!” Ponyboy whimpers again, another attempt to bargain, his eyes alight with panic at Dally’s reaction. Great, now he’s even more panicked, despite the fact that the whole thing has sent everyone else into peels of laughter. Thanks for nothing Dallas.

“Next!” Betty says, giving Dally a pat that almost seems affectionate despite his crude remarks and a nudge that has him hopping out of the chair with a grumpy frown and rubbing his arm over the bandaid.

“Alright little buddy,” Darry says, giving Soda an expectant nod, who plops down in the chair, eyeing Ponyboy with barely concealed concern. Darry thinks the concern is warranted, Ponyboy looks like he might bolt any second as he tightly grips the edges of the stool he’s sitting on. In the time it takes Darry to move back over to Ponyboy and place a reassuring but firm hand on the back of his neck, Soda is already finished, standing back up bouncing on his toes. With only Pony left there is an awkward pause as his brother begins to delay the inevitable. Two Bit seems to remember the flu shot debacle and has casually wandered to linger by the door and the jukebox with Steve. They both feign they aren’t paying attention, but Darry can tell they’re ready to intercept Ponyboy if they need to. Dally and Johnny have occupied themselves at the bar, shooting straw wrappers at each other, unconcerned with the scene that's unfolding over in this corner of the diner.

“Oh, I see here he’s only 14!” Betty notes, reading his paper Darry had filled out earlier. “I’m sorry, I can’t give the shot to anyone under 16 without a parent’s signature.”

“Oh shoot, that’s too bad! We’ll have to do it later,” Ponyboy babbles quickly, brightening immediately, giving everyone a grin of triumph. Darry sorta feels bad about bursting his bubble.

“I’m his legal guardian, I’ll sign for him,” Darry says quietly as he comes up to the table, grabbing a pen, and Ponyboy sours immediately.

“Oh! I see, sorry I didn’t mean to assume you weren’t their dad-” she stutters to him quietly, gaze flicking over his shoulder, to his two brothers, looking embarrassed.

“No, no I’m legal guardian to them since we lost our folks. ” He says awkwardly. This is usually when people give him a pitying look and say they’re sorry.

“Oh thank goodness! I was thinkin' you looked way too young to be their dad and thought I was going crazy.” He blinks at this, surprised by the response, most people seem off put by the whole thing. He actually cracks a tiny grin at this.

“Yeah well the next few minutes might add a few years to my look,” he mumbles, signing the sheet. She actually giggles at this, and he feels like such a mess in front of this girl. He cringes at the thought of what he expects will happen next.

“Alright, let’s get this over with kid,” Darry says, turning around to face Ponyboy, who’s glaring at him fiercely in betrayal.

“C’mon Pony,” Soda says gently, grabbing his brother's hand by prying it from its death grip on the stool carefully.

“Uh-uh, nope,” Ponyboy mutters, eyes flitting about looking for an exit route. Darry is glad they’re the only ones in the diner besides Betty and the bartender. He does wonder if this is to his disadvantage, as he's sure Ponyboy would not cause such a scene if he thought it messed with his tough persona.

“Pony,” Darry sighs, feeling the headache beginning to form behind his eyes. He squeezes them shut for a moment.

“No, please, Soda,” Ponyboy whines, his voice quivering as he looks at the chair in front of them as if it's the electric chair. Darry was really hoping he wouldn’t have to play good cop bad cop with Soda, but he can see that ship already sailed.

“C’mon,” Darry sighs, a hand hooking under his armpit, lifting him to his feet, feeling his patience waning.

“Let go!” Pony hisses, trying to wrench away. ‘Here we go,’ Darry thinks, being very careful to not grip his little brother too hard, but also not let him bolt out the door.

“It’s alright honey, I promise I won’t do anything before you’re ready,” Betty reassures, showing him her empty hands in a gesture of peace.

“I don’t wanna!” Ponyboy says, sounding all the more 14 in this moment as he drags his feet and Darry steers him to sit down.

“It’ll be over real fast,” Soda tries to reassure, though Darry can tell it's falling upon deaf ears. Ponyboy sags in the chair, but the second he locks eyes with Betty, he’s tensing up, and pulling against Darry’s hold on his shoulder, keeping him seated with some gentle pressure.

“No! Let me go, Darry!” He says, voice raising in panic, eyes looking more and more wild.

“Pony, you gotta calm down,” Darry murmurs, trying to reason with him, though that didn’t do much last time. He shudders internally thinking about how it took both him and Soda holding him still for the flu shot. He feels the ghost of pain in his back remembering when Pony had gotten a particularly good punch to his kidney as he had to drag him back into the doctor’s office after he bolted out the door. Soda crouches in front of Ponyboy, resting his hands on his lap, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb around his knee.

“Hey honey, we just gotta get this over with,” Soda says, eyes soft and lips turned into a frown seeing him so worked up. “Just keep your arm relaxed and I’ll stay right here, okay? Here, hold my hand. I promise, Miss Betty is real gentle, Dally just deserved that.” Ponyboy lets out a shaky breath, and Betty starts gently explaining she’s just going to be cleaning his arm first, no needles. Finally he nods in resignation at Betty, and Darry feels some relief enter his system, maybe this is the end of it.

“Alright, I’m gonna touch you arm now, keep taking those deep breaths,” she says softly, and Darry almost wants to thank her for not getting real mad at them for the scene that’s unfolding.
Ponyboy’s head is turned dramatically away from his arm, chest heaving nervously. The second her hand makes contact with his arm, he's jumping away, “Nope! I changed my mind! I can’t do it!”

“Pony, she’s just cleaning your arm right now,” Darry sighs, trying to keep his tone even, but even he can tell the irritation has leaked out a bit. Ponyboy seems to sense that he’s getting frustrated and jumps to his feet, fighting against Darry’s hand on his shoulder. Darry moves quickly, remembering how fast his brother can run, his other hand coming to grab his free shoulder.

“Soda! Help me!” Ponyboy begs, giving his other brother a wild look. Darry feels badly, but unlike Sodapop, his patience has now run out.

“Alright, we’re not doing this again,” Darry says firmly. He sits himself on the chair where Ponyboy was, angling his legs before he pulls Ponyboy by the waist, as he lets out a yelp, hands reaching out at Soda helplessly. He sits him on one leg, and traps his legs between his own. He moves carefully to maneuver Ponyboy into a bear hug, one arm cradles his head, pressing it so Pony’s face is buried into where his neck meets his shoulder, the other snakes around his torso, holding his left arm against his side, keeping it still despite his struggling.

“Darry! Let me go! Soda help me!” He starts begging, sounding more and more hysterical, and at this point the whole gang seems to sense this is going the route of the flu shot debacle. He sees even Dally looks ready to intervene if he has to from down the bar, eyes somewhat alight with amusement, Darry gives him a glare of warning.

“It’s okay, you’re okay,” Soda murmurs, as he tries to run a hand through Ponyboy’s hair. Darry uses the hand stabilizing Pony’s head to quickly pull up the sleeve of his t-shirt.
“No!” He cries, struggling hard at this, managing to hit Darry in the ribs with a bony elbow.

“Ponyboy, quit it!” Darry scolds, holding him tightly, and giving Betty a nod as a go ahead and also a plea to move quickly before Pony escapes. She nods back, and god he feels like they’re having a whole conversation with just their eyes. She takes the alcohol wipe and presses it lightly.

“OW! OW!” God, that yellin hurts Darry’s ears.

“That’s just the wipe, Pony,” Darry says, his tiredness leaking into his tone.

“Relax your arm honey, that makes it hurt much less,” Soda coaches, squeezing the hand of Ponyboy’s arm, as Betty gets the needle ready.

“You’re the worst, Darry! I want Sodapop!” Ponyboy cries, still struggling against him, and nailing him in the side again. Darry winces at the words, those hurt him more than hit to the ribs. He silently thinks to himself that Soda is right there, so he doesn't understand the logic. Still he gives Betty another nod as a go ahead, and she’s expertly giving the kid the shot despite his squirming.

“OW, OW, STOP, it hurts too much!”

“Okay, you’re okay, it’s done,” Soda reassures. Betty moves quickly, pressing the bandaid on and then Darry releases his hold, ribs smarting from the couple good shots Pony managed to get. Ponyboy leaps up muttering something mostly unintelligible about how mean Darry is, and practically falls into the welcoming arms of Soda. Darry sighs, moving to sit back in the chair as Soda murmurs soothingly to Ponyboy, dutifully playing his role as the comforter. He rubs at his ribs absentmindedly and tries to count backwards from ten in his head, his temper flaring something awful.

“Hey Jimmy?” Betty asks, turning to the bartender, causing Darry to open his eyes, he doesn't remember when he closed them.

“Yes ma’am?” The soda jerk asks, an amused grin on his face. Darry thinks they musta been quite a scene to an outside observer.

“I haven’t had so many willing participants all day, think we could get them a round of free milkshakes for being such good sports?” Betty asks. He turns to look at her, mouth already open in protest, saying that’s too kind. She shakes her head, somehow knowing he would argue and gives Darry a knowing wink.

“I think that can be arranged, what flavor’s you thinkin boys?” Jimmy asks, a grin on his face, giving Betty a thumbs up. Ponyboy perks up at this, Pulling away from Soda and walking to the counter, taking a look at the menu over Johnny’s shoulder with a small, slightly dramatic, sniffle. Two Bit and Steve book it over the counter at the offer of a free treat, whooping in celebration.

“Thank you,” Darry murmurs, looking back at Betty hoping she understands he isn’t just meaning the milkshakes.

“Sure thing, sugar, seems like you could use it after that.” She says with a soft smile, “Better go take a look at the flavors then, there’s a bunch!” He gives her another nod of thanks, thinking she looks real pretty when she smiles at him. He squares his shoulders and heads over to the counter, throwing an arm over Soda’s shoulder, chiming in their debate of the best flavor choice, letting a small smile at Ponyboy’s laugh from where he’s talking with Johnny. Hopefully in a couple hours he’ll forgive him.

Chapter 2: Chap 2

Summary:

The Curtis brothers are all just teenage boys trying their best. Also some context to the AU from the events of the books.

Notes:

two chaps in two days is actually insane for me. perks of having the whole weekend off ig. I decided this would be two parts cause my flashback got long but I wanted to provide context.

It seems that Ponyboy was not able to recover from his sour mood after the whole shot incident. He was silent the entire car ride home from the diner, and had promptly shut himself in his room as soon as they walked in the house, muttering something about homework. Darry thinks it's just an excuse, considering it's the last week of school, but he didn’t push.
He hopes maybe he’s taken the time to cool off while Darry worked on dinner. He tries to keep his thoughts positive as he pulls the baked potatoes from the oven and sets them on the cutting board. He expertly slices them open, steam erupting from their fluffy white interior as he puts a generous amount of butter on each of them.

“Dinner’s ready!” Darry calls, hoping Ponyboy will come out soon. Ever since that night at the park fountain, he’s been trying desperately to keep the peace with Pony, but they still seem to butt heads at every turn, and Darry feels more and more lost each day.

“Thanks Dar!” Soda says happily, fixing his plate with chicken breast, green beans, and a potato. At least one of his brothers has forgiven him for the whole affair. He busies himself with fixing his plate as he watches Ponyboy shuffle into the kitchen, still looking a bit sour. They all take their places around the table and Soda keeps chattering about how he and Steve got to work on a Mustang today. Darry can tell the mood in the room is making Soda real nervous. The dinner continues in this stilted manner until Darry notices Ponyboy rubbing at his upper arm with the bandaid dejectedly. Darry can sympathize, his own arm is definitely sore when he moves it around.

“It’ll be less sore if you move your arm some,” Darry says finally, nodding at Ponyboy. His brother’s face sours further and Darry can feel his own hackles raising in anticipation.

“Gee thanks a lot Darry, I didn’t think of that,” Ponyboy bites out sarcastically, a defiant gleam in his eyes. God Darry wishes he could just keep his cool like Soda sometimes, but he can feel his own desire to fight back, unable to let things go.

“Hey! Watch your tone kiddo,” He warns, trying to keep his voice from rising.

“Or what?” Ponyboy continues, stabbing a green bean aggressively with his fork, eyes looking away from Darry in challenge. The next thing Darry says is an empty threat, but he can't keep it from passing his lips.

“You want a swat like Dad would’ve given for that kind of lip? Because I am more than happy to-”

“Why do you always have to ruin everything?! You used to at least let us have FUN!” Ponyboy yells, letting his fork clatter loudly. ‘There it is,’ Darry thinks. When Pony gets upset like this, it’s never just about one thing.

“You think I want to be the adult all the time?!” Darry says back, voice raising now despite his attempt to keep it steady.

“Oh yeah, because Soda and I are just such a burden for you! We took away all your opportunities!” Ponyboy shoots back. Darry feels so angry, because while he does have a secret worries about his lot in life, he has been very careful to never voice his worries to his brothers. Leave it to Ponyboy to bring those fears to light.

“God’s sake Ponyboy! Why can’t you ever just leave things BE? I made you get one shot!” Darry yells, finally feeling like he’s reached his limit. “Why do you always have to-”

“I can’t STAND YOU TWO ANYMORE!” Soda cries, smacking his hands on the kitchen table as he leaps to his feet. This stops Darry mid-sentence, and he feels a rush of concern at Soda’s outburst. He reaches out to grab Soda with what he hopes to be a comforting hand, but before he can, he feels his heart drop into his stomach when Soda bolts out the front door. He feels his heart begin to race at the familiar scene, his head spinning as he's thrown back into that horrible night that happened just six weeks ago.

---

“If you hate me so much why not just send me away?! You ain’t Dad, Darry, and you ain’t Mom neither so quit trying to act like you are! I hate you!” Ponyboy snarls, his voice dripping with venom, his teenage temper flaring in true Ponyboy fashion. For a moment all Darry can hear is the pounding of his own pulse in his ears, and he feels his hand shake at his side, making his own blood run cold. He realizes that for a split moment, he almost moved to hit his little brother. He feels nauseated at the thought; the fact that he even considered it for a split second has him feeling overwhelmed with self loathing. Now there’s just an eerily tense silence in the kitchen, Ponyboy seems to be waiting for Darry to keep yelling back. He can see the tension in his brother’s body, and the fire his eyes as they just stare at him challengingly. Soda stands to the side, his own form stiff and frozen. Darry tries to calculate his next thought, and what to even say to Ponyboy’s previous insult, but he doesn’t expect that instead, he feels his face simply crumble for a moment, unable to keep it together for once.

“Go to your room.” Darry says, voice monotone, eyes now cast down to the floor. All the fight that was previously in him seems to be gone, and his shoulders are hunched in what simply feels like resignation and exhaustion. He can’t help but feel like Ponyboy may have delivered the blow that breaks him. He feels like his heart is on the kitchen floor, broken down by the stress of his brother not coming home and his harsh words.

Ponyboy seems angered by the change of Darry’s tone, “You just want to get rid of me anyways! Well, you can’t keep tellin me what to do-”

“Just go to your room, Ponyboy!” Soda finally interrupts, his voice strained, his handsome features turned into a deep frown, clearly very distressed by the entire exchange. It's clear Ponyboy feels betrayed by Soda’s intervention as he glares at them both, mouth agape in protest. He doesn’t expect Ponyboy to disobey Soda, always one to trust him in situations like this, but the kid bolts for the front door before Darry can even wrap his head around what's happening.

“Ponyboy!” Darry yells, and he knows his angry voice won’t help anything, but he can’t hold back. He stands there, feeling glued to the floor as he feels like his life is crumbling around him, and he’s doing everything he can to not break on the spot. Soda is wringing his hands nervously, and Darry wants to scream and cry asking why he has to be the adult right now. He gives himself a count to ten in his head to allow himself to feel like a scared kid, before he exhales, turning to Soda.

“It’s not safe for either ‘em to be out there this time of night,” Darry points out, though he doesn’t feel the need to point out the fact that this was the reason they were fighting in the first place. “We need to go find both of ‘em,” Darry says, moving towards the coat closet, grabbing his own jacket and throwing one in the direction of his brother. Any emotional breakdown on his part will have to wait. He feels like his body is moving of its own accord.

“I’m calling Steve, you run over to Two Bit’s house and grab him, ‘case we need extra hands to help find ‘em,” Soda says, pulling the phone from the wall and already starting to dial.
“I’ll check the lot, and Two Bit and I’ll meet you two at the park.” Darry instructs over his shoulder as hurries out the door, his mind focused on finding the two kids, and getting them home safe.

---

“STOP IT! YOU’RE KILLIN’ HIM!” Johnny’s voice pierces the night air in a way that makes their hearts drop in their stomachs. Darry doesn’t even glance to look at the other three boys before taking off in a sprint in the direction of the yelling, his lungs screaming in protest as he runs over the hill towards the old playset by the fountain. The chaos barely registers as he skids down the hill towards them. A couple of Socs are holding Johnny down on the concrete behind the fountain; one of them kicks him hard in the gut as he lets out a yelp. He notices three others have a struggling form and he almost screams out loud when he realizes it's his kid brother who’s head is being held underwater. Steve somehow appears to his left, tackling one of the kids wailing on Johnny, and he hears their shouts of surprise as the four older boys descend on the scene. Two Bit grabs one of the Socs by the fountain and starts throwing punches hard, knocking the kid to the ground with ease, he hears a snap and Darry assumes he broke his nose almost immediately. Darry zeros in on the kid holding Ponyboy by the neck and he swears he sees red. It takes a surprisingly small amount of strength for Darry to pull the kid off of Ponyboy by his neck as he lets out a cry of distress, and his brother's limp form slides onto the ground beside the fountain. He’s not moving, Darry thinks frantically as he decks the kid in his grip before he shoves the Soc in his hands flat on the ground. There’s an eerie pause as everyone looks at Ponyboys limp form on the concrete. The tension breaks when Steve and Two Bit start screaming at the socs, who are staring at his brother with wide eyes, completely stunned on the ground.
“Did you just kill the kid?!” Two Bit hollers, his voice manic as he shakes the soc pinned beneath him, who’s eyes widen with fear as the reality seems to set in. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Get the fuck out of here right now!” Soda starts screaming hysterically, lunging at the soc Darry had shoved to the ground, and Darry moves as fast as he can towards his baby brother. He hears his friends continue screaming and the slaps of feet on concrete as the soc kids flee the scene. All he can seem to focus on is picking his brother up, and folding him up into a seated position, arms cradling him carefully as he maneuvers his limp form, careful to protect his head. He folds him over, tucking his head between his legs, all the while his mind is chanting ‘Please, please, let him be okay, I’m so sorry.' He takes a shaky breath and smacks his brother’s back once, twice, three times.

“Darry!” He hears Soda cry in protest, and god he must look like he's whacking Ponyboy real hard, but the sputtering cough that comes from his brother makes him feel like he could burst into tears right then. Coughing means breathing.

Drops of water sprinkle onto the concrete as Ponyboy’s lungs scream for air, coughing hard enough that Darry is wincing in sympathy.
“I know, I know, baby, it's okay, cough it out, that’s it,” Darry murmurs, a hand pushing his wet hair out of his face as he gasps for air. He lets out a sob as he finally gets a good breath in, and then hes moving fast, his head coming up from between his legs. He looks around wildly, clearly disoriented before Darry is pulling him against his chest as he almost falls into the pavement. He feels Ponyboy heave and then the kid is puking up a large amount of water onto his shirt.

“Good job, that’s it, I know it hurts,” Darry murmurs, completely unbothered by the fact that his shirt is soiled. Pony is curled in his arms as he takes huge gasping breaths like a fish outta water.

“Thank God,” Soda says, tears streaking his cheeks from where he kneels beside Johnny, an arm wrapped around him to keep him stead. The poor kid is shaking like a leaf, silent tears tracking down his face and neck into the collar of his jean jacket.

“You’re alright, we’re here, it’s all over,” Darry continues to murmur, holding Ponyboy as his breathing begins to even out, his body finally waking up enough to begin shivering from the cold.

“Johnny-” Ponyboy murmurs, eyes unfocused on the ground as he sways in Darry’s arms supporting him.

“They’re gone now, it’s all over,” Johnny says, his voice quivering as he looks at his friend.

"We gotta get these two back to the house, it’s too cold out here,” Two Bit says nervously, for once he has no wisecrack to add, watching over them tensely and looking close to tears himself. Steve is smoking a cigarette, but it's clear he's rattled, his hand shakes as he takes a puff.

“C’mon,” Darry says, finally feeling like he is calm enough to move them, scooping up Ponyboy carefully, tucking his head beneath his chin in a bridal carry.

“Soda?” Pony says weakly as he feels himself being jostled.

“I’m right here honey,” Soda reassures, voice thick as they scurry down the sidewalk, back down the block towards their home.

“I’m so cold,” Ponyboy murmurs.

“I know, we’re almost home and we’ll get you warmed up.”

“Okay,” he mumbles, sounding overwhelmingly tired.

“No sleeping,” Darry commands, his voice rumble against Pony’s cheek, “Keep talking little buddy.” Darry doesn’t want his brother sleeping until he can make sure he’s not got a concussion or something.

“Don’t wanna-” Ponyboy whines, stopping mid-protest when he feels the warmth of the house hit him as Darry shoves their front door open with a loud creak.

“I’ll grab him some dry clothes,” Two Bit mumbles, heading off down the hall immediately, for once the picture of seriousness that Darry hasn’t seen since his parent’s funeral. He sees Ponyboy down gently on the recliner, and his eyes open for a moment, before he seems to decide he likes keeping them closed better. Darry quickly shucks off his wet jacket and then pulls off his tee shirt, leaving him in his undershirt, and then he grabs at the hem of Pony’s shirt, peeling the wet fabric from his skin as Pony starts squirming.

“Stop it! I’m cold!”

“Well these wet clothes ain’t doing nothing for you, genius,” Steve grumbles quietly, though he’s helping Soda by wrestling off his shoes so they can work off his wet jeans. Ponyboy continues squirming until they manage to wrestle him into flannel pajama pants and an old t-shirt. He's still shaking, but it seems better than when they were outside. Darry tries to keep himself composed, but secretly he’s panicking about the thought of Ponyboy potentially being hypothermic. He takes a moment to check over Johnny while Soda goes to find the thick quilt they keep in the hall closet.

“Where are you hurt, Johnny?” Darry asks, kneeling before the trembling kid on the couch, carefully pulling the throw blanket so he can drape it over Johnny’s shoulders.

“My ribs, I don’t think they’re broke though,” Johnny says so quietly Darry has to focus to understand him.

“Anywhere else?” Darry presses as he carefully examines Johnny’s ribs, hands feeling for any sticking out of place as he presses as gently as he can. Johnny finally shakes his head no, and Darry sighs. He knows Johnny likely is downplaying his injuries, but the kid tends to keep them to himself. He pushes to his feet and hurries over to the freezer, grabbing a bag of frozen veggies.

“I’ll warm Pony up, the rest of y’all get settled in here, we need to hear exactly what happened. Johnny, I want you keeping these on your ribs” Darry says, giving him a pack of frozen peas. Any of his own exhaustion is long forgotten in place of the adrenaline high as he makes his way over to the recliner. He carefully climbs into the space beside his little brother, maneuvering him around so Ponyboy’s head rests on his chest, an arm wrapped protectively around him, pulling his shivering form flush against him. Soda carefully drapes one of the thick quilts over them, and he makes sure it’s tucked around Ponyboy before he comes to sit on the arm of the chair beside Darry, clearly wanting to be close by. Ponyboy’s shaking seems to slow as he rests pressed against his eldest brother. Soda’s hand comes to play with his hair, and he lets out a loud sigh of contentment, and the knot inside of Darry’s chests loosens some.

“What the hell happened?” Two Bit says finally, from where he’s sat between Steve and Johnny on the couch, an arm around the latter’s shoulder, where he has pulled Johnny into leaning on him tentatively. His other hand holds a beer with a slight tremor. Johnny begins talking slowly, beginning with after Two Bit left them after the nightly double. Darry tries to not interrupt as he hears about Pony and Johnny resting in the lot. He makes a mental note that he’s going to have to have a talk with the whole gang about no more sleeping outside from now on. He’s gonna have to keep an eye on Steve and Johnny, who tend to do that if they feel they've overstayed, no matter how many times Darry tells them to just come to their house. He grimaces when Johnny recounts Ponyboy running back to him at the lot, and says Ponyboy was talking about how he needed to go to the park to cool off.

“Soda?” Ponyboy murmurs, interrupting Johnny as he talks about walking over to the park.

“Yeah honey?” Soda says, looking down at him.

“Don’t tell Darry about this, I’ll get in even more trouble.”

“Little late for that,” Steve mumbles as he receives an elbow to the ribs from Two Bitand a glare from several of the others.

“Pony-” Soda says tiredly, clearly unable to muster up the energy at the thought of another argument.

“Open your eyes kid,” Steve says, with enough gruffness that it gets Ponyboy’s attention. He blinks blearily and looks up towards the hand playing with his hair.

“Darry?” He asks, his voice laced with confusion as he looks between his two brothers. Darry feels a stab in the chest seeing Ponyboy look so shocked that he’s the one holding him, not Sodapop.

“Hush, Johnny’s tellin us what happened.” Darry replies, trying to divert his attention.

“But you’re supposed to be mad at me! Why aren’t you yelling?!” Ponyboy sniffs, clearly feeling all the emotions from before the socs hit him.

“I’m not mad, baby,” Darry sighs, shifting slightly and using his free hand to try and move Ponyboy back into laying on his chest, mimicking the soothing motions he used to see his parents do.

“I didn’t mean to,” Ponyboy whimpers, allowing Darry to guide him back to resting against him, “I tried to fight back, honest, but there were-”

“I know, I know,” Darry murmurs, hand coming to stroke his brother’s cheek, trying to soothe him in the way their mom did. “You’re okay, you and Johnny are both safe now.” He can feel Ponyboy’s wide eyes on him, but Darry keeps his eyes focused on Johnny, he feels like if he looks down at his little brother right now, he might start bawling.

“Please don’t send me away Darry-” God if that isn't a gut punch.

“Stop it with that nonsense, Ponyboy Michael Curtis. When in this entire time have I ever said anything about sending you away, huh?” Darry asks, fighting back his anger at his brother thinking so little of him. God the kid must really hate him. Ponyboy blinks at this again, and he feels him whimper as he simply buries his face into Darry’s shirt, clearly placated for the moment at least.

“Then what happened Johnny?” Darry prompts, his hand still cradles Ponyboy’s chin, smoothing a line down his jaw in a way he hopes is reassuring. He knows Pony prefers Soda, but right now he can’t bring himself to let him go, feeling too shaken up. As Johnny details the socs finding them at the park, he feels Ponyboy squirm against him, his head narrowly missing clocking Darry in the chin as he shifts to make himself more comfortable.

“Then y’all showed up,” Johnny finishes shakily, “I thought- I thought they were gonna kill him, and I didn’t know what to do! I was so scared and-”

“They crossed so many lines tonight Johnny, ain’t none of this was y’alls fault,” Two Bit reassures, trying to provide some comfort. There’s another thick silence in the room as they all allow the heaviness of the events hit them.

“We should all get some sleep, it’s nearly 4 in the morning,” Darry finally pierces the heavy silence, feeling that there’s nothing more they can do tonight. He feels so exhausted, and he knows he can’t be the only one. “I don’t want anyone going back out there tonight, everyone should stay here.”

“Good idea Dar,” Soda mumbles, eyes slightly droopy as he moves to stand from his perch.

“I’m gonna have him with me tonight, wanna make sure he doesn’t start runnin a fever or nothin,” Darry nods down to Ponyboy.

“All of yall can sleep in Pony’s bed and my old room, I’m gonna stay with them too,” Soda adds, nodding towards his brothers. Darry would normally protest, unlike his brothers, he prefers his space when he sleeps, but he can’t deny any of them the comfort and figures they can squeeze into the king bed for one night.

It doesn’t take long for them all to get settled for bed, and Darry moves to climb into the bed after they get Ponyboy settled, making his way to the middle of the bed. Laying flat on his back, he moves Ponyboy who’s already curled on his side half asleep, so he’s tucked into his left side with his head resting on Darry’s shoulder. Soda has pulled off his clothes, leaving him in just his boxers and Darry gives him an encouraging nod,

“C’mere.” He watches as Soda almost sags in relief, climbing under the covers on Darry’s other side, crawling so he is situated in mirror to Ponyboy.

“Go to sleep,” Darry murmurs, hands moving to stroke both of their hair, his own eyes drifting shut easily.

“G’night Darry,” Soda murmurs, burrowing closer, and Darry can feel his breath against his skin. He keeps his eyes closed, but he can tell it will take time for sleep to take him, so for now he is content with feeling his brothers’ breathing steadily while he chants the mantra ‘we’re safe, everyone’s safe” to himself.

---

“Darry?” Ponyboy asks, his voice quivering, and Darry shakes himself out of his thoughts.

“C’mon, we gotta go get him,” He says, moving for the door, Ponyboy hot on his tail. He feels for the second time in less than 2 months that he is failing his brothers miserably as he and Pony take off in a run on the trail of Soda’s retreating form.

Notes:

Darry is going through it, honestly they all are. Dally is just blissfully unaware chillin at Bucks in the flashback lol.
pls let me know what y'all think, I love comments.

Chapter 3: Chap 3

Summary:

Darry and Ponyboy chase after Soda, but Soda's not the only one cracking under the stress.

Notes:

in true medical student levels of productivity I wrote a good chunk of this when we had some downtime between seeing patients today lmfao.

Darry has to consciously keep himself from panicking as he and Ponyboy try to catch up with Soda, who’s running like a bat outta hell. His muscles are already aching in protest, while he may have been a great football player, his sprinting is another story. Ponyboy has made it a good several yards ahead of him, the kid is so fast, but Soda has the advantage of a head start, and his own determination keeps him firmly ahead of them. He absentmindedly wishes his brothers would just sit down when upset, instead of running at full speed into the night. Soda may not be as fast as Ponyboy, but he’s agile, and he manages to dodge between the light posts as he books it towards the playground set in the park. Darry finally can slow down from a sprint as he starts to gain on Soda, who’s climbing up the playset making a beeline towards the tallest slide’s platform. Ponyboy is just stepping foot on the lowest platform when they see Soda’s form disappear into the tunnel that connects two of the tall platforms, and in any other scenario Darry would want to laugh. Ponyboy is still small enough that he can climb up the thing easily, but Darry has to slow down, making a conscious effort to not whack his head on a bar or something as he follows after his brothers. Soda is still 5’11” but apparently the extra four inches of height Darry has is the limit of what this playset was built for. Clearly whoever made this children’s playground did not have a 6’3” man in mind when they built it, Darry thinks begrudgingly.

“Soda?” Ponyboy says softly, kneeling by the opening of the tunnel. Darry lets out a grimace as he moves to sit beside Pony, his knees popping loudly with the action. He can see Soda’s form backlit by the street lights; he’s got his knees tucked to his chest, turned sideways in the tunnel, and he’s pointedly not looking at them. 

“Soda,” Darry tries, hoping to at least get him to look at them.

“Go away! Find your own tunnel,” Soda, says halfheartedly, though they can all tell his words have no bite behind them. 

“I don’t think I’ll fit in any of ‘em,” Darry mumbles, and he at least gets a huff of a laugh from Soda at this. 

“Soda I’m sorry,” Ponyboy whimpers, and Darry watches in dismay as Ponyboy crawls into the tunnel, narrowly missing whacking his head on the ceiling. Darry really hopes he can get Soda to come out, cause he is pretty sure they’ll all get stuck in there if he has to follow them. The scene before him almost makes him laugh; he can distinctly recall times he had to climb up one of those play structures composed of many tunnels similar to this tube. He remembers on several occasions his mom sending him to go retrieve his brothers, who were stuck and hollering for rescue. Ponyboy would always insist on going into the tunnels, claiming he liked them, and then would get scared about halfway through. He’d refuse to move until someone came and found him and brought him out.

Sodapop on the other hand, never got scared in the thing, instead he’d be running around so fast and wild, he’d get himself all disoriented to the point he’d get lost and not know the way out. In both instances Darry remembers begrudgingly climbing into the tunnels with a sigh, going to get them. He can’t help but feel like his mom has once again sent him on a mission to rescue his little brothers when she can’t.

“C’mon little buddy, talk to us,” Darry probes, waiting for Soda to cave. He knows his brother better than anyone, and he knows Soda needs to talk before he’ll start to feel better about anything that’s upsetting him. 

“I just, I can’t handle y’all fightin anymore, sometimes I just feel like I got run from it or something, I dunno,” Soda sniffs, wiping at his eyes as Ponyboy curls up beside him, leaning on him in a gesture of comfort. “It’s just, we’re all we got left, and I’m so scared sometimes ya know? And it's so hard having you both wanting me to take sides, but I can’t always be pulled in all directions!” 

“I know-”

“But Darry, you gotta be softer on him sometimes. You can’t get on him about every little thing, he feels things differently than you,” Soda continues. Darry feels the breath pulled from him. His brothers seem to think he’s so cold and unfeeling, it almost hurts more than a punch to the jaw. He knows he can be tough on them, but he’s spent every waking moment trying to be a pillar of strength for both his brothers since they lost their folks. He didn’t let himself cry at the funeral because he knew his brothers needed to see that he was strong, that he’d be the adult they so desperately needed. 

“And Pony,” Soda interrupts Darry’s current spiral, “Darry’s only tough on you because he loves you, and wants you to succeed cause you’re so smart, kiddo. You have so much going for you. And he does so much to take care of us both!” Darry feels selfish that he is on the edge of an emotional meltdown of his own, when he’s meant to be comforting Soda, but it's becoming harder and harder to hold it back. The last month has worn down on him, between Pony and Johnny’s night at the fountain, the rising tensions between the socs, and now this, he feels like he’s losing his balance on an emotional tightrope.

“I love you both so much, so please, please no more fighting, okay? We gotta stick together,” Soda says softly, his soft brown eyes looking at them hopefully, tears tracking down his handsome cheeks. Darry’s heart aches, it’s in a moment like this that the reminder that Soda is only 16 feels like a punch to the gut. Soda tends to hide behind a smile, and Darry feels like he’s taken all of that for granted, relying too much on him to play mediator as he is often pulled between the two of them. He makes a promise to himself that he’s just going to do better, and try to carry more of the weight of things on his shoulders. He wants to let Soda be a kid like he’s meant to be. 

“I promise,” Darry manages to choke out around the frog in his throat, which he swallows back painfully. He feels like such an outsider to his brothers in this moment, watching their soft embrace while he’s forced to be the one on the sidelines. Hell, even without the physical barrier, he still feels like he’s the odd man out. He’s hit with another intense wave of mourning over the relationship he had with his brothers before they lost their parents. He knows he should be happy they have each other, but he can’t help but feel left out of their close bond. 

“C’mon Pony, Darry looks awful lonely out there,” Soda sniffs, nudging his brother towards Darry. Darry breathes a sigh of relief when they both move to crawl out towards him, their limbs a gangly mess as they climb out of the tunnel. Soda grabs them both, pulling them into a tight embrace, and Darry manages to let a single tear fall down his before he can stop it. He makes sure to keep his brothers’ faces buried in his chest as he waits for it to dry. He grounds himself by breathing in the smell of Soda’s shampoo, mint and juniper. He doesn’t let go until his brothers break the hug, and then he gives them each a gentle nudge. 

“C’mon let’s go home.” 

---

They sit on the couch to finish what’s left of their dinners they left behind; Darry sits on one end, and tries to keep a fake smile on his face. He feels a sense of relief seeing Pony and Soda laughing softly at the tv, seeing that his brothers are both feeling better. However, he can’t shake the feeling that he’s going to crack under the pressure if he doesn’t do something soon.

Just like he did at the funeral, he forces himself to hold it together for the next hour, reminding himself that his brothers need him. He feels tonight will end the same way, with him crying alone in his parent’s old room, waiting until his brothers are fast asleep to finally let the dam break. He almost sighs in relief when Soda reappears from the shower, clad in a pair of boxers with his wet hair dripping onto the towel over his shoulders. 

“It’s been a long day for everyone, I think it's time for bed,” Soda says, giving Ponyboy a hand up from the couch before he grins cheekily, shaking his wet hair. 

“Soda!” Ponyboy yelps, chasing after Soda’s retreating form as they head for their shared room. Darry feels almost glued to the couch, and it feels like it takes almost all of his remaining resolve to get to his feet, following after his brothers down the hallway. When he comes into view of their bedroom, Ponyboy is whacking Soda with a pillow, and they’re both laughing as a few feathers go flying around the room propelled around by the ceiling fan. 

“G’night Darry!” Soda says, noticing him in the hallway where he’s moving for his room, the room that less than a year ago belonged to his parents. 

“G’night, don’t stay up too late,” Darry says, focused on keeping his voice light and even as he flicks off the hall lights and slips through the door before closing it softly. The breath he lets out is stilted and his throat aches painfully as he holds back a sob. ‘Not yet’ he tells himself as he moves towards the center of the room. His hands shake as he rids himself of his clothes before he’s sitting on the edge of his bed, clad in only his socks and boxers. He hears Pony and Soda’s door close, and he can tell they’re settling in for the evening, but he wants to make sure he gives it some time before he lets himself crumble. He’d heard Ponyboy recently mention offhandedly to Johnny that Darry never cries, that he thinks he’s not capable of it. Pony hadn’t realized Darry could hear him talking from the porch where he was coming back from work. It had hurt, finding out that his brother thinks of him that way, but he’d rather seem cold and unfeeling than make either of his brothers feel afraid that he won’t be able to take care of them. He doesn’t know how long he sits on the edge of the bed in the dim light of the small bedside lamp, staring numbly at the carpet while he contemplates.

He doesn’t know exactly when the tears start, but suddenly he’s feeling them run in hot trails down his cheeks as he chokes on his stilted breaths. He takes a cautious glance at his door, and he can’t see any light from the hall or his brothers’ room, and he lets a silent sob wrack his body. He feels like he can’t breathe, his heart pounding hard as he squeezes a pillow to his chest, desperate to mimic some semblance of the human contact he craves. He hates life for being too harsh on his kid brothers, who have fallen into this mess that is their lives through no fault of their own. It’s in the secrecy of his room, away from two pairs of sad and concerned brown and green eyes, he can’t help but feel resentful because deep down, he’s just a kid too. 

Fate is a cruel bastard, leaving him without both his parents in an instant. Grief wasn’t an option, not when he had two very heartbroken boys looking at him, and he realized their fates were now solely in his hands. He did everything by the book, filled out every form the state asked of him, and went through every background check and screening to ensure his grief stricken brothers weren’t pulled from the only home they knew. What the universe seemed to forget about was him. God, he laughs bitterly as he cries harder, eyes aching as the tears flow continually down his cheeks with no signs of stopping. He stumbles over to his closet and throws it open, looking to the corner where he’s tucked some of his parents' clothes, the things he couldn’t bring himself to box up into the basement or donate. He carefully peels one of his mother’s favorite sweaters off a hanger, his sobs echoing softly off the closet wall. He holds it tightly to his chest as he stumbles back to bed under the covers, curling onto his side and pressing it to his cheek, inhaling the scent of her perfume. 

“Why did you have to leave us,” He whispers, because if he doesn’t he’ll scream. He feels horrible, but there is a part of him that hates their parents for leaving them, though he knows logically it isn’t their fault, nor their choice.  “It’s not fair!” He grips the bedspread tightly as he simply lays there, sobs making his body shake as he feels desperate to memorize the smell of the perfume, afraid that if he forgets it, he’ll forget his parents too. He turns over onto his other side, back to the door as he clicks off the lamp, yearning for the comfort of darkness while he tries to picture for just a moment that his momma is there with him 

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry momma, I’m failing them,” He chokes out softly, feeling something in his chest unravel in relief of finally saying it aloud. 

“Darry?” A small voice almost makes him jump out of his skin as he turns over, wiping his eyes hastily as he focuses on the shapes of two bodies in the doorway. He didn’t even hear the door open. Stupid, he thinks to himself. He sees the concern in his brothers’ eyes even in the darkness.

“What’s wrong?” Darry asks, trying to keep the exhaustion from his tone as he moves to sit up, ready to fix whatever it is that has them both back out of bed. 

“Dar,” Soda says softly, and god he sounds so gentle that Darry has to disguise a sob as a cough. 

“What is it buddy?” Darry tries to deflect, hoping the darkness can somehow conceal the fact that he’s an absolute mess. Darry sags in defeat, kicking himself for not waiting a bit long before he had his meltdown. You’d think based on the fact that this night time crying session is far from his first rodeo, he’d be an expert in it by now. He feels more silent tears fall against his will, unable to stop, feeling overwhelmingly ashamed at the fact that he is falling apart when he’s supposed to be strong. 

His brothers move quickly, and they’re both crawling onto the bed before he can react, and he's wiping at his eyes furiously in the dark. 

“It’s okay, what is it?” he continues, trying to reassure his brothers who are sitting across from him on the bed. 

“Darry, are you okay?” Ponyboy asks, his voice sounding so young as he folds his hands in his lap. God Darry is barely able to keep himself from sobbing at the question, 

“Yeah-”

“No you’re not,” Soda interrupts, moving closer. Of course it would be Sodapop who breaks the dam, and Darry finally just lets the tears start again. 

“Just go back to bed. Please,” he asks them weakly, trying to maintain whatever sliver composure he has remaining. 

“No.” Soda says firmly, folding his arms as his brown eyes stare at him in the dark.

“Darry, what’s wrong, you never cry-” Ponyboy says, and that makes him bark out a bitter laugh in between his tears. 

“Sure I don’t,” he replies sarcastically. 

“Whaddya mean?” Soda presses softly, but Darry can tell he knows, somehow Soda always knows. 

“I’m supposed to be the adult here, I can’t-” he chokes for a moment “I can’t cry.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” Soda retorts, hands gesturing wildly as he speaks. 

“I just, there’s no one to help me you know? There’s no adult to fall back on if I make a mistake, and I’m failing you both, I’m failing mom and dad, and-”

“You’re not failing us Darry,” Soda interrupts, moving carefully to grab his hand that he had somehow begun using to dig his nails into. His brother massages his palm gently, keeping his fist open. “Where the hell did you get that idea?”

“Ponyboy is miserable, you’ve heard him, he hates me. Y'all think all I do is push him. I'm not trying to. I just, I'm so scared. And I don’t know what to do to make him not hate me anymore,” Darry says, unable to hold back his pain any longer. “And Soda, I failed, you had to drop out of school to work, which I never wanted and now you’re stuck having to worry about helping me-”

“Darry, you’re working yourself up, you gotta take a breath,” Soda says calmly, squeezing his hand gently. He does, but he looks over to see Ponyboy who’s also crying and he feels a new surge of panic, realizing what he's just confessed to them.

“Ponyboy, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you baby,” he stutters, trying to wipe his eyes again. 

“Darry,” Ponyboy cries, and the kid practically tackles him, somehow maneuvering himself into his lap, face burying into his shirt. “I’m sorry Darry, I didn’t mean it!”

“I know, I know,” He murmurs, burying his face in his brother’s hair, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “It’s okay, we’re okay.”

“I didn’t know,” Ponyboy blubbers. 

“Dar how long have you been hiding all this?” Soda asks, gesturing to the sweater and the scene before him. 

“Since we lost ‘em,” he whispers, feeling his tears slowing at the comfort of the weight of Ponyboy who has his arms wrapped around him tightly. 

“Why would you keep this from us?” Soda asks, his face stricken with sadness, and god that hurts him to see Soda so devastated. 

“Because, you needed me.”

“Hell, we do need you, but that don’t mean you don’t need us too!” Soda exclaims, “Why are you trying to do this all by yourself? We love you, we want you to talk to us!” 

“I know,” he chokes out, feeling a sense of relief as Soda sidles up next to him, arm coming to wrap around his shoulder. 

“How could you think you’re failing us huh? Look at Pony, he’s got straight A’s and is almost done with his freshman year! And I hated school, you know that. I’m much more happy working and being able to help out than I would’ve been there. God Darry, if it weren’t for you we wouldn’t even be here.” Darry knows it’s selfish, but the sense of relief knowing his brothers see him, that to some extent they understand gives him some peace. 

“I just love you two so much, I’m just so scared of failing you. And I just feel so tired sometimes, I’m sorry I can’t just be your big brother anymore. I have to be the adult and I know that changes things and I just miss it all so much. I miss them so much. But I never ever regret my decision, not for a single moment, you hear me?” He gives Ponyboy a squeeze from where he's wrapped around him, and leans his head on Soda’s shoulder. 

“We know,” Soda murmurs, giving him a squeeze in return. There’s a sense of relief washing over him that he hasn’t felt since before their folks died, having someone that tell him it’s okay to not be strong all the time. “You gotta stop being so hard on yourself, okay? We love you. You gotta cut the self sacrificing shit. We want you to be happy too, ya dig?” He manages to nod at this, taking a moment to simply relish in the closeness of his brothers. Soda seems satisfied with saying his piece, so the only sound in the room is the occasional sniffle.

“Darry, can we stay here tonight?” Ponyboy mumbles finally, eyes peeking up at him, clearly content to cling to him and showing no signs of letting go anytime soon. 

“Sure Pony, I think I could use the company,” Darry replies, feeling hit with exhaustion as he feels like he’s finally cried out. While physical touch isn't his preferred way of showing affection, he knows it is important to Pony and Soda, so he tries his best. Soda gives them both a squeeze, 

“We’re gonna be okay, I love you guys.” 

“I love you little buddies,” Darry murmurs, wrapping an arm around Soda and pulling him close, pressing a kiss to his head as he squeezes him and Ponyboy around the waist.

“Alright Pony, you gotta at least let me lay down, we all need to get some sleep here,” Darry murmurs, moving himself and Pony, somehow managing to lay down. Soda clambers around so he’s on the other side of Ponyboy, slinging an arm over him and letting out a content sigh when Darry pulls the comforter up over their bodies. He notices Pony has moved to clutch the sweater he was holding as he curls onto his side to face him, snuggling up against Darry.

“Is this momma’s?” Ponyboy murmurs, voice thick with sleep.

“Yeah, it is,” Darry replies, eyes drooping as he yawns against his will.  The pause is almost long enough he thinks that Pony’s fallen asleep, Soda is already snoring softly. He almost misses the whisper, 

“It’s real nice, I think she made sure we were here with you tonight.”

 Darry feels an ache in his chest but it’s not like the one he’s been carrying for months, it's more of a melancholy ache, one that reminds him of what they’ve lost, but also what he has. As the tendrils of sleep pull him under he can’t help but say a prayer of thanks, realizing that maybe it was his momma who made sure he had someone to comfort him too when he needed it most. 

Notes:

Well this chapter was an adventure. Once again, not beta'd except by myself so, apologies for any mistakes. I am not sure if I'm as happy with my writing for this chap, but I have some ideas in my head for the next chaps and am excited to write them so hopefully this isnt too bad. As always pls come talk to me in the comments

Chapter 4: Chap 4

Summary:

Darry has a very conversation filled day

Notes:

This is just a bit of an expositional chapter for some of the ideas I have for what I want to happen moving forward, but hopefully its still enjoyable. I kinda just cranked this one out really fast in one sitting

The next few days are hard. Not because they aren’t getting along, the opposite in fact, Darry feels better than he has since their parents died. But the whole affair from the other evening has left Darry feeling exhausted, and the hours he has to work is making him crave just a couple hours of extra sleep. By Friday, Darry feels dead on his feet, fueled only by the coffee he made in a thermos as he works on the roof of their latest build project. He knows he’s over tired, so he’s taken care to be extra careful today, and he knows he’s not performing at his best. He has his second job helping clean people’s yards on the west side, and that has definitely increased now that the weather has finally turned to early summer. He should be thankful, more jobs means more money coming in, but he feels like all he does is work and sleep. He can’t remember if he’s even read more than a page of the newspaper this week with the limited downtime he’s had. But Ponyboy and Soda are happy, and he wishes that was enough to keep him completely happy too. 

“Curtis! Once you’re done with that set, I wanna talk to ya!” His boss Greg hollers from the ground. He feels his heart drop into his stomach at this, Greg rarely comes out to the sites, and usually it’s if there’s a problem. Darry knows he hasn’t been at the top of his game this week, but is he really about to be fired for it? He can feel his heart racing as he climbs down the ladder, extra cautious due to his hands shaking a bit. He and his brothers have been in the best place they’ve ever been in since their folks died, and he can’t help but feel angry preemptively that the world decided to kick them down another notch, just when things are looking up. He starts running through his brain for a plan. How is he gonna pay these bills for the month while he searches for a new job? Roofing is hard work, but it pays decent, and it will be hard to find a new entry level job that starts at the same pay level. He tries to keep himself looking confident as he approaches Greg, who gives him a smile. Darry tries to return it, but it must look weak. 

“Alright son?” Greg asks, and Darry feels like he wants to cry. He's been working this job since starting part-time at 16, and he really can’t believe that this is happening, especially now. 

“Yes sir, sorry, it’s been a bit of a hectic week,” He replies, trying to keep himself sounding even keeled, when really he just wants to scream: ‘WHY?’

“I understand that, it's been the same for me,” the man continues, gesturing for him to sit on the bench beside him. “Parker quit yesterday, said he was moving back to Texas.” Darry blinks at this, Parker was one of the team supervisors that worked under Greg. He usually managed their group at the worksite, Darry got along with him fine, but he really didn’t speak to him much. Darry didn’t even realize he was missing today.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Darry manages to say, trying to pivot from his own internal panic. 

“Thanks kid,” the man says, rubbing his forehead tiredly. “So, that means I need a new team lead. Whaddya say?”

Darry blinks, and for a moment he feels like he heard the man wrong. He’s gotten himself so worked up he hadn’t even considered that maybe Greg’s appearance today wasn’t a bad thing. 

“Me, sir?” Darry stutters, looking at the man in shock.

“You’re reliable, a hard worker, and you know how this all works. I know I can count on you. It thankfully was a very easy choice.” 

“Thank you sir,” Darry manages to blurt, his mind racing faster than Steve and Soda when they’re drag racing down mainstreet. 

“And then of course that means raising your pay,” Greg continues oblivious to Darry’s internal spiral, and when he says the new hourly pay Darry’s eyes almost pop out of his head. It's enough that he can quit his second job. He was so scared of losing this job, he doesn’t even know how to process that he might actually get to have his evenings back and work more reasonable hours. 

“You’ve been through a lot Curtis, you deserve this. I won’t keep you anymore, but I’ll have you come to my office on Monday to do a bit of paperwork and orientation alright?” Greg says, hand reaching out and shaking his firmly with a clap on Darry’s shoulder. Darry nods excitedly, 

“Yes of course! Thank you so much! I’ll see you then sir.” 

He feels like he just drank an espresso as Greg walks back to his truck, and he can’t stop from humming to himself as he climbs back up, feeling completely renewed of energy as he gets back to work.  

---

Darry feels like he continues humming to himself all day, and he even catches himself humming as he carries the grocery bags up the front porch, filled with the burgers and corn cobs he bought at the grocery store on his way home. He figures he could splurge on a celebration dinner for him and the gang, call it a start of summer barbeque. He shucks off his boots at the front door, and he pads through the kitchen. The house is surprisingly empty. He figures out quickly, hearing some muffled voices and he realizes the boys are in the backyard, probably up to no good. He takes a few minutes to get organized, setting up all the plates and condiments and collect all his grilling supplies. He forgoes his post work shower, deciding he should just wait until after he’s done at the grill before he does that, no sense in using twice the water. He has everything set up on a couple trays and pushes the back door open with his back as he makes his way over to the little grill on the back porch. 

“Darry!” Soda says excitedly from where he’s currently tackled to the ground by both Steve and Two Bit in the yard. He sees Johnny and Ponyboy laughing on the periphery as he moves to set his things down. Dally is on the steps smoking, though he’s verbally egging them on from his perch. 

“Wow! Are those burgers?” Ponyboy asks hopefully, eyeing them with the frantic hunger characteristic of a teenage boy. 

“Yeah they are,” he says with a smile, ruffling Pony’s hair as he sniffs the raw patties excitedly. 

“Wow, what’s the occasion Darry?” Steve asks, head popping up beside Pony’s, he’s covered in dust from his recent scuffle with Soda. 

“I got promoted at the roofing job,” he says, feeling a bit embarrassed to announce it so formally to everyone. 

“Holy cow! Darry, that's amazing!” Soda exclaims, hopping off of Two Bit’s back and scrambling past Dally, barrelling into him with a tight embrace. 

“There’s a pay raise. I was able to quit my second job,” He explains, returning the hug but busying himself with starting the grill, uncomfortable with all the eyes focusing on him. 

“Wow! Look at you Superman!” Two Bit exclaims with his wide grin, ever the comedian he adds, “I hope you get promoted more often if it means I get free food!” 

“You eat my food all the time,” Darry points out, but he is still smirking as the grill lights up with a flame. He hears Two Bit’s hyena-like laugh and he feels another affectionate clap on the back. 

The boys go back to doing acrobatics in the yard, and Darry watches them with subtle amusement in between getting the food ready to go on the grill. His attention is drawn away as he starts laying patties onto the grill, delighting in the satisfying sizzling that begins as he places each one down. 

“I gotta talk to you man,” Dally voices, and Darry almost jumps, he hadn’t heard Dally move from his previous perch, now leaning against the railing beside him. 

“Shoot,” Darry says with a nod, though he keeps his attention on his current task. 

“I’ve been talking to people around town, getting information. Shepard’s been on it too, we’ve been getting shit on those socs that messed with the kids a month ago,” Dally says, voice quiet enough that the boy’s can’t hear him from the yard. 

“Yeah?” Darry asks, shooting Dally a glance. While he and Dallas Winston may not agree on a great number of things, they both are on the same page on what they want to do to those socs who messed with Pony and Johnny. 

“I know Ponyboy and Johnny asked for us to leave it be ’till school was out, but it's out, and I’m feeling it's past time we did something,” Dally continues, smoke billowing out of his mouth as he speaks. 

“What have you been finding out?”

“Tim’s boys are in, hell even Buck and a few of his boys want in on this, but looks like a big rumble soon,” Dally says with a dangerous grin. 

“You know I’m in,” Darry says with a nod, that was never a question for him. Not after what they did to his baby brother. He glances at Ponyboy nervously, he knows what’s going to happen. Pony is the youngest of the gang, but he will throw a fit if he’s not allowed to fight in a rumble with the rest of them. Hell, if it was up to Darry he wouldn’t want Pony or Johnny there, but he knows Johnny won’t go for it. It’s already hard even having Sodapop there, he remembers the last rumble and the anger he felt when a soc got a good hit on his brother. He knows he can’t keep them from fighting completely, but his protective instincts scream at him every time they beg him to let them fight in a rumble or otherwise. 

“Fists only, no chains or blades,” Dally adds, noticing Darry’s gaze. Darry continues to think; his folks would have never let Pony fight in a rumble, and Darry hates the idea. But he knows the kid is good in a fight, and god, after what those socs did, how can he say no to his brother if he wants a chance to fight back? He remembers the way Ponyboy looked that night and his heart clenches and he has to focus on his brother’s laughing face for a moment to calm himself down.

“You gonna let the kid fight?” Dally asks finally, a knowing look in his eyes. It must be written on Darry’s face. He busies himself again flipping over the patties. After the pause becomes too long Darry finally caves,

“If he wants to. We can talk about it when we know the date and things.”

“Cool man,” Dally replies, his stone cold features betraying nothing. 

“Hey Darry, Dally! I wanted to talk to you!” Soda says, running up beside them with a handsome smile on his face. Darry privately thinks that he’s just about fresh out of energy for having anymore ‘conversations’ today. 

“I’m listening, Soda,” Darry acknowledges as he works on turning over the corn cobs, making sure they aren’t getting charred by the flames. They glisten a golden yellow from all the butter.

“You gotta hear me out okay, I really think this is a good thing,” Soda starts, already rambling. Darry can feel a slight headache coming on in anticipation. 

“What did you do?” He asks, hoping that it’s nothing too bad today. They’d been doing so well so far.

“Hey- Nothing!” Soda squawks. 

“Yet…” Dally mumbles under his breath. 

“What is it?” Darry presses, shooting a look over his shoulder to see his brother bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

“I wanna go back to riding in the rodeo. I’ve already talked to Buck, did you know he somehow bought Mickey Mouse? He said he’d gone back to sale recently, and he wanted him in case I could come back! And I’d get paid to ride in the competitions, and even more if I win some! We could use it to help with the bills! Between this and your new raise we’d-”

“Soda, you gotta slow down,” Darry interrupts finally, his brother’s rambling has his tired brain spinning. He starts with the first part.“You want to ride in the rodeo again? You know Dad didn’t want you doing that anymore after your knee.”

“I know, but that’s all healed up now and you know it! I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t feel ready Darry, and you know I love it.” Soda retorts immediately, Darry can tell he’s already got a list of arguments ready to go.

“You’re in on this, I presume?” Darry asks, giving Dally a nod. He already knows the answer to his own question. 

“Hey man, Buck’s got some crazy new ideas for the rodeo, and Soda’s a great rider. He’d make some great cash.” 

“Cash isn’t the issue,” Darry says with a sigh, he takes a moment as he starts putting the burgers onto a tray, deeming them ready to go. 

“I know Darry, but it’s a bonus.” Soda continues, and he starts to massage his shoulders, and Darry has to actively fight himself to not be swayed immediately as his aching shoulders practically sing with contentment.

“Soda, I don’t like how dangerous it could get,” he continues, his eyes closing for a moment and his head tilts back as his brother starts working on a particularly sore knot. 

“You know I’m good at it, me getting hurt was a rare thing. Plus it’d just be saddle bronc, no bulls.” Soda continues. It takes most of Darry’s resolve to focus on pulling the corn cobs off the grill and not simply succumb to Soda’s ministrations. 

“I know what you’re doing right now Sodapop Patrick Curtis,” Darry murmurs, though he makes no moves to actually stop his brother. He definitely feels he deserves a good shoulder and back rub after this week. 

“I’m not doing anything,” Soda replies cheekily, but Darry can hear the shit eating grin. 

“Here’s my condition, if you get hurt again, you gotta stop for a good while, savvy?” Darry says finally, ensuring he’s got all of the food stacked on the trays. He knows he folded easily, but everything Soda has said is true,

“I promise!” Soda says excitedly, and he can feel him practically vibrating with delight behind him. 

“Okay,” Darry finally caves, knowing that Soda is 17, and would probably do it the second he turned 18 anyways, he figures he’d rather at least have the promise that Soda would try to be careful. 

“Thank you!” Soda says, giving his muscles a squeeze and he has to shake him off, wanting to actually stay awake to eat dinner.

“C’mon boys, dinner’s ready!” Darry exclaims, and the boys start scrambling to the kitchen, whooping with excitement.

“I think we’re gonna be doing real well now Dar,” Soda murmurs, slinging an arm over his shoulder as they follow the crew into the house, laughing at one of Two Bit’s eerily good impressions of their high school principal. 

“I hope so little buddy,” Darry replies, giving him a playful nudge as he moves to set the trays on the table, before the boys descend upon them like a school of piranhas. 

---

About an hour later, Soda cajoles him into laying on the floor of the living room, where the boys are all watching some old reruns of I Love Lucy. Soda seems to have set his mind on giving Darry one of his signature massages, and Darry is in no mood to refuse it. While he’s overtired, his belly is full, and he feels content surrounded by the laughs of the boys as they goof around and comment on the show. Pony is sat near his head on the floor, tucked between Johnny’s legs, who’s sandwiched on the couch with Two Bit and Dally. Steve managed to convince Darry to let him lay in the recliner, even though Darry threatened to kick his ass if he breaks the thing.

“I’m real proud of you,” Soda says as Darry practically feels like he’s melting into the floor under his brother’s ministrations. 

“Mhhm,” Darry replies, feeling half asleep and not unlike a purring house cat. 

“Hell don’t put him to sleep Soda, it’ll take all of us to get him off the floor,” Steve whines, and Darry cracks an eye open, giving Steve a playful glare. 

“Quit whining Randle, I’m trying to relax,” he ribs. 

“If you’re talking I’m not doing my job very well,” Soda jokes, his hands continuing to work their magic on his tired muscles. Darry tries to think of a retort, but his mind comes up empty and he simply lets out a sigh, trying to let any remaining tension leak out of his body. He feels himself make another noise of contentment as a hand comes to scratch his head gently, playing with his hair. 

“Ponyboy! Now he’s gonna fall asleep for sure!” Two Bit exclaims, and Darry surmises that Pony is behind the head scratches. 

“Shut up Two Bit, just keep watchin Lucy,” Darry murmurs halfheartedly as he feels himself succumbing to his brothers’ treatment. He can feel his accent coming out even stronger as he falls into the nice relaxed state between awake and asleep. He feels a sense of warm contentment as he allows the tendrils of sleep pull him under.

Notes:

Everyone to Darry this chapter: I would like to conversate with you

Lol I have more solid ideas for my next few chaps so thats fun. I gave Darry and the whole gang some good things this chap because they deserve it.

Ofc i always love kudos and comments ❤️

Chapter 5: Chap 5

Summary:

Darry undergoes a Dad ™️ rite of passage

Notes:

This is the first chap I wrote when starting this fic and I've been sitting on it for so long and itching to post it, but definitely didn't want to rush into it plot wise! I hope yall enjoy, it was so easy to write so it's a long one!

“See ya on Monday Curtis!” Jim bellows way too loudly as he claps Darry on the shoulder. Darry’s glad his back is turned to the guy so he can hide his disgusted face, still angry about the earlier events of the day. The last week of his new role as site manager have gone well, and despite being one of the younger guys on the team, they all seem to respect him so far. This is the first time he feels like his patience was tested on the job. Jim is one of the guys closer to his age, and he’s always been one that grates on Darry’s nerves when he has to interact with him. The guy is dumb, arrogant, and overall just an asshole, but he rarely has to talk to him more than pleasantries. So he’d been tolerable up to this point. However, today at lunch, Jim spotted a stray dog lingering around the edges of the construction site where the crew was taking their break to eat. The bonehead decided it would be funny to chuck rocks at the thing, scaring it off and pissing Darry off instantly. He’d barely stopped himself from hollering at the guy right then and there, but he somehow managed to simply get the guys back to work. However, his anger has been simmering under the surface the rest of the afternoon. 

He manages to mutter out a curt goodbye as he moves to go collect his own things on the other end of the construction site, his eyes scanning the treeline of the woods carefully. Internally he’s arguing with himself as he slowly makes his way to his things. He knows he should just grab his stuff and go home, and that the last thing he needs is to be even thinking of the idea of taking on another mouth the feed. But he can’t bring himself to walk away without at least making sure the puppy is alright, he didn’t get a good look if Jim actually hit the thing, though he privately thought the idiot’s throws were absolute shit.

He sighs as he bends down, grabbing his bag and his lunch box, opening it and eyeing the crust of his sandwich that still remains since he cut their lunch a bit short. He can almost hear Ponyboy in his head, who would already be running for the treeline. He’d be begging Darry to find the poor creature, his tuff demeanor completely abandoned at the sight of any animal. He exhales once more before he makes towards the trees where he last saw the runt run off a couple hours prior, and scans the grassy floor carefully for signs of moment. When he gets close enough he sees some movement in a small bush, and he catches a glimpse of black fur amongst the green and brown, though it's fairly well camouflaged if he wasn’t looking hard. He stops a few feet away from the bush, now seeing the small pair of eyes focusing on him, and he can tell the thing is about to bolt. He feels bad, realizing he is by no means a small man, and standing over the bush won’t earn him any favors in coaxing it out. His knees pop as he moves into a crouch, trying to make his frame less intimidating.

“Hi boy,” he murmurs softly, his voice comes out a bit hoarse as he makes eye contact with it. “I ain’t gonna hurt ya, just wanna get a look at ya real quick.” He reaches into his lunch and tosses a piece of crust about halfway between him and the pup, and then he waits. He tries to remain as still as he can, but his back is already aching and his legs aren’t enjoying the crouched position, but he feels himself hold his breath when it slips out into view, moving cautiously towards the scrap. It looks like a coonhound, he thinks, noticing the specific black and tan coloring and the oversized ears for its small body; it can’t be more than a couple months old. Far too skinny to be someone’s pet, and in desperate need of a bath. 

He watches as it finally feels bold enough to scarf down the offering, and in one fluid motion he lowers himself into a sitting position, his legs screaming in relief. He reaches into his lunch and grabs another piece, holding it out as a peace offering, though he knows he should just go home now knowing it’s okay. It takes very slow steps towards him, but he can tell the desire for the food trumps its fear, and when it gently takes the food from him, it's as if a switch flips. The pup lets out a whine before it scrambles to his lap, climbing on him as its entire body wiggles with a tail wag and attempts at licking his face. 

“I know, I know. You’re just all by your lonesome huh?” Darry murmurs, feeling his heart ache at the small thing. He knows that he definitely should not take on a dog, and that if Pony and Soda got a whiff of this happening at all, he’d never hear the end of it. But in his heart, he knows he already decided the second he didn’t get his sorry ass in his truck and drive home after they finished the day. They haven’t had a dog since their family lab died when Darry was around Pony’s age, and he can’t lie and say he hadn’t begged his parents many times to get a dog in the years following.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He murmurs to himself, but he can’t help but grin as he scoops the thing up, tucking it under his arm and making the hike back to his truck. It feels freeing, doing something just for the sake of his own happiness for once. The pup must know what’s happening because it seems completely content in his arms, and makes no attempt to wiggle free. Once he opens the car door, he moves to set it on the bench of the truck before he climbs in himself, letting out a sigh as he relaxes into the seat. He glances down at the puppy again, which has laid its head on his lap, and he absentmindedly rubs its soft ears as he starts the truck, sighing at the blast of air conditioner that hits his hot face. 

---

The drive back home is about 15 minutes, but he pulls off into the parking lot of the general store that is a couple miles from their house. He moves to climb out of the car and then sighs, it’s cooling off now that the sun isn;t directly overhead, but being in a car can get hot quickly, so he scoops up the puppy, tucking it against his chest and covering it with his flannel halfheartedly, feeling he’s concealed it well enough and heads in the store.

The blast of the fans at the entry almost makes him groan out loud as he walks towards the animal supplies, a shopping basket in his free hand. He silently grabs a cheap bag of kibble, a couple of bowels, some shampoo for fleas, and a collar with a lead. After a moment he nods in satisfaction to himself, four dollars for this stuff could be worse, and with the new salary and Soda about to start competing in the rodeo again, he can spare the cash. He muses about how he’s gonna have to talk down his brothers, maybe he shouldn’t show them supplies right away. Before he agrees to keep the dog, he definitely needs to have a talk about responsibilities, he’s not gonna let himself be the only one who walks the dog. He’s so into coming up with his plan, he barely stops himself from barrelling into a lady who appears from the next aisle, and he teeters as he shifts his weight to avoid the collision. 

“Glory!” She gasps, and he winces, the last thing he needs is a girl causing a fuss ‘cause a greaser guy tried to run her over. He doesn’t expect the breathy laugh that follows, “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going!” He blinks down in surprise at this, most girls don’t talk to random greasers like that. He recognizes her immediately, she has the bright blue eyes, and is even in the same outfit, which makes sense given it's a nurse uniform. Her hair is down, and he notes it's short, in wispy curls that are cut an inch or two below her chin.

“Darrel right?” she prompts, and he realizes he most definitely needs to answer before he looks like a complete idiot. 

“Darry’s fine, Darrel was my dad,” he stutters, and mentally kicks himself for immediately bringing up his parents again. “Betty?” he asks in response, hoping to god he remembers her name from the diner. He’d already been feeling all bashful at that time despite the chaos, but he hasn’t had much time to look at or talk to pretty girls since they lost their folks, sue him for lookin!

“Good memory!” She says with a grin. “How’s your little brother? He still mad at me for giving him that shot?” 

“I think he forgot about it the second he got that milkshake, so you’re in the clear,” Darry chuckles nervously, feeling his neck heat up under the gaze of her bright blue eyes. 

“Well ain’t that a relief! I sure don’t need to be on the Curtis gang’s bad side!” She laughs, and he can tell she's kidding, but he feels about ten questions arise on the tip of his tongue. Where did you come from? How do you know anything about the gangs in this town? What’s a girl like her even doing in this town, talking to greasers on the east side?  Why is she giving him the time of day at all? He’s saved from making a fool of himself when she notices movement under his flannel. “Oh my God!” She squeals, though it's under her breath, and she practically pulls him into an aisle out of view of the clerk. He feels foolish as he trips over his feet, following her pull easily. She's a good foot shorter than his and realistically couldn’t move him if she tried. 

“Sweet baby,” she coos, her hands already reaching to pet the puppy, pushing the flannel back to get a good look. He feels goosebumps break up his arm from where her hands brush his skin. “Where’d you get him?” she asks, her eyes focused back up at him. He feels himself blushing, and for a moment all he can think of is how pretty she is. 

“He was wanderin’ near the construction site today while I was workin, I couldn’t bring myself to leave ‘im there,” he murmurs, feeling a bit embarrassed. 

“Aren’t you the most handsome boy? Yes you are!” She coos, and he feels another surge of hot embarrassment internally, thinking for a just split moment she was talking to him at first.

“Aren’t you just a sweetheart for taking him home!” She beams up at him, and he takes a moment to process that this time the praise is indeed directed at him. He feels himself blushing even fiercer, and he coughs in surprise. 

“I better get home before Soda and Ponyboy make my spaghetti blue again,” he says, kicking himself at ending the conversation so suddenly, and with such a weird statement. She probably thinks he's lost his marbles. She lets out a laugh, and her smile seems genuine as she nods encouragingly. 

“Gotta get this sweet one a bath too!” She adds, giving the pup one final pat. “I better get back to my shopping or I won’t have nothin’ to cook for dinner tonight! It was nice to see you again Darry. Good to have some familiar faces around town.” He files that comment away in the back of his mind, and instead blurts out,

“You on the east side often?”

“You comin' to the rodeo this weekend? She replies with a glint in her eye, and he feels like squirming under her gaze.

“Yeah, my brother will be riding.”

“Keep an eye out for me there,” She says with a wink, her white nurse’s dress flourishing behind her as she slips into the next aisle with a wave. 

After he regains control of his body, he forces his feet to move towards the checkout, trying to process the entire interaction while he also tries to pay the clerk without exposing the pup. He must do a decent enough job of hiding it because next thing he knows, he's back in his truck, with a warm body curled in his lap as he drives back to the house. 

---

He’s so lost in his head about the whole conversation, that he feels like he blinks and he’s rolling to a stop in the driveway, shifting the truck into park. He can already hear the squawks of the boys being rowdy as he moves to stuff his recent purchases into his work bag. He really can’t have the boys assume immediately that he already decided to keep the puppy before he at least gets them to agree to help take care of it. He scoops the thing up, tucking it back in his flannel again and makes his normal trudge up the front steps. 

“Superman’s home!” Two Bit crows, laying on the floor of the living room with a beer, holding a hand of cards across from Steve, who’s back is facing the door. Whatever games they’re playing, Steve’s hand is absolute shit.  Johnny and Ponyboy are sat on the couch, feet intertwined as they lay in opposite directions. Soda is in the kitchen, and yells out a hello over his shoulder as he stirs the food. His comment about eating blue spaghetti for dinner may indeed come true, Darry spots the box of spaghetti out on the counter next to him.  He manages to drop his tool belt on the floor and kick his boots off one handedly, and most others are all engrossed enough in their own affairs to notice. He should’ve guessed it would be little Johnny Cade that would notice first. 

“Your arm okay Dar?” Johnny asks softly, brow furrowed in concern and confusion, noticing the odd actions Darry is currently doing. He gives Johnny what he hopes is a reassuring smile and nod before he whistles, stopping the boys from their various conversations and they all look at him. 

“Listen up boys, I know summer just started, but there are still gonna be chores and responsibilities that need to be taken care of around here. And I’ll need all of y’all to be doing your part. Even if you don’t officially live here.”

“Aw c’mon Darry, it's a Friday night, it's summer, we gotta get you to relax a bit!” Soda says with his easy, happy go lucky grin, trying to avoid the topic of chores through his charm.

“Uh uh, no can do little buddy, I need some verbal confirmation here,” Darry insists, feeling his mild irritation at their expected whining, he’s sure glad they haven’t noticed what he's holding yet. He reminds himself that he's been working hard on being more patient. 

“We promise Darry,” Johnny pipes up first, and he feels his affection for the kid swell in his chest. The others follow suit, giving their various affirmations, though with a bit of grumbling from Ponyboy, who always wants to fight him on his rules. He sighs, knowing the chaos he’s about to unleash.

“Good, cause I’m not gonna be the only one cleaning up the yard, and if there’s a mess made on the floor I expect y’all to help clean it, I don’t wanna hear complaints when you gotta get up early sometimes and-” He sees Johnny, ever the observer- and the only one actively looking at him- notice the wink Darry shoots him and the small smile on his features widens into one of shock when Darry lets the dog’s head peak out from where he was hiding it. Johnny lets out a gasp that gets Ponyboy to look up from his drawing and he gives Johnny a confused look before he whips around fast enough that he half falls off the couch, catching himself on his hands. 

“Darry!” Ponyboy exclaims, and his socked foot narrowly misses Two Bit’s beer as he scrambles to his feet. Two Bit’s own snip at Ponyboy is cut off when he too notices the dog. Steve, who had gotten up to grab a beer in the kitchen, starts pushing against Soda as they both scramble into the living room, sliding on the kitchen tile like cartoon characters, their current tasks abandoned. 

“Is that a puppy?!” Soda exclaims, his brown eyes alight as he slides to a stop behind Ponyboy, who is staring at the thing in Darry’s arms as if it hung the moon itself. 

 “All your hollerin is gonna scare him,” Darry says, though the scolding is weak and they all know it, the grin that threatens to break across his face is evident. Ponyboy reaches out slowly, but before making contact looks up at Darry with his hazel eyes, asking silent permission. He feels a swell of affection. God knows the last time he’s seen his brothers-hell the whole gang-look this happy. He wordlessly takes Ponyboy’s hands and maneuvers so he’s passed the pup into his arms, and the kid stares down at it, his eyes so huge, Darry almost worries they’re gonna fall right out of his head. 

“Darry?’ Soda asks, looking over Ponyboy’s shoulder, eyes asking the silent question he knows they’re all thinking. He makes Soda wait for a few agonizing moments, just enough to tease him a little before he gives him a smirk and a nod. The whoop of triumph Soda lets out doesn’t phase the puppy, but it does make both Ponyboy and Johnny jolt from their trances looking at the dog. 

“We’re keepin the dog! We’re keepin the dog” Steve sings songs, getting Soda to join in almost instantly. And then they’re jumping up and down, their antics are shaking the floorboards. 

 “It’s mighty cute! Wonder how big it’ll get?” Two Bit says with a grin, placing a soft pet on its head from where it rests contentedly in Pony’s arms. 

“I think he's a coonhound, they can get up close to 70 pounds I think,” Darry explains, moving to set his bag down on the kitchen table.

“Hell, think we can train him to go after the socs?” Steve asks excitedly, eyes alight with no doubt some mischievous ideas. 

“Maybe we start with training him to come when called and sit,” Darry grumbles, though he actually likes the idea of having the dog around to watch over the house when he’s not around. He’s not really worried about burglars, but it could be a nice extra assurance since their front door is never locked. Maybe when the puppy’s a bit bigger, Ponyboy can take it with him on runs and keep Darry from worrying so much about him being out alone. He unzips his backpack and pulls out the plastic bag, which is snatched from his hands by Soda, who is immediately rifling through the contents excitedly. 

“Darry! You already bought-”

“Someone better give ‘im a bath, I don't need someone catchin’ fleas in this house,” Darry interrupts, not wanting the attention that Soda’s discovery will inevitably draw.

“Johnny an’ I’ll do it!” Ponyboy exclaims, already taking the shampoo from Soda’s hands, and making a beeline towards the bathroom, too excited to think about how Darry already bought the shampoo.

“Don’t use all the hot water! Darry needs some!” Soda tacks on, but he’s grinning wildly as he watches the two scamper down the hallway, their voices murmuring in excitement the whole way.  They hear the tap start running, and he can hear someone digging for an old towel in the hall closet, but what Darry doesn’t expect is the flash of color when Ponyboy reappears, throwing his arms tightly around his middle, burying his face in his chest. 

“Thank you Darry,” Ponyboy mumbles, squeezing him tightly as Darry automatically returns the hug, hand coming to cradle the back of his brother’s head protectively. He catches Soda smiling at them from where he’s stirring a pot. He can tell that it means a lot to Soda that they’re all getting along better these last couple weeks. The moment is broken by the thud in the bathroom, and Darry ruffles Pony’s hair, 

“You better go help Johnnycake,” he replies, smiling at him as he nudges him to head back down the hallway. Two Bit has reclaimed his spot on the floor, and is shuffling a deck of cards while singing a very off key version Elvis’ Hound Dog under his breath. Darry lets out a grunt of satisfaction as he lets himself collapse into the recliner, his feet ache and he definitely wishes he didn’t have to work tomorrow and could have a cold beer while he sits. Soda seems to sense this in the way he often does, and he presses a cold glass in his hand and unceremoniously drops today’s paper in his lap. Darry raises an eyebrow at his brother, 

“Had some lemonade left in the fridge,” Soda explains as he moves to flop on the couch, not so subtly peeking at Steve’s cards on the way. 

“Is he bluffing Sodapop?” Two Bit asks, wiggling his eyebrows as he stares at Steve. 

“Don’t you dare tell his cheating ass anything buddy!” Steve replies, flipping Two Bit off as he takes a sip of his beer. 

“I don’t even know what game you’re playing, so who knows if his hand is shit!” Soda laughs, head lolling off the edge of the couch with a wide grin. Darry makes it about two pages through the paper before Dally is busting through the front door, kicking off his shoes haphazardly, though Darry gave up on enforcing that rule long ago. 

“Hey Dal-pal, where ya been?” Two Bit jokes, risking the stupid nickname since Dallas is currently moving Soda over so he can take a seat on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table in the picture of uncaring. 

“Working with Buck on the rodeo, man. Your asses best be there next weekend, saavy?” Dally says, giving them a wicked glare that would have anyone who didn’t know him better cowering. 

“Don’t worry Dal, my adoring fan club will be in attendance to see my return,” Soda chortles with a grin, easily dodging Dally’s half assed smack in his direction. 

“Wise ass,” Dally murmurs, but they know it’s got no real bite to it. “Where’s the kid and Johnny?” he asks after a moment, seeming to notice the two aren’t actually in the room. 

“Shit it’s been mighty quiet down there don’t you think?” Steve says, nodding towards the hallway, “Could almost hear myself think for once with Ponyboy asking all his questions!”

“Think about what genius?” Darry retorts, teasing Steve, but also setting a boundary telling Steve not to cross that line. Steve grumbles at this, but doesn’t continue and Darry can tell the message has been received. The following thuds and yells down the hall has Darry wincing, and he’s convinced Steve jinxed them with his joking. Before he can holler out a question to Pony and Johnny, there’s a blur of black fur bolting across the floor, droplets of water falling into a trail on the carpet before it leaps into Darry’s lap. He lets out an oof of surprise, managing to move the newspaper from getting completely destroyed as a wet wiggly puppy clambers over his legs. 

“What the fuck?” Dally says, blinking in surprise as Pony and Johnny come skidding down the hall, carrying an old towel. Darry mutters something about language halfheartedly, but he's suppressing a laugh.

“Did y’all get in the bath with him?!” Soda laughs, looking the two up and down, and Darry is inclined to agree. Somehow their clothes are soaked as if they fell into the tub. 

“He slipped out of the towel,” Ponyboy explains sheepishly, looking rather bashful at the scene in front of him. 

“Ponyboy, please get a towel over him before he shakes all over us,” Darry says measuredly, trying to prevent the dog from getting rowdy enough to shake water everywhere. Ponyboy thankfully moves fast and has the towel thrown over it before they’re showered by its attempts to dry off. Darry absentmindedly helps Pony dry the dog off, and Dally is giving Darry a raised brow that he knows means he wants an explanation. 

“Darry brought home a puppy,” Ponyboy explains, as if this isn’t already obvious to Dallas, who rolls his eyes. Before he can bite out a retort to Pony, Darry interrupts, 

“I found him at my worksite, I couldn’t just leave him.” Dally doesn't really react, simply taking a sip of Two Bit's beer he managed to snag.

“He got a name?” Dally asks, and he knows this is Dally’s unique way of showing his own excitement. 

“Not yet,” Soda replies, looking pensive, realizing they gotta come up with one. 

“Mickey!” Two Bit exclaims immediately. 

“You can’t name everything after Mickey!” Steve argues, “How ‘bout T-Bird? No! What about Mustang?!”

“Ugh not a car name!” Ponyboy whines. 

“I don’t hear you giving any suggestions, kid!” Steve bites back, sticking his tongue out. 

“Well I can’t think when you’re yelling names in my ear!” Ponyboy replies, and Darry is preparing to break up their bickering. Like he and his brothers, Steve and Ponyboy have been getting on better since the fountain incident. 

“How bout Pip?” Johnny pipes up, his quiet voice somehow breaking through the cacophony. 

“Pip! Johnny, that's genius!” Ponyboy exclaims. Darry realizes it’s the name of the main character in Great Expectations , but the others all seem to be lost on this fact. He’s pretty sure he, Pony, and Johnny - who mostly just listens to Pony read aloud- are the only ones who actually touched the book for school. 

“Hey I like it, sounds tuff!” Soda exclaims, grin on his face. 

“Guess it’s an okay name for a dog,” Dally concedes, flicking his lighter watching the flame with amusement. Darry decides it’s best to leave the origin of the name out to the others, it seems like they all are cool with it. 

“Alright. Pip it is,” Darry says with a shrug, giving the dog an affectionate pat on the side from where the dog sits on his legs. 

“Hiya Pip,” Ponyboy says, coming close to the dog and giving it another good drying with the towel. There’s silence for a moment. 

“Alright Pony, get him off me so I can shower before I fall asleep here,” Darry says with a smile, and then they’re all laughing at his current predicament.

Notes:

Darry is every dad who begrudgingly complains about getting the family dog but then is immediately not so secretly is obsessed with the dog. It is a canon dad core event.

Also I brought back our lovely nurse oc Betty for my own amusement because I liked seeing Darry all flustered and reminding us he's still internally a bit of a goofy awkward teenage boy at the end of the day. Idk if I'll further any romance, I kinda want to to some extent, but lmk in the comments.

Chapter 6: Chap 6

Summary:

Lets go to the rodeo gang 🤠

Notes:

Idk where all these words are coming from but I'm just letting the writing happen and just full sending it at this point

When Darry gets home late Friday afternoon, the house is empty and quiet when he comes through the front door. He knows Soda is very likely down at the barn getting ready for the rodeo tonight; however he did tell Ponyboy to wait for him at the house and that they’d go down to the rodeo together after he got off work. Pony has been vocally reluctant about the current rules Darry has been enforcing for most of the gang, but his brothers especially. 1: No walking around town completely alone and 2: Be back to the house by dark. Darry understands why it makes Pony irritated, but he’s feeling on edge with the current state of things between them and the socs and just wants to keep everyone safe. He knows Dally mentioned a rumble a week or so ago, but tensions are still simmering at the moment and he’s a bit nervous that things could boil over. He feels a bit panicked, he’s really hoping Ponyboy didn’t decide to go wandering to the library or something by himself and he’s somewhere in the house. 

“Ponyboy?” Darry asks, trying to keep himself from getting preemptively angry like he tends to when Pony makes him worried. He doesn’t hear a response, but as he listens he catches a bark that sounds like it comes from the backyard. They better not have forgotten the dog out in the backyard and not let him back inside. He trudges through the kitchen and slips out the backdoor and feels himself audibly sigh, seeing Ponyboy and Johnny sitting in the yard close to the porch steps, tossing a ball, evidently trying to teach Pip to fetch. 

“You gotta go get it!” Ponyboy encourages, lobbing the ball a few feet away and trying to encourage the dog to take an interest. It seems fetching the ball isn’t too much of an issue as Pip leaps after it with the gangly coordination that a growing puppy tends to have and enthusiastically grabs the dirt covered tennis ball in his mouth. 

“Good! Now drop it!” Pony exclaims, reaching to take the ball back, but it quickly turns into a game of keep away. 

“Leave it?” Johnny suggests as he makes a grab for the ball. 

“Give it!” Ponyboy tries. 

“Shoot, I don’t think he gets this whole fetch thing Pone-” Johnny says, watching as Pip wags his tail, clearly wanting the game to continue. 

“How long you been out here? It’s kinda nice in the shade huh?” Darry says finally, and they both turn to look at him. He feels like his blood pressure has finally returned to normal after being scared about their whereabouts as they smile at him. 

“We thought we’d try and run some of his energy off before the rodeo tonight,” Ponyboy says with a shrug, “I dunno what time it is.”

“Still a couple hours before that starts, it’ll be closer to dark,” Darry replies, coming to walk down the steps and is approached by Pip who demands some pets as a greeting. 

“Show him the trick Pony,” Johnny says, nodding to Pip and Darry. 

“What trick?” Darry asks. 

“Pip! Sit!” Ponyboy commands, watching the dog expectantly. Nothing happens. Normally, Darry thinks he’s decent at keeping his amusement at others’ expense under wraps, but he can’t suppress the snort when he sees Ponyboy’s annoyance.

“He was doing it earlier!” Ponyboy insists, his dismay apparent as he looks at the dog with a face of betrayal. Darry finally takes pity and snaps his fingers, whistling slightly to get Pip’s attention, 

“Sit.” It takes a beat, but the dog sits with an excited wiggle.

“Hey! Why’d he listen to you?!” Ponyboy says in offense as Johnny busts out laughing. “It’s not funny Johnny!”

“C’mon, lets go enjoy the ceiling fan and something to drink before we head down to the rodeo,” Darry says, offering each of the boys a hand up and heading back into the cool house.

---

“Who’s ready for a night at the rodeo?!” Two Bit hollers as he appears in their living room, eyes bright and cheerful grin breaking across his features. Ponyboy and Johnny look up from the tv in almost perfect sync, where they had both been fully engrossed for the past half hour on the couch. Darry had felt somewhat amused watching them occasionally after he’d come back from showering and throwing on some jeans and a black tee shirt. Their eyes have been glued to the screen, he doesn’t think he’s even seen them move the whole time. Pip is sprawled on the ground by their feet, chewing on a toy rope that the boys musta snagged from who knows where. 

“Hello to you too, Two Bit,” Darry says sarcastically as his friend makes a beeline for their fridge, grabbing a beer with a flourish. 

“Want one Dar?” Two Bit asks over his shoulder. Two Bit always asks out of habit, but it's clear he already expects the answer to be no as he doesn’t ever drink on weekdays. But since it’s Friday, and he doesn’t work tomorrow, he is inclined to give in to this indulgence. He may not get to be a reckless teenager anymore, but he can still have some fun. He’s still working on loosening up, slowly but surely.

“Sure,” he replies, setting down the newspaper where he’d been working on the crossword of the day. 

“Oh-ho! We’re gonna have a real party tonight!” Two Bit ribs with a grin, though he has already opened the bottle and hands it to Darry with a nudge to the shoulder. 

 “Darry, do you think we’ll maybe get to feed the horses afterwards?” Ponyboy asks hopefully. He’d been asking Soda the same question for days now, and Darry can’t help but worry Pony’s getting his hopes up too soon. He doesn’t mention that he too misses riding horses and is itching for some interaction himself. Darry does feel an urge to tell Pony that asking again isn’t going to give him a different answer than the last three times he’s asked, but he’s trying to have more patience with his little brother. 

 “I dunno, that’s a question for Soda and Dally,” Darry says finally, ultimately not having the heart to tell him no flat out. 

 “Where’s Steve?” Two Bit asks, flopping onto the couch beside Ponyboy, who squawks indignantly when he tries to ruffle his hair. 

“He went ahead with Soda down to the rodeo.”

“Good deal,” Two Bit nods, taking a swig of his beer.

“You really dressed up for the rodeo,” Ponyboy snarks, clearly wanting to give a small jab at Two Bit for messing with his hair. He’s wearing his typical jeans and Mickey Mouse tank top, but he’s thrown on his cowboy boots for the occasion. 

“Hey! Soda’s gotta horse named Mickey Mouse don’t he? What else do ya want from me?!” Two Bit replies, cuffing Ponyboy playfully. 

“You wear that shirt every other day!” Ponyboy protests, though he's grinning. 

“Well shoot, kid, the horse don’t know that,” Two Bit smiles. Darry takes another swig of his own beer, trying to let the tension of the day fall from his shoulders. Easier said than done, especially without Soda to give him a shoulder rub, but he does try. 

“What’s ol’ Dally doing tonight?” Two Bit asks Johnny, knowing he’s the most likely to know the answer. 

“Last he said to me, bull riding and team roping with Buck,” Johnny says with a shrug. Darry has to repress a small sigh at this, Dallas Winston always had to pick the most dangerous option when it came to activities, and his preference for rodeo events is no exception. Darry already feels like Soda will give him gray hair tonight when he goes out for saddle bronc, but also worrying about Dally on a bull is not going to do his blood pressure any extra favors. Dally may act like he doesn’t care, but Darry will be inclined to worry about him anyways, just like he does for the rest of the gang. 

“C’mon, let's get down there, bet Steve’ll grab us some decent seats near where the riders come out,” Darry says, finishing off his beer with a swig.

He watches in amusement as Two Bit quickly follows, chugging down the remains of his own beer with a whoop of excitement. The younger two boys start shoving on their boots, and Darry grabs his car keys, heading for the door. He hears the cries of protest from the others behind him as they race for the car, arguing over who gets to shotgun. It doesn’t surprise him that Two Bit claims the spot, thankfully Pony and Johnny seem okay with it once Darry caves and promises he’ll go fast over one speed bump for them since they’re riding in the truck bed. 

---

The drive over is second nature, when they were younger they’d be at the barn and the arena all the time with Soda competing. Darry and Ponyboy both know how to ride and would often do it for fun when the opportunity presented itself, but neither of them ever competed in any events like Soda did. 

“Don’t jump out of the back until I’m parked!” Darry hollers out the driver’s window, knowing the boys are going to be a bit rowdy and he doesn’t need a trip to the hospital on their agenda cause they landed on their feet wrong jumping from the still moving truck. He hears a groan from Ponyboy, who he could see was about to go for it in the rearview, but after the warning he stays seated until Darry shifts the truck into park. He was preparing to have to corral the boys into the arena, they usually are very easily distractible, but they’re all so excited they make a beeline to the ticket counter. Soda or Dally musta pulled some strings because the lady just waves them through with a grin once Two Bit starts name dropping. They walk down the hallways past the concessions and the distinct smell of the barn and the snacks has Darry feeling all sorts of nostalgic. Walking out into the stands, they spot Steve lounging in a front row seat near the opening where the riders come out. It has a great angle of the bull pen so they’ll be able to see everything really well.

“Steve!” Two Bit exclaims rowdily, leaping down the stairs two at a time and clambering over the chairs. Steve gives him an affectionate clap on the shoulder as Two Bit plops down in one of the seats beside him. Johnny and Pony sit in the seats next to Two Bit, and Darry takes a seat to Pony’s right, leaving one empty seat on the aisle. There’s a fair amount of people already sitting around, but Darry knows right before the start it’ll get more crowded, ‘specially since it's the first rodeo of the summer.

“You guys ready to see a good show?” Steve says excitedly, taking a swig of a beer in hand. 

“It better be! They’re been hyping this up for weeks!” Two Bit says with a grin. 

“Hey Pony ain’t that Cherry Valance?” Johnny murmurs, quiet enough that only Darry and Ponyboy seem to catch it. He follows Johnny’s eyeline across the way and catches sight of a pretty red haired girl surrounded by several other soc girls and a couple of guys that Darry slowly registers are some of the kids that jumped Pony and Johnny. 

“She the one dating the kid that was at the fountain?” Darry asks, brow furrowed as he locks his gaze on the ringleader. 

“Don’t do nothing Darry, it's not worth it,” Ponyboy says, looking slightly nervous as Darry turns to look at him. Darry counts down from ten in his head, reminding himself this can all be dealt with during a rumble. 

“Nah, we’re here to have fun and support Soda, so long as they stay away, I’ll leave it,” Darry reassures his brother, though he still is suppressing the urge to march across the stadium and deck the kid anyways. 

“They ain’t gonna mess around with us on our turf, everyone knows the rodeo belongs to the greasers,” Steve interjects, clearly picking up on the conversation as he glances over at the large group with a glare. 

Their rumination is interrupted by Soda, who appears from the tunnel jumps and hoists himself out of the arena before he climbs over the railing in front of them. His brother definitely looks the part with his boots, red flannel tucked into his jeans, and his hat. 

“Hey Sodapop!” Two Bit crows, giving him a lazy wave from where he currently lounges with his feet propped up on the rungs of the railing. 

“Heya,” Soda replies with his signature grin, and as apprehensive he was to let Soda start riding again, he can’t deny how happy his brother looks right now. 

“Looking tuff little buddy,” Darry says with a grin, pushing to his feet and playfully flicking Soda’s hat, which earns him a squawk. He manages to dodge Soda’s retaliation and laughs as he makes his way up the stairs in the aisle, deciding to head for some drinks. He’s waiting in the concession line, debating on which beer he wants for himself when he hears a voice over the loudspeaker and the announcer starts going. He isn’t really paying attention to what’s being said, too busy grabbing some coins and counting them before he gets to the front of the line. He knows Soda and Dally won’t be up for quite a while so he’s not in a rush. When he gets to the cashier he asks them for two of the beers he decided on, and a couple Pepsis. He carefully maneuvers the drinks so he’s able to carry them all back and gives the checker kid a nod of thanks when he pops open the beers for him before he heads back to the entry by their seats. As he is walking back he hears the tail end of whatever the announcer is saying, something about girls having some drink tickets for people in the crowd? He is a bit confused by this, not remembering anything similar at the rodeos in years prior, but he wonders if this is the new stuff Dally and Soda kept going on about. He’s too busy focusing on the drinks in his hand and avoiding people to minimize spilling to see if anything’s happening in the arena yet. He’s thankful that Ponyboy notices his return and jumps up to take a couple of the drinks, freeing up his arms. 

“Thanks Darry!” Ponyboy says as he hands him the Pepsis. 

“Other’s for Johnny,” Darry replies, “Oi! Two Bit!” He says louder, watching him turn comically from whatever has him hollering at the arena. 

“For little ol’ me?” Two Bit says, pretending to be bashful as Darry hands him the beer with an affectionate eye roll. For all his teasing, he doesn’t mind paying for his friends when he can afford it. He plops back into his seat, and Soda slings an arm over his shoulder, currently in the last seat on the aisle.

“Glad you’re back, check it out! Buck managed to convince the showrunners to try having a couple girls who come out to hype up the crowd before we get started.” Soda says with a grin, gesturing to the scene in front of them. Darry focuses on the activity in the arena and he’s pretty sure he fails to hide the surprise on his face when he registers everything. There’s two girls riding around on a paint and a palomino, waving to the crowd and occasionally tossing little prizes to folks. Buck’s plan seems to be working because it’s getting the crowd quite rowdy and engaged as the girls ride around the perimeter. They’re both wearing white button ups and have on red lipstick, and once they get closer he immediately recognizes that it’s Betty on the paint. Her short curls bounce with the gait of the horse, and she rides like someone who’s been on a horse since they could walk. He knows his face must show his surprise, because he can feel Ponyboy starting to ask a question before the words even exit his mouth. Thankfully, Soda starts jabbering, and now the whole gang is listening to his explanation.

“The one with the long hair is Ally, she’s Buck’s younger brothers’ girl,” Soda explains, “The other is Buck’s cousin, she’s that nurse we saw a couple weeks back ‘member?” Darry does not mention to any of the guys that he’d run into her since, if they get so much as a whiff of his little crush he’ll never be able to live it down.

“She’s Buck's cousin?” Ponyboy asks. 

“Yeah, I’ve been talking to her some this week, saw her ‘round the barn a few times. She moved here for a nursing job, fresh outta school!” Darry tries to keep his face neutral as his eyes track her as she laps around the arena, kicking into a canter with a wide grin across her face. Soda has provided Darry with several helpful pieces of information that answer some of the questions he’d been thinking the last time he ran into her. Being Buck’s cousin explains why she seemed familiar with the East side, despite the fact that Darry knew she was not from Tulsa, he would’ve known her from high school if she was. 

He can’t help but want to watch her like a lovestruck schoolboy, but he tries to keep himself from being blatantly obvious, he’s lucky the whole gang seems enthralled with the display. Steve and Two Bit keep hollering in an attempt to get their attention for some of those prizes. He however is still trying to force the blush from his cheeks before any of the guys notice. 

“Well shoot, Buck’s a real business man, this is a riot!” Steve exclaims, clearly delighted by the fact they get to openly cheer at some pretty girls without getting told off for it. Betty finishes another lap and is heading their way when Darry swears she’s looking straight at him, and he can’t tell if he imagined a wink from her before she slows to a stop in front of their gang. 

“Thanks for the cheers boys!” She says with a grin, before she holds up her fist, giving them a moment to process before she tosses them a few little tokens, “Go get yourselves some more beers in a bit!” Darry manages to catch one, and gets to watch in amusement as Steve and Two Bit scramble for the ones that fell at their feet. She starts to move again, but gives Soda a smile, “Better go get ready Sodapop, we’re almost done here.” Soda gives her a thanks at that and gives Darry a playful clap on the back before he’s jumping to his feet, giving the gang a wave as he climbs back over the railing and jumps into the tunnel that leads into the arena, disappearing to head back to the barn. It’s maybe a minute later that the girls ride their horses out of the arena using that same route, and Darry’s too occupied thinking partly about how Betty seemed to wink at him, and the rest of his mind is busy worrying about Soda or Dally getting themselves hurt. He’s so preoccupied he’s just sipping on his beer and barely listening to the announcer thank sponsors and the order of events for the evening. At some point they play the national anthem and he is almost finished with his beer when he feels a hand on his shoulder. 

“This seat taken?” He blinks once to make sure he isn’t hallucinating, considering how he was thinking about her mighty hard. She’s replaced the white dress shirt with an olive green t shirt with a big red cross and the words Tulsa General across the front, and has a small backpack slung over her shoulder. 

“All yours!” Two Bit encourages with a grin, saving Darry from becoming a stuttering mess, “We’ll call it a thanks for the drinks doll!”

“Well, I gotta be close case they need me,” She says with a laugh, taking the pack off her shoulder and setting it at her feet. 

“Are you riding again later?” Ponyoby asks excitedly, clearly hopeful since he so desperately wants some facetime with the horses later. 

“No more riding for me, but I’m technically on call if they need medical.” She gestures at her shirt in explanation.

“For Superman’s sake let's hope it ain’t for Dally or Sodapop,” Steve says with a laugh, earning a glare from Darry, though it's very true. 

“I’ll be real happy if I’m not needed for the rest of the night,” she says with a grin, moving to finally sit in the spot beside Darry; God he can feel his heart racing. He’s distracted for a minute as the first barrel racer starts their run, and he finishes off his beer in a hope for it to provide some liquid courage. 

“Told ya you’d see me at the rodeo,” Betty says, quiet enough in the cheers that only he hears her, breaking him from his own thought spiral. He’d dated a couple of girls the last couple of years of high school, and had no shortage of them flirting with him since he was on the football team. But since graduation he hasn’t ever had a steady girl, and he feels extremely rusty right about now. 

“So ya did,” he replies, hoping his smile doesn’t look nervous to her. Out of habit he tries to take another sip of his empty beer and she must notice. 

“You all out? I was thinking of getting something myself!” She says, revealing a token from her jean pockets with a grin, rising to her feet. She stares at him for a beat and he realizes she wants him to go with her, and tries to not look like he’s scrambling as he gets to his feet quickly. 

“Darry, can we have some popcorn?” Ponyboy asks, noticing his departure, giving him his best puppy eyes. 

“You want that now, or wait and get some ice cream later?” Darry says, and god he sounds like his father so much right now. Ponyboy makes a face at this, and Darry can tell he would prefer the answer of both to be an option. He seems to turn the idea over a bunch before he groans softly,

“Later I guess.”

“Drink your Pepsi, kiddo,” Darry replies with little pity, moving to follow Betty. Once they get out of the stands she slows to walk beside him, and he’s making a conscious effort to not walk too fast since he’s a good deal taller than her. 

“Your brother’s a real good rider,” She says after a moment, and he nods, 

“Yeah he is. Even if he is giving me gray hairs from worrying while I watch him.”

“I’m a bit of a worrier myself, so I know the feeling,” she says, and he nods at this, unsure of how to respond. As they hop into the concessions line again he starts spiraling a bit. What the hell is he doing trying to talk to a gal right now? He’s got two kid brother’s he’s guardian to, that’ll send any girl his age running for the hills, and he can’t blame them. He’s setting himself up, he knows it ain’t fair of him to be crushing on any girl, ‘specially this one. He wants to give himself a shake and just break himself out of it. 

“I’ll take a margarita,” Betty says happily as they somehow have reached the front of the line, placing her drink token on the counter. 

“Nother beer for you pal?” The cashier asks him and he gives him another nod, placing his token beside hers. 

“Thank ya kindly!” Betty says, giving the clerk a smile and Darry sees the guy blush. He feels a flare of jealousy for a moment, and has to remind himself that he has no right to be jealous, he barely knows this girl. He returns after a moment, 

“We’re having to get more beers unloaded from the trucks, so if y’all can just wait over there it’ll be a few minutes till your drinks are ready.” She nods and heads over to the wall leaning against it in a picture of contentment.

“So Darry, tell me about yourself?” She asks, and he wants to say some short one word answer, trying to stop himself from digging himself into this hole, but her eyes look so hopeful up at him and he can’t bring himself to be cold to her. 

“Not much to tell,” he says feeling embarrassed, “I work roofin' houses, and I’ve got the two kid brothers I’m in charge of, thats ‘bout it.”

“So that’s where the big muscles come from huh?” She asks, and he looks away from her gaze for a moment to avoid blushing. The gang always likes to tease him a bit when it comes to his muscles, but he can’t help but feel a bit pleased with himself that she’s takin' notice. 

“Guess the work helps, but originally it was for football,” he adds, feeling a bit emboldened by her clearly eyeing him up. 

“A football player huh? Were you any good?” She asks, and he can see that she’s trying to joke with him. He feels a bit of an ache in his chest at the subject. 

“I guess. Was gonna have a scholarship to college for it.”

“You didn’t go?”

“Not after our folks died, I had to work and get custody of my brothers.” He feels the thick silence at this, and he knows it’s put a damper on the conversation. 

“Wow, that's mighty selfless of you. Buck never mentioned that’s what happened,” she replies after a moment and he feels a soft hand on his bicep giving it a gentle squeeze. 

“He’s your cousin?” Darry asks, desperate to pivot the attention away from himself. He can barely think with her hand on his arm.

“Yeah, we weren’t super close growin’ up, but it’s been real nice having him around since I moved here from Texas.” She explains. She continues talking as they’re given their drinks, and they start moseying back to the direction of their seats. “I don’t ever go round his place, I know he’s into some, shall we say, less than legal dealings and I want none of it.”

“Well, the only one of my boys that is ever at his place is Dallas.”

“He’s a wild one,” she says with a laugh, “Not so bad to be 'round once I put him in his place though.”

“That’s Dally,” Darry replies, feeling her assessment of him is just about spot on. 

“Wait, before we go sit back down!” She interrupts pausing at the entryway. She digs in her pocket for a minute, producing a scrap of paper and a pen which she uses to scrawl something onto it. She presses the scrap into his hand, “I know how it is. If you or one of your boys ever needs medical help, call me. I’ll come, no questions asked.” He blinks at this, completely surprised by the offer. Usually he’s the one playing doctor if any of the guys are hurt in some way, but there’s been a few times where he wished he had some better medical knowledge. God knows there’s a few times they probably should’ve gone to the hospital but couldn’t.

“I dunno-”

“I’m insisting. I know sometimes the hospital ain’t an option sometimes. Just take it for my sake okay?” He can’t really argue with that and she gives his hand a squeeze before she pulls her hand back. She takes a sip of her margarita, starting to walk again, 

“C’mon, I wanna see these skills your brother has been talking about!” He follows after her, feeling that traitorous flutter in his chest as he wishes for just a moment that he wishes he could just take her hand as he pockets the paper. For now, he’ll occupy himself with worrying about his two boys who are about to start riding.

Notes:

Was this chapter initially going to actually have Soda and Dally riding in the rodeo? Yes. Did i get so long winded with the flirting that I had to split the chapter up? Also yes.

Sorry Ponyboy, you're gonna have to wait until next chapter to pet some horsies. I got distracted with your brother being a pining goof.

Darry is being stubborn but he also is a simp and I feel that this is very accurate to his character in my soul.

Talk to me in the comment pls

Chapter 7: Chap 7

Summary:

The rodeo continues 🤠

Notes:

This is my longest chapter so far, and I had a lot of fun writing it so I hope everyone enjoys!

“Hey kid, how come we didn't have you down there trying to win us some prize money for more drinks?” Steve ribs, his hand coming to swat at the youngest’s head playfully which Pony dodges with a sniping glare.

“Buzz off Steve! I’ve been 14 for a month and a half!” Ponyboy replies, swatting his hand away with a smack, probably harder than wholly necessary, Darry muses. He hears a very quiet snicker to his right that he realizes is from Betty, and god Darry is really having to fight to not start laughing. 

“I dunno Pony, think you could sweep the floor at mutton bustin,” Two Bit joins in, a delighted grin on his face at the idea. “You’d look so dang cute up there holding on to a little sheep-” This earns them a snort from Johnny, and Pony’s eyes widen in betrayal when he realizes everyone is barely suppressing some snickers. 

“Shut up!” Pony bites back, and Darry can see he’s getting worked up. 

“C’mon kiddo, they’re just teasing ya,” Darry finally intervenes, taking pity on the way Pony is getting himself all riled up and red in the face. He puts a calming hand on the back of his neck and rubs his nape gently with his thumb in a way to relax him a bit. He shoots the boys one final glare, and then lets out a huff as he deflates, crossing his arms as he relaxes in his chair. 

“I wouldn’t give you any of my prize money anyways, Randle.” He grumbles in a last retort. Before the bickering can keep going, it’s interrupted by a cheer. 

“Let’s go!” Two Bit is screaming, waving his arms wildly as they start announcing the first saddle bronc round. The boys start getting rowdy, excited to see Soda riding again, stomping their feet and hollerin’ like crazy. Darry starts cheering along with them, but he still has his natural worry simmering under the surface as he nurses his beer. Sodapop is a natural at this, but still, a bucking horse is no joke and getting launched from one could kill a grown man if it goes south fast. He tries to push that worry far from his mind, however he feels worrying about if Soda’ll break something is fair game. When the buzzer sounds and the gate flies open, Darry can’t help but be entranced watching the bronco which is bucking up a storm. The kid riding does okay out the gate, but he ends up getting a no score when his hand instinctively grabs the reins too early. Darry can tell the kid’s definitely a rookie, but he’s got some natural talent to him.

“Oh thank the lord,” Betty sighs next to him as the pickup men get the first kid off the bronco. He glances over at her and sees the relief evident in her features. “The kid’s sweet, but Buck told me he’s gotten launched off the horse a few times this week, had me worried I was gonna have to swoop in.” Darry nods at this, eyeing the scoreboard which flashes a 72 for the kid’s score. 

“Shoot, Soda can get that in his sleep!” Steve heckles, eyes alight as he claps excitedly as the next guy is getting ready to go. If it’s one thing they all love, it's competition. 

“He won’t go till closer to the end, they expect him to be a high scorer, they have the newer guys going first,” Betty explains. 

“Great, that gives more time for Darry to worry himself into a tizzy,” Two Bit teases, and Darry really wishes he had some sort of rebuttal, but the assessment is accurate. 

“Soda’s gonna be fine,” Johnny reassures quietly, giving Darry a sympathetic flash of his dark eyes. 

“I know kid,” Darry replies, trying to keep himself from turning into a ball of tension as the next rider is flying around the arena, his legs swinging in the typical motion as he tries to stay on the horse. This rider is messier than the first kid, and honestly, Darry feels like the way he’s riding looks particularly painful. Though, half of the rodeo events sorta make his back start to ache at the thought of being thrown around by a horse or bull for people’s entertainment. Some of the dust and mud gets kicked up in their direction as the bronco comes flying past them as the pickup’s ride to reign it in. He blinks for a moment to keep any of the debris from getting into his eyes. A flat 70 flashes up for this ride on the scoreboard, and Darry is pleased to see his internal assessment of the kid’s ride was accurate to some extent. When the next rider is let out of the gate, and he’s broken from his trance when he hears a soft murmur. 

“Hey, they got some of that dirt on your face.” He glances down at Betty, feeling his ears turn red. He is about to sputter out god knows what but then there’s a soft hand coming up to his chin and very gently swiping a thumb beneath his eye a couple times. Her hand is so soft, the complete opposite of his dry calloused ones, and much smaller than his or any of the boys’. He thinks she must be wearing some perfume on her wrists, some pretty floral scent that he can’t quite identify dances across his senses.  He doesn’t even know how to process what’s happening. “There, all set!” If he wasn’t in more control of himself or only two beers in, he wouldn’t have been able to suppress the whine that threatened to escape his throat at the loss of contact. He has to actively stop himself from grabbing her hand, reminding himself that falling for a girl will only get his heart broke. He must spiral for a few of the riders because next thing he knows they’re announcing some of the better regulars, and he catches a glimpse of Sodapop hanging out on deck as they load the next round of horses into the pens.  

“C’mon Soda!” Ponyboy yells, clapping excitedly as he too spots their brother, who gives them his Hollywood smile from across the way. Darry watches the next couple riders with greater intensity, silently willing their scores to be low in favor of his brother. While rodeo might not be football, he still has the same feelings of competitive fire flowing through his veins as he watches. Soda ends up riding second to last.

“Up next we’ve got Sodapop Curtis on Mickey Mouse-” the announcer begins finally, and Darry swears the shrill squeals of some teenage girls pierces his eardrums and he can’t help but roll his eyes. He catches a glimpse at the whole gaggle of socs on the other side of the stands across the arena, and even the soc girls are going crazy looking at his brother. Funny how they’re all twitterpated for him when it’s convenient for them, he thinks somewhat bitterly. He grips the arm rests of his seat tightly as Soda gets himself situated in the saddle, and he silently says a quick prayer even if he ain’t too sure that God listens to him anymore. Soda loves this horse, he’s ridden him many times and he’s gotten all of his best scores with him, so Darry can’t help but think his brother’s got a good shot at winning tonight. The current leading score is a 79, and Soda has pulled out scores higher than that on good days, so it’s definitely still in the cards. 

Darry takes in a sharp breath as they get ready to open the shoot. Soda is sat back in the saddle, his right hand gripping the reins and his left raised over his head as he settles himself, shifting so his feet are firmly hooked in the stirrups. He flashes his smile again before he gives the guys a nod, and then the gate flies open, and they’re all screaming a litany of indistinct encouragement at Soda. Though Darry knows that Soda has little control of the direction the horse starts to go once they’re out the shoot, Mickey always loads right, so he comes flying in their direction and they have practically the best seats in the house to watch him. It's only when he reflexively squeezes his hands tightly as the buzzer goes off signaling the end of Soda’s ride that he realizes he can feel a small hand squeezing his right back. He doesn’t look right away, kinda trying to figure out if he’s imagining the feeling. He feels himself exhale in relief when one of the pickup riders pulls Soda from his horse and sets him firmly on the ground, safe and sound. He spares a quick glance and he confirms that, yes, somehow Betty grabbed over the top of his hand and is squeezing it encouragingly. She gives him a soft smile before the moment breaks and they’re both clapping as Soda comes up by them. They all anxiously look at the scoreboard waiting for the judges to finish before an 81 flashes up next to his brother’s name and they all start screaming, Steve is grabbing at Soda excitedly through the railing, shaking him affectionately before he scampers off to get back to the waiting area before the final rider is up. 

Said last rider is some soc kid, Darry vaguely remembers him being in one of the grades between him and Soda back when he was still in high school. He’s good, and had been a fan favorite last year, pulling out an impressive number of wins throughout the season. He’s on some horse known as Thunder Struck, and the crowd is cheering with excitement, and it’s clear this is the guy Soda has to beat. Darry knows getting their hopes up is a bad idea, but the boys are going nuts and he knows they’re gonna be mighty disappointed if Soda doesn’t beat this kid. Hell, even he’s having a hard time trying to stop himself from getting his hopes up. 

“He’s arrogant,” Betty says, watching with a furrowed brow as the kid loads onto the horse in the pen. “He ain’t kind to the horses, and I saw him throw a big fit in the barn when he got thrown off during a practice.” Darry makes a noise of disapproval, and he can see the glare the kid is giving the animal as he gets prepared to ride, his heels digging into its side despite them still being in the pen. He can see the horse shifting in the pen and rearing its head, and it is clear to anyone who knows horses that the animal is getting agitated.

“He’s upsetting him,” Betty murmurs, and he nods in agreement, picking up on all the cues the animal is giving about its distress. 

“C’mon Soda! You can beat this uptown son of a bitch!” Steve is yelling through the cacophony of voices. Darry should be scolding Steve for the language, but he agrees with the sentiment so he lets him continue hollerin. The kid seems to snap at the guys workin the pen, because they look none too pleased before they let him out, and damn, the horse is clearly pissed beyond all belief. Darry wonders if the kid does it on purpose, cause it sure gets the horse to buck like crazy, but his riding wild and almost chaotic, nothing like the fluidity that Soda has in his motions. His movements are sharp and harsh, and he makes the whole thing look like he’s trying to break the animal rather than ride it. The buzzer sounds and in a picture of arrogance the kid somehow manages to kick the horse hard as he tries to get off with the pickups, before he’s practically shoving off their assistance and then he's waving at the crowd, a shark-like grin across his face. 

“C’mon kiddo,” Darry murmurs under his breath, glancing at where his brother is, where he is seemingly watching the horse leave the arena with soft eyes. Soda loves the horses, and he can tell he hates this kid just as much as Darry does. The arena seems to hush in a murmur, waiting for the judges to drop the score, but the kid is good and Darry isn’t sure if they’ll let Soda take first simply outta pure bias against them. He’s too busy watching his brother, so he hears all the screams around him and then sees his brother jump up, face elated. Darry peels his eyes away and sees the 80 lined up to the last rider's name, and he feels himself whooping right along with the others, realizing that Soda pulled it off. His brother hops into the arena, giving the kid a firm handshake, despite the way he’s giving Soda a dangerous glare and then he’s working the crowd a bit, in the charming way his little brother seems to naturally possess. 

“What a doll,” Betty laughs, watching as Soda gives some preteen girls a wink and they start squealing. 

“He’s a flirt,” Darry murmurs back, feeling a bit exasperated, but overall too proud of his brother to really care.

The gang rides the high of Soda’s win, chattering excitedly as they bring out the bulls, getting ready for the next event. Darry really feels a headache coming on at this one, he absolutely hates watching the bull riders, they have no saddles to help them out, and they’re very often thrown pretty violently from the bull to mark the end of their ride. Darry sometimes wishes they’d at least wear a helmet on these things, but he can only imagine the fit Dallas Winston would throw at the mere suggestion of such. Speak of the devil- Dally saunters out with his telltale swagger as he shoots them all a glance full of mischievous confidence. Dally isn’t honest about many things, but he always rides fair, and his daredevil tendencies means he's an excellent competitor in this particular type of riding. Dallas Winston always gets what he wants, so Darry is pretty surprised to see he’s up first. Darry isn’t sure what his angle is, but he feels his blood pressure rising as he watches him get up to the pen. Dally looks downright dangerous, and his eyes almost look feral as he gets settled on the bull, getting ahold of the rope and pushing his hat firmly onto his head with his free hand. He can hear the announcer hyping up the crowd, but he’s too busy focusing on Dally to focus on the actual words being said. 

“C’mon Dally, show us what you’re made of!” Two Bit yells, stomping his feet excitedly, clearly having enough drinks that he’s well into his rowdy drunk territory. Darry takes a sharp inhale when Dally gives them the signaling nod, and then he’s flying out the gate, holding on tightly to the bull as it tries desperately to fling him off. He can feel his heart racing, watching the way Dally is being thrown every which way, but he somehow manages to hold on until the buzzer and then he’s letting go, allowing himself to effectively be thrown off. In a maneuver that only Dallas can manage to pull off, he lands solidly on his feet, not unlike a feral tomcat in some dark alley. Darry lets out the breath he’d been holding and finally starts cheering along with the others, feeling a lot more relief now that Dally is climbing his way out of the arena and settling in behind the pen to watch his competitors. 

The rest of the rides go similarly, and Dally remains as a front runner for the first half of the event, but shit goes sideways when some older guys start riding. They’re good but they don’t have the innate desire to claw their way to the top like Dally does, and it’s evident in the way they ride. They don’t have the same grit about them. However, one guy eventually manages a two point lead on Dally, which has them all groaning in disappointment. Despite this, it’s overall entertaining until some kid gets in the pen. 

Immediately alarm bells go off in Darry’s mind, the body language of the rider is all wrong. Last thing you want a rider to be is scared. Scared means stiff, and unable to think, and that’s when things get dangerous. Something about this kid looks scared and Darry is wincing as the gate opens, unlike all the other riders, he looks much more fragile than the others as he sloppily tries to ride this bull. Darry already knew in his gut it was gonna happen, but watching the kid go flying and landing hard on his side in the sawdust with a thud makes him wince. He feels Betty bump him as she pushes to her feet, and he almost wants to stop her instinctually as she moves to the railing, throwing a leg over it. He knows the kid could be hurt, but they’re still corralling the bull and this girl is running headfirst into the fray. She is standing on the other side of the rail, but before she climbs down she says his name, catching his attention. 

“Hand me my bag darlin!” She asks him, her voice is so no nonsense he does so automatically, watching her in stunned silence as she takes the bag and then is hopping off the edge kicking up sawdust and taking off towards the kid, who's still just laying flat on his back. She gets knelt next to the kid and is stabilizing his head, and Darry can see her lips moving as she’s digging through her bag with one hand, the other is holding his wrist, probably checking his heart rate. He sees the kid take a shaky breath, and he thinks he very likely had the wind knocked straight outta him. After a tense moment, she’s helping the kid sit up and examining him closely as a few of the guys come over to help. She seems to decide the kid is okay, because shortly after he’s being helped to his feet and two guys are helping him out of the ring. 

“Let's give a round of applause for him folks! And for our emergency medical team!” The announcer crows as Betty jogs back in their direction. She comes up to the wall with a small frown as she secures the bag over he other shoulder. 

“Shoot, I dunno if I can haul myself up,” she says sizing up the wall from the ground. Darry sees the opportunity, and moves out of his chair, coming to the railing and leaning over the edge a bit. She looks up at him, 

“I can just go around the long way!” She replies with a smile, and he feels stubbornly against the idea. 

“Just give me a jump and I’ll catch you by the waist and pull you up,” He replies, not acknowledging her other plan. 

“You sure?” She asks, looking a bit nervous, but he once again doesn’t give her protests a response. He leans over the edge, hooking one of his ankles over the lowest rungs of the railing for some stability. She gives him a bit of an incredulous look.

“C’mon,” He encourages, holding his hands out expectantly, and she takes a few steps back before she runs and jumps, and he grabs onto her waist, careful not to squeeze her too hard and hoists her up easily. He watches to make sure her feet are able to plant solidly onto one of the rungs to the railing, and even then he still holds her to keep her firm, an arm around her while she climbs back onto their side of it. 

“Shoot, you made me feel real skinny just then,” she laughs leaning into him for a split moment before she moves back to her seat, shucking off her bag and placing it into her lap. He makes a face at that, wondering what she means. It must show on his face because she keeps talking, “I know I’m not a string bean,” she laughs, and he almost chokes as she gestures to herself, but particularly towards her chest with a suggestive grin, where he has to actively tell himself not to look. However he’d be blind not to have at least noticed she got quite nice -

“Dally ain’t gonna be pleased about 2nd place,” Johnny murmurs, looking at the board as they show the final scores and Darry grimaces in sympathy as he moves to sit back in his chair, grateful for the diversion in his head.

“I dunno if he told y’all but he’s not roping tonight,” Steve adds, finishing off his beer. “Kinda wanna go find him and Sodapop back in the barn now.” That gets Ponyboy wiggling in his seat beside Darry, and he’s giving him an excited look. 

“Y’all want me to take you there? I still gotta brush my horse.” Betty asks, leaning forward to look at them with a smile. 

“Can I help?” Ponyboy asks immediately, eyes alight at the prospect. 

“You a horse person like your brother?” Betty asks, and Darry is about to tell her that she doesn’t need to worry ‘bout them. 

“Yes ma’am.” Well, Darry is at least relieved Ponyboy has retained some manners from all the times he has to get on him for it. 

“Well, I’ll never say no to some extra hands, y’all can follow me!” She says happily, and Ponyboy is practically leaping to his feet, knocking into Darry’s shoulder as he does. 

---

The barn has that distinct smell of horses that makes a lot of people turn up their noses, but Darry finds the smell comforting. At their core, all the boys are country boys, and so they all are in their element as they walk down the aisle between the stalls, following Betty who is leading them towards the end of the corridor. Soda appears from a stall on the left close to the end, and lights up when he spots them, and Ponyboy barrels into a hug with him. 

“Enjoy the show boys?” Soda asks, squeezing Ponyboy and giving him a spin around before placing him back on his feet. 

“Real proud of you Soda,” Darry says, giving his brother an affectionate side hug. 

“C’mere, I was just gonna give Mickey Mouse some treats and then brush him down if you wanna help me Pone,” Soda encourages, nodding to the open stall door where the bronco is standing. With the mention of his name the horse steps closer, sticking his head out and looking at them expectantly. The boys descend upon the horse, coming to give him affectionate pats on the neck and scratches to his mane. The bronco seems entirely pleased with the situation, and lets out a content nicker as Soda hands Ponyboy a few sugar cubes. 

“Alright missy, I gotta give you some brushing before I leave ya be,” Darry hears Betty saying as he hears a stall door sliding open behind him. He’d stayed back from Mickey, not wanting to overwhelm him since there are a lot of them here. He turns around to see Betty has a halter on the paint she was riding earlier this evening and is leading it out of the stall to a pair of cross ties. 

“Watch out boys,” she says, making sure they all know she’s got a horse out, walking the mare into the center before she’s encouraging her to a stop. Darry sees the crossties on the floor near the wall and grabs the one near him on the right and makes a clicking noise to let the horse know he’s there before he clips the lead to her halter in a motion that feels second nature.

“Thanks a bunch!” Betty says with an appreciative grin, before she drops the lead and grabs the other one on her side of the horse and repeats the action. “This is Miss Scarlett O’Hara.” 

“Gone with the Wind?” Ponyboy asks, looking away from Mickey excitedly. 

“Yessir! You a big reader honey?” Betty asks from where she’s at in the corner, grabbing a grooming tote filled with brushes and tools. 

“Hell, that’s all he does some days!” Soda says affectionately, giving Pony a loving shove. 

“Well, I’m always looking for new book recommendations!” Betty replies. Darry watches from where he’s leaning against the wall, currently fighting the urge to pet the animal, not wanting to intrude without permission. “You wary of horses?” Betty asks him, coming to his side, a brush in her hand. 

“Nah, he’s just being nice and letting Pony get first dibs on some face time with ‘em” Two Bit says with a laugh from where he’s currently petting a new horse a couple of stalls down. 

“Well sounds like your brothers are gonna groom Mickey, so I’ve lost my assistant.” She says with a suggestive brow raise. She grabs his wrist and tugs him from the wall, and brings him to the head of the horse, and places his hand on her soft nose. 

“Hi baby,” Darry murmurs, letting his hand stroke the paint, who nudges her face into his ministrations immediately. Betty slips to her other side and gives her a pat on her shoulder, Darry sees the top of her head doesn’t even reach the height of the mare’s back. 

“Guess you’re gonna have to stand in for your little brother,” she says with a grin, bending down to the box and pulling out another curry, and pressing it into his hand. “She likes it on her hindquarters a lot.” She continues, before she moves back to her side of the horse and starts brushing, and the loose hair starts flying immediately. Darry begins to copy her on his side and he can hear Soda and Pony laughing where they’re no doubt doing the same thing in the stall with Mickey, based on the sneeze that just echoed from their direction. 

“You ride much?” Betty asks him as he gets into the groove of the action, feeling soothed by the repetitiveness of the familiar motions. 

“I used to.” He replies with a shrug, not wanting to keep bringing up his folks. 

“If y’all wanna ride sometime, let me know, I can ask Buck, but I know he’ll say yes.” He doesn’t know how to respond; he really wants to take her up on the offer. But she’s already been too kind to him and the gang. 

“S’going on boys?” Dally’s voice echos off the walls and he struts towards them, looking fairly calm despite his recent second place trophy. 

“How come you ain’t roping right now Dally?” Steve asks, coming up to clap him on the shoulder in a greeting. 

“Buck and I got too busy with other shit man.”

“Shoot, next time then.” Two Bit says with a shrug, moving to pet another horse that’s stuck its head out seeking some scratches.

“Those two soc girls from the movies asked me if I knew where you two were,” Dally says nodding to Johnny as he slings an arm over his shoulder in the most physical affection Darry ever sees from him. Darry bristles at this,

“Really?” Ponyboy starts.

“What did they want?” Darry asks, coldly as he continues to brush the horse, focusing on the animal to keep himself calm. 

“I dunno man, they seemed all upset though,” Dally replies, “Think they musta heard the details of what happened at the fountain.” Darry glances at Betty at this, and she has a frown on her face, 

“Buck told me about all that.” She says quietly, and Darry feels a bit ill remembering the whole thing. 

“They really wanted to talk to us?” Ponyboy asks, poking his head from the stall, and Darry feels his protective instincts flaring up. “Maybe I should go try to-”

“Nope. Absolutely not,” Darry interrupts him as he continues with a smoothing brush on the horse’s back. 

“Calm down, momma bear,” Soda calls from the stall, and that makes him more angry, though he knows his brother is just trying to mess around. He feels himself scowling.

“You’re getting him all worked up Sodapop!” Two Bit singsongs, and that makes him huff, shooting another glare his way. Two Bit may be the second oldest, but unlike Darry, he has no desire to have any role of authority within the gang. 

“Keith–” Darry bites out. 

“Ooooo,” Dally croons, in the way kids do when someone is pulled out of class to the principal's office. “He just called you Keith!” He’s about to start snipping at them. 

“I don’t think you should talk to those girls right now, honey,” Darry blinks in surprise as Betty starts talking before he can, “Sounds like their boyfriends would use it as an excuse to cause more trouble.” Darry so rarely has anyone agree with him when he’s trying to lay down the law, he’s blindsided by the immediate support. 

“Exactly,” He says, unable to find anything else to add to that.

“Shoot, look you got him all sorts of twitterpated!” Steve exclaims, eyes alight as Darry feels his gut drop, realizing Steve most definitely has him caught. 

“Leave him be. Someone has to be the voice of reason sometimes,” Betty replies, seemingly unperturbed by Steve’s implication. He shouldn’t feel that flutter in his chest when he realizes she did nothing to deny it at all. She moves to return her brush to the tote, and pulls out a hoof pick, moving to grab Scarlett’s left front leg. Her shirt rides up as she’s bent over, picking out the dirt from her hoof. Darry allows himself to catch a small glimpse of her exposed skin before he continues his assigned task. 

“Who wants to come to the Dingo?” Dally asks, pushing from the wall, a clear indication he's become bored. 

“I’m in!” Steve exclaims, and Two Bit voices his assent as well. Johnny seems indifferent as Dally looks at him expectantly. 

“Johnny, you’re staying at the house with us tonight, Steve too.” Darry replies, shooting them each a look that means it’s not up for debate. “You can go to the Dingo with Steve or ride home with us. We won’t be far behind them.”

“I’ll stay with you.” 

“Alrighty, see ya in the morning boys, don’t try to party too hard with us,” Two Bit says as a goodbye, sauntering out the barn alongside the other two. 

After a beat Betty comes around beside him and moves to do the same stuff with the right leg, but she can’t get her to pick up her foot. 

“Oh c’mon Scarlett, don’t be so stubborn. I wanna go home and take a bubble bath!” She whines, and he watches as she leans all her weight against the leg, hoping that it prompts the horse to lift her foot. She waits expectantly for a couple moments before she lets out a huff, and then she’s looking up at him through her messed up hair. 

“Can you give this a try? I think she’ll pick up if you lean on her, clearly I’m not leaning hard enough and she’s stubborn ‘cause she wants food.” He nods and she places the pick in his hands, moving aside fluidly to switch places with him. The task is a very familiar one and he clicks at the mare encouragingly as he leans against her, 

“C’mon give me this foot,” he encourages and smiles when the mare finally caves, and lifts up the leg backwards allowing him to hold it and make quick work of cleaning out the dirt. Betty seems pleased because she nudges his toes with her own boot. 

“Think you can do the other two? I’m gonna make sure her feed and water is out,” she asks, waiting for a nod from him before she slips down the way and into the stall. He does the first back leg easily and is about to grab the last one when he almost jumps out of his skin. 

“Shoot Darry, you got a crush on her?” Soda says, his voice carefully soft as he somehow managed to materialize right beside Darry’s head in a crouch. He spares a quick glance at Ponyboy and Johnny who remain in quiet conversation as they pet another horse, offering it a sugar cube. 

“Sodapop,” Darry says with a warning, refusing to now look away from his present task and give his brother the satisfaction. 

“Darrel,” Soda sings back, and christ, these boys are really testing his patients tonight. 

“How much you win tonight?” Darry asks, not dignifying him with any response. 

“Thirty five dollars! So you gonna ask her out?” Soda presses, his brown eyes sparkling with amusement. He’s saved from having to go into all the reasons why he’s simply not allowed to date by the return of Betty. 

“Thanks so much darlin,” Betty says, taking the pick from his hand when he rises up again and gives him a genuine smile. 

“Anytime,” Soda chimes in with a grin, and Darry feels himself getting nervous as he realizes his brother has decided to involve himself. “We should give you our house number, if you ever need something fixed or some extra help Darry’s real good!” He wants to smack Soda upside the head, but he settles from subtly pinching his side where Betty can’t see. Soda shifts at the attack, but keeps his charming grin on his face with no indication. 

“You’re too sweet!” Betty says with a laugh.Of course Soda never knows when to stop, and somehow magically has an old gum wrapper in his jean pocket. He easily manages to get a pen from Betty and he’s scrawling the number down in his neatest handwriting Darry has ever seen while Betty works on returning her horse to the stall. When she comes back, he hands her the scrap with another shit eating grin, 

“One of us is usually ‘round to answer the phone!” Soda says, “And Darry would be happy to go on a-”

“Pony, where do you want to go to get ice cream?” Darry blurts, having to stop Soda before he embarrasses him even more. She’s probably so uncomfortable with his advances, and he really isn't up for being rejected tonight. 

“Can we do Dairy Queen?” Ponyboy asks, springing away from the horse he was petting, with Johnny on his tail. 

“Sure can kiddo, your big brother Sodapop is buying!” Darry says, giving his brother a nudge that he hopes tells Soda he means you owe me. There’s a whoop of excitement from the younger guys. 

“Have fun at Dairy Queen boys! I’ll see ya later!” Betty says with a grin, stepping aside as she starts to work to remove the halter from Scarlett’s face. 

“Bye! Thanks for letting us pet some of the horses!” Ponyboy says brightly, already moving towards the exit in a jog. Darry finally makes eye contact with Betty and feels himself blushing fiercely, 

“Bye,” he manages to sputter out, feeling like a total idiot. Thanks a lot Sodapop. 

“See ya soon sugar!” She replies, and he has to start walking before Soda busts out laughing at him right then and there. Only once he’s out in the fresh air, watching Pony and Johnny race towards the truck does he let out a breath. Soda sidles up next to him and looks him up and down once with a knowing grin. 

“We are definitely talking about this at home,” Soda says firmly, his voice leaving no room for Darry to argue. He sighs and nods,

“Lets go buy your brother some ice cream,” he murmurs as a non answer, giving Soda a push before they both start their own race back to the truck, his face breaking into a grin despite himself.

Notes:

Darry is in hardcore DENIAL.

As I've seen people saying on tumblr, all the boys are country boys at heart and I felt the strong urge to showcase that. I read all their dialogue in a very thick accent.

I want to go ride a horse after writing all this.

Let me know thoughts and feelings in the comments and as always I appreciate all the love and kudos!

Chapter 8: Chap 8

Summary:

Soda meddles and Dally gets a swim lesson

Notes:

Back at it again! I wanted to focus on the boys more this chapter, so here's some more brothers having heart to hearts and teenage boys at the lake.

If someone had told high school Darry sleeping until 8:30 am on the weekends was what he considered sleeping in late, he would’ve laughed in their faces. He remembers sleeping in on more than one occasion past 1:00 pm when he was a Junior. Now, however, he blinks at his bedside clock and feels better rested than he has in the last week, and it’s barely 8:40 am. He lets out a sigh and debates getting up for a moment, but it’s his day off so he contents himself to roll over to the middle of the bed lying on his back and bury himself into the pillows with a sigh. He is enjoying just resting his eyes and letting the breeze of the ceiling fan cool him off when he hears his door squeak open. He refuses to open his eyes at the noise and acknowledge whoever it is. 

Last night he managed to evade the impending interrogation from Soda thanks to their trip to Dairy Queen, and him feigning he was tired from work which allowed him to slip into bed while Soda was in the shower. He was pretty pleased with himself for that one. But he suspects he knows exactly who’s at his door this morning, despite the fact that he continues to play possum. Whoever it is doesn’t speak immediately, and Darry thinks they may have given up when he hears the door close again, but then he feels not one, but two dips in the bed as his comforter is pulled up on either side of him. He lets out a grunt at this and grabs the blanket with a firm tug as he throws his right arm over his eyes in annoyance. His mom and dad always said he woke up grumpy. He feels cold feet against one his calves and a body curling up close to him, hand coming to clutch the front of his tee shirt before he feels the firm weight of a head on his chest. Ponyboy, he surmises with a tiny smirk he hopes they don’t see. The other party makes themselves right at home by resting their cheek on his free shoulder and basically forcing Darry to wrap his arm around them with a sigh. Sodapop, he deduces, still refusing to acknowledge either of them. He hopes if he just doesn’t talk they’ll believe he’s still asleep. 

“Darry,” Soda fake whispers, and christ he’s right by his ear, making him break out in goose bumps down his neck. He resists the urge to shove Soda a bit; he knows exactly what he’s doing. 

“Is he awake?” Ponyboy asks.  

“No,” Darry replies with a grunt.

“See, I told ya!” Soda says, and Darry can hear his grin. 

“Can I help you?” Darry finally sighs, trying to sound put out, though he doesn’t really mind their presence, especially since he’s still able to rest with his eyes closed. Ponyboy is a nice soothing weight on his chest too. 

“Johnnycake is still asleep on the couch, didn’t wanna wake him quite yet by fixing breakfast. And Steve’s taking a shower,” Soda murmurs, and he feels his brother settle further into the bed, and knows Soda has no intention of going anywhere anytime soon. Darry doesn’t mind the attention, it reminds him of a game their parents used to play with them when they were little, aptly called ‘everybody back in bed.’ When they were younger and would wake up at the crack of dawn, their parents would make them breakfast, and then would tell them to play everybody back in bed, which ended with all five of them sandwiched into their king sized bed. His parents would at least try to go back to sleep, but often between the three of them wiggling around they’d simply just enjoy the extra lying in bed for a while until they got too rowdy to continue. 

“So Dar, when you gonna ask her out?” Soda asks, breaking him from his memory. 

“Ask who out?” Ponyboy asks, his voice still filled with sleep as he shifts his head on Darry’s chest to look up at them. 

“I can’t hear you, I'm asleep,” Darry replies after a moment, and he hears Soda huff. 

“Quit it! I know you tried to avoid me last night after we got back,” Soda replies snarkily, and damn Darry had really thought he’d pulled that one off. 

“Darry has a crush on a girl?” Ponyboy asks, sounding genuinely bewildered. If it were anyone else in the gang, Darry would be flattered, because it would mean he isn’t being too obvious about his feelings. But since it’s coming from Ponyboy, who once looked them dead in the eye and said ‘heaters kill people’ in all seriousness, so he isn’t really reassured that his surprise is a result of Darry’s subtlety.  

“Yeah why don’t you tell him Darry? Or I can fill Pony in?” Soda asks, giving him a nudge. And christ, it’s too early to be dealing with being ganged up on by these two. 

“Ain’t nothing to tell, your brother’s making things up,” Darry denies half heartedly, removing the arm covering his eyes and threading a hand into Pony’s hair, scratching at his scalp gently. 

“Darrel-” Soda says, giving him a small pinch to his ribs, “Stop lying!”

“It don’t matter none, little buddy,” He tries to soothe Soda, now pointedly keeping his eyes closed because he doesn’t think he can stand to see the knowing look of pity in Soda’s eyes. 

“Who is it?” Ponyboy asks, and Darry can’t help the small snort that comes out of his nose. 

“Betty, that pretty nurse girl!” Soda continues, and he feels him start jostling them both excitedly. 

“Shh, we’re playing everybody back in bed Soda, no rough housing,” Darry murmurs in an attempt to divert his brother’s attention.

“Ain’t no rules about talking during that game, so you better start before I decide to fill in all the details,” Soda threatens and Darry finally cracks open one eye and sees Soda has got his face no further than six inches away from his and is looking at him expectantly. He lets out another sigh, 

“There’s nothing to tell Sodapop, she’s a pretty girl, I dunno what else you want me to say-”

“Why haven’t you asked her out? She’d definitely say yes, I can tell!” Soda eggs him on and he closes his eye again in resignation. 

“I don’t need to be dating right now,” he replies, knowing the excuse will be deemed wholly insufficient by his brother. 

“That’s bull,” Soda says immediately as expected. “Why not?”

“It’s fine Sodapop, I’ve got you two-”

“Is it our fault?” Ponyboy asks, and his voice sounds small as he interrupts their debate. He opens his eyes again at this, and looks down at Ponyboy who's looking right back up at him, worrying at his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Absolutely not,” Darry says firmly, twisting a longer strand of Pony’s hair gently, “You two are my number one priority, always.”

“We know that!” Soda grumbles, his hand coming to rest on Darry’s stomach as he cuddles closer. “That don’t mean you can’t-”

“Listen,” he sighs, knowing Soda won’t drop the topic with his current explanation. “You both know I’d do this all again in a heartbeat if I needed to, and I don’t wanna hear no talk about feeling bad about me having to become your guardian, savvy?” He waits for them both to nod before he forces himself to talk more. 

“Most girls my age don’t want to deal with the extra responsibilities I have. I’m working full time, and I’ve got you two. That would seem like way too much for most girls, they’re still too young to jump into a situation like this.” He doesn’t know how else to explain to the boys that he knows most 20 year old girls don’t have an interest in dating a fella with two kid brothers he’s a pseudo-father to, and practically 4 extra boys he’s effectively in charge of on top of that. They want to be with a guy who takes them on dates and plays college football and doesn’t have all sorts of adult responsibilities. 

“That’s what this is all about?” Soda says finally, after he seems to sit with this for a moment. Darry doesn’t respond. “Is your master plan just to make yourself be lonely until Pony and I are all grown?” When Soda says it like that he feels stupid as hell. 

“Pony will be grown soon enough, and I’m fine waiting-”

“Well maybe she ain’t!” Soda interrupts, and God his brother has always had a romantic heart but this admission has him feeling all frantic at the implication. He has been trying ever since he met this girl to get rid of his attraction, hoping if he simply just ignored it for long enough, his heart would just let it go. But the thought of him hurting her makes him feel sick. 

“Knew that would get your attention,” Soda grumbles. “Darry we talked about this, didn’t we Pony? We said you gotta cut this self sacrificing shit and talk to us.” He feels Ponyboy nodding in agreement against his chest. 

“It's not self sacrificing-”

 “Sounds like you’ve just decided to be lonely cause you think no gal would ever think about dating you huh? So you’re just gonna play the martyr and be all mopey for the next 5 years and not even try-”

“Enough Sodapop!” Darry snaps, feeling his hackles rising as his brother starts poking at weak spots where it hurts. God knows deep down he wishes desperately that he could maybe go steady with a girl, but that’s not the hand that’s been dealt to him. It’s easier to just try and forget than to keep wishing for something he knows he can’t have. 

“Darry, are you lonely?” Ponyboy asks, interrupting the tense silence. He should just say no, and it’s true, he’s not. He has his brothers, he has the boys, and that’s a hell of a lot more than many people got. His pause is what ruins it. 

“I’ve got you two don’t I?” He replies anyways, ruffling his hair, but he can’t bring himself to completely lie. 

“I know, but don’t you wanna go out with a lady?” Ponyboy presses, and Darry can tell now that he and Sodapop definitely have ganged up on him now. He tried, but he knows in the end his brothers have caught him in a corner, so he caves. 

“Yeah, Pone, I guess I do sometimes."

“So, ask her out!” Soda says excitedly, clearly elated that he has made some progress into whittling down Darry’s resolve to simply allow himself to be lonely till Pony gets to college. 

“Listen, things are complicated okay, there’s a lot that would go into a gal dating me. It’s better this way-”

“I think she’s real nice Darry,” Ponyboy interrupts, looking up at him with those soft green eyes and Darry almost groans at how much it makes his heart ache. “I think Soda’s right, she sat with us all last night at the rodeo. And she took us to see the horses!” 

“See! Pony agrees with me!” Soda eggs on. 

“If I say I’ll think about it, will you lay off me?” Darry says finally. He loves his brothers more than anything, but he's a bit annoyed that they’re fueling his selfish hopes right now. 

“Yeah, we’ll lay off, but you better ask her out on a date next time we see her!” Soda grumbles, though it’s clear he’s placated by the compromise. 

“Deal.” Darry replies, and he’s already decided he can just avoid his brothers’ disappointment so long as he just doesn’t run into Betty again. He knows if he does he’s gonna make an absolute fool of himself. Honestly, he’s scared he really wouldn’t be able to stop himself from asking her out in hopes she’d say yes thanks to his brothers’ needling encouragement. 

They lay in companionable silence for a few minutes, before Soda seems to get tired of being still and he starts squirming around antsily. 

“We were thinking the gang could go swimming at the lake today, it’s supposed to be real nice and sunny out.”

“I ain’t even got the cooler packed for that Soda-”

“I’ll do it right now! Promise! It’ll be fun Dar, c’mon!” Darry sits with the idea for a moment, shoot, his brothers really play him like a fiddle sometimes, but he does want to go swimming too. 

“Alright, go check on Steve and Johnnycake and let's get a move on then.”

“Darry, can we bring Pip?” Ponyboy asks, sitting up in bed in excitement. 

“No Pony, I don’t wanna have to keep an eye on him the whole time.”

“I promise I’ll watch him the whole time Darry, you can even nap in the shade!” Ponyboy bargains as he bounces on the bed. At this point he has caved too much already, there’s really no point in fighting it. 

“You better.” Ponyboy whoops excitedly at the permission. “Now go help your brother and the others get all the stuff loaded to the truck.”

He gives them both a nudge and they both scramble out the door. Johnny must be awake and Steve is surely out of the shower because he can hear the commotion as all the boys jump into action. He lays there for a few more moments, allowing himself to just soak in some calm, before he climbs out of bed and heads to his dresser to dig out a pair of swim shorts. 

---

When they pull up to the dirt parking lot near the lake, Two Bit’s car is already parked there. Soda had called him earlier, and told him and Dally to meet them there. Darry spots the two of them sitting on the old dock smoking while they wait for them. Thankfully, they seemed to have stopped for some more beer to add to the cooler, based on the box beside them. The guys pile out of the truck bed, and Johnny carefully lifts the dog out of the back before he sets it on the ground with the leash wrapped around his wrist. Steve and Soda each take a handle of the cooler and start heading for the dock. Darry slings the large bag full of towels and sunblock over his shoulder, closing the back of the truck and locking it before he trails down the hill after the guys.

He managed to wrangle all the guys at the house to put on sunblock before they left, which means once he arrives on the dock, he simply sets the bag on top of the pile of shirts beside the cooler, tugs out a cold beer, and grabs one towel. He unrolls the thing and lays it out on the dock as he kicks off his flip flops and pulls off his shirt before he sits on the towel, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. Johnny and Pony have gone down to the beach beside the dock, and they’re trying to coax Pip into the water as it laps at their ankles. Two Bit seems to like Darry’s idea of sunbathing, setting up a similar spot for himself to his right and clinking his own beer against his companionably. He bunches up his shirt and uses it as a makeshift pillow with a content sigh, his shoulder tattoo in full display in the sun. 

“Look out!” Steve hollers and Darry feels the pounding of feet shaking the planks as he watches both Steve and Soda race down the dock before the both go flying into the lake with a large splash. 

“Idiots,” Dally murmurs in a sign of affection as he sits beside Two Bit. He’s started smoking a new cigarette and has popped open another beer. 

“Aww c’mon Dally, you’ll wanna swim soon enough in this heat,” Two Bit croons. It’s a miracle to get Dally out of his signature jackets, but he’s shucked them off and wears a faded white tank top and some jean shorts. It’s about as close to swimwear as Dally will put on. To his left, Pony and Johnny have sat down in the shallow water and are throwing a ball up the beach for Pip, who seems to be getting the idea of fetch. However, every return of the ball is still a bit of a game of keep-away. Darry feels content enough with his survey of the guys, so he leans back, using one of his arms as a pillow and closing his eyes contentedly. 

He’s content to doze until Pony and Johnny eventually come back up on the dock with Pip who is wagging his tail and is dripping from cooling himself off in the water. 

“We uhh, kinda wanna go swim, it’s real hot,” Ponyboy murmurs as Darry cracks open an eye at him. He knew this is what would happen, and he’s resigned himself to being somewhat in charge of the dog, despite Pony’s previous assurances. 

“Gimme his leash,” Darry says, holding a hand up blindly as he closes his eye again and waits for one of them to pass it off into his hand. Pip takes the opportunity to greet both Dally and Two Bit, tugging on the leash. Pony and Johnny seem to like the idea that Steve and Soda had earlier, and take off into a run down the dock with the sound of a telltale splash following. 

Thankfully it only takes Pip a few minutes to settle before he’s laid down between him and Two Bit, seemingly content to be sunning himself. 

“Dal have you told Darry the latest ‘bout the rumble?” Two Bit asks as the three of them soak up the sunlight. 

“8:00 pm this coming Friday,” Dally says with a nod towards Darry. 

“Savvy,” Darry replies with a nod. 

“The rumble’s on?” Soda’s voice asks from the water beside the dock.

“Yeah, it’s past time we stomp those socs for the shit they’ve been pulling,” Steve says excitedly, splashing the water eagerly. 

“There’s really gonna be a rumble?” Pony’s voice pipes in, and that’s enough to get Darry to sit up. 

“Sure deal,” Two Bit says as an explanation. 

“Darry-” Pony begins to ask.

“Listen, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t have some of y’all fighting in this,” Darry says with a sigh. In his perfect world he would have Pony and Johnny at home, but he knows they’d be pissed beyond all belief if he tried to get them to sit it out. They make their noises of protest at him but he continues on. “I know that ain’t gonna happen. But it’s fists only, and lord knows you two deserve the chance to fight back against those guys.” 

“Damn straight,” Johnny pipes up, and Darry can’t deny that at least soothes his nerves some. Seeing Johnny with some of that fire back in his eyes is quite reassuring.

“But I’ve got some rules. If your last name is Curtis, the second there is any wiff of the fuzz you better be running home. I can spend a night in jail, but we don’t need social services catching word of fighting. Ya dig?”

“Yeah,” Soda and Ponyboy say in unison, thankfully understanding the importance of this particular rule. 

“And, once it’s over I want everyone back at our place, so I can check y’all over.” Darry adds. 

“Sir Yes Sir!” Two Bit agrees with a salute, grinning in excitement at the idea of a rumble. 

“Now I don’t wanna talk ‘bout the rumble anymore, I’m trying to relax.” Darry says as a final thought on the matter, before he moves to finish off his beer and pull another one from the cooler. This seems to be good enough for the boys, because Soda and Steve start egging Pony and Johnny into a chicken fight. Darry doesn’t have to look to know it’ll be Soda with Pony on his shoulders against Steve with Johnny. Pony and Steve as a team would end with one of them losing on purpose to upset the other one, so his brothers acting as a duo is definitely better for their winning strategy. 

He spends the next half hour or so nursing his second beer and absentmindedly petting Pip, content to simply watch the antics in the water until the boys decide to mellow out for a bit. 

“Say, what do y’all think of Betty?” Soda asks from where he’s floating beside them, peering up at them with a grin. 

“The nurse girl? She seems swell, ‘specially for getting me that free beer last night.” Two Bit says with a shrug. Darry shoots Soda a glare, knowing exactly what his brother is doing by bringing her up. 

“She’s real nice to look at,” Steve adds, and Darry has to tell himself that once again, he has no claim over this girl and can’t snap at Steve for his comment. 

“She is a pretty cute broad huh?” Dally starts, and that’s when Darry starts feeling really on edge. He loves Dallas Winston as much as he loves all the boys, but Darry would say he’s the one who grates on his nerves the most. He doesn’t particularly look forward to hearing Dally’s comments that he knows are about to come. 

“You know she’s pretty fun to talk to,” Dally continues, “Definitely plays hard to get man. She still shuts me down.” This at least makes Darry smile to himself at the image of her shutting Dally and his antics down. The amusement doesn’t last long. 

“She’s got a nice rack dontcha think?” he continues, and that's enough to wipe the smile off of Darry’s face. He sits up and shoots Dally a warning glare, under the guise that the guys know he doesn’t want them getting too explicit in front of Pony when it comes to their exploits. He doesn’t realize that Dally has had him clocked immediately, his eyes alight; he has a shark-like grin on his face as he stares right back at him, completely unrepentant. There’s a stand off between the two of them, and he can tell Dallas is waiting to deliver his next blow, solely because he finds the whole affair entertaining. 

“Well I was just asking cause-” Soda starts, trying to mediate as he realizes his genius little plan backfired because Dally’s way of showing affection is pushing buttons until he gets a reaction. Darry knows this, but that doesn’t stop him from falling right into the trap and giving him the desired reactions every time. 

“Don’t you think so Darry? Can’t stop from looking at ‘em man? Bet they feel real nice if you’d just grab her and-”

There are very few people in this town that would go against Dallas Winston. He’s a scrappy fighter, and he has no qualms about playing dirty. But in their little gang they all subconsciously know the hierarchy. As big of a game as Dally talks, they all know Darry is top dog when it comes down to it. That’s why Darry really doesn’t feel bad about what happens next. It all happens so fast he doesn’t really process what he’s done until it's over. In one fluid motion he’s on his feet, and he’s standing over Dally, who is too busy laughing at his scowl to react fast enough when Darry grabs him by an ankle and a bicep, promptly marching his ass to the end of the dock and hurling Dally into the lake, launching him several feet away in the process. 

“Holy shit!” Steve shouts somewhere behind him and he simply crosses his arms. Dally was caught so off guard he didn’t even make a noise of protest when he threw him. Darry watches where he disappeared under the water for a moment. He hears Two Bit cackling, when he turns to look, he’s got beer dripping all over himself, streams of it running out of his nose where he clearly snorted it by mistake. There’s about a 5 second pause before Dally appears above the water, wailing just about every obscenity he can think of in random succession. 

“What the actual fuck Curtis?! I’m gonna fucking kill you so help me God!” Dally sputters, looking like a drowned rat as he scrambles. Darry doesn’t feel too worried about Dally, knowing the water is not very deep even that far out from the shore. 

“Consider yourself lucky, Winston. If either of our folks had heard you talking about a lady like that they would’ve whipped your behind. I was feeling charitable.” Darry replies, moving back down the dock to return to his spot while Dally snarls and he can hear him start swimming back their way. He knows Dally will have enough time to calm himself down before he’s back on the dock that he won’t try to really start fighting him, despite his current threats. 

“That was the best thing I’ve ever seen! Do it again!” Two Bit say hysterically, tears streaking his laughing face as he’s clutching his sides. Darry waits patiently until Dally returns, and he gets a halfhearted kick to the side from him before he simply plops back down to his spot with a glare. 

“Christ, just because you’re all sexually frustrated doesn’t mean you gotta act insane,” Dally grumbles, and God why does he always have to know exactly where to hit people verbally and physically? Darry feels his face reddening at the comment. 

“Aw Dally, you’re just jealous cause she keeps giving Darry here some eyes every time he looks at her,” Two Bit says, breaking the tension in the relaxed way he somehow always manages to do. 

“Whatever man, no broad is worth that much trouble.” Darry acknowledges this is as much of a submission as they’re gonna get from Dally. “Getting manhandled by a crazy person, Jesus fucking Christ.” He grumbles, giving Darry another glare before he starts digging for a towel. 

“Interesting, so Two Bit sees it too!” Soda exclaims, ignoring Dally’s ruminations. 

“See what?” Two Bit asks, already moved on from his previous commentary. Darry would throw Soda into the lake too if he wasn’t already in there. 

“Nothing buddy, just some interesting information s’all,” Soda replies with a cheeky grin as Darry glares at him, hoping his eyes are doing a good job of telling Soda to kindly shut up. 

“Happy to share my words of wisdom anytime pal!” Two Bit replies with a laugh, and Darry is very grateful at least one of them had decided to let the topic go. 

“Looked kinda fun Dally, I dunno why you’re so upset!” Steve exclaims, dripping a trail of water as he pads towards them on the dock. He stops beside Darry and looks at him hopefully, “C’mon Superman, show off some muscles!” Steve begs, and Darry understands that’s his own way of asking for him to start tossing him into the lake. Darry makes him wait for a moment as he takes a large swig of his beer, before he gives him a nod and pushes to his feet, trailing behind Steve who starts cheering excitedly.

“Wait! I want a turn!” Ponyboy yelps somewhere in the water, and Darry smiles to himself at the sound of the others swimming towards the shore. He remembers their dad would do something similar when they were younger and he took them swimming at the lake, and he feels a small ache in his chest at the memory. As much as it hurts, he can’t feel too sad, watching as the boys all start lining up excitedly behind Steve. Dallas shoots them all an eye roll from where he’s settled himself to sit near Pip, giving him some pats on the head when he thinks no one is looking. 

“Bet I can get thrown farther than the rest of you!” Steve challenges, which gets them all shouting in excitement. As Darry gets ready to launch Steve, he enjoys that at least for the moment they can all just pretend to be just some teenage boys having a day at the lake.

Notes:

Everybody back in bed was a game created by my parents when my sisters and I were little, and I still enjoy using it as my excuse when I get back in bed on the weekends 😂

Dally doesn't really want to get with Betty, he simply finds great joy in tormenting people (I think it's his love language) and he couldn't help himself when he realizes exactly how to get a rise out of Darry.

Chapter 9: Chap 9

Summary:

Who's ready to rumbleeeee??

Notes:

It was getting a little to happy these last two chapters, so please enjoy some angst and hurt for this chapter 😂

“We’re gonna stomp those socs right into the mud!” Steve hollers, breaking Darry from his trance where he was staring at the tile wall. He swears the walls of their house are so thin he can hear Steve crystal clear from where he’s currently finishing showering off after work. He turns off the water with a twist of his wrist and blindly grabs for his towel past the old shower curtain. He really only rinsed off the sweat of the day, since he suspects he’ll need to shower again after this rumble, and he’s gotten in the habit of trying to avoid racking up the water bill more. He uses his towel to run through his hair for a couple moments before he’s stepping out onto the bathmat and makes quick work of drying off before he wraps it around his waist. He opens the door and watches the steam from the hot water dissipate now that it is no longer confined to the small bathroom. The door was never locked, they all learned fast that there was no point, since it’s the only bathroom in the house. The more everyone started hanging round, they quickly ran into the issue of someone needing to piss when someone was in the shower. Darry got tired of having to clamber out of the shower to unlock the door after the first few times where one of the boys starts whining at the door, so now he simply keeps it unlocked. Soda takes it a step further and doesn’t even bother to close the door when he’s in the shower so he’s able to continue to converse with whoever’s around the entire time. Darry usually needs the time to get out of his head from the day of work, so he’ll at least close the door, but they all know he doesn’t care if one of them has to come barging in. Ponyboy sometimes gets real annoyed if he’s in a particular mood and someone needs in while he’s in the shower. But Pony is also one of the worst offenders when it comes to needing to pee when someone is showering, so he knows no one will back him up in his complaints about intrusions. He takes a small pause at the mirror, examining his hair, and before he can second guess it, he takes a small amount of the oil the boys use, and puts it in his hair. He doesn’t wear it much anymore, it just makes him feel more sweaty when he’s working in the sun, but the action feels familiar and almost ritualistic at this point, especially before a rumble. The house is entirely inhabited by a bunch of teenage boys, so modesty is a foreign concept at this point, which is why once he’s satisfied with his job, Darry simply wanders out into the kitchen in only his towel, surveying the gang as he goes to grab himself a glass of water. 

“Stevie, why you gotta keep on beating your bestest buddy in the whole world at this stupid game?” Soda laments from the living room floor where Steve has decided to start flicking cards at him one at a time. 

“Not my fault you’re terrible at blackjack!” Steve replies, sounding completely unrepentant as Soda makes noises of protest as he continues to flick cards at him incessantly. 

“You finish all your chores, Pony?” Darry asks after he takes a generous gulp of water, spying Ponyboy who’s curled up on the couch watching Mickey with Two Bit and Johnny. 

“It’s Friday night, why’s he gotta have them done already?” Two Bit objects, giving Darry a look as if he’s acting like some evil dictator at the mere suggestion.

“So he can relax the rest of the weekend after the rumble if that’s what ends up needing to happen,” Darry sighs walking from the kitchen into the living room and fixing Two Bit with a raised brow. 

“Yeah I finished ‘em,” Ponyboy answers. He’s clearly really gunning for this rumble, since he did them all without making much of a fuss.

“Good deal,” Darry says with a nod, feeling satisfied as he starts making a mental checklist in his mind of what they need before they head out. 

“See, we can be responsible Darry! Pony did all his chores and I folded all the laundry,” Soda replies with a satisfied smirk, gesturing to the basket beside him that has been abandoned for his game against Steve. However, giving it a glance it does indeed look like Soda managed to fold all their freshly washed clothes, though a bit messier than how it looks when Darry does it himself. “And I found this in the pockets of one of your jeans too before I washed them,” Soda continues, waving a scrap of paper that has Darry feel the color drain from his face. 

Over the last week since he’d talked to his brothers, he’d been so busy with work and thinking about the rumble, he’d really not thought about Betty much, and he’d stupidly forgotten to take the paper from his pockets after the rodeo that night. Soda forgets to check pockets all the time doing laundry, so of course the time he actually remembers to, he finds the one thing Darry wants to hide from him. 

“Care to explain?” Soda prompts and Darry makes an annoyed sound as he pushes off the doorframe where he was leaning. He trudges over to his brother, pulling some clean underwear and a pair of his jeans from the laundry pile; he thinks about trying to snatch the note, but he can tell Soda’s expecting that. 

“What is it?” Two Bit asks, glancing away from the tv, it seems his interest has now been piqued by Soda’s latest antics. 

“It’s a phone number, and that nurse girl signed her name with it!” Soda sings, waving the paper around in front of Darry’s nose as he slips on his underwear and jeans in quick succession. 

“Shoot! Superman got her number?” Steve asks, trying to make a grab for it, but Soda dodges him easily. 

“She gave it to me. Said if we ever needed some medical help to avoid the hospital to call her. And since one of you bozos always seems to somehow injure yourselves one way or another it’s probably only a matter of time before someone needs it.” Darry grumbles as he sorts through the laundry until he finds one of his black t-shirts he was looking for. 

“Shoot Soda, might actually be handy if we need it after the rumble,” Two Bit agrees, and Darry’s thankful that this should at least keep Soda off his back for a couple more days. But he knows it’s only a matter of time before Soda starts pestering him to call her now that he knows they have her phone number. 

“I’m gonna put it on the fridge, just in case,” Soda agrees, pushing up from the floor and scampering off into the kitchen searching for an available magnet. “There, now we all know where it is! Right under this horseshoe magnet!”

“Copy that!” Steve replies, “Now get back here so I can win some more before we gotta head out.”

“Where’s Dally?’ Ponyboy asks, glancing at the clock, it’s a couple minutes past 7:30 pm and they should get a move on shortly here to head out. 

“Think he’s coming over to the park with Tim, sounds like most of his outfit will be there. And some of the Brumley boys too,” Johnny explains with a shrug. They all know about Dally’s soft spot for Johnny, so it’s not surprising that he’s doing all he can to give the greasers a good advantage numbers wize in this rumble. This one is much more personal than the other rumbles have been. 

“Everyone needs to be careful, it’s drizzling out there, the ground will be wet and more slippery than without it,” Darry adds, giving in to his natural instincts to overthink things a bit. 

“I ain’t worried about a little mud!” Steve exclaims, from where he and Soda are currently arm wrestling on the floor, locked in a standstill. 

“I know, I’m saying be careful,” Darry sighs, taking a moment to stretch, his back cracks in a satisfying chorus as his aching muscles relax at the feeling. He surveys them all again for a moment as he works on his old running shoes near the front door. All the boys know how to fight, and with the numbers it sounds like they’ll have, there will be more than enough hands to make the fight fair. He really hasn’t allowed himself to think too much about the rumble, when he thinks about the ever rising tensions with the socs, he can feel his blood start to boil, and he didn’t see the point in seething over it for the whole week. Now though, he’s let off his hold on the emotions, and he is feeling them in full force. They all joke privately about how Dally sometimes acts like a guard dog, and he knows that will definitely play a role in how he fights tonight. Similarly, they love to rib Darry for his ‘momma bear’ energy, and while the term gets him all irritated, he can’t deny the protective instincts he has for all of the boys. God knows he looks out for them all in many different ways whenever he can, but being able to stand up for them with his fists sounds mighty satisfying right now. He pushes off from the floor after he finishes knotting his laces, and he gives them a nod as he pushes open their front door. The boys scramble to their feet, and they’re leaping off the porch, doing all sorts of acrobatics and jumping all over each other as they howl various cries of excitement into the night.

---

The rain drops are sporadic, and aren’t really enough to even be bothersome, Darry notes as they approach the still growing crowd of greasers that are lounging atop the hill in the park. Still, the ground is definitely wet, and he’ll have to be extra aware of his footing when the fight starts up He surveys the guys in attendance, he definitely recognizes a fair number of them, and a lot of them give him nods of acknowledgement as he walks past, heading to the end of the crowd with the boys hot on his trail. When he somehow became considered an official leader of a greaser gang he’s not entirely sure, but he’s not uncomfortable with it by any means. He slows to a stop where Tim Shepard and Dally are throwing some random brush into the bonfire they somehow managed to start up. Tim turns towards him and grasps his outstretched hand firmly, pulling him close so he can give him a firm pat on the back, and he returns the gesture. 

“Curtis, how’s it goin?” Tim asks, stepping back and taking his time surveying the boys as they all are muttering out various greetings to different greaser guys around them. 

“Not bad, Shepard.”

“How are the kids? See they wanted in on the action tonight,” Tim says with a grin, glancing at Ponyboy and Johnny. 

“They’re okay, thankfully no pneumonia for Ponyboy after they had him underwater,” Darry says with a sigh, watching his brother talk to a couple younger greasers who he knows go to their high school. 

“Good deal. It was way outta line what those socs tried to pull on them two,” Tim says with a dangerous glare in his eyes. Dally has a similar look to him, and in the light of the bonfire he almost looks downright feral. 

“We’re gonna stomp ‘em real good, ain’t we Johnny?” Dally says, sauntering over to Johnny and slinging an arm over his shoulder as he often does in greeting to him. 

“Sure hope so,” Johnny murmurs, looking a bit skittish, but Darry sees more fight in the kid than he’s seen in the last few months. 

“I can’t wait to break that one kid’s nose, you know he tried to threaten to call the fuzz on me at the movies the other week?” Dally says almost manically. Darry feels a bit bad for the socs as their trail of cars start to pull up; their boys are out for blood tonight. 

He can feel the tension rising around him as they all square up, watching as the gaggle of socs start making their way over. His own adrenaline is coursing through his veins like a drug in anticipation. He’s so goddamn tired of it all, of the shit these guys pull just cause they have money and too much time on their fucking hands. He often tries not to dwell on his resentment of the socs, but right now he’s letting it all loose and god he’s about ready to start swinging right away. Tim is standing to his right, but he’s about a half step behind him and Darry realizes somehow they’ve designated him to take the lead in all this. He catches familiar faces of some of the socs, and Christ, he can tell some of them are already boozed up pretty hard based on they way they're stumbling from their roughhousing. He spots the two ringleaders from that night at the fountain, and internally makes notes of them as particular targets, but his gaze is then otherwise occupied by the appearance of Paul Holden. 

He still looks like the kid he remembers from high school,  although Darry notices the kid is nowhere near as fit as he once was. His face is rounder, and his body looks more rounded and bulky than the sharp angles of muscles that used to be in its place. Guess binge drinking and partying all the time doesn’t always pay off, he thinks with a distinct level of smug satisfaction at the observation. He didn’t even know Paul was back in town, and he almost scoffs bitterly at the thought of him coming back from college just to involve himself in this shit. Paul was his buddy in high school, as much as Darry loathes to think about it now. They were both on the football team, both did well in advanced classes, and overall enjoyed each other’s company, at least at the beginning. Hell, Darry even slept over at his house. The majority of the fall out occurred naturally when Paul left for college, and Darry was stuck behind, but looking back he can recall the downfall began long before. He can remember too many snide comments about greasers to count through their entire friendship, followed with a hasty ‘they ain’t like you though, Darrel.’ Not to mention the resentful glares that began to come when Darry was the one voted as team captain and boy of the year their senior year. He can’t believe he used to voluntarily spend time with the guy, considering how he can see him as he is now; a washed up, spoiled kid who will never know a hard day’s work in his life. And Darry, well, ‘once a greaser, always a greaser’ was a tough lesson he learned long ago. Maybe that’s why he took the time to make sure he put that grease in his hair before they left. 

“Darrel.” Paul says, giving him a charged look as he brings the crowd of them to a stop opposite of them. Darry almost wants to let out a bitter laugh, why is Paul the one leading this? He has no business in claiming to know anything about the conflicts in this town when he gets to simply run away to his all paid for college life whenever he pleases. 

“Paul, didn’t expect to see you ‘round tonight.” Darry says evenly. He can see Soda and Ponyboy muttering to each other to his left, and he knows the standoff probably has them on edge. 

“Well Darrel,” God he wants to just go ahead punch him for calling him that, for reminding him of their history.  “Seems there was a bit of a misunderstanding between our boys and some of yours, so we’re here to just clear that up.”

“Misunderstanding? You call practically drowning a kid a misunderstanding?” Two Bit starts shouting. Darry swears he’s seeing red, and he’s glad he sticks his arm out to stop Dally from descending on the guy right then. The rain is starting to pick up, and Darry thinks with how much his blood is boiling he’s surprised the drops aren’t evaporating the second they touch his skin. 

“They didn’t mean none by it. It was a simple misunderstanding, just some boys being boys, you must remember what that was like once dontcha?” Paul continues, and Darry knows he’s trying to rile him up, so he uses every ounce of self control he has to keep his cool exterior up. “See boys, tell ‘em.” The two kids -Bob and Randy- as the guys later identified to Darry, look tense, but they simply nod in sync. Darry sees the one with curly hair’s eyes keep fleeting over to Pony and Johnny, who are standing their ground. He wonders if the kid is shaken considering he almost killed his brother. 

“Fists only, no chains or blades,” Darry replies, not dignifying the ridiculous sham with an acknowledgement. “If we win, y’all stay the fuck off our side of town, and stop messing with our guys around town, savvy?”

“Aw c’mon Darrel, let's be reasonable here-” Paul smirks, and Darry decides he’s done, before he’s decking his former friend in the face.

 

And then all hell breaks loose. 

 

Darry focuses his attention on Paul, who makes an attempt to hit him hard in the jaw, but Darry is able to dodge it enough that it only grazes his cheekbone. All he can hear above the shouts around him are the resounding sounds of skin on skin as the rain develops into a full on downpour. He uses all his body weight to barrel into Paul, who’s stance is unstable enough he takes him down to the ground, landing him flat on his back like they used to in football practice. Paul is angry, and the next hit gets Darry good right in the temple as he scrabbles to get on top of Paul to hold on to his current advantage. He blinks away the stars that dance across his vision as he knees Paul in the gut hard, his hands scrabbling at his shoulders to force him down into the mud. He gets a few successive punches to Paul’s jaw before he’s shoved off of him by another soc, and he’s sliding in the mud as he tries to regain some footing. Paul takes advantage of the opportunity, and he’s on his feet, giving him a hard kick in the side with a laugh that makes Darry bristle as he manages to get himself up. 

“Looking real greasy right now Darrel. If you’d managed to get into college they would’ve turned your ass away at the door just by the looks of you.” Paul taunts as they lock horns, both trying to knock the other off balance enough to take them down again. Darry’s feet are slipping desperately in the mud, and he has to grit his teeth as he forces his toes deeper into the ground. In the midst of this, he’s able to take a quick glance, and spots Pony and Johnny, who are holding their own against a couple of socs who can’t seem to gain a solid footing to save their lives. He has to force himself to lock back in, the most dangerous thing he could do right now is get distracted. His feet slip under him traitorously, and that knocks him to his knees, where Paul slugs him hard in the cheekbone and his right eye throbs painfully at the impact. He loses track of anything besides the pain in his knuckles as he keeps landing hits on Paul wherever he can. At one point he narrowly notes that Dallas somehow manages to take down two socs at once. The rain and mud and smoke is so thick, it quickly almost becomes impossible to distinguish between greaser and soc. Eventually, Darry gets the upper hand in their personal brawl. Paul is laying on his back, breathing heavily, not unlike Ponyboy when they pulled him from that fountain. See how it feels? Darry thinks as he jumps to his feet, laying a final kick to Paul’s side as he scrambles to find another opponent. 

With the moment to breathe he does his survey, and makes sure all the boys are accounted for, and double checks there’s no signs of the fuzz coming round. It becomes clear really quickly as he decks a random soc, that they’re winning. Some of the socs are already scrambling off preemptively. It takes him the longest to spot Soda in the fray, and he should’ve just waited until the rest of the socs had run off. He let his guard down, and in exchange he’s whacked hard on the back of the head. He barely has enough time to react and turn around to the source, holding up his forearm reflexively to protect against a punch to the face before he catches the glint of a blade running up his right forearm. He stands stunned, and realizes the kid probably pulled it out when he realized they were losing. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knows his arm hurts like hell, but the adrenaline acts as a good painkiller. In a flash, Tim Shepard is knocking the guy off his feet and starts wailing on him, the knife wholly discarded off to the side in the mud. The guy eventually stops fighting back against Tim’s attack, and just lays there stunned, before Tim finally climbs off. He kicks him one final time as the kid weakly crawls off, running with the others at the call of Paul who’s hauling ass with his tail between his legs. Darry stands there just watching their retreating forms, feeling his heart thundering and his chest heaving as he takes in deep gasping breaths. 

“We won!” A voice cries out, and that seems to break everyone from the stupor as they chase off the last of the socs. There’s a cacophony of voices as guys all around him climb to their feet, absolutely caked in mud and rain as he knows he is. There’s chaos as they all realize they ran off the socs. 

“Hell, Curtis he got you good,” Shepard hisses, and he barely even processes his following instructions. He somehow manages to rid himself of his black t-shirt, and then Tim is tying it tight as some sort of a makeshift bandage against his forearm. Darry hasn’t even bothered looking at the damage to his arm, he’s got more important stuff to worry about first. 

“Better clean that up good when you get home,” Tim grunts. He mutters a thanks, and gives Tim a final nod before he’s off again. He stumbles upon Dally first, who looks a mess, but is grinning widely despite the blood all over his teeth. He’s hauling Ponyboy to his feet, which allows Darry to let out a sigh of relief. Pony looks okay upon first glance, though he definitely has a nice shiner already forming. 

“Ponyboy, you okay?” Johnny asks, taking the words out of Darry’s mouth. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. Where’s Soda?” Pony asks as he glances around at the three of them by his side. 

“Pony!” Soda’s voice exclaims, and he’s walking up with Steve and Two Bit. They’re all hollering excitedly, but Darry notices Soda is clutching his right arm to his body and both Steve and Two Bit are limping a bit.
“Lets get home, I don’t want to push out luck with the fuzz.” Darry urges, satisfied with his initial assessment of the boys, eager to get them all dry.

“Where’d your shirt go superman?” Two Bit asks as they start walking, and Darry is reminded he indeed is shirtless. 

“Some kid scratched me, drew a bit of blood so I used it as a bandage,” He lies smoothly. He still can’t really feel his arm hurting yet, and he can take care of it later once he’s got the rest of them situated. 

By the time they're back on the porch steps, he’s doing a mental tally of all the frozen bags of veggies they have that can be used for ice packs. Pony definitely needs one, and he’s pretty sure he saw a bruise forming on Two Bit’s cheekbone when they passed under a streetlight. They all stumble into the living room and everyone takes a seat either on the couch or the floor, and Darry pauses. Most of them look okay, just some bruises, and Steve has a bloody nose that has since dried up. He thinks Dally has a split lip that accounts for all the blood in and around his mouth.

“Alright buddy! We did it!” Steve says, clapping Soda excitedly on his right shoulder. The cry that echoes throughout the living room makes them all jump, and Soda practically falls off the couch wailing in pain. Darry is at his side in an instant, careful to not touch him as he tries to identify the source of his brother’s wail. 

“What is it little buddy?” Darry says frantically, terrified Soda’s hiding something real bad from him. 

“Ah-” Soda cries as he practically writhes in pain against the couch, “My shoulder,”

“Okay,” Darry murmurs softly, and he manages to work off Soda’s flannel before cursing himself. He can’t believe he didn’t notice until now, his shoulder bulges out abnormally in the front, and is very clearly dislocated from the socket. 

“That’s disgusting,” Dally says with a sort of morbid excitement as he examines Soda’s shoulder in fascination. Steve is spitting out desperate apologies to Soda at a mile a minute, but Soda manages to give his friend a reassuring squeeze of the hand and that seems to calm him slightly. Darry feels a bit queasy himself looking at it, instinctually nervous at seeing a shoulder all out of sorts. Shit, a dislocated shoulder isn’t terrible, but trying to right it can hurt like all hell, and if you mess up it can make it ten times worse. He worries at his cheek for a moment as he mutters soothing words to Soda. Ponyboy is shifting anxiously beside Darry, his feet shuffling on the carpet. 

“Darry, should we call Betty?” Ponyboy asks, sounding close to tears at the sight of Sodapop in all this pain. Darry feels himself tense at the suggestion. He’d been working all week to not think of her, and let himself develop any more stupid, hopeful ideas as a result of his little crush. He almost says no reflexively, but he watches the way Soda is holding back tears, and the way the other boys are all squirming from their own injuries and he feels himself nodding. Ponyboy doesn’t need anymore reassurance, he’s already slipped off to the kitchen to the phone. 

“You’re okay Soda, I’m here. You’re okay,” Darry soothes. In between Soda’s heaving breaths, he can hear Ponyboy’s murmuring, but not enough to hear the actual words. “Darry, what are we gonna do?” Soda asks frantically, sounding close to hysterical. 

“Shhh, we’re getting help and we’ll have you right as rain in just a few minutes here,” Darry reassures, as he shoots Pony a questioning glance as he reappears. 

“She said she’d be less than ten minutes,” Pony replies, coming to kneel beside him, wringing his hands nervously as he looks at Soda, who at least is no longer wailing in pain. He wraps his good arm around Ponyboy in an effort to keep him calm, and gives him a squeeze as he sags into the physical contact. They all sit in silence for a couple minutes, finally allowing themselves to catch their breaths from the whole thing. 

“Anyone else?” Darry asks, eyes flitting to survey them each. He wonders if he got hit harder to the head than he thought, he’s feeling a bit dizzy and nauseated, but he pushes it aside. The adrenaline must be slowly wearing off because he definitely feels a sharp pain coming from his arm beneath his makeshift bandage.

“My nose is broke,” Steve grumbles as he touches it gingerly. 

“For the fourth time,” Pony adds, and Darry is at least reassured that Pony’s calmed down enough to be a bit smart with them still. 

“Dal where’d all the blood come from?” Johnny asks quietly, clearly a bit unnerved by the sight that is Dallas Winston. 

“Some kid busted my lip and it started bleeding. So I bit a chunk outta his ear,” Dally replies, laughing as he walks over to the fridge, digging for some beer without a care in the world. God Darry really feels shitty now, he hopes it's not a concussion. He got one of those sophomore year and was real miserable for the first week recovering from it. He doesn’t really feel like he did with a concussion, but he definitely feels off. His own internal rumination is eventually cut off by the flash of headlights coming through their front windows, and a minute later there’s a knock on the door that has him pushing to his feet. 

He realizes his mistake immediately as the room spins, and his vision blacks out before he can utter a word.

Notes:

I decided to be mean and leave y'all with a cliffhanger of sorts.

Also I am currently on my pediatric psych rotation, and lemme tell you interacting with some teenagers dealing with mental health stuff gives some very great insight into how to write these characters. If it wasn't the 1960's I think everyone in the gang except maybe Two Bit would need some SERIOUS therapy.

Let me know what y'all think of this one in the comments ❤️

Chapter 10: Chap 10

Summary:

Soda's arm hurts, Ponyboy is stressing, and Darry learns to maybe not keep injuries secret?

Notes:

I'm back with the latest update just in time for everyone's nightly AO3 reading time on this lovely Friday night. If you're of age, I recommend pairing this chapter with a nice glass of wine as I will be doing 😂

Also I guess small warning for some mild medical injuries/gore? I didn't get too detailed I don't think, but I'm also very desensitized to things since I am a medical student!

Darry doesn’t know how he manages to cling on to consciousness but by the time his vision returns he somehow has gotten himself over to the front door and he supports himself with an arm on the frame as he wrenches it open. Betty blinks up at him, and if he wasn’t still so dizzy he’d be more amused by her appearance. She’s got plaid pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt on, and her hair is pulled back in a silk scarf and she seems to have a couple rollers in her hair. Her eyes seem to be flickering all over his form and he foggily wonders why? Her cheeks look a bit more pink than normal under the porch light as he ushers her inside. 

“Alright, who’s the worse off?” Betty starts, taking in the display that is their living room. “What’s up with your arm?” Betty asks, surveying him and he immediately knows he needs to redirect her. He won’t let her near him until he knows all the boys are sorted first. 

“Sodapop needs you more,” Darry says, and it must be convincing enough because she’s already moving past him towards his brother, who’s calmed down some as he is able to keep his arm tucked close to his body in a protective stance. 

“Lemme just take a look,” Betty murmurs, kneeling beside him and giving his uninjured hand a gentle squeeze. She sets her large backpack she has with her to the side.

“Is it broken?” Ponyboy asks, at this point he’s practically pacing beside them. Darry wants to go grab Pony and at least try to get him to sit down, but he feels too unsteady, and instead goes back to Soda’s side, sitting down with his back against Two Bit’s legs and practically going limp the second he takes the weight off his feet. 

“Looks like it’s just dislocated.” Betty reassures, “We can right it very easily, and should just have to keep ya in a sling for stability for a few days.”

“It hurts,” Soda grits out as her hand very gently feels the area to confirm her suspicions. 

“I know sugar, it’ll feel a ton better once I get it back in place,” she says, her voice sounds genuinely sympathetic, not just that fake kind that nurses will have with them when they’ve had to go to the hospital the few times before. He leans against Soda’s good shoulder and interlaces his hand with his and gives it a calming squeeze. Darry watches as she turns to look at him, 

“Will you help me by holding him- actually, scratch that, you’re staying right there. You’re looking way too pale for my liking.” She says, and he feels just lousy enough that he doesn’t try to move anyways. 

“Darry?” Ponyboy asks, looking at him with those big, worried eyes. 

“I’m okay, just got my bell rung a bit,” Darry lies, not wanting to further upset him. 

“Okay, Steve, I’m gonna have you hold Soda still like this.” Betty instructs, taking Steve’s hands from where he’s currently sitting behind Soda on the couch and places them in a way to stabilize his brother. “I won’t do anything without warning you alright?” Betty continues, getting Soda to look at her. He grits his teeth but gives her a nod, and she places one hand around his bicep and the other around his forearm. 

“Alright, just keep him steady Steve, I’m just gonna get a feel here,” Betty reassures, and she seems satisfied by Steve’s nod. 

“Hey Pony, stop your pacing, you’re making me- OW!” There’s a sickening popping noise, and Soda lets out a wail that makes Darry’s heart clench, and he’s murmuring little assurances as his good hand immediately comes to cradle the nape of Soda’s neck. 

“Shh, it's okay,” Darry murmurs, pressing his forehead to Soda’s temple as he tries to calm him. 

“I’m sorry, I needed to do it before you tensed your muscles. It’s easier when you aren’t expecting it.” Betty says softly, and he sees her hands rubbing Soda’s arm in soothing motions. 

“Oh Christ, that feels a helluva lot better,” Soda says wetly as his body seems to slowly release a lot of the tension he was holding, sagging into Darry in evident relief. 

“Ponyboy, could you get me an old t shirt or piece of fabric I could use to make a sling?” Betty asks, as she seems to gently be feeling to make sure Soda’s shoulder is indeed back in place. 

“Yes ma’am,” Ponyboy replies before he scurries out of the living room and down the hall. Darry finally feels calm enough with Soda feeling better that he feels the distinct embarrassment of their entire situation overcome him. Judging the mess that is the boys covered in mud, he doesn’t even want to know what he looks like, but he knows he must look horrible. And with all of them sprawled about, their shoes are haphazardly discarded, a smattering of the abandoned cards decorates the carpet, and their laundry basket still remains beside the couch. The house is a total mess. Darry would let out an exasperated groan if he wasn’t too busy trying to keep himself from dry heaving. Ponyboy returns, and Betty makes quick and impressive work of fashioning a sling for Soda who is giving her many thanks as she does so. She gives him an affectionate pat on the cheek before her laser-like gaze locks onto Darry.

“Arm, now.” She says, holding her hand out expectantly. 

“Didn’t you say some kid scratched you?” Two Bit asks, nudging him with his toes. 

“I’m fine,” Darry murmurs, though he has to fight to not let his head loll backwards against Two Bit’s knees. 

“Think you can get to the recliner?” Betty asks, not caving to his dismissal. “Even if it’s just a scratch I’ve got some antiseptic ointment that would be good.”

“Sounds reasonable Darry, everyone else is okay, Steve already reset his nose himself,” Soda says, giving him a stern look. Ponyboy is biting at his nails and Darry sighs, knowing his brothers won’t calm down until he lets her check him out too. He grunts as he manages to push himself to his feet, and Christ he actually suppresses a gag with this latest wave of nausea as he stumbles to to recliner and basically falls into it’s waiting embrace. Betty comes to stand beside him, and he rests his arm palm down on the arm of the chair and gives her a begrudging nod of acceptance. She carefully undoes the makeshift wrapping Tim did, and she slowly peels it back, and he feels his heart actually skip a beat. For a second all he can see is the wide gash that’s close to 6 inches long on the back of his forearm, oozing blood steadily. He actually makes a sound of horror, and then when he instinctually flexes his hand he catches a look at something white in the midst of his bloody wound and then the world around him seems to disappear in the drop of a black curtain.

---

“DO SOMETHING! WHY AIN’T YOU HELPING HIM?!” The noise in his ears sounds like Ponyboy yowling loud enough that he winces as he stirs awake.

“Give it a second kid, you gotta take some breaths.” Two Bit? Or maybe Steve? Dally?

“C’mon sugar, open those eyes for me,” a voice murmurs, and he feels something cold on his neck. This seems to shock his system enough that he takes in a gasping breath and his eyes fly open. The whole room is spinning, and he can’t focus on the girl in front of him, or the crowd of figures that seem to be hovering around him. He feels the latest wave of nausea, and somehow next thing he knows his face is hovering above an empty wastebasket as he dry heaves, bile burning his throat as his stomach tries to expel its empty contents. 

“What’s wrong with him?” He thinks the voice is Soda this time. Darry takes a shaky breath, spitting out the sour taste in his mouth as he tries to get his bearings. 

“You all done honey?” He can’t even think enough to identify the voice, but he responds by leaning backwards, allowing his head to fall back against the chair as he stares at them widely. He can hear multiple voices asking a slew of questions, but they’re shushed quickly. “You’re alright, take another couple breaths, you’re just coming out of it.” Betty, his mind finally supplies. And then he remembers what’s happening, and the panic starts to return. It must show on his face.

“HELP HIM!” Ponyboy yells, and Darry winces at the noise before he’s reaching his good hand out.
“Let him go Two,” Darry manages to get out, taking a look at the way Ponyboy is struggling against the bearhug that Two Bit currently has him in, trying to keep him from interfering. The second he’s freed, Ponyboy is kneeling at his feet and wraps himself around his legs, chin resting on his knee as he looks up at him, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. “Shh, shhh,” Darry murmurs, his good hand coming to cradle his brother’s head. This seems to be enough to calm his brother a bit, cause he at least stops screaming at all of them. 

“Okay, I need everyone to take a breath here,” Betty says authoritatively. There’s a pause where the initial chaos of the moment seems to die down, and they all start looking at her for guidance. “Everyone needs to sit down, I don’t want anyone else passing out. And I need to get a better look at all this wound.” She explains, moving to pull one of the kitchen chairs up beside the arm of the recliner, before she takes a seat. 

“Darry, why the hell didn’t you tell us?” Soda practically growls from where he’s being sat against the couch under the guidance of Steve.

“Let’s not worry about that right now,” Betty murmurs, giving him a stern look that ends that conversation. Darry very pointedly does not look at the wound, and just thinking about it at all makes him start panicking again. 

“What did this?” Betty asks, one of her hands uses a damp washcloth to pat at his forehead and neck as she waits for an answer. 

“A blade of some sort, I didn’t get a good look at it.” He replies, feeling the flush of shame as his brothers make noises of indignation. 

“Your shirt’s pretty soaked with blood,” Betty says. “The blood loss and the shock are likely what made you faint.” 

“Is he gonna bleed out?” Ponyboy asks frantically, eyes wide as he whips to look at Betty. 

“No, it’s mostly clotted up at this point and it didn’t get an artery, but he needs some fluids to make up for the blood. It’ll help with the nausea, and I’m sure you’re very dizzy ain’t ya honey?” She murmurs, giving him a pitying look as she pulls away the towel, which displays some splotches of brown no doubt due to the mud that covers him. He closes his eyes, swallowing deeply as he fights back his own set of tears. His adrenaline seems to have worn off, and his arm burns in a special type of agony he’s never experienced before. 

“Okay, I gotta try and look at this wound for a minute. I’m trying to get an idea of how deep it is. I’m sorry sugar,” Betty says, one hand coming to grip his before he feels a sharp zap of pain that shoots from the wound and seems to spread like a wildfire through his entire body. He doesn’t even know what she’s doing, but he can barely stand it, his chest feels like it can’t move to take in any air.

“STOP!” He wails, gritting his teeth and writhing as he feels a couple of rogue tears streak from the corners of his eyes without permission. 

“Okay, okay, we’re done,” Betty reassures and he feels himself sag into the chair as he resists the urge to wrench his arm from her. 

“What do we do?” Soda asks, his voice thick with worry. 

“I need to flush and wash this wound, and then stitch it up. Also giving an antibiotic shot would be a good idea since we don’t know if the blade was clean or not.” Betty begins slowly, and while she’s speaking to the whole room, she is looking him in the eye, clearly searching for permission. His eyes must give away how scared he is right now, because she gives him another knowing smile, the one that reminds him of his mom, before she gets his attention,  “Darry, look at me.” He swears her eyes are staring into the very core of him. “I’ve got you, you hear me? You’re gonna be just fine. I’ve got this handled, okay?”

“Okay.” He chokes out, in too much pain to do much of anything besides try to stay sorta still for her. 

“Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna give you a shot with antibiotics and some stuff to relax you and help with pain and then I’ll numb the area with lidocaine after we get you a bit more comfortable. If someone can get me a big bowl filled with warm water, that would be a big help. Make sure it’s only warm, not hot.” Betty starts taking things from her backpack and setting them up on the side table next to her, her brow set in determination as she moves with an air confident efficiency. Johnny moves quickly from the floor where he’d been holding Pip -god he’s so out of it he doesn’t even know when Pip appeared- and slips into the kitchen to follow out her request. 

“Ponyboy, if you want to help your brother right now, go get him a big glass of water with a straw if you can find one. Come sit by him on the arm of the chair on his good side and help him start drinking. I need to get his fluids back up.” Betty continues, giving his younger brother a nod. The designation of a task seems to help calm Ponyoby further, because he gets to his feet without protest to follow her instructions. 

“Is this medicine you’re giving him safe?” Soda asks, eyeing her warily where Darry can see out of the corner of his eye she’s drawing up a syringe from some vials of clear liquids. 

“Very. He might get a bit loopy, but it will help him with pain and his nerves. I’m gonna need to really clean it and do a fair amount of stitches, and this will keep him much more comfortable.”

“He’s gonna get high from the shit you’re giving him?” Dally asks, and Darry hears that small edge of excitement in Dally’s tone again. 

“If that’s how you want to put it.” She replies with a smirk, and Darry doesn’t love the sound of that, but he’s in so much pain he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to make it much longer without some meds. 

“Hell, this how you pictured your first time getting high Darry?’ Two Bit jokes, and there’s a certain calmness in the room when they realize everything is okay enough for Two Bit to start cracking jokes again. 

“Alright, small poke here,” Betty narrates, and the cut is hurting him so bad, he barely feels the shot this time around as she sticks it into his deltoid. He waits for a minute, gritting his teeth as he prays that this stuff starts working soon. 

He doesn’t know what in the hell she put into his arm, but he feels the rush of analgesia hit him like an ocean wave, and he must let out a moan of relief because then everyone’s laughing. 

“There we go, much better now,” Betty says, and her hand pushes his hair back as his head lolls a bit sideways. The pain in his arm is dulled, he knows it still hurts, but it’s almost as if he doesn’t care anymore? He feels like he’s floating, and his mind is almost blissfully quiet as he stares at Betty, who is prepping another syringe, and having Johnny place a bowl of water on the table with her supplies. He hasn’t felt this calm and almost numb since before their folks died, and he almost wants to cry at the way he finally feels relaxed for once. A hand comes to his other shoulder, and he feels like he’s moving in slow motion as he turns his head to eventually see Ponyboy’s furrowed expression come into view. 

“Darry, you gotta drink,” Pony encourages, and Darry spots the giant glass of water he’s holding under his chin, with a pink swirly straw he thinks they must’ve gotten as a cereal box prize. He starts laughing, grinning widely at Ponyboy as he stares at the thing. 

“There it is,” Betty says off to the side, and Darry isn’t really sure what she’s talking about, but she looks real pretty in the lamp light so he can’t even remember what she just said. He takes another look at the confused look on his brother’s face, and his snickers turn into full belly laughter. God he feels amazing, all he can think about is how funny Pony’s silly little frown looks on his features. He feels such a swell of affection for his little brother; he wants to squeeze his cheeks where there’s still a faint reminder of his baby fat.  

“What’s so funny Dar?” He hears someone ask through the haze, and he doesn’t even know how to explain it, so he just keeps laughing, his face almost hurts from how wide he’s smiling. 

“Take a sip of water,” Betty instructs, drawing his attention with a pat to his shoulder. He feels the laughter slowly subside as he takes in a couple deep breaths that she coaxes out of him with gentle instructions. 

“I feel weird,” he murmurs after his giggles subside but he does try to sip the water when it’s offered by Ponyboy. 

“Good, now keep that up every couple minutes here, we gotta rehydrate you since I can’t give ya an IV,” Betty continues, and all of the sudden he feels like someone’s poking him with a safety pin or something. 

“Ow, quit it!” He grumbles, and he tries to pull his arm away, but looks down to see she’s got a firm grip on his hand and she’s sticking a needle all around some cut he doesn’t even know he had. 

“What the hell you doing that for?” He asks, but he stops trying to pull away when he gets a warning smack on the back of his palm. 

“Oh this is better than Mickey Mouse by a long shot!” Steve comments, and Darry wonders what they’re watching on tv right now. From where he’s sat, it looks like it’s still turned off. 

“Just numbing you up some more. You feeling good, darlin?” She asks him, and he really wishes she’d stop poking him. “I know, I gotta get you nice and numb though.” He wonders how she read his thoughts just then. Absent-mindedly, he takes a sip of water from a straw that somehow appears at his lips, his mouth does feel a bit dry. “Good boy.” He instinctively looks over to where Pip is curled up next to Sodapop,

“What did the dog do?” He asks, wondering how she can even see him since her back is to them as she keeps dabbing at his cut and poking him with that damn needle. 

“She’s talking to you super dope, not the dog,” Dally replies, and Darry curls his nose up at the way Dally looks, grinning with all that dried blood still on his teeth.   

“I’m not a dog,” Darry replies, giving Dally a glance. Did the kid hit his head or something? 

“Okay, there, we should have it all nice and numb now.” He looks down at his arm and frowns, feeling his brows tug together as he grimaces at the gnarly sight. 

“Is that my bone?” He asks, feeling like he should be horrified, but he’s actually just curious. 

“No, that’s just a tiny bit of tendon, they didn’t cut you that deep. Thank the Lord for that.”

“Why’s it moving?” He asks. 

“Cause you’re squeezing my hand, your muscles are moving to do that,” She explains, and he is real thankful she’s so smart and can explain all this to him. Dally must’ve gotten up off the couch, because he appears over her shoulder, 

“Christ, that’s disgusting. Keep moving your fingers Darry,” Dally says, and he obliges, amused at the way Dally seems to be delighted looking at the wound. 

“Alright, no more,” Betty says and Darry stops immediately, and she looks so pretty with the curlers in her hair. “I gotta wash this wound out a bit, you tell me if it starts hurting okay?”

“Yessum,” he agrees. He’s sure she could ask him to jump off a cliff and he’d do it right now. He watches as she moves to rest his arm over a bowl, his wrist hanging over one edge and his elbow resting on the other. She takes a small cup and starts pouring water all over the wound, letting it run off his arm into the bowl in red droplets. 

“Gross,” Darry says, staring at the way the water turns red almost immediately. 

“Thankfully you didn’t get any dirt in it, we just gotta clean it up so I can make sure I can see what I’m doing.” 

“You ain’t gonna cut my arm off are ya?” He asks, feeling a bit concerned as she continues to clean his arm. 

“Nope, I’m gonna let you keep it this time.” She replies, and he drinks from a straw that bumps against his lips. 

“Thank you,” he says, feeling relieved. He is right handed, so he needs that hand for a lot of things. The guys start laughing, and he wonders if now they all can somehow read his mind. 

“Yeah if he only had his other hand how would he be able to take a nice long hot shower and-”

“Dallas!” Soda cuts him off with a swat and Darry doesn’t know why Soda is all upset. 

“Okay, that looks a lot better,” Betty says, her hands support his arm as she removes the bowl, setting his arm down on a nice towel, and he wonders when she put some blue gloves on. 

“Hey Darry, can I have $5?” Two Bit asks, drawing his gaze over to the couch again. 

“For what?” Darry asks, he can’t even remember where he last put his wallet. Does Two Bit need to buy some school supplies for his second year as a senior in high school already? Didn’t summer just start? 

“Well I just got laid off from my job ya see, and-”

“You don’t even have a job ya lazy bum!” Ponyboy cuts him off with a smirk, and Darry forgot Ponyboy is the weight that’s leaning against his left side. 

“I’m gonna start the stitches now okay? You just try and keep that arm still for me okay?” He looks back at Betty, who's got what looks to be a pair of giant tweezers and some weird scissors holding a curved needle with a bunch of thread on it. 

He notices in this light that her hair looks a bit more like a soft brown as a strand has come loose from her curlers. He doesn’t like the tugging feeling at whatever she’s doing, and he makes a noise of protest to let her know. 

“Hush up, that lidocaine ain’t worn off yet,” she reassures, giving him a flick of her blue eyes before she continues with her tugging of his skin. He frowns a bit, he wants her to praise him some more, he thought she said he was doing real good? He takes another large gulp of water, remembering that she was proud of him when he did that earlier, but she doesn’t say anything. He feels a bit annoyed at this, since he’s trying real hard to get her attention right now. Girls are real confusing, they never seem to want him to do what he thinks they want him to do. He thought she wanted him to drink the water, but then she didn’t say a word about it when he did. He feels his head spinning, like when he drove his senior prom date back home after the dance and she kept looking at him some typa way, and he wasn’t sure if she wanted him to kiss her or not. Betty looks up at him again and her blue eyes are so pretty, they remind him of some rare jewel or something, and she’s giving him that same type of look look that makes him think she wants him to do something. She doesn’t even stop with her weird stitching thing she’s doing, and he does notice his skin almost looks knit back together at this point. 

“Do you want me to kiss you or not?” Darry says, feeling fed up with the mixed signals, resisting the urge to cross his arms in frustration. The room echoes with howls of laughter, and he’s so focused on her he can’t even begin to figure out what movie the boys are watching that’s got them acting up like this. 

“Let me finish up what I’m doing here before we talk about anyone kissing anyone right now, sugar,” she says, and he’s a bit unsatisfied with the explanation, but he does appreciate the clarity of the answer to wait. He continues to sip on the water and sit still, watching as she knits the last little bit of skin together with some weird twists and turns of the instruments in her hands. The warm washwash she uses to clean off his arm feels nice.

“Hey Dar, ain’t there another question you had for Miss Betty?” A voice in his head asks, that voice sounds almost identical to Soda, it’s a bit weird. He starts running through his mind, trying to remember what he was supposed to say. He feels a bit less foggy now, so his brain eventually remembers. 

“I was supposed to ask her on a date!” he replies, giving his brother a triumphant smirk, knowing Soda was trying to stump him, little shit. The guys start laughing all over again, and he feels his arm being lifted up as she wraps a cotton bandage around the new stitches.

“He’s gonna kill me when he eventually sobers up,” Soda wheezes, and Darry looks over at his brother. 

“Who’s gonna kill you?” Darry asks, getting ready to scold one of the boys. Soda’s still got his arm in a sling!

“When is this stuff supposed to wear off?” Ponyboy asks, and Darry thinks it's a good question, he still feels real nice, and he’s not quite ready for the comedown yet. 

“Give it another hour or so, but he’ll definitely feel back to his normal self in the morning,” Betty replies, and he feels relieved at that. “How you feeling, Darry?”

“I’m good,” he replies, watching as she tapes the end of the bandage down. 

“You did real good,” she replies, and he gets all nervous that she's gonna leave him now. Something in his mind feels panicked about something he said, but he can’t pinpoint what it was. Soda appears next to her, and he’s thanking her, his voice soft and genuine. He feels his heart ache as she starts packing stuff back into her bag. 

“I’m glad y’all called me. Now that we’ve got all of y’all sorted, you need to get some sleep. I would really like to come check on ya come morning if that's okay?”

“You’ll come back?”

“I promise.” She says with a pretty smile, and he almost wants to offer for her to just stay over with him in his room since she’s already got her pajamas on. “Think you can get some sleep for me sugar? It’d make me real happy if you did that for me.” He feels himself nodding enthusiastically, and not unlike a wobbly newborn colt he gets to his feet, wanting to show her he’s listening. Two Bit appears at his side, and drapes his good arm over his shoulder. 

“C’mon Superman, we’ll get ya all tucked in,” he jokes, and he spots Ponyboy and Soda ready to bring up the rear behind them.

“I’ll be back around 11:00 tomorrow, and all of y’all better have rested!” Betty says, and there's a chorus of affirmations and thank yous as Darry allows them to walk him towards his room, and he’s already excited at the promise of seeing her again tomorrow.

Notes:

Completely self indulgent medical crisis plotline because I wanted to let Betty do some cowboy medicine. (Which is when you do stuff you should probs go to the doctor or urgent care for DIY just with what medical supplies you have on hand. Medical students are repeat offenders at this)

In the 1960's they commonly used really strong opioids for pain management and for things like setting broken bones and stitches since we hadn't yet had the opioid crisis, so Darry was indeed high out of his mind.

The living room TV was indeed not on, Darry simply missed the memo that they all got a front row seat to the flirting that ensued. He will be very unhappy with the boys in a bit here 😂

Darry without all his worrying becomes a huge simp, and it brought me great delight to write it, cause without that little push he would've continued to box up his feelings.

Chapter 11: Chap 11

Summary:

Darry and the guys deal with the aftermath of the evening before

Notes:

Soda: I fear I may have girlbossed a bit too close to the sun on this

Waking up Darry feels like he has a wad of cotton in his mouth, and his arm is throbbing like crazy. He lets out a moan as he blindly reaches for his bedside table, and he sighs when he feels a glass before he’s greedily gulping down water like a man lost in the desert. He sets down the water and falls back against the pillow as he tries to wake up. A few things become evident to him. The boys are already up, he can hear them all talking quietly, his arm hurts like a bitch, and it is much later than he normally sleeps as the sun lighting up his bedroom makes it look like it's the middle of the day. 

As he breathes for a couple moments, it all comes rushing back in an instant: the rumble, his arm, Betty. Oh God, he remembers the haze he was in while she stitched his arm up, and he feels his heart drop into his stomach. Did he really ask her if she wanted him to kiss her? And make a complete dunce of himself the entire evening on top of being a hot mess? God, Darry can’t ever face her again. Hell, he’s not sure he can ever face the guys again. He’s pissed beyond belief at most of them right now for the way they only made everything worse at his expense, laughing it up at his misfortune. Deep down he knows he’s just embarrassed beyond all belief, but being angry at them is much easier. 

He climbs out of bed and digs through his dresser, grabbing a set of clean clothes. He feels disgusting, since he was in no shape to shower last night, and he at least hopes the shower might help him calm down enough that he doesn’t have a complete meltdown. He purposefully allows his footsteps to be louder than usual, and he hears the muttering down the hall increasing as he throws open his bedroom door.

“Hey, maybe we’re worried about nothing, he could not remember it at all!” Soda’s voice trails from the kitchen. Wishful thinking, Darry muses, part of him wishes he didn’t remember too. He sees them before they see him. Ponyboy is laid on the floor of the living room, cuddling with the dog. Johnny and Two Bit sit on the couch, lounging comfortably. Dally is on the arm of the couch, perched in a way that tells Darry he’s prepared to bolt out the front door if he sees the need. It seems the guys have at least had the sense to clean themselves up, they’re all showered and lounging around in various states of dress. None of them are dressed for the day, and only himself, Pony, and Johnny have chosen to wear a shirt at this time. They also took the time to clean up the mess in the living room, the shoes are arranged by the door and the cards have been picked up. Soda must’ve put the laundry basket on the washer or something. 

“He remembers,” Darry grunts as an answer, and watches with some delight as about half of the guys jump out of their skin as they spot him. Soda and Steve’s heads pop around the corner from the kitchen like two little prairie dogs looking from their burrow, eyes widened in surprise. There's about a ten second moment where they all just stare at him, unmoving. He finally huffs and goes towards the bathroom, closing the door firmly, but not slamming it, without another word. He found out quickly that sometimes the guys need to squirm a bit instead of him yelling straight out the gate. He starts the stream of hot water for the shower, and listens to the cacophony of voices that ring very clearly through the thin walls. 

“Hey Ponyboy, you should really start working on a poem for them to put on Soda’s headstone before Darry kills him,” Two Bit laughs, sounding completely unbothered by the whole affair. The splash of the hot water in the shower feels like heaven, and he almost wants to cry at the feeling as he moves to stand under the stream, letting the water wash off all the blood and dirt that remains from last night down the drain.

“Me?! I’m not the only one he’s gonna kill!” Soda gripes. 

“Hey, you’re the one who got him to basically ask her out!” Steve points out, and he hears a yelp that means Soda probably whacked him with something. 

“Dally’s the one who made the joke about jerking off,” Soda immediately deflects petulantly. 

“Hey, everyone laughed at it man,” Dally replies, and Darry can hear his grin even through the walls. He takes a steadying breath and grabs the bar of soap off the soap dish and makes quick work of scrubbing his skin, feeling a sense of relief as he watches the suds go down the drain. His bandage is getting wet, but he doesn’t want to take it off and irritate the wound. He takes a dollop of shampoo and works it into his hair, sighing in relief as he at least feels exponentially cleaner. He starts listening to the boys again. 

“If I go down I’m taking all of y’all with me!” Soda exclaims, and Darry snickers to himself in the shower. Good, they should be scared right now. 

“Hey! Johnny and I didn’t do nothing,” Ponyboy chimes in.

“True,” he hears Johnny add, and he can picture his little shrug he gives them in answer. 

“Hey, me neither!” Two Bit adds on. 

“You tried to get him to give you five bucks, genius,” Soda refutes. 

“Oh. Yeah. Well, I wasn’t gonna actually take it-”

“Oh that’s a great argument, why don’t you just go tell Darry that right now!” 

“Hey, maybe he’ll thank me! He was gonna get way too nervous to ask her out without a little push.”

“I dunno Soda, he looked pretty mad when he got up,” Johnny replies. 

“Johnny work with me here! I’m too handsome to die. Girls all across town would be devastated,” Soda continues. 

“More to go around for the rest of us,” Dally replies, unphased by Soda’s dramatics. Darry lets the water run through his hair one more time before he pushes it back from his forehead and turns off the water. He at least doesn’t feel like he’s one step away from just crawling into a hole and never showing his face again, but he’s still mad as hell. He dries himself off, and slips into a pair of boxer shorts and an old t shirt. He’s too physically and emotionally drained to get full on dressed for the day. He sorta wants to come crawl back into bed and throw himself a pity party, but doesn’t want to give the guys the satisfaction. He catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror and he at least looks a lot less beaten down now that he’s clean. He’s got a bit of a bruise forming on his temple, and a bit of a five o’clock shadow he’s too tired to tackle right now. He checks his face in the mirror once more, Dally told him one he had a mean resting face, and he intends to use that to his advantage as he opens the door. He’s pretty sure Soda actually yelps in fear. He steps out and the guys are pretty much in the same spots as he left ‘em, but Soda and Steve have some food out and it looks like they’re cooking eggs on the stove. Soda takes one look at Darry and starts babbling nonsense. 

“My arm, oh God, I think it’s dislocated again!”

“Hi Darry, have a nice shower?” Ponyboy asks from the ground with an innocent smile. He can tell the kid is absolutely tickled pink that he’s in the clear. 

“It was swell,” Darry replies sarcastically, giving the four eldest guys one of his signature ice cold glares. 

“Now Darry, I know it was a bit of a rough night last night, but-” Steve starts amicably. 

“A rough night?! I had to get my arm stitched up, and we thank our lucky stars it didn’t land us with a huge hospital bill. And instead of being grateful for that, you idiots take advantage of the situation and goof off! I don’t like being made a fool of, but she came over outta the goodness of her heart to help our sorry asses, and you thank her by making her uncomfortable and make it seem like I’m coming on to her!” God, once he starts yelling he can’t stop, and honestly, it feels good to get the thoughts racing in his head off his chest. 

“Aw c’mon Darry, she wasn’t upset! We would’ve laid off if it was bothering her,” Two Bit tries to reason, though he does have the sense to look at least a bit bashful. 

“And Dallas Winston! Making those types of jokes in front of a lady? If our folks were here you’d be having a bar of soap for breakfast!” Ponyboy starts laughing on the floor, and he's clutching at his sides as he watches the entire scene in unbridled delight. 

“Knock it off Ponyboy, it’s not a laughing matter!” Darry says, though it's a lot less biting than he has been with the rest of them. 

“Darry, we weren’t trying to make her uncomfortable, and we’re real grateful for all her help,” Soda gestures at his arm with a spatula where it rests in the makeshift sling. “But she likes you! I can tell, and she was a good sport!”

“I don’t care if you thought it was funny!” Darry snaps, and if he could he would wrestle Soda to the ground and make him plead uncle if his stupid arm wasn’t out of commission. He wants to keep yelling, but he settles for sitting in his recliner, and squeezing the bridge of his nose to prevent himself from tearing up, Christ he feels humiliated. He knew he didn’t have a chance with this girl, and there are so many reasons why he can’t be dating, but  it doesn’t mean his heart doesn’t break a little at it all. He can only hope he’ll get the chance to apologize to Betty, and hopefully smooth things over. She’s a good friend, and her willingness to help them out of her own kindness is something he feels greatly indebted to. 

“Darry,” Soda’s voice is softer, and he feels a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugs off halfheartedly. 

“Sodapop, please just leave it,” He grimaces, feeling like all the anger has evaporated, and how he just wants to sit around and feel sorry for himself like he did when his junior homecoming date left him for another guy at the end of the dance. 

“Jesus Christ, is he really that blind?” Dally snaps, and he shoots his gaze up, glaring at Dally in warning. 

“Lay off him Dally,” Johnny mumbles, and his soft brown eyes are looking at Darry with gentle worry. 

“He’s being a pussy,” Dally pushes, not heeding Johnny’s warning. Darry moves to stand up, and most of the other guys would’ve started running at that alone but Dally keeps lounging like a smug Cheshire cat. That alone makes Darry stop in his tracks.

 “C’mon man, she’s into you or something. God knows why. Hell, I even left her alone for ya. I’m not stupid enough to want you to beat my head in over her.” This actually makes his head spin, since when has Dally ever done anything for anyone if it didn’t directly benefit him? And why has he somehow bought into this delusion that Sodapop keeps selling to them all that this girl actually even gives him a second glance? He’s about to open his mouth to say something, he isn’t even sure what, but there’s a knock on the front door and his blood runs cold. He catches one glimpse at the clock in the corner that reads 11 and feels a special kind of betrayal that his mind decided to forget this particular detail from the evening until this very moment. He feels frozen in place and the only thing that registers is that he wants to scream at God and ask him if he can give him a break for five fucking minutes!? Instead, he is stuck watching Dallas Winston in all his shirtless glory slink over to the door and let Betty inside. She’s beaming at them all in a simple floral dress, and holding a cardboard takeaway box. She seems unphased by the state of them.

“I brought some doughnuts. I’m sorry, they’re a day old, but they give them free to us at the hospital all the time and I figured they’d still be real good!” Betty says, waving the box as the boys eye it all excitedly. 

“Golly! Really?” Ponyboy asks, and Darry swears the kid is practically drooling at the idea of donuts for breakfast. They all have an insatiable sweet tooth. 

“Bunch of different types too!” Betty says with a wink. She stands awkwardly for a moment before Darry coughs, moving to help her. She smiles up at him, and he has no clue why she’s not about to slap him across the cheek for the antics he pulled last night. 

“You look much better this morning!” She chirps, following him into the kitchen and placing the box on the table. “You were a bit pale last night from all that bleeding. But you have your color back.” He feels a hand on his cheek and he stiffens, completely taken by surprise. 

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t mean to spook ya!” She says, withdrawing her hand, and he doesn’t know how it’s possible that he continues to become more and more confused by everything. She seems to get the message that his head is spinning, because she pivots. 

“Alright Sodapop, how’s the shoulder?” Betty asks. Darry looks over at his brother, who is practically screaming at him with his eyes, and he wants to yell back at him. He also wants to just yell at all of them, considering a good chunk of them are lounging around shirtless and they’re all barely decent with a lady in the house. He realizes he’s a part of that problem, so he bites his tongue about this particular gripe. 

“It’s doing swell! You fixed me right up!” Soda replies, gesturing with the spatula where he currently seems to be scrambling eggs. 

“Keep that sling on at least till Monday, okay?” She asks, and Soda gives her an enthusiastic nod. She turns back to Darry, and he swallows nervously. 

“I wanted to change the dressing on your stitches, I made sure to grab some new wrapping. I wanna make sure it held up okay last night.” He knows she’s right, so he nods in resignation. He feels awful, and he knows he needs to apologize for about a hundred different things. “Mind if we go to the bathroom? Having a sink nearby is handy for me.” He nods, and starts walking down the hall, turning to the bathroom, which still has some condensation lingering on the mirror from his shower. He closes the toilet lid and sits on it with a huff, and watches as she follows him in the door before she sets her bag on the lip of the sink and closes the door softly, before turning back to face him. He stares at the floor, pointedly not looking at her. He’s too much of a coward, and his ego is already wounded something awful. It’s quiet for a few moments as he hears her digging in her bag. 

“You wanna tell me why you look like your dog just died? Cause I’m pretty sure I saw him all cuddled up with your brother on the floor happy as a clam.” He sighs, and he prays he can at least keep it together until she leaves their house. 

“I dunno where to even start,” He begins. 

“Okay, let’s start with your arm. How’s it feelin’?” She asks. He shrugs, 

“Hurts, but it’s alright.” He’s feeling too pathetic to say anything more. He hears her sigh, and it's enough to get him to look up at her. 

“You want me to tell you what I think is wrong?” He shrugs, racking his brain for how to even begin to apologize for last night. “I think you’re all in a tizzy in that head about what happened last night.” She says, moving to sit on the floor, forcing him to look at her as she scooches into his field of vision. 

“I’m sorry-”

“For what sugar? I gave you some strong pain meds, and you were just a little out of it. Honestly, you’re one of the easiest patients I ever had.” He wants to ask how it’s possible that he’s the tamest of what she’s seen. Her hands start undoing the bandage, and he watches that instead of having to look her in the eyes again. 

“It wasn’t okay of me to-”

“Listen, everyone says silly things on those meds, you’re not an exception. It didn’t upset me at all.”

“I asked to kiss you,” he finally says, feeling his face light up with a deep blush. 

“Technically you asked me if I wanted you to kiss me or not,” Betty replies, pulling the bandage away and inspecting the stitches that track up the back of his forearm. He grunts at this, but he doesn’t think the technicality matters much in the end. He watches in resignation as she starts applying some ointment to the wound. 

“Well, I recall there was something you were supposed to ask me according to your brothers?” she prompts, and Christ, he isn’t sure he can be more embarrassed than he is right now. 

“I’m really sorry.” There’s just silence, and he almost feels worse that she doesn’t even say anything at all in response to his apology.

“Are you gonna ask?” she replies, looking up at him now that she’s begun to wrap his arm again. He tries to process this, does she want him to ask so she can tell him no flat out? He already got the message. “Hmm?” She prompts him further, and he swallows nervously. 

“I- I have two brothers I’m in charge of. They’re my number one priority,” he stutters. God knows he’s practiced this speech in his head a million times, but it’s not happening at all how he’d planned. 

“I know.” she replies, hands still cradling his arm as she continues wrapping it tenderly. 

“I wouldn’t be able to give much attention to-”

“I’m a brand new nurse, I don’t have a lot of extra time myself.” He finally gives in, because she keeps pushing him. 

“Alright,” he sighs, knowing what she wants him to say. “Can I take you out sometime?” He finally grits out, forcing himself to keep looking at her face, at least trying to do it properly. If she wants him to ask her out, he at least feels he should take it seriously. He braces himself. 

“I would like that very very much.” She smiles as she tapes down the fresh dressing on his arm. “There you go, all set.” 

He feels like his mind goes blank. What just happened? He stares at her, looks at his arm, looks back at her. He blinks a couple times. 

His confusion must show on his face.

“Listen. Nursing is what I love. I left home because I didn’t fancy settling down as a housewife the second I got outta high school with some guy. I’m not asking for that. And I understand you have priorities that come before a gal. And I have plenty of my own that come before any man. But if that’s all okay with you, it’s all more than okay with me.” She must have caught on that the walls are thin, because this entire time her voice has remained quite soft and measured and her hand is actually gripping his. He flicks his gaze up to her face in disbelief, but her face is genuine, and she’s so pretty he wants to just grab her face and kiss her on the spot. 

“Okay.” He says stupidly, mentally kicking himself for the one word answer. 

“I was hoping we’d get there,” she says with a cheeky grin, and he feels himself blushing again. There’s a moment where they’re both just staring at each other, and then he gives her a genuine smile and helps her to her feet. He can’t really wrap his head around this at all. The fact that this is actually somehow real. He wants to do all of this right, get her flowers, take her out to dinner, maybe hold her hand while he drives her home, and if he’s lucky enough, maybe a kiss on the front porch as he drops her home. 

“Can we not tell the guys right now?” he asks softly, and watches in dismay as her brows furrow a bit. “I just- “ He pauses. “They were being idiots last night. I don’t need them already thinking they were right in all the meddling they tried to pull off.” He says, though he’s still smiling softly despite himself. Her face splits into a grin of realization that acts like a soothing balm to his nerves. 

“Oh absolutely! I wanna make them all squirm a bit for some of that!” She laughs, and she squeezes his hand once more before she pulls it away. She grabs the door knob and gives him a conspiratorial wink. The door is opened and she raises her voice, 

“Alright, I’m gonna leave you with an extra set of bandages to change that out, but it should be good for a few days.” She instructs, leading him back to the large group, who all pretend they weren’t staring at the door the whole time trying to eavesdrop.

“Thank you,” Darry says, meaning it wholeheartedly. She gives him a smile, and he feels a flutter in his chest knowing there’s a secret undertone to their looks that only the two of them know about.

“Now, I think I’ve earned myself a donut! Eat up boys, but I’m claiming a chocolate sprinkles!”

Notes:

Idk how but I wrote this in one sitting today lol. I felt inspired and since it's my day of I get to do whatever I want!

This was so satisfying to write, I thought about dragging out Darry making a move, but I couldn't resist it because I'm a hopeless romantic at heart. To be fair it turned out to be like 47k words of slow burn before we even get an asking out on a date so I don't think I rushed it too much.

Ponyboy was having the time of his life not having any of Darry's wrath directed at him. He will use this against the others from here on out lol.

Chapter 12: Chap 12

Summary:

We interrupt the awkward pining for some brotherly bonding

Notes:

Darry and Ponyboy bonding COMMENCE

After Betty left their house, he slipped away into his room and got dressed for the day before the guys could say a peep. But when he comes back into the living room, the guys all turn to him in sync and give him an expectant look. He can feel their eyes boring holes into him as he casually grabs a glazed donut and places it on a plate of eggs Soda had dished up. 

“Hm?” He asks them, playing overtly dumb for his own personal amusement. 

“Aw c’mon Darry!” Two Bit whines from the couch. He has a smudge of chocolate on the corner of his mouth, which could be leftover cake or donut, he’s pretty sure he saw him eating both. Darry doesn’t respond to his probing, instead he grabs the newspaper from where it sits on the kitchen table and makes his way to his recliner, sitting down with a sigh. He sets the plate on one arm of the chair, and settles the paper on the other as he gets situated, before he takes a bite of the donut and tries to suppress his smug grin. 

“You ain’t gonna say anything?!” Soda finally breaks, and Darry is impressed Soda managed to last as long as he did before he exploded with impatience. 

“About what?” Darry asks with a shrug as he skims the headline of the day, perfunctory talk of tornado season starting for the summer. Soda lets out a dramatic groan, and he sees his brother take an angry bite of a donut from the corner of his eye. 

“Is she upset about last night?” Ponyboy asks, though his eyes are glued to the tv. 

“I was able to apologize to her while she checked up on my stitches,” Darry answers, and that is true. He just decides to leave out the other parts of the conversation they had. He really is still trying to wrap his head around the entire exchange himself, and he’s just not quite ready to let the boys in on all the details yet. Hell, he hasn’t even actually taken her on a date, and Lord knows he doesn’t need them all heckling him with their ‘advice’ in his ear every day when he gets home from work. They seem to give up on the subject for the time being, because the boys get distracted when Ponyboy gets to channel changed to Looney Tunes, and then they’re all crowding in front of the tv. Darry doesn’t always feel like watching some of the cartoons the guys like to turn on, but he does enjoy Looney Tunes, so he abandons the paper. Wasn’t really anything interesting in it today, he expects there will be more tomorrow since it’ll be the Sunday paper then.

“Hey it’s that little fucker that always gets his ass handed to him,” Dally says with about as much delight as Dally ever shows towards the cartoons. Darry kind of wants to laugh at Dally’s description, because it technically fits a good half of the characters in this show. He manages to get a window of a view of the tv between Steve and Soda’s heads, and sees its Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote that’s on the screen. 

“Poor bastard, that bird is a dick,” Dally continues, frowning as Roadrunner starts taunting his foe with his characteristic chirps.  

“He’s trying to eat Roadrunner, Dal,” Johnny replies with his soft amusement. 

“I know.” Dally replies, eyes still locked on the tv like the rest of ‘em. They all bust out laughing as an anvil appears and smashes the coyote on the head, and some little birds flutter around his head as a comically large lump forms. 

“Hey Steve, that's what your broken nose looks like!” Two Bit ribs, and Steve leans backwards and halfheartedly tries to whack Two Bit’s knees with a swipe of his hand. They’re all definitely black and blue after the rumble last night, and it’s clear they’re all opting for lazing around till they feel a bit less achy before they decide to get up to their normal business. The next half hour continues in a similar manner until the episode closes with Porky Pig and his signature ‘That’s all folks!’ which Two Bit echoes in an uncannily good imitation. Darry sighs, knowing he can’t sit around the entire day. He pushes to his feet, taking his dirty dish to the kitchen, and adds it to the growing pile of dishes from breakfast. He really isn’t in the mood for doing dishes right now, especially with his bandaged up arm, so he reroutes towards the fridge, grabs their latest grocery list, and starts skimming over it. 

“Anything else that needs to be added to this list boys?” Darry asks, taking a pen and setting it on the kitchen table in anticipation of the requests they might holler out. 

“We used the last of the eggs for breakfast this morning,” Soda reports back, and Darry adds those at the bottom with a hum of acknowledgment. 

“Did someone put more toothpaste on there?” Ponyboy asks. 

“Adding it now,” Darry replies, scribbling that down. 

“You going to the grocery store, Darry?” Soda asks, glancing away from the tv for a moment. 

“Yeah,” he sighs, giving the dishes piled up a look of loathing, thinking about how they need to get done eventually. 

“I got ‘em Dar,” Soda interrupts, clearly following his eyeline. He feels himself smile at this, at least something good came from all of Soda’s meddling since he’s still feeling bad enough to volunteer to do dishes for him. 

“Thanks little buddy,” he replies, reaching down to ruffle his hair as he heads to put on his shoes. 

“Wait! Darry, can I ride with you? I wanted to stop by the library and return some books and check out a few new ones,” Ponyboy asks, jumping to his feet. He pauses in the hallway, giving him a hopeful look. 

“Better get dressed then,” Darry replies as an answer, and Pony scurries off down the hall, his socked feet padding against the carpet rhythmically. 

“Anyone else?” Darry prompts, surveying the rest of them, who all still remain dressed as they were for bed, sprawled across the living room lounging like a pack of wolves. There’s a pause for a moment, and then Two Bit answers for the gang. 

“Nah, we’ll just bum around here till you two get back.” 

“Great, thanks.” Darry replies sarcastically, but Two Bit blows him a kiss anyway and mouths ‘love you’ before he returns to the tv. 

“Okay! I’m ready!” Ponyboy exclaims, barrelling back down the hall with a couple books tucked under his arm. The gang lets out half hearted cries of protest when Pony’s form momentarily blocks the tv screen. 

“Alright, we’ll be back later,” Darry says as a goodbye as Ponyboy shoves on his old sneakers, chasing after him to head to the truck in the driveway. Darry tucks the shopping list in the back pocket of his jeans and gets the truck started. Ponyboy hops in the passenger seat and immediately starts fiddling with the radio, getting it set to the country station they all don’t mind and he sets his books in his laps. As they roll down their street he glances over at Pony, who’s thumbing through the pages of one of the books as a way of fidgeting. 

“What books you thinking of getting?” Darry asks, and while he knows asking Pony about his books usually gets him talking, Darry is genuinely interested in the answers. He and Ponyboy are similar in that they both share a love of reading, but he simply just doesn’t have the time to anymore. He sometimes wishes he did if only so he could have something to talk to his little brother about. 

“I dunno, was gonna see if the librarian had any recommendations for me. But I gotta get one that’s for our summer reading,” Pony says, nose wrinkling a bit. 

“What’s that face?” Darry asks, chuckling a bit. He can’t imagine a book that Ponyboy wouldn’t like. 

“Our English teacher told us a bit about the book. It sounds real boring. It’s about some French guy or something. Think he goes to jail? It’s real long too, and everyone in the class above me said they hated it.”

“Les Misérables?” Darry guesses, based on Pony’s vague description, although it could be Count of Monte Cristo, but he swears his brother read that one already. 

“Yeah. Did you have to read it too?” Pony asks, picking at a loose hangnail. 

“Sure did. Was actually my favorite,” Darry replies. That gets the kid’s attention. 

“Really? Why?” 

“The story. I think you’ll really like it Pony, it gets a bad rap for being a bit long. God, I haven’t thought about that book in a long while.” They roll to a stop in front of the library, and Darry sees Pony open his mouth as if he’s gonna say something before his mouth closes softly, and he opens the passenger door. 

“I’ll meet you back here in about forty five minutes, savvy?” Darry asks. He feels a bit on edge to leave his brother all by himself after the last month and a half of drama with the socs, but they did win the rumble, and he’s trying to not be too overbearing on the kid. 

“Okay,” Pony replies with a nod, giving Darry a small smile before he closes the door to the truck cab and scampers off to the entry. Darry waits to make sure he gets in okay before he shifts the truck back into drive and pulls out of the parking lot, taking the main road down towards the grocery store. 

---

With all the purchases safely stowed in the floorboards of the truck, Darry hums along to the radio as he drives back over to grab Pony from the library. He rolled the windows down after he loaded the groceries. It's pretty nice out today, the rain from the night before helped to temper the summer heat into a much more pleasant breeze that rushes through his hair every so often. He can see the library coming up on his right, and he mentally prepares that he might have to get out of the truck to go in and look for his brother. It is entirely possible that Pony has gotten so lost in his own world hunting for books that he doesn’t realize how much time has passed since Darry dropped him off. As he turns into the lot he feels his brows furrow as he spots Pony, who is indeed outside, standing sorta awkwardly as he seems to be talking to that soc girl with the bright red hair. Darry immediately wants to grab Ponyboy and drag him away from the girl,  Cherry, he thinks? He’s never actually spoken to the girl, but her asshole boyfriend has messed with tons of greasers for a long while now, not to mention being the instigator of the incident at the fountain. He takes a steadying breath as he pulls up to the curb, telling himself he cannot yell at some little soc girl for simply talking to his brother, no matter how much he might wanna. 

“Yeah don’t worry ‘bout it. I’ll make sure to not let anyone know you were talking to the likes of me,” Ponyboy bites out bitterly, and Darry's gut sinks. He sees the way Ponyboy’s ears are dusted red and the way he’s glaring down at the toes of his shoes. He feels his heart ache as Ponyboy wrenches the passenger door wide open in a way that Darry would normally scold him for. 

“Oh c’mon Ponyboy, you know that’s not fair-”

“Sorry, I gotta go bum around with the rest of my hood friends,” Ponyboy snaps, closing the door hard enough it shakes the cab. Darry knows it’s a bit cruel of him as the adult in this situation to not try and de-escalate things, especially since the girl looks a bit teary as she opens her mouth to argue more with his brother. But, he is only a twenty year old guy himself, so he simply shifts the gear and starts driving before she can upset his brother further. He pointedly doesn’t look in the rearview mirror, because he knows he’ll feel mighty guilty if he does, and he simply turns out of the lot and waits in the thick silence for a few beats. 

“What happened there?” Darry finally asks. 

“Just buzz off Darry,” Ponyboy snaps from where he’s pointedly staring out the rolled down window. Darry sighs, knowing the kid is in a mood now. 

“Did she try to threaten you-”

“No! God! Just leave me alone!” 

Well that went well, Darry thinks in resignation. A couple months ago he would’ve started yelling back at Pony, but he’s really trying to take Soda’s advice about approaching an upset Ponyboy differently. He spares Pony a sideways glance as they roll into a stop sign. At least it seems he was able to find Les Miserables and a couple other books. He wonders if he should try to ask him about books again to try and calm him down, or if he should just leave Pony be. He decides that taking Ponyboy back home in this state isn’t the best idea, so maybe he should drive around a bit to give him some time to cool off before he goes back to deal with all the guys. He takes a right so that he can take the long way home, hopefully giving Pony some time to relax. It’s silent in the car except for the crooning of some country singer softly over the radio from where it’s turned down low. He silently wonders if he really was this moody as a teenager himself? He doesn’t remember his temper being that bad right? 

“She told me she couldn’t be seen talking to me,” Ponyboy eventually mutters, and Darry feels his eyebrows raise. He wasn’t really expecting Pony to open up to him about what happened. 

“Cause of her boyfriend?” Darry asks. Ponyboy shrugs halfheartedly, his dejection evident. 

“Cause I’m a greaser. And she don’t want to ruin her reputation or something. I dunno, I didn’t exactly ask why.” 

“I’m sorry,” Darry sighs, and God isn’t that an understatement. He feels something awful that his brother’s stuck feeling like this. Darry wishes he could give his little brother a better life, one where he doesn’t have to feel like dirt cause some pretty girl can’t be seen with him for the simple crime of being a poor kid. 

“Ain’t your fault,” Pony replies, and he finally looks away from the window.

“I know. Don’t mean I can’t be sorry,” Darry replies. There’s another lapse of silence. 

“It’s just, she made me feel like a little kid she pitied.” Ponyboy sighs, “When I talked to her at the movies that night she made me feel like I was just another person. Ya know? She really likes reading too, and I was stupid enough to think that maybe we could be friends even with everything. But then today she just looked at me like some baby.” Darry feels his frown deepen. He knows Ponyboy struggles with being the youngest in the gang, sometimes feeling like he has to prove himself to the guys. Not to mention that the kid skipped a grade and is by far the youngest rising sophmore by a long shot. Hell, Two Bit is 4 years older than him and will only be two grades ahead of him in the fall. Ponyboy is mature for his age, but he still has barely hit puberty and he knows that a pretty older girl rejecting him, romantically or not, must sting something awful. It kinda makes Darry wish he could turn the car around and go yell at the girl who seems to have broken his little brother’s gentle heart. 

“I just wish people would stop looking at me like a little kid sometimes,” Pony mumbles, but he sounds more sad than angry now as he rests his chin on the windowsill, wind ruffling his ungreased hair. Darry sees the street where he should turn right to take them home, but instead of flicking on his turn signal, he stays going straight down the main road, heading towards the outside of town towards the dirt roads that lead to people’s farms and the rodeo arena. 

“Darry, you missed the turn?” Pony says in confusion. 

“I know, we ain’t going home just yet,” Darry confirms, and he is already giving himself a pep talk in his head for what he’s gonna do in a few minutes here. Ponyboy seems to want to ask questions, but Darry’s face focusing straight ahead as he turns off onto one of the uninhabited dirt roads must be enough for Pony to bite his tongue for the moment. He waits until he’s made it a couple miles down the road, and deems he’s gone far enough when the latest country song fades out softly before he makes a u-turn and shifts the truck into park. 

“Darry, there’s nothing even here, what-”

“I know,” he reassures, turning to Ponyboy. He gives himself another reminder before he speaks again. Patience, he reminds himself. 

“Alright kiddo, switch spots with me.” 

“What?” Ponyboy asks, looking at him like he started speaking to him in another language. 

“You’ve been fourteen for a month and a half ain’t you?” Darry says, grinning despite himself. “Dad started letting me drive on some dirt roads when I was fourteen.” He was much closer to fifteen in his case but hell, he just wants to see his kid brother smile a bit. 

“But I dunno how-”

“I’m gonna teach ya,” Darry reassures. He says a bit of a silent prayer at this as he climbs out the driver’s door and heads around the truck. Their dad used to give him a hard time because he’d get real worked up when Soda was learning to drive. Soda always called Darry a ‘control freak’ and Darry swears his brother would purposefully do stuff to make him wince and try to slam his foot on an imaginary break in horror. Dad always told Darry he needed to learn to be okay with not being the one in control of the car. He’d eventually resigned himself to simply closing his eyes and clinging onto the door handle when he had to ride along on Soda’s driving lessons. He feels like Dad would be laughing up a storm if he could see him now as he climbs back in the cab, and looks over to where Pony has situated himself in the driver’s seat. He looks nervous beyond belief and he blinks at him as if he can’t really believe Darry’s letting him behind the wheel. 

“Alright, rule one, stop being so nervous. Ain’t nothing around here for you to hit, okay?” Darry reassures, looking at the way Ponyboy is practically white knuckling the wheel. Pony lets out a shaky laugh, but he watches as he does relax at the reassurance. 

“Okay first things,” Darry starts, and wow, driving has become so second nature, he’s actually not too sure how to even teach it to someone to be honest. “Pedal furthest to the left is your clutch. Middle is the break, right is the gas.” Pony nods, and his brow is furrowed in great concentration.

“So, your left foot is the only foot that goes on the clutch. And your right will switch between the break and gas, make sense?” Darry asks. Ponyboy nods. “Okay, put your left foot on the clutch.” He watches as Ponyboy does so, and he takes his right hand from the steering wheel and places it on the gear shift, shaking it a bit. 

“Alright, the way the gear shift is wiggling tells you that you’re in neutral right now.” God this is ten thousand times more stressful than having to ride along while Soda was learning. “So now take off the hand break,” He guides Pony’s hand and helps him undo it, and since they’re on flat ground the truck doesn’t start rolling or anything. 

“Now what?” Ponyboy asks, looking down at his feet. Darry has to bite his tongue to not beg the kid to look up at the road. He reminds himself it’s completely empty. 

“So I’m gonna explain before you try, okay?” Pony gives him a nod. “So you’re gonna let up on the clutch and use your right foot to press on the gas as you let up with the left. You never want to have gas and clutch pressed down at the same time, that can damage the transmission. As you let up on the clutch, you’ll feel a give, and then you’re gonna use your right hand to shift the gear shift into 1.”  Darry is honestly proud of himself for somehow managing to explain it out loud when he basically does this in his sleep on the way to work in the mornings. Ponyboy seems to mentally walk himself through these steps, mouthing the words to himself a bit as he stares down at his feet. 

“Ready to give it a shot?” Darry asks. Ponyboy nods, and he bites his lip in concentration before he lets up on the clutch, slamming on the gas as he shifts. They jerk forward about a foot and the truck stalls immediately. Darry lets out an oof as he catches himself with his good arm on the dash. 

“Sorry,” Pony mumbles, his eyes are all wide and Darry hears a voice that sounds like Soda reminding him to be patient. ‘You stalled the car a bunch of times too when you were learning.’ 

“It’s okay, it ain’t easy,” Darry reassures, taking calming breaths through his nostrils. He talks Pony through starting the truck up again. 

“Okay, this time, just slowly ease up on the clutch, and slowly press the gas, ya dig?” He asks, trying to keep his grimace of anticipation off his face as he prepares to brace himself. The car starts rolling, and for a second he thinks it might actually work before they’re jolted again as they stall again. At least this time Darry manages to keep his grunt inside. 

“That was better, just ease into it slowly, you sorta gotta just get a feel for it,” Darry encourages, though his brain is screaming at him for letting Pony behind the wheel right about now. Pony gives it a third try, and Darry braces himself for a jolt that doesn’t come, and they start moving slowly down the dirt road as Pony blinks in surprise. 

“Now what?” he asks nervously, side eyeing Darry as they roll at a bit faster than a snail's pace in first gear. He figures that learning to up and downshift should wait for another day. 

“Keep your foot on the gas and get us up to about 20 miles per hour,” Darry prompts him. “We have a couple miles to go, you’re okay,” he reassures at his brother's wide eyes. Pony actually does okay cruising them down the dirt road, though Darry thinks he seems to want to drift a bit to the right. As the stop sign comes into distant view Darry prepares to talk Pony through stopping. 

“Okay, now start letting up on the gas and press onto the clutch, and shift back into neutral,” Darry instructs. Ponyboy is still white knuckling the wheel and the gear shift but he manages to follow those instructions without too much issue. 

“Let off the clutch and press on the break,” Darry adds. The stop is a bit abrupt, but they’re firmly stopped at the stop sign.
“I’d say that was a pretty good run for your first lesson kiddo,” He says with a smile, reaching over and putting on the hand brake so the truck doesn’t go anywhere on them. Pony seems to get the message because he's clambering over Darry so they can switch back to their original spots. Darry smiles in exasperation wondering why his brother refuses to just take two extra seconds to get out of the car and circle around, but he lets it happen anyway. Firmly back in control of the car, Darry can feel his carefully bottled up nerves relax as he starts driving them back home.

It’s a comfortable silence between them for about the next ten minutes or so, and they’re coming up on their street when Darry speaks again. 

“Alright kiddo, my one rule is that if Soda tries to teach you, play dumb and let him. I don’t wanna hear him go on about how he got left out of your first driving lesson,” Darry says with a knowing smirk. This earns a genuine laugh from Ponyboy, who agrees easily. As he slows to the familiar stopsign in their neighborhood Ponyboy finally speaks, 

“Hey Darry?” He gives the kid a quick glance before they’re moving through the stop. 

“Yeah?”

“Do you think-” He pauses, sounding a bit hesitant, “Only if you wanna. But I could read Les Miserables out loud with you at night when you get home from work?” He feels his chest ache at this. He usually lounges in the living room with his brothers in the evenings before bed, but usually they all do their own things. He doesn’t think Ponyboys ever asked to hang out with him like this, then again neither has Darry. He swallows the frog in his throat at the affection he feels. 

“I’d love that baby.” His mother’s pet name for them slips out as he pulls into the driveway of their house. 

“Maybe we can actually get Soda to finish a book with us,” Pony adds with a laugh, before he’s hopping out of the truck, practically skipping as he heads back up towards their front door. Darry smiles as he collects up the grocery bags, for a day after a rumble, things ain’t too bad.

Notes:

This brought me great joy to write. Darry was internally screaming the whole time Ponyboy was trying to drive, but he was fighting every instinct to not let it show on his face. If you've ever had to be in the car while a younger sibling learns how to drive you'll understand the pain.

Thankfully Darry did not have ice cream melting in the car during this as the boys would've been devastated by this.

Betty will ofc be back, but tbh this fic at it's core is Darry and the gang centric, so it was fun to focus on some brother dynamics for this one!

Come yap with me in the comments ❤️

Chapter 13: Chap 13

Summary:

Darry gets to be a college-aged kid going out on a Friday night

Notes:

Please enjoy some more Darry and Betty brought to you by me!

“Wait, I don't get why this cop guy is so obsessed with him or whatever? He already was in the cooler for twelve years!” Soda ponders from where he is currently laying on the floor, stretched out like a cat, as he scratches Pip on the belly. 

“I dunno, we haven’t gotten to that part yet,” Ponyboy replies from where he’s currently looking up from the book that he just closed with a bookmark. It's just the three of them at the house tonight, Steve decided to go back home since his old man had cooled down, even though both Darry and Soda disliked the idea. Johnny went over at Two Bit’s, and Dally is off doing whatever it is he gets up to on a Wednesday night. Darry is on the other end of the couch from where Ponyboy currently lounges, his feet tucked under one of Darry’s legs, claiming his toes were cold and needed warming up. Darry grabs the next item from the pile of now clean laundry and starts folding it, the motions have become second nature to him at this point. He swears on a rough day he’s almost fallen asleep while folding laundry. For the last four nights they’ve all spent at least a half hour before bedtime listening to Ponyboy read aloud to them. Soda usually just watches tv during this time, but he was excited by the idea of hanging out with them all together, so he opted to listen in when Pony pitched the idea to him despite his known distaste for reading. 

Darry remembers Soda used to complain when he was younger that the letters kept moving around on the page, and that he couldn’t keep them still enough to read. Darry believed him, but their teachers were not so forgiving once Soda got up to middle school and high school age. They laughed at first, but after a while they seemed to just stop trying to even spend time to teach him at all. Eventually, his brother started calling himself dumb, and gave up on even trying to do his school work, and while Darry wishes Soda could’ve finished high school, he knows his brother was miserable every day. It made Darry so mad, he could see how hard Soda tried, but his brother could barely limp through reading his assignments, and he remembers the frustrated tears that used to coat his cheeks when he sat at the kitchen table trying to do homework at night. While Soda might not be in school anymore, his brother wanting to listen in on Pony reading book for required reading at least makes Darry feel a bit like they’re helping him keep up with a bit of the school curriculum this way. 

“You’d think he’d have better things to do than chase after just one guy,” Soda muses, grinning up at them. Darry really can’t wrap around how his brother thinks of himself as dumb. Les Miserables isn’t exactly easy to follow, there’s been a few moments where Pony’s even stuttered over a new word and Darry’s had to help him out. While Soda would take forever trying to make out the words on the page, with Pony reading aloud, he’s following perfectly, and is asking questions about the story too. There’s an ache in Darry’s chest as he feels a swell of pride growing as he deposits a folded tee shirt into the laundry basket. 

“Do we find out more about why he’s so obsessed with Valjean Darry?” Ponyboy asks with a nudge of his foot. 

“Yeah, but I think it takes a while if I remember right,” Darry replies, smirking because he knows Soda is gonna want to know the answers now. He spots Soda giving him a pleading look, 

“Hey! I don’t want no spoilers!” Ponyboy grips, halfheartedly swatting at Soda, who swats him right back.  

“Ugh, fine,” Soda sighs, sounding more forlorn than he really is before his brother lets out a loud yawn as he stretches on the floor, leg kicking in the air and narrowly missing whacking Darry in the head.  

“Hey Darry?” Ponyboy asks, and Darry can feel his toes wiggling beneath his leg. 

“Hm?” Darry replies, not looking away from the jeans he's currently trying to fold. 

“Me and Johnny were thinkin’ of going to the nightly double Friday if that’s cool?” 

“At the drive in?” Darry confirms, though he isn’t sure where else they’d go besides that. 

“Yeah,” Pony affirms.

“That’s fine. Rumble is over, so I think we’re back to midnight curfew now,” He replies. “But if any socs start trying anything, I want your asses to haul it straight home, deal?”

“They lost the rumble, they ain’t gonna-”

“I’m not really asking on that one kiddo,” Darry replies, knowing Ponyboy was gonna be annoyed about that caveat. 

“Fine,” Ponyboy grumbles, but it’s got no real bite to it, so Darry lets it slide. 

“Steve and I are gonna watch some drag racing Friday night,” Soda adds, looking up at Darry with his own question of permission on his face. 

“You both better beat it at the first talk of the fuzz comin round, “ Darry says, giving Soda a stern look. 

“We ain’t driving in it, just watching some,” Soda replies, but he nods in acceptance anyways. 

“And back by midnight for you two little buddy,” Darry adds. Soda groans but gives him another nod when Darry gives him a warning glance. He finishes folding the last clothing item, Soda’s DX shirt, before he deposits it on his brother’s chest. 

“Alright, it’s time for bed, I’m tired,” Darry says, pushing to his feet and setting the laundry basket aside. “Both of you need to put your laundry away sometime tomorrow.”
“Okay,” they both grumble, slowly getting to their feet to head down the hallway to the bedrooms on Darry’s tail. Pip has taken to sleeping on the living room carpet, keeping any couch sleepers company and also guarding the front door with his presence. 

“I’m gonna get myself some water,” Darry calls over his shoulder, already making his way into the kitchen. As he goes for a glass he realizes he’ll have the evening to himself on Friday, which isn’t particularly common. Usually at least one of the gang can be found bumming around their place most Fridays. He catches a glimpse of the curly handwriting on the fridge, where Betty’s phone number still remains held up by a magnet. He’d been a bit preoccupied with work and his brothers the last few days, but he hasn’t forgotten that he asked her on that date, and he does admit that Friday would be the perfect time to take her out without any nosy brothers sniffing around. He isn’t wanting to keep the secret because he doesn’t trust them, he just is still so scared she’s gonna spend 5 minutes alone with him and decide he ain’t worth her time. He can’t stand the idea of having to come home and tell them that she ditched him already. They’d look at him with those sad eyes and he can’t handle seeing them sad because of his lonely ass. So he’s resolved to take it slow with telling them about Betty, at least until they’ve had a first date. 

Before their folks passed, they had a second phone installed in the house in their room, in addition to the one that’s already in the kitchen. He’s never really used it, but it helps him sleep at night knowing if one of the boys needed him he could get to the phone fast. With it on the bedside table, there’s no way he’d sleep through a call even in the dead of night. 

An idea forms as he turns to leave the kitchen. He pauses with his glass of ice water and sets it quietly on the kitchen table, grabbing a sticky note from the kitchen counter and one of the many pens they leave lying around. He scribbles down the phone number from the fridge and tucks it into his free palm as he picks up his water and heads for his room. He deposits the piece of paper and the glass of water beside the phone on the bedside dresser, and makes quick work of undressing until he’s down to his boxers, it’s too hot this time of year to keep a shirt on for the night. He folds back a corner of the comforter before he slips out of his room, and takes a few minutes to get ready for bed in the bathroom. He gives each of his brothers a ruffle of their hair as a goodnight as he brushes his teeth, watching as they both go through their own night time routines as they all shuffle around each other between the hallway and the bathroom. 

“G’night Darry!” Ponyboy says as he scampers off to bed as Darry spits out the toothpaste into the sink where Soda has stepped aside to make room for him. 

“G’night!’ He replies after he rinses the minty stuff from his mouth, and Soda gives him a bump of the hip as he slips out into the hall. By the time he gets all the lights and things shut off in the rest of the house and under the covers of his own bed, he hears his brothers’ door close and knows that signals they’re both settled in for the night as well. He glances down at the little paper with his neat handwriting, and he feels stupid when his heartbeat accelerates a bit. He has nothing to be nervous about, it’s just Betty, and she already said yes to a date. He bites his cheek for a moment, trying to muster up a bit of courage. He listens for a moment to make sure Pony and Soda are indeed still in bed, the last thing he needs is one of them somehow eavesdropping on the other line in the kitchen. Satisfied that he’s not gonna be caught he picks up the phone and starts dialing the number carefully. The line rings a couple times, and he almost resigns himself that she won’t pick up tonight. 

“Hello?” Her voice sounds a bit tinny over the phone line, but it’s definitely Betty. She sounds a bit annoyed if he’s being honest, and he’s sorta second guessing calling right now.

“Hi,” He says, feeling quite tongue tied. “Uh, this is Darry.”

“Oh hi Darry!” Her tone softens immediately, and he feels himself physically relax as he leans back into the pillow. “Sorry, it’s been a bit of a day.” 

“Oh, I wasn’t callin’ about nothing important-”

“No! I’d love to talk! I’m just getting situated in bed here, but I think some talking would help clear my head.” She replies before he can even offer to call her back later. 

“Okay,” he replies, feeling like he still gets rendered speechless around this girl, even when he can’t see her. “What happened today?” He figures asking about her day is a good start. 

“Well I had to make a run to the psychiatry floor, and it just got a bit messy. One of the male orderlies had to grab a patient after she tried to come after me. I think she would’ve knocked me clean to the floor if she had.” She laughs, but it sounds tired, and Darry feels a flare of protectiveness in his chest. What kinda person tries to attack people working in a hospital?

“Did the police get involved?’ He asks, and this is the first time in a long while he’s hoping the answer to that particular question is a yes. 

“Oh no. The patient wasn’t in their right mind. I don’t think she really was meaning to hurt me, she was just aggressive. It just shook me up a bit s’all.” Darry can’t wrap his head around how she sounds so nonchalant considering it all. 

“Does that happen often?” He asks, and honestly, he’s a bit scared of the answer he might get. 

“Oh when I’m normally working? No, not too much. People usually aren’t feeling too good to try and football tackle us. But sometimes old people can be a bit confused and you gotta calm ‘em down before they start swinging.” She laughs, and he feels himself smiling just hearing her let loose a bit. She definitely sounds a bit less tense. 

“Hell, and here I thought we had it rough on Saturday with the rumble,” he jokes, and he hears her snort into the phone. It’s cute.

“Oh! Speaking of rumbles, I think I had to fix up a west side boy who was in the fight yesterday,” She says, and he hears the undertone of a laugh in her voice. “He came in and said his ear was hurting him something awful, so I go and get a good look at it and it was so infected! Had to give him some strong antibiotics to take at home,” Darry hums, sounds like the socs are also pretty bad off from the rumble then.“He would not tell me a thing about what happened to him. But Darry, I swear to you he had teeth marks on his ear!” She giggles. Darry chokes on a laugh, biting his fist for a moment to avoid drawing the boys’ attention from down the hall. 

“That was from Dally,” Darry manages to choke out between silent laughs and hearing her start into full belly laughter is enough to set him off again, and he actually snorts into the phone as they both keep falling into waves of laughter, egged on by the other. His sides begin to hurt as his laughs slowly subside. 

“Well, how’s your week been Darry?’ she pivots once she catches her breath, and he honestly wasn’t expecting her to turn the focus onto him. He was fully content to just talk about her for as long as she wanted to. 

“Pretty uneventful I guess. Ponyboy’s been working on his summer reading, so I’ve been listening to him read aloud some in the evenings. I think he and Soda are both planning to go out on Friday.”

“And you?” she prompts, and hell, he’s kind of set himself up for success here. “Guess that depends on what you’re doing Friday, don’t it?” 

“Hmm, well as of right now, I do believe I am unattached to any plans,” she replies, and he can hear the cheeky grin in her voice. “Unless you’d like to change that?”

“Can I pick you up at six?” he asks, and he feels like a giddy high schooler as he feels himself blushing as he looks up at the ceiling of his bedroom. 

“It’s a date!”

---

All the boys were already out of the house by the time Darry had finished showering after work on Friday. So he was able to get himself all ready without any questions as to why he’s got on his nice pair of jeans and a nice shirt. As he rolls to a stop in front of the apartments near the hospital, he checks the number of the address in his lap one more time, making sure he’s at the right spot before he shifts into park. The clock on the dash reads 5:55 pm and he takes one steadying breath before he’s climbing out of the car. As he rounds the truck he spots a flash of color as the door to the building opens, and he feels himself blushing at the sight of her. She’s got on a plaid sort of looking dress that cuts off at the knee that he has noticed has become more in style for girls in the last couple years. Her hair is bouncing in those loose curls that frame her face, and she’s got a slung over her shoulder. She doesn’t exactly look like a soc girl, there’s something about her that just doesn’t fit that picture, and he feels a bit more at ease knowing he doesn’t look outta place with her. 

“Hi,” he murmurs as she slows to a stop in front of him. “You look…” He can’t even come up with a word to describe how good she looks. 

“I like your shirt,” she replies, with a knowing smile. He manages to get his body to cooperate with his instructions and he opens the passenger door for her, and she takes his offered hand as she climbs in. “Thank you!” He feels her squeeze his hand before she lets go, and he closes the door softly, before he's heading back around and climbing back into the driver’s seat. 

“You managed to get a night to yourself,” Betty observes as he closes the door, moving to start up the engine. 

“Seems both the boys are too cool to hang around the house on a summer Friday night,” he says with a chuckle. 

“I’ve become a bit of a homebody, so I’ve been enjoying a night in these days,” she laughs. 

“Guess I should consider myself lucky to have gotten you to come out with me tonight then?” He replies, the engine roaring to life as he gets himself situated. 

“Can’t get me away from my couch for just anything!” She laughs. “So, where are we going?” That’s the million dollar question he thinks, he’d been combing over his mind for ideas for the last day or so, but he’s had a hard time settling on something. 

“To be honest, I hadn’t decided,” he admits, hoping she isn’t bothered by that. “What sorta food sounds good to you? Ladies choice.” She seems to furrow her brow as she thinks it over, and he’s sure she’s running through the list in her mind. “You know anywhere with some good Tex-Mex here?” Bingo, his mind thinks, and he’s pulling back onto the road, heading back towards downtown. 

“I gotta good place in mind,” he reassures. 

“I figured that might be a safe bet, we’re not too far from Texas.” She jokes, “But I will be deciding if it’s indeed true blue Tex Mex!”

“Shoot, putting a lot of pressure on me already,” he bites back, but he can feel himself grinning. 

“Better be real sure of yourself, if the margarita isn’t good I’m gonna let you know!” She teases. He can’t remember the last time he went to this place, God it was probably before his folks had passed. As they pull into the parking lot, he’s feeling real proud of himself for thinking of it in the first place. It’s got a cute little setup with some cozy booths with some more relaxed lighting, he hopes they’re not too full considering it’s a Friday night. 

“How many for ya?” The hostess is asking as they approach the podium, looking bored as hell and barely looking up at them. 

“Just the two of us!” Betty replies brightly, seemingly unaffected by the girl’s apathy. 

“Table or booth?” She asks in a monotone voice. Betty looks over at him with a smile and a shrug. 

“Booth,” he decides, and the hostess just waves them back wordlessly. 

“Darry you gotta promise me something,” she says as they follow the hostess who’s weaving them towards the back of the restaurant. 

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let me spoil my dinner on all the chips and salsa?” she asks, laughing as she slides into one side of the booth they’ve stopped at. 

“I’ll try my best,” he replies, laughing at the face she makes in response. The waitress leaves them with a mumbled enjoy your meal and two menus deposited in front of them on the table. As she picks up her menu, he takes a minute to feign looking at his own to just have an excuse to look at her. There’s a rosy blush that dances across her cheeks, and he’s finally able to see the faint dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. She’s mouthing some of the words to herself as she skims the menu, and a loose curl falls from behind her ear and brushes her face, making her eyelashes flutter. He kinda wishes he could reach over across the table and tuck the strand back behind her ear where a pearl earring glints in the low lighting. 

“Hey y’all, can I getcha something to drink?” It’s a younger guy taking their orders, and it’s clear the kid is running all around and barely looks up from his notepad at them. Betty looks up at him with a raised brow in question. 

“Two margaritas I think,” Darry replies, giving her a questioning look back. She nods enthusiastically,
“No salt on the rim for me please!” She adds as the kid scribbles that down, and he makes a promise to return with drinks and another kid quickly deposits chips and salsa to the table as he races by. “Thank you!” Betty chirps, though the kid is already gone in a flash. They both grab a chip and he watches her as she takes a bite, her features lighting up. 

“Salsa definitely passes the test!” She deems as she goes back for another chip, smiling in approval. He swallows down the chip he’d grabbed, and works up some courage to finally ask her something about herself that he’s been wondering. 

“I know you said you moved to Tulsa for a job, but ain’t there nursing jobs back in Texas? Why here?” She nods as he finishes the question, plucking another chip with a hum. 

“Now that has an answer can get heavy real quick, not sure it’s first date material,” she laughs, “But short version of it is I needed to get out.”

“I ain’t too worried about what’s normal first date conversation,” he replies, and he’s tellin the truth, he’s dealt with too much shit to just have awkward superficial conversations. He actually wants to know things about her. 

“Well, I guess the longer answer is my dad and I don’t get along, and I had to get some distance between us.” He wants to ask follow up questions, but he doesn’t know how without feeling like he’s prying into something he shouldn’t. But she continues to somehow always seem to catch on to what he’s thinking. 

“I don’t mind talking about it all, it just seems mighty unfair of me to talk all about how I don’t get along with my father when you boys lost your folks. Plus it’s not exactly a happy dinner topic,” she says softly, and he blinks in surprise. 

“I want to hear anything you’re willing to tell me. It don’t matter what’s happened to me, don’t mean you don’t got problems too,” He finally says after a moment of thinking. There’s a pause as the waiter returns with their drinks, and they both manage to give him their orders before he’s gone again and she takes a sip of her drink. 

“Well, I guess we really just started butting heads when I was around thirteen or so. I’m the oldest of three girls, and I didn’t really fit into the role of traditional daughter. I knew I wanted to go to college, make a life for myself. But he just wanted me to be quiet and submissive, get married, raise some kids. He’s not a patient man, so I felt like he was always scolding me for something or other. But I rather it was me than my little sisters, ya know?” She explains, hands gesturing vaguely as she talks. “When I was graduating high school, I managed to convince him to let me go to college for nursing, and he eventually agreed. Man, I thought momma and I had finally worn him down! So I went, and I did my two years of school. I lived at home, and was able to look out for my momma and sisters, they’re all much kinder souls than me, and Lord knows my dad can be mean when he’s mad.” He frowns, and he can see the sadness in her eyes. “But when I graduated he sat me down and told me he’d talked to the pastor and was gonna have me go on a date with some guy from town. Said he’d let me have my fun at college, but it was past time for me to settle down.” 

“He wanted you to get married?”

“Uh huh. I was pretty devastated, I thought he finally was proud of me, and finally supported what I was doing ya know? And the fact that he didn’t give a single thought about my feelings, or even think of the fact that maybe I wanted to meet a man on my own told me everything I needed to know.” 

“So you left?” He guesses, and he watches her nod as she takes another sip from her straw. 

“So I left,” she agrees, “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, if I’m being honest with you. I still talk to my momma and my sisters almost every day on the phone, but sometimes I feel like I abandoned them. It feels unfair that I got to get away from my father, but they’re still back home with him. I know that sounds silly, but I do feel guilty; I just have always wanted to protect them. If I’d have stayed, honestly I was scared it would kill me one day; but when I got here, it was like I could finally breathe.” He wants to tell her she shouldn’t be carrying that guilt, but Lord knows he carries a similar burden of his own. He honestly feels his heart ache, he understands what she’s saying more than she knows. He was at college for a year and a half, and he knows what it feels like to leave younger siblings behind, and feeling like you can’t protect them. Hell, he feels like he fails to do that every other day even now. 

“I felt similar when I was off at Oklahoma State before everything,” he says slowly. 

“You went off to college? I thought you-”
“I was able to go on a scholarship, at least for a bit. And it was great, living alone, having no responsibilities besides myself. I still had to work a job to help pay for what the scholarship couldn’t but I was happy.” He explains, swallowing down the ache in his throat. He wants to tell her, wants to let someone in, even if it hurts something awful to talk about. “I-” He takes a breath. “I was home on break when our folks got in the accident. Railroad crossing sign malfunctioned. When the police came to our house they said they both died on impact.” She nods, her features soft but calm, just listening to him. He honestly feels a sense of relief that she’s not gasping and getting all teary or something at the story, he doesn’t think he could handle it if she started to pity them right now. 

“I don’t really even remember what happened after that, I was just in shock. But then I saw Soda and Pony on the couch, and the cops started saying stuff about foster care and I panicked.” He continues, pausing for a moment to take a large sip of his drink, letting the liquor soothe some of the harsh edges of his emotions. “I called and dropped out the next day.” She reaches across the table and interlaces her hand in his. 

“You did what I would’ve done, or at least what I hope I would’ve,” she replies simply. “I hope you know how amazing what you’re doing is.” 

He doesn’t know how to react to that. No one’s really ever actually said that to him. Sure, his brothers and the gang have on occasion acknowledged that he does a lot to take care of them, but outside of their gang, no one has really paid him a second glance. 

“Some first date conversation between the two of us huh?” She laughs, squeezing his hand before she pulls away to grab another chip. 

“I feel like I know a lot more about you,” he says as an answer, and that gets her smiling. 

“You sure are something, Darry Curtis.” That gets him blushing, but he’s saved from having to come up with what to say since their food is brought to the table. Despite the empty bowl of chips left in their wake, they both eye their food rather hungrily, and both get to eating pretty soon after the waiter disappears. He watches as she takes a bite and then lets out a noise of satisfaction.

“Oh, this is real good. You picked a great choice, sugar!” Betty comments with a smile, and then he feels a nudge at his ankle. He raises a brow, but she simply grins as she takes a bite of her taco, and he feels her hook her ankle around his. He nudges her back and settles for the way their legs are intertwined a bit hidden beneath the table. The rest of dinner continues with lighter conversation, and she’s telling him stories about things she sees at the hospital that genuinely gets him laughing. He truly can’t believe that he’s somehow found himself on a date with a girl with all the things he has going on in his life. He knows he feels himself falling for her, despite the fact he is trying to tell himself to take it slow, and that scares the absolute shit out of him. They continue laughing and talking over a second round of drinks for a while until he’s paying the bill. When they walk out to his truck, she goes ahead and slips her hand into his before he even has time to worry about mustering up the courage to take her hand. He starts to drive her back home, and if he’s going slower than he normally would, obeying the speed limit to the number in order to get a few extra minutes with her, well, no one needs to know. The clock on the dash reads that it’s just a little past 9, and the sun has gone down, so he gets glimpses of her lit up by the street lights as they drive past. God she is so beautiful, he thinks. As they slow to a stop in front of her building, he parks the truck and is hopping out of the cab before she can start to open the door for herself.  She gives him an affectionate eye roll but accepts his hand as she hops down onto the ground, coming to stand in front of him as he sorta leans against the car. He’s about to thank her for the evening or something but she beats him to it. 

“Can I let you in on a secret?” she asks him suddenly, and she’s biting her lip nervously, which makes him more nervous than it should. It’s not at all what he was expecting. 

“‘Course,” he replies, trying to not let his nerves show. She chuckles, and her gaze flits away from his. 

“So, I haven’t ever kissed someone,” she confesses, voice softer and more unsure than it has been all evening. He feels himself relax; he was afraid she was gonna tell him she wasn’t interested or something. 

“Oh,” he says, feeling a bit tongue tied as he digests this piece of information. 

“I just wanted you to know, I guess,” she says, finally coming back to meet his gaze, and she is definitely standing close enough that he figures out the message pretty quick. He is careful as he cups her cheek, he still has to bend down a bit, despite the fact that she’s standing on the curb.
“May I?” he asks, because if nothing else, his momma drilled in him to always ask permission if he was thinking about kissing a gal. She nods, and breathes out a quiet yes. He moves before he can over think it too much, considering it's been quite a while for himself. He carefully tilts his face to avoid knocking their noses together or something, and pauses for just a moment to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He can smell the hint of fruit from her chapstick as he leans in and presses his lips to hers, eyes closing automatically.

Her lips are soft, and he feels her sigh as he lingers for a few moments, before pulling back, eyes blinking open to meet hers.

She lets out a breath, “You gotta tell me if I’m doing this wrong,” is all she says before her hands grab his cheeks and she’s bringing his lips back to hers. She’s more firm this time, and he relaxes a bit, realizing she’s not as nervous this time around. He runs his thumb up and down her cheekbone, and very slowly starts moving his lips against hers, deepening the kiss from a mere peck on the lips like the first one. She seems to pick up quickly and he’s really too busy focusing on the fact that he can’t believe his kissing her to really notice if she’s a bit new at it all. She seems to figure out how to move her lips pretty quickly, and then he feels a zing of shoot pleasure down his spine when she snakes a hand behind his head, threading it through his hair gently. It’s only when she seems to need to take a breath that they finally break apart, and even then she leans her forehead against his for a moment before she really pulls away from him. 

“That was- wow,” she says, blinking up at him. Her lips look all pink in the glow of the streetlight and has to resist the urge to pull her back and kiss her again. They both stand there for a moment, sorta catching their breath. “Thank you, for dinner, and for the company,” she says, and she’s got a look in her eyes that he hasn’t seen before, but it's warm and makes him feel like smiling again.

“I dunno when I’ll have another day off-” he starts, feeling an ache in his chest as he knows their time has to come to an end, and he doesn’t know when he’ll get to see her again. Right now he wishes he could just spend every second of his day getting to know this girl. 

“I can be patient. But if you get the extra time to call at night, just know I’ll be waiting,” she replies, and he nods, feeling relieved that she’s not asking for him to magically have time to take her out again. 

“I will.” He reassures, hell, he sorta wants to call her the second he gets home, just so he can hear her voice again. She nods, and starts to turn to head in the door, but she stops short and gives him a final quick peck, before she actually starts moving. 

“G’night Darry! I’ll see you soon,” she shouts over her shoulder as she practically skips to the door, which has him grinning like a fool as he watches. He waits to see her get inside before he gets himself back in the car and he’s in some lovesick haze the entire drive home. He parks in his usual spot in the driveway before he’s heading around to the front of the porch, grinning to himself. The lights are on in the living room, but he usually leaves a couple of them on in case one of the boys gets back, though it’s not even 10 pm. He pushes open the door, and nearly screams. 

“Where have you been?!” Soda asks, from where he currently is situated in Darry’s recliner, as three pairs of eyes bore into him with a litany of questions. He lets out a groan as he allows the front door to shut.

Notes:

This chapter turned out long! It was kinda hard to write, so pls let me know what yall think about how it turned out.

I accidentally admitted to my younger sister that I am unironically writing the outsiders fanfic at my big age lmfao I was like I may never recover from the embarrassment. Both my little sisters are way cooler than me by a long shot so I was like I just made myself the number one nerd of the family lol (I already was). But wow I was like can I ever recover knowing my sister could in theory find and read this? the world may never know 😂 but we are out here living our truths so 💁🏼‍♀️

Anywayyysss, I read Soda's last line in Molly Weasley's voice unintentionally, but I think it's fitting considering he is very much ready to interrogate Darry!

Also Soda def had undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia, so that was def touched upon at the beginning of this chapter. He refers to himself as dumb because he had a hard time in school because of this, but as we know Soda is extremely intelligent, unfortunately in the 1960's there just wasn't really anything to help kids like him in school.

I was very self indulgent and let Darry and Betty have a bonding moment over eldest child stuff, I feel like Darry needs the support of someone who understands what it's like worrying about siblings as the oldest!

And Finally: Betty talking about almost being tackled by a patient is inspired by the fact that this happened to me the other day. I was saved because my fellow med student's reflexes kicked in and he managed to grab and stop the patient before any of us got hurt lol. Hospitals get wild yall!

Chapter 14: Chap 14

Summary:

Life goes on, but grief is not linear.

Notes:

I gave y'all some fluff at the beginning here, I hope y'all like it- runs away to the end note

Also other note: there’s been audios of Dan Berry as Darry on tumblr and the way he gives Darry such a thick accent is so important to me so uhhh just read Darry like that in your brain when you’re reading this 💁🏼‍♀️

Why is it the one time Darry isn’t sitting around at home, his brothers decide to come home before their curfew? He wonders about this as they all stare at each other and he crosses his arms defensively. Hell, he swore Ponyboy and Johnny said they were going to the double feature, so how the hell are those two already sitting on the couch blinking at him at 10:15pm. 

“Weren’t you two going to the drive in?” Darry asks, trying to hide the fact that they’ve definitely caught him off guard. 

“We’d already seen the second movie before, and it sucked so we came back here,” Ponyboy replies as an answer. Christ, sometimes all Pony does is go to the movies over and over even if he’s seen it before, why did he have to change it up tonight?

“Oh hey Muscles!” Steve says, eyeing him up and down as he appears from the bathroom. Darry is about to scream, they just keep fucking appearing. He spares a glance to the kitchen, wondering if another is hiding in the corner or something. 

“Thought you were at the races?” Darry tries to divert. Deny and deflect, he thinks, giving Steve and Soda a raised brow. 

“Yeah, we did for a bit. Then went to see these two at the drive in, came back with ‘em” Steve shrugs, as he takes a seat on the couch, jostling Pony and Johnny as he does so. 

“Darry, why’re you wearing the nice shirt you wear when the social worker comes ‘round?” Pony asks. Darry inhales deeply through his nose. 

“Yeah Darry?” Soda adds on, his features a picture of smug fake innocence as he blinks at up him. 

“I had to run out for a bit,” Darry replies, moving towards the kitchen as a means of escape, though he’s stopped when Soda leaps to his feet and stands in front of him. 

“Where ya going Darry? Ya just got here, talk to your brothers for a minute!” Soda practically sings as he bounces on his toes. Darry sorta wants to wrestle him to the ground, maybe then Soda would forget about his stupid interrogation he’s trying to run right now. 

“Oh ho! He’s right Darry, tell us, what have you been up fine evening besides ‘runnin out’?” Steve joins in, catching on to the scene playing out in front of him. 

“Was it the state people?” Ponyboy asks nervously, and Darry sags in defeat, he can’t exactly lie to them about that. Lord knows they worry about the state checking up on them enough already. 

“No, it wasn’t anything like that,” he reassures Pony, softening a bit as he sees Soda seems to soften too for a moment.

“Then what was it?” Ponyboy asks, brows furrowed as he seems to try and piece together what Darry knows the others already are thinking. Johnny gives him a nudge and mumbles something Darry can’t make out. The two of them look Darry up and down slowly, taking in his appearance before Ponyboy’s eyes light up in realization. Thanks a bunch Johnny, Darry thinks in betrayal. 

“Nothing. Now can I get into the kitchen please, Sodapop?” Darry grits out popping the p as he nudges the immovable force that is his brother in an attempt to make him step aside. He’s feeling himself getting more and more backed into a metaphorical corner with each second. 

“Why ya in such a hurry?” Soda replies, and that actually starts to get on Darry’s nerves as he stares down at his brother in frustration. 

“Soda,” Darry growls, but they both know Soda knows that Darry’s all bark right now, and he’s not afraid to challenge him on it. Darry gives Soda his best glare, hoping it's enough to make him back down, but he doesn’t expect Soda’s thumb coming to brush the corner of his mouth with a shit eating grin that seems to get impossibly wider. Darry grabs his brother’s hand and pushes it away and side steps around him, making for the kitchen with a huff, done with his brother’s stupid little antics.

“You just had a little lipstick right on-” That gets him to turn on his heels and face Soda with an annoyed glare. 

“Cut the shit Soda, she wasn’t wearing any-'' He barely stops himself from finishing the sentence but it's too late. He took the bait.
“AH-HA!” Soda interrupts, pointing at him in accusation as the others all make similar noises, realizing Soda got him to slip up. He just stares at Soda, who looks so smug it makes Darry seriously rethink the wrestling thing again. They all just stare at him, waiting for him to speak. He hates it.

“It ain’t a big deal.” He eventually settles on.

“Darrel Shaynne Curtis!” Soda exclaims so loud Darry’s ears hurt for a second, “Just tell us and quit-”

“Glory, can you at least let me sit down?” Darry finally concedes, sighing in resignation as Soda finally steps outta the way again and he falls into his chair with a huff, crossing his arms again. 

“He’s flexing his muscles at ya Soda!” Steve eggs on, and Darry actually suppresses a groan. Though he sure is glad the peanut gallery wasn’t around before he’d gone out earlier, he wonders if it would’ve turned his date into a total disaster if he’d had to listen to all their stellar ‘tips.’

“Darry-” Ponyboy starts, clearly unable to give him a second longer to breathe. 

“Oh for the love of everything that’s holy! Alright! I was out on a date.” He finally snaps. 

“See! That wasn’t so hard!” Soda encourages, and Darry shoots him a look that would normally make the boys shut up right away. 

“Was it Betty?- Where’d you go? -Did ya actually kiss her.” The cacophony of voices overlaps all at once.

“Why is it the night I tell y’all you can be out till midnight again you’re already home by 10 pm?” He whines, giving up at trying to fend them off any longer. 

“Because we looooovvvveeee you!” Soda sings, moving to sit against the chair, leaning against Darry’s leg and jostling it affectionately. He makes a weak attempt at brushing Soda off, but gives up easily. 

“C’mon Darry, Soda and I didn’t even get to see a movie! Tell us something interestin’!” Steve begs. He knew he would have to tell all the guys eventually, but he was expecting to do it on his own terms, and he wasn’t quite ready for all the teasing that comes along with it. 

“I took her out to that Mexican place on main street for dinner and then I drove her home,” he replies. There’s not that much else to share, all they did was talk. And the kissing part, but he’s not telling them all that. 

“Did you really kiss her?” Ponyboy asks, and Darry can tell by his tone its pure curiosity as he looks over at him with those wide green eyes. 

“Look at how he’s blushing kiddo! He definitely did!” Soda answers, and Darry sighs, at this point he’s in for it no matter what anyways. 

“Yeah, I did,” he caves and the older two boys whoop in excitement. 

“Was she any good?” Steve blurts out. 

“Cool it Randle,” Darry replies in warning, and Steve sags in defeat, though he knows Steve knew he wouldn’t answer him anyways. 

“How did it go?” Soda asks, and this time he sees the genuine undertone of concern in his eyes. He can tell despite the teasing, Soda actually does want to know how Darry’s feeling. He pauses for a moment, searching for the right words. 

“It was real nice, little buddy,” he finally settles on. 

“Hell, why is everyone home so early?” Two Bit asks, stumbling a bit as he steps through the front door with Dally on his tail. They look a bit boozed up, but they manage to get themselves situated on the living room floor okay. Darry opens his mouth to answer, hoping to change the subject with the new arrival. 

“Darry went on a date with Betty to that Mexican restaurant and then he kissed her!” Ponyboy blurts, his eyes widen in shock as if he almost didn’t realize he was the one who said it. There’s a beat of silence. 

“Fuck’s sake, finally,” Dally grunts from where he’s currently sprawled on the floor, arm flung over his eyes. Maybe Dally is drunker than Darry thought, given his current state. 

“Well young man, I guess that means it’s high time we talk to you about being safe and wearing a-”

“Two Bit!” Darry grunts, giving his friend a glare, which makes him settle, but he still dissolves into a fit of tipsy giggles. 

“You gonna take her out again?” Soda prods, his chin coming to rest on Darry’s knee as he turns to look up at him. 

“I dunno when I’ll have time for that,” Darry replies, but he can’t handle the way they all look more somber immediately. He takes another breath, “But she and I are gonna try to make it work.” 

“I’m so proud! You’vee finally gone out and found us little street boys a mother!” Two Bit says, mock sniffling and wiping away nonexistent tears off his ruddy cheeks.  

“You already got a mother!” Ponyboy points out, nudging Two Bit with his foot. 

“C’mon Pone, you know that was a good one-” The room erupts into a playful argument following that, and Two Bit starts doing some Oliver Twist voice in response to Ponyboy’s ribbing. 

“I told ya,” Soda murmurs, quiet enough that only Darry can hear it over the boys messing ‘round.
“I’m taking it slow Soda. Don’t get it all mixed up.”

“I know. I’m just saying.” He pauses for a bit, “And you’re letting me help you pick your outfit for the next one. Gonna make sure you look real tuff.” Darry gives him a small smile of genuine thanks, before he ruffles his greased hair, ignoring the way Soda squawks indignantly. 

“This is the thanks I get?” Soda gripes, though he’s grinning as he smooths his hair back down, bonking into Darry’s leg playfully. 

---

Darry’s next two weeks are tough, he’s gone eleven straight days without a day off. It’s really starting to get into the summer weather and he swears working in the sun tires him out twice as fast. By the time he gets home, he feels completely dead on his feet. The last couple of nights he’s really had to fight to stay awake when Ponyoboy’s reading aloud. He has called Betty a few times, but he doesn’t talk to her for as long as he wants to, feeling too tired to stay up late into the night. He was already feeling like he was at the end of his rope last night and honestly he’s just trying to hang on since he only has one more day to work today before he gets Saturday off. As he pads into the kitchen to get himself some coffee brewing he spots the calendar, his blood runs cold. The logical part of his brain reminds him that he knew this was coming, but he’d been so busy and honestly not wanting to think about it that he genuinely forgot until this moment. He feels nauseous, and the thought of the chocolate cake Soda baked the other day sitting in the fridge makes him almost gag. Has it really been a year? He’d woken up before his alarm, so as he shakily gets the coffee brewing, he allows himself to sit in the darkness of the kitchen, his shaking hands resting on the table in front of him. 

Today marks what will likely always be the worst day of their lives. He can feel himself breaking into a cold sweat, and as much as he’s fighting against his mind, he can’t help but remember the police knocking on their front door. 

---

“Can I help you?” Darry asks, feeling a bit exasperated. His parents were out, but he can only guess that this visit has something to do with Dally. 

“You Darrel Curtis’s oldest boy?” Darry nods, feeling a bit confused. “Can we come in son?” One of the two cops asks. And Darry doesn’t like the way he’s looking at him. It’s weird, and a bit eerie. He nods and lets them follow him in the door, assuming they’re just gonna explain that Dally is down at the station and needs someone to pick him up. 

“Are these your brothers?” 

“Yes sir,” Darry replies, though he doesn’t have a clue why the cops are sparing his brothers a glance from where they’re sitting on the couch. 

“I’m so sorry. We just came from the hospital. Your parents-”

Darry swears his hearing goes out for a second. He hates the way they’re speaking to them, all soft and with pity and so unlike the way the cops often talk to them. He hears Ponyboy and Soda start sobbing and the noises make him want to throw up. But he feels frozen, unable to move an inch, and somehow his brain starts to pick out what they’re saying to him. 

Something about a train vs automobile accident, malfunctioning railroad signs, and they both died on impact. 

“We’re so sorry for your loss,” one of the cops says, and Darry almost laughs, because how do you just say that at the sight of his brothers on the couch right now?

“Now what?” Darry finally croaks out, his tongue feels foreign in his mouth, but it seems to know that someone has to take action. 

“How old are ya kid?” The gruffer cop sighs, and Darry bristles. 

“Nineteen, I’ll be twenty in a few days,” he replies, wondering if they want him to sign some legal forms or something. Hell, he doesn’t even know what forms have to be signed when something like this happens. 

“These two are underage?” The cop continues, nodding at his brothers. Darry finally forces himself to look at his brothers for the first time since the cops got to their house. Soda’s got his arms wrapped around Ponyboy, but they’re both sobbing something awful and their eyes are locked on him. He realizes with a cold jolt that he’s the adult right now. They’re looking at him to tell them what to do now. 

“Yes sir?” Darry asks, not catching on, and he almost moves to go to his brothers, comfort them somehow, but he doesn’t even know what he can do for them right now. 

“Child protective services will have to get involved. But there’s a boys home in town-”

“No!” Ponyboy immediately wails, and God, Darry’s head can’t stop spinning as he tries to think of what he’s supposed to do. What would his dad be doing? He at least manages to think of the next step: get them away from his brothers. He manages to usher the officers outside, he can already tell his brothers are borderline hysterical and at least he can at least finish talking to the police without upsetting them even more if that’s even possible. He hears the door close firmly behind him. He can’t even give himself a second to think about their parents. All his mind can think is: Pony and Soda, Soda and Pony, boys home, foster care, fuck what is he gonna do oh my God-

“I’m nineteen, legally I can become their guardian right?” 

“That’s a lot of responsibility son, CPS can take good care of them-”

“Legally I’m allowed to, right?” Darry pushes, ignoring their attempts to sway him. He can’t believe he got back from college for the summer less than a month ago. The meaner looking cop studies him again, and Darry thinks his mustache makes him look like a walrus. 

“Yes, you could. That can be arranged when CPS visits y’all in the next day here. But I strongly recommend you think about this son, I know you’re off at college on a football scholarship and-”

“Is there anything else I can do for you officers?” He cuts the guy off, tired of this entire charade. The cops both seem to sober up, and they give him another pitying look. 

“We need someone to come identify the bodies, it’s unfortunately protocol.” Now he really wants to start crying. He wants to tell them that he’s just a kid, and beg them to not make him do this. He doesn’t want to do this, he doesn’t want to see his parents like this. He takes a steadying breath under their expectant gaze. 

“Alright, I can do that.” He manages to choke out. 

“We’ll give ya a ride there and back, you’re in no condition to be driving right now.” Darry does at least agree with them on that, he doesn’t think he could grip the wheel with how bad his hands are shaking. 

“Can I have five minutes to talk to my brothers?” He asks. They of course say yes, knowing they’d be real heartless bastards to deny him this. He slips back in the front door, and Pony and Soda still look a hot mess. He wants to sit next to them and just start crying too, but he forces himself to kneel in front of them on the couch. 

“I need y’all to listen, okay?” He starts, and he know his voice sounds cold, but he swears if he lets himself break for even a moment right now he’s terrified he won’t be able to put himself back together. “Nothing’s gonna happen right now savvy? CPS will come tomorrow-”

“They can’t!” Soda interrupts, looking frantic at the mere mention. 

“Shhh, Pepsi Cola. They ain’t gonna take you two nowhere. I’m legally an adult, they have to let me apply for guardianship if I ask. So take that off your mind right now.” He doesn’t know how he’s managing to keep himself calm right now, but he just keeps talking in a slow low voice. 

“They need me to run down to the hospital and identify the bodies. I need you both to stay here okay? Just stay right here until I get back. Please.” His voice holds out until the end, but it does finally crack on please. He just needs them to be safe and wait here until he can get himself through this nightmare, and then he can come home and… he doesn’t really know what to do then.

“Okay.” Soda says, sounding so small, as he gives Darry this look of pure trust that makes him get hit with another wave of nausea. Before he can fall apart, he rises back to his feet and heads out the door, where the cops are waiting for him. 

Darry doesn’t remember the ride to the station, he swears the next thing he knows, the cops have him in some dark room in the hospital, and he's looking at a glass window. There’s two beds, and there’s white sheets draped over what he can only guess are his parents. There is a small traitorous part of him that believes it’s not going to be them. That this is all some terrible nightmare or horrible misunderstanding, and that they’re on their way home right now. Maybe they’re already back, hugging his brothers and drying the tears that streak down their cheeks. 

“You ready son?” The nicer cop asks, placing a hand on Darry’s shoulder. He wants to shrug him off, but his heart is beating so hard in his chest he can’t even find himself to speak. He nods mutely and they signal a nurse or someone, who very carefully pulls back the first drape. Dad. He thinks. They must at least take pity on him in that they only pull it back enough to show his face, instead of his whole body. His face is bruised so badly it’s a sickly shade of purple and there’s some blood crusted around his swollen nose, but it’s his dad.

“Do you need a moment-”

“Just show me her,” Darry bites out. And he wants to scream at them for being such fucking sadists for making him do this. They sigh, but then the nurse is pulling back the second sheet, and he barely keeps the sob in his throat. Mom’s face looks better, but her normally beautiful blonde hair is soaked with dried and patchy blood from a large cut right at her hairline. They both look so empty, he thinks in horror. He takes one final glance and turns to the cops, glaring at them with a fury he’s never experienced before in his nineteen years of life. 

“That’s them. Can I go home now?” he bites out. 

“Of course son-”

“Darry?” he actually lets out a startled gasp, he’s so entrenched in his memories he didn’t hear Soda at all until his hand touched his shoulder gingerly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare ya,” Soda whispers, hand retracting. 

“It’s okay, my coffee’s done,” Darry murmurs, suppressing the nausea at the thought of drinking it. He mechanically pours himself the coffee into his thermos like he does every morning, and grabs the lunch bag he’d packed the night before. He grabs his prewritten note to Ponyboy he wrote last night telling him they’ll both be home around six and asking him to feed and walk the dog. Soda is already completely dressed and ready for work, and Darry wonders how long he must’ve just been sitting there before Soda came out. He’s glad he’d gotten ready for work before he’d gone into the kitchen this morning. The sun is definitely up and shining now.

"C’mon, I’ll drop you off on my way,” Darry says, filling the silence with the offer even though he and Soda already had that as their plan for the day. He can tell Soda knows what today is too, it’s written all over his body. The way he seems to just curl in on himself, when he’s usually someone who unapologetically takes up space. 

“Okay,” Soda murmurs, and they silently sit on the floor across from each other and slip on their shoes. He gives Pip a pat as he rises to his feet. 

“I’ll pick you up after your shift okay?” Darry confirms as they walk out the door. Soda nods. The entire car ride is silent. 

---

Whatever little emotional fortitude Darry had left is gone by the time he’s pulling up to the DX to pick up Soda. He’s tired, dirty, hungry, and hell if he lets himself have time to think for more than a moment the overwhelming grief threatens to choke him. Soda climbs into the truck wordlessly, and Darry understands. He can see the pain in Soda’s face as he looks at him. 

“Hey Soda,” Darry manages to croak out, he’s got the pizza box from his first stop on his lap. 

“Hey Dar,” Soda replies, sounding just as ragged. He waits for a minute as Soda gets situated, and he knows his brother’s really struggling based on the way he wordlessly slides to the middle of the bench until he’s pressed up against Darry’s right side, seeking out some semblance of physical comfort. If he didn’t need his right hand on the gear shift, he’d wrap an arm around Soda, but his brother seems content enough just pressed against him, head resting on his shoulder. Soda pulls the pizza box onto his lap as Darry starts the drive home, functioning on automatic motions alone.

“I figured no one was gonna feel up for cookin,” Darry explains. He got the extra large pizza from their favorite place, which they can easily devour on a good day, but he doesn’t think any of them have much of an appetite. 

“Do ya think Pony’s okay?” Soda asks eventually as they’re pulling down their street. 

“Have a feeling he stayed home today,” Darry says as an answer, because truly, are any of them okay today? Darry knows something’s off when he’s parking the truck and he almost trips on Pip, who’s laying on the front porch looking quite bored. 

“Hell, what’s he doing out on the porch?” Soda murmurs, brow furrowed a bit in a mirror to Darry’s own expression. 

“I dunno,” Darry replies, and he scans the porch. Based on the temperature of his fur when Darry pats him, he can tell he’s been outside for quite a while. He at least sighs in relief to see a bowl with water in the shade of one of the porch chairs. They walk in the door and Soda goes straight for the kitchen depositing their dinner on the table mechanically. Darry spots Ponyboy, who's lounged on the couch, sketchbook balanced on his legs. He doesn’t even look up at either of them. 

“How long ago did you let Pip out?” Darry asks tiredly, glancing as the dog contently lays down on the carpet with a huff. 

“Dunno,” Ponyboy replies. 

“That’s not an answer-”

“Noon? I dunno! I let him out like you asked!” Ponyboy snaps. Christ they’re really just gonna go at it right out the gate huh?

“Ponyboy, that was over five hours ago! It’s hot outside. I didn’t tell you to leave him outside, I asked you to walk ‘im!” Darry sighs, trying to keep his voice calm and measured, but he’s already so emotionally fried it’s not his best attempt. Ponyboy decides to make it worse by just huffing in irritation and continuing to avoid looking up at him. Darry wrestles off his work shoes, trying in vain to get some handle on the hurricane of emotions brewing in his brain. 

“Have you just been on the couch all day?” Darry asks incredulously, taking in the sight that is his youngest brother. He looks like shit, but then again so do he and Soda. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Ponyboy replies, picking at his nails as he continues to avoid eye contact. 

“Hell Ponyboy, did you do anything ?” Darry asks, his tone finally snapping. 

“Get off my back Darry! I didn’t feel like it!” 

“You think Soda and I felt like going to work today?” Darry is seething. He loves his brothers, but sometimes he feels so frustrated when they seem to forget there’s a lot of things he would rather not have to do too. 

“It’s not my fault they fucking died and now you have to work!” Ponyboy snarls. Darry feels like he’s punched in the gut. “If it’s so hard for you then just send me away!”

“You know damn well I’m not sending you away Ponyboy! Christ, I’m just trying to say we can’t just not do things we need to do because we’re upset!” 

“Well they’re dead.” Ponyboy replies, crossing his arms and finally looking up at him even though it’s only for a split moment. I know. Darry thinks, his heart aching at the verbal reminder. Darry catches a glimpse of Soda, who’s grabbing some plates, his lower lip is trembling like it did when he was little and about to cry. It’s seeing Soda look like that that makes him take a deep breath and he backs down. 

“I know.” He murmurs, walking into the kitchen and letting Ponyboy win whatever messed up argument you call what just happened. 

“I’m sorry Soda,” Darry mutters, coming to brush a stray strand of hair away from his forehead in a soothing motion. 

“Let’s just eat, yeah?” Soda replies, grabbing himself a couple slices on a plate. “No sense in being hungry.” Darry nods in agreement, and goes about making himself a plate. 

“C’mon Ponyboy, come make your plate while the pizza is hot.” Darry says as he sets his water and plate on the table beside his recliner. Ponyboy makes no acknowledgement of Darry speaking to him. Thankfully Soda intervenes, 

“C’mon honey, you gotta eat some dinner. Have you even eaten at all today?” 

“I’m not hungry.” Ponyboy replies. So that translates to a big fat no to the kid having anything to eat all day. Darry sighs, and goes back into the kitchen. He understands the lack of appetite, he’s really only hungry because he’s been working all day and his stomach churns painfully despite the fact that all food sounds unappealing. He gets Pony a full glass of water and picks out one of the largest slices onto a plate and carries them over to his brother. He sets the glass on the coffee table and holds out the plate to Pony, who looks up from his sketchbook with a glare. The page is completely blank. 

“I said I’m not hungry.” Ponyboy repeats, gritting his teeth. 

“Here’s the deal, you’re gonna drink that entire glass of water and finish this one slice of pizza. You gotta eat and drink something.” Darry replies, feeling so fucking tired. He wants his mom. 

“I don’t-”

“C’mon honey, at least try a few bites,” Soda coaxes.

“No, not a few bites, I want the whole slice finished Ponyboy,” Darry amends, he doesn’t want Pony thinking he can just take one half hearted bite and go back to staring into space. 

“I want the whole slice finished Ponyboy,” his little brother echos in a mocking tone, eyes alight with anger as he stares at the plate Darry continues to hold out to him. Darry has to remind himself he cannot let his brother rile him up, and he blinks in surprise when Ponyboy takes the plate, moving to sit up on the couch. Darry watches him for a moment, before he turns to walk back to his chair. 

“The whole slice Pony, I don’t care if we-” He hears a thud and turns back around incredulously.

“Ponyboy!” Soda gasps, and Darry follows their eye line to the pizza which now is facedown on the carpet beside his feet. They all seem frozen for a moment, and the only thing moving in the room is Pip, who delights in cleaning up the mess. 

“Ponyboy Michael Curtis, did you just throw that at me?” Darry asks, his voice getting louder with each word. 

“Yeah, I did! What are you gonna do about it?” Ponyboy yells back, rising to his feet angry, but Darry watches the way the kid glances towards the front door. 

“Sit your ass down right now!” Darry yells, knowing Pony’s trying to make a run for it. He moves towards his brother, ensuring he’s blocking his path from running out of the house. 

“Please stop!” Soda is shouting, and Darry can see he’s already crying from his spot on the other end of the couch. 

“What the actual hell, Ponyboy? We’ve been home for fifteen minutes and you-”

“Get out of my way!” Ponyboy snarls, taking a step closer to Darry. 

“Stop it!” Soda wails, and Darry can’t even spare his brother a glance as he focuses solely on Ponyboy. 

“You think we’re not upset too Ponyboy? And now you’re wasting perfectly good food, throwing it at me for no reason-” He takes another step closer and that must finally set his brother off.
“Move!” And then he’s shoving Darry, hard. His kid brother is a good fighter, but at this moment Darry is thankful he has a very big size advantage against him. He doesn’t really stumble or anything, and the shove shocks him more than anything else. 

“Please! Stop! Just make it stop!” Soda is sobbing somewhere in the background. Darry knows he has to think of something and quick, and he really can’t have Ponyboy running out again, so he quickly wraps his arms around him, getting him into some sort of twisted bear hug. 

“Get off of me! Let me go-” Ponyboy starts yelling, and his fists beat against Darry’s chest, though with the way he’s got a hold on him he thankfully can’t hit him too hard. It still hurts, but the pain grounds him a bit as he somehow brings them both to sitting on the living room floor. Soda’s still babbling between sobs, and Ponyboy is just making noises that sounds like a wounded animal as Darry rests his chin on Ponyboy’s head and his hits slowly become less and less hard with each second. He feels hot tears streaking down his cheeks and he simply holds on to Ponyboy and keeps an eye on Soda who’s remained on the couch but has his face buried in his hands. He doesn’t know what else to do except ride it out as Ponyboy finally stops hitting him and instead has dissolved into sobs himself. Everything feels too loud, too intense, too much Darry thinks as his own tears keep coming and he honestly feels like his heart might just give out any second it all hurts so bad. 

“I want momma!” Ponyboy manages to choke out between what has up until this point been indistinct words intermixed with sobs. God he can’t remember the last time Pony had called her momma, he’d been real little. Soda starts shaking with renewed sobs at this, and Darry lets one arm release Ponyboy in order to grab onto the cuff of Soda’s jeans and start tugging. 

“I know, I know. I want momma too,” Darry replies, unable to think of anything else he could possibly say in this moment. Soda slips off the couch and is scooching up beside them, and Darry manages to get his now free arm around him. The contact seems to be welcome, but Soda lets out a sob so pitiful that it ends up turning into a gag. 

“Soda, you gotta breathe honey, you’re gonna make yourself sick,” Darry manages to advise through his own tears. He actually has seen Soda throw up from crying so hard a couple times in the past. 

“It’s not fair,” Ponyboy chokes out, though he’s given up on fighting and is pretty much dead weight against Darry now. 

“It ain’t,” Darry agrees. Because it really isn’t. The fact that their parents have been gone a year isn’t fair. God that for sure is one thing they can all agree on right now. The explosion was going to happen, Darry realizes as they all sit there. Tears are still flowing, but the sobs are becoming less frequent as they all take in shaky breaths. Hell, it seems all three of them had bottled up all their grief the whole day, there had to be a moment for them to finally get it out. They don’t talk for a while, not until the tears slow to a stop, and Darry’s eyes burn and his nose burns and his cheeks burn. But now he finally feels like that ache in his chest has let up just enough that he’s not gonna choke to death anymore. 

“I miss them so much,” Soda eventually says, and they don’t have to say a word for him to know they feel it too. Darry just continues stroking their hair with each of his hands, though if it's to soothe them or himself he’s not really sure. It’s in this moment of them sitting on the floor, absolute wrecks that Darry feels himself laughing despite himself. Ponyboy looks up at him,

“I can’t believe you actually threw that pizza at me!” Darry laughs, thinking of how absurd the entire thing was now that they’ve cried it all out. Soda busts into laughs and after a moment so does Ponyboy, and Darry gets to laughing so hard he’s actually gasping for breaths, his sides smarting as the muscles spasm, but the pain reminds him he’s here, he’s alive, and he’s got his two brothers right here with him.

“Well, technically that slice of pizza got ate after all,” Soda manages to gasp out as they look at Pip who lounges contentedly from where he previously scarfed down his prize. The laughing subsides enough that Darry decides he should say something. 

“I miss them too.” He begins, echoing Soda’s earlier statement. “But I love you both. And we’re gonna be okay.”

“Think we were gonna have to cry about it at some point today,” Soda muses, and Darry knows unlike in the past, this wasn’t one of their old fights. Hell, he wasn’t ever really mad at them in the first place, they were all just mad at the world. 

“I’m sorry Darry,” Ponyboy mumbles. 

“I know, I’m sorry too. I know you’re sad, but I still gotta look after you Pone,” Darry replies, giving him a little affectionate shake. There’s another moment of silence before Soda is pushing himself to his feet, wobbling a bit like a newborn colt. 

“Alright, Darry’s right, with all that crying we all need to eat.” This gets them all to chuckle halfheartedly, but the growls of their stomachs in quick succession has them all moving to return to dinner. Darry grabs the empty plate on the coffee table and grabs another slice of pizza, returning back to Ponyboy with a soft smile. Ponyboy mumbles a thanks, and wordlessly moves over on the couch, looking at Darry expectantly. He nods and goes to retrieve his own dinner before he returns, sitting between his brothers. And for that moment, they’ve got each other, and that is enough for him.

Notes:

I had SERIOUS writers block for a couple days, but saw one tiktok of a girl making a post about her mom who passed and it got me so good I proceeded to write this chapter in one go. It hurt so bad, but it was really fun to dig into the trauma that the boys experienced. It's so whack that their parents had died only 8 months before the book. My timeline isn't super rigid so don't ask me my dates exactly in my head, but I guess we've given Darry a summer birthday lol.

I promise I will be writing a happier chapter next, I need it lmao.

I hope y'all enjoyed it, to be honest I am pretty proud of this one!

Chapter 15: Chap 15

Summary:

Darry has his 21st Birthday and is starting to figure out his love language is acts of service

Notes:

I would like to say for the Curtis bros when it comes to their top love language because I think it's different for each of them.

Darry: acts of service
Soda: physical touch
Ponyboy: words of affirmation

This just makes sense off of vibes for me.

Life goes on, and Darry feels like he’s fallen into a rut for the last week. Get up, work, get home, eat dinner, sit with his brothers and the gang, go to bed. If it’s a good day, call Betty before bed. He didn’t even remember it was his birthday today until he’d hung up the phone with her last night and was literally turning over onto his side to fall asleep.

Last year his birthday and the lead up to it was a disaster, given it was only a week after the accident. He was so overstressed and angry and tired. His brothers were falling apart, and the gang was just doing their best to try and keep them all afloat somehow.

That night before Two Bit and Dally had produced a bottle of vodka from God knows where as they all were sitting in the living room, and Darry was too angry and tired to say no. He just wanted to feel numb, to feel a break in the overwhelming grief that continued to choke him every hour since their parents died. The three of them started drinking, and Darry knew he went too hard right out the gate. It wasn’t until three shots in that he spotted Ponyboy, Soda, Steve and Johnny pouring themselves their own shots. Ponyboy was only a few months into being thirteen, and Darry knew, even in his rapidly drunken state, that he should have taken that shit from the kid immediately. Really, he shouldn't have let any of those four have one taste of alcohol, they were all too young. But he was angry, and he didn’t want to have to be the adult, so he let them all take two shots before he cut them off. Misery loves company. The rest of the night was spent in a haze, but he remembers that Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two Bit all threw up at some point throughout the evening. The morning of his twentieth birthday was spent with the gang laying around the house, nursing their varying degrees of hangover, and Darry was pretty down on himself. He felt like he’d failed his brothers horribly as he was stuck trying to look after their pitiful states for most of the day. 

Still, they all managed to choke down some rotisserie chicken by the time dinner rolled around, at least knowing there was a cake waiting in the fridge. They were all too tired and hungover to remember the birthday cake at the time, and it wasn’t until Darry was up at 3 am, overwhelmed with nausea that he even remembered it. He remembers he barely made it to the toilet in time, and he’d almost tripped over Dally, who was laying on the bathroom floor. Soda was half asleep in the bathtub. When he sat back on his heels and wiped his mouth after puking his guts out their groans of sympathy told him exactly what they were doing in here moments before him.  

“I think it’s food poisoning,” Soda had moaned, looking like death warmed over.  

“It’s just a hangover-” Darry tried to insist weakly, but then Johnny was tripping over him and they had to scramble to let him make it to the toilet before he started throwing up as well. 

“It’s not a hangover,” Dally had snapped from where his face was pressed into the tile floor, evidently trying to cool himself off. “I know what a hangover feels like.”

“Yes it is-” There was a distinct sound of feet on carpet, and Two Bit appeared, actually knocking into Dally’s back with his feet as he threw up into the sink. Within the next hour Steve and Ponyboy had joined their ranks, and Darry has never been quite so miserable as when he finally stopped puking for a moment to look over and see both his brothers retching into the bathtub, and he realized that it was indeed not a hangover. 

When they all finally recovered after several miserable hours, they had his entire cake leftover, which kicked off their little routine of eating chocolate cake as breakfast. It was one of the only things they could manage to force themselves to eat for a while after that, Ponyboy especially.

This year he doesn’t really know what to feel as he drives home from work, feeling tired and relieved that at least he has tomorrow off. He guesses his big celebration will be treating himself to a couple extra hours of much needed sleep. He definitely feels older, but honestly he thinks there’s been many times he’s felt like he aged ten years since his last birthday. He’s really twenty one now, and he doesn’t know what to think. He doesn’t have his folks around to buy him his first drink or something. He honestly decided last night he just wasn’t going to bring it up at all. While they’re doing better financially in the last few weeks, he doesn’t want his brothers or the gang feeling like they gotta use their extra spending money on getting him something. 

He had an early start on site today, so he had gotten up for work way before his brothers were even stirring, leaving them to depend on an alarm clock for today’s wake up call. He’d at least been lucky that work had gone smoothly, and he hadn’t had any big issues he had to deal with. As he parks in the driveway, he feels his heart skip a beat, and he guesses his luck for the day musta ran out. He is climbing out of his car faster than necessary at the sight of Ponyboy and Soda on the front porch, talking to their social worker, Barbara. She’s got on a garishly yellow dress that honestly hurts Darry’s eyes. She’s always wearing some offensively bright color and has her hair perfectly pinned at all times. She always looks at them as if they’re a pack of stray dogs. Two Bit had quickly nicknamed her Barbara the Bitch, and Darry felt it was accurate enough that the name stuck around the house ever since.

He feels himself beginning to panic as he makes his way to them, his protective instincts setting off every warning bell in his head all at once. He knows she didn’t call first; She always calls before she comes to do a check on them, to make sure all three of them are home when she comes around. He doesn’t even have time to work himself up more because he’s walking up the porch. He makes a very specific choice to subtly put himself in between her and his brothers, and if he’s using his tall form to intimidate her a bit, no one can say anything. 

“Hello Barbara,” Darry begins, trying to keep the absolute desperation out of his voice as he spares his brothers a quick glance. They don’t seem too shook up, which at least takes the edge off his nerves a tiny bit.

“Hello Darrel, I apologize for the visit without my normal call first.” She says, in her stupid false chirpy voice she always uses. Darry remembers wanting to scream at her to just talk normal when she used that voice to explain what it means to become the boys’ guardian like he was stupid. You should be sorry, Darry thinks bitterly. But he can’t be petty, he has to be an adult and play nice. 

“It’s no problem, hope I didn’t keep ya waiting too long?” He asks, gritting his teeth as he crosses his arms in an effort to hide the way his hands are starting to shake. He always hates when she visits. She talks the whole time, and she snoops through their whole house in a way that makes Darry think she’s purposefully trying to split them up by finding evidence of something to deem him an unfit guardian. He always sees the way her nose wrinkles at their house even if she tries to hide it. 

“Oh no, I just got here. This is an informal visit! I was just stopping by to check on you boys, I know it’s been about a year since the accident.” He has to work to keep the eyeroll to himself, it all sounds like a load of total bullshit. She doesn’t give a damn about how they’re really doing.

“Thank you ma’am,” Soda says, giving one of his best smiles, and Darry has to resist the urge to smack the woman’s hand when she literally pinches Soda's cheek near his dimple. 

“We’re doing just fine,” Darry reassures. Now, can she please just get the fuck off of his porch? He adds on mentally.

“I can see that,” Barbara says, giving him some condescending laugh or something that makes him bristle. “I also wanted to come and wish you a happy birthday! Twenty one is a big one! I left a little card from me with your brothers!” She chirps, completely oblivious to Darry’s devastation at the mention of his birthday. He can’t even look at his brothers, he swears if Barbara made them feel guilty about his birthday he’s gonna lose his mind. Can’t she just have kept her stupid mouth shut?

“Thank you,” he manages to bite out. “That is… thoughtful of you.”

“Well, I won’t keep you boys any longer, but keep an ear out for my next call!” Barbara says, giving them each a pat on the shoulder before she’s teetering off their porch humming as if she isn’t the very bane of Darry’s existence. The second her car door closes he turns to his brothers, but pointedly doesn’t look at their faces, 

“C’mon, inside,” he urges, feeling like his heart is beating hard in his chest as if he’s at halftime of a football game and their team is losing. Soda and Pony both open their mouths, but he just pulls open the door and is ushering them inside like a distressed mother hen fleeing an approaching fox. He backs in the door, closing it firmly, and then in a foreign action, he locks it with a shaky breath. 

“Darry, why-” Soda says at the click of the lock. 

“Give me about five minutes to make sure I’m not having a heart attack before we talk, please,” Darry sighs, turning around and pressing his hands into his eyes in an attempt to ground himself. He is so busy trying to come off the adrenaline high of the surprise appearance he can’t even start to think about what he’s gonna say about his birthday to the boys. 

“Fuckin bitch,” Dally grumbles as they hear her car pulling out onto the street, and based on the sound of his voice he must be somewhere on the couch. That at least gets Darry to let out a weak chuckle. God he really doesn’t want to talk about his stupid birthday.
“Dar do you wanna sit down?” Two Bit’s voice asks, his voice is a bit closer to him than Dally’s. 

“I’m fine,” Darry brushes off. He’s leaning against the door with his whole body weight as if he needs to barricade it in case Barbara comes back and tries to barrel through it. 

“We didn’t know she was coming,” Ponyboy explains, and Darry nods. He lets himself take ten seconds to just take in a breath. 

“I know. I don’t know why she didn’t just call ,” he hisses out. 

“Hey Darry, I know you're uh having a moment or whatever but I’m kinda worried Johnny's arms are getting tired?” Soda says. He finally pulls his hands from his eyes, rubbing them a bit as he takes in the flash of colors that dance across his vision for a couple moments. 

“What’s wrong, Johnnycake?” Darry asks, already moving into fix it mode, as the entire gang is staring at him.  Johnny stands in the open space between the kitchen and the living room, holding an oversized sheet cake on a large pan with a small grin.

“Happy Birthday!” Soda says as an explanation, waving his hands in some weird motion that only his brother could come up with and Darry blinks in surprise. The gang's all lounged about, looking at him with grins of varying sizes as he takes stares right back. 

“It’s red velvet with that cream cheese frosting, Johnny and I worked on it! I know that’s one of your favorites.” Ponyboy says proudly, gesturing to the cake. It’s a simple flat sheet cake, and the frosting is messy as hell and Darry has to actively stop himself from tearing up at the sight of the thing. He watches as Soda helps Johnny get the cake settled on the kitchen table. 

“You didn’t need-”

“Course we did!” Steve interrupts, waving his beer at him in dismissal. 

“You didn’t even help us bake!” Ponyboy retorts, but he seems amused more than anything when Steve flips him off good naturedly. 

“I was the chauffeur for the ‘very special delivery’” Steve retorts right back. Darry’s about to ask them what the hell that means when there’s a loud popping noise that makes them all turn to the kitchen in sync. 

“Aw shit- I mean- shoot!” Darry feels like he’s losing it a bit. “I swear last time I opened one of these I did it quietly!” 

“Didja shake it before ya opened it?” Two Bit laughs, and Darry is just a bit dumbstruck when Betty appears from the kitchen, where she musta been hiding in the corner where he couldn’t see her. She’s got on a pair of higher waisted baby blue shorts and a white blouse, looking somehow very comfortable amongst the group of guys. She’s weidling a wine bottle with a triumphant look of satisfaction on her face and she holds it up proudly. 

“If I did that it would’ve gone everywhere and it would’ve wasted perfectly good champagne!” She laughs, and then she’s looking at him. “Surprise!” She says with a grin, and he’s really not sure what to do. He hasn’t seen her in person since their date, and right now he’s just trying to wrap his head around everything happening that he just sorta stands there. He can practically feel the way Dally is about to say something to tease him. 

“You want a glass of champagne now or after a shower? Your brothers said you might wanna do that when you got home!” She offers, somehow picking up on the fact that his head's still spinning. 

“Wait Darry actually can you go shower first, I uhh was supposed to blow up some balloons,” Soda laughs. 

“What the hell were you doing the whole time I was picking her up then?” Steve asks, giving his best friend a look of confusion.  

“He was stealing our icing!” Ponyboy replies, looking a bit defensive of his cake, eyeing them all warily as if they’re gonna try to eat it at any second. 

“No seriously Darry, go shower I need like five minutes to-”

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” he says, and his feet at least seem to move in the direction they’re supposed to. A shower does sound like a good first step.

“I put clean clothes in the bathroom for ya!” Soda adds, and Darry snorts at the fact that Soda somehow remembered to do this, but forgot his other tasks in lieu of sweets.

---

When he comes back to the living room the guys are more or less in similar spots to where he left them. A glance into the kitchen shows Soda and Johnny working on dinner of some sort, and Betty is washing something in the sink. He immediately makes a beeline for her, wondering why the hell she’s doing dishes as a guest in their house. 

“Cool your jets, sugar. I’m just cleaning off a spatula,” she reassures, as she catches sight of him, holding it up as evidence as she grabs a dish towel and is drying the thing off. He stops in his tracks and she sets the thing down and grabs two glasses from the counter before she closes the gap between them and holds one out towards him. 

“Your first legal drink, only fitting for it to be some champagne,” she says with a smile, pressing the glass into his hand. He swallows, 

“You shouldn’t of done anyth-” She shuts him up with a single raised brow, and that gets her to smile as she holds up her own glass in question and waits for him to cheers her before they both take a sip of the drink. Darry can count on one hand the amount of times he’s tried champagne. His folks let him have a glass on New Year's Eve once he got a bit older, and he’d always liked it a lot. But he parents would always tell him champagne is served best with a special occasion. He makes a noise of approval as he sips it slowly, savoring the way the drink feels on his taste buds. 

“Happy Birthday,” she says softly. 

“Thank you,” He manages to choke out, though he doesn’t feel those two words even begin to cover how much this all means to him. 

“We’re making homemade spaghetti and meatballs!” Soda explains from his current post at the stove. The recipe comes from mom’s family, it’s one of Darry’s favorites. He hasn’t had it in a long time, mostly they just make do with jarred sauce and frozen meatballs when they crave spaghetti these days. 

“Would anyone else like some?” Betty offers, glancing around the space. He knows Two Bit, Steve, and Dally have all opted for beers. Johnny politely declines, but Soda voices a yes, and Betty steps away from him to give his brother a glass himself. Darry feels awkward hovering in the kitchen, so he goes for his chair, his feet thank him immediately as he sits. Ponyboy moves out of the kitchen, clearly deciding that his masterpiece is safe for the time being and takes a seat on the floor, leaning against Darry’s legs as a backrest. Betty tops up her glass before she’s moving towards the living room. The other three guys are taking up the entire couch. 

“Dally you move to the floor,” Darry says, giving them all a look of exasperation when they seemed to just watch her glance around looking for a spot. 

“I’m not movin,” Dally grumbles, giving Darry some indecipherable look, “Why can’t she just sit with you? Chair’s huge anyways.” 

“I’m plenty fine standing,” Betty replies, shrugging off Dally’s bluntness calmly. Darry realizes exactly what Dallas is trying to do in that moment, and he can feel his face heating up. Now it’s a challenge to see if Darry’ll chicken out. 

“There’s plenty of space,” Darry agrees, and Dally’s cat-like grin widens. Betty must notice the way Dally’s grinning because she gives Darry a glance, and quirks the corner of her mouth. 

They somehow do that thing where they’re conversing with looks for a moment before she strides over to the chair handing him her glass and settles in beside him. By the time she seems comfortable, she’s wrapped one of his arms around her waist. He can feel all the guys staring at them, so he keeps his eyes on her face. She gives him a look that tells him she knows exactly what Dally was trying to do, and she has a mischievous glint in her eyes. She finally looks away and plucks the glass back from his offered hand. 

“Thank you.”

“Is it any good?” Ponyboy asks, eyeing the glass curiously from the floor. 

“Champagne is one of my favorites. I love sparkling wines,” Betty replies, “But it just depends on your preference I guess.”

“Is it like pop?” Ponyboy presses, and Darry can see the way his eyes are lighting up. Guess the hangover from last year didn’t traumatize him too bad in the end. He’s eyeing their drinks like it's some sort of dessert being dangled before him. 

“Hm, I dunno,” Betty replies, looking genuinely thoughtful at the question. 

“Not really,” Darry concludes. It doesn’t have the sugary taste like pop does. 

“Can I try?” Ponyboy asks hopefully, doing his best puppy eyes he learned from Soda many years ago. Darry knows he should say no, but he’s pretty sure Ponyboy will hate it anyways, so one sip won’t kill him. His resignation must show because before he can grab his glass Betty subtly presses her leg against his and offers her glass to Ponyboy. 

“Go ahead sugar,” she says with a shrug. Darry is kinda shocked that she’s just immediately willing to let his kid brother have a sip of her drink. He knows their little gang is real rough around the edges, and can be pretty intimidating, especially for girls. But if she’s nervous, she’s real good at masking it. Ponyboy takes the offered drink and gives Darry a questioning look, and he’s pretty pleased the kid still looked to him for some semblance of permission as he gives him a nod as well. They realize their fatal mistake too late when Ponyboy takes a huge swig of the drink. Before Darry can even say anything the kid is coughing in surprise and barely stops himself from spitting the mouthful out.

“Oh Lordy! I forgot to tell ya just to sip it!” Betty starts laughing, as Ponyboy hastily hands her the glass back. 

“That’s terrible!” Ponyboy sputters as he manages to get the drink down, looking at them both in abject horror that they’re willing to drink this at all. 

“Well, at least he ain’t getting some expensive taste for alcohol,” Soda muses as he walks from the kitchen offering Ponyboy a dishrag for where a dribble of the drink drips down his chin. 

“That was mean!” Ponyboy accuses them. 

“You asked to try it. You didn’t see none of us chugging it,” Darry says with a shrug. Ponyboy huffs at this, knowing Darry has a point with that. 

“You okay Ponyboy?” Betty asks, watching him with a knowing smile as she sips on her champagne, clearly trying to keep her amusement tempered. 

“Yeah, I guess,” he grumbles, “Beer tasted better than that stuff.”

“Well hell kid, go get one to wash the taste out then,” Two Bit jokes. Ponyboy lights up, and Darry does actually groan this time. 

“Two Bit, he’s fourteen!” 

“Darry! Please?” Ponyboy asks, looking delighted by the suggestion. Darry does remember on special occasions his dad had let him have a beer every once in a blue moon when he was fourteen, so he sighs. 

“Only one, ya hear me? And I don’t wanna hear nothing about a headache-”

“I won’t promise.”

“Yeah cause he’s just gonna tell me all about it!” Soda laughs, but he doesn’t seem really bothered as Ponyboy retrieves a bottle. Soda even takes the top off for him. “Alright, this sauce needs to simmer for a half hour, but we should be ready after that,” Soda announces as the three of them come back from the kitchen, all taking random places on the floor of the living room. 

“Hey Pony, turn on the tv wouldya, wanna see if Mickey’s on!” Two Bit dictates from the couch, as Ponyboy is sat closest to the television. The gang starts talking as Ponyboy’s messing with the tv, which finally gets all the attention off of Darry. 

“How are you?” Betty asks, shifting against him as she turns to look up at his face. He swallows. He doesn’t really know where to start, this birthday has brought with it a lot of complex feelings, and he’s not sure he even understands the depth of them yet. Her voice lowered, “Soda told me about your birthday last year, and what happened before.” He knows what she’s getting at, and he grimaces a bit. 

“Well this one seems to be going a bit better so far,” he murmurs, and at least that much is true. She snorts quietly, and he feels a hand come to rest on his thigh above his knee. She starts rubbing gently with her thumb, 

“I’ve made it my mission to keep it that way,” she says firmly, and he catches the way she’s staring at him with those determined eyes. He can't help but smile softly, as tired as he is, he’s still in shock the guys managed to pull this all together. 

“You just gotta mess with the antennae Ponyboy!” Steve instructs from the couch, and Ponyboy gripes about God knows what, Darry doesn’t really care enough to listen, he’s too busy looking at Betty. Her gaze flicks towards the rest of the gang, who are all much too preoccupied, and then he feels her hand snake up to his cheek before she’s kissing him. It’s not exactly a simple peck, but they both avoid lingering for too long, lest some wayward eyes turn their way and start making a fuss. Once they pull apart she gives him a smirk as she sips her champagne again, looking completely innocent as the guys seem to let out a cheer as the tv seems to start working again after Ponyboy and Johnny messed with it. 

“This what your evenings look like a lot?” Betty asks, and he tries to suppress his blush as she moves closer, leaning against him pulling his arm tighter around her. 

“Pretty much,” he snorts. Pip decides to use this moment to jump on Dally at the sight of a squirrel on the porch. 

“Fuck!” Dally yelps as the dog uses him as a springboard, howling at the thing as he launches towards the back of the couch. The bays of a hound dog are enough to scare the squirrel off, but Pip seems content to now remain on the couch and uses his oversized limbs to climb over Dally and Twobit before settling down on top of them. “Get the mutt off me!” Dally complains, but Darry knows if Dally really was bothered he would’ve moved the dog off himself. 

“Hell, imagine him using that bark against some socs,” Steve says with a wild grin. Darry had thought Steve would’ve abandoned his aspirations of turning Pip into a bit of a guard dog, but Dally brightens at this immediately. 

“Good boy.” Dally encourages with a firm pat, of course that would warm him back up to the dog immediately. 

---

He eats enough dinner and cake that his stomach is full in a way that makes him want to curl up and sleep. Based on the way everyone else looks lounging around with their empty plates, he’s not alone. When Betty stands up from the chair he has to stop himself trying to hold her close on reflex. He knows she’s probably just getting water or something. He gets drawn in by the television for a second and doesn’t even notice what she’s doing until he hears the clatter of plates and he sees her collecting up dishes and slipping into the kitchen. 

“Sit down,” Darry instructs, pushing to his feet immediately. 

“I’m just gonna do some dishes,” Betty replies, glancing over her shoulder. 

“Uh-uh, you’re a guest,” he insists, gathering some of the remaining plates and trudging into the kitchen. 

“And I got a lovely dinner and dessert that I did not have to make,” Betty continues, turning the taps of their kitchen sink. 

“I’m serious,” he huffs, coming beside her and she gives him a challenging look, stubborn, sorta like the ones he and Ponyboy will give each other at times. 

“Go relax. I’m perfectly fine, I’m always the dishwasher at home!” She reassures, and she tries to take the plate he’s holding. He won’t let it go. 

“I ain’t having you-”

“Well I’m doing it anyways,” she replies with a shrug, releasing the plate he was playing tug of war with her over and she plucks up another one from the countertop. She turns her back to him and he spares a quick glance to the living room, he knows the sink is out of their view, but the boys are none the wiser. He sighs and comes up behind her, she’s short enough he can see over the top of her head as she uses a sponge to clean the first plate in the sudsy water. His arms reach around her, bracketing her in against the lip of the sink and she starts laughing. 

“You’re stubborn, you know that?” she asks as she moves to place the plate in the other side of the sink, where she rinses it off under the stream from the faucet. 

“Me?” he grumbles, he swears he’s looking at stubborn right now as he’s trying to grab the sponge from her as she tries to avoid his efforts. 

“You know it would be faster if you were drying them,” she says, turning her head so she can look at him. He makes a face, knowing she’s right, and hell he really should not be so attracted to someone for simply doing a simple household chore for him. She pecks him on the cheek,

“C’mon, I hate drying them,” she nudges, and he sighs, knowing he’s not gonna get her to go sit back down. He steps back, mourning the loss of contact, but he sidles up next to her, probably standing closer than necessary in order to maintain as much physical contact has he can before he’s grabbing a dish towel and getting to work. They do make quick work of the dishes this way, and he’s actually surprised when she doesn’t have anything else to hand him. He really should take a step back and figure out why he’s feeling so turned on right now, but he decides since it’s his birthday to be a little indulgent. She dries her hands off, and turns to him with a self satisfied smirk, and he knows she’s about to tell him something along the lines of I told you so. He sets the towel down, places a hand on each side of her waist, and lifts her up easily before she can start talking, moving her so she’s sitting on the edge of the counter. Her face is much more level with his this way, and he doesn’t have to bend over as much, and this time he plans on kissing her with intent that they’re gonna be there for a good long while. She seems to catch his drift, and she snakes a hand around to the nape of his neck, moving her face closer to his. 

“Happy birthday,” she whispers softly over the noises of the guys goofing off and the sounds of the tv. He smiles as he leans in to kiss her, and he catches a whiff of strawberry chapstick as her lips press against his own. They may not have seen each other since that night of their date, but it seems she remembers their goodbye that evening because she’s caught on quickly and it turns into a makeout session easily. At some point she tugs him closer via the nape of his neck and he responds automatically by placing a hand at the small of her back and pulling her more flush against him. He feels her hook her ankles around the backs of his legs, and he makes a low noise in the back of his throat as she seems to experimentally tug on some hair at the nape of his neck. He knows he can’t let it get any further with them being in the kitchen, not to mention this is only their second date if his birthday even counts as a date. And he definitely needs to wrap this up before he gets himself a little too worked up, but it’s almost impossible to pull away from her. They do eventually break apart for air, and he’s resting his forehead against hers when he notices her eyes widen as they flicker somewhere over his shoulder. He turns enough to get the glimpse of Johnny, who is getting water from the fridge. His entire demeanor gives nothing away, but his eyes are widened just enough, like a deer in headlights, that Darry knows he’s approximately half a second away from squealing on them. Betty beats him to it and slowly holds a finger up to her lips in a silent shhh, before she winks. Johnny pauses for a split second, glancing at each of them before he winks back, and grabs the water, walking back to the living room with no indication that he saw a thing. Betty starts letting out little huffs of laughter, and when he turns back he can’t help but roll his eyes.

“At least it wasn’t Dallas,” she whispers, sending herself into another fit of giggles. He lets out an almost inaudible snort and then he’s helping her off the counter. “Wanna drive me home, sugar?” she asks softly. He softens at this, realizing she’s come up with a way for them to have a bit more privacy. He nods and then she’s walking into the living room, acting completely normal and not at all like she was just making out with him less than a minute ago. 

“I’m gonna have Darry drive me home! Thanks so much for including me boys!” She says, giving them all a wave. They all give her their various goodbyes and Darry grabs his car keys. 

“Be back by midnight young man!” Soda teases as he’s wrestling his shoes on. He knows Soda's just getting his revenge for when Darry had to get on him when he was still dating Sandy. God she was so mean, he's pretty sure everyone except Soda was about to throw a party when he finally broke up with her. He's in a good enough mood he just shakes his head affectionately at the fake threat, and follows Betty out the front door.

Notes:

Johnny has now officially caught every member of the gang except Ponyboy when they're up to less than PG activities.
Poor Johnny is very good at moving around quietly, and he unfortunately has stumbled upon all the guys. He uses this for blackmail when he needs to. 😂
When he and Pony found Soda and Sandy at the house, Johnny put two and two together immediately (Soda was barely dressed) but Ponyboy was oblivious to it somehow. Let's just say Soda has to bribe Johnny with some free candy from the DX every day for a whole month to not tell Darry he'd skipped school to fool around.

Please talk to me in the comments, I have a bunch of extra time since I have an exam on Friday and I'm BORED

Chapter 16: Chap 16

Summary:

Both literal and metaphorical stormy weather arises at the Curtis house

Notes:

I experienced my first real big tornado warning here in the midwest the other day since I moved here for school a couple years ago, so I of course had to write some stuff about it since Tulsa is right in tornado alley.. As a kid who lived near the mountains, I was much more concerned that being trapped in a tornado was going to be a much bigger problem for me in life than it is lol.

Also dropping my tumblr if anyone wants to chat there! @fangirl-docintraining

Darry doesn’t expect to see Betty again only three days after his birthday. 

The sun had been beating down on them all afternoon until about an hour ago, when some unassuming clouds rolled in and gave Darry a much needed reprieve. He loves summer for all the extra work they get, but the heat gets old quickly. He’d been keeping an eye on the sky, the radio had been talking about a tornado this morning, but unfortunately the weather can change rapidly, so the fact that there are no signs now means nothing in the long run. The plan was to go until 7pm today, using some of the extra daylight to finish out this project in the next couple days. But Darry’s watch is only reading 5:30pm when Greg pulls up to their site in his pickup. Darry isn’t currently on the roof, so he jogs over to Greg furrowing his brow a bit at the surprise. 

“Hey kid, coming to send everyone home for the day. Radio’s predicting a big storm in the next couple hours and I wanna make sure everyones got plenty of time to get back home before any of it rolls in.” Darry glances up at the sky, it really looks fine, he can’t imagine an actual tornado rolling in that quickly, but he ain’t gonna argue with his boss. It takes them maybe another fifteen minutes to get everything sorted before he’s in his car ready to drive home; the drive back itself is a longer one, about thirty five minutes. By the time he’s rolling down their street the sky has darkened dramatically, he’d watched the thick dark clouds roll in from seemingly nowhere over the course of the ride home. Still, it only looks like the makings of a big thunderstorm right now, but he knows that’s a recipe for a tornado this time of year. The humidity in the air feels thick against his sweaty skin, the a/c in his truck can’t work hard enough to fight it off. A few stray raindrops hit the windshield as he pulls into their driveway where he’s greeted by Two Bit,  who’s saluting him as he saunters over towards his own home across the street. Darry figures he’s going to be with his mom and sister in case the storm turns out to be nasty. When he’s on the porch he turns to see Soda, Steve, and Dally climbing out of Steve’s car, all coming up on his tail. 

“You get sent home ‘cause of the storm Dar?” Soda asks, sounding surprised. 

“Yeah, but I don’t see it actually turning into a twister. Seems like it’ll be fine.” Darry reassures. Even if it does, they of course like any other house here have a tornado shelter, which Darry thankfully cleaned out about a month ago and restocked everything. The next half hour is spent with them taking showers and winding down after work, and it isn’t until Darry is out of the shower he starts to get nervous. 

“Hey, where’s Pony and Johnny, man?” Dally asks from his current perch on the couch. 

“Are they not in Pony’s room?” Darry asks, turning on his heel in the kitchen. 

“No, I looked while y’all were getting clean after work and shit, they aren’t here.” Darry feels his stomach roll at this. He’d just assumed Pony and Johnny would be home, though he knows technically curfew is midnight. He crosses his arms, feeling a bit nervous. 

“Soda!” He hollers, knowing his brother is currently in the shower. 

“Yeah?” Soda asks, interrupting his conversation with Steve, who is currently shaving in the mirror for some reason. Why he didn’t shave before work is a mystery. 

“Pony tell you when he and Johnny would be home tonight?”

“They ain’t here?” Soda asks, sounding genuinely confused. 

“No,” Darry replies, and he feels like pacing. Where the hell would they even go. 

“They didn’t mention anything this morning before we left,” Steve adds, which only makes Darry more stressed. He can’t even begin to figure out where they could be then, could be anywhere in town. 

“I’m sure it’s fine Dar,” Soda says, voice clearer as the water is turned off. 

“I dunno man, sky looks a bit off,” Dally observes from where he’s sitting on the back of the couch, face close to the window as he peers through the blinds. Not helpful to my nerves, Darry thinks.

“I don’t like it,” Darry grumbles. 

Over the next fifteen minutes it only gets darker, and if he didn’t know it was clouds, Darry would think the sun was almost set with how little light they have left. He’d manage to try and act less worried by staring at the newspaper, but the second he hears a clap of thunder he drops the thing in his lap. 

“Okay, it’s gonna be fine, they know to get back here if the storm’s looking bad,” Soda tries to reason, but Darry can see the way his eyes widen as he peeks out the window with the other two. 

“I’m gonna go wait for ‘em on the porch,” Darry grumbles. “If the sirens go off we’re going to the shelter. So get stuff ready if there’s shit you want to have with you in there.” 

“Meh, the sirens ain’t gonna go off, it’s barely sprinkling,” Steve adds, but the three of them are all lounging over the back of the couch, watching through the window as if it’s television. Darry doesn’t reply and opts for trudging out onto the porch, leaning against the banister as he watches the raindrops splatter on the pavement. He stays under the cover of the porch for at least another quarter of an hour, and he really doesn’t like the color the horizon’s turning. Green sky doesn’t always mean tornado, it can mean just a lot of water in the clouds, but more often than not, a tornado usually follows. He’s really working himself up into a true panic as the drizzle turns into a steady rain and the wind is making it so the rain blows in every which direction. He is about to march inside to tell Soda to call someone when a car pulls up, and he feels himself physically deflate when Ponyboy and Johnny hop from this car, running through the rain, and Betty is hot on their tails. All three of them slow to a stop once they’re under the porch covering and Darry feels like he’s gonna burst a blood vessel from how much he’s been worrying. 

“Where the hell have you two been? They’ve been talking about a tornado all afternoon!” Darry snaps, and he knows he shouldn’t fuss at them because he’s worried, but he’s too worked up to hold back. 

“We just walked to the library, we didn’t think that it was gonna be that bad,” Ponyboy says, looking at him a bit distrustfully, they haven’t gotten to full blown argument territory, but they both know they’re on the edge of it. Darry knows that he was thinking the same thing and it’s unfair to get mad at Pony for that, but he’s just so shaken up he still is upset anyways. 

“It’s not safe to be out in this rain, hell it’s gonna get to the point where people can barely see driving! Cars wouldn’t see ya-”

“I’m sorry! But we didn’t walk back! We went to the hospital ‘cause it’s just down the road. We were gonna use the phone and call someone to come get us!” Ponyboy replies, and Darry softens at this. At least Pony used his head in that aspect.

“That true?” Darry asks, wondering if Ponyboy is just trying to cover their asses.

“Yeah,” Johnny nods. 

“We ran into each other in the lobby, I was just leaving from my shift,” Betty adds, “I told ‘em not to worry about trying to get a hold of someone. I was happy to drive ‘em home!” He feels another flare of protective anger rush through him at the thought of these three driving in this weather. 

“You two go inside and get dried off. If the sirens go we’re going to the shelter, so get anything you need.” Darry says to Pony and Johnny, who nod and slip inside without argument. He waits for a moment before he turns back to Betty. 

“Well I better drive home before the rain keeps comin’ and floods the roads or something,” Betty says, laughing as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. He frowns even more, what the hell is she thinking? It’s turned into a full on monsoon, has this girl never seen the lead up to a tornado before?

“What are you thinkin?” He blurts out, genuinely too worried to keep a lid on his emotions. He realizes that was a bit aggressive because her face changes instantly, as does her body language. 

“What?” She asks, eyes narrowing as she crosses her arms.

“Ain’t no way you’re driving in this!” He presses. Can’t she see it’s not safe? Are they seeing the same storm right now?

“It’s a thunderstorm!” She exclaims, gesturing at the rain as if he’s clueless, and her brows are pinching together in a way he hasn’t seen her do before. He can tell she’s getting riled up, but he doesn’t understand why. 

“Come get inside,” Darry says, moving to grab the screen door and usher her in. Usually something like this works to diffuse stuff with Pony, and he at least wants to get them both off the porch if it continues to get worse. 

“Excuse me?” She asks, and he blinks at her, not understanding why she isn’t doing what he says. It feels like a rattlesnake with its rattle going, but he can’t figure out what’s upsetting her. 

“Inside-” He repeats, feeling all of his patience has run out. 

“And where exactly did you get the idea that you’re the boss of me?” She says in an eerily calm tone, eyes fiery with a challenge as she actually takes a step back. 

“What?” He blinks, how the hell did this turn into that?

“You don’t get to bark at me and tell me to get inside like a dog!” She snaps, stepping backwards as he moves closer to her. 

“How was I-”

“I’m going home!” She takes another step, and she’s one inch away from stepping out into the rain. “The nerve of you, just bossing me around! Who gave you the right?” She scoffs, looking genuinely angry at him. 

“I’m your boyfriend!” He’s yelling, and he’s too caught up in trying to figure out why she’s decided to have at him to wonder if they ever actually even agreed on that. 

“So?! That means just because you’re the man you get to-”

“Yes!” He sputters, still not understanding what she’s even going on about. Everything escalated so fast he is just trying not to stammer. 

“Oh wrong answer sweetheart!” And Christ, her voice manages to carry just fine as she yells at him over the downpour and he watches as she steps down the first step into the rain. That at least gets him moving, and he’s stepping around her into the rain himself, blocking her path to the car. The rain is drenching him almost immediately, and he can feel the way his wet clothes are about to plaster themselves to his skin. The longer strands of his hair are becoming flat against his forehead. 

“Don’t you dare try to stop me,” she threatens, though she’s only shifting a bit and isn’t trying very hard to get around him. 

“Why won’t you just listen?” He asks, exasperated. Even in this rain she looks beautiful, her hair is wet and flat, a wayward strand stuck to her cheek. Her cheeks are filled with a rosy flush as the result of her anger, and her white nurse’s dress is already about to be soaked to the bone. 

“I don’t care who you are, a man doesn’t get to boss me around!” She snaps, and he cannot fathom how he’s managed to piss her off this badly. He’s pretty pissed himself, he’s never had a girl fight with him like this. 

“Stubborn woman,” he grumbles, unable to bite back the comment. He knows this particular choice only shot him in the foot, and he swears she actually sputters at him for a moment, and he knows all he did was rile her up more. He really wishes she wasn’t about two seconds from biting his head off because she looks real pretty mad, and he sorta wants to just pick her up and kiss her, but he’s not stupid enough to know she wouldn’t appreciate that choice.. He decides that she’s already pissed enough, so he’s got nothing to lose, “Do I gotta carry you inside?” He threatens, knowing that he’s only making it worse. Hell, he and Ponyboy argued so much they got real good at learning how to push buttons, and he knows that’s what he’s doing now. But he’s mad, and he can’t stop himself. She’s scaring the hell out of him; he’s  worried she’s gonna get herself hurt just cause she’s angry. She actually stomps her foot, letting out a huff of frustration. 

“Don’t you dare-” Her next thought is cut off when the tornado sirens start wailing, and her face falls. They’re loud and Darry has always found them unsettling, he can tell it’s got her attention. He notices her eyes turn from angry to something else real quick. There’s a shared silence between them.

“C’mon, you know we gotta get into the shelter, and I’ll carry you kicking and screaming if I have to. You’re not going to your car!” He exclaims, still absolutely boggled by this entire reunion. They were fine three days ago, and they’d even kissed some more in the car before he’d dropped her home the night of his birthday,and now they’re at a standoff.

“Alright,” she says, and he lets out a genuine sigh of relief, and actually feels his expression soften. She turns on a heel and heads into their house without a word, soaked to the bone. 

“Ponyboy, hold tight to Pip on the leash, we don’t want him running off on the way to the cellar,” Soda instructs as they enter the living room. They guys are all making their way to the back door in the kitchen, which leads to the yard and the entry to the cellar. Darry swears Ponyboy has at least three books on his person, on top of holding Pip on a leash. Johnny looks a bit skittish at all the noise, but he’s carrying a bag filled with god knows what that the guys seemingly threw together. Dally of course opts to bring nothing, and Steve holds only a plate with a mound of tinfoil that Darry quickly recognizes is this week’s cake from the fridge. Soda is ushering them out the door and gives Darry a questioning look as he brings up the rear. Darry doesn’t even dignify it with a response and instead ushers his brother out the door and they’re all in the rain, climbing down through the doors into the shelter. Ponyboy goes to one of the back corners, and Pip is scrambling around unwilling to sit, clearly distressed as he and Johnny sit on either side of the dog, trying to comfort him with soft voices. Darry ushers in Dally and then Steve who’s protecting the cake as if it’s a baby. Soda quickly follows, yelping something about his hair and just having showered. He and Betty make eye contact for a split second and he worries she’s gonna fight him on this too, but she follows Soda without a word and they Darry climbs in after her, tugging the heavy door closed and bolting it with a loud thud. 

“Where’s Two Bit?” Ponyboy asks, his voice quivers a bit. He’s currently the only light source in the space with the flashlight he’s holding. He always gets a little nervous in storms, but he seems okay for the moment. 

“He’s over at his house with his mom and his sister,” Darry reassures, climbing down the last of the stairs, surveying them all in the dim light. 

“Dallas, gimme your light.” Betty’s voice rings out.

“You know all you gotta do is ask for a smoke, baby,” Dally croons from where he lounges on one of the three cots, but as she stands over him he produces the lighter and she takes it with a huff, clearly not in the mood for his antics. She starts lighting the candles that they have placed around the room, and their crew slowly comes more into view as Steve lights up another flashlight from where he lays beside Soda, the cake resting on his chest. Soda digs beneath their cot and finds a battery radio, which he gets switched on and turns the volume low in case they can catch any weather reports, but it is pretty spotty at the moment. Once Betty gets the few candles lit she hands Dally’s lighter back to him without her expected quip. She scans the room for a moment, and her eyes land on the only space for her to sit, which is next to him in the other corner on the last cot. It’s a little further away from the rest of them, but the space itself isn’t huge. There’s a standoff for a moment, 

“Please sit,” Darry sighs, pinching at the bridge of his nose, “It’s gonna be a while.” He waits, unsure if she’s gonna force some of them to move around so she doesn’t have to sit next to him. She sighs and moves towards him sitting with a huff, and wrapping her arms around herself, not looking over at him. The guys are all muttering to each other, and they start falling into conversation. Darry can tell they know the two of them were fighting, hell, they probably heard the whole thing, so they’re giving them as much privacy as they can right now. He tries to think of what he can do that will not piss her off anymore. He moves slowly, pulling one of the blankets out from beneath the cot and unfolding it before carefully wrapping it around her shoulders. He figures he can try to keep her warm considering they’re both drenched. His arm lingers around her shoulder for a moment in question, and she finally looks at him,

“Hands to yourself till I cool off,” she says, her tone is measured, but less angry he thinks. He sighs and lets his arm drop. 

“Thank you for the blanket,” she says after a moment, at least seemingly satisfied in that regard. He at least gives himself some credit for that. He doesn’t know what to say to her, to be truthful, he still doesn’t know exactly what he did wrong. He knows he was telling her what to do, but she’s gotta listen sometimes don’t she? He swears he’s starting to think women might be even more confusing than Ponyboy. He decides his best move is to wait until she gives him some indication that she’s less riled up. The rain and wind have continued to pick up outside, but if it’s a full twister, they’re only just getting started. Thankfully he knows she likes to talk, so she doesn’t make him sit in his thoughts for long. 

“I guess I should start talking huh?” She says softly, and she at least moves a little closer so their legs are pressed against each other. He wonders if she’s just gonna dump him and cut her losses. He hates the thought. 

“You know my dad always got on me for not being obedient to him,” she starts softly, her voice really only loud enough for him to hear over the guys. He nods, she has continued to give more details of her strained relationship with her father slowly the more they talk at night. “I just-” she swallows, “I dunno, I guess when you started telling me what to do, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about those times when I was younger.” Her eyes look glazed over in the candlelight, and he wonders if he’s just imagining it. “I think it just brought me back to that. Feeling like I have no control. Hell, I knew driving in the storm was dangerous, but the way you kept telling me no, trying to make me cave in. I just couldn’t let myself submit, as stupid as that sounds out loud.” 

“I wasn’t trying-”

“I know you weren’t Darry,” She sighs, and he feels so lost in what he’s supposed to say. Don’t girls want a guy to help guide them a bit and make some of the decisions and protect them. “I’m only trying to explain why I reacted that way.”

“I wasn’t trying to control you. But I don’t understand why you got so mad and wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t safe out.” He replies, forcing the words from his mouth, knowing if it were up to him he’d probably just let them stew in silence. He’s trying to at least fix this by talking to her; he knows that’s something he’s been working on with the guys as well.

“It’s not you specifically. It’s just that I’ve been told to be a good girl and listen to the men all my life, and I’m so fucking sick of it Darry. I know you know that. In that moment though, I just couldn’t stop myself I guess. Even if I knew it was unreasonable.” 

“I only wanted you to listen, I wasn’t trying to boss you around or nothing,” he concedes, and he wasn’t. He was just frustrated and at his core, scared. “But it hurt, having you yell at me like that.” He's surprised he actually admits this out loud. She swallows at this, seeming to contemplate it. 

“It felt…” he searches for the word, trying to find a way to make her understand why he kept pushing. 

“Emasculating?” She supplies, and she’s fully looking at him again finally. The word hurts, and it definitely fills him with a lot of shame. He’s struggled with feeling like less of a man a lot since their folks died. He knows times are changing, but he remembers the way guys used to talk about household chores as women’s work and there’s always a lingering sense of shame when he has to mention anything related to that stuff in front of the other guys at work. Not to mention that he knows the whole gang was watching them and he couldn’t get her to listen to him. Made him feel like he wasn’t man enough or something, at least he knows that’s what some of the guys he used to hang out with in high school would’ve said to him. He can’t even bring himself to say anything, but he forces a small nod. She’s silent for a moment.
“I’m sorry Darry,” she says, and the sincerity in her voice actually soothes his frayed nerves. He swallows and nods. “That was not my intention.”

“I wasn’t trying to control you,” he explains, “I just wanted to keep you safe.”

“I know.” she replies, and she sounds more calm, despite the way the wind seems to kick up. “But I am sorry, I took out some of my anger I have about my own past on you and that was very unfair of me.”

The other night she talked about some feminism stuff she’d been reading for a good twenty minutes and how she found it so fascinating given how she grew up. He may not totally understand everything she was talking about as she started explaining the details, but he does know he doesn’t want to be with a girl who just does whatever he says. He wants someone who’s independent, and he knows that sometimes might lead to butting heads. He’s trying though. 

“I’m sorry too.” Those words are always a bit hard for him to say after a fight, but he’s worked hard to make sure he says them these days. They sit in that for a bit, and she leans her head against his arm, and he softens, getting the message that she’s not too mad at him anymore.

“Well, if my blowup didn’t scare ya off from me, I gotta say I’m real thankful,” she whispers, and that at least has him feeling a bit smug and proud of himself. Hell, he sorta feels the same way. If that’s her definition of a bad fight he don’t mind much, Lord knows he understands being stubborn. Maybe his patience is getting a bit better slowly.

“They’re saying a twister touched down!” Soda relays from where he’s listening to the radio. There’s a loud crash of thunder and he finally notices the way she jumps. The sirens start wailing again, and she pulls the blanket a bit tighter around herself. 

“It’s just the storm,” he says, unsure of why she seems to be tensing up. 

“We don’t get tornados in San Antonio,” she says softly. Oh . He’s so used to Oklahoma storm season he doesn’t even remember the first time he experienced a twister. 

“At all?”

“I’ve never been in one before,” she replies shakily. He sees the way she keeps tensing at the sound of the loud thuds from outside, it’s picking up by the minute. He can’t believe she was really threatening to drive in the makings of a tornado just to prove a point. If nothing else he’s gotta hand it to her for stickin’ to her guns, that’s for sure. But he’s so relieved he’s able to have her here during this storm, and he doesn’t have to worry about her. He takes a moment before he adjusts wrapping an arm around her, tucking her to his side. She does melt a bit as he pulls the blanket snugly around her shoulder and gets her situated firmly against him. 

“It’ll be pretty loud for a while here,” he murmurs, and he feels one of her arms snake out from the blanket, wrapping around his torso and holding on to him. “I gotcha,” he reassures.

“Thank you,” she says softly. 

“Y’all done fighting or whatever?” Dally asks, looking over at them, squinting a bit in the candle light. Darry knows that’s his own special way of checking on them both.

“Yes,” Betty replies, and Darry knows she must be feeling a bit better if she’s back to being up to going back and forth with Dally.

“Congrats,” Dally replies with a shrug, marking the end of his concern, and he goes back to tossing a bouncy ball up towards the ceiling and trying to catch it. 

“See Johnny, I toldya,” Ponyboy murmurs, and Darry raises a brow in their direction. Ponyboy glances at Johnny nervously, not wanting to speak for him.
“I hate fightin,” Johnny mumbles, and Darry softens. Christ, he didn’t mean for them to shake him up with their little spat. Half of why he and Betty were yelling at all back there was just to hear each other over the wind and the rain. But they all know how Johnny’s folks get, and he knows they both got a bit loud themselves.

“We’re just fine, Johnnycakes,” Darry reassures, looking over at the boy as he eyes them warily. He knows Johnny has seen how physical his folks get, so he’s hoping the fact that his girl is already cuddled back up beside him sets a better example. Betty seems to fill in the blanks, as she always somehow manages to do. Darry has mentioned stuff about Johnny’s parents and their treatment of each other and him in some of their talks. 

“Oh honey, I was just a little mad at him. We already worked it out.” She reassures, and Darry feels a little smug as she curls into him even more at the next roar of the wind. He likes feeling like she needs him. The moment doesn’t last, cause Soda gets a big shit eating grin on his face and fake whispers loudly,

“Yeah, she was only yelling back there cause Darry’s so old he’s a bit hard of hearing and-”

“Oi! I can hear that just fine!” Darry snaps at Soda in offense, but it gets them all laughing so he’s fine with the teasing if it makes Johnny less skittish. It makes Darry’s heart hurt, that the kid has never seen a normal argument between a couple where it didn’t come to blows. Hell their parents had their moments where they’d fight, but they always knew it was over when mom started laughing at something dad did to calm her down. There’s a strange scratching noise that gets Betty looking at the door and then up at him in confusion, He doesn’t know what the hell could be blowing around outside that would make that kind of noise. He makes a face of confusion and is about to say something when they look over as the noise gets louder, clearly coming from across the room. 

“I thought that was something blowing in the wind!” Betty gasps, before she’s dissolving into a fit of laughter as she watches Steve who looks utterly confused as to why all eyes are on him as he’s unwrapping the tin foil covering of the cake.

“Didya really have to bring that from the fridge?” Darry asks, raising his brow. 

“Hell we dunno how long we’re gonna be down here. It could be days, weeks even! I had to feed myself and I’m not sharing with you no more!” Steve grumbles. 

“I’m the one who made that, so I get some no matter what,” Darry replies, unbothered by Steve’s fake threat. It seems to make Betty laugh more though, and he loves the sound of her laughing. The guys get distracted again soon enough when Ponyboy brings up that Curly Shepard is rumored to be getting out soon. God Darry does not want the boys hanging around with Curly, kid is a magnet for trouble. 

“Some third date huh?” Betty asks, breaking him from his current train of thought, her giggles seem to have subsided. 

“Does this count as a date?” He asks, hell, he isn’t sure if most girls would call something like this a date. They usually would at least want him to buy them food or something. 

“Sure it is! We’re together aren’t we?” She says, shifting so she’s looking up at him. 

“Well, so long as I get a promise there’ll be a fourth one,” he mutters, giving her a raised brow in question. He’s pretty proud of himself for that line. 

“Pinky promise,” she says, holding her hand out from under the blanket, offering her pinky with a grin. He shakes his head, but still locks his pinky finger around hers. He feels himself grin when she pulls his arm tighter around her, making a noise of contentment at their little promise. He presses a soft kiss to the crown of her head before he can talk himself out of it, even if it means Dally tells him to lay off the PDA.

Notes:

I officially finished my psych rotation and the exam! I'll have to wait until next week to find out my score but 🤷🏼‍♀️ its onwards to peds rotation next!

Hope y'all enjoyed this one, it was kinda fun to see Darry and Betty butt heads. They're both stubborn individuals, so it was inevitable they'd eventually disagree on something lol, and I wanted to dive in to a bit of the sexism that def was still very prominent in the late 60's especially in the south. I think the guys are learning, as women's rights movements are definitely happening around this time, but it's easier for some more than others. (Dally does uhhh objectify and bother women the most out of the group as we know). Also I think Darry definitely has his own insecurities about his role around taking care of his brothers and the house and how this effects his masculinity as they all are definitely exposed to a lot of toxic masculinity ideas of the times. Betty isn't a pushover, so she is definitely one that holds her own when she needs to lol.

Also I would love to hear some stuff y'all would be interested in seeing the gang get up to, I have a bit of writers block but I think some tentative requests would probably jumpstart my brain haha so please come talk to me in the comments.

Chapter 17: Chap 17

Summary:

Ponyboy has questions about matters of the heart, Soda's got a broken heart, and Darry's close to a heart attack.

Notes:

Some awkward Curtis brother bonding from yours truly 💁🏼‍♀️

The slam of the screen door opening against the house is so loud from where Darry currently stands at the kitchen stove that it actually sets Pip off. He’s a hound, so his howls are meant to be loud to alert the hunters of his location, but that means the sound basically rattles their small house, and makes Darry wince and almost drop his spoon. He doesn’t have a single clue who could be coming home in such a fit, if Ponyboy wasn’t already laying on the couch Darry would’ve bet all his money it was him making the racket. 

“What the hell?” Darry asks, hearing the other door slam as he rounds the corner so he can get a look at the front door. Soda is in the process of throwing his shoes off, each hitting the wall with a dull thud as he kicks them off. He looks a mess, and he’s already got tears streaking his cheeks. 

“Soda?” Ponyboy asks, sitting up, looking about as taken aback as Darry feels. 

“Why are you throwing things and slamming doors? Just calm down for a second little buddy,” Darry tries to soothe as Soda stumbles into the living room. Darry gets in his path, not wanting to let his brother out of his sight given his current state. Soda lets out a noise and Darry really can’t tell if it’s a sob, a growl, or a cough to be honest. It rattles Darry a bit, seeing Soda so upset. He knows he takes Soda’s easy going nature for granted, but seeing him panicked like this breaks his heart. He hopes Soda hasn’t been holding in some hurt like this for a long time, but Darry cannot imagine what could have him so distraught.

“Just tell me what’s going on-”

“Sandy’s pregnant!” Soda screams, and God, if that doesn’t make Darry’s blood run ice cold. Jesus fucking Christ. Good Lord, can this house go one week without some sort of crisis, Darry wonders in his own hysterical musings. 

“What?” Ponyboy asks, dropping his book with a thud, jaw on the floor. So much for not overreacting and trying to diffuse the situation, Darry thinks. “I thought you two broke up?” 

“Evie heard about it!” Soda continues, tears streaking his face in earnest now. Out of the three of them, Soda has somehow always been a pretty crier, even when he’s bordering on hysteria. Ponyboy and Darry on the other hand both get real red in the face and look terrible when they get worked up. 

“Are you sure ?” Darry says, trying to run through his brain on what the fuck he’s supposed to do in this moment. Soda nods, and Darry just grabs him, pulling him against him in a tight hug as Soda’s shoulders shake with sobs. 

“Okay, Okay, take a breath,” Darry murmurs, trying to grab onto a coherent thought. Unfortunately instead of something helpful, the only thing his mind lands on is: what the fuck Soda, how did this happen? Which he knows is not a thought that needs voicing right now. God, the state and Barbara are gonna lose their minds; Soda is sixteen, and they’re definitely gonna blame Darry for this somehow. He can already feel himself get nauseous like he does when he’s anxious, but he’s trying to push that down considering Soda’s practically dragging them both to sit on the floor where he is still sobbing into Darry’s shirt. He just holds his brother, shushing him gently instead of trying to talk with the way his own head is spinning. While he’d had a few hookups with some girls in high school, he was always real careful, and there was never even a scare with either of the two girls he went all the way with. How could Soda have been so reckless? He knows his brother knows where the condoms are, because Darry had to show him the stash before Soda’s prom night. He’s mad as hell, but seeing how shaken up his brother is at least puts his anger on the backburner. Speaking of, 

“Ponyboy, go turn off the stove for me, please,” Darry asks, looking at his brother who’s watching them from the couch with his wide eyes. Pony gets the sense that now is not the time to grumble, and does this without a word of complaint. Soda’s sobs at least have slowed into hiccuping sniffles, and so Darry figures he should try and get as much working information as he can to sort out this mess. 

“Did you call and talk to her?” Darry asks, running a hand up and down Soda’s back in the way their mom liked to do. 

“Why the fuck would I do that?” Soda asks, his voice thick with emotions. This actually makes Darry freeze, is his brother actually being that callous?

“You gotta call her,” Darry says firmly. He knows his brother must be dreading it something awful, hell Darry feels just as bad and he’s not even the one who’s knocked the girl up. 

“Why?” Soda asks, sounding genuinely confused and that actually irritates Darry. Soda’s allowed to be scared, but he’s not allowed to be a deadbeat idiot. 

“Sodapop Patrick Curtis, you know exactly what you did-”
“I didn’t even do anything -”
“The hell you mean you didn’t do anything?! She’s pregnant!” Darry asks, trying to keep some patience. Soda looks up at him with his brows furrowed, 

“Yeah?” And now Darry is sure he’s losing it. He knows his brother isn’t stupid. And then a key question hits Darry, and he can’t believe he’s asking this right now.

“Wait… is it yours ?”

“No!” Soda cries, and his sobs start up again. Darry swears he’s getting whiplash as he grabs Soda’s face in his hands, he needs his brother to start talking before he has a stroke or something.

“Soda, you gotta explain what the hell is happening.”

“She was cheating on me with this guy for months when we were together!” Soda blubbers, as if that was the conclusion Darry was supposed to have drawn from this whole conversation. Holy hell he is just trying to get this fuckin story straight. 

“Listen to me: Sandy was cheating on you. You broke up with her three months ago, and she just found out she was pregnant?” Darry asks. Soda nods against him. Darry cannot believe he’s having to ask this, “When was the last time you-”
“Like four months ago,” Soda replies, giving Darry a look of pure bewilderment, “Why are you giving me an interrogation right now?”

“Me?! You came in here and told me you got a girl pregnant!” Darry sputters. 

“No I didn’t! I said Sandy is pregnant!” Well, that makes perfect sense, Darry thinks sarcastically. He can almost feel his heart giving out as he has to keep prying.  

“Jesus Christ, do you know if she had her period after the last time you-”
“Yeah, she definitely did,” Soda murmurs after he thinks for a moment. Darry actually deflates, and lets go of Soda in lieu of laying back on the floor, slinging an arm over his eyes. 

“Soda, don’t you think that could’ve been key information to share before you start coming in here announcing your ex-girl is knocked up?” Darry is too busy feeling his heart pound in his chest to really be that mad for the moment.

“Oh.” Soda sniffs, finally connecting the dots now that he’s a little less worked up himself. 

“Yeah, Oh .” Darry echos, he pauses for a moment. “So you’re 100% sure it’s not yours?” Darry pushes, because he’s really gotta make sure this is the case. 

“It’s not mine.” Soda confirms. 

“Oh thank, God,” Darry says, and his voice actually cracks at the end.

“Wait so Sandy’s not pregnant?” Ponyboy asks, voice laced with confusion as he comes to sit beside them, crossing his legs beneath him.

“She’s pregnant,” Darry confirms.
“But I thought Soda-”

“She wasn’t being faithful, Pony,” Darry explains, still trying to get his heart rate below 100.

“Oh. And that means she-”

“I can’t believe she did this!” Soda wails. Darry jolts at the renewed sound. Sandy was Soda’s first girlfriend, and he’s pretty sure she was his first everything. When he broke up with her, he’d seemed completely unaffected at the time, saying that he felt they just drifted apart. He hadn’t even cried about it when he came home and told them that night after he’d broken up with her. Darry wonders if maybe his brother hadn’t really let himself believe it all until he found out today about the real reason Sandy had been acting distant prior to their breakup. He realizes now that Soda’s sobs when he got home were ones of a newly broken heart, and not ‘oh shit I knocked a girl up.’ Darry doesn’t know if he’s ever been so relieved in his life, except for maybe when Ponyboy started coughing after they got him from the fountain. 

“Oh Soda,” Darry murmurs, finally able to push aside his lingering adrenaline in order to address the root cause of all this. He sits back up and winds his arms back around Soda, who melts into the embrace. His brother’s first true blue heartbreak. This is at least territory Darry feels more comfortable navigating. He remembers the breakup he had with Amelia Jennings over the summer between his junior and senior year. They’d dated for nearly a year at that point, and he’d taken her to homecoming and prom. They’d lost their virginities to each other on prom night, and he did love her in the way a guy can love a girl when they’re a 17 year old with no real cares in the world. But she’d dumped him before they’d started senior year, saying she wanted to focus on her studies. Really he suspected the real reason was she was definitely more of a soc girl and her parents didn’t want her dating him anymore. Dad had taken him on a real long drive just the two of them a couple days after that, up till that point he’d been moping around the house for the most part. It’d only taken a couple of words from dad before he just bawled his eyes out for a good long while. He didn’t believe him at the time when he reassured him he’d find a much nicer gal some day, and that he’d look back on it and laugh. He also told Darry he’d one day be able to help his brothers when they had their own run ins with a broken heart. God, he wishes dad were here to help Soda right now. Just another thing that reminds him just how much they’ve lost. 

“I loved her,” Soda says, sniffling in a way that makes Darry a bit nervous that he’s just gonna blow his nose into Darry’s shirt. 

“I know you did,” Darry replies. He manages to reach over to the coffee table and snag a tissue before he’s pressing it into Soda’s hands. Soda blows his nose loudly, and Darry can tell that at least makes him feel an ounce better. 

“Part of me still loves her ya know?” Soda says, voice muffled by Darry’s shirt, “I feel so stupid. She was playing me the whole time.”

“You ain’t stupid baby,” Darry murmurs, running a hand through Soda’s hair. “She was the stupid one for not seeing how good you were to her.”

“You know if it was mine I would’ve married her?” Soda sighs. 

“I know Pepsi,” Darry sighs, thanking God that’s not the conversation they're having to have instead. “You’re gonna find someone when the time is right. Don’t mean it don’t hurt like hell right now though.”

“My heart hurts.” Darry sighs. Soda has always been the one with his heart on his sleeve, and an endless amount of love to give. Hell, this is the kid who declared to Darry that he was best friends with Steve Randle on his very first day of kindergarten. As they were walking home with Two Bit, Darry soon learned that Steve punched Soda in the gut for following him around all morning and talking his ear off, but Soda still he’d hugged him at the end of the day and had plans to bring his new hotwheels to school to show Steve the next day. Surprisingly, Darry was walking them both to their house from school only three days later for a playdate. Then the next year it was Soda who found little kindergartener Johnny Cade on his first day of first grade, and invited him to play with him on the swings when he noticed him sitting by himself quietly. Darry quickly got used to Soda bringing extras on their walk home when Darry met up with him at the end of the school day. Darry really hates Sandy for hurting his brother this way, he never liked her anyways. 

“I know. But you’re gonna be okay,” Darry reassures. He knows one day she’ll be a distant memory. Hell, he doesn’t even know where Amelia is these days, he wonders if she’s still even in Tulsa. He knows unfortunately the only thing to heal this particular wound is time. 

“Plus she was kinda mean Soda,” Ponyboy adds, soothing into their little embrace and patting Soda on the back. He’s a bit awkward with it, but Darry can tell Ponyboy’s trying his best to be comforting. It does get a laugh out of Soda,

“Yeah, she really was a bitch wasn’t she?” Soda laughs wetly, and Darry snorts. God, he remembers the way she shrieked on their front porch when Soda had tried to playfully spray her with the hose when they were washing the cars. Hell, Steve did the same thing with Evie, and she had just laughed and gotten him back with it a few minutes later. But Sandy had wailed at Soda like he’d committed some crime, and Darry had to fight against all his urges to kick her out when he saw the way Soda tried to hide his dejection. Soda sighs, his breaths evening out, and it seems like his brother is all cried out. 

“Just no real pregnancy scares from now on, okay little buddy?” Darry says firmly, though he knows that it doesn’t need saying. He at least gets another small laugh from Soda.

“Promise. I did at least pay attention to dad’s talk!” 

“Thank God for small miracles,” Darry teases, cuffing him affectionately on the shoulder before he’s pushing to his feet offering them each a hand up. 

He ends up sitting on the couch for most of the evening, and Soda seems to at least be doing okay as he stays cuddled up against him. Soda was always seeking touch even as a baby, he remembers the first few months of his life he’d scream his head off every time someone set him down, but he was happy as a clam as long as someone was holding him. Darry doesn’t feel the same need, but he is happy to provide it, and Soda is usually pretty good at initiating the physical contact when he especially needs it. His brother ends up half asleep on the couch by the time they all decide to head off to bed and Darry is feeling pretty proud of himself overall for handling this particular crisis they’d been dealt today. He’s brushing his teeth in the dim light of the bathroom and contemplating if he’s up for calling Betty tonight. He sorta feels like he could use a levelheaded perspective, plus she might have some good advice for Soda’s broken heart. The boy’s room is already closed as he pads down the hall to his room, and he does startle a bit at the sight of Ponyboy sitting on the edge of his bed. 

“Thought you were already in bed,” Darry murmurs, a bit confused about the whole scene. Ponyboy seems like he can barely sit still, and he’s biting at his thumbnail like he does when he’s nervous. He goes about changing out of his clothes and getting ready to climb in bed, hoping the normalcy of his actions will help soothe Ponyboy a bit. Seeing Soda all shaken up must have upset him more than he let on at the time. “Soda’ll be just fine. He’s just a little heartbroke is all.”

“I know.” Ponyboy mutters, and Darry feels himself raise a brow even though his back is currently turned to Pony. He isn’t totally sure why his other brother is acting off right now. 

“What’s up kiddo?” Darry asks, turning around and heading for the bed, coming to sit so he’s across from Ponyboy, who’s now sitting criss crossed on the blankets. 

“Nothin,” he says with a shrug, but he kinda avoids Darry’s eyes. 

“Nothin?” Darry repeats, knowing that is definitely a lie. Ponyboy shrugs and doesn’t say a word. “Well, I can promise ya everything is okay.” Darry says, unsure of exactly what Ponyboy is seeking from him. Ponyboy nods, and starts biting his thumbnail again.

“Pony, you’re gonna make yourself bleed. Quit it.” Darry says, reaching out and gently batting his hand so he stops before he bites the nail down too short. “What’re you getting yourself all worked up for?”

“I dunno,” Ponyboy mutters, and Darry really can’t figure out why he’s being so skittish right now. He wonders if it’s something he’s nervous about why he decided to come sit and wait for Darry to talk about it.

“Okay?” Darry sighs, really not sure what to do. He honestly has no clue how to help Ponyboy, who seems to just want Darry to read his mind. He moves to at least get under the covers, no sense in sitting there if Pony’s just getting himself stuck in his head.

“Wanna stay here for a bit?” Darry offers, pulling back the other side of the blanket. Ponyboy nods, and moves carefully to climb under the comforter. He turns on to his side with a sigh. Darry tries to feel somewhat content sitting in the awkward silence. It’s only awkward because he knows Ponyboy’s holding something in his head, and Darry doesn’t know when he’s gonna let it out. 

“Earlier, Soda said Dad had a talk with him,” Ponyboy mumbles. Darry nods, not really sure what Ponyboy’s getting at. He sits with it for a moment before it clicks. 

Shit, he honestly didn’t even think about that until now. He guesses Dad probably had the talk with each of them around the time they turned thirteen, but their folks died right after Pony turned thirteen, and that wasn’t exactly high on anyone’s priority list at the time afterwards.

“Darry?” Ponyboy asks nervously. 

“I forgot about that,” Darry replies, acknowledging Ponyboy, but still buying time to collect his thoughts. 

God, he remembers how awkward the whole thing was when Dad gave him ‘the talk.’ But Dad had been patient, and he hadn’t laughed when Darry asked some questions about how everything worked, and in the end it turned out okay, though at the time he hadn’t really seen the appeal about the whole sex thing honestly. Soda had pestered him a bunch after, wanting to know what they talked about, but Darry had refused to tell him, knowing Dad would eventually have a similar talk with him. He remembers that well. Soda came out from their parents room one day with a similar look of mild horror in his eyes as he sat down beside Darry in the kitchen. 

“Alright baby?” Mom had asked him, a knowing smile on her face.
“It’s disgusting!” Soda had muttered, and Darry had actually spit out his sip of water as he started laughing. Mom was laughing so hard she missed Soda muttering to him, “They did that three times Darry, isn’t it awful?!” Which made Darry fall right out of his chair, clutching his sides at how hard he was laughing. “It’s true!” Soda exclaims, but he’s laughing too, and Darry knows Soda will get the appeal of it all soon enough, just like he did. 

“Shit, I’m sorry Pony,” Darry mutters, he feels sorta bad, Dad definitely wouldn’t have forgotten about something like this. Darry feels a bit annoyed, seems like Dad decided to send Darry some real fun tasks today wherever he is watching over them or whatever. 

“‘Bout what?” Pony asks, and at least he’s not mumbling as bad at the moment. 

“Just realized it’s probably way past when Dad would’ve talked to you huh?” Darry mutters, and realistically he knows he’s stalling. 

“How old were you and Soda?” 

“Thirteen,” Darry replies, and he keeps making himself look over at Pony every so often, because he desperately wishes he could avoid all eye contact and just stare at the ceiling fan instead. He reminds himself it’s just as awkward for his little brother, and he did muster up the courage to at least ask him.

“I know some stuff…” Ponyboy mutters, sounding a bit defensive. Darry snorts,

“Guess we can thank Dally and Two Bit for that,” Darry says, though he’s not really bothered by it. They both keep the more explicit details of their hookups out of conversation for the most part. He sits in the silence again, and he swears Ponyboy’s eyes are staring into his soul or something. 

“Christ, I dunno how Dad did this,” Darry sighs, rubbing his face with his hand. The door creaks open and Soda is blinking at them, rubbing his eyes softly. 

“Pony, did ya have a bad dream?” Soda mutters as he steps into the room. 

“Nah, he’s alright,” Darry reassures, watching the way Ponyboy seems to close up a bit more, just when Darry sorta got him to open up. 

“Why’re y’all hanging out without me?” Soda whines, clearly a bit clingy after his emotional evening. 

“We’re just gonna have a little chat Soda,” Darry reassures, but that seems to wake Soda up more rather than send him back to bed. 

“Bout what?” Soda mutters, coming over and crawling into bed, moving Ponyboy over as he does. 

“Soda, I don’t think I can do this with running commentary,” Darry sighs, throwing his arm behind his head. 

“Hell Darry, why do you look so weird right now?” Soda giggles.

“Cause someone came home talking about pregnancy scare and now we’ve got some questions,” Darry replies sarcastically, unable to hold back the small jab. 

“Oh! That kinda talk!” Soda says, eyes lighting up. 

“Yes, that kinda talk,” Darry teases back, knowing he’s once again just stalling. 

“How’s he doing so far Pony?”

“He ain’t even said nothin,” Ponyboy mutters. 

“Aw c’mon Darry, go ahead, we’re both listenin!” Soda encourages, looking delighted at the turn of events. 

“Okay,” he sighs, “So when you-” He pauses, “Well actually-” Soda’s already giggling at his stress. Jesus, he needs to get a grip, but then he gets an idea. “Hey Soda, you’re quite the expert, why don’t you start us off then?” Darry says with a shit eating grin. 

“Me?! I’m just here to offer moral support,” Soda says, looking less amused now. 

“Oh thanks, I’m really feeling the support right now,” Darry replies with an eye roll. 

“I can just go to bed-” Pony starts.

“No. I’m sorry Pony, I’m just messin with Darry a bit,” Soda stops, suddenly taking it a bit more seriously. Darry sighs as they both look at him again.

“Just gimme a sec, I’m thinkin.”

“Pony, why don’t you tell us what you already know?” Soda prompts, and Darry actually does think that's a helpful idea. Ponyboy swallows and looks at them and Darry actually worries he’s gonna bolt for a moment before he groans and reluctantly starts talking. As he goes on Darry determines he has a pretty good understanding of the basic mechanics and details, and he just knows that’s Dally’s fault from some of the times Darry’s heard him runnin his mouth. But overall Ponyboy actually knows most of the stuff that most parents would tell their kids. Dad kinda went the extra mile in teaching them more than just the basics. 

“I dunno, I just guess I was curious what it’s like,” Ponyboy trails off. 

“That’s fair, ya know when Dad told me, I thought you only did it to have a kid and you only had to do it once,” Soda laughs, and remembering that again makes Darry break into a grin. 

“I seem to recall you saying it was ‘disgusting,’” Darry muses. 

“Well! I figured out that’s how Mom and Dad had us!” Soda laughs.

“Thanks for that Soda,” Darry grimaces, and he sees the way Ponyboy is cringing too. 

“It’s perfectly natural! It’s all about two people becoming one or whatever.” Leave it to Sodapop to somehow take all the awkwardness out of a room, Darry isn’t sure his brother has ever felt the emotion of embarrassment before in his life. “Hey, and you already got a good handle on the basics Pony, I didn’t even know what a girl’s parts looked like when Dad tried to talk to me! Dad had to get a science book and use a diagram!”

“Wait, you got a diagram?” Darry sputters, he seems to recall some awkward hand motions in his talk, but definitely no pictures.

“Yeah I dunno where that book is, but it’s somewhere in the house,” Soda continues, without a care in the world. Darry is kinda jealous of the fact that Soda seems to have no qualms about just diving into it. 

“It actually was real handy, I think I stole it to show to Steve when we were a bit older as a visual aid, and Evie actually thanked me for it once!”

“Ew, why you gotta bring up Steve right now?” Leave it to Ponyboy to focus on that part of Soda’s current story. 

“Cause it tells ya I am great at teaching people how to get a girl off! Even got a positive review afterwards!” 

“Who all are you teaching?” Darry asks incredulously, thinking Soda’s exaggerating a ton. They’re in too deep to this conversation anyways, so now he doesn’t really care that he might not want to know the details. But Soda is sounding real smug right now. 

“I dunno, Steve, Two Bit, even Dally, though he claims he’s good at it but I don’t really believe him. And I’ve never had a lady complain!” Darry doesn’t mention the fact that Soda’s only ever been with Sandy, and one person isn’t a very large sample size.  

“I’ve heard some girls say it hurts?” Ponyboy asks, and honestly Darry is real thankful Soda seems to have banished a lot of tension from the room and Ponyboy is at least talking with them instead of just staring at Darry while he has to awkwardly explain details. Answering questions feels a lot more natural. 

“Hell, then the guy they’re with ain’t doing it right!”

“It can hurt her if you just go straight into having sex right out the gate,” Darry supplies. He remembers Dad actually talked to him a lot about that, and how you gotta focus on making sure the girl is comfortable. He really emphasized that, and it had served him well when he’d actually put it into practice.

“Yeah don’t do that, that’s what those soc idiots do,” Soda continues. 

“Oh.” Ponyboy mumbles. 

“Ain’t no rush with it, especially the first time, it’s gonna be a bit awkward at first. But taking your time is real good. It might still hurt a bit if she’s never done it before, but otherwise they enjoy it just as much as we do.” Soda muses before turning to him, “How’d it go your first time Dar?” Darry actually pauses at that, he cannot believe he’s about to talk these sorts of details with his brothers. It’s one thing when it’s with the guys, but he feels a bit weird when it's his kid brothers. 

“I dunno, it was fine,” Darry says, unsure of what to say. “I was nervous.”

“Aw c’mon Darry!” Soda presses.
“I mean like Soda says, your job is to focus on your girl right? You gotta make sure she’s enjoying it. So I made sure she was taken care of before we actually tried having sex.”

“Chicks really dig it when you do that!” Soda adds, and Darry swears Ponyboy is nodding along as if Soda is some Harvard professor giving a lecture on physics or something. “You can get creative with it too, like you can use your fingers or you can go down on her, but you gotta just be confident with it.”

“Whaddya mean?” 

“Go down on a girl?” Soda clarifies, stopping him from his train of speaking. 

“Yeah…” Ponyboy mutters. Darry decides to at least help out with this one, and between him and Soda they manage to explain the mechanics of giving and receiving oral. Ponyboy’s eyes are wide as saucers, and Darry feels sorta bad for changing his brother’s whole world view with this information. He swears the kid looks a bit shell shocked.

“People really do that?” he asks after they finish explaining the details.

“Yeah, don’t worry it’s way better than it sounds!” Soda reassures, once again Darry has no clue how Soda manages to be so blasé about it all. “Right Darry?” Darry doesn’t know why Soda seems to have also made it his mission to force Darry to be less awkward about the whole thing too. 

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Darry agrees with a sigh, he isn’t gonna lie. 

“Just don’t rush into things, and you know do it when the time feels right and you’re with the right girl.” Soda advises. 

“Also, if you’re ever up to stuff and she says no or stop, no matter what you’re doing, you always stop, no questions asked,” Darry explains, he remembers how firm Dad had been when he explained that, and Darry tries to convey that again right now. 

“Exactly, we ain’t like those soc guys.” Soda adds sagely.
“And no matter what, you always wear  a condom, you hear me?” Darry says, actually turning to look at Ponyboy who nods with his eyes wide. 

“Darry’s right, some guys say they’ll risk it and just pull out at the end or whatever, but it ain’t worth it. Last thing you want is a girl telling you she’s late,” Soda shudders. 

“Just always keep a few on you if you’re going out, it’s easier that way,” Darry says. Soda nods along before he rolls to the side, opening the drawer and shaking the box, 

“This is where we keep 'em!” Soda says holding them up triumphantly. With Soda being single and Darry barely doing anything besides work they have not used them in a good while, but they keep them in the house. He knows all the guys know where they are. 

“You feel like you understand a bit more?” Darry asks, softening as Ponyboy seems to be digesting all the information they’ve thrown at him. 

“Yeah, I think so,” Ponyboy says finally. 

“Well you can always ask us if you got more questions!” Soda encourages, ruffling his brother’s hair. 

“Thank you,” Ponyboy murmurs, looking at both of them gratefully. 

“I think I should start a class, doncha think?” Soda starts blabbering as they climb out of Darry’s bed, “Ponyboy you can vouch for it to get people to sign up: Soda’s Sex uhhh, actually, I dunno. I need another S word for the name. We’ll workshop it, Pony!” That gets Ponyboy laughing as they head for the door. 

“Good night! Don’t stay up too late!” Darry says, as they both holler their own goodnights before closing his door. He lays there for a moment, and hell he can’t deny this whole talk definitely has him thinkin’ about Betty some. He stares at the ceiling for a moment before he’s picking up the phone, dialing the now familiar number with a grin on his face.

Notes:

I liked the idea of doing a chapter where we see Soda having a bit of a breakdown (s/o stan_of_many for the suggestion for this one) and wanted to do some more canon adjacent stuff.
I also am on my kick of exploring some of the social factors of the late 60's, meaning in Tulsa in 1967 I don't think there was much of a sex ed class. As someone in healthcare I could get on my soapbox about educating young people about safe sex and various contraceptives etc, but that's beside the point of the story lol. But basically I don't think the school taught them anything, so basically anything the gang learned about the subject was from their peers and their parents if they're lucky. I think the Curtis parents def were good and tried to educate the boys, so that was kinda the idea here. Ponyboy definitely isn't naive, but he has a lot of what I would feel are the normal questions a teenager would have about sex if you had very little information, and he does not have google to answer them, so they may seem a bit naive to us as 21st century people who easily had answers at our fingertips lol.

Darry almost had a heart attack for the two minutes he thought Soda was gonna be a teen dad, but he was really trying to keep it together.

Chapter 18: Chap 18

Summary:

Back to the rodeo we go!

Notes:

I'm BACCKKK! Okay actually important authors note here: scheduled updates will now be every Friday! I have more variable/intense schedule stuff now that I'm on a new rotation, so I decided to make Friday's my dedicated chapter drop day for the week. If I have a lighter schedule on a given week we may get some bonus chapters, but everyone just know at bare minimum I will update this every Friday 😊

Soda’s broken heart isn’t gonna heal overnight, but Darry is real glad that his brother has the latest rodeo to help distract him. Soda’s been home late every night this week, having gone down to the barn and done some practice rounds and helped out with the horses after work. Ironically, his brother has seen Darry’s girlfriend this week multiple times, but Darry’s been so busy he’s only gotten to talk to her on the phone once. Soda was kind enough to at least pass on that she’s doing well, but by the time Friday night rolls around Darry isn’t sure who’s more excited for the rodeo, him or his brother. Still, Darry focuses on keeping his cool as he trails after the gang as they head into the stadium, he doesn’t wanna seem overeager. Steve has dutifully taken his job as Soda’s best friend seriously, and once again went down to the rodeo early with Soda to save them the good seats. 

“What an angel our Stevie is!” Two Bit teases as he hangs over Steve’s shoulders giving him an affectionate shake. 

“Don’t you forget it!” Steve replies, before he starts messing with Two Bit, and they’re somehow roughhousing despite the fact there’s a row of chairs in the way since Two Bit snuck in behind him. Darry rolls his eyes at their antics, and gets settled in one of the seats near the end of the row, pointedly leaving one open for Betty. 

“Hey Darry, how’s it feel that your girl’s gonna be riding around this place just looking pretty and hyping up the crowd?” Two Bit jokes, and Darry sighs. He has to admit the thought makes him prickle with jealousy, but he can imagine her reaction if he told her he was jealous, she’d laugh and tell him he’s being silly. So he’s resolved to keep it to himself, at least as best he can. But he doesn’t like the way that the stupid soc guys can ogle her for their own amusement. He spots their crew across the way, and Paul seems to have decided to stay for the rest of the summer before leaving for school again in the fall, considering he’s currently palling around with those Randy and Bob kids.

“She’s real good at it,” Johnny comments, and Darry at least can agree with that. Makes him miss riding too. Hell, maybe he can go on a trail ride with her sometime if he ever gets a decent day off. Might be nicer closer to the fall when it’s less hot outside. 

“I wanna hot dog,” Ponyboy mutters as he spies a guy heading to his seat with one, eyeing it hungrily. Darry is pretty sure his brother is about to hit a growth spurt, he’s been eating like crazy the past week. Normally Darry has to remind Ponyboy to eat, sometimes he’s so in his own world he forgets.  Darry knows Betty is the one handing out free drink tokens, so he figures his kid brother can get the hotdog. 

“It’s your lucky day,” Darry says, giving him a grin, “Better thank Betty for the free drinks, means you can get a hot dog.”

“Thanks Darry!” Ponyboy says, absolutely delighted by this. Darry hears Steve repeat Ponyboy in a mocking voice under his breath, god he hates how those two tend to bicker with each other. But then Steve is giving Pony a cigarette of his without being asked and the two of them are lighting up using Ponyboy’s lighter, and Darry decides they’re doing fine on the bickering front. Thankfully his brother has also cut back on smoking overall after the fountain incident. Darry had to really police him a bit at first, he was scared mixing too many smokes with the water on his lungs was a recipe for Pony to develop pneumonia. Luckily they managed to dodge that, and now Pony has focused on building his lungs back up for track season. His brother did remark it was nice to have some extra spending money in his allowance since he’s buying less cigarettes nowadays. For a while there Pony was smoking close to a pack a day, so it's no wonder he now has some extra change leftover.

“Dally must be real torn up he can’t do bull riding tonight,” Two Bit chirps. He’s somehow managed to precariously nestle his beer into the front pocket of the overalls he’s wearing, but Darry keeps thinking the bottle is gonna fall out every time he moves. 

“Well, that’s his own damn fault,” Darry says with a shrug. That’s not entirely true, the rodeo tonight didn’t have enough competitors for bull riding, so that particular event isn’t happening tonight. But still, Dally couldn’t compete either way. He had come blasting towards their house two evenings ago, hollering up a storm about how the fuzz were after him. Darry had simply watched as Dally vaulted over their fence and made a beeline for their door. He was doing impressively well until the idiot caught his foot on the porch step and twisted his ankle at the last second. Darry had to drag his ass inside and shoved him into Pony’s room until the coast was clear, but he’d definitely ended up with a sprained ankle from his latest escape.

“He and Buck are still gonna rope,” Johnny says with a shrug. Darry thinks that’s a stupid idea. While Dally won’t be thrown off a bull and forced to land on his bad ankle, riding in a saddle and using your bad ankle to help steer the horse isn’t much of an improvement. But it’s about as good of a concession as they’ll get from Dally. 

“Betty can fix his ankle up,” Steve dismisses, and Darry grumbles a bit at this. Apparently the whole gang has decided they have a monopoly on his girl now. He’s not sure he’s feeling too keen on sharing her company with anyone tonight when he hasn’t seen her in a while. 

“Why do Cherry and Marcia keep looking over at us?” Two Bit asks, nudging Pony and Johnny in question as they eye the group of socs with disdain. Pony had eventually updated the guys about his run in with Cherry at the library, but even since then the socs still for the most part have left them alone besides some occasional jeers. Their attention on them is out of character.

“I dunno,” Ponyboy shrugs, and Darry is glad to see his brother actually does seem unbothered by it, he knows it really had hurt his feelings at the time. The cheers of the crowd at least are a welcome distraction, and Betty and her counterpart (Ally? He thinks) come riding out fast as hell, kicking up a nice trail of dirt in their wake. Last time they were at the rodeo he didn’t really allow himself to linger on watching her for too long, but now he’s got full permission to stare as much as he likes, and he fully intends to take advantage of that. The girls have matching pink button up shirts on this time around. Betty is grinning widely at the crowd waving with one hand as her other helps guide the horse to turn once they reach the edge of the arena. They’re both quick to reach into the saddle bags, and the announcer starts talking about the rodeo’s sponsors and promoting the tokens they start tossing out. He knows she does her makeup a bit extra compared to her normal since it’s a big crowd, but he thinks she looks gorgeous as always. As she passes Ally on her horse, she must say something funny because then Betty is throwing her head back in a laugh and Darry really wishes he could kiss her right now. Unfortunately his contentment to just watch her is disrupted when she rides near the socs’ group and he can see Paul hollering up a storm. He bristles at this, and he can feel the way the others all follow his eye line. 

“Christ, why’s he yelling so loud?” Two Bit grumbles. The more Two Bit seems to take notice of the socs, the more Darry thinks he’s lookin for a fight of some sort. He watches as Betty gives them a customary wave and tosses a few tokens, but she turns her horse abruptly right after and heads in their direction. He knows they’re pretty easy to spot, since Steve and Soda ensure they always have good seats, but he still feels himself blushing a bit as she comes up to them. The smile on her face is softer and much more genuine as she’s slowing to a stop and waving at the crowd behind them, but her eyes focus on them. 

“How’s it going boys?” she asks, and her horse seems a bit antsy as she guides it to sorta march in place. 

“Much better now that you’re here with some prizes!” Two Bit grins, and his beer swings dangerously in his pocket, Darry really doesn’t know how it didn’t go crashing to the floor this time. 

“Hmm,” she says with a cheeky faux contemplating look before she tosses a handful of tokes clear over their heads for some of the further back rows. 

“Wait! What about us?” Steve whines. 

“You’ll just have to be patient,” she says with a smirk, before she turns to Darry and gives him a wink. He snorts at this, he’s not sure exactly what she’s got in mind, but he’s more than content to let her mess with the guys as she sees fit. “I’ll come sit with ya in a bit!” She adds before she’s nudging her horse, and they start to leave. He wishes she could just stay over here, but he reminds himself to be patient, and he’s at least placated that she blows a kiss in his direction as she rides off. 

He knows realistically only about fifteen minutes pass between when she leaves the arena and when he hears her call his name from behind, but he’s a bit antsy to see her, so he swears it was longer than that. He turns around to see her walking down the stairs in the aisle, somehow carrying four beers in her arms with a wide grin. 

“I love you so much!” Two Bit exclaims at the sight of her, and Darry resists the urge to bristle with jealousy, knowing Two Bit means nothin’ by it.

“Your free beer,” she says with a grin, passing two of them off for Two Bit and Steve. She holds the next one out to Darry. He takes it, but already has a protest on his tongue. 

“You didn’t have to-”

“I have about ten more of those tokens in my pockets right now,” She whispers with a cheeky grin as she leans close to him for a moment, setting down her backpack with her medical supplies at the foot of the chair next to him. “Perks of being the one to hand ‘em out.” This gets him to laugh, because he didn’t really expect that from her. She sits in the chair beside him and leans back, letting out a relaxed sigh before she takes a sip of her own beer. 

“You looked great out there,” he says, voice soft enough that only the two of them can hear him over the noise of the rodeo and the announcer narrating the barrel racing. 

“Aren’t you a charmer?” She says, giving him a sideways smile. He’s feeling a bit bold, especially since he’s still fuming with some lingering jealousy, so he moves to wrap an arm around her shoulder tugging her to lean against him a bit. She makes a noise of contentment and he at least feels levelheaded enough to redirect his attention.

“Ponyboy, you want to go grab some food before Soda and Dally are up?” Darry asks, glancing over at his brother. 

“Yeah!” Ponyboy says, sitting up at the mention. Darry digs into his pocket, and pulls out his wallet before he’s depositing some coins in his brother’s hand. 

“Take someone to go with you, and get enough for people to share,” Darry instructs. 

“I’ll go,” Johnny says, moving to push to his feet. Darry had figured Johnny would be the one to go with Ponyboy, but he didn’t want to boss him around. 

“Get some of those nachos!” Steve says, giving him a sideways glance. 

“Please,” Ponyboy says, giving him a glare. Darry knows Ponyboy has been itching to use that one against Steve, based on the way his eyes lit up at the opportunity. 

“Ugh, nachos please ,” Steve grunts. His reluctant agreement is much better than expected, in the past he and Pony would’ve probably kept pushing each other’s buttons. 

“Whaddya want Darry?” Ponyboy asks, moving to the aisle following after Johnny. Darry looks at Betty, who blinks at him and shrugs. 

“We’ll share some of those french fries,” Darry decides, that seems like a safe bet. Betty nods in agreement, so that was a good choice on his part. 

“Kay, we’ll be back,” Ponyboy says as a goodbye before he and Johnny scamper off, chattering about their own food options. He settles in to watch the latest barrel racer, and his hand that rests on her shoulder is absentmindedly tracing little circles on her upper arm as he takes a long sip of his own beer. 

“You were giving me quite a look when I was riding, you know that?” She says with a laugh after a few minutes. 

“Whaddya mean?” He asks, furrowing his brow as he looks over at her.

“Like that!” She exclaims, raising her eyebrows at him as he lets the scowl fall immediately. “I swear when I turned to come ride over here you were staring daggers.” 

“I wasn’t meaning to-”

“Well, you softened up when I came to say hi, but you were looking real sour for a minute there,” she shrugs. 

“No I wasn’t-” he tries to deny. Clearly seeing Paul got under his skin more than he wanted it to. 

“Did I do something?” She asks, her voice sounding a lot more serious. She’d been acting nonchalant up to this point, he realizes. He turns to face her completely,
“No. No. You’re- you’re amazing,” he stutters, he sure as hell wasn’t meaning to make her feel bad. Thankfully this seems to be enough of a reassurance. She nods, and takes a drink, leaning against him a bit more. 

“What was it then?” He should’ve known she wasn’t gonna let it go that easy.

“You’ll laugh,” he grumbles, though he knows she’s gonna weasel it out of him either way.

“Not if it’s something that really upsets ya,” she says. He knows she wouldn’t laugh at him to be mean, hell he’s not sure she’s got a mean bone in her. 

“I just didn't like seeing those socs over there eyeballin you. One of ‘em is Paul.” he mutters. He’d slowly been opening up to her about some of his high school stuff, and inevitably Paul came up along with it. He knows it sounds stupid, and probably overly possessive of him. He knows she doesn’t like that, so he’s half expects her to tell him to knock it off. 

“Which one is he?” She asks, following his eye line towards the gaggle of socs. 

“The one in the red madras shirt,” Darry mutters, letting himself glare at Paul again, who seems to keep looking their way. 

“Interesting to put a face to the name,” she muses, “He keeps looking our way.” Darry grunts in annoyance, hearing his suspicions confirmed by her as well. 

“Cause he’s after you-”

“Don’t be stupid,” she reassures, and before he can reply she’s grabbing his cheek and pulling his lips to hers and kissing him firmly. She lingers for just long enough that it draws a couple hoots from Steve and Two Bit before pulling back and takes another casual drag of her drink. He’s blinking for a moment, but then he sees the way she’s smirking. 

“Look at him now.” Darry follows her eyeline reluctantly, but it’s worth it to see the scowl now on Paul’s face. Darry knows it’s petty, but he pulls her a little closer and presses a brief kiss to the crown of her head as he feigns watching the riders. 

“Feel better now?” She asks, with a faux innocence that makes him laugh. 

“Yes ma’am,” he replies, and damn this girl really is something. He honestly can’t believe she really likes him back sometimes. 

“Good. Now we gotta focus, your brother should be up next round!” She says with a nod, still tucked into his side with his arm around her.

Ponyboy seems to have excellent timing, because he and Johnny appear and are making their way back to their spots, their arms loaded with food, just as the announcer starts getting them ready for saddle bronc. 

“Here’s your nachos Steve,” Johnny says, passing them off and earning an affectionate,

“Thanks Johnnycakes!”

“Stevie I’m starving here, care to share with your best pal?” Two Bit asks, grin wide as he already plucks a chip and takes a bite with a loud crunch. 

“Not particularly,” Steve mumbles, but he still sets the food between the two of them so they can both have at it. Pony and Johnny both have gotten themselves each a hot dog, and Darry’s relieved to see them eating something. Both of them have a tendency to not eat as much as they should. Ponyboy passes a large basket of fries into Darry’s hand along with some spare change. 

“Thanks kiddo,” Darry says, pocketing the coins and moving to hold the basket out to Betty. 

“You ever had the salad ranch dressing with your fries?” Betty asks, dipping one in ketchup as she talks, eyes flitting between them and the current rider about to go out for saddle bronc. 

“No, it any good?’ Darry asks as he takes a bite of a fry of his own, feeling skeptical.

“It’s life changing! I’m telling you, I’m gonna have to have you try it sometime!” She gushes, and Darry really wonders how she even came up with the idea of salad dressing as a dipping sauce for fries. 

The saddle bronc competition picks up quick, and after the first couple rides Betty starts trying to get him to guess the score with her and see who can get closer. 

“76,” Darry says, watching as the pickup men get the latest rider off the bronco. 

“No, I think it’s lower, 74,” Betty murmurs, squinting at the rider slightly as if that will somehow give her an edge on how the judges will score the ride. When a 77 appears on the board after a couple minutes she lets out an actual noise of frustration. “How come you keep getting closer than me?” She asks, though he can tell it’s all in good fun. 

“I ain’t doing anything,” He laughs, and she scrunches her nose up in fake upset. 

“Oh there’s Soda!” She exclaims, and they spot Soda where he’s getting ready for his turn, coming to a stop to linger behind the chutes. 

“Let’s go!” Steve starts hollering, cementing his spot as the leader of the Sodapop Curtis cheer squad. 

“He’s riding Sidewinder tonight,” Betty mutters, seeing where Soda has come to a stop and is messing around with his boots, getting himself all sorted out. 

“How’s his chances?” Darry asks. He hasn't seen this particular horse before, so it must be one of the new ones that the barn got this season. 

“Horse is a total wildcard, I hear some riders have great rides, others get voided,” Betty sighs, looking a bit less enthused. 

“Shit,” Darry mumbles. He knows realistically Soda can’t win every time he competes, but that doesn’t mean they don’t hope for it anyways. 

“He’s going last though, so we’ll know what he has to beat after this rider,” Betty says, nodding to where an older guy is currently in the saddle, getting ready for them to open the gate. The ride is impressive, and even Darry knows that Soda would have to be at his best to beat the guy, so when an 83 is awarded, he feels their entire row deflate a bit in premature disappointment. Soda could pull off that score if it’s with the right horse, but since this is a brand new one, it’s a shot in the dark if there’s a chance at all for him to win tonight. 

“C’mon,” Betty murmurs as they watch Soda climb into the pen and onto the saddle, taking his time to get situated. They watch as he gets his grip on the rope, his free hand ready to go above his head as he pushes his hat down firmly onto his head. He looks determined, but Darry doesn’t like the way the horse is moving in the pen, and he feels his heart start to kick up. He knows Soda knows what he’s doing, but even the best rider can still get hurt, and Darry is fantastic at worrying. They watch Soda give his perfunctory nod before the gate flies open, and Darry is clenching his jaw so hard his face actually hurts. The horse is wild, and the bucks it’s throwing would send many good riders flying the second they got in the saddle. He knows Soda’s always had a knack for riding, but that has become abundantly clear in this moment as his brother manages to stay on the horse and actually ride as he’s supposed to. His face is locked in a special kind of concentration, and Darry knows he should be hoping for a high score, but he’s just waiting to see his brother safe on solid ground. The buzzer sounds, but that means nothing to the horse, who continues to do its job while Soda holds on. Darry is watching the pickup riders and urging them to move faster, despite the fact that he knows they’re more than capable at doing the job. It isn’t until Soda is on his own two feet, waving at people without a care in the world that Darry relaxes, and he feels Betty laughing against him. 

“Lordy, I was worried you’d pull a muscle,” She jokes, and she squeezes the hand draped over her shoulder with her own. 

“I ain’t the one riding a bronco,” Darry grumbles, though he knows he was so tense he’d worried for a moment he was squeezing her too. Soda comes running over in their direction, grin wide and eyes alight as they await the judges’ score. Instead of waiting in the arena, he simply climbs the wall and hops over the railing, giving the crowd behind them a wave before settling into an open chair next to Steve. 

“Hell buddy, that horse was crazy!” Steve says, clapping Soda on the shoulder. 

“I know!” Soda laughs. They all freeze as the announcer draws their attention, and Soda pulls out an 80, landing him firmly into second palace. 

“That old geezer cheated!” Two Bit complains as they announce the first place rider from earlier. 

“Don’t worry buddy, I still take home the second place prize,” Soda reassures, looking pretty content with the final results. 

“Thanks for letting me stay seated in the audience, Soda!” Betty says, giving him a celebratory cheers of her drink. Darry doesn’t envy the fact that she still technically is on standby if there’s any medical problems, though she explained to him they pay her decent for it.

“Anytime! Darry would’ve been real jealous if I cut into his time with ya!” Soda jokes, and Darry gives him a glare, though they both know it’s got no bite. 

“I didn’t know I was so popular!” Betty laughs, tossing her hair in a joking manner. Darry makes a low noise in his throat, knowing she’s trying to rile him up a bit, and it unfortunately worked. 

“Stop letting him be a peacock,” Darry mumbles, giving his brother an eye roll. He doesn’t have to worry about Soda anymore, so making fun of him is fair game now. 

“Oh hush,” she scoffs, and he’s glad despite her being naturally an independent woman, she’s not too annoyed by his little possessive streak he’s currently on. He feels her give him a peck on the cheek, which embarrassingly does calm him down some again. He needs to get a grip.

The announcer starts off team roping, and the guys start getting rowdy, knowing Dally’s competing this time around. Betty tells them they’re going third in the lineup, so they should be ready for them to ride out soon. They’re watching the first pair rope the steer, and Darry is instantly reminded of how this event used to make Ponyboy cry when he was little. His brother eventually explained to mom that he was worried they were hurting the cow when they roped it. He’d been much more of a fan of the event once they’d taken him to feed the cows after one rodeo and he’d seen they were doing just fine. 

“Excuse me?” A female voice gets Darry to turn his head from his musings. He really needs to work on keeping his face more neutral, cause the second he sees the two soc girls standing beside Betty looking at them nervously he feels his scowl return automatically. 

“How can I help you, honey?” Betty asks, and Darry swears her voice sounds different, it’s like how people get a different disposition when they gotta talk to a customer or something. He’s glad Betty is taking the lead, because he’s too busy thinking about the gang, he’s real thankful Dally isn’t sitting here, he’d already be mouthing off to them.
“We were wondering if we could ask you about the riding that you do for the show, and if the rodeo is hiring more girls?” Cherry asks. Darry has to say the girls are pretty tough for coming over here, despite the fact that he knows the entire gang is eyeing them distrustfully. Darry spares a quick glance, and makes sure all the soc guys are still over where they’re supposed to be. 

“And we came to say hi to the boys! How’re ya Two Bit?” Marcia adds, and if she’s scared at all she hides it well. Darry for the life of him can’t figure out if this girl really is giving Two Bit the longing gaze Darry swears he’s seeing in her eyes. He knows she gave him her number that night at the drive in, but he’d been pretty torn up about the whole thing after the fact. Especially because of the revenge the soc guys pulled. 

“My name’s Keith,” he mutters, correcting her without giving her a second glance. God, he’s still real busted up about that then. Darry knows most of the time Two Bit lets anyone call him by his nickname, he’s pretty sure even most of the teachers do at this point. 

“Hi Ponyboy, Johnny,” Cherry says, eyes soft and Darry can’t figure out why these girls seem so keen on bothering the gang. 

“Hey?” Ponyboy replies, sounding genuinely completely confused by this entire interaction. He’s thankfully distracted by Dally and Buck riding out, getting into position for their go at the steer. 

“Let’s go Dally!” Two Bit hollers, seeming to have rallied emotionally thanks to the distraction. Darry is meaning to watch his friend as the steer comes out, but then Betty is talking and he’s turning back to look at them. 

“Well I’m really sorry ladies, but I actually don’t know if the rodeo is hiring more girls for-” Betty begins. Darry is so busy looking at the girls as if they’re gonna somehow get their whole gang jumped any moment he doesn’t even see what happens. The crowd lets out a cry in synchronization, 

“Oh SHIT!” Two Bit exclaims, jolting forward in his chair. 

“Betty!” Steve and Soda say simultaneously. If they didn’t sounds worried it would be funny. Darry and Betty catch the tail end of it, Buck’s horse rears up  and then he’s flying into the ground with a thud. 

“God Dammit Buck!” Betty exclaims, though she doesn’t sound that worried, pushing to her feet. Darry mourns the fact that he can’t keep his arm around her. “Sorry girls, you’re gonna have to stand by.” She is grabbing her bag before she’s climbing over the rails. Buck is close enough that Betty is in earshot as she jumps down, 

“Buck Merrill, I swear to God don’t you dare try to move from there until I clear you!” Betty hollers as her feet hit the sawdust and she takes off running. The way she’s yelling actually makes Darry snort. He’s pretty sure based on her reaction Buck is just fine. Darry is watching her check Buck over when he hears Cherry’s voice again. 

“This is your oldest brother, right Ponyboy?” she asks. Darry knows he can’t exactly ask why the hell any of that is her business, but the thought does cross his mind. 

“Yeah, Darry this is uh Cherry and Marcia,” Ponyboy offers, and Darry is at least proud of his brother for being polite given the circumstances. He knows he’s the adult here and giving the cold shoulder to two high school girls is not exactly kind. 

“Betty’ll be back in a just minute,” he says, trying to make sure he sounds less gruff than he would really like to be. He’s not really sure what else he’s supposed to say to them. 

“Listen Ponyboy, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about what happened at the library-”

“It’s fine,” Ponyboy dismisses, and Darry is pretty proud of his brother for keeping his chin up, he knows it still hurts. 

“It’s not fine, I-”

“Darry! Can I get a hand up?” Betty calls as she comes back over, and Darry sees Buck is somehow already climbing back into the saddle. Just like Dally, Buck seems to have the nine lives of a feral tomcat. 

“Yeah, just gimme a sec baby,” the pet name slips out so fast he doesn’t even register it at first but he feels himself almost freeze for a moment before he’s pushing to his feet and leaning over the rail like he did for her last time. It’s easy to haul her up, and he’s helping her back over the railing, only this time he receives a peck on the cheek as a thank you. She turns to face the girls,

“Sorry bout that, now as I was saying-” Darry is too busy thinking about his slip up to hear what else Betty says as she explains things to the girls. 

He’s never called anyone baby besides his brothers. Ever. That’s something that he’s reserved for them only. It was their mom’s favorite term of endearment, and they’d each picked it up especially after they lost her. His head is spinning a bit, because he’s never even felt the urge to use that particular pet name for anyone before, but for her it slipped out as if it was natural. And it felt right somehow? It scares him honestly. He’s falling for her, but he’s so fucking scared. God he’s so scared of losing things, losing his brothers, his friends, her. And somehow this one slip makes him realize just how hard he’s fallen for her.

“You with me honey?” Her voice snaps him out of his own spiral, and she’s got a hand on his cheek. The two soc girls are gone, and he’s wondering just how long he was stuck in his head. He and Ponyboy aren’t so different after all. 

“Yeah, sorry,” he says, feeling breathless at the sight of her. God he is down bad for this girl. 

“Don’t be sorry, just was checkin on ya,” she reassures, and she kisses him in a way that feels so natural he still can’t believe she’d never kissed anyone before him. It’s brief, and the guys are making all sorts of noises at them teasingly, but he watches her simply stick her tongue out at them and pull his arm tighter around her shoulder, leaning against him. And for now that’s enough for him to just enjoy the moment.

Notes:

Is this my favorite chapter? No. I had writers block again but we tried really hard so hopefully yall like it! I'm working on the next one though and i have some inspo so I'm hoping that continues!

Please talk to me in the comments or on my tumblr (I posted it in a/n a couple chapter back)! I love just hearing head cannons and general thoughts on stuff.

Darry is tired this week and decided he WILL be possessive. The rest of the gang is just sitting back and watching for their own amusement.

Chapter 19: Chap 19

Summary:

Darry hates being late but Betty has a good time, maybe too good!

Notes:

CHANTS: Bonus chapter for this week!! Bonus chapter for this week!!!!

How many years would Darry realistically get sentenced to prison if he pushed a guy off of a roof? He’d make sure to explain to the judge that by doing this, he actually raised the average IQ of the greater Tulsa area, and also simply made the world a better place. Surely with that explanation, he is well within his right to shove Jim off this roof right? Darry swears this guy is the worst person on earth, being incompetent is one thing, but the guy is also arrogant and that is a combination that drives Darry insane. He knows he’s being real harsh right now, but they were supposed to be done with work an hour and fifteen minutes ago, but Jim somehow managed to lay his bundles of roofing upside down. Darry doesn’t even know how a person who does this every day misses that. Darry thanks his lucky stars he caught the error, because if they’d set them like that permanently, they would’ve had much more of a disaster on their hands. But instead, he’s spent the last hour fixing his mess with the rest of the crew. Now that they've finally got it fixed as it should be, Darry heaves a sigh as he sends the crew home, trying with all his might to keep from decking Jim in the face as they all collect their things. 

He’s so fucking late he wants to cry. He’d been sure they were gonna be done by 5pm today that he and Betty had planned she’d meet at his house at 5:30, and as he’s pulling down his street, he’s an hour and fifteen minutes past that meeting time. This was the first free Friday night he’s had in weeks, and he doesn’t have work in the morning, so he actually wanted to take her out.  He knows she’s long gone, probably sat home and overall not pleased with him, and he’s already figuring out in his head what he’s gonna say in his over the phone apology. He genuinely doesn’t expect to see her car parked on the curb outside their house, and he almost feels worse at the sight as he parks the truck. If she went home at least she could’ve moved on with her evening, but instead she’s been sitting around waiting for him, which makes him feel double as lousy. He rests his forehead against the steering wheel for a moment before he gathers the strength to climb out of the truck. He takes longer than necessary heading up the porch steps, trying to come up with something to say as he pulls open the door and one look inside the house has his head spinning. 

“Hi Darry!” Steve says from the floor, where he is currently messing with the tv channels. Soda is in the kitchen, cooking up something for dinner based on the way he’s flitting about and the sizzling noises coming from the stove. Pip is on the kitchen floor, laid out on his side on the tile, panting hard, though his tail thumps in excitement at Darry as a greeting. He doesn’t even know where Ponyboy is, but he thinks he hears the shower going. And then he locks in on Betty where she’s sitting on the couch. She’s dressed in jeans and a nice top tonight, and she’s got her hair and makeup done.

“God Betty I’m so sorry-” 

“‘Bout what? I’ve just been hanging out here, they’ve kept me plenty entertained,” She says with a grin, and he sees her take a sip of a drink. “Your brother made me a margarita too.” She nods towards Soda, who is currently chopping an onion. Darry raises his brows at this, he doesn’t think Soda even knows how to make a margarita.  He blinks as he watches dumbstruck as she sets her drink back down on the coffee table and moves to grab a piece of clothing from the absolutely gigantic pile of laundry that’s beside her. 

“What the hell are you doing?” He sputters, finally noticing the aforementioned pile of laundry and the three separate growing piles of folded clothes in front of her on the floor. 

“Folding laundry. Are you gonna come sit down?” She asks, looking completely unbothered as she shakes out a tee shirt and starts folding it methodically on her lap. 

“Am I gonna come sit-” He stutters in disbelief before he turns to the kitchenn, “Sodapop Patrick Curtis, why is she currently doing the chore you and your brother were supposed to do today?” 

“She offered to!” Soda says, grinning without an ounce of remorse. 

“I don’t give a damn if she offered to-”

“Soda, who’s is this?” Betty asks, and Darry watches as she holds up another tshirt, 

“That’s Pony’s,” Soda replies after glancing over. 

“I’ll add it to his pile!” 

“No! You’re not folding anymore of our laundry!” Darry says, turning to her and point a finger in an attempt to get her to stop. As if it can’t get any worse, Two Bit decides to make an appearance at this very moment. 

“Outta the way!” Two Bit hollers from the porch as warning as the front doors come flying open, and he’s running into the house like a bat outta hell.

“Two Bit what the fuck-” Steve starts as he narrowly avoids being trampled. The bathroom door gets flung open and Ponyboy lets out a yelp from the shower in surprise. 

“Hey Pony!” Two Bit says jovially as he makes quick work of stopping at the toilet and undoing his pants as Darry can only watch in horror. “Oh Christ I had to piss so bad,” he says as he just starts peeing with the door wide open. Darry swears he is gonna have smoke coming out of his ears. 

“Two Bit! I’m trying to shower!” Ponyboy snaps, and a hand whacks at Two Bit’s head through the shower curtain. 

“Hi Betty! How’s it hanging?” Two Bit asks without a care in the world, glancing over at her while he just continues on as if there’s nothing odd happening.

“Pretty good-”

“What is wrong with all of you?!” Darry sputters. 

“What?” Two Bit asks, sounding genuinely baffled. 

“Wanna list?” Steve offers from the floor. 

“There’s a lady in the house and she’s currently having to fold your goddamn laundry and now you knuckleheads are just pissing with the door wide open?!” He sputters, he can’t believe this is a sentence he’s saying out loud. 

“I needed to pee,” Two Bit offers, still sounding completely unrepentant. Darry is about to start yelling when he’s interrupted.

“Soda?” Betty asks, waiting for his brother to turn and look at her.
“Those are mine!” Soda confirms, and Darry looks over in horror as she holds up a pair of underwear. 

“No, absolutely not-” Darry starts finally moving from where he’d been glued to the floor and trying to grab them from her. He swears his face is on fire. 

“What? It’s just underwear!” She laughs, dodging him when he tries to grab them again. 

“I was supposed to be taking you out on a date,” He says, feeling so embarrassed he swears he wants to crawl into a hole and never come out again. Ponyboy climbs out of the shower wrapped in a towel, and is the only person who has the sense to look embarrassed at how indecent they’re all being in front of Betty as he makes a beeline to his room, grumbling about Two Bit the whole way.

“Well, I figured we could just hang out here. Your brothers decided to do a taco night!” She replies completely unbothered. He has no clue how she’s not completely horrified by all of them. 

“This was totally inappropriate for them to-”
“Darry I really hate to say this. But do you know how many people I had to help pee today?” Betty says with a laugh as she grabs a new pair of underwear and he lets out a strangled noise as he tries to grab them in vain. “There were at least four! And I am pretty sure I had two patients come into the hallways naked today.”

“See! She sees people pee all the time!” Two Bit says with a laugh from where he’s washing his hands. 

“Why are you doing this to me?” Darry sighs, finally giving up and just sitting beside her, burying his face in his hands for a moment. First he’s late as hell, then he’s watching his girl have to fold their underwear and see them run around like wild wolves. 

“Darry, it’s clean laundry!” She laughs, and he feels a hand come to the back of his neck, thumb running back and forth against the nape of his neck soothingly. He lets out a noise of frustration and she laughs. “Pretty sure all the squeamishness left my body a long time ago, sugar.” 

“Those are Darry’s!” Soda’s voice carries and he finally looks up as she goes back to folding pair of jeans of his, he swears he cannot believe she’s folding their clothes instead of out on a date with him. He feels like he’s the worst boyfriend. 

“I really was gonna take you out-”
“I know you were. But you’re here now. And I am more than happy to spend time together right here for tonight!” She reassures, actually softening as she sets down the jeans and turns to him. He cannot believe she is completely content with all of this. Lord knows their mom would’ve gone ballistic on them for behaving this way in front of a gal.  “You look way too stressed right now. ”

“I’m supposed to be treating you to dinner not making you work-”

“Darry, if you want to make me happy, take a nice long drink of this margarita, give me a kiss, go take a hot shower, and relax .” She says, leaning to grab her drink from the table and holds it out to him. He looks at her for a moment, and he really is wondering if this girl is real, or if she’s some figment of his imagination he made up to keep himself going because he was at the very end of his rope. But she presses the drink in his hand and leans in to press a kiss to his lips. He feels her smile against his lips as he returns the kiss, and when he pulls back she holds him there for a second and her lips press close to his ear. 

“Be nice, Soda tried real hard,” she whispers before she’s pulling back and acting as if she didn’t say a word to him. He takes a swig of the drink and his eyes bug out of his head as he manages to barely choke it down. The drink isn’t bad, but it’s strong as hell, and he is suddenly very sure his brother doesn’t know how to measure out liquor for a drink. He hears her huff out a very quiet laugh and she shares a look with him that tells him she is well aware of the fact the drink is a hot mess. 

“Go shower,” she encourages. He swears he feels like he should insist against her doing anything for them some more, but he’s so tired from the week, and he really wants to believe this is all somehow real, that he listens to her. She nudges him as she keeps folding clothes and he sighs knowing he’ll have to leave her side for a bit, pushing to his feet and heading for the now open shower. 

---

“Do you feel better?” She asks as he comes down the hallway, and Darry is impressed by how much her folded piles managed to grow while he showered and threw on some clothes. He wants to still be mad, because this entire day has been ridiculous, but the shower really did help. 

“Yeah,” he sighs, and tries not to look too overeager when she pats the spot next to her on the couch. He has to step over both Steve and Ponyboy on his way to get there, and Two Bit has taken up residence in the recliner. When he sits beside her she sets down the shirt she finished folding. 

“I brought a bottle of wine,” she offers, glancing over as he leans back against the cushions with a sigh. Hell he’s real sore today. 

“I can get you both a glass!” Soda offers from the kitchen. Darry thinks Soda must be extra attentive since Betty managed to let him get out of his most hated chore of doing laundry. She gives him a questioning look before he nods. 

“Two glasses would be absolutely wonderful!” Betty calls back. “Ponyboy?” She asks, holding up a pair of pajama pants in question.
“Those are Soda’s,” Pony confirms. 

“You don’t need to sort the laundry too,” Darry gripes, though he knows she’s gonna ignore him anyways. 

“Too late,” she replies, glancing at him with an eye roll. He still feels lousy about how the whole evening has turned out, and he has no clue what to do about it. He doesn’t know how to show her how grateful he is for her helping them. He feels this overwhelming urge to just cling to her, he’s so scared she’s gonna get fed up and just leave that he wants to just hold her close. She’s got only a few things left in the pile to fold and he decides to indulge his current musings by reaching around and pulling her against him by the waist. This earns him a peck on the cheek, which is more than worth it in his eyes. 

“For you,” Soda says with a flourish, holding out two wine glasses with his signature crooked grin. They’re over three quarters of the way full, and Darry should’ve realized his brother has no clue you don’t fill a wine glass like you do with a normal drink. 

“Now this is what we call a Catholic pour,” Betty laughs, taking her glass with a bright thank you. He wants to tell her he can fix it, but she happily takes a sip of the wine before she sets it down, moving to fold the final lone pair of jeans on the floor.  He follows her lead, taking a large sip of the wine and trying to let it ease the tension from the day as he swallows it slowly. 

“We should play poker tonight, I need some extra spending money,” Two Bit goads, gazing around the room. 

“You’ll lose all your money with that talk,” Steve replies, throwing his head back to glance at Two Bit upside down.  

“Yeah, to me!” Soda calls from the kitchen. 

“Can’t we just play for smokes or somethin?” Ponyboy whines. Pony is still learning to play poker, he hasn’t quite yet mastered the art of the poker face and so he tends to lose more than he wins. 

“Y’all play Texas Hold ‘em?” Betty asks, perking up as she finishes the laundry and sits back, leaning firmly against him. He almost lets out a noise of contentment, but manages to keep it to himself.

“Hell yeah!” Steve says with an eager nod. 

“I want in,” Betty exclaims, eyes alight and Darry notices that her cheeks are looking mighty red. He reaches up to touch one and he’s instantly worried by how hot it feels. 

“Your cheek is on fire,” he says worriedly. Surely she can’t be sick and was stuck doing his brothers’ chore. 

“Oh Lord, how bad is it?” She asks, turning to look at him. They’re pretty red, as if she’d been walking outside in the dead of winter without a scarf. 

“Uh-”
“This happens sometimes when I drink, I think it’s a bit of a reaction to the alcohol or something. Makes me flush real bad,” she explains. He at least feels relieved she ain’t running a fever or something. 

“You’re just real rosy,” he says, feeling a bit more at ease at her assurance. 

“Well, it’ll die down eventually,” she shrugs, tucking her hair behind her ear as she takes another drink of her glass of wine. 

“Tacos are done!” Soda says from around the corner in the kitchen, and they guys make noises of excitement. Darry is pretty hungry himself after working all afternoon. He reluctantly pulls his arm back and pushes to his feet before he’s offering her a hand up and she takes it with a sideways grin. He sure as hell wasn’t planning on this to be their evening together, but she holds on to his hand like they aren’t just walking to the kitchen and he decides he’s going to try to enjoy it anyways. 

 

Darry really didn’t notice it at all until they’re all sat in a circle on the living room floor, coffee table moves out of the way. Johnny and Dally had appeared just as they were all making plates, and Soda had thankfully anticipated this and had more than enough extras to go around. He and Betty had both finished off their first large glasses of wine, and he’d barely batted an eye when she returned with refills for them, plopping back down at his side on the floor where they’re leaned back against the couch. 

“Alright, Texas Hold ‘Em!” Betty says rowdily as she shifts around against him. The flush on her cheeks has died down a bit, but it still is there. Her words are just slightly slurred, and Darry wouldn’t have noticed if he was paying her less attention. 

“You okay?” He murmurs as Soda scrambles off to find some cards and the guys start making a pile of their smokes in the middle. 

“I’m amazing,” she replies, voice light and reassuring. He feels more at ease, she probably just is feeling the wine a bit, he is too. His limbs feel a bit more relaxed, and the constant flow of worries running through his mind have been muted for the time being. 

“Alright, everyone knows one chip equals one smoke. One smoke is the ante for each round. Steve is dealer,” Dally announces. Steve deals because he’s fast, and makes some of the slower gang members make a decision if they’re waffling. Dally, Soda, and Two Bit are terrible cheats if they’re dealer, and they’ve all been banned from doing so. Johnny is the one to really look out for, he plays fair, but his quiet nature means he doesn’t draw attention, and he’s got one hell of a poker face. Steve is good, but he likes to challenge everyone, even if they aren’t bluffing, so that tends to bite him in the ass. Darry would label himself as decent. He also has a good poker face, and being the oldest he knows the gangs tells the best, considering he’s watched them all learn poker over the years. They’ve evenly distributed all the smokes to each player and Darry slides Betty’s pile closer to her before collecting his own, absentmindedly dropping his ante into the circle before he’s even been dealt any cards. 

“Someone count the deck, I wanna make sure Soda didn’t put an ace in his shoe!” Two Bit says, pointing as Steve starts shuffling the deck. 

“I ain’t even got shoes on!” Soda complains, wiggling his bare toes in Two Bit’s face, earning him a whack on the foot. 

“I fear I may be getting in over my head here,” Betty laughs as Steve counts the deck out loud, and they confirm no cards are missing before he redoes his shuffling. 

“Shoot, just know if Ponykid starts grinnin’ real wide he’s got a good hand!” Two Bit advises, though he looks delighted at the idea of getting to steal all of Betty’s smokes for his own. 

“No I don’t!” Ponyboy protests. He really does try to hide it, but he’s still a bit bad at it. 

“Johnny is the one to watch,” Darry mutters in her ear. He doesn’t mention he is also about as good as Johnny, he’s gotta at least give himself somewhat of an advantage right?

“Alright, deal me in!” She exclaims, jostling herself against him, and he keeps her steady with the arm he’s kept around her waist. She takes another sip of her wine and grins widely, thanking Steve as he deals her a card. 

“No cheating over there you two!” Soda sings, eyes alight with mischief as he checks his hand. His face betrays nothing. Darry peeks at his own hand, a ten of hearts and a three of diamonds. The ten isn’t terrible, but overall the hand isn’t great. 

“Alright Soda, bet or check?” Steve starts, and they’re going round the circle. Two Bit folds immediately with a groan. Steve peeks at his cards and laughs, 

“Good choice buddy!” His hand must’ve been absolute shit. Darry calmly drops two more smokes in to meet Soda’s bet, side eyeing his brother with a quirked brow. Betty follows, and decides to stay in as well. Once they reach the end, everyone has stayed in except Two Bit, who complains loudly that he was set up. Steve flips over the first three cards: ten of clubs, three of hearts, and jack of hearts. Darry is glad for his poker face, if he was Ponyboy, he would’ve started grinning immediately. Unless the guys are insanely lucky, he’s probably already won this hand. They go around again and this time Soda and Steve both fold with a sigh, but Darry stays in focusing on looking as casual as he can. Betty stays in as well and starts eyeballing Dally across the way. 

“Dallas Winston, do you really have that good of a hand?” She says, raising her brows as she stares at him. 

“I dunno doll, think your hand can beat it? Gonna have to take a risk,” he goads. Darry rolls his eyes and waits until Steve turns the next card, and he has to actually work to disguise his excitement when a another ten appears. Betty and Dally seem to be in a standoff, but Darry is more worried about Johnny and Ponyboy, who have been awful quiet. He throws in a couple more smokes to bet, and the last card turned over is another three. Holy shit, first round and Darry ends up with a full house. The rest of them are so busy trying to psych each other out he just casually throws a few more smokes in. They’re all in standoff, and he isn’t sure who’s bluffing but he really hopes he hedged his bets correctly. 

“Alright flip ‘em!” Steve encourages. Betty reveals all she has is a queen with a huff, Ponyboy has nothing. Dally has nothing, and Johnny only has a pair of sevens. Darry lays out his cards with a smirk and laughs at the cries of dismay. 

“Dammit!” Dally hisses as Darry pulls his winnings towards him with a wide smile. 

The rounds continue in this manner for a couple of hours, and Darry continues to play pretty well overall, but Johnny gives him a good challenge most rounds. They’re having such a good time he doesn’t even know how it’s suddenly 10:45pm. 

It isn’t until Betty gets up to pour herself more wine and stumbles, catching herself on Two Bit’s shoulder with a laugh that he becomes more aware of everything. She’s been getting more giggly by the minute for the last little bit here, and he’s not sure if it’s the alcohol that made her trip or not. He resolves to keep a better eye on her now as she heads to the kitchen humming. 

“Hey sugar, wanna give me a loan?” Betty asks from the kitchen as she refills her glass, batting her eyes dramatically at him. She’s down to her last five cigarettes, though she won a bunch a while back with a great hand. Unfortunately he’s discovered she likes to call people’s bluffs, and has therefore slowly lost her stockpile she’d acquired closer to the beginning. 

“Hey! No flirting to get outta debt!” Two Bit protests, and Betty sticks out her tongue at him. She’s distracted from the trash talk as she clambers back into the circle, and Darry winces as he swears she stumbles again. She might be drunker than he thought. He’s well into tipsy territory himself, but she’s starting to look proper drunk the more he watches her closely. She’d been fantastic at masking it for a while, but he can now really tell how much her words are slurring together, and the way her limbs are moving in the strange way people move when drunk. She comes back to her spot but instead looks him up and down for a moment before she decides to climb onto his lap. He has to grab her wine glass to stop it from spilling all over her as she settles between his legs before she leans back against him, her head is tucked under his chin as she plucks the glass back and wraps one of his arms around her waist. 

“You okay there Betty?” Two Bit asks, eying her as she takes another big gulp of wine. Darry realizes they’re catching on to what he’s seeing as well. He really wants to get that glass away from her. 

“Yeah, imma kick your ass this round,” she teases, and Christ, how long has she been slurring her words this bad, Darry wonders. 

“Try me,” Two Bit challenges, throwing in his ante. Darry is too busy realizing he’s gotta get some water in her to think about playing another round. 

“Darry, can we play as a team?” She asks, and the way her head lolls when she looks up at him makes him stiffen. Hell, how is he just now noticing this all? Her eyes look a bit glazed over, and her pupils are blown wide as she blinks at him. He realizes she’s pretty far gone and he starts thinking through what the next step should be. 

“Drink some water,” Darry murmurs, grabbing a glass from beside him and holding it to her. 

“I’m fine!” She protests, giving him a look of irritation. Lord, she’s gonna fight him on this isn’t she? 

“Just drink some?” he asks softly, trying to keep any tone of command from his voice. She sighs and does take a big sip of water before depositing it in his hand again. 

“Please, can we be a team?” she asks again, her voice sounding much younger than she normally does. He nods, wanting to at least keep her content while he figures out what he’s gonna do. She’s way too drunk to drive, and he isn’t sure he wants her home by herself even if someone sober can take her there. He looks over her head as she shows him the cards Steve dealt them, but he’s not really focused on the game much. He tries to subtly take her wine glass and she makes a noise of protest, 

“Hey! I’m not done!” She whines, and he can see the way Dally is snickering at them. She turns to him and all the sudden her expression changes into one of realization as her head actually goes limp against his shoulder at the sudden movement she tried to do. “Oh God, I swear I was fine,” she says, voice softer as she blinks at him. He’s real nervous for a second before she just sighs, “The room is spinning Darry”

“Hell, you’re drunk as a skunk!” Dally laughs, looking amused at the whole scene. 

“I just need to drink some water to sober up before I drive home and go to bed,” She reassures, still trying to be calming despite the fact she’s practically dead weight against him. 

“I think you’re well past that one, Betty,” Two Bit says in sympathy, patting her leg with a look of understanding. 

“No, I just need a bit, I swear-”

“You can barely keep your head up,” Steve notes and that earns him a glare from Darry, but he shrugs it off. 

“Shoot, I don’t gotta good answer for that,” she sighs, and Darry can tell she’s really feeling it now. 

“It’s time for bed anyways. You can just stay here tonight,” Soda reassures in his jovial tone that can put just about anyone at ease. 

“No, oh God I’m so sorry y’all, I don’t wanna be a burden.”
“Drink,” Darry murmurs, holding the water up for her, he can tell she’s working herself up and he just wants her to stay calm. He knows how heightened his emotions can get when he’s been boozed up, and he’s not sure how intensely she might react when she’s drunk. She does at least obey that suggestion, and the guys start cleaning up. Johnny and Steve decide to sleep in Soda’s old room for the night, and Dally claims the couch. Two Bit’ll just go home since he just has to cross the street. Darry figures he can have Betty sleep in his bed, and he can come sleep out in the recliner. He’s tipsy enough he’ll probably sleep poorly no matter what. He feels Betty unwrap his arm from around her and she pushes to her feet, looking extremely wobbly as she stands for a moment. 

“Where are you going?’ Darry asks, getting ready to stand up with her. 

“I’m going to go throw up,” she says calmly, as if she’s just saying she’s going to pee or something. He blinks at this, and half panics she’s just gonna puke on the spot but she simply walks to the bathroom with an air of calm before she closes the door softly. Darry pushes to his feet, feeling a flare of worry in his chest. God knows he’s dealt with drunk people throwing up numerous times. Hell, he’s been there plenty. But he is worried about her, and he sure doesn’t really want to let her out of his sight for very long. The guys get the message and are cleaning up and talking amongst themselves as he knocks for a moment before he’s slipping in the door, closing it behind him. 

“I feel awful,” she says, her face is currently propped up over the bowl by her hands as she stares down at the toilet, awaiting the inevitable. 

“I know,” he says softly, moving to come sit beside her, his hand starts rubbing her back gently. 

“I don’t wanna throw up,” she says pathetically, and he sighs in sympathy knowing the feeling all too well. 

“I know, but you’ll feel a lot better once you do,” he reassures softly. He knows he must feel real lousy as she gags but somehow fights it anyway. He remembers once in high school some of the girls talking about holding each other’s hair back when they had to throw up, so he carefully sweeps a hand across her clammy forehead before he gathers her hair back, trying to make sure he’s not pulling it at all. She lets out a whimper before she’s unable to fight it back any longer and she’s throwing it all up. He has no clue why this is breaking his heart, he’s seen the gang throw up more times than he can count, and he’d always been able to just calm them down and get them tucked into bed. But the sounds she’s making make his heart ache as she gasps for breath between heaving, and he wonders why he’s getting himself all worked up. When her stomach is finally empty she just sags against the toilet a bit, taking in heaving breaths for a couple moments.

“You think you’re all done?” He asks softly, waiting for her to nod before he’s moving her back, holding her up as she gets her bearings. There’s another knock and Soda’s face appears in the door, 

“Hey, I got one of your old big tee shirts she can wear,” Soda murmurs, and Darry gives him a grateful nod as his brother passes it to him before closing it again softly. 

“Think you can change and maybe rinse your mouth out?” he asks her after a moment. 

“Yeah,” she says softly, and he pushes to his feet before he’s helping her up, handing her the shirt. He digs in the sink cabinet for a moment and grabs an unopened toothbrush, ripping the packet open and setting it on the lip of the sink. 

“I’ll be right back, just get changed and brush your teeth,” he says soothingly, before he’s slipping out the door. Dally is already setting up some pillows and a blanket on the couch for himself, and he spots Steve and Johnny turning down the bed covers in Soda’s old room. Soda and Ponyboy are already dressed for bed and are standing in the hall, giving him a questioning look. 

“She’ll be okay,” Darry murmurs, heading for his room as he makes quick work of getting the bed turned down and getting a full glass of water for the bedside table. He also moves to pull off his own clothes and pull on a teeshirt to go with his boxers. It’s damn too hot to wear pajama pants, girlfriend spending the night in their house or not. 

“I’m gonna get her settled in here and I’ll go sleep in the chair,” he informs his brothers, “She just needs some water and to sleep it off.”

“She’s gonna feel this in the morning,” Soda says, grimacing in empathy. Darry nods, hell, he probably isn’t gonna feel too hot himself. 

“Go on and get to sleep, I’ve got her,” Darry reassures them, ruffling both their heads as she heads back to the bathroom, where she cracks open the door just as he’s about to knock. 

“C’mon,” he says softly, all the guys have bedded down, so she follows him to the hall, she’s got her clothes folded in her arms, and he’s really trying to distract himself from the fact that she’s  just got his old shirt on as a nightgown. It’s a little short on her, and he’s telling himself to not look at her thighs as they get to his room and he ushers her over to the bed where the blanket is pulled back. She sits on the side of it, and he moves to grab the water, holding it out to her. She takes a long drink before setting it down. 

“There’s some aspirin right here, I think you should take it once you’re sure you ain’t gonna throw up again,” he explains, and she nods, but she’s not looking at him. “I’ll be right out in the living room if you need me, you’ll feel better once you sleep.” That gets her to snap her gaze up at him and she lets out a pathetic noise before he sees the tears streaming down her face. 

“What hurts?” he asks immediately worried she’s already feeling sick to her stomach again. 

“Please don’t leave me!” She says, sobbing quietly. He wasn’t expecting that. He moves to sit beside her, he has no clue what brought this on. 

“I’m just gonna be right out there,” he reassures, but that makes her cry harder.

“I’m so sorry Darry! I swear I didn’t mean to get so drunk. I just was having such a good time and I wanted to relax and I just kept wanting another drink and-” She cuts herself off with a sob, “And then I was a bad example to you brothers! And I made a fool of myself and you’re gonna break up with me!” She wails forlornly, though somehow she still manages to stay quiet enough to not disturb the house. He blinks at this, does she really think he’s breaking up with her over this? She just got a little drunk and he wants to make sure she’s okay overnight. Honestly, she’s a very tame drunk if this is her at her worst. Two Bit once got arrested for public urination when he was out with Dally, Darry had not enjoyed that police phone call at two am. 

“Shh,” he murmurs before he’s trying to hold her, but she’s looking at him sadly. 

“Please Darry I’m sorry-”

“Hey, hey, I’m not breaking up with you,” he reassures, and he manages to get her basically pulled onto his lap, she’s working herself up so much he can feel the way she’s shaking with her sobs. 

“You should!” She says, voice full of self loathing. 

“Well, I ain’t,” he reassures. He’s starting to realize a good chunk of this is just her emotions running wild thanks to the alcohol, and she just needs him to help her calm down. Soda got so drunk once he cried because he realized dogs can’t ever know what chocolate tastes like. 

“I’m such a bad girlfriend,” she sniffles, sending herself into another round of sobs. 

“Hey, you’re just saying nonsense now,” he says firmly, making her look at him. 

“I just, I can’t mess up. And now I’ve messed up real bad. My daddy would kill me if he knew I did this!” She whimpers, and he realizes she’s got her own baggage that’s not helping her right now. He also knows how hard he is on himself when he makes a mistake, though he really doesn’t think this even counts as a mistake in his book. But he knows she just needs some reassurance. 

“Baby,” he starts, and that at least gets her attention, he hasn’t used the pet name since the rodeo. “You just are a little drunk. I’ve had to go get the boys from the police station at three am. You’re alright, you just pushed past your limit is all. You ain’t done nothin bad.” She sniffs at this and at least her sobs have stopped.

“You promise?” she asks, and he nods immediately, glad that he’s made some headway. 

“I promise. I ain’t mad, I ain’t breaking up with you, and you’re just fine,” he continues, and she actually sighs in relief. 

“I’m sorry for being such a mess,” she says softly, “I ruined our date.”

“You didn’t,” he assures, “Betty, I was and hour lay and you were folding our laundry, if anything that was what ruined the date.”

“But I wanted to help take care of you. Sometimes I worry you forget you need looking after too,” she says, and her hand comes to cup his cheek. He blinks at this, he has always been so worried about looking after everyone else, he doesn’t really allow himself to mourn that there isn’t really someone to take care of him in the same way. It actually makes his heart ache when he realizes that’s what she’s trying to do for him. He doesn’t feel worthy of it by a longshot. 

“Thank you,” he says, genuinely meaning it. “Now, why don’t you lay down and try to sleep. You’ll feel better.”

“Don’t leave,” she says again, voice wobbly. 

“Betty,” he sighs. God he really wants to stay. But he also wants to do this right, and it really isn’t appropriate of him to sleep with her, even if they are just sleeping.
“I know I’m drunk, but I know what I’m asking, please just stay here. It’s your room anyways,” she says, her voice is scratchy from crying, but she does give him another hopeful look. He really debates it, but in the end, he can’t say no to her, plus he knows he’ll sleep tons better in his bed. 

“Okay,” he caves and she finally climbs off of him and moves to climb under the covers at the acceptance. Her eyes are all puffy from crying, and she looks younger than normal in his old shirt with no makeup on. It brings a jolting reminder to him that they’re both barely out of their teen years themselves. She watches him expectantly, so he stands up and comes around to the other side of the bed, and climbs in with a sigh. He can feel a headache already forming behind his eyes as he closes them and turns onto his side, facing her in the middle. He feels her move closer to him, and a single hand rests on his arm he’s got tucked to his chest before she lets out a sigh. He fights to stay awake just long enough to make sure she’s asleep before he lets himself be dragged under, listening to her breaths as he does.

Notes:

Me: Complains to yall that I feel like the last chap sucked and I am having hard time writing
Also Me: writes this 6.5k chapter in a couple hours and felt inspired™️

This one was fun because I do feel like Darry has at time felt Betty is perfect (because she tries really hard to seem perfect because she knows he has a lot on his plate) but she is still a 20-21 year old girl, and will alos make dumb choices (though this is very tame). But she does have her own insecurities about making mistakes, both because she holds herself to high standards, and also because she knows Darry carries a lot and she is afraid if she causes him more trouble it will make his life more difficult and he might not think she's worth it. She knows at the end of the day his brothers are highest priority, but she also is taking that way too much to the extreme. Darry is slowly figuring that out. She is def letting her own eldest daughter trauma out, trying to always be perfect.

Also uhh I have gotten this drunk only once in my life similar to Betty, and I said never again™️ because i felt so shitty the next day. She will also be feeling it in the morning.

Please talk to me in the comments, I know we're on a romance chapter streak, but I am lowkey being a hopeless romantic rn since I am horribly single so yall are stuck along for the ride with me 😂

Chapter 20: Chap 20

Summary:

Headaches, hangovers, and haircuts!

Notes:

Happy Friday! This chap was a lot of fun to write, so I hope it's as fun for you guys to read! If i have any younger readers shield ur eyes through that one part or something idk 😂

The second Darry wakes up, all he can think is his head hurts something awful, and he bites back a groan. It’s still pitch black in his room, but he makes out that it’s around 4 am based on his bleary view of his alarm clock. It takes him a second to remember Betty is here, and the events of last night, but only takes him a moment to notice she’s laid next to him shaking like a leaf in the breeze. He can feel how tense she is, despite the fact he isn’t currently touching her. 

“Did I wake you up?” she whispers, though her back is to him, she must’ve heard he’s awake. 

“No,” he reassures, he’s not sure what it was that woke him. God his head hurts, he squeezes his eyes shut in an attempt to assuage them. “You’re really shakin bad,” he murmurs. Gosh, he feels like shit, he must've been closer to drunk himself than he originally thought based on the direction this hangover seems to be heading. 

“I’ve heard of people getting the shakes after drinking too much, but this ain’t ever happened before. I feel horrible,” she says, and she’s shivering so bad it’s actually making him a bit worried. It’s like when the guys will sometimes get a little shaky if they go too long without a smoke, but this is ten times worse. She’s shivering as if it’s the middle of winter and she’s out in the snow. “I’m sorry I woke you up, you should go back to sleep.”

“No sorries,” he mumbles, turning on his side to face her.

“I dunno why I can’t stop,” she manages to get out, and her shaking starts up again even more intensely. 

“You’re working yourself up,” he says softly, she must feel God awful, considering they both drank similar amounts but he’s got a much bigger size advantage to help him fight off the worst of the hangover. “It’s just a real bad hangover.” He reassures though he really has never seen someone with the shakes before, he does think he’s heard it can happen. He moves to grab the water from the bedside table and holds it out to her. She sits up enough so she can take a sip, she’s shaking so bad she splashes her hand with water as she sets it back down on the table top. 

“I just want to sleep,” she says, sounding down right miserable as she turns over onto her side again, still shaking like a chihuahua. He hopes this idea is actually something that helps her as he moves closer to her and pulls her shivering form flush against him. He wraps an arm over her, hand coming to rest over her own. He holds her a little tighter, almost in a bearhug, until she’s pressed all the way against him, and the shaking seems to abate as he holds on to her. She actually sighs, and he feels some of the tension in her form relax against him and he makes sure to keep her snugly close to him. 

“I gotcha, okay? You just gotta try and rest,” he mumbles, and he rests his chin on top of her head. She nods against him, 

“Thank you, that’s helping,” she says softly, and while she’s shaking a bit still, it’s significantly less than before. He feels her snake her hand out from his grip and she’s reaching down until her hand comes to grab the back of his thigh. She pulls gently until he lets his leg be moved by her hand, where she has him bring it up so he’s got it slung over her hip. He swears at this point she’s got him half laying on top of her, and he’s kinda scared he’s crushing her, but she lets out another sigh, and he feels her relax a bit more into the mattress. 

“This headache is only gonna get worse ain’t it?” she says pitfully, her voice half muffled by the pillow. 

“Did you take the aspirin?” he murmurs, and he has to admit he’s feeling way too content to just cuddle her until the end of time for someone who normally prefers some personal space when he sleeps. But despite his contentment, his head really is pounding in time with his heartbeat at this point, it fucking sucks.

“Yeah,” she says, though based on her tone he doesn’t think it helped much. The both seem to just lay there in misery together, hoping to eventually fall back asleep. She still shakes occasionally, but he can tell she’s slowly falling back asleep. 

“Can I tell you a secret?” he asks, feeling half out of it with how tired he is. 

“Mmhhm,” she replies, sounding much closer to sleep herself. 

“I feel like shit too,” he says, groaning a bit as he moves so his face is also half buried into the pillow. She lets out a noise of sympathy, and he swears he’s about to never drink again if his head doesn’t stop pounding soon.

“Go back to sleep,” she whispers, but she’s also squeezing his hand and pulling it closer so it’s tucked to her chest. He manages to let out a small noise of affirmation before he lets himself go to sleep again, hoping to God this headache is gone with the rise of the sun. 

---

The next time Darry wakes up his head is still indeed throbbing with a renewed vengeance, but there’s now actual light leaking into the room beneath the curtains. He knows it was very wishful thinking that he thought he was gonna avoid this hangover. He feels a warm body breathing against him as he wills his eyes to stay shut and fight back the pounding deep in his skull. It’s only after a few moments he notices another part of him is definitely awake, which isn’t unusual for the morning considering he’s a twenty one year old guy, but in a cold jolt that he remembers that he’s still currently pressed up against Betty, who thankfully still seems to be asleep. That’s enough to wake him up real quick, and he’s trying to get his bearings without waking her up too. They must’ve stayed curled up together the rest of the night because she’s still pressed with her back flush against him and he’s got one arm trapped beneath her, and the other is held by her own hands against her chest from where it’s draped over her. His leg stayed hiked over her hip too, so he’s well and truly stuck pressed up against her. This really does not do him any favors as he feels like his body is only getting more excited by their current entanglement. 

God he has no clue how to even extricate himself based on how they’re currently wrapped up, and the though of opening his eyes to the world brings on a wave of nausea, so that’s definitely out. Not to mention he really doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable by waking her up, since his current situation is pressed firmly against her back right now. If he can manage to get out of her hold he can maybe go deal with this in the shower, from the current silence he knows no one else is awake in the house yet, though he might have to make a pitstop to throw up on the way at the rate things are going. He figures moving his leg is a good first step in freeing himself and he slowly moves it back off of her slowly, until it’s resting on top of his other leg. He feels pretty proud of himself for a moment before she lets out a small sound of discontent and wiggles back against him, and he barely holds back a noise as she presses right up against him again. So much for progress he thinks, willing himself to get a grip before he somehow embarasses himself even more by getting too worked up here. He is trying to figure out how to free one of his arms slowly as he tries to remove it from her grip at a snail’s pace. 

“Where’re you goin?” she mumbles, and he freezes, maybe she’s still asleep enough she won’t notice. 

“Go back to sleep,” he murmurs, trying in vain to distract her enough to escape notice. 

“I can’t, my head hurts something awful. I’ve just been laying here with my eyes shut for probably over fifteen minutes hoping I’ll die,” she murmurs, pulling his hand closer to her again. He feels himself blush fiercely. If she’s been awake the whole time, she is definitely aware of the fact that he’s hard as a rock against her right now. “You’re all tense,” she observes, and he bites back a ‘yeah duh’ in exchange for him just focusing on not moving.

“I-” he doesn’t even know what to say, he’s miserably hungover and he really doesn’t want to deal with this right now, “God I’m sorry.” 

“For what?” she asks, sounding genuinely bewildered and half asleep. His own head hurts so bad he’s frankly given up on trying to move anymore at the moment, and he’s resigned himself to his fate that she is well aware of his predicament. She turns her head just to crack open an eye and he’s barely squinting back at her, but in the process of her moving to look at him she inevitably rubs against him and he lets out what he can only label as a whimper. 

“I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?” She asks, sounding genuinely concerned, actually opening both her eyes at this. He has no clue why she’s not squealing and shoving him off of her immediately. God he remembers how his high school girlfriend reacted when he got a hard on while they were making out in his truck once pretty early on, she’d let out a squeal of shock before she’d climbed off his lap at the speed of light.  He quickly learned the lesson that this can freak some girls out, especially when they haven’t been with a guy before. Which he knows she hasn’t. 

“No, you ain’t hurting me,” he grits out, the opposite actually, he thinks in slight amusement. 

“Do you actually need to get up?” She asks softly. He really isn’t expecting her to be so unbothered. He feels like shit, and he really really does not think that getting up and trying to move around would be a smart choice for himself right now unless he wants to throw up.

“I dunno,” He genuinely tries to figure out his next best move, because he honestly feels like if he sits up he might fall right over. He has become much too accustomed to the waiting for it to resolve on its own method when it comes to his other problem. He’s usually got too much he’s gotta do in the morning to have time to take care of it the other way, so at this point he’s used to it. And despite the whining guys will often use, claiming it hurts to not do anything about it, he knows that’s a lie. 

“It’ll go away on its own won’t it?” She asks, careful to not move the rest of her again as she turns her head a bit more. 

“I don’t want you feelin’ uncomfortable-”

“I’m not,” she says, “Not ‘cause of you, at least. I do feel absolutely terrible, but that’s all my own damn fault.” 

“It might take a while,” he stutters, and he really can’t believe she’s completely unbothered, in his experience with the couple of girls he’s been with before they got real squeamish when this happened outside of actively hooking up. It had put an abrupt stop to a couple make out sessions. 

“Darry, I am genuinely too busy regretting ever touching a drop of alcohol right now,” she murmurs. He grimaces in sympathy, despite the momentary distraction, his head is also still killing him. 

“Just can we not move around so much?” he begs, going lax against her. He knows it’ll go down, but if she keeps moving against him that’s gonna make it a helluva lot harder. But more importantly every time they move too much his head starts pounding again. He wonders if he just lays still enough that he’ll just stop existing and his headache will disappear.

“Mhhm.” She affirms, closing her eyes again with a weak noise of discomfort. He follows her lead, letting out a pathetic noise. 

“You also nauseous?” he asks, burrowing his face into her hair, trying to will the headache away. 

“Yeah, but I’m not gonna be sick,” she replies with a sigh, and her hand is drawing little circles on the back of his hand. 

“Christ, how are you alive right now?” Darry mutters, if he feels this lousy, he can’t imagine how bad she must be feeling. 

“I dunno, I kinda wish I wasn’t. I’m feeling the consequences full force, believe me,” she laments, and he takes a deep breath, inhaling the smell of her shampoo. “I may never drink again.”

“I think I’m joining you with that,” he mutters. He’s starting to think he’s never been this hungover in his life. 

“God, I am so sorry Darry, I really wasn’t meaning to make your life more difficult,” she says softly, and he can hear the way her voice is turning wet. He squeezes her hand, 

“We talked about this last night, you didn’t do anything to make my life more difficult.”

“I made a fool of myself,” she grumbles, she’s clearly getting back on her stubborn streak. 

“You did not-”

“I cried all over you, and I could barely walk. I was a mess,” she says, sounding absolutely forlorn, and he can hear the way she’s cringing just from the sound of her voice. He knows she’s needing reassurance, and he’s trying to provide it, but he sorta feels like he’s arguing with a wall considering how stubborn she’s being.
“Well, I ain’t breaking up with you over that,” he says firmly, and he’s trying to sound patient but he knows he’s a bit snippy because of his headache. 

“What if I just run off to Florida and change my name?”

“You ain’t doin that either,” he sighs, and she’s gotta be feeling at least a bit more decent if she’s willing to go back and forth like this. 

“You swear you ain’t mad at me?” she asks, and he moves just enough so his chin rests on the crown of her head.
“I swear. I can at least tell you I know that for sure, even with this damn headache.” 

“I don’t think I can ever see light again,” she whines, and he holds back a noise of dismay at the thought of being in a room any brighter than where they currently are.

“Food and aspirin will help,” he says, knowing it's the truth. But hell he doesn’t know if he can even stomach the journey to go get them anything. 

“Ugh, food sounds awful,” she says, sounding genuinely disgusted. 

“I’ve made the guys eat away a hangover too many times, I think this is my penance,” he bemoans. God he remembers the glares he’s gotten from Dally before when he forces him to eat some eggs after a bender. He’s gonna have to have a taste of his own medicine today. Speak of the devil. 

“I dunno where he is man, he never came back out here last night,” Dally’s voice carries easily through the walls since they’re both just laying in the dark in silence. 

“You think he’s in there?” Soda asks, his voice is a bit more muffled, and he’s clearly trying to be more quiet. 

“Only one way to find out!” Dally says, and Darry immediately braces himself for light to brighten up the room, but it doesn’t come. 

“Do you have a death wish?!” Soda hisses, but they’re definitely right outside the door now. 

“C’mon, it’ll be funny!” Two Bit says through a yawn. 

“Yeah till Darry kills someone!” Steve adds. Christ, did they all decide to wake up together just to ambush him? There's a creak telling him they’re trying the door knob, and he almost wants to grab something to throw in their general direction, but Betty grabs his hand and uses it to shield her own eyes just as the light starts coming in. 

“Shit, it’s dark in here. I can’t even see ‘em,” Two Bit mutters much more quietly, and Darry would go ahead and snap at them if he could just come up with a witty comment. 

“Are they dead?” Steve asks softly. They don’t seem to move from the doorway. “Soda, you gotta check!”

“Me?!”

“Fine, make Ponyboy do it then.” 

“Or I can just turn on the light-” Dally suggests. 

“No!” Soda hisses immediately in horror, and then there’s some more shuffling noises and a yelp and the sound of feet catching themselves. 

“Darry?” He has to bury his face a bit to hide the amused grin that he gets despite how annoyed he is. Those little shits really made Ponyboy be the sacrificial lamb since he’s the youngest.

“What?” he replies with as much annoyance as he can muster, at this point he doesn’t have the energy to really even try to fight them off. 

“Are you alive?” Soda asks, sounding a bit more curious since Darry didn’t snap at them immediately. 

“Unfortunately,” Betty sighs in answer. He’s surprised she’s not playing possum in order to avoid making herself a target for any teasing. 

“Is it bad?” Ponyboy asks. Darry has to bite back saying ‘whadda you think?’

“Remember my twentieth birthday?” Darry asks, and he hears Ponyboy make a noise of confirmation. “It’s worse.”

“Shit, you too huh?” Two Bit asks. Darry can hear his smile, but also the underlying grimace of sympathy. Two Bit is not unfamiliar with a nasty hangover. 

“Yes, ‘me too,’” Darry replies snarkily. He’s clearly a little more short with them than he normally is. 

“Well don’t worry Darry, we’ll make sure you get a nice big American breakfast all to yourself,” Dally goads, and Darry raises his middle finger at him wordlessly, despite them being in the dark. Still, they must get a good enough glimpse of it, cause it gets them all laughing and he hears some of them disburse towards the kitchen, probably to prepare their revenge. 

“You want some aspirin?” Soda asks with a bit of amusement. 

“Oh please God,” Betty practically begs, sounding more lively than she has all morning. 

“I gotcha,” Soda reassures, and then the door closes softly. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever thought a home cooked breakfast would be a punishment for me before,” Betty sighs, and he snorts in agreement. His stomach churns a bit at the thought, but he knows they gotta get up and eat anyway. 

“Hope you like scrambled eggs,” he murmurs and she lets out a groan that he relates to so much that they both start laughing. 

---

It takes a pathetically long time for them both to each eat a measly piece of toast and some scrambled eggs, but eventually Betty finally felt good enough she decided she could finally brave the seven minute drive home. He’d made sure to kiss her before she left though he’d been resting with his head on the kitchen table in misery, wanting to emphasize to her he is still indeed in no way mad at her. Dally and Steve left a bit after her, but Johnny and Two Bit decided to hang around to watch Saturday morning cartoons. While they all sit in front of the tv, Darry has taken to sitting in the recliner with his eyes shut, reaping the consequences of his choices from the night before. He runs a hand down the side of his face, and the stubble that’s formed on his face is starting to itch, which is doing nothing to improve his mood. He also needs a haircut, God he knows the hangover is at play but he feels particularly gross right now. He blinks his eyes open and takes a look at both of his brothers; he knows if he’s in need of a haircut those two definitely need one. Darry usually tries to trim his hair every so often, if it gets too long it bothers the hell out of him working outside all day. But his brothers don’t even think about it for themselves unless he reminds them. He knows it's been quite a while since the last time he’d trimmed either of their hair, but he’s really noticing it as he surveys them both. Hell, Ponyboy’s hair is getting so long the ends are turning out a bit in the back. He musters up the energy he’s managed to accrue over the last couple hours as he speaks,

“Alright, if your last name is Curtis, you’re getting a haircut today,” he grunts, pushing to his feet. 

“Okay!” Soda agrees. His brother is more than content with getting his haircut as that means he gets to have someone wash and play with his hair. Darry wasn’t really worried about Soda having a problem with this development.

“Nuh-uh,” Ponyboy says immediately, looking away from the tv with his wary look he gets when he has to do something he doesn’t wanna do. 

“Yeah-huh,” Darry replies, “Pony, your hair is getting way too long.”

“No it’s not!” Ponyboy argues, running his hand through his hair self consciously. It’s an absolute mess, he hasn't greased it at all today, but on top of that Darry doesn’t think he’s even brushed it. 

“I dunno Pone, it is kinda long,” Soda agrees, reaching over and starting to mess with his hair, dodging the way Ponyboy tries to bat him off. 

“Ain’t no one touchin’ my hair, no sir!” Ponyboy grunts, pushing Soda off of him after a moment. Darry is trying to be understanding, he knows all too well how important hair is to greasers, but it’s not like he’s asking the kid to shave his head. 

“I’ll go first!” Soda volunteers putting a temporary stop to that particular battle, looking genuinely excited at the prospect. Darry is glad at least one of them is willing to work with him here. 

“Go grab all the stuff from the bathroom, I’ll get the kitchen set up,” Darry asks, and Soda pushes to his feet, slipping down the hall as he starts humming. Darry moves one of the kitchen chairs to be in front of the sink, and he figures they can just sweep the floor after they finish everyone’s hair. 

“Hey Ponyboy I’ll help you pick out a fresh new hairstyle from the magazines,” Two Bit teases, and Darry contemplates throwing a dish towel at him.  Goading Ponyboy isn’t gonna do them any favors when it's his turn. 

“Buzz off!” Ponyboy snaps, but that seems to be the end of it for now when Soda returns with a bundle of things in his arms. He drops the pile of towels along with the shampoo, comb, brush, and scissors onto the kitchen table and looks at Darry eagerly. Soda used to love it when their mom would wash his hair in the sink before she’d cut their hair. Darry grabs one of the towels and folds it over a few times before setting it up so it rests on the lip of the sink, and Soda plops down into the chair leaning back so he’s resting with his head in the sink. Darry steps away for a minute to grab the shampoo, and lets the tap start running so the water warms up. Soda can rarely ever sit still, but this seems to be one of the rare times he tends to actually relax and is content to sit in one place for a while. Darry comes to stand beside him and grabs the faucet, pulling it out so he can hold the detachable head in one hand, and uses the other to keep the water from going down Soda’s face. His brother lets out a noise of contentment the second the warm water touches his head, and it is enough to crack a smile even if Darry is still feeling pretty lousy. He works to make sure he gets all of his hair nice and wet and Soda seems content to just lounge there like a cat on a windowsill. Once he’s satisfied with his initial job, he shuts off the sink and grabs the shampoo bottle and puts a good amount onto his fingertips. Soda blinks his eyes open for a moment at the loss of contact.

“Can I please get head scratches?” He practically begs Darry. He gives him an affectionate eye roll, but the both know Darry won’t say no to him. Soda’s satisfied grin says it all as Darry carefully works the shampoo into a lather at his scalp, and he makes sure to scratch his head how he knows Soda likes it. 

“Hey Darry maybe you should be hungover more often if this is what I get-”
“No.” He interrupts immediately horrified at the idea of ever waking up as hungover as he was this morning ever again. He actually pauses his actions, Soda’s hair is more than adequately shampooed at this point. 

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! I was just jokin, please don’t stop, ” Soda begs, and he practically leans his head back into Darry’s hands. 

“That’s what I thought,” Darry grumbles, but he goes back to massaging his head, he figures he can make Soda return the favor in a bit, and it might help with the remains of his headache. Once he figures Soda has been given enough attention he turns the tap back on and waits for the water to warm back up before he starts rinsing away the suds. Soda used to always get water in his eyes because he’d never sit still enough when he was little, but he’s gotten better and Darry is able to get him all set. He is about to tell Soda to sit up, before his brother beats him to it. 

“Darry, will you shave my face too?” Soda interrupts as he rubs at his face, examining it as Darry continues to make progress. 

“Since when was this a barbershop?” Darry scoffs, if it’s one thing Darry knows, Soda will always see how much he can get away with. 

“Aww c’mon, I’ll do it for you when it’s your turn!” Soda bargains.

“You’ll just cut up my face,” Darry grumbles, Soda does perfectly fine shaving his own face, but he isn’t the best at shaving someone else’s face; he rushes through it. Darry really doesn’t need his face nicked a bunch on top of his other current ailment. 

“Fine,” Darry concedes, and Soda wiggles excitedly in the chair. 

“It’s like I got my very own spa day!” Soda teases as Darry begrudgingly grabs the shaving cream and Soda’s razor that so conveniently seems to have already been added to the pile of supplies Soda collected. It’s not hard, Soda decides to be the picture perfect canvas and simply puts himself half to sleep in the time it takes Darry to get his face shaved. Once he cleans the remains of the shaving cream off of Soda’s face he starts thinking that he better be giving him the same treatment when they switch places. He cajoles Soda to finally get up with a jab to the ribs. 

“Make me look real tuff Darry,” Soda instructs, plopping into the chair at the table where they’d propped up a small shaving mirror. It’s more to keep Soda entertained then to try and get his input on anything Darry’s doing. If he can’t see Darry in the mirror sometimes Soda has a tendency to forget what they’re doing and will try to turn to look at Darry when they’re talking and it drives Darry crazy, so the mirror ended up being the solution. 

“Just try not to move too much on me,” Darry mutters, already combing through Soda’s hair and getting it sectioned into parts small enough for him to trim.

“Did you actually sleep in your room all night last night?” Soda prods, giving Darry raised eyebrows in the mirror as he starts trimming the ends shorter on the first section of Soda’s hair near the nape of his neck. 

“I’m trying to focus,” Darry deflects, though they know he is plenty fine at multitasking. 

“Aw c’mon Darry we all saw you!” Two Bit contributes.

“She wasn’t feelin’ well!” He justifies, and it’s true, but he also selfishly wasn’t gonna say no to that particular opportunity. 

“Is that what they call it?” Johnny mutters, but it’s loud enough that they catch it. Johnny has always been extremely witty, but he tends to keep his comments under his breath, so they can easily get lost in the chaos of the group. When it’s more laid back like this he’ll get a little more talkative, and Darry likes seeing him open up so much he doesn’t mind being the butt of the joke this time around.
Darry’s pretty close to being done with his haircut, and he has to bat Soda’s hand away as he tries to prematurely examine his handiwork. 

“You gonna tip me well for my services?” He mumbles as he finishes up the last bits in the front, making sure it’s even. 

“I seem to have left my wallet at home,” Soda says with a shrug and a grin and he cuffs him playfully on the head. 

“Alright, do you approve?” Darry asks, stepping back and letting Soda mess around with his hair for a minute in the mirror.

“Yeah, hell it really was getting long! It feels a lot better,” Soda observes, before hopping up from the chair and holding out his hand expectantly. 

“Your turn?” Soda asks, grabbing the scissors from him.  

“I expect the same treatment I gave you,” Darry says, sitting in the chair by the sink and letting Soda get set up. Once he’s got his head tilted back into the sink he closes his eyes and at least relishes that the headache has died down significantly with the help of the aspirin he downed at the first opportunity. Soda’s love for physical affection plays to Darry’s advantage in this, because he is more than happy to carefully wash his hair, and he gives a damn good head massage, just as he does with regular massages. Darry swears he’s almost asleep by the time Soda turns the faucet back on the warm the water up, but then the phone starts ringing. He hears Soda pad over to the phone across the room and answer it. 

“Who is it?” Darry asks, cracking open one eye. 

“Steve, he’s looking for something at the DX, gimme a minute!” Soda explains. He lets out a huff, but falls back against the towel. “Hey Pony, help me out and start rinsing out Darry’s hair will ya?” Soda asks, covering the receiver for a moment. 

“Fine,” Ponyboy says, and he can hear his footsteps padding across the tile. 

“You’re up next kiddo,” Darry reminds Ponyboy, who grabs the handheld sinkhead and starts slowly washing the back of his head. 

“My hair’s fine,” Ponyboy mutters, and his eyes squint in focus as he starts to move around a bit, his hand running through Darry’s hair. He decides he’s not up for more debating and closes his eyes again, content to just enjoy the fact that the warm water is indeed doing wonders for the headache that managed to linger. Ponyboy gets up to his hairline on his forehead and Darry is too busy relaxing to anticipate anything. Two Bit barks out a laugh at something on the tv, 

“What is it?” Ponyboy asks, and the next thing he knows is a face full of water which leaves him sputtering as he bats at his brother’s arm reflexively. The second the stream of water is pulled back he hears Two Bit laughing his ass off. Even Johnny, who's trying to muffle his laughter, is clearly unable to hold back. Darry swears today is just trying to kick his ass. 

“What the hell?!” He sputters as he grabs blindly at a towel off to the side bringing it up to his face. He feels another pair of hands on his head, 

“Gee Pony, I said to wash his hair off, not his face!” Soda says, but Darry can hear the way he’s barely fighting back laughs. 

“Sorry,” Ponyboy mutters sheepishly, and he knows he should be patient, but he’s a bit short tempered today. 

“Jesus Christ, you just had to get your head up in the clouds and try to waterboard me?!” He snaps, sitting up and glaring at him. 

“I didn’t mean to!” Ponyboy defends, though Darry can tell he does at least seem a bit guilty. 

“I don’t understand why you can’t just pay attention!” Darry snaps, and he sees the way Ponyboy curls in on himself and immediately feels badly. 

“Screw your Darry!” Ponyboy snaps, throwing a towel at him before he’s storming off to his room in a huff and then an added, “And I’m not cutting my fuckin hair!” There’s a bet of silence where both he and Soda let out sighs.

“You okay Dar?” Soda asks, sounding genuinely concerned. 

“Yeah, just caught me off guard,” Darry starts. He knows Soda hates being in the middle of these things. 

“I think he was already a bit upset cause he’s gonna have to get his haircut, I think it was probably gonna happen anyway.”

“I’ll go talk to him,” Johnny volunteers, pushing to his feet with a small sideways grin. 

“You’re his best friend, try and get him to come out willingly for his haircut in a while,” Darry begs, giving Johnny a look of hope.
“I’ll do my darndest,” Johnny says with a shrug, sharing a knowing look in which they all agree Ponyboy has a stubborn streak a mile long. They wait until they hear the door close behind Johnny before Soda focuses on Darry again,

“Well anyways, let me continue my spa treatments I guess, I promise I won’t nick ya, just lemme shave your face since you keep itching it.”
“Can I get this spa treatment next-” Two Bit begins.
“No!” Soda and Darry deny in unison, laughing at the fake pout Two Bit gives immediately.

---

In the end, Ponyboy allows them to cut his hair, but on the condition that Johnny is the one to do it. Darry thinks that’s an interesting choice because as far as he’s aware, Johnny doesn’t cut hair much, but hell he’s hungover so he just gives Johnny the scissors with a shrug after he finishes washing Ponyboy’s hair. His youngest brother has always been sorta tender headed, so he is definitely smirking when Pont still whines and complains as Johnny brushes out his hair, saying he’s pulling too hard. Darry is more than happy to let someone else be the bad guy this time around as he sits back and relaxes with his new haircut and fresh shave. 

“No! That’s way too short Johnny! Lengthen it more,” Ponyboy commands, looking up from his book in his lap. Darry watches in amusement as Johnny sighs and slides his fingers down the piece of hair he’s holding until Pony approves. Johnny nods in acceptance and then Ponyboy isn’t watching him in the mirror anymore, refocusing on his book.  That means that Darry gets to see as Johnny reexamines the strand he’s holding, and just as Darry would’ve done, starts trimming it shorter, making sure the dead ends are all cut off. It’s not until he’s got about one last piece left that Ponyboy finally looks up and makes a noise of horror.

“You cut it all off!” He protests, as Johnny whacks his shoulder and tells him to sit still and finishes the final part. 

“No I didn’t, I just cleaned it up,” Johnny replies, calmly slicking Pony’s hair back with some grease, unbothered by his best friend’s dramatics. Darry has to admit, it seems like Johnny has a natural talent, his final product actually looks real good. 

“Hell Johnny, you got a real good eye for this,” Soda exclaims, coming over to examine Ponyboy, who huffs, but seems to be satisfied with the overall results as he checks it all out in the mirror.

“Nah man, I was just eyeballin-”

“No really Johnny, his hair looks better than I could’ve done,” Darry interjects, and he sees the way Johnny looks down bashfully. 

“Johnnycakes, you could make a fortune as a greaser barber, you know that? You got a real gift!” Two Bit adds on, for once not joking at all. 

“Really?” Johnny asks so softly Darry’s heart aches a bit. 

“It does look pretty tuff Johnny, Darry would’ve just shaved my head,” Ponyboy says, but he actually quirks the corner of his mouth when he gives Darry a glare, and this is the first time in a while Darry has seen his little brother meet him halfway after an argument.

“Guess you’ll have to start payin’ Johnny for his services then kiddo, better set aside some of your allowance,” Darry teases, smirking as Pony squawks in indignation and Johnny softly reassures him he’ll do it for free. 

“You’re just all high and mighty cause you wanna go show your new haircut to your girl!” Ponyboy retorts, and Darry has no qualms as he stands up, despite the slight protest from his head, and lunges for his kid brother, ready to wrestle him to the floor till he pleads uncle.

Notes:

This was so funny to me. Ponyboy is in the teenage boy phase where he like just does not want anyone to touch his hair, but Johnny gave him a good haircut (since my guy was NOT using a blade lol).

Also for my of legal age friends I have only been this hungover probably once where it lasted most of the day and it was literally awful, so Darry and Betty were def not having a good time. But fun to write some cute but also mildly awkward shenanigans. Also not pictured was Soda's jump of excitement and fist pump he did once they closed the door after bothering them lol, he just loves love. Ponyboy was just glad he didn't die, Steve actually shoved him forward as a sacrifice (which Darry didn't see as he had his eyes closed to avoid throwing up at that time.

Also come chat with me in the comments OR on tumblr @fangirl-docintraining I have the whole weekend off and I want to yap.

Chapter 21: Chap 21

Summary:

Some Two Bit and Darry Friendship Rights™️ and the boys love to gossip

Notes:

Happy Friday everyone! I hope y'all enjoy this one. This chap goes out to all my Two Bit and Dally girlies cause they both get some moments in this chap.

It isn’t odd for the guys to get busy and for Darry to not see them for a few days given his long work hours. Especially because their house has become firmly cemented as the home base for their little gang, so more often than not there’s at least one other member there besides his two brothers when he gets home. All to say, normally he wouldn’t even notice, but Two Bit has been strangely missing for several days now, and it’s got Darry partly curious and partly worried. Two Bit is his oldest friend, his mom was their mom’s best friend before Darry was even born. Darry can distinctly remember when both Soda and Pony were born, but Darry can’t remember life before Keith was around. He would’ve been way too little. In some ways he was sorta like Darry’s brother before he got his brothers. It was good practice, with him being slightly younger than Darry. Lord knows there were a few times where he hit Two Bit too hard messing around and had to beg him to just hit him back to avoid him tattling. While he was a couple grades below Darry, they walked to school and back every day together, and were pretty inseparable outside of the classroom. Once they both hit high school, Two Bit was the only one who seemed fine hanging around with Darry’s soc friends from the football team, and he’s so naturally funny they generally didn’t mind having him around. Dally and Steve weren’t very secretive in keeping their sentiments that Darry wasn’t a real greaser to themselves those last couple years of school, but Two Bit never said a word. Looking back, Darry isn’t sure he would’ve been as loyal of a friend if their roles had been reversed. God knows they have every reason to hate the soc kids, and just because Darry was their exception that didnt mean they didn’t still mess around with the other greaser kids. But Two Bit pushed it aside in order to stick with Darry, something that he didn’t really realize until after he graduated. As much as Ponyboy likes to joke around that Two Bit is lazy for avoiding getting a job, which he knows is a tiny bit true,  Darry is the only one who knows the real reason he’s been repeating grades and will be doing senior year over again this year. 

Darry had been smoking on the porch late one night, back when he still had the second job and wasn’t getting home until close to eleven at night some nights. Ponyboy had come home with a black eye, and had refused to explain how he’d gotten it, but they all knew some soc roughed him up. Their folks had only been dead a couple months, and they were barely keepin it together at all. Darry was at the end of his rope emotionally and physically, he felt like he’d been aged twenty years at that time. He’d almost reflexively punched Two Bit when he appeared at Darry’s side in the darkness. 

“Christ, don’t sneak up on me like that!” He’d snapped, harsher than he should’ve been as he took another puff of the cigarette. Darry almost never smokes, but his nerves were so shot it was the only way he could keep himself together that night. 

“You can’t keep this up Darry,” Two Bit said softly, his brown eyes gave him a look of pity that had him bristling immediately. 

“I don’t have a fuckin choice,” Darry muttered, which was true. If he didn’t keep working, his brothers don’t eat or have a roof over their heads, and if they don’t have that, they get taken away. 

“Darry,” Two Bit sighed, “I know you can’t stop workin, I’m not saying that. But if you keep carrying all this stress and worry by yourself you’re gonna break.” Darry had felt like his gut was in his throat as he tried to come up with what to say to that. 

“I barely can look after them besides just keeping food in the house and the lights on,” Darry had said softly, it was the most he’d opened up to anyone in the months since everything fell apart. 

“You don’t gotta worry about them so much,” Two Bit had reassured, placing a firm hand on Darry’s shoulder with a squeeze. 

“I can’t-”

“C’mon, if you think I ain’t been looking after ‘em at school and at home too then you must think I’m a pretty shit friend,” Two Bit sighed, and that had made Darry speechless, as he turned to actually look at his best friend. 

“What?”

“Dar, I know I goof off, but we both know I could’ve passed this last year-”

“What?!” Darry sputters, realizing what his friend is implying. “Two Bit, you better be joking!” 

“Relax. We both know I enjoy school and getting to talk all day,” Two Bit had interjected, Darry had tried to interrupt him but he kept going. “Listen, I agree Sodapop is miserable, he’ll be tons happier just working this school year. But someone should look out for the rest of ‘em ya know? Steve’ll have a bit of a go adjusting to not having Soda around at school no more. And I don’t mind lookin out for Ponykid and Johnnycakes, they deserve to go to school without  having to watch their backs every damn minute. Hell, I even keep an eye on Dally too when he decides to show up.”

“You flunked junior year so you could stay longer.” Darry had concluded, feeling almost sick at the thought. 

“Yessiree! Failed my math final cause I just drew Mickey on it instead of solving the problems.” Darry didn’t laugh. 

“Why the hell would you-”

“I told ya, I’m just keepin’ an eye on the kiddies. They don’t need to know about it neither. Gotta let them be tuff without thinking they’re gettin babied, cause they ain’t. Honestly I’m only tellin’ ya any of this because I’m worried you’re gonna destroy yourself if you keep on worryin’ so much,” Two Bit said with a shrug, as if it’s not a big deal. “And before you go popping a blood vessel, yes my mom knows. And she don’t mind.” Darry’s heart ached at this, he knew Mrs. Mathews was doing everything she could to look after them, but with Two Bit’s dad gone, she rarely had time to check on them, she had more than enough on her plate working and raising Two Bit and his baby sister. 

“Keith,” Darry had sighed. He only really calls Two Bit that when they’re getting serious about something, or if he annoys Darry too much. 

“Darry. You’re still my best friend, I dunno if you realize that. I know you left for college for a while, and I know you got more than a lot goin on right now, and that’s okay. Just cause we can’t always pal around like we used to don’t mean you ain’t. I’m here if you want to talk, I do hope you know that. But at the very least, let me do this,” Two Bit had said, his voice was calm and left no room for him to even argue. He actually teared up, he’d been letting all the worries build up since the moment he took over caring for the boys, and this is the first time he feels like the load has been lightened. 

“Thank you,” Darry had choked out, and Two Bit seemed to understand everything he wanted to say but couldn’t find the words for. His friend had simply given him a firm hug, which Darry didn’t know he needed until he leaned into the embrace, letting his exhaustion take over, before he was dragged to bed. It was the first time he felt he actually got some decent sleep since the accident. 

Darry is planning to stop by Two Bit’s house once he gets home, but the universe seems to beat him to it, as his friend is on his porch just as he pulls into their driveway. 

“Hey Darry! Come over here. I got somethin to show you!” Two Bit hollers from the porch, waving like a mad man as if he’s worried he might not spot him. 

“One second,” Darry yells back, pausing to shuck off his tool belt and leave it on the bench of the truck before closing the door. It takes approximately thirty seconds to walk between their porch and the Mathews’ porch, they timed it once when they were kids. 

“Long time no see,” Two Bit says with a sideways grin, he’s got his overalls on again, and his hands look a bit dirty, and it does get Darry’s curiosity going again. 

“Was about to put out a missing person’s report. The beer hasn’t been touched in days,” Darry jokes, cuffing his friend on the head playfully. 

“Shoot, I’ve been a working man this week!” Two Bit laughs, gesturing to him to follow as he starts off their porch, heading to go around the back of the house. 

“You?’ Darry teases, knowing the gangs running joke about Two Bit’s hatred of getting a job. 

“Yeah, I think you’re gonna like it, it’s fun for the whole family!” He explains, stopping before they round the corner to the backyard. 

“You gonna make me guess?” Darry asks, he honestly has no clue what idea Two Bit may have come up with. 

“Nah, but close your eyes for a second here and hold out your hands like this,” Two Bit instructs, mimicking cupping his hands. Darry raises an eyebrow and does so, and he slips around the corner instructing him to wait there and keep his eyes closed. Darry sighs, and he knows there’s a non zero chance he’s about to get pranked somehow, but he’s decided to trust Two Bit this time round.

“Okay, don’t drop or squeeze it ya dig?” Two Bit instructs as he stops back in front of Darry. Darry nods and waits until he feels him set something in his hands and he blinks open his eyes. A fluffy yellow chick sits in his hands, chirping contentedly as it’s little feet move around on his palm. 

“Where’d ya get this little fella?’ Darry asks. It’s real cute, and he very carefully strokes the top of it’s head with one finger, feeling the downy baby feathers. 

“Well, him and 5 others,” Two Bit explains, motioning for Darry to follow. Once he rounds the corner he sees why his friend was missing in action for the week. He’s somehow managed to construct an impressive chicken coop and yard against the back of their house, which is currently being inhabited by seven hens and six little chicks. 

“Chickens?” Darry asks. 

“Mom had a guy at work who was sellin some hens ‘cause he had too many, said they lay great eggs. We figured we’d definitely eat some and any extras we can sell,” Two Bit explains, opening the pen as they both slip in, careful to avoid any of the chicks on the ground. 

“That’s real smart actually,” Darry says, he sorta wishes he’d come up with that himself; they certainly go through a lot of eggs in their house. 

“You can send Ponykid over here every few days to come get your free eggs,” Two Bit continues, bending down and picking up one of the hens, which surprisingly is relatively unbothered by him doing so as he tucks it under his arm. 

“Hell Two Bit, we can’t take your-”
“You can and you will. Plus I’ll be eating half of them at your house anyways,” His friend interrupts, not even letting him start trying to deny it. 

“You know I love you right?’ Darry says, feeling a bit sheepish as he says it. The guys rarely get soft like this with their words, but he’s been working on saying stuff like this more. 

“Course I do! Like I always tell ya, you can’t get rid of me!” Two Bit replies, and Darry knows that’s his own way of saying ‘love you too.’ 

“You build all this yourself?” He asks. He genuinely is impressed, it’s a great setup. 

“Don’t sound so surprised Mr. Roofer, I take shop class and can follow building instructions,” Two Bit laughs as Darry sets the chick he’s been holding down onto the ground back among its friends. 

“You gonna name them?” Darry asks.

“Already did name all the hens, they’re named after us!” Two Bit laughs, he gestures to the black one in his arms, “This one’s Johnny.” Darry barks out a laugh, and starts scanning the other ones and starts making a mental guessing list. He points to the pretty ruddy colored one that has a nice plume of feathers on the top of her head, 

“That one you?”

“Naturally, she’s the most beautiful one of the bunch,” He laughs. He starts studying the others and Two Bit decides to help him out. 

“The one right at my feet is Ponyboy.” It’s a tawny brown spotted hen, Darry sorta sees the resemblance. He nods to the one golden colored one, 

“Sodapop?” Darry asks. 

“Bingo! Dark brown one next to her is Steve!” Darry really is grinning like an idiot. That leaves him only with Dally and himself. He looks at the remaining two hens, one is white, and real pretty, the other is gray and speckled. 

“If you named the gray one after me cause y’all think I’m already going gray I swear-”

“That's not why she’s named Darry, stupid! She’s the one that sits on and takes care of all the babies, that’s why it’s you!” Two Bit laughs, eyes filled with mirth as he bends down and pets Darry’s namesake. He huffs out a sigh, but the choice isn’t inaccurate. 

“Why’s the white one Dally? Just default?” Darry asks after a moment. 

“Nah, it's ‘cause she’s a total bitch! She pecks everyone!” Two Bit says, and that sends Darry into another fit of laughter. He’s gotta admit the names are pretty funny even if he knows the guys are gonna use it as fuel to call him old. 

“You shown the rest of them yet?” Darry asks, he has a feeling he’s late to this particular news.

“Nah, I wanted you to get first dibs on introductions. Wanna go grab those bums lazing around at your house?” He asks, setting down Johnny the chicken. God that’s gonna get confusing with all of them over here. 

“Ponyboy is gonna be mad that his newest chore requires him to walk over here to get eggs,” Darry says as he steps out of the pen, getting ready to head over to the house. 

“He’s a runner, it’ll be good training,” Two Bit jokes, slinging an arm of Darry’s shoulder as they head for the Curtis house, getting ready to rally the crew. 

---

Friday evening Darry comes home to an empty house. He was greeted by Pip, who Darry swears gets bigger each day, the dog currently trips over himself a lot, his paws are huge compared to the rest of his gangly body. He gave him a couple quick pats and made a beeline for the shower, eager to enjoy it with plenty of hot water. Now he sits in the recliner with a beer in hand, with Pip sitting at his feet, eager to get some love from Darry.  He spends a couple minutes giving him some attention, and letting the hound sniff him all over, he swears the dog is always looking for food. 

“I don’t have anything right now, and you’re not getting my beer,” he jokes to the dog, who pants happily as he scratches under his chin. Darry figured out long ago he has a tendency to talk to himself when he’s alone, sometimes the silence gets eerie, but it feels less weird when he at least has Pip as an audience.

“Where are all those dang boys huh? Once Ponyboy gets home he can give you your dinner,” he continues, smirking a bit at the sound of Pip’s tail thumping against the floor. 

“Darry! You’re home!” He hears a voice shout from the porch, Two Bit, he recognizes. He must’ve seen his truck parked outside. The screen door opens with that loud creak he keeps telling himself he’s gonna fix and his friend comes in through the door, “Check it out! We match!” Two Bit exclaims. He looks up from the dog and sees Two Bit in some ridiculous pose with his hands on his hips, and beside him is Betty, who’s grinning at the antics, with a tote bag slung over one arm. He surveys them for a moment, and Two Bit gestures excitedly as if Darry is blind and can’t see they’re both wearing overalls. He surveys his girlfriend, who’s got a pair of overalls on with a cropped white tee shirt on beneath and her short hair is pulled back by a bandana she’s got tied around her head. She really looks like a greaser girl like this, and he’s surprised by the fact that he is smugly pleased by the observation. She looks good. 

“Where’s your bandana, Two Bit?” Darry finally says with a small smirk, watching his friend make a face and stick out his tongue in response. 

“I bring your girl over to see ya and this is the thanks I get. Critiques on my outfit,” He grumbles, though he simply goes for the fridge with a laugh, and Darry knows he’s just messing around. 

“You got a haircut!” Betty observes as she starts shucking off her shoes at the front door. He immediately runs a hand through his hair self consciously. His curls are starting to dry and take on their natural pattern after his shower. “It looks nice!” She adds on with a grin.

“What did he rope you into doin?” Darry asks, wondering why she would’ve been with Two Bit, though he is pleased she seems to have taken to being with the gang even if he’s not around. 

“I got a call to come get some fresh eggs!” She explains  as she looks up as she wrestles her second boot off. “I was just doing chores all day before that.”

“Betty, you gonna stick ‘round? Can open you a beer if you want!” Two Bit calls. She gives Darry a questioning look and he just moves over and she practically skips across the room before she’s sneaking into the spot beside him in the chair. 

“Yes please!” She replies as he wraps an arm around her and she decides to throw her legs over his lap before she’s leaning down and giving Pip a bunch of attention. “He gets bigger each time I see him! Look at these big ears,” she coos, as Pip happily is subject to her kisses on the top of the head. 

“Here ya go,” Two Bit says, holding out a beer to her that she takes with a thanks, before he’s throwing himself onto their couch, lounging across it with a stretch. “Where are all the kiddies?” Two Bit asks. 

“I dunno, house was empty when I got home,” Darry says with a shrug, and Betty leans back against him as she gives Pip a final pat before the dog decides to go try and get some attention from Two Bit next. He takes a look at Betty, and he really can see the freckles across the bridge of her nose and the rosy flush of her cheeks up close like this. 

“Hi sugar,” she says, clearly noticing the way he’s staring, which makes him blush. She gives him a smirk as she gives him a quick peck on the lips before she takes a sip of the beer she’s been holding. 

“I swear I saw Ponyboy and Johnny leaving the house a few hours ago, figured they would’ve been back by now,” Two Bit muses, though he doesn’t sound worried. Darry knows he’s good about keepin an eye on them. 

“What the hell is up with the socs?” Steve’s voice rings out as Darry winces at the sound of their door slamming open.

“Steve!” Darry scolds reflexively, he swears one of them is gonna break the door off of it’s hinges. 

“Oops!” Steve says with a shrug as he and Soda scurry inside. “Two Bit you know anything about the socs?”

“Nah, they’ve stayed on their side of town,” Two Bit says, turning with a curious look on his face, “Why? What happened?” 

“Couple of ‘em came to get their car looked at today. They were acting real squirrely, I dunno, it was just weird.” Soda explains, but the lack of details leaves Darry even more confused. 

“Didn’t even say nothing to us like they usually would,” Steve adds. 

“Well, we won the rumble,” Darry says, feeling like they’re just describing the fact that the socs are finally leaving them alone. 

“Nah it’s different, they still would go at us a bit even after the rumble, but this was just weird,” Soda denies.

“Now I’m kinda sad I had the day off of work today. I definitely would’ve caught news if it was anything big,” Betty muses. 

“Are you just gossiping all day at work?” Steve jokes, eyes alight as he and Soda force Two Bit to make room for them on the couch. 

“I prefer to call it collecting information,” Betty says primly, and that gets Darry to snort. She gives him a playful whack on the knee, “Hey! It’s true!”

“Well now it’s gonna bug me,” Soda whines, looking contemplative as he seemingly is rerunning through the day's interactions. Darry sighs, 

“If they’re leaving you alone then we better just leave it be-”

“We’re home!” Ponyboy is hollering, running through the door, a few seconds later Dally and Johnny appear, sauntering in at a much more leisurely pace. 

“Shoes off Pony!” Darry warns as his brother looks like he’s about to track a bunch of dirt through their carpet. 

“I know!” He says with the full annoyance only a fourteen year old can manage to produce. 

“Where’d y’all go for like four hours?” Two Bit asks, “I saw ya leave a long while back.”

“The library,” Ponyboy says, his backpack looks practically stuffed to the brim with books. 

“For four hours?!” Soda exclaims, unable to fathom why anyone would be there for that long. He usually can handle the library for approximately twenty minutes before he’s bored.

“Yeah,” Ponyboy says, as if that’s a normal amount of time. Darry wonders if the kid read an entire book while they were there.

“Johnny weren’t you bored to death?” Steve ribs, and earns himself a glare from Ponyboy. 

“Nah, I was plenty entertained,” Johnny replies. 

“You gotta tell ‘em Johnny!” Dally says, and he’s got that fiery look in his eye that Darry usually sees come out when the socs are involved. 

“Tell us what?” Darry asks, immediately feeling himself bristle. He swears if the socs tried to mess with them again he might actually beat the shit out of Paul the next time he sees him in town. 

“Johnny’s a master spy, caught wind of the details before it’ll even hit the papers for the next couple a days,” Dally continues, and Darry wants to point out that is in no way helping his nerves. 

“I just was listening while we hung out at the library s’all,” Johnny says with a shrug as he sits on the floor next to Ponyboy. 

“Well now you’ve got me interested,” Betty says excitedly. 

“Tell us Johnny!” Soda encourages. The gang likes to make fun of girls for gossiping a lot, but Darry knows the truth, cause the second Johnny ever says he overheard something interesting they all go quiet and suddenly wanna know all the juicy details.

“I was just sitting at one of the tables and Pony had gone to look for a book so it was empty in that part of the library except a couple soc girls were working on some summer project or something,” Johnny begins to explain. “I think they forgot I was there too, musta thought I went with Pony.” 

“Put on your spy gear huh, Johnny?” Steve teases. Johnny often sits in the back of classes and school gatherings, and the kid has become so good at being quiet Darry knows many a secret has been spilled in his presence without people suspecting a thing. Dally loves to use it for evil when Johnny will let him. 

“They started talkin about Bob Sheldon,” Johnny continues, and Darry swears about half the room bristles in defense at just the kid’s name. “They said his father got arrested by the fuzz last night. Busted in the door of their house and everything.”

“Holy shit! I didn’t think the cops even knew the west side existed; they're always so busy riding our asses. What the hell did they get him for?” Soda says excitedly. Darry has to admit, he is definitely intrigued now himself. 

“Apparently the guy was embezzling a bunch of cash from the houses he sells or something. I think I heard one of the girls say something about $150,000!” Johnny practically whispers, as if they’re still in the library and he’s gotta keep his voice down. 

“Gee wiz! You could probably buy the whole east side of Tulsa with that kinda dough! How do I get me into one of these schemes?” Two Bit exclaims, laughing hysterically at the news. 

“You don’t want to get busted for that kinda crime,” Darry says with an eye roll, though he has to admit for that amount of money it almost sounds worth it sometimes. 

“Yeah man, they’re gonna have a formal trial and everything. He could have to do 30 years in prison,” Johnny finishes, eyes widened in disbelief at the whole thing. 

“I’m gonna have to keep an ear out at work tomorrow, see what else I hear! There’s a few nurses from the west side.” Betty adds, “That’s some crazy news Johnny!”

“That must be why the socs were acting so weird, that’s a scandal if I’ve ever heard one,” Soda says, nudging Steve with his shoulder on the couch. 

“Ain’t so high and mighty now!” Dally chortles, “Kid ain’t gonna be trying to fuck around with us no more if he knows what’s good for him and his jailbird daddy.”

“Well, this just goes to ya show crime never pays off in the end, even if you’re rich,” Betty says, and that at least gets all the guys to sigh in acceptance. Darry is secretly glad she’s pointing this fact out, he’s pretty careful at making sure his boys don’t get into too much illegal shit compared to the kids in Shepard’s gang or the Brumley boys, but it doesn’t hurt to have this as a reminder. 

“Why you nodding along, Darry? We’re model citizens! Hell, even Dally’s been on the right side of the law for a long while, but the rest of us for sure!” Two Bit says trying to seem scandalized.

Two Bit actually makes a fair point, overall his gang that he’s somehow been designated leader of is definitely the greaser gang that stays out of trouble with the law the most. Darry still thinks Curly Shepard hasn’t been let out of the reformatory yet, and he’s only Ponyboy’s age. Dally has always been the one out of all of them getting into the most trouble with the fuzz, and when Darry was in high school he didn’t care to worry about Dally at all. That seemed to be something his parents took on; Dad had picked him up from jail and even saved him from getting sent to juvie a couple times. After their deaths Darry was too busy trying to keep his kid brothers with him to stop Dally from getting picked up for shoplifting and robbing people and whatever the hell else he decided to do. Looking back, Dally’s behavior definitely got worse when their parents died. Their mom had a special soft spot for Dally, and Dad had worked real hard to try and set him on a better path. He was grieving in the way he knew how to. Darry hadn’t done anything about it until Dally had gotten out of the cooler right before that night at the fountain. The next afternoon after they’d found Pony and Johnny he and Dally finally had it out on the porch.

He’d told Dally if he kept on going the way he had been, he was gonna end up in jail or dead, and while the kid had just laughed in his face Darry had pushed on. He’d asked Dally if that’s really all he wanted for his life? If he cares about any of them at all? And most importantly how he’s no good to them if he’s always off in jail or running away from his problems. Darry knows now he was harsh, and Dally had been the scapegoat for all his anger from the previous night, but he swore the reason Dally wasn’t around to help them with running off the socs was cause he was off helping some of the Brumly boys make a big drug deal after the movies. In response to that, Dally had started screaming at him, wild and almost frantic, like an animal caught in a corner that decided to try and fight its way out. Darry had been so mad, and so tired of worrying, because dammit, as much as he hated how Dally behaves, he still loves him like he does all the rest of them. He’d delivered the final blow when he’d mentioned Johnny, and how he’d be no use to him at all if he ended up just being some old, washed up, good for nothing, jailbird. That had earned Darry a punch to the jaw, and Dally had sprinted off before Darry could even react to the blow. Part of him was terrified the kid was just gonna skip town, never to be seen again, but Darry hoped and prayed he’d gotten through to him somehow. He knows it’s his responsibility to raise Soda and Pony, but hell he can’t help but want to give the rest of the gang a fair shot at life too. Darry had almost cried when Dally reappeared on their porch three days later, slinking up the steps and eyeing Darry like he might throw him out. They’d sat in silence for maybe a half hour before Dally finally said, “I understand.” And Darry had nodded, not sure how to get anymore words out. It was right then he knew: Dallas Winston may love only one thing in this life, but little Johnny Cade may have saved Dally’s life that day. 

Ever since, Dally has cooled it with the more illegal activities, he’s stopped flat out robbing places, and doesn’t do any more drug deals with Shepard or his gang. Darry knows Buck Merrill has been looking out for him too, getting Dally more involved with running the rodeo, teaching the kid how to make money in a more legal way. He’s quite talented at it when he puts his mind to it. 

“If you’re such an angel, why are you on a first name basis with the cops down at the station?” Darry asks with a raised brow, replying to the latter part of Two Bit’s statement. 

“That’s ‘cause I go and help them out! Give ‘em tips on where they might bust some sneaky greasers up to no good!” Two Bit laughs, Darry knows Two Bit goes just to annoy the cops with his presence and dick around. 

“Is that what was happening when I had to come get your ass from the station and they had you in the holding cell?” Darry asks dryly. 

“Well, that’s just to keep you busy,” Two Bit shrugs. 

“That’s just Two Bit, Darry, the rest of us are good boys!” Soda says with his charming grin and he bats his eyes as if he’s the picture of innocence as he wraps an arm around Steve.  

“I’m proud of you-” Betty starts to say, which Darry cuts off before Soda can start trying to convince her he’s actually God’s gift to mankind. 

“If I recall, weren’t you and Two Bit arrested for handstands on the sidewalk ‘round six months ago?” Darry retorts, taking a sip of his beer. That was also not a fun call to get. He’d half wanted to throttle them both for being knuckleheads, but then again he knew they only got picked up at all ‘cause they’re greaser kids, so Darry couldn’t be too mad at them for that part of it. 

“Well, Steve then!” Soda diverts with a shrug.

“Nah buddy, they got me for lifting hubcaps that one time remember? Plus we got booked together for drag racing," Steve reminds him and Darry nods, smirking because Soda’s just proving him right. Soda scowls at this, and Darry sees the lightbulb go off in his head about two seconds before he starts running his mouth. 

“Hey Dar, I remember Dad having to go pick up a certain someone from the police station when he was a senior in high school. Something about setting off illegal fireworks with some friends, do you remember who that was?”

 He swears his brother looks like some evil movie star villain with the smirk he’s currently sporting. Unlike some of the other guys in the gang, Darry really tried to stay out of any real trouble as a high schooler. He didn’t want to risk losing a college scholarship just because he was being stupid. But there was that one time he got caught with some of the football guys setting off a bunch of those fireworks after they’d been drinking a bit. Cops cuffed them all up and everything before they dragged their asses down to the station around midnight. He’d been scared shitless to call his Dad and ask him to come get him, and he’d sat on that wooden bench in the holding cell and promised himself never again. Didn’t land anything on his record, but he does remember being more scared of how Dad was going to tan his hide once they got home. Dad didn’t even have to say anything and he was running for the car with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

“Did you really?!” Betty asks, and he feels himself practically flush bright red, and he glares at Soda with all the vitriol he can muster. 

“Oh I forgot about that!” Two Bit exclaims, looking absolutely tickled pink by the reminder. Where’s his stupid best friend's loyalty when Darry needs it?

“Oh yeah, Dad actually whooped him for that!” Soda says with the glee of someone who just won a million bucks. Dally is bent over already laughing like a hyena. 

“Shut up!” Darry retorts, though he knows that’s a terrible response. 

“Wait, I don’t remember that,” Ponyboy asks, looking curious as Dally continues to laugh his head off.   

“Oh yeah! I remember Dad got that call and just told Mom he had to go get Darry from the station. I was so scared they were gonna send him off to the cooler that I made her let me stay up until y’all got back!”

“Then what happened?” Ponyboy asks and Darry swears he wants to go ahead and duct tape Soda’s mouth shut because his brother will not stop yapping. 

“Nothing-” Darry tries to interrupt. 

“Dad whooped him real good!” Soda laughs, as if the memory doesn’t give Darry a phantom stinging sensation at the mere mention. He contemplates if it’s morally justified to smother Soda with a couch pillow just enough to make him stop talking. 

“Wait really? You weren’t kiddin?” Ponyboy asks, eyes wide. Darry swears he’s probably bright red and he wants to know why the universe seems to always decide he’s always the one getting embarrassed. 

“No! I’m telling you Pony I heard it loud and clear-”

“ Enough ,” Darry begs. Lord knows when he actually was in trouble that night he felt bad for being stupid, but even worse was the way his ego felt after getting what were probably some well earned swats from Dad. Looking back Darry thinks the only reason Dad really resorted to that was to remind him he wasn’t so grown after all. It’s one of the only times he remembers getting in that big of trouble. It wasn’t his and mom’s way of dealing with things unless it was something real serious, which to be fair, getting arrested qualifies. But right now he’s more than a bit embarrassed and his ego hurts something awful considering the whole conversation turned into ‘let’s just have a go at Darry.’ He can’t even look at Betty with how red he knows he is. 

“Maybe I should’ve given you the same treatment after your last run in at the station,” Darry grumbles, and at least feels the distinct satisfaction in watching Soda’s eyes widen. Darry knows it’s an empty threat, to be honest he just never could bring himself to disciplining his brothers like that, maybe it’s because he still clings to being more their brother and not their parent. Either way, he won’t, but his brothers don’t need to know that he wouldn’t follow through. 

“No way!” Soda sputters, and Darry knows the implied threat still carries the weight. 

“That ain’t fair!” Ponyboy says in Soda’s defense, immediately coming to his aid. He’s still a bit mad at Soda, so he lets himself keep bluffing and mess with him a bit more. 

“I dunno, that is what Dad did, and Sodapop did get himself arrested. It seems like I better-” 

“Now hold on! Let’s be reasonable here,” Soda negotiates with his characteristic grin, and that gets Dally peeling into laughter again. 

“You are the one who brought it up, Soda,” Johnny points out, and the look of absolute betrayal on his face makes Darry wish he could ruffle Johnny’s hair in thanks. 

“Wait a second! Wait a second, let’s be sensible here boys-” Soda starts trying to back track, and Darry can’t even keep back the genuine laugh, considering the fact that Soda is clear across the room from him already begging despite the fact Darry hasn’t even tried to move. 

“How about we just stay away from any trouble with the fuzz and we don’t have to worry about it?” Darry asks with a snort, finally giving in to his brother. Overall, Ponyboy and Soda are good kids, and he knows they’ll be just fine on that task. 

“Deal!” Soda says hurriedly, eager to dig himself out of the hole he’d gotten himself into. 

“Well I’m glad we got that sorted,” Betty laughs, and Darry is reminded of the fact his lovely kid brothers decided telling embarrassing stories was their activity for the night and his girlfriend has been conveniently present the entire time. 

“Can someone turn on the tv now? I wanna see if there’s anything good on tonight!” Two Bit asks, though he makes no moves to actually do that himself. 

“Why can’t you ever do it?’ Ponyboy grumbles, but he moves across the living room floor and does it for Two Bit anyways. 

“So, fireworks huh?” Betty asks quietly and he sighs audibly against her. She nudges him a bit at his reaction. “I’m not making fun of you.”

“You sure?” He asks a bit dryly, finally gaining enough strength to look over at her. She’s smiling at him, but it’s a softer one and she’s got that knowing look in her eyes, and he realizes she’s caught on to the fact that his pride’s a bit wounded. 

“You know, you might not think it, but you do a good job wrangling them,” she says, giving them a sideways glance in acknowledgement. 

“I dunno-” He cuts himself off because one of her hands comes to the back of his neck and starts massaging the muscles there and his whole brain buffers for a second. What are they talking about again?

“You’re trying to distract me,” he manages to get out. To be honest, he should just go ahead and give in now. 

“I’m distracting you from being embarrassed for no reason, and I’m not trying. I'm succeeding,” she corrects and he has to admit she is doing a fantastic job of trying to fight the current knot she’s found in his neck. “What if we just call it even after my shining moment of getting drunk as a skunk from Soda’s margarita last week?” She bargains, and somehow that does make him feel better. Hell he didn’t think she embarrassed herself, but he guesses that’s exactly the point she’s trying to make to him right now. 

“Alright, but does that mean you’re gonna stop?” He asks, though he knows he is in no way playing it cool right now about how much she’s got him wrapped around her finger with this massage tactic. 

“Not if you keep being nice,” she replies and cuddles a bit closer and he holds back a hum of approval as she finds another sore spot and continues her ministrations. 

“Yes ma’am,” he replies, and that gets a genuine laugh from her. 

“You gotta answer one question though,” she says, suddenly sounding much more serious. 

“Yeah?” he asks, it’s enough he opens his eyes, though he doesn’t even know when he closed them. 

“Who wears this outfit better, me or Two Bit?”

Notes:

I am about to go on the long haul hours for my rotations for the next couple of weeks, pray for me because I am not wanting to give up my writing time but I will say peds has been a bit more energy draining than psych. However, I am still planning our weekly updates, but I'll post any updates etc on my tumblr as well, so def come talk and hang out with me there if you want.

Anyways: Here's what all the boys have been arrested for. Most of the time someone just has to come pick them up and they might have to pay a fine or something depending on what they did. Half the time it's just making them get bailed out. Dally is the only one that's ever had legit charges.
Darry: disturbing the peace/possession of illegal fireworks
Two Bit: disturbing the peace (handstands), public urination, stealing, (also badmouthing an officer but they couldn't say that was the reason)
Dally: List is too long at this point they've brought him in for like everything
Steve: Stealing, destruction of property (he slashed some tires), speeding (drag racing)
Soda: disturbing the peace (again, handstands), speeding (drag racing)
Ponyboy and Johnny have so far evaded getting taken down to the police station, and they do lord it over the other's heads.

Also I just love the exploring Darry and Two Bit's friendship. In the book they're the closest in age and I feel like they were likely close up until high school and then the dynamics obviously shifted a lot. Then with the Curtis parents dying they got closer again, but the dynamic is still different than it was before, but I do think Two Bit is Darry's best friend in the gang and in general. Two Bit is much more responsible and perceptive/aware than Ponyboy thinks when we get his perspective in the book. It was fun to do build the foundation of their little duo this chap.

Peep the Dally character development. Since Johnny and Ponyboy end up okay in this AU, he is able to have a bit more perspective and through his and Darry's conflict he does realize that he might have more going for him in life. Still it's a slow process for him trying to work through this, and he's gonna take time, but he is learning there is good in the world slowly but surely.

Chapter 22: Chap 22

Summary:

Back to school season is here to the dismay of most of the gang.

Notes:

Happy Friday! This was a very fun chapter to write, also if you ask how historically accurate any of this is I will respond with uhhhhhh. So ya know, just use a little suspension of disbelief if you need to haha.

There’s a giant pile of mail on the kitchen table that Darry wishes he could just continue to ignore. Looking at monthly bills never seems to get any easier, and it still makes him cringe each time. He makes a neat stack of them, and goes through the other pieces of mail, though they’re mostly garbage spams and pamphlets. He still checks for occasions like now, where he finds a letter with Ponyboy’s name printed on it, sent from the school. 

“Pony! C’mere,” Darry calls, last he saw, Ponyboy was reading in his room. 

“What?” Ponyboy calls back, sounding disinterested in the invitation. 

“I think what I heard was: ‘Yes Darry, I’m comin,’” He sighs, trying to prompt his brother to move his ass. He hears a groan, but then the sound of feet on the floor as he pads down the hallway. He’s gotten so used to listening for all the guys, he can recognize who’s coming based on the sounds of their footsteps. 

“What?” Ponyboy asks, appearing in the kitchen doorway.

“Think your schedule for next year just came in the mail,” Darry says, holding up the envelope.

“Really?” Ponyboy asks coming over and practically snatching it before he’s tearing it open so violently Darry is worried he is gonna rip the envelope’s contents too. “It is!” He confirms, eyes scanning the page greedily as he reads it over.

“Aw man, I have math first period?!” his brother groans, setting the schedule down on the hard wood with a grimace. Darry picks the now abandoned paper up and scans it over, checking to make sure Pony’s been enrolled in all the classes he should be. 

“Don’t you like Mr. Symes for English though?” He asks, trying to divert to something more positive. He knows Ponyboy loves to read, and the kid has started writing more and more. Darry wonders if he’ll end up choosing something related to that as his major when he gets to college.

“I guess. I dunno,” he whines, “I don’t wanna go back to school. Summer just started!”

“You got two weeks to gear up kiddo,” Darry replies, trying to insert some amount of sympathy, however unlike his brother, summer vacations became a thing of his past and so he doesn’t have much pity in the end. Somehow now it’s a special treat if Darry gets a whole weekend off. 

“Ugh, this blows,” Ponyboy sighs, sitting into one of the other chairs at the table with a huff, starting to sift through the other papers in the envelope curiously. He has a pouty frown on his face as he reads things over.

“You know what this means right?” Darry prompts. 

“What?” Ponyboy asks, looking incredulous already. At least Darry can count on this lifting his brother’s spirits, even if only temporarily. 

“We gotta go school supply shopping,” Darry prompts. 

“Shit, it’s time for that already?” Soda’s voice rings out as the front door opens. Darry didn’t even hear him pull up with Steve.  

“Yes!” Darry replies, hoping Soda doesn’t start to feed into Ponyboy’s hopes for an endless summer. 

“That is the best part of going back to school, getting some new digs!” Soda agrees, and Darry can hear him wrestling his shoes off in the doorway. “Come show me your schedule, Pone.” The invitation has the youngest disappearing into the living room eagerly and Darry sighs as he starts going back to sorting through the bills he’s gotta pay for the month. The summer had inevitably upped the electric bill a fair but with all the fans they’ve been running constantly in the house to keep it at a bearable temperature. Plus, with the hours he’s worked this month just overall comes out pretty tight. He’s been carefully saving all his extra spending money with the plan to get Ponyboy a brand new pair of running shoes since he’ll be going out for track and cross country this year. He’s got a whole eleven dollars he’s painstakingly stashed away over the course of several weeks, and he knows that will get Pony any pair of shoes he wants. But even with that sorted, he has no fuckin clue where he’s also gonna get the extra cash for school supplies. There’s a thump of a body meeting furniture, and Darry assumes they’ve both made themselves at home on the couch. 

“Hey, Mrs. Jacobs is pretty nice, I had her for sophomore world history too,” Soda advises and Darry listens to the sounds of his feet on the carpet as he heads into the kitchen. He turns to look over his shoulder at his brother as he approaches the table. 

“You paying bills?” Soda asks, and he’s got that concerned look in his eye that makes Darry bristle. He hates it when his brothers worry about money or their bills, that’s supposed to be his job. 

“Yep, just checking to make sure everything’s adding up,” Darry lies smoothly. Bills will be paid, but he still is trying to figure out school supplies. He hears the tv come to life from the living room, and he hopes that's enough to draw Soda’s attention away from him. Instead, his brother decides to sit next to him in the chair Ponyboy had been sitting in. Darry sometimes hates how perceptive Soda can be. He knows his brother likely already suspects Darry’s current turmoil. Thankfully Soda also knows that Ponyboy has a tendency to eavesdrop, so he lowers his voice to hide it under the noise of the tv. 

“I been meaning to talk to you,” Soda starts and Darry already grimaces, knowing whatever is about to come next he’s probably not gonna like. He already feels awful that almost all of Soda’s paycheck goes towards paying their bills and monthly living expenses. He knows Soda’s infinitely happier out of school, but Darry wishes Soda could just be a kid where he got to keep his paychecks and use them as spending money. “I wanna pay for Pony’s school stuff this year. I got some leftover cash from my rodeo prizes. Wanna make sure he’s got all his supplies and is all set up for the year.”

“Soda I’m handling it-”

“I’m not really asking, Darry,” Soda replies, crossing his arms stubbornly. Clearly Soda already knows that right now school supplies just aren’t fitting in the budget for the month with his current plan. As much as Darry wants to say no flat out, if Soda takes care of this he can definitely swing the new shoes for Ponyboy. He sighs, he knows he should be more honest with his brother, considering they both have Pony’s best interest at heart.

“I’m just trying to figure out school supplies, I’ve been meaning to get Pony set up with a new pair of running shoes.” Darry conceded, knowing Soda wasn’t gonna leave the conversation be.

“That’s why I keep finding extra cash tucked in your jeans when I do laundry?” Soda asks softly. Darry wants to deny it, he hates bringing attention to some of the stuff he tries to do without his brothers realizing, but he just nods. 

“Get him the shoes Dar, I’ll pay for the school stuff. I got enough that we can make sure Johnny’s squared away too.” 

“That stuff should be your spendin money and I should be payin-”
“And the shoes would be your spending money, you could use it to take your girl out,” Soda points out, and he knows he’s got him there. Soda has soft and kind eyes, but when he’s on a true stubborn streak he does get a glint in them that does chip at Darry’s own stubborn resolve.

“Fine, but let's keep him out of this, he doesn’t need to worry. Just want to make sure he’s got everything he needs for school this year,” Darry compromises, and Soda nods in agreement easily. 

“Hey Pony, how’s shopping tomorrow after Darry and I get home sound to you? We can take the whole gang, I know they need stuff too!” Soda says, raising his voice more. 

“Alright, but I dunno if Dally is gonna actually buy any supplies. And I think Two Bit uses a single folder for all of his classes.” Pony says with a shrug. Darry already feels exasperated at the chaos that he knows is going to ensue tomorrow night. 

---

Walking into the store with all six of the boys in tow is actually an impressive feat in itself; trying to get them all to go somewhere when none of them are too keen on the general activity is a chore to say the least. With this knowledge in mind, Darry decided their best bet for shopping was this newer place that had been built in town a couple of years ago, Walmart. It’s got groceries, but also carries some hardware supplies, clothes, home goods, and school supplies when it’s the season. It’s his hope that by making the longer drive out to this place, they’ll be able to find everything they need in one stop. He doesn’t really have a long haul string of errands in him for the whole evening. He tries to remind himself he should just be glad he’s convinced Dally to come and even look in the general direction of the school supplies section that’s been set up. He’s not sure Dally even has a single pen or pencil on his person when he’s at school. He’s just hoping maybe he will buy a couple of supplies, maybe a notebook and some pens if he’s out here going shopping with the gang. Hell, at this point Darry doesn’t even care if the boys steal them, at least they’re getting the supplies. He’s picking and choosing his battles today. 

“Can’t believe we gotta go back to school already. They had us there like last week,” Steve moans as Darry grabs a cart, because he knows they’re gonna need it if they’re going for any semblance of organization in this operation. Soda is the only one who’s not currently having a pity party, for obvious reasons, instead he clambers into the basket of the cart before Darry can even try to stop him. 

“Christ Soda don’t tip it over and crack your head open-”

“It’s fine!” Soda reassures as he very ungracefully gets sat down with his knees hanging out of the cart, kicking his feet excitedly. “Let’s go boys! Education is important!” Soda exclaims, earning him the bird from Steve and Dally as they start to trudge in the direction of the school supplies in the back of the store. 

“Jesus Christ, you’re too big to be making me push you around,” Darry grunts as the cart no longer is easy to steer and he actually has to put effort in turning it around the corners. Soda sticks his tongue out at him.

“What’s on everyone’s supply lists?”He prompts, trying to get them to start thinking through what they each need.

“Whiskey,” Dally says as he eyeballs a bottle of Jack Daniels greedily on one of the shelves they pass.

“I need a notebook for each class I’m taking,” Ponyboy says, unfolding the list that he had tucked into his jean pocket. Darry is glad he remembered to grab it, if not he knows Pony would have forgotten something and they would’ve had to make a second store trip. Even with the list that is still a distinct possibility. 

“I didn’t bring my list,” Two Bit says with a shrug. Darry groans in exasperation at his best friend. Why even bother coming? He thinks with a barely suppressed eye roll. 

“Well, you have done senior year before, so you should already know what you need!” Soda laughs, and Two Bit whacks him with a spatula he grabs off of a sale rack. Darry just keeps pushing the cart and tries his best to ignore the fact that half of them are just grabbing random things off the shelves. The employees might kill them eventually, they’re gonna find the most random shit in all the wrong places. 

“Hey Johnny man, listen here junior year you don’t actually need any of that shit they say you-” Darry doesn’t even feel bad when Dally lets out an oof and Soda lets out a yelp. Dallas has a terrible habit of taking up entire sidewalks and aisles when he’s walking, sorta weaving back and forth and cutting people off if they have the bad luck of having to walk behind him. Generally, Darry just thinks Dally has zero sense of his body in space. He was too busy trying to be a wisecrack that he walked right in front of the cart and got rammed into. The entire gang dissolves into peals of laughter, and Dally sputters indignantly as he gives Darry a sharp glare as if it was his fault. He halfheartedly kicks the cart with a huff and a glare before he starts walking again.

“Soda, get up out of the cart, no one can put anything in it with you sitting there.” Darry says, stopping in front of the section filled with all the supplies someone could need for school. Ponyboy has already made a beeline for the composition and spiral notebooks and is carefully picking through them as if the colors he decides on are one of the most important choices he could make. Darry would’ve just grabbed five of the same color and called it good, and Johnny seems to be taking that approach as he grabs a few plain black ones and tucks them under his arm.
“What if I just sit in the front part, that’s where kids sit,” Soda negotiates, and Darry gives him a warning glance telling him to move his ass.

“Absolutely not, I’m not dealing with you getting yourself stuck in that thing. Plus you’d put all the weight on one end of the cart and tip it right over,” Darry denies, as he helps haul Soda out of the basket with an hand hooked under his armpit. He spots Two Bit in his periphery slipping some pens and pencils inside his jacket, and Dally quickly follows suit. If Darry wasn’t their friend he would’ve never noticed it, but years of watching for their sticky fingers has got him well attuned to their actions. Picking and choosing battles, Darry thinks tiredly. Steve reappears next to Soda with what Darry counts as the following: two notebooks, a folder, a pack of pens, and a set of pencils tucked under his arm.

“Alright, can we go now?” Steve asks, looking at them all expectantly. Dally, Two Bit, and Steve will all be seniors this year, and honestly it’s probably a win if they each just show up to the first day with their current hauls and have something to write their names with.

“That’s all you’re gonna get?” Soda asks, nodding at Steve’s armful of stuff.

“Yeah, what else do I need?” Steve shrugs. Darry wasn’t one for getting too much extra stuff for school, but he at least had a dedicated notebook and folder for each of his classes. Steve is a smart kid, and he actually does pretty well in school when he chooses to try and apply himself, so if this is the system that works for him Darry doesn’t feel the urge to question it. 

“Wait, are you three done shopping for real?” Soda asks, looking excited at the prospect, and Darry knows his attention span for their current task has already somehow reached his limit in all of five minutes after entering the store. 

“Yeah, wanna go look at the live lobsters in that tank in the seafood aisle?” Dally asks, and he looks so gleeful Darry barely holds back a snort.

“Fuck yes!” Two Bit exclaims, and the four speed off before Darry can even blink. Steve trips over Soda as they’re running off and narrowly avoids eating shit on the tile floor. Well, at least he gets a bit of a break?

“Darry, can I get these notebooks for each class?” Ponyboy asks, coming back to the cart with a stack in his arms, looking at him hopefully. He knows despite his best attempts to keep it from him, Ponyboy still is worried about money. 

“Yes. Both of you are getting everything you need from those lists, ya dig?” Darry says, taking the notebooks and setting them in an empty part of the cart. He takes Johnny’s from him next before the kid can protest. 

“Darry I-”

“Johnny Cade, I’m not taking no for an answer,” Darry says, making him a separate pile for his supplies next to Ponyboy’s. The kid gives him a look with those puppy eyes, and he makes sure to give Johnny his best reassuring smile. It must work because he and Ponyboy start on their next item without further argument. Darry sorta wishes he could at least have a beer right now, he has a feeling he’s gonna need it by the time they’re done with all this. 

Within the next fifteen minutes or so the two boys collect all the things they need, and Ponyboy has been methodically crossing things off his list. Dally reappears around the corner, jogging up to them with a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Johnny, are you done? You gotta come with me man, Two Bit figured out how to open the lobster tank.” Jesus Christ. Darry knows he should technically go put a stop to that, but he also needs to take Ponyboy to get some new shoes. Plus he really doesn’t care what they do if that keeps them entertained. With all of them occupied, he can easily take the kid to the clothes and shoes section. 

“Alright,” Johnny says, looking bemused at the proposal, “You guys comin?”

“In a bit. Pony you need some new socks, you gotta come with me,” he lies smoothly, and his brother looks none too pleased at this. Dally doesn’t wait for any more of a dismissal, and he and Johnny scamper off. Darry hears his snickering as he mutters God knows what to Johnny. 

“But I wanna go with them-”

“We will, but we’re going to the clothing section first,” Darry says firmly, he knows Pony is probably gonna fight him on this. The kid hates shopping for clothes.

“Ugh, fine, but can we just hurry?” Ponyboy grumbles, staring down at his old converse looking overly forlorn as he walks beside Darry and they veer towards the clothing and shoes. The packs of socks are all hanging in the aisle right beside the shoes and Ponyboy slows to a stop before he seems to blindly go for a random pack. Darry doesn’t think he even tries to check the sizes. But he just keeps going before Pony notices he’s slipped into the next aisle. After a minute, he appears around the corner with a pack of socks in hand, “Happy?” Ponyboy asks with a snarky undertone. 

“Cut the attitude,” Darry warns him. He knows Pony’s just being a teenager, but he’s gotta keep him from getting too testy sometimes. 

“Ugh, can we just go now-”

“No, we’re gonna get you some new runnin shoes first,” Darry says. Ponyboy groans and gives him a huff, and Darry internally thinks that watching the lobsters really isn’t worth the dramatic performance he’s putting on right now. 

“But- Wait what?” Ponyboy sputters. It seems he’s so worried about the others and wanting to be a part of their antics it took him a second to catch what Darry had said. 

“You’re gonna need some solid new shoes if you’re running for both cross country and track and field this year,” Darry says, walking over to the running shoes and taking a look at the options they’ve got to pick from. 

“Darry, I know we can’t afford-”

“Sit,” Darry says, nodding to the bench in the aisle before Pony can keep going. Thankfully he obeys without a complaint and Darry tries to think about what Soda would say in this situation. He’s the one who’s good with words, not him. He tries to channel that now as he crouches down to be more at his brother’s level. “We’re gonna get you a good pair of shoes. And I don’t care what they cost, you’re gonna pick the ones you like best. And then you’re gonna take real good care of ‘em and they’re gonna get you as many winning races as you want, you hear me?” He asks. When he looks at his brother’s face, Ponyboy is looking down at his lap. “Hey c’mon, baby,” he continues, and he gets a hand under his chin, guiding his eyes back up. 

“Darry, I, you don’t gotta-” Darry just shushes him in denial, before Ponyboy just practically tackles him as he hugs him tightly, and he can feel the way he’s starting to sniffle against him. He hums for a moment, and he knows he’s gotta keep Pony from working himself up right now.

“Hush up,” Darry soothes, hand coming to stroke his head for a couple beats. “We’re on a bit of a countdown, gotta get you all sorted before the knuckleheads get kicked out of the store here.” He gets a laugh out of Ponyboy for that and he’s pulling back, looking up at Darry in almost disbelief. He silently brushes the one tear that is running down Pony’s cheek away with his thumb. 

“Any of ‘em catching your eye kiddo?” He asks. Pony eyes them a bit warily, and Darry knows his brother is gonna try to feel bad about the cost, but hell Darry has a whole eleven bucks saved up for these, so Pony can pick whatever shoes he wants. 

“Those black ones are kinda tuff,” Ponyboy eventually says softly nodding at a pair that Darry secretly liked the look of too. He takes the cue to go over and start checking the sizes they’ve got of these.

“Think some elevens will fit?” Darry asks over his shoulder. Ponyboy has pretty big feet. 

“Yeah, I think,” Ponyboy shrugs as he hands him the box, and toes off his shoes. 

“Give ‘em a try,” Darry encourages, and he leans back against the shelf while Ponyboy gets to trying them on. Once his brother hops to his feet Darry crouches down again and uses his thumb to press on the toe of the shoe, making sure the size isn’t too small. There’s a bit of room for Pony to grow, which is ideal ‘cause while the kid’s feet are pretty big already, they could grow a bit with his next growth spurt. 

“Wow, these are real nice,” Ponyboy says softly, bouncing on his toes a bit before he starts walking in the aisle, and Darry can tell he’s itching to run. 

“What do ya think Pony? Those feel pretty solid?” Darry asks as his brother jogs a bit up and down the aisle. 

“Yeah,” he says with a nod, a stray strand of hair falls out of the way he’s got it greased back and sweeps across his forehead.

“Think you wanna go with those, or try on another pair?”

“I want these ones,” he says, coming back to sit down again on the bench. 

“Alright, you’re the boss. Let’s get ‘em back in the box and go find the rest of the gang.” He watches as Ponyboy works the shoes off and repacks them in the box with extra care before he’s shoving his current sneakers back on, messily tying the laces. 

“Darry?”

“Hmm?” He asks, being broken from his current concerns that the boys are gonna make a mess in the store. 

“Thank you.”

“Love you little buddy,” he replies, slinging an arm around Ponyboy and as he deposits the shoebox in the cart they start for the grocery side of the store. 

The boys aren’t hard to find.

“C’mon! Fuck him up! Fuck him up!” Darry hears Dally chanting before he can see him, and half of him actually doesn’t want to know what he could possibly be referring to. He’s not sure if the feeling he gets when he sees the gang is still crowded around the lobster tank can be classified as relief, but he’ll take it over them being in a fight or something. 

“No! You’re supposed to be winnin stupid!” Two Bit says, tapping on the glass in dismay as they approach the group.

“Why?” Darry says, skipping just about all the other questions he has and just simplifying it down to the one. 

“We got some of ‘em to start fighting cause we snuck some raw shrimp in there,” Steve says gleefully, eyes never even leaving the tank. Ponyboy is already sidled up next to Johnny, just as enthralled as the rest of them. 

“How’d you even manage to get the top open Two Bit?” Darry asks, genuinely pretty impressed. He’s more glad they didn’t try to take a lobster out. Shrimp in the tank isn’t gonna do any harm. 

“Picked the lock,” he says with a grin, before he’s groaning as a lobster with an orange claw tag somehow gets tipped over onto its side. 

“We’re betting on which one will win,” Soda explains. It reminds Darry of when they all used to race roly-polies on the porch; that had sometimes ended in scuffles before when it got particularly heated between some of them.

“Well, I was planning on going home and eating,” He says dryly, hoping to get them moving on. 

“Let’s go, they’re too stupid to do anything else,” Dally agrees eagerly, clearly wanting to leave since his lobster is currently stuck upside down. Darry has to keep his snort to himself.

“I call shotgun in Steve’s car!” Soda exclaims, already booking it in the direction of checkout. Darry decides he can call the trip an overall success considering it didn’t end with anyone getting kicked out. 

---

“They kept themselves plenty occupied messing with the lobster tank,” Darry is saying with mild exasperation over the phone that night as Betty’s laugh rings in his ear. 

“I always feel sorta bad for the lobsters, they’re all stuck climbing over one another. The tank ain’t that big,” she chuckles, clearly amused by the mental image of seeing the whole lot of them at the store wrecking havoc. 

“I was just glad they didn’t try to take one out of the tank,” he sighs, but he’s honestly telling the truth.

“Well, that is also good,” she agrees, still barely suppressing giggles. “Sounds like an eventful back-to-school shopping trip. I haven’t been to that new Walmart place yet. What didya think of-”

There’s a sneeze that echoes through the phone, but also distinctly comes from the direction of the kitchen. He almost just keeps on talking before he puts the two pieces together. “Bless you-”

“Whichever one of you two knuckleheads is on the other phone line better start explaining themselves right now,” Darry threatens, and Betty makes a confused sound at the sudden turn of the conversation. There’s a beat of silence, but he swears he hears someone’s breath hitch over the phone receiver, and it’s not Betty’s.
“Do not make me get up and come to the kitchen right now-”
“No wait! I'm sorry!” Ponyboy’s voice echoes over the phone and Darry barely holds back his cry of irritation as Betty just starts laughing up a storm. 

“Ponyboy Michael Curtis, what the hell do you exactly think you’re doing?” He asks, and he hears scuffling over the receiver.

“No! I’m not getting in trouble for this by myself-” Ponyboy is whining as he hears a yelp and a thump that definitely isn’t coming from Pony. 

“Oh Jesus Christ! Both of you?!” Darry asks in genuine disbelief. There’s a pause, though he can hear Betty’s muffled laughs as she clearly tries to keep them disguised as best she can.

“Oh hey Darry, Betty, uh, fancy meeting you here,” Soda’s voice takes over, and this time Betty starts full on wheezing as she laughs. 

“How long have you two been eavesdropping?” Darry sputters, feeling like he wants to knock their heads together. He can picture it perfectly considering it is very likely they already have them right next to each other so they can both listen to the speaker. He cannot believe those two have just been listening on the other line for God knows how long.

“Not long, we just wanted to know what you were talking about-” Soda explains.

“Have you ever heard of a concept called privacy ?” Darry grits out, and it’s hard to truly scare them considering Betty is still deep in the fits of hysterical laughter. 

“You weren’t talking about nothing bad. Plus it was kinda boring to be honest, can’t y'all talk about something interesting or-”

“Hang up the damn phone and get your asses into bed!” Darry keeps the phone a bit further from his face as he yells this, listening to the sounds of them in the kitchen. 

“Goodnight boys,” Betty manages to say between bursts of laughter. 

“Goodnight, can you please stay on the phone for a while so Darry doesn’t come and-”

“Hang up the phone!” Darry reiterates with a growl and he finally hears a click and the sounds of two pairs of feet scampering down the hallway. 

“Hurry- Hurry!” Soda is yelping as he hears them stumble to their room. All he can do is bring himself to let out the longest sigh he’s let out in a good long while. 

“I think I almost peed myself from laughing,” Betty gasps, still sounding a bit breathless. “I had to take a puff of my inhaler too! Oh Lord, I needed that laugh!” 

“I cannot believe those two. I swear they’re always up to something and I-”

“Oh c’mon we know they’re gone and off to bed now,” she says softly, “You know you think it’s a little funny.” He knows she’s right, but he’s still annoyed at them, however he thinks he was able to spook them enough they won’t be trying that move again anytime soon. 

“What if we were talking about something private?” he grumbles, though he does huff out a small laugh at how ridiculous it all is.

“I ain’t got many secrets,” Betty replies, and he can hear the shrug in her voice. “I don’t really care if they hear me saying stuff over the phone.” She pauses for a moment in contemplation, “Well unless I was talking dirty to you on the phone or something but-” 

He chokes on the air he was currently inhaling and sends himself into a coughing fit. “What the hell?” He gasps between coughs. 

“What?” She asks, sounding completely nonplussed by her own admission.

“You can’t just say that-”

“I wouldn’t actually talk dirty to you on the phone,” she laughs, he knows deep down she was only joking. “Worse than your brothers, I don’t need some random neighbor tuning in cause they picked up the phone or something. I ain’t giving out that kinda entertainment for free to just anybody-” 

“For free?!” He sputters.

“Exactly! You know, people gotta earn my services,” she says, and he can hear her grin through the phone. Part of him wonders when she got so bold. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t like it. He decides two can play at that game. 

“Labor Day weekend. Come over Friday night, I wanna take you out,” he says. He doesn’t phrase it as a question.  

“I don’t get off of work till seven thirty that day. I probably wouldn’t be able to get there till around eight fifteen,” she says, sounding genuinely disappointed. 

“Then I’ll have food waiting for you, and we can go do something after that,” he says firmly. That gives him plenty of time after work to get ready and figure out a plan for what they can do. 

“Well, if you insist,” she teases, playing coy, but truly sounding delighted by the offer. God he’s just as excited as he was when he first took her out.

“I miss you,” he blurts, before he can second guess the thought. He doesn’t know why or when it happened, but he’s started to get to the point where he just misses her presence more and more. She somehow fits right into his life and the gang in a way that scares him something awful if he really thinks about it. It often feels too good to be true, and he’s terrified that this will all eventually come to an end. But even with that ache of fear that seemed to take root in his chest ever since their parents died, he can’t help but put his heart out there on the line even if it might end up getting broken. For some reason, his gut tells him it’s worth the risk.  

“Aw, I miss you too baby,” she says softly, and somehow her simple reassurances are like a soothing balm to the worries in his head. “But I’m right here with ya.” 

“Yeah, it’s just you, me, and the two little eavesdroppers, huh?” That’s enough to get her laughing again and he sorta wishes he could capture the sound and put it on the chain he wears around his neck beside his mom’s ring. If he closes his eyes, it’s easy to pretend Betty’s right beside him as she starts telling him about the latest gossip from work. He wonders if one day maybe that’ll become his reality. For tonight, he decides he’ll allow himself to hold on to this little dream, even if he has to let it go come morning.

Notes:

Alright we know the drill by now! Talk to me in the comments, or come hang out on tumblr 😂

If y'all didn't prioritize going to see the live lobsters at the grocery store as a kid then idk what to tell you about this chapter.

Also Dally did TRY to grab a lobster when Darry was conveniently not around, but got scared at the last second because their pinchers freaked him out. Mans refused to lose a finger to a fucking lobster.

I had to make use of the shared phone land line trope because it's so funny. RIP Ponyboy for sneezing and blowing their cover. You know that one video of the guy that scares the deer causes he sneezes really loud and then his wife starts being like NICE GOING? That's Soda and Ponyboy lol.

Betty is starting to be less subtle with her hints because Darry is being oblivious AF in some ways... Perhaps we might be getting a new POV next week 😉

Chapter 23: Chap 23

Summary:

Chants: BETTY POV BETTY POV BETTY POV

Betty goes on a date with Darry, that's it, that's the whole chapter.

Notes:

In honor of labor day weekend and the fact that I got too much attention from everyone last night and flattery will get you everywhere with me I am dropping this chapter because i have no impulse control.

She pulls on the hem of her top, making sure it's completely tucked into her shorts as she closes the car door and pockets the keys. Betty tries to shake off some of the tiredness she feels is weighing her down as she walks up the porch, before she’s softly rapping on the screen door. It had been a longer shift, and there had been some surprise emergencies so she’s more drained than she had hoped to be going into this evening. She and Darry had talked about going stargazing tonight, she’d mentioned that being in the hospital all day recently has her craving some fresh air and he’d actually been the one to come up with the idea. She feels her heart flutter as the door opens, and her boyfriend appears in the doorway. The sun is already mostly down, so he’s backlit by the soft lighting of the house and she notices how quiet it is, she doesn’t hear the telltale ruckus of the boys in the living room right now. 

“Hey,” Betty says, feeling a bit more energized just at the sight of him. She genuinely has been looking forward to this for a couple of weeks, but the day seemed to sabotage her a bit and she’s really hoping this energy boost continues. 

“Hi,” he replies, and he gives her a small upturn of the corner of his lips as he ushers her inside, hand brushing against the small of her back.

“Sorry, I know it’s already eight o’clock,” she apologizes, though she knows he already knew she wasn't getting off work until now. Force of habit she supposes.

“Earlier than you thought it was gonna be,” he replies as she kicks off the sandals she’d slipped on when she changed back home after work. 

“Yeah,” she agrees knowing she’s not being a particularly good conversationalist right now, “Sorry, today was more draining than I expected. I’m hoping I get a little energy boost here soon.”

“You hungry?” He asks, and she sees the way he’s staring at her. The first thing Betty noticed about him when they met, besides the fact that she found him to be quite handsome, was his eyes. They’re a pretty bluish green color that she loves, but what she really noticed was how expressive they were. Now, when she's trying to figure him out, she goes looking at his eyes first, and that usually gives her a pretty good idea of where his head is at. Darry tends to keep his emotions to himself, and his face never gives much away, so she’s learned to focus on what his eyes tell her. She’s not sure he’s even aware of it at all. But right now his eyes look all soft, and she knows he’s wanting to worry after her a little bit.

“Very,” she replies, following him into the kitchen without any extra prompting. 

“I made lasagna,” he says, going to the oven and pulling out a pan he clearly had been keeping warm for her. 

“Did you wait to eat with me?” She asks. When he had told her he was gonna feed her before they went out, she thought he’d just save her a leftover plate. It’s much past a normal dinner time, and he must be starving. He doesn’t answer her on purpose, instead he comes to the kitchen table where she’s about to sit down and sets the dish down on a hot pad. She turns to him and she pauses for a moment. She’s been slowly trying to get him to initiate some of the physical things between them. She figured out quickly he treads carefully with initiating things like kissing her, and she thinks it’s because he knows this is all new for her and he very clearly wants to be a gentleman and respect her. It’s sweet, and it very much has made her feel at ease, especially at the start. But it’s been a couple months now, and she feels much more comfortable, so she told herself tonight she might test him a bit. She is internally very pleased when he grabs her waist and pulls her close before he moves to steal a quick kiss, which she smiles into. When he pulls back he nudges her into one of the chairs before he starts dishing up two plates for them.

“Where are all the boys?” She asks, helping by filling both their glasses up with water. 

“God only knows,” he says with a small laugh, “I swear I heard Soda say he had three separate plans for tonight over the week, not sure which one was the real one.”

“We still gonna go stargazing?” She asks. She secretly hopes he’s still up for it because she has to admit the idea has her excited and it definitely indulges her hopeless romantic side a tiny bit. 

“If you still want to. I got a bunch of blankets and pillows that we can put in the bed of the truck so it’s more comfortable. I already packed the car,” he says, sitting down beside her as he hands her one of the plates. 

“I do. It’ll be nice to be outside when it’s not so hot,” she says, feeling a bit of her excitement return. Betty knows that statement is not entirely true, even with the sun down, it’s still only September 2nd, and even the nights are still fairly warm this time of year. 

“Eat,” he encourages, and she gives him a nod of thanks. Dad always made them wait to eat until everyone was seated and ready to start, and sometimes the habit remains. She loves lasagna, to be fair she thinks people would be crazy to dislike something that's just pasta, tomato sauce, cheese, and meat. She takes a bite and makes a noise of appreciation; the second food touches her tongue it feels like her stomach wakes up and she feels her appetite return. She’d skipped lunch today by accident.

“Good?” he asks, sounding a bit bemused. 

“Good,” she says with a grin, leaning to nudge him with her shoulder. “You’re real sweet for doing this. I could’ve fed myself-”

“Just let me take care of you,” he grumbles, giving her one of his little looks he gives when he’s getting ready to start being stubborn. 

“I am!” She protests, laughing a bit. 

“Without protests?” he says with a raised brow and she huffs, he’s got her there. 

“I’m too stubborn for that,” she says with a sideways smirk as she tries to not scarf down the food and give herself a stomachache. 

“Lord, I do know that,” he replies, but he wraps his free arm around her and moves her closer. God she sometimes can’t believe he likes her. She had many a guy run for the hills in high school when she’d tried to date. They always said she was too argumentative, too stubborn, too ambitious. No one wanted to date a girl who apparently made them feel insecure. Darry never seems to be bothered by it, but sometimes she feels like she’s just waiting for the moment when he loses his patience and decides she’s not worth it. He could go for a girl who just wants to stay at home and take care of his house and be a housewife, but he’s told her multiple times he doesn’t want that. She tries to believe him, and she’s pretty sure her worries are more so her own  insecurities she projects on to him. 

“You get the whole holiday weekend off?” she asks him. Last time they’d talked, he still didn’t know officially. 

“Yeah,” he sighs, and he sounds so relieved she can’t help but lean her head on his shoulder in a gesture of their mutual contentment. 

“You deserve it.” That feels like an understatement. She sees how hard he works, his hours rival her own shifts, but he does physical labor all day. At least she gets to sit some of the time, and isn't outside working in the elements. One of the first things that she was attracted to with him was his work ethic, for some reason she finds hard workers more attractive than she probably should.  She’s way past being ashamed for admitting to being all hot and bothered by it. Working as a nurse took a lot of embarrassment out of her, and now it takes a lot for her to feel embarrassed these days. It’s a blessing in her eyes, considering her sheltered upbringing. 

“Hmm,” he says, not agreeing outright, but also not denying it either, because she knows he knows she’s right. He squeezes her a bit as he finishes up his food and she feels that fun little flutter in her chest return. Speaking of things she gets a little hot and bothered by, she feels it’s no secret to anyone that she has what she would call a very healthy appreciation of his muscles. Honestly, Betty’s dropped many hints about that, but she’s pretty sure Darry is the only one still oblivious to this fact. Lord, when she had to come over and give him those stitches and he had his shirt off she thought she was gonna have a heart attack. It was highly inconveniencing that she had to focus on doing a job and could not enjoy that display at the time. Also very disappointing that she has yet to be lucky enough to get another chance to see that since then. She’s working on rectifying that.

“Thank you for dinner. I will be helping with the dishes,” she says, pushing to her feet with a smile as he immediately makes a noise of protest as she knew he would. At least this time he begrudgingly already takes his spot to dry them without trying to outright stop her. She knows he had the role of caretaker thrust onto him unexpectedly, and he’s very good at it, but so is she. She thinks they’re both sorta working on finding a balance of taking care of people and letting themselves also be taken care of. She knows he’s compromising with her on this dishes thing. Funnily enough, it only takes a couple minutes to do dishes, since it was only them eating, and she scurries off to the bathroom before they get ready to leave, knowing there probably won’t be one where they’re going.

“You gonna tell me where exactly we’re going?” She pushes as she slips her shoes on by the front door. 

“Nope,” he replies, opening the front door and holding it open for her. She heads for the truck with a grin, she knew he likely wasn’t gonna tell her, but she figured asking never hurt. She climbs into the truck easily, and she pulls one of the pillows he’s packed into the car onto her lap as he climbs behind the wheel and gets the engine running. 

“Can we roll the windows down?” she asks. She knows some people dislike driving with windows down, but she loves the feeling. 

“Sure,” he says with a shrug and she works on rolling hers down as he does the same, and the radio cracks on. “Got everything you need?” He asks, glancing at her as he starts to back out of the driveway. 

“Mhmm, how long we gotta drive for?” She enjoys riding in the car, especially when she doesn't have to drive. She finds it relaxing, which she definitely needs to help her unwind.

“About twenty five minutes,” he replies, and Betty smiles excitedly as they start down the road. She wishes he didn't need to use his right hand for the gearshift, cause she’d really like to hold his hand, but she’ll be patient. 

---

When the car slows on a dirt road that has come to an end, she sees he’s brought them to a lake of some sort. The breeze feels fantastic, and the water cools the night air in a way that is a soothing balm on her skin. She waits as he decides to back the truck up to the dock so they are able to sit in the bed of it and be right by the water, and once he gets it parked and shuts the engine off she starts gathering stuff in her arms and climbing out of the cab and walking around to the back. He appears from the other side and opens the tailgate before she tosses the bundle in her arms into the bed with a noise of excitement.
“I can set up these blankets, you go grab the rest!” She says excitedly, and he nods. She could clamber up into the truck bed, but like she said, she likes it when he shows off a bit. “Can you give me a boost?” she asks, giving him some slight pouty eyes for good measure, though she thinks he would’ve done it anyway. 

“Yeah,” he says, looking a bit eager at the suggestion. She knows he carries stuff up onto roofs all day, but she’s not exactly stick skinny like she once was in high school. But he lifts her into the bed of the truck as if she weighs nothing, and doesn’t seem to realize just how much she enjoys it, simply slipping back around the side of the truck to get the rest of the stuff. She gets one of the blankets laid out so they can sit on it, and figures they can use the pillows to lean against. She feels him climb into the truck bed as she’s kneeling and gets the pillows situated. She takes the other blankets he’s got and makes a bit of a sorta nest of them. He also produces a six pack of beer which he sets in the corner beside her little set up, and he waits patiently as she makes sure she’s got everything situated. She sits back on her heels for a moment, surveying her work before she decides she’s satisfied for the moment.

“Alright, we can sit,” she says, nodding to him moving over to make some space for him. He sits so he’s leaning back against the pillows with his legs stretched out in front of him and she sees the small smile already on his face. She’s about to situate herself beside him when he grabs her arm gently and tugs a bit, guiding her closer to him. She figured he'd sit with his arm around her as he often likes to when they’re sitting together. 

“C’mere,” he says softly, voice low and rumbly like it gets when he’s a bit tired. Lord when they were both hungover as hell a few weeks ago she’d heard his morning voice and had almost fallen out of bed in surprise. That would’ve been a much more enjoyable thing to take in if she hadn’t been feeling her head throb with each beat of her heart. She catches on to what he’s trying to ask for and carefully maneuvers so she’s sat between his legs. His arm wraps around her waist and pulls her to lean back against him. She knows she’s supposed to be relaxing, but he’s never held her like this before except when she was drunk, and it's got her heart racing a bit in excitement at it all. “Okay?” he asks, and she adjusts a bit so she is slightly off center so when she turns her head she can look up at him. 

“Yeah,” Betty confirms, snuggling a bit closer as he seems to relax at her agreement. He’s very good at keeping his emotions from his face, but he has little physical tells when he’s nervous, and when he’s tense that usually means he’s anxious. She reaches over to the six pack beside them and grabs two bottles, before she digs in her pocket and pulls out her keyring and uses the opener to pop the lids off. She sets one in her lap and holds the other up to him as an offering and he takes it with the hand that isn’t holding her. 

“Thanks,” he murmurs, giving her a little squeeze that makes her smile to herself in satisfaction. He makes a noise of contentment as he takes a swig of the beer and she grins up at him as she watches the way his neck muscles move as he swallows slowly, savoring the taste. 

Settled in like this, she finally takes some time to look at where he’s brought them. It’s properly dark out now, but the moon is almost full, and it’s so bright she can see just about everything around them pretty clearly. The lake has these small little waves that every so often reach the shore and make a sound of water lapping at the rocks. The water looks almost black with how dark the sky is, there’s no bright city lights to wash out the night sky so they can see the reflection of the stars in the water. She looks up at the night sky, and sighs. It’s beautiful, the kind of starry night you can’t see unless you go outside the city and take away all the lights. She can see so many stars right now, it makes her feel almost robbed with how dull the night sky seems when she looks up at home. 

“It’s beautiful out here,” she says, “How’d you know about this place?”

“This is technically on Two Bit’s uncle’s land. He lets us use it, we sometimes come swimming up here,” he explains. Swimming in a lake in this summer heat sounds heavenly. Even in the cooler night air a swim still sounds really nice. 

“It’s so peaceful,” she sighs, feeling like she’s finally realizing she’s got a few days off where she doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to do and can just be .  

“I know,” he agrees, and she feels him rest his chin on her head for a moment. She is trying to play it cool, but she’s secretly all out of sorts being held like this. It feels more intimate somehow, and she feels her heart flutter every time he moves around against her. It’s somehow a fantastic feeling despite the nerves. She looks back up at the sky, and finds the big dipper, it’s always the constellation she looks for first, ever since her mom taught her how to find it.

“Is now a bad time to admit the only constellations I know are the dippers and Orion’s belt?” she asks with a giggle as she then finds the little dipper near its counterpart.

“Well, I don’t know any others either,” he snorts. “I think that one over there is a planet though,” he adds after a moment, pointing to a particularly bright star. 

“Why do you think that?” She asks, genuinely intrigued.

“My dad liked looking at the stars. Think he even had a telescope at one point. But apparently the planets look like very bright stars in the sky like this. Mars can sometimes even look a little red if you look hard enough.”

“I don’t think that star looks red, but it is very bright,” she contemplates, “Which planet do you think it is?”

“I dunno, probably Venus or Jupiter,” he says with a shrug. “That’s usually the two seen most easily.”

“Oh! I hope it's Venus,” Betty says with a smile. 

“Why?” he asks, and she turns to see him looking down at her for a second. She looks back up at the star. 

“Cause that’s just more romantic,” she laughs, knowing that makes no real sense.

“Then we’ll call it Venus,” he says, squeezing her waist as they both look back up at it. 

---

They must sit and talk about nothing and everything for close to an hour. There’s a few times he gets her laughing so hard her sides hurt, but in the last few minutes or so they’ve settled into a comfortable silence. Right now she’s just enjoying how she can feel his chest rising and falling against her back. God she’s so fucking happy. In high school she’d always sorta yearned for that cliche romance that she felt like everyone around her was having, and she feels like maybe the universe is finally giving her a shot at one. She was always the sheltered smart girl, and while that is how she got to being as successful as she is today as a nurse, there are times where sometimes she feels like she missed out on just being a teenager. 

“Darry?” Betty asks softly. 

“Hmm?”

“Do you ever feel like you miss being a teenager?” she asks. 

“In what way?” he asks. 

“I dunno. I just, never realized how little responsibility I actually had in life when I was a teenager. I took everything so seriously then. And now I am actually responsible for a lot, and don’t get me wrong I don’t regret it, but sometimes I feel like I missed out on stuff I guess?” He’s silent for quite a bit, and she almost wonders if she shouldn’t have said anything.

“Every damn day, baby,” he eventually whispers softly, and she feels this deep ache in her chest. She knows she sort of gave her youth away for her job, but she chose this path, he had it all just snatched from him in an instant.

“I was just thinking, being here with you, it sorta feels like doing something I felt missed out on at the time,” She says softly. 

“What else do you feel like you missed out on?” he asks after a moment. 

“I just, never did anything risky or fun like a lot of people did. I was too scared and sheltered to try anything, I guess.” She remembers hearing about kids sneaking out and going to parties her last couple years of high school. She’d been invited a couple times but never took up the offer. Sometimes she wished she did, just to say she had done it. It’s at this moment an absurd idea pops into Betty’s head, and she feels her heart quicken at the mere thought. She remembers hearing about a friend in school going skinny dipping with some guys in high school once, and she couldn’t even fathom it at the time. She thought it sounded absolutely crazy, what if you got caught? Plus, if her parents had ever found out of her doing something like that, particularly her father, she would’ve been grounded for eternity or something. God, when was the last time she just jumped in and just did something without worrying about things first though? Betty feels herself sorta smile at the thought as she sits with it. She moves to sit forward from leaning against Darry and he makes a noise of confusion.

“What is it?”

“I’m gonna do something without overthinking!” she says, removing his arm from her waist and she moves so she can hop out of the truck bed. She sorta feels emboldened by how absurd she knows she’s being. She said she wanted to do something risky, and this definitely feels like a risk. She jogs down towards the middle of the dock and she hears his feet hit the ground as he follows her a couple seconds later.

“What’re you doin’?” he asks, and he doesn’t sound upset, mostly curious as she stands for a moment, looking down at the water. 

“You promise you’ve swam in this water before?” she asks, looking over at him. He’s standing a couple feet from her looking absolutely bewildered in the dark right now. 

“Yes, what does that have to do-”

“Okay,” she says, and then she takes a deep breath. Spontaneous and risky, she thinks to herself again as she grabs the hem of her top and pulls it off with a flourish. She hears him make a sorta strangled noise and she tells herself she is not allowed to second guess herself right now.  

“What are you doing?” He sputters as he seems to be finding his words. She looks over her shoulder as she works the button on her shorts open. His eyes are wide as saucers, and she can truthfully say she has yet to see this particular look in his eyes. She catalogs it for later.

“Skinny dipping,” she explains, trying to sound more confident than she actually is feeling. She hopes he doesn’t think she’s being absolute bat shit crazy. She honestly is scared shitless right now, if he doesn’t warm up to this idea she’s gonna be more than just a bit embarrassed. He just makes another noise instead of finding any more words to respond with.

“Come with me?” she asks, and she says a silent prayer that this doesn’t completely blow up in her face. If he says no, it’s going to be a very awkward thirty minute drive home. Plus she’s not sure if she’d ever be able to face him again if he rejects her right now. Betty realizes she unintentionally is being the most vulnerable she’s ever been with him right now.  She waits for a beat before she shimmies out of her shorts and she’s now down to just her bra and panties. She’s scared if she stops now she’ll second guess herself, and she’s come too far at this point. She feels herself blushing even though she knows he’s behind her, and can’t see all that much, before she finally forces herself to look over her shoulder at him again. God she feels so fucking vulnerable when they lock eyes, and she wants to say something, but then Darry pulling his teeshirt off with a flourish before she can let herself truly start panicking that this entire idea was a mistake. She almost cries in relief. She turns back around and grabs behind her back to undo the clasp of her bra before sliding it off. Despite being outside, the feeling of taking off her bra after a long day is still a very satisfying feeling. She drops it on top of her shirt in the pile and then pulls her panties off quickly and adds them to the bundle. She pauses for a moment looking down towards the rest of the dock where she can run off to jump into the lake. She takes a breath and spares a lightning quick glance over her shoulder to see he’s about to pull off his boxers and she turns back before she sees anything more, even though the curious part of her mind is screaming at her for giving up that opportunity. She waits a beat before she hears him take a couple of steps and then she moves. 

“C’mon!” She says as she takes off down the dock before letting out a yelp as she jumps and is enveloped by the cool water. 

The lake feels amazing as the water instantly soaks off the sweat and humidity that had been sticking to her skin from being outside for so long at this time of year. She just lets herself float for a split second without trying to swim before she touches the bottom pretty easily with her feet and uses it to push off of and head up to the surface. She breaks into the air with a laugh, and is pushing her wet hair back from her face as she takes in a breath. Darry surfaces a few feet away from her and she lets out another laugh as she soaks in the fact that she did indeed just actually do that. Betty swims in his direction, and she enjoys watching him slick his own hair back with his hand as he blinks away the water from his face. 

“Is my mascara running like crazy right now?” she asks, close enough she can make out his face pretty well in the low light. He actually looks at her now that he’s been at the surface for a couple moments and she can’t get a good read on him right now. 

“Yeah,” he says, his eyes locked on her face so intensely it almost makes her blush. She takes one hand and rubs beneath her eyes and on her cheeks. 

“Better?” she asks for confirmation. 

“You got most of it,” he replies. She’s close enough now that she can see his freckles, so she should’ve seen it coming that he very carefully swipes a thumb on her cheek, catching the remainder of the mascara she missed. He isn’t totally running for the hills yet, so she’ll call it a win so far.

“Thank you,” she says with a grin as she starts to tread water in front of him. The water’s deep enough she can’t touch the bottom, and even Darry is submerged up past the tops of his shoulders. He keeps looking at her with that look in his eyes that she hasn’t categorized yet, it’s a little unnerving feeling so vulnerable right now. “Did I scare you off with this brilliant idea?” She finally asks, that little inkling of doubt and insecurity starting to feel more overwhelming now that the height of her adrenaline has waned slightly. She tries to sound nonchalant in her question.

“No,” he replies immediately, and his face softens a bit which makes her feel less on edge for the moment.

“Good,” she says, smiling at him as she admires the way the moonlight makes him look like some sort of ancient art piece. “Cause this water really does feel amazing, be a shame if you were missing out on it!” That gets him to laugh, and she feels quite pleased at the sound. He has a nice laugh, and she’s slowly been trying to get him to smile and laugh more. 

“Told you it’s a pretty good swimming spot,” he says with a shrug. 

“Bet you weren’t planning on this huh?” She asks, gesturing to the lake with one arm as she treads water with the other.

“Can’t say I was,” he agrees, but there’s an undertone of amusement in his voice. 

“Well I think-” Betty genuinely loses her train of thought at this moment as something distinctly alive brushes against her right foot and she lets out a squeal of horror. There is absolutely no way she’d be able to see what it was even in the daylight; however  her flee to safety is entirely instinctual. She’s flinging both her arms around Darry’s neck before she’s wrapping her legs around his waist not unlike a koala bear. 

“OH MY GOD! Something alive definitely just touched my foot! What even lives in this lake, Darry?!” she cries hysterically as she focuses on holding on to him for dear life. She swears whatever it was was slimy too. The lake is big enough it could house some giant fish or something, and she is now unfortunately way too aware of this particular fact.

“It’s probably just a catfish or somethin-”

“Oh God, that is not making me feel better!” She sputters, as she holds on to him as if he somehow wards off any aquatic creatures from coming into their vicinity.

“There’s nothin’ in here that can hurt you,” he chuckles, and she is becoming acutely aware that she is clinging to him and they are, as she had previously orchestrated, very much skinny dipping right now.

“Wait, have you been able to touch the bottom of the lake this whole time?” she asks, realizing he is definitely not treading water right now. At least it’s a diversion from the fact that she feels a bit awkward that she flung herself at him completely naked. Nice move, Betty, she thinks bitterly. She’s probably freaked him out now. 

“Yes,” he replies as she pulls back enough to look at his face. She realizes this is probably when she should definitely be letting go considering she is very much pressed chest to chest with him. So she loosens her hold around his neck as a first step. It’s then Betty realizes he’s had an arm around the small of her back helping to hold her up. When did that happen? His arm pulls her slightly closer at her shifting, readjusting the way he’s holding her up.

“I gotcha,” he reassures, and Jesus Christ that almost sends a chill down her spine of excitement. She’ll have to unpack that later when she’s alone.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to just grab on to you without asking,” she apologizes, though she is really really hoping he does not let go of her because she is becoming quite pleased with this newest development of the evening. 

“Does it seem like this is a problem for me?” he asks drily, and she has to say his pupils are huge right now, and that actually does make her laugh. He can keep things locked up in his head a lot, but she likes it when he lets her in and especially when he’s a bit sarcastic. Now this may have been the best idea she has ever had. 

“Well, I will say this is much nicer than treading water,” she agrees, and their faces are so close like this, she can see the moon’s reflection in his eyes. She decides it’s only natural that she has to kiss him, because clearly the universe is trying to grant her one of her wishes right now and she’s not about to ask questions. The way he’s holding her up with one arm honestly is sending a thrill down her spine. She tightens her arms around his neck a bit, and uses one of her hands to play with the hair at the nape of his neck, which draws a very satisfying noise from him against her lips. This is by far the best idea she’s had in a good long while. And though she might not be getting a second look at her boyfriend shirtless, she most certainly can feel his muscles right now, and that is somehow even better. She eventually has to pull back for some air, but he nudges at her cheek and starts kissing down her jaw and then onto her neck, and she pulls his hair a bit without even meaning to. She feels him smile against her skin and she whispers out an apology which he simply responds to with another fluttering press of his lips to a sensitive spot near her ear. When he finally pulls away she can’t help but stare at him, catching her breath a bit. There’s a long pause as they both catch their breaths. Betty starts shivering, the water actually is starting to feel cold now that she’s more acclimated to it. 

“I’ve realized being spontaneous might not be for me,” she concludes, and he starts laughing in earnest at her admission.

“Why?” He asks, and he’s got a genuine smile breaking across his face. He looks so much younger when he’s happy like this.

“We don’t have towels and I have no idea how we’re gonna get back up to our clothes,” she snorts, she wasn’t exactly thinking about those logistics when she jumped in the water.

“Guess we’ll have to wait to dry off at home,” he muses, and she shudders at the fact, she really isn’t looking forward to putting clothes back on while dripping wet from lake water. 

“C’mon I wanna get out before some other fish touches my foot or something,” she sighs, nodding in the direction of the shore. 

“Are you really sure you felt a fish?” He asks dryly. 

“I know what I felt!” She retorts, nodding insistently. She is definitely ready to get out of this lake at the reminder. 

“I’ll grab a blanket or two we can use to at least dry off some,” he agrees, finally letting her go and they both start in the direction of the shore. He’s able to swim a lot faster than her, so he’s out of the water and heading for the truck. While she can only see the back of him, she thanks the universe for this particular treat, though it’s only for about twenty seconds before he’s grabbing a couple blankets and wrapping one around his waist before he comes back in her direction. 

“C’mere,” he says, holding the blanket open like a beach towel and she scampers out of the water, feeling actually quite chilly now that she’s been sufficiently cooled off. He’s sweet enough to turn his head to the side and avert his eyes, but she purposefully makes a noise that draws his attention on reflex and gets to watch him sneak a look at her right as she takes the blanket gratefully and gets it wrapped over her shoulders with a noise of contentment. She pretends she didn’t notice, but she’s gotta throw him a bone and tempt him just a tad. She’s only human. 

“Worth it!” She says as they go for the dock to retrieve their clothes, even though her teeth chatter slightly. She gets to listen to his laugh mix among the singing of the crickets.

Notes:

Guys I went insane writing this chapter and I could talk about it for years so I need the gang to pull up lol.

I've always had Betty's POV in my head when I write scenes with her in them, but it was so fun to finally give you all a look into her personality and point of view as readers. I know we know a lot about her (120k words of it) but it was very fun to finally do a POV switch and really see where her head is at. She is very much just as down bad and also she is very horny for this man and is NOT afraid to think it. Though still working up to voicing it explicitly lol.

Also if yall have ever gone swimming in ocean or lake and something touches your foot you know the bone chilling terror. The only reasonable reaction is to grab the person closest to you and pray lol.

Letting them both be young and just goofing off for a chapter was healing. We could not get Darry's POV for this chapter because his thoughts the entire second half is just: betty, betty, betty, betty.

Anyways please give me attention because I genuinely love this chapter to bits.

Chapter 24: Chap 24

Summary:

Sleepovers and nightmares don't mix well

Notes:

Happy Friday! I've been excited to get this one out to y'all! See you in the end notes with a glass of wine 💁🏼‍♀️

Pulling back up to his house, Darry can’t help but feel a bit disappointed their night has come to an end. It’s just past eleven o’clock, and he has to admit he is getting tired, despite the fact he really wishes he could stay up until the early hours of the morning with Betty. They both sit in the car for a moment, and it seems like neither of them want to get out yet. 

“I don’t wanna go home,” she says with a small laugh, and he swears his heart flutters. Hell, she was brave and definitely took a risk tonight, maybe now it’s his turn.

“What if you just stayed tonight then?” He asks, forcing himself to look at her, though he’s scared she’s gonna say no. He really wishes she’ll stay the night. He doesn’t know exactly when he’d become so attached, but he honestly never wants her to leave again if it were up to him.

“You sure?” she asks, but the hopeful look she gets makes him feel all warm in his chest. 

“Mhhm.” She suddenly doesn’t look so upset at the thought of getting out of the car, and she hops out, the blanket is still wrapped over her shoulders since her clothes are pretty wet. 

“I gotta wash this lake water out of my hair though,” she laughs as they both climb up the porch. They don’t lock the front door, so they easily slip inside and Pip gives them a sparing glance before he remains where he is currently curled up on the couch. Some guard dog- Darry thinks sarcastically. 

“I’ll get you a towel,” he says, already going for the hall closet. 

“Think I can borrow some pajamas again?” She asks with a small smile. 

“I’ll grab some,” he confirms. He slips in his room and goes for the dresser before he digs around for one of his older oversized t-shirts. It’s one that was for high school football, he notices the faded print only as he steps back in the hallway. He hands it over to her and she practically beams up at him. 

“Save me some hot water?” he asks with a quirk of the corner of his mouth. 

“Only since you asked nicely,” she teases, before she closes the door softly and he heads for the living room.

---

When Darry steps out of the bathroom, there’s a cloud of steam that follows him into the hallway. He spots Betty in the recliner, curled up with a blanket on her lap, and she’s laughing softly as she pats Pip on the head absentmindedly. 

“Sounds like a very interesting time, Soda,” she says with a grin as Darry leans on the doorway to the hall. Pony and Soda are both back, fifteen whole minutes before curfew, he notes as he glances at the clock. 

“Hey Dar,” Soda says, smiling up at him. Darry figures he’d probably be happier not knowing exactly what kind of shenanigans he was almost certainly getting up to tonight. 

“Hey little buddy,” he says with fond amusement. His brothers both look tired out, so he assumes they must’ve had a good time. He’s pretty sure Pony went to the drive-in again, the kid currently looks half asleep on the couch so he must have been plenty entertained too.

“C’mon, I’m tired,” Darry encourages, and his brothers both push to their feet, heading for their room as he ruffles both of their hair as they pass him. Betty stays in the chair for a moment as the boys slip into their room and then pushes to her feet, padding softly across the carpet. He is really enjoying how she looks wearing his old shirt, and he’s quite content to actually take her in since they are both sober this time around. Her makeup has all been washed off at this point, and she looks younger like this. She’d mentioned several times she has been told she has a baby face, and he definitely feels inclined to agree right now. Her hair is still wet and she’s got the short strands tucked behind her ears. She looks more casual and relaxed than he’s ever seen her. He thinks she’s absolutely beautiful. Of course his reverence can’t last for long because as they’re slipping into his room Soda immediately spots them like a hawk on the hunt.

“Staying the night are we?” He asks with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows that Darry wants to wipe off of his smug face. 

“Goodnight Sodapop,” Darry says in response, giving him a subtle middle finger behind his back from where he turns around, which he gasps at mockingly. 

“Wait!-” 

“Goodnight!” Darry sings songs, before he’s closing the door at Soda’s indignant cry. 

“No manners at all, that one!” Soda says in a fake whisper to Ponyboy who snickers at their brother’s antics. 

“Go to bed!” Darry calls out with an exasperated shake of his head as he turns around. He hears the two of them patter off so he knows they’ve lost interest for the time being. He isn’t so sure they won’t cause a ruckus in the morning though. Betty has already climbed under the covers with a grin, and he tries to play it cool as he makes his way over to the bed, though he secretly wants to sprint over to her side. Instead he settles under the blankets at a casually relaxed speed on the other side of the bed and gets the lamp turned off. She is already turned on her side facing him when he turns to the middle. It’s dark, not unlike how it was at the lake, and he can see the shadows of her features with what little moonlight gets in through the curtains. 

“You’re the only one of the three of you with curls,” Betty says softly, and her hand comes to brush the top of his head tentatively. He leans into the touch and she seems to get the message as she starts playing with it absentmindedly. 

“My mom had curly hair,” he manages to explain. He wants to talk about their parents, but the hurt is still so fresh in so many ways, even this small acknowledgement still creates a lump in his throat. 

“Do you take after her?” she asks. 

“No, everything else is Dad. I look almost identical to him except for these,” he explains softly. He remembers how many people tried comforting him at the funeral by telling him he looked just like his father. It had made him sick to his stomach at the time. Sometimes when he’s overly tired it hurts to look in the mirror, because he can almost convince himself it’s Dad staring back instead. 

“You grease them back a lot?” she wonders, and he feels sorta conflicted at the question. 

“Not much now. It just gets messed up since I’m outside in the sun all day,” he admits, “But I used to, at least when I was younger.”

“Was curious to see, wondered what it would look like with all three of you with your hair greased,” she huffs out with a small laugh. 

“Lord, Soda would do it in an instant if I let him,” Darry snorts. Soda claims he has a perfect vision for how he can style Darry’s hair. He doesn’t really trust the vision his brother has in mind. 

“Well, now we have to let him,” Betty jokes, and he rolls his eyes at the idea. “Go to sleep,” she encourages, clearly noticing the way he’s fighting to keep his eyes open at this point. Betty yawns at her own encouragement and he takes that as reassurance she’s also falling asleep slowly. 

“If I hog the blankets, just steal them back,” she instructs with a huff as her eyes settle shut, and he takes just a moment to memorize her face for a few instants before he follows suit. Even with them both being close to asleep at this point her hand that had been playing with his hair comes to clutch gently at the front of his t-shirt, the feeling is calming enough that he’s asleep before he can even reply to her. 

---

Waking up Darry wonders for a delirious moment what the hell is happening. He’s always been a light sleeper, and honestly he feels like he got worse after his parents died. So when he wakes up in the night, his first instinct is to figure out what woke him. It’s not hard to find the source at this moment, because he hears the screaming from across the hall and he’s already sitting up, half on autopilot as he throws the covers back. 

“What’s happening?” Betty asks, and her voice sounds a bit shaken, somehow she’s already sitting on the edge of the bed, she must’ve woken up even faster than him. 

“Ponyboy,” Darry explains, which he knows in the part of his brain that is slowly waking that this is not a sufficient explanation. He knows he’s explained in the past why Soda shares a room with Ponyboy. Still, she slips out of the door before he can stop her, and he just trails right behind her, trying to get his bearings. When they open the door Soda is already awake and shaking Pony by the shoulder, murmuring as soothingly as he can. 

“C’mon Pony, it’s just a dream, you gotta wake up,” Soda mutters, sounding almost drunk with the amount of sleep that’s leaking into his voice. God Darry had forgotten how bad Ponyboy’s nightmares can get, he hasn’t had any for a good month or so. Hell the kid’s been back in school for a couple weeks and even with that he’d been sleeping well up until tonight. He really thrashes around, and the cries he makes sound like a wounded animal, it breaks Darry’s heart every time. Thankfully Soda must shake him hard enough that he lets out a gasp and then his eyes fly open. 

“Easy,” Darry murmurs, already sitting on the foot of the bed, running his hand up and down Ponyboy’s leg. 

“Darry- Soda,” he gasps. 

“We’re right here,” Soda reassures as Ponyboy sits up with a start. “Deep breaths, honey.” He does get one good breath in, but then falls into a fit of choked sobs as Soda starts rocking him gently. Betty is standing in the doorway looking on with concern, but she seems to at least seem reassured that Ponyboy is now awake and he’s not in any active danger, despite the way his brother was just screaming. 

“It was just a bad dream,” Betty says softly, her arms wrapped around herself as she looks at him with her soft eyes. Jesus, how does he deserve her? Most people would be mad as hell getting woken up for this shit. Darry watches as Ponyboy realizes where the reassurance came from and his eyes dart over to Betty and widen. 

“Get out!” He says with a rage that startles them so bad Soda jolts. 

“It’s just Betty,” Soda tries to reassure.

“Get out of my room!” His brother yells louder, eyes glaring at her with a fury that Darry can’t even wrap his head around. “It’s enough that you’re always hanging around here all the time! You aren’t my mom and you’re not family, so just get out !” Ponyboy snarls. That hits Darry like a suckerpunch to the gut, and he wasn’t even the recipient of Pony’s words. He looks at Betty who’s face crumbles for a split second, and then Darry watches in horror as her face becomes scarily empty. She nods silently and slips out the door without a word, closing it without a sound. Darry is about to yell, because how dare his brother say something like that? But then Pony is dissolving back into sobs, and Darry just can’t . ‘Go.’ Soda mouths over Ponyboy’s head, and nods to the doorway. Darry knows his little brother needs him right now, but he’s internally terrified that this is what finally puts an end to this little charade he’s been living in for the past couple of months. He knew he couldn’t really do this. God it was only a matter of time before this happened. Before the cracks started to show and she'd run. And he can’t even blame her. If he were her and the situation was reversed he sure as hell wouldn’t wanna stick around, especially after what Ponyboy just said. She’d been nothing but kind to him, and yet somehow seemed to become the recipient for his harshest of outbursts, which have up until this point been solely reserved for Darry. He swears his heart is already breaking and he’s not sure he can handle the final blow. He panics that she’s gonna have somehow already left, and he almost lets out a sob of his own when he sees her sitting back in his bed. She’s wiping at her eyes furiously, and he wants to scream at the fact that it was somehow him and his brothers responsible for her tears. 

“What are you doing in here?” She asks hurriedly, wiping her eyes again as he moves to sit on the edge of the bed. 

“I’m so sorry-”

“Darry, go!” She says, and he buffers at this, she sounds genuinely upset at him for coming in here and he doesn’t know why.

“What? He just-”
“I’ll be okay. I promise. But he needs you more right now,” she says, nudging him with her leg, trying to get him to get up. He doesn’t budge. He wasn’t expecting her to somehow still worry about Ponyboy even after his outburst at her. 

“Betty, I- if you leave-” He’s looking at her finally, and he will openly admit he’s close begging her for anything at this point. 

“I wasn’t planning on currently going anywhere at this time of night, unless you want me to?” she says with a wet laugh. 

“No!” He says desperately, he swears if she leaves now he is terrified he’ll never see her again. 

“Okay. Glad we agree on that,” she sniffs, and she’s somehow still giving him a little smile despite the fact she’s still crying. 

“You promise?” he begs. 

“I promise, now go take care of your brother. I can wait,” she reassures, squeezing his arm tightly enough that he knows she’s trying to get through to him. His heart is still going as if he’s just run a marathon, but with the assurance that she’s not going to leave right this moment he rises from the bed. 

“I’ll be back soon. Just hold on, okay?” he begs, slipping out of the door. He’s back in the room with his brothers and sitting down on the edge as Soda continues murmuring reassurances to Ponyboy. He and Soda share a single glance and Darry hopes he can somehow convey that for the moment they can focus on their brother. 

“It’s okay Pony,” Darry soothes, though it’s taking a great amount of strength on his part to not start in on him for what he just said to Betty. To be honest he can’t even wrap his head around it. As far as they’ve been aware Ponyboy has never disliked Betty, and he’s gotten along with her great any time they’ve been around each other. Darry had thought he’d genuinely liked her too. He feels so heartbroken, he feels like he’s going to have to choose, and if Ponyboy doesn’t like her, ultimately he knows he has to put his brothers first. Even worse, Betty already knows this. And she chose for him, so he didn’t have to, sending him back to be with his brothers even though he could’ve picked her. God his chest aches. And to think a few hours ago he was having the best night he’s had in years. 

“I don’t even remember the dream,” Ponyboy says shakily, clearly mostly calmed down at this point, leaning into Soda’s embrace. He usually falls right back asleep once he’s calmed down, and he looks halfway there already.

“It’s just a nightmare, we’re right here honey,” Soda murmurs. There’s a pause before he pushes on, “But why did you start yellin at Betty like that?” Soda asks, hand still playing with Ponyboy’s hair gently. His brother makes a noise and distinctly looks away from Darry, and he has to work hard to not snap at him. He’s so mad, and he wonders if Soda should’ve just left it be. The damage has been done. 

“She’s gonna leave us. Just like they did,” Ponyboy says so softly Darry almost misses it. 

“What?” Soda asks, looking genuinely bewildered.

“She saw the nightmares. And I just knew she was gonna leave because of me. She’s gonna leave and it’s all my fault and Darry’s gonna hate me-” 

“Honey, did you try to send her away cause you were scared she was gonna leave first?” Soda asks softly, understanding dawning in his voice. 

“I just, I can’t keep doing this! I can’t keep losing people. I don’t understand why people always leave us-”
“Ponyboy, I don’t hate you. I will never, ever hate you,” Darry says firmly, focusing on that part of his admission. His heart aches at the things Ponyboy is saying. And on top of that he’s honestly just trying to wrap his head around his brother’s skewed logic. He’s so scared of being abandoned he decided to try and run her off first? He would almost laugh at how stupid of an idea it is if he wasn’t utterly exhausted at half past three in the morning. 

“You swear?” Ponyboy asks tiredly, and Darry can already tell the kid is about to pass out from exhaustion. 

“I swear, now go back to sleep baby,” he reassures, and watches his brother’s eyes flutter closed from where he’s curled up against Soda. They wait for about a minute in silence before Soda looks at Darry. 

“Is she-”

“She’s in my room. She sent me back in here. Didn’t wanna talk until I made sure he was okay,” Darry explains, feeling so bone tired from the whole affair he doesn’t even know how he can go back in there. 

“Christ, I know we’re all a bit messed up, but I didn’t know he was so scared of people leaving,” Soda whispers, looking down at Pony softly. 

“Go back to sleep Soda, all this can be handled in the morning,” Darry tries to say with as much reassurance as he can muster. He’s desperate to sleep, but he needs to fix things with Betty, even if that just means she still leaves him. 

“We’ll be okay,” Soda reassures, and nods to the door, and Darry takes the cue, too tired to try and argue more. He slips out the door and spares his brothers one final glance at them before he closes their door. Slipping back into his room he still sighs in relief when he sees Betty is still indeed in bed, and while her eyes are puffy, she doesn’t look like she’s actively crying anymore. 

“Did he fall back asleep?” Betty asks softly, sitting up from where she was curled up on her side. He nods and this time he has no qualms about scrambling to sit across from her. 

“I’m so fucking sorry-”

“It’s not your fault. It’s okay,” She starts to reassure and somehow he feels even more lousy that she’s having to comfort him. 

“He should’ve never said something like that-”

“I can understand, I’m sort of the person taking you from him in some ways. It’s not unreasonable that he could resent me for-”

“He doesn’t though,” Darry cuts her off, and he powers through before she tries to argue. “Jesus Christ. I’m sorry. We’re a fucking hot mess. He started crying and saying some nonsense about how he wanted to send you away before you left us and he just…” Darry doesn't even know how to explain. 

“He thought I would leave ‘cause of that?” She asks softly.

“I honestly don’t understand why he would even say this typa shit. He’s got it in his head he had to run you off before you left or something,” Darry sighs. 

“Oh poor thing,” she says softly, and he realizes she somehow doesn’t sound mad at all. He thinks she’d be completely justified in being as mad as she wants to be. 

“I am so sorry.” He says again, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Stop apologizing. I’m honestly sorta relieved right now,” she laughs, and at this point he swears he will never be able to understand this girl. 

“Why?”

“I thought he genuinely hated me for a second there! He was just all shaken up,” she explains, “I thought we got on pretty good, so I was real bewildered by that one, I’m not gonna lie.”

“He made you cry,” Darry says tightly. As much as he loves his brothers, she brings out a protective instinct in him, and he’s pretty pissed off Ponyboy did that. 

“Oh honey, I don’t think you’ve realized yet, but I’m a real cry baby. It don’t take much to get the waterworks going for me,” she sniffs and she is grinning enough he almost wants to believe her. She gives him a nod, “Come lay down, it’s still the middle of the night,” She encourages, leaning over to flick off the one lamp that kept the room lit. He’s so tired he obeys immediately, and he almost melts when she moves back against him, prompting him to wrap an arm around her and pull her to his chest. He’s just taking a minute to breathe and take in the smell of her when he finally chokes out the one thing he’s been dreading saying since he came back to the room.

“I’d understand if you did want to call it off. If you were done with all this. If it’s too much,”  he says, feeling his voice crack on the last word despite his best efforts to hold it together. 

“Stop saying stupid shit,” she replies, pulling his arm tighter around her and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of his hand. He practically melts into the bed in relief and exhaustion and she just squeezes his hand gently. He almost thinks she’s fallen asleep before she speaks again. 

“Plus you've technically seen me naked now. If I leave you, I’ll unfortunately have to kill you first.” He chokes out a laugh and he feels the way she’s laughing against him just as hard. His nerves are finally soothed enough that he is able to maybe hold on to the tiny inkling of hope that everything will somehow be alright. 

---

Darry sleeps in, or at least as late as his body seems to decide is reasonable these days. 9 am is pretty impressive for him, and despite waking up in the night, he feels relatively well rested. Even with this, that doesn’t stop him from craving a cup of coffee as he turns onto his back with a sigh. Betty is curled up on her side, still sound asleep, and he debates just staying in bed. The pull of coffee wins in the end and he quietly climbs from the bed, making sure she doesn’t stir as he slips into the hallway, softly closing the door behind him. He can hear the shower running, so one of the boys must be awake, but otherwise the house remains quiet, and he slips into the kitchen to start up the coffee maker. It doesn’t take long to get the thing going, and he decides to peek in the boys’ room to see which of them is still asleep. He knows the nightmares can be exhausting for everyone involved, but Ponyboy especially. He keeps his footfalls as quiet as he can as he approaches the door and opens it softly, ensuring it doesn’t squeak on its hinges as he peers at the bed. He sees a pair of eyes lock back on him, and while it is indeed Ponyboy who’s still in bed, he is very much awake. 

“I was just checking on ya, go back to sleep,” Darry says softly. 

“Darry,” Ponyboy says weakly, and he realizes the kid sounds close to tears. He slips into the room, closing the door just as softly as he opened it, and is sitting on the side of the bed immediately. 

“Did another one wake you up just now?” He asks softly.

“No,” Ponyboy shakes his head, and he looks so small right now it breaks Darry’s heart. 

“It’s plenty early, you can go back to sleep,” he encourages. 

“What about Betty?” Ponyboy asks, voice quivering. Christ, he’d been so tired last night he forgot about that whole part of the meltdown that had ensued until now. He focuses on how he needs to be careful to not snap at Ponyboy right now. His brother looks so close to tears Darry needs to tread lightly, even if part of him is still mad as hell at the reminder of the shit he’d said to her last night. 

“I didn’t mean to Darry, honest! I thought the nightmares were gone now, they’ve been gone for a long while. But I just, couldn’t stand her caring about me like that, cause she’s just gonna leave us and then you’ll be sad and then you’ll hate me and then I just started yelling at her cause I got so mad and-”

“Take a breath,” Darry instructs softly, cutting off the spiral spilling past Ponyboy’s lips.

“I don’t hate her. I don't even know why I said that stuff. I didn’t mean to say it, I was just so mad that I ruined it all for you with my stupid dream, and now she’s gone and it’s all my fault-” Ponyboy chokes out, and he’s got tears streaking his cheeks softly. 

“Pony. She ain’t gone,” Darry reassures as he pulls his brother into a tight hug. 

“What?” Ponyboy croaks as he clings to Darry tightly. 

“She ain’t gone anywhere,” he repeats. 

“You’re lying,” Ponyboy replies, “You’re just trying to make me feel better cause it’s all my fault.” For someone who is shit at sharing his emotions, Darry sure is getting a lot of practice at it. He tries to think of what Soda would say.  

“No. I’m tired of you saying that. We both know you can’t control the nightmares, and I ain’t ever gonna be mad at you for that. No one should ever be mad about that. And while I’m none too pleased at the way you spoke to her, that don’t mean I could ever hate you Ponyboy.” He murmurs, running a hand up and down his brother’s back in a soothing motion he often sees Soda use. He hopes that he did a decent job. 

“What if she breaks up with you?”

“Even then.” Darry confirms, trying to keep his mild exasperation out of his tone.

“But, I said that I don’t like having her around,” Ponyboy sniffs, and Darry is pretty sure there’s gonna be a big tear stain on his shirt. 

“Did you mean it?” Darry asks, and while he’s pretty sure based on Ponyboy’s words this is indeed not the case, he still feels the need to hear him confirm it. Darry hates that he lives a life where in the end he would have to choose, but if Ponyboy truly was miserable Darry would ultimately choose his brother, even if it destroyed him in the process. 

“No. I don’t even know why I said it. It’s like when we fight and I just get so upset-”

“I know Pony. But I think sometimes you forget how much words can hurt people,” Darry explains. It’s a tough lesson to learn, but Darry knows all too well that Ponyboy’s words can cut deep when he’s upset. 

“I know. I’m sorry Darry,” Ponyboy says, and clearly he’s stopped crying for the time being. 

“I don’t think it’s me who needs an apology kiddo,” he encourages. Internally he tacks on a ‘now get your stubborn ass out of bed and go apologize like you mean it, now .’ But he keeps that to himself, though it takes a large amount of his self restraint. 

“She really ain’t left us?” Ponyboy asks, looking up at Darry incredulously. 

“No Pony, she’s still here,” Darry sighs, a small bit of his annoyance slips out despite his best efforts. He sees the way Pony starts to sink in defeat, “C’mon, let's get you some breakfast. She’s still sleeping, we can try and talk to her after eating.” 

“Okay,” Ponyboy agrees, sounding small and so young in this moment. Just a daily reminder that his little brother is still a fourteen year old kid at the end of the day. Padding back into the living room with Ponyboy on his tail he doesn’t expect to see Betty currently curled up on the couch with a blanket and Pip’s head in her lap. Soda seems to have finished showering, and to Darry’s mild exasperation is currently setting about making eggs with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Darry really doesn’t understand Soda’s aversion to clothes sometimes, the second he gets home he swears his brother is wearing the least amount of clothes that can be socially accepted among the company present. 

“You’re up already?” Darry asks her, trying to have a conversation with her with only their eyes. Please don’t hate us, he thinks pathetically. He gives her a look that he hopes shows her once again how sorry he is, and somehow despite it all she’s got this soft look in her eyes as she pets their dog and just tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. 

“I smelled coffee brewing and my body followed the smell,” she jokes, and then her eyes flit over to Ponyboy, who’s currently standing right behind Darry, peeking over his shoulder. Darry decides he’s been gentle enough with Ponyboy so he turns sideways and gives his brother a nudge and he reluctantly starts towards Betty. His brother looks so dejected it’s real hard to stay mad at him right now. He sorta stops in front of Betty on the couch and Darry swears his neck hurts from how Ponyboy is staring down at his feet. He shuffles nervously and Darry's about to snap at him to start talking, but Betty of course beats him to it. 

“Do you wanna sit down honey? I promise I don’t bite,” she says encouragingly, nodding to the open spot on the couch on the other side of Pip. His brother seems to worry for a split second before he carefully takes a seat and Darry goes to the kitchen in order to make a couple cups of coffee. He’ll be able to hear everything from there just fine, and he doesn’t think hovering over Ponyboy is gonna help, no matter how much he might want to.

“Betty, I’m real sorry for what I said to you,” Ponyboy begins, voice soft as he slowly explains. “I just got upset cause I thought you were gonna break up with Darry because of me, and I got mad.”

“I know. Thank you for the apology. It’s very sweet that you were protecting your brother’s feelings,” she begins softly, and Darry thinks she’s going softer on Ponyboy than she needs to. She is well within her rights to tell him off. “And I’m sorry if I have ever intruded-”

“You ain’t though!” Ponyboy says quickly, sounding frantic. He takes a steadying breath before he finally speaks again, and Darry does have to strain to hear what his brother whispers so softly. “I didn’t mean it. Honest. I just… I don’t want you to leave us. Darry, but also me and Soda too.” There’s a weight in Darry’s gut at the thought that he’s really in this now. Not only is he down bad for her, but she’s won over his brothers, and now there’s more hearts on the line than just his own. It’s a terrifying type of vulnerability because even he can’t protect his brothers from putting their hearts out there. 

“Oh honey. That means a lot. I’m sorry you felt scared I was gonna be upset, but I promise you I would never call it quits just cause you had a nightmare and woke me up.”

“But if it weren’t for us you could have Darry all to yourself. And then we wouldn’t be in the way,” Ponyboy mutters self deprecatingly. 

“You kidding? I love being around all three of you. I wouldn’t even know what to do with Darry if I had to wrangle him all by myself!” She laughs, and Darry makes a face as he comes around the corner with two mugs of coffee. He notices that she’s very gently giving his brother a quick squeeze of a hug before she pulls back and glances at him. 

“Excuse me?” Darry says, leaning against the doorway with a purposefully blank expression and a cocked brow. 

“Shh, he can’t hear us if we don’t move too much. It’s like a T-Rex,” she whispers conspiratorially and he rolls his eyes, but the grin that it gets out of Ponyboy is worth it. 

“Shoot, he ain’t a T-Rex, his arms are too big,” Soda chimes in from the stove. 

“Gee thanks Soda, I feel so much better-”

“Hmm, I’ll workshop it,” Betty concedes, and he just takes a long sip of the coffee he’s made for himself in his hand. “Is that coffee for me?” She asks, all of the sudden batting her eyelashes at him as if she wasn’t saying a damn thing at his expense mere seconds ago. 

“What was that? You know I can’t quite hear you-”

“Please?” She asks, giving him a fake pouted lip that she somehow manages to start to make quiver as she stares at him, and how the hell is she making her eyes look glassy with tears? He makes a noise but crosses the threshold and hands her the cup with an eye roll. “Thank you baby!” She says brightly, and Darry can see the way Ponyboy seems to finally be relaxing. 

“Alright dog, get a move on, I want that spot,” he says to Pip with a nudge, and the dog just eyes him lazily. Apparently everyone in this house wants some of Betty’s affection this morning.

Notes:

This is our friendly reminder that Darry is only TWENTY ONE AND HAS TWO BROTHERS HES COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE FOR. He obviously is responsible for caring for them physically, but this chapter dove back in to the emotional work he has to juggle too. God I love exploring the dynamics of these three brothers so much.

Betty was pretty hurt by Ponyboy's outburst, but she really tried to put on. a brave face. She was about half a second away from begging Darry to stay with her when he came to check on her, but she couldn't bear being the one forcing him to choose. She knows his brothers need to come first, and she made sure that was what happened.

Ponyboy was being a teenager and saying things without thinking. He was a mixture of embarrassed but also terrified Betty was gonna leave them cause lets be real all three of these boys have some serious trauma. I also feel like he got scared because he momentarily wanted her to comfort him and it reminded him of his mom, hence the lashing out in reaction to his own thoughts. He's got big feelings and not a lot of ways to process them still. If it was not the 60's I'd say all three of them should be in therapy lol.

I am in last week of my pediatrics rotation, so I have an exam a week from today lets PARTY! Love and appreciate comments and kudos, also come say hi on tumblr 😊

Chapter 25: Chap 25

Summary:

Ponyboy experiences the epic highs and lows of being 14. Darry is tireddddddd.

Notes:

This is a LONG one so buckle in guys. As usual, happy Friday and I'll see y'all in the end notes!

Darry swears he blinks and it’s somehow already the beginning of October. He’s not complaining, because being well into the fall season means it’s no longer miserably hot out at work every day. He’s continued to see Betty as much as he can, and he’s honestly fallen into a nice little routine for his own days. However, on this particular Friday he gets a change from the normal. He’d been working on it for a couple weeks, pulling a couple longer shifts and arranging with some of his coworkers, but today Ponyboy has his first cross country meet of the year.  Darry hadn’t mentioned his hopes to get off work in time to attend, as he wasn’t really sure if it was gonna work out until today, and he couldn’t bear to see the disappointment on Pony’s face if he had to tell him he couldn’t go at the last minute. But everything had fallen into place, so he’s driving over to the school, knowing most of the gang had planned to hang out and cheer Pony on. His brother prefers the sprint events when it comes to track and field, but he’s a good distance runner as well. He’s running a 5k today, and Pony had been getting ready for it all week. Last night he was stretching on the floor in the living room while they had the tv on, his hamstrings were so tight he couldn’t even touch his toes. It was actually pretty comical to watch. 

He hops out of his truck with a grunt, his knees protesting a bit as he walks for the back field behind the school where they’ve got the start and finish areas set up for the races. It’s not hard to spot the gang, considering they’re already rough housing and making a ruckus with their presence in their little huddle of bodies. He sees the socs sitting off in their own pack a bit further away, but honestly their stoic silence seems much more boring than the greasers’ overall lively excitement. He wonders what high school would’ve been like for him if he hadn’t been running in the soc crowd.  

“Darry!” Soda exclaims, the first one to spot him from where Steve currently has him wrestled into a headlock. He is lucky that Darry’s arrival allows him to break free as the gang all rush up to greet him. It’s honestly a bit nice to receive such a rowdy welcome, it’s not exactly easy coming back to the school and reliving all his high school memories, good and bad. 

“I didn’t know you were comin’ Superman,” Two Bit says with a clap on the shoulder. 

“I didn’t wanna get Pony’s hopes up,” he explains softly. 

“He’s gonna be so excited!” Soda exclaims, eye bright and full of energy. Darry is thrilled he can be here to cheer on his brother, but he has to admit that cross country meets are one of the more boring ones to attend. Since they’re running on a trail loop, you just sorta camp out and eventually wait for them to come back and watch the finish of the race. But it’s the thought that counts with these things. The kids start coming up to the starting area, getting ready for the meet to begin soon. Darry sees when Ponyboy spots him, ‘cause his brother lights up in a way that makes his heart ache. He looks so happy to see them all dicking around, ready to cheer him on. He’s over to their little group in an instant, and Darry pulls him into a sideways hug. 

“Darry-”

“Hey kiddo. Wanted to be here to cheer you on for your first race of the year.”

“What about work?” Ponyboy asks, biting his lip nervously as he often does when he’s thinking too hard. 

“Finished up early for the day. Now go get warmed up little buddy, wanna see how those new shoes treat ya,” Darry encourages before he’s nudging his brother along with a reassuring grin. His brother scampers off and gets lined up in the crowd of runners. They don’t waste much time before one of the coaches sets off the starting shot and the boys take off. The guys all start hollering encouragements at Ponyboy until the herd is out of sight on the trail, and then they all glance around, seeming to realize that’s that. 

“So now we just sit here?” Dally asks, looking quite put out by this development. Darry figures he’s not well versed in the ins and outs of high school sporting events.

“Call it a smoke break Dal,” Johnny says with a shrug from where he’s already made himself at home sitting in the grass, picking at it and dropping little handfuls into his lap.

“Whatever,” Dally says, throwing himself down beside him and already digging a pack of smokes from his pocket. Darry wonders if Ponyboy realizes that the only people Dally would even sit around at something like this are him and Johnny.  

“Kid’s more of a sprinter ain’t he?” Steve asks in confusion when he realizes a 5k is about a 3 mile race. 

“Yeah, but he's a pretty good distance runner too. I think he just likes the sprints better.” Soda explains with a shrug from where he and Steve are currently playing a game that involves them trying to pull their hands away from the other and avoiding getting them smacked. Darry is not sure why that seems like a fun game to them, but whatever floats their boat right now. Two Bit has also lit up a smoke, but Darry notes it looks slightly suspiciously hand rolled and he has a feeling Two Bit is about to start talking up a storm in the next ten minutes or so if Darry’s suspicions are correct. 

Thankfully, the nice thing about Ponyboy being a fast runner is he doesn’t take an arduously long time to run this race, he’s already appearing under half an hour later just as Two Bit has started telling knock-knock jokes that only he thinks are funny.Darry is about 90% sure at this point his cigarette he’d smoked was pot and not plain old nicotine as he’d suspected. Two Bit had been smart enough to not smoke it right in the group of them, and make them all smell like weed at least. Pony is among the crowd of front runners, and the gang starts hollering up a storm at the sight of him. They’re in the final little stretch and it's easy to spot the moment Ponyboy kicks into one last burst of energy and pulls towards the front of the crowd before he’s crossing the finish line in third place. He was the first runner from his school to finish.

“Let’s go!” Soda hoots, jumping up and down in the grass. Ponyboy jogs over to their little crew, decelerating from his last little burst of a sprint, before he flops to the ground with a huff and just pants heavily to catch his breath, laying on his back with his knees bent. 

“Hell Ponyboy you kicked those soc kids’ asses!” Steve says excitedly as he slings his arm over Soda’s shoulder. It’s the proudest Darry’s ever seen Steve outwardly be towards Ponyboy.

“You killed it!” Two Bit agrees, giving Pony an affectionate nudge of his shoe from where he sits beside him with his legs outstretched. Darry rolls his eyes and grabs a water bottle, firmly depositing it in his brother’s hands. 

“Thanks,” Ponyboy says breathlessly before he’s chugging the water down between pants.

“You did amazing Pony,” Darry says with a grin, and his brother smiles between his now smaller sips of water and gives him a nod of thanks. 

Eventually he levels out, and then pushes to his feet, going over to talk with the coach and get everything in line before they can take him home. When he finally comes back he’s got a bashful grin on his cheeks at all the attention they’re giving him. 

“Alright kid, let's get you a burger and some fries. I’m buying,” Dally says as he pushes to his feet, before he offers Johnny a hand up. 

“Really?”

“Don’t ask stupid fuckin questions,” Dally gripes, sauntering off in the lead without another word. Ah the Dallas Winston art of showing affection, it is a rare but sort of beautiful sight somehow. Darry smiles to himself as Soda helps Ponyboy to his feet, singing some made up song about Ponyboy and a race horse. Darry trails behind them and thinks he must not be doing a God-awful job of trying to raise his brothers if they’re turning out like this. 

---

Betty’s car is out front when he gets home on a chillier Wednesday a couple weeks after Ponyboy’s track meet. He’d seen her the weekend before, but he didn’t realize how badly he needed the pick me up until he feels some of the day’s exhaustion let up at the thought of her stopping by for a surprise visit. He still takes a while to get from the car to the front door, but he is at least feeling less like he wants to just curl up in bed for the evening. He’d slept badly last night for no good reason, and had to rely on coffee alone to keep him going today. To top it all off he’s pretty sure he tweaked a muscle towards the end of the day, and his shoulder has been twinging since.  When he walks in the house he does feel himself smile at the view of Betty sitting on their couch with Ponyboy on the other end. Soda interestingly has taken a spot in the recliner, which is unusual.

“Hi,” he says tiredly, and she gives him a soft smile, but immediately he sees a look in her eyes that makes him pause in his tracks as he’s wrestling his shoes off. “What?” He asks, his smile is long gone by now. 

“Everyone’s okay-” Betty begins, and he can tell she’s trying to calm him down, but it only makes his blood pressure go up. 

“What happened?” He grits out, and then he notices the way Ponyboy seems to curl in on himself, practically tucking himself into one corner of the couch as if he can melt into it.

“Well, we’ve just been hanging out waiting for you,” Soda begins, and he sounds pissed off, which makes him even more nervous. 

“Did some socs try some shit with one of you?” He asks, feeling about twenty worst case scenarios running through his mind all at once. 

“No. Nothing like that. Ponyboy, would you care to start talking?” Soda prompts with a tone so stern Darry isn’t sure he somehow stumbled home to the wrong universe because he’s never seen Soda play the bad cop quite like this before. Ponyboy shakes his head vehemently, and Darry realizes the kid is very pointedly not looking at him. 

“Honey, you’re only gonna feel worse until you get it over with,” Betty says gently and Darry is getting more and more worked up by the second. What could possibly have happened that’s got Soda so pissed off, Ponyboy so scared, and Betty is somehow involved?

“Says you-”

“Think very carefully about your next words Pony cause Betty is the person who saved your ass,” Soda snaps, and Darry swears his eyebrows are in his hairline as he watches the scene unfold. He wonders if he’s deliriously tired and making all this up in his head.

“What the hell is happening?” Darry finally says, feeling the way his heart is pounding hard in his chest. 

“Talk!” Soda prompts, waving his hands expectantly and Ponyboy looks down, studying the carpet as if it’s a movie on the tv. He mumbles something so quietly Darry swears there was no way it was words coming out of him. Soda pushes to his feet and that seems to kickstart Ponyboy into talking. 

“I got arrested,” Ponyboy mumbles. 

Darry’s blood runs cold as ice. His brothers know the biggest rule in this house is absolutely no trouble with the law. No ifs, ands, or buts. Ever since their parents died, they knew anything involving the police could be used by the state against them to deem Darry as an unfit guardian. The only run in they’ve had was when Soda and Two Bit got arrested for doing acrobatics and ‘disturbing the peace’ but that was a bullshit reason. It was just ‘cause they were greaser kids that they got in trouble at all, some stupid soc people called the cops and insisted they intervene. Plus Darry managed to talk the cops out of actually putting down a record of any of it. To be honest the cops seemed pretty amused by the whole thing for once. 

“What?” Darry asks, and he thought he was gonna scream out the gate, but somehow the question comes out eerily calm. 

“I swear to all that is holy Ponyboy, if you don’t start talking-” Soda starts at the pause from Ponyboy.

“I was helping Curly Shepard try to hotwire a car and the fuzz caught us! Is that what you want me to say?!” Ponyboy shouts back and Darry has to actually pinch his temples as he processes this. 

“Are you insane?!” Darry sputters, his voice is even louder now, but he’s so fucking mad right now he feels its justified. He takes one steadying breath before he tries to reinject some calmness into his tone, “What does Betty have to do with all this?” Pony decides to be tight lipped again and Darry almost wonders if he’s gotta stop Soda from grabbing him. He’s also resisting the urge to grab his brother and shake him by the shoulders.

“Well, I guess I’ll explain,” Betty says after a long pause. “I was on my way home and thought I recognized him. I spoke with the officers and managed to talk ‘em into letting me take him home since it’s his first offense. I promised them I’d make sure it got dealt with, and they let him go. And before you panic, I made sure it wasn’t going on any official records. I think they were more focused on taking the Shepard kid in since he’s got a history of doing this with cars.” He partially wants to kiss her and tell her he will buy her anything she wants, and the other part of him is about to just start right into ranting about how bad this is. In the end he just stays locked in place in the middle of the living room just absolutely fuming; he wonders if his ears are smoking. What the actual fuck was Ponyboy thinking? Darry has said time and time again he needs to keep his ass far away from messing around with Curly Shepard; kid is a magnet for trouble. No wonder Soda is so livid, their kid brother just got himself arrested. 

“What do you have to say for yourself?” Darry finally bites out. He knows hollering at Ponyboy never works, so he is trying his damndest right now to keep it down.

“I was just messing around-” Nevermind, hollering it is. Ponyboy just set off his temper like a stick of dynamite. 

“Okay wrong answer!” Darry roars, is Ponyboy being serious right now? “What have I told you time and time again about getting up to shit with Curly Shepard? Do you understand what could’ve happened if you’d gotten charged down at the station? The state could take you and Soda away! Stealing a car could have landed you six months in the reformatory! Have you lost your goddamn mind Ponyboy?” He feels bad that he feels some sense of satisfaction finally getting to holler a bit after the day he’s had.

“It’s not a big deal! Betty-” He doesn’t care to find out where Ponyboy intends to go with the rest of that sentence.

“Go to your room!” Darry finally snaps, he’s getting so pissed off he needs Ponyboy out of his sight so he can just think for a second here. He’s really trying to avoid a full on yelling match, but he’s only human and he just can’t keep himself calm enough to continue trying to deal with this. In the past he would’ve just kept pushing on, but that never went well. Ponyboy seems to at least have the sense to hightail it out of the room, but he somehow still has the audacity to slam the door behind him when he reaches his room. 

He stands there for a moment before he moves to sit on the couch beside Betty, and he actually has to bury his face in his hands as he just tries to breathe. He could’ve lost them. Both of them ripped away from him, cause Ponyboy decided he’s some invincible teenager. He knows it’s not uncommon for greaser kids to get in a little trouble, he and Soda both have had their own moments of being stupid. And he knows it’s hard, but Ponyboy just doesn’t get the same luxury. If he decides to be a stupid teenager, there’s a hell of a lot more at stake than when Darry got dragged into the station for messing with fireworks or Soda when he was drag racing with Steve. 

“There’s no issue with the police. The state won’t know a thing,” Betty reassures and he feels a hand on the back of his neck, squeezing it reassuringly. He thanks his lucky stars for that. Instead he’s just gotta deal with Ponyboy, the little dumbass, who's currently making a dramatic racket in his room.

“I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him. He knows better than this!” Soda sputters, “I swear Darry I was so mad when I got home I didn’t know what to do.”

“What did you do?” Darry asks, finally looking up asking. God, his head is spinning. Wasn’t he just telling himself he’s doing a damn good job of raising his brothers not two weeks ago? He has no clue how to even deal with this. As much as he and Ponyboy fought after their parents died, it seems to have been over hilariously trivial stuff compared to this.

“Well Betty was here, and between the two of ‘em I got the full story just like you did. But I figured we’d just wait until you’d get home,” Soda says with a shrug. His brother looks calmer now, but Darry is still fuming. 

“I don’t even know what to even do with him right now,” Darry admits, and he closes his eyes when Betty starts working on the tense muscles of his neck as he tries to think of what he’s supposed to do. He sorta wishes absentmindedly that someone would massage whatever the hell he did to his shoulder. God he’s no parent, and he really doesn’t want to be right about now. How does he even begin to get Ponyboy to understand how serious this all is? 

“You gonna whoop him?” Soda asks, breaking him from his contemplation, and Darry stiffens. As pissed off as he is, the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. He’s honestly been so worried about what could’ve happened if Pony had actually been taken down at the station he couldn't even think about anything else. Lord knows if their parents were here Dad would’ve. He thinks Ponyboy must not remember when Dad did that to Darry and Soda. Overall they kept out of any serious trouble for the most part, but both he and Soda did get a whooping from Dad when they each got arrested. It’s times like this he really gets resentful of the cards he’s been dealt. He doesn’t want to have to discipline his kid brother. He just wants to be the fun older brother who takes them to the movies and plays football with them in the yard. Instead he’s somehow the one who has to decide how to properly punish a fourteen year old for doing something illegal. How the heck did his parents do this? He feels even worse that there is a part of him that very much wants to wallop his brother and just knock some sense into him. He truly doesn’t know what he’s gonna do. 

“How should I know?” Darry asks tiredly, hoping some epiphany is going to come to him. He feels awful either way. He feels damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. He knows how lousy it feels to be on the receiving end, but at the same time he’s not sure how else to get Ponyboy to understand how serious his actions are.

“Dad would’ve,” Soda shrugs from where he’s settled back into the recliner. 

“I’m not Dad,” Darry snaps, though he knows it’s not fair to take any frustrations out on Soda. 

“I mean you’re in charge now, follow your gut,” Soda sighs, at least giving Darry somewhat of an opinion on the matter. He can tell Soda will back him up either way on this one. 

“No matter what, I need to have a long conversation with him,” Darry diverts. That much he knows for sure. 

“I saw there’s some laundry hanging out back, why don’t I go work on getting that for y’all?” Betty asks calmly, and Darry realizes she’s conveniently offering to be absent for a while. If he weren’t at the end of his rope for the day he’d try to argue with her. She gives him a final squeeze before she’s slipping out their back door, and she even takes the dog with her. He and Soda stare at each other, and it appears Ponyboy has gone quiet in their room. a 

“Ponyboy get your butt out here! NOW!” He calls, and they both look to the hallway. Ponyboy does appear though he’s taking the smallest steps imaginable and is shuffling in the doorway. Darry levels him with an expectantly look. “Got anything more to say for yourself?”

“I’m sorry,” Ponyboy mutters, and at least has the decency to sound genuine this time around.

“That’s it?” Soda asks, sounding a bit shocked at the lack of explanation.

“I dunno, I didn’t mean to get caught-”

“You shouldn’t have done it at all!” Darry interrupts that train before his brother can go any further.

“I wasn’t gonna actually steal the car. I just wanted to see if we could hotwire it,” Ponyboy reasons, and Darry is honestly baffled by the kid’s nerve right now.

“Don’t you realize this is serious?” Soda sputters, looking downright baffled.

“I ain’t gonna do it again. Plus, Betty fixed it-”
“And we better all thank the Lord himself that she did! Do you want to get thrown into a boy’s home Ponyboy?” He snaps, and the kid is suddenly glaring daggers at him. He sees the second his brother’s demeanor shifts.

“Would that get you off my ass?” Ponyboy asks plainly. Darry genuinely coughs in surprise. 

“ I’m on your ass right now?” Darry asks in utter disbelief. He cannot believe this kid. “You can bring your ass over here and you can find out what it really feels like for me to be on your ass!” He snaps. Ponyboy looks shocked at the threat, and he crosses his arms defiantly. 

“You ain’t gonna do nothing,” Ponyboy taunts, and Darry is so pissed at him, Lord help him.

“I swear to God Ponyboy, you better start showing an attitude change right now-”

“Ugh can’t you just go make out with your girlfriend and leave me alone?” Ponyboy gripes and that is enough that Darry just moves before he can think. He crosses the room in about three steps and then he’s seizing his brother by the upper arm and starts dragging him to the couch to sit his ass down before he tries to flee to his room again. Ponyboy clearly realizes he made the wrong choice cause he starts putting up a fight.
“Let go of me!” Ponyboy squawks, trying in vain to wrench out of Darry’s hold. His shoulder is screaming at him in protest at the work and he tries not to grit his teeth. Just as they reach the couch Ponyboy decides it’s a brilliant idea to throw a punch into Darry’s bicep in an attempt to get him to let go. Darry freezes in shock at the blow. 

“Ow! Ponyboy!” He gasps, feeling the instinctual rage that erupts when a sibling takes a genuine swing at you. It’s purely reflex that he uses his free hand to whack him hard on the backside in a flash in retaliation. He knows it doesn’t feel good, because his own hand is smarting from the force, but to be fair Pony’s got his jeans to soften the impact. Their mom grew tired of living with three boys who would start tattling the second one of them hit the other if they got in real scuffles. She made up a rule that if you hit your brother, he’s allowed one hit back. Just cause he’s their guardian now doesn’t mean the rule is no longer instated. Plus, he’s hit Soda just as hard in the exact same way when they’ve just been horsing around or trying to get on each other's nerves, and Soda has definitely returned the favor many a time, he’s pretty sure they actually were doing exactly that yesterday. The room is silent as Ponyboy goes stiff and just stands there and looks up at him in shock.

“You just whooped me!” Ponyboy sputters in what seems to be disbelief. Darry doesn’t know what the hell Ponyboy is going on about, cause that most certainly was not what just happened.

“You punched me in the arm!” Darry points out. If Pony had just sat down he would’ve let him be.

“That hurt Darry!” Ponyboy gasps, still looking up at him with wide eyes. The kid definitely looks a bit humbled finally, considering the way he’s blushing.

“So does my arm!” Darry replies smugly, glad to see Ponyboy is finally not giving them such an attitude.

“You did punch him first!” Soda interjects, though he looks a bit amused. “Plus, that’s not a whooping. He barely even touched you and that was only ‘cause you slugged him first! When I got arrested Dad took me over his knee and gave me a whole fifteen swats.” Soda says with a visible shudder, and Darry sighs as Ponyboy looks at him in abject horror. Clearly his guess that their little brother doesn’t remember Soda and Darry’s punishments after getting arrested was correct. Darry certainly never forgot. But now Ponyboy looks a whole lot more like he’s gonna bolt.

“Just sit down,” Darry instructs. His little brother looks at him nervously, but seems to have the good sense to listen and sits down looking like the seriousness of his actions has finally dawned on him.

“Are you gonna whoop me?” Ponyboy asks nervously as Darry sits beside him taking about five deep breaths. Darry looks over at his brother with a sigh. He knows that’s what his dad would do. But he’s not dad, and as much as he loves him, he doesn’t want to be. He doesn’t wanna use physical punishment when his brothers make a mistake, no matter how stupid it might be. They already get beat on by the world too much as it is. 

“Do you want me to?” Darry asks rhetorically. He knows the answer, but he figures it’s fair to make him squirm a bit considering the fact he’s been so testy. It is a little funny to watch the way Ponyboy shakes his head vehemently in horror. Darry waits a beat before he caves, “No, I ain’t gonna do that. But if you hit me like you did, I get one hit back. The brother rule still applies even if Mom ain’t here enforcing it.” Darry replies with a pointed look, scolding him a bit for his little tantrum back there. He’s still their brother, not their parent. Sue him for not being the perfect adult when it comes to a sibling scuffle. Pony can pack a good punch and it hurt.

“I’m sorry,” Ponyboy whines, looking a bit guilty now.. 

“Yeah well like Mom would say, we’re even,” Darry huffs, rubbing at his upper arm at the twinge of pain that remains. Ponyboy mutters another apology. 

“You ready to have an adult conversation?” Darry asks tiredly, giving him a stern look. 

“Yes sir,” Ponyboy sighs, and damn, the kid is laying it on thick right now. 

“Jesus, don’t call me that,” Darry grumbles. It makes him feel old, he doesn’t like it. “I know you're smart as hell Ponyboy, so why on earth did you think this was a good idea?”

“It wasn’t,” He mutters, looking down at his lap. 

“We’ve told you over and over again that goofing off with Curly Shepard would land you in serious trouble,” Soda adds on with a pointed look. It’s nice to have a bit of backup on this.

“I know,” Ponyboy replies, sounding a bit forlorn. 

“I just don’t understand,” Darry sighs, “Why didn’t you just use your head?”

“I don’t know,” Ponyboy snaps, before he looks like he regrets it immediately. He knows Pony’s defensive about being told to use his head, so Darry lets it slide. 

“Well maybe you need to spend some time after this thinking a bit longer about that question then,” Darry replies. “Do you understand why this is a big deal? I know getting taken down to the station might not seem like a big deal since it happens plenty on this side of town. But the state could use that to take you both away.” God Darry’s voice cracks as he even says it. The idea makes his anxiety flare something awful. Ponyboy looks morose at this, and Darry knows the scolding is working well right now. “And how do you think that makes Soda feel? He ain’t even done nothing wrong, but he’d still suffer big consequences for it too.” Ponyboy gets that look where his lip starts to quiver and Darry figures the kid is finally understanding the severity of how bad this could’ve turned out for all of them. He also knows the points been made, and he doesn’t need to keep going. 

“I know you weren’t thinking about that at the time, Pony, but it really scared me something awful,” Soda says softly, and Darry knows Soda is gonna need some extra comfort as well tonight. They all get real nervous when it comes to stuff like this. The idea of losing either of them makes Darry extremely nauseous. Ponyboy finally seems to crack on his tuff guy act and Soda is immediately on the move, coming to sit on the other side of Ponyboy and already has a hand running up and down his back. 

“I was so scared,” he whispers looking up at him with an absolutely heartbreaking look in his watery eyes. “They started putting the hand cuffs on and I was so scared and they were gonna take me to the station and all I wanted to do was go home and I knew you both were gonna be so mad and then Betty came along and I felt even worse-”

“I know honey,” Soda murmurs. 

“I dunno, I thought it wouldn’t be that bad, but once the cop grabbed me I was real scared and I didn’t know what to do,” Ponyboy admits. 

“It ain’t a good feeling is it?” Soda agrees, looking a bit more sympathetic now that Ponyboy has dropped the ‘it wasn’t a big deal’ act. 

“No.”

“You better thank whoever was looking out for you that Betty came along,” Darry continues. As much as he knows Ponyboy is definitely regretting his choices, he really needs to drive that home. 

“We love you so much kiddo, but you’re definitely in big trouble for this.” Soda adds.

“I’m really sorry.”

“I know you are. But you’re grounded for two weeks. Nothing but school and running practice and then straight home,” Darry says firmly. Ponyboy looks at him pitifully. 

“No, Darry please!” He cries mournfully, you’d think he’d just told him he had to give up the dog for sale or something based on the reaction. 

“Ponyboy, we all know that is more than fair,” Soda agrees. 

“I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!” He begs. 

“I know,” Darry soothes. “But you gotta learn there are consequences to making bad choices.”

“Two whole weeks? I was gonna go with Johnny to the movies on Friday, can I still at least go?” he begs. 

“I’m not negotiating Ponyboy,” Darry says firmly. God why couldn’t Ponyboy just take the two weeks and move on?

“But-”

“Ponyboy Michael-”

“I’m sorry,” he sighs, clearly realizing he was not gonna win this. 

“You better give Darry a hug, he was much nicer to you than Dad was with us. ‘Specially with that lip you gave him,” Soda prompts and Darry sighs. 

Lord, he and Soda must both be remembering how lousy it felt getting punished by Dad, and it hurts for Darry to admit it’s one of the few things he does sorta resent Dad for. He knows Soda feels similarly, though he’d never ever say it now. But Darry remembers the time Soda got whooped. Darry had been laying in bed in their shared room that night. Mom had gone and was in Pony’s room reading him a bedtime story. Darry heard their footsteps come in the front door and he felt the gut sink just like he did when Dad had to get him from the station in the middle of the night. He felt awful, but he went to stand by the door to listen. He’s worried about Sodapop, even if he and Steve were just being idiots. He figured Soda got lectured plenty in the car, but Darry knew what was most likely about to happen. 

“No Dad, please. I’m real sorry! Honest! I understand it was really bad-” Soda was begging, and Darry could tell he was already close to tears. 

“I’m not asking Sodapop, come here,” Dad had said sternly, and Darry was silently trying to tell Soda to just get on with it with his mind. Soda clearly didn’t get the message, “Now.” 

It was eerily silent for a few tense moments, but then Darry heard the distinct sound of the familiar punishment as Soda let out a frankly heartbreaking yelp. His brother is tough, and won’t even bat an eye at a punch to his face in a rumble, but something about Dad being the one who’s tanning his hide as a punishment gets him whimpering almost immediately. Hell, when Dad had taken Darry over his knee he’d barely kept his tears back. He’d sputtered out a litany of apologies, but Dad had stayed firm and his doled out the full seventeen swats, and each one hurt something awful, and Soda’s punishment went similarly. He could hear his brother sputtering out sorries between swats, and it honestly hurt Darry to listen to. He knew if he ran out there in his brother’s defense it likely would only get him wrapped up in the mess too. He was pretty sure he chewed his lip hard enough that night that he tasted blood. He had almost sighed in relief when there was finally a stop to the telltale sounds of the swats being doled out. He heard Dad mutter something, but the pads of Soda’s feet approached the room so quickly Darry barely had time to move back from the door. He watched warily when Soda slipped back into their shared bedroom. Darry had looked at him a bit guiltily and Soda had immediately burst into tears. Darry had ushered him under the blankets of his bed and pulled him against him carefully, careful to make sure Soda wasn’t lying in a way that made him hurt any worse. He had more flashbacks of his own punishment when he was seventeen, but he’d been too proud to seek comfort from his little brother at the time. But they both know they’d heard Darry crying that night under the covers. Soda thankfully had no such qualms about showing his feelings on the matter. He’d buried his face into Darry’s shirt and whimpered and he’d just pulled him close. 

“I didn’t mean to Dar,” Soda had murmured between his crying. 

“I know,” he replied. He understood all too well, and Soda knew that. 

“I already felt lousy enough-”

“I know little buddy,” Darry had whispered, trying desperately to comfort Soda. He wasn’t really sure how. He knew Soda in particular relies on physical touch as his way of expressing affection, so he figured this type of discipline was even more upsetting for him than it was for Darry. And it was probably the worst feeling Darry had ever experienced up until then.

“I don’t understand,” Soda had eventually whispered between sniffles. “I know I messed up, but-”

“I dunno Soda, but it’s over now,” Darry had muttered in an attempt to placate him.

“If I have kids I’m never doing that. I know he loves us but…” Soda had trailed off into sniffle and Darry had just nodded, just trying to be a comforting presence for his brother in the moment.

“I’m really sorry Darry,” Ponyboy sniffs, bringing him back to the moment at hand as Ponyboy tentatively wraps his arms around him. He squeezes him back and feels the way his arms immediately tighten around him. God he cannot imagine ever doing that to Ponyboy. He squeezes him tightly, and he tries to fight off the thoughts of his baby brother crying from some stupid physical punishment Darry doled out. He squeezes his eyes shut for a brief moment to ward off the thoughts, and presses a kiss to Ponyboy’s head, which earns him a grumble about not babying him, Darry scoffs at that one. 

“I guess Johnny remains the last one standing,” Soda notes with a sideways grin, breaking any remaining tension in the room. 

“Please don’t jinx it Soda,” Darry groans. He really can’t handle the thought at the moment. But now that they’ve dealt with Pony’s little escapade, the exhaustion that's been weighing him down all day has returned with a renewed vengeance. Plus his back is getting more and more uncomfortable. 

“Should we go check on Betty?” Just as Soda pushes to his feet at his own suggestion, they hear the sound of the back door and Pip comes trotting in, with Betty following a few seconds behind him with a full laundry basket in hand. She gives Darry a look he knows is asking if they’ve finished things up in here.

“You got anything to say Ponyboy?” Darry prompts as he sinks back into the couch, closing his eyes to try and sate the way his eyes burn from tiredness. Being an adult sucks.

“Thank you for talking to the cops and bringing me home,” Ponyboy says bashfully. 

“You’re quite welcome,” she says brightly. “Now, was telling your brother as terrible as you'd imagined?” He can hear the smirk in her voice. 

“He didn’t whoop me but he grounded me for two weeks!” Ponyboty whines. Darry watches her face, and her eyes soften as she looks over at Darry. Clearly she appreciates his gentler approach, he makes note of it before his eyes fall shut again.

“Well, would you rather be grounded or in jail?” She asks with a small quirk of her lips.

“That ain’t fair,” Ponyboy sighs in defeat. 

“He didn’t give you too much trouble did he?’ Darry asks suddenly. He realizes that while Betty did indeed get him home it wasn’t until this moment he realizes Ponyboy may have put up a fight and given her his famous teenager attitude. 

“No, he was a little tight lipped, but we got home just fine,” Betty replies, and as he opens his eyes he catches her wink toward Ponyboy. 

“Nuh-uh what does that wink mean?” Darry says giving Ponyboy a look. 

“Nothing!” His brother insists, but the truth is written on his face, nothing my ass.

“Ponyboy Curtis-”

“I didn’t sass her! Honest!” He whines. 

“We can talk later,” Betty says, with a look that tells him to leave it. He sighs but nods in acceptance and drops it for now. That earns him a smile and she moves for the empty space beside him. He doesn’t mean to grimace when she sits down beside him, but his shoulder twinges at the movement and he hisses out a sharp breath. 

“What’s wrong with you Darry?” Soda asks, immediately locking in on him at the sound.

“I’m fine,” He grits as the shooting feeling dies down, “Just tweaked my something back today at work.”

“That ain’t fine!” Soda scolds and Darry rolls his eyes. 

“I just need to sleep,” he mutters, he knows that will do exactly jack shit for his back, but he makes an attempt at believing his own lie.

“Bullshit,” Soda says, but he heads for the kitchen and seems to set about making them something for dinner. “I’ll take a look after we eat.” 

“Where’s it hurt?” Betty asks, and he sighs at the realization that she and Soda are going to gang up on him over this. 

“It’s fine,” he tries again, but her hand comes to his back and starts feeling around until he tenses up when she comes across the ache in his shoulder.

“You think you pulled it?” she asks, and by this point he’s given in and just lets her prod around. 

“No, I think I just strained it a bit,” he mumbles in defeat.

“Move to the floor, you’re too tall,” she says with a gentle nudge. 

“Why?”

“So I can reach your shoulder,” she continues, and he’s so tired her gentle pulling gets him to move with a huff before she settles in behind him. She gets one hand on him and makes a disapproving sound. “Jesus sugar your poor shoulder.” 

“It’s nothing,” he tries to deny but she starts working on the muscle with a surprising amount of strength and he melts.

“You don’t gotta-”

“Just close your eyes,” she replies, and it's that good kind of hurt as she works on the aching shoulder.

“Hmm,” he replies but he tilts his head so it’s resting against her knee and he lets out a sigh. 

“Hey Darry, I’m happy to run down to the store and get you some extra strength aspirin-”

“Ponyboy, your grounding only began fifteen minutes ago,” Darry grunts, opening one eye. They have plenty of aspirin in the medicine cabinet. 

“These next two weeks are gonna suck,” he gripes and Darry shakes his head in exasperation. 

“If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.” The kid is persistent, he’ll give him that.

“Ugh, can I at least go take a shower sir ?” Ponyboy grumbles with a sigh as he pushes to his feet.Darry shoots him a single look and Ponyboy mutters out a hasty sorry immediately. 

“You know you don’t gotta ask that shit Pony,” Soda says catching on to the sarcasm as his brother shuffles off with a long groan. Darry waits until he hears the shower start up and the bathroom door close firmly before he looks up at Betty. 

“What happened when you picked him up?” He pushes. 

“Oh that!” Betty says, “He was just shook up is all. The second we got in the car he begged and pleaded up a storm asking if I could not tell you or Sodapop. I just had to calm him down, poor thing actually held my hand for a while in the car. I think he just was embarrassed cause by the time you got back he decided to go back into angsty teenager mode.”

“You’re joking,” Darry says in disbelief. 

“Nope. I think he just wanted to seem tough to his brothers, I didn’t have the heart to burst his bubble.” She replies softly. 

“How the heck did you convince the cops to let him go to you?” Darry asks, the question has sorta been gnawing at him the whole time. 

“I can be very persuasive when I want to,” she replies with a grin before she squeezes his shoulder and he’s letting out another groan.

Notes:

Life stuff: I took my exam today so officially done with pediatrics and now on to OBGYN, so I guess we're gonna deliver some babies lol

Okay this chap was a lot of fun to write. Cross country meet was great, Dally wanted to trip the runners competing against Pony but Darry said no. Also just a very Darry being guardian to the brothers centric this week. He's braver than me y'all I couldn't do it.

Johnny had one (1) school group project he had to work on for the day and Ponyboy decided to get his ass arrested. Johnny comes over later and finds out and is like bruh I left you for five minutes smh...

Ponyboy really said: I am a badass I will be acting as such. I fear nothing, fuck the cops.
Betty: he cried in the car the whole way home lol.

Also Ponyboy is the baby of the family, and while he does not realize it, Soda and Darry definitely went pretty easy on him, partially cause of their own experiences. Also I swear as the oldest, I always got in more trouble and then my youngest sibling got like no punishment when they did the same thing when I was there age lol. Ponyboy ain't aware of his youngest child privilege.

Anyways let me know what y'all think in the comments or on tumblr or both 😉

Chapter 26: Chap 26

Summary:

It's Soda's Birthday!! Let's celebrate!

Notes:

Happy Friday! Have some fluff and hurt/comfort for your weekend reading

Despite his initial despair Ponyboy does survive his two week long grounding, thankfully with minimal complaints in the end. Darry knows he was pretty soft on him considering he’s grounded. He lets the guys come over, and he honest to God doesn’t have the energy for dealing with banning the tv or his books, so he’s actually plenty entertained. The end of his two weeks ushers in the weekend of Soda’s birthday, which Darry has been saving up for a present for the last month and a half. Despite the fact he’d had plenty of money for a gift, it had been a much more challenging task to come up with what to get Soda. He knows in some other universe where they somehow weren’t just scraping by, his brother would’ve loved a car to call his own, but no matter how much Darry wishes, that isn’t in the cards. He knows Soda’s not expecting it by any means, but still sometimes it makes his heart ache. It had actually been Ponyboy who’d come up with the idea for their present, he’d snuck into Darry’s room one night after Soda had fallen asleep. 

---

“Darry? Are you awake?” Ponyboy’s voice whispers. He indeed isn’t asleep, in fact, he’d just turned out the light maybe two minutes ago if that. 

“What’s going on little buddy?” He replies, turning over in bed and flicking the lamp back on, blinking up at him. 

“I was thinkin ‘bout Soda’s birthday coming up, and I maybe had an idea for a present from us. I dunno if it’s any good though,” Ponyboy mutters. Darry had already ushered him over, but Ponyboy stops at mom’s vanity in the corner, and carefully picks up the jewelry box before he pads over to the bed. Immediately Darry feels an ache in his chest, and it takes a lot in him to not ask his brother to put it back. He still can’t bring himself to touch mom’s vanity. The reminder alone is painful. But he waits until his brother settles on the bed, and watches him carefully open the box. He reaches in and carefully cups his hand before extending it out to Darry. Ponyboy’s eyes are giving him that puppy-like gaze that rivals the one Johnny can make, and Darry already knows he’s up for a hell of a time if he has to say no to him. He looks down at what Ponyboy’s holding and sees he’s got mom’s little pearl earrings in his hand. She wore them almost every day. Dad has gotten them for her for one of their anniversaries, and besides her wedding ring she always gushed about how they were the nicest piece of jewelry she owned. Darry is about to ask what this has to do with Soda’s birthday, but Ponyboy beats him to it. 

“I was just thinkin, when we were taking the rings for the necklaces. You got mom’s diamond ring, and Soda said I could have her wedding band and he kept dad’s but, he don’t have anything of hers,” Ponyboy says softly. “I guess I was thinking maybe we could get someone to make these into something he could have on the necklace with dad’s ring, I dunno maybe it’s stupid-”

“He’d love that,” Darry stops his brother before he can second guess his own idea. Jesus, Darry doesn’t know why this has him close to tears already, but the idea is something he could’ve never come up with. Only Ponyboy and his creative little mind could come up with something so well thought out and personal. Guess being grounded gave him plenty of time to put that creative energy to use.  “Why don’t I pick you up from school after track practice tomorrow and we can go talk to a jeweler and see what they could do?” Darry asks, giving his brother a soft grin. 

“Really? You think he’d like it?” Ponyboy says hopefully. He knows Soda would love anything they give him, but this would mean a lot to any of them. 

“I really do.” Darry confirms. 

“But I’m grounded,” Ponyboy mutters dejectedly. The kid is over halfway done with his two weeks of being grounded, and he’s been good so far and hasn’t tried to push the limits much, so Darry decides he can be a little lenient. 

“I’m making an exception that you can come with, but you still gotta finish out your two weeks after that,” Darry replies and he sees the way Ponyboy lights up at the decision. It’s nice to still bend the rules a bit like a fun older brother when he can.

“Thanks Darry!” He says softly, and he can tell he’s absolutely over the moon at the plan. 

“Love you kiddo. Now better get off to bed before a certain someone comes looking,” he says with a fond grin and Ponyboy nods, quickly placing the earrings back in the jewelry box and returning it to its original place before Soda could come upon them and discover their little plan. He’s slipping out the door quietly,

“Love you too!” Ponyboy says as he closes the door.

---

Steve and Soda are both working a shift at the DX on Soda’s birthday, and Steve had already planned with the rest of them to keep Soda occupied while they got all the birthday festivities in order. Darry’s job in all of this was pretty simple since he also had to work all day; he just had to stop by the jeweler’s after work to pick up Soda’s gift. With that now safely in his pocket he’s almost home and he has to admit he has always loved celebrating birthdays. Ponyboy and Johnny had decided they would be baking the birthday cake all day today, and Two Bit had offered to help by ‘supervising.’ Darry is just hoping the kitchen isn’t a total mess when he gets inside the house here momentarily. Dally had implied he’d be acquiring them some beer, and Darry decided he’d rather not dive into the details of how. Walking in the front door of the house it does indeed smell like someone has been baking, and it gets his stomach growling a bit at the smell. Two Bit is currently nowhere in sight but Dally is lounged on the couch with a beer already open, and he sees Ponyboy and Johnny are working on frosting the cake at the kitchen table. 

“Sup man?” Dally says as a greeting, giving Darry a glance from his current perch and a nod of acknowledgment. 

“Starting the party already huh Dal?” Darry muses. He’s pretty sure Dally wouldn’t be caught dead trying to decorate a cake. 

“I’m coordinating things,” Dally shrugs, sparing a glance to the boys in the kitchen, “Hey, you missed a spot!”

“No I didn’t!” Ponyboy retorts, missing the fact that Dally is simply trying to mess with them. 

“Where is your other supervisor?” Darry asks with a smirk, if Two Bit was anywhere in the house Darry would’ve heard him by now. 

“He went back home, Mrs. Mathews said she was gonna send a big pot of chili over for dinner,” Ponyboy explains, he’s got his tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth in concentration as he and Johnny seem to be trying to make some decorative edges of frosting on the cake. “I think she was making him carry it.”

“Can someone get the door?” Two Bit hollers as if on cue, and Darry grabs the door from where he was wrestling off his work boots and he holds it open. Two Bit comes in the house with a pot that is large enough to feed a small army, which he supposes is fair considering it’s gonna feed a bunch of teenage boys. 

“Do not drop that-” Darry cautions as his friend makes a beeline for their kitchen, the way he’s moving makes Darry nervous. He swears it almost spills over with every step Two Bit takes. Thankfully he gets it deposited on the stove top before anything disastrous can happen. Darry can not imagine trying to clean chili out of carpet. 

“Jesus, now I know why Ma made me come carry this, shit’s heavier than it looks!” Two Bit says as he adjusts the pot to rest over one burner with a huff.

“You can put it on warm,” Darry instructs, slipping into the living room and pausing to give the dog a few pats in greeting. He hears the sound of the stovetop starting up and he looks up to see Two Bit has already wandered off.

“Hey kiddies, the cake is coming along real nice!” Two Bit says, taking a finger and stealing a glob of frosting from their bowl. He gets a whack on the hand from Johnny, but he laughs anyway.

“What flavor did you settle on?” Darry asks. The cake and frosting are both white, and he figures they wanted to change it up from the normal chocolate cake they have around at all times. 

“Funfetti and vanilla icing,” Ponyboy grins. For Soda’s love of using food coloring to cook, a cake full of rainbow sprinkles feels very fitting. 

“He’ll be thrilled,” Darry laughs, and secretly he wonders if he can get away with somehow stealing a bit of frosting himself. He’s not really at a good angle for sneaking any unfortunately.

“Did ya get the present?” Ponyboy asks, finally looking up from his current task. 

“Yeah, wanna see it?” Darry asks but he already knows the answer and is pulling the box from the pocket of his jeans and handing it over. Ponyboy opens the box and Darry sees the way his face softens and his eyes light up. The jeweler had done a great job, and had put the two small pearls on a simple circular pendant. Nothing too flashy, but something that Soda can have of their mom. 

“Wow, looks like Mr. Artist over here came up with a cool design for those,” Two Bit whistles, giving Ponyboy a playful nudge, but Darry can tell he knows exactly who the pearls belonged to. Plus it is pretty cool looking in Darry’s opinion.

“Darry helped too,” Ponyboy adds, closing the box and handing it back with a smile. 

“Yeah cause he makes the big bucks,” Two Bit laughs, and he purposefully knocks into Darry playfully as he heads for the fridge. He waves off Two Bit’s offer of a beer, deciding to hold off until after he showers first.

“I’m going to shower, and someone stir the chili every few minutes. I don’t wanna smell shit burning when I come back,” Darry threatens over his shoulder. 

“Aye Aye captain,” Dally salutes from the couch, and he just rolls his eyes before slipping down the hall. 

---

“You know Stevie as much as I love spending time with you, we can do that here. At my house. Instead of you purposefully taking wrong turns,” Soda jokes on the porch as Darry hears their pair of footsteps approaching. 

“You know you love me!” Steve jokes as the screen door flies open and Darry bites back his reflexive scolding of not slamming the doors. 

“I do, but we both know you were just doing a terrible job of stalling-” Soda sings as they step inside. 

“Happy Birthday!” Dally yells obnoxiously at the top of his lungs. It’s so loud it makes Pip start barking and Darry winces, so much for a coordinated surprise on three or something. 

“Jesus Dal,” Two Bit yelps, rubbing his ear from where he was sitting beside him on the couch. Soda is currently giving the dog pats in between laughs, he and Steve are both laughing like fools at Dally’s shenanigans. 

“Aww guys!” Soda exclaims, looking absolutely delighted at the sight of them as he catches his breath.

“Happy birthday,” the rest of them echo at a much nicer normal volume Darry also notes in mild annoyance. 

“For little ol’ me?” Soda asks bashfully, but he’s immediately making a beeline for the cake, which Ponyboy and Johnny are displaying with pride. 

“Ooo you did some fancy designs with the icing!” Soda observes, he ruffles both their hair,  “Thanks guys.” Darry watches in great amusement as Soda dramatically takes a fingerful of frosting from what Darry thinks was maybe supposed to be a flower. 

“Hey! It’s not time-” Ponyboy squeaks. 

“But it’s my birthday!” Soda sings, dodging his brother’s halfhearted scolding. Ponyboy shuts up at that, but Darry can see his little pout at Soda messing up his cake design.

“Damn right!” Steve agrees rambunctiously, and he goes for the fridge before he hands Soda a beer after a single fleeting glance at Darry for permission. 

“Ma also sent over her special chili you love Soda,” Two Bit adds and Soda lights up even more if that’s at all possible. Both he and his brothers know the way to their hearts is through their stomachs.

“Gee I’m getting mighty spoiled aren’t I?” Soda grins.
“Don’t let it go to your head,” Darry teases from his spot in his chair. Soda gasps in mock offense, 

“Me?! Never-”

“Knock knock!” The sound of that voice for sure gets Darry’s attention away from Soda’s current antics, and he turns to the door at light speed. He probably could’ve played it a bit more cool because the guys all start laughing at his expense immediately. He unfortunately can’t play it off at all. 

“Don’t break your neck Dar!” Soda teases, as Betty slips in the door. He didn’t know she was coming over, and he’s secretly very pleased with the surprise. He wasn’t sure if he should explicitly invite her as it is technically Soda’s birthday party. 

“Happy Birthday Soda!” Betty cheers from the doorway where she’s kicking off her shoes. She’s got a bundle of cloth in her arms that she holds out.

“Thank you!” Soda replies with his signature flirty grin and Darry suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. His brother does love all the attention that comes along with his birthday festivities that’s for sure. 

“I just wanted to run this little present by to you, but I figured you could share it with everyone too if you’re feeling generous,” she jokes, handing him the bundle which he unwraps at her encouragement.

“Wow! This looks amazing!” Soda says excitedly, holding the bundle open as he eyes it hungrily. 

“It’s homemade pumpkin chocolate chip bread. I figured y'all might like a fall twist on your cake for breakfast,” she says with a smile. 

“Thank you,” Soda says gratefully before he’s running to deposit it into the kitchen. He’s sprinting back in the living room in a flash before Darry can ever think about standing up and grabs her into a hug before she can say another word. 

“You are very welcome!” Betty laughs into the hug, and Darry tells himself he cannot be jealous that his kid brother is getting a hug from his girlfriend instead of him.

“Y’all better be nice to me, else I might not feel like sharing,” Soda says as he lets her go with a grin. 

“I gave him three loaves, “ Betty reassures as they both see the way Ponyboy starts to make a face of protest at Soda’s teasing. “And I expect a lot of positive reviews next time I’m over here,” she adds.

“On it!” Two Bit confirms with a thumbs up, and Darry bets they’ll finish these within a couple days tops.

“Well I won’t keep y’all!” She says brightly and Darry swears he has to resist every urge to scramble out of the chair after her. He really wants her to stay, but he doesn’t know if it’s his call. 

“Where are ya going?” Soda asks, looking genuinely confused. 

“I just came to drop off your treats, I don’t wanna intrude on your plans-”
“I’ll genuinely be mad if you leave my birthday party,” Soda interrupts, and he’s already ushering her across the room without room for any further protests. Darry loves his brother, no matter how much he might annoy him sometimes. He gives Soda a grateful look and he sees the meddling smile on his brother’s face. He knows his brothers would tell him if they had any issues with him dating, but it’s still nice to see how well she gets on with them. She’s laughing as Soda drags her across the room by the hand.

“Here, I think he belongs to you?” Soda fake whispers as he tugs her over to the chair, pointing at Darry.

“Aw, thanks for finding him for me. I couldn’t figure out where he was,” Betty jokes back. Darry actually does roll his eyes, but he decides to let them have their fun at his expense.

“I’m a generous birthday boy,” Soda jokes before he’s making a beeline for his spot on the floor by the couch where his beer is currently waiting for him. Darry looks back over at Betty who’s standing in front of him. 

“Fancy meeting you here,” she says with a grin down at him as he meets her gaze. She gives him a faux innocent look and he decides he’s been patient enough with the teasing as he grabs her easily, pulling her to his lap. She lets out a yelp of surprise that turns into a laugh as she follows his ministrations easily and lets his arms pull her close. 

“Gross!” Ponyboy whines, making a fake noise of disgust that gets Darry to shoot him a glare. Little shit, he thinks. Before he can say something to his brother Betty makes a dramatic noise. 

“Aww I missed you so so much!” She says as if it’s been years or something before she takes his face in hand and makes a big show of giving him an overexaggerated peck on the lips with a muah. He hears the chorus of groans, and he’s pretty sure it’s Ponyboy who's making fake throwing up noises. Two Bit is the only one who’s laughing cause he knows exactly what she’s doing in an attempt to mess with his brother. To be fair it was pretty funny to mess with Pony a bit.
“My eyes!” Ponyboy cries, covering them dramatically from his spot on the floor as he falls backwards. 

“You’re fine!” Betty calls in his direction, and he can feel how she’s laughing at his brother’s dramatics. 

“Ah, young love,” Soda muses as he slings an arm around Steve as if he is much older than his seventeen years. That gets them all going into another fit of laughter.

---

It’s after they’ve eaten dinner and are all sitting around in the living room waiting to digest a bit before they have cake that Ponyboy asks Darry a question. 

“Darry, do you remember when Soda was born?” It makes him laugh, because he most certainly remembers. Gosh he was little, but he doesn’t think he’ll ever forget what it was like getting to meet both of his little brothers after they were born.

“Yes. I remember both you and Soda being born,” Darry replies. Betty is tucked to his side and he can tell she’s looking up at him eagerly, clearly sensing there's a story. 

“Hey, me too!” Two Bit adds on excitedly. 

“You were like two years old when Soda was born,” Darry says with an eye roll. Ponyboy’s birth he believes, but Soda’s feels like a stretch of the truth for sure.

“And I remember it! Tell the story, I promise I’ll know stuff,” Two Bit insists and Darry shakes his head fondly. Soda looks at him hopefully, and Darry knows both his brothers seem to be in the mood to talk about their folks a bit, and honestly Darry feels like talking about it might help fill the particularly noticeable void that they all know is present on a day like today. 

“Well, momma went into labor in the middle of the night because someone decided he wanted to make a dramatic appearance,” Darry ribs, giving Soda a glance with a sideways smile.  

“Exactly,” Soda nods, “I needed everyone to know I was coming.”

“I had just turned four, so the details are a bit fuzzy. But I definitely remember waking up to noise and when I came out of my room mom was on the couch and dad was grabbing a bag and the car keys. It scared me, cause I didn’t know what was happening, but she was definitely in pain and I wanted to help her.”

“This is all correct,” Two Bit agrees and Darry scoffs, because his friend was most certainly not there for this part of the story.

“ I remember dad picking me up and explaining that momma was gonna have the baby, and I asked if the baby could wait until the morning.” That gets a laugh from everyone and he feels his chest aching a bit as he remembers the image of his parents. 

“So then Dad ran me across the street, and I remember Mrs. Mathews putting me back to bed and that’s about it. It all happened real fast,” Darry ends. 

“See, I know that’s all true because I woke up the next morning and found my best buddy in the whole world had somehow ended up in bed with me for a surprise sleepover!” Two Bit exclaims. To be fair Darry does remember waking up to Two Bit about two inches from his face staring at him excitedly, so maybe his friend remembers more than Darry believed initially. 

“Alright, then what happened?” Darry prompts with a raised brow. He’s still not convinced.
“Ma made us pancakes, and you told me your mom and dad were going to get your little brother at the hospital,” Two Bit says with a grin. Hell, he really wasn’t joking, cause that is indeed what happened. “And then we kept begging her to take us to go to the hospital right away.” 

“Is that true?” Ponyboy asks, looking incredulously at Two Bit. His best friend does get a kick out of sometimes embellishing his stories, so the suspicion is not unwarranted. 

“Yup,” Darry confirms with a smile at the memory. “We went down to the hospital a little later in the day. I remember I sat with momma in the bed and she let me hold that one with some help,” he says with a laugh nodding towards Soda who's currently grinning so wide it makes Darry’s heart ache a bit. 

“And then you loved me from then on,” Soda concludes. Two Bit starts laughing up a storm. 

“Oh yeah, he loved you so much. That’s why three days later he was on our front porch with a backpack sayin’ he wanted to move in with us because his baby brother won’t stop crying and his momma and daddy wouldn’t take him back to the hospital!” That earns howls of laughter from most of the gang, but Soda looks up in mock offense. 

“You wanted to return me?!” 

“You were a very fussy baby, if anyone set you down for even two seconds you started wailing,” Darry replies with a snort. This continued for months, Soda was a perfectly lovely baby, so long as someone was holding him. If not, well, his brother had quite the pair of lungs on him. 

“Well I’m too old for you to return now,” Soda replies, sticking his tongue out triumphantly.

“Well, I liked you more once you could crawl, then you could actually play instead of just sitting there,” Darry says with a shrug and he feels Betty laughing against him at the admission.

“Wow Darry, I’m sorry being a cute little baby wasn’t entertaining enough for you ,” Soda replies sarcastically. He snorts, to be fair, a new baby is pretty unexciting company when you’re four years old and want a playmate.

“You were the same way when he was born,” Darry laughs, nodding towards Ponyboy. “One time you asked mom if there was something wrong with him ‘cause he couldn’t move around at all.”

“Hey!” Ponyboy says, looking offended despite the fact this was nearly fourteen years ago, but then they all start laughing at the image.

“Well you love us both now!” Soda grins and Darry can’t help but smile because hell he really does love his two little brothers to pieces. He hears someone’s stomach start grumbling, and that tells Darry it’s time to get some cake going here shortly. 

“Alright Soda, cake or present first?” Darry asks, giving him a raised brow. 

“Do present,” Ponyboy whispers excitedly. Darry knows he’s been excited to give Soda this gift all week. 

“Let’s do the present then,” Soda says with a smile, jostling Ponyboy affectionately. He hops to his feet and runs over to Darry who hands him the small box before he scampers back over and hands it to Soda proudly. 

“How did it turn out?’ Betty whispers as Soda starts to open the gift. He’d explained to her Ponyboy’s idea on the phone one night, explaining how they each wear their parents rings. She’d been eager to see the final result that they came up with. 

“It’s real nice,” He whispers back, watching Soda open the box slowly and blink at it for a few moments. Soda has a naturally expressive face, but right now Darry can’t get a read on where his head is at. It’s a bit nerve wracking to be honest. 

“Do you like it?” Ponyboy asks softly. 

“Are these-” Soda asks softly, and Darry can tell he recognizes the pearls immediately.

“Yeah,” Ponyboy confirms. 

“I love it,” Soda says, his voice wobbling and Darry swears if Soda starts crying it might set both him and Pony off. 

“Really?” Ponyboy asks hopefully.

“Are you kidding? Pony, Dar, thank you.” Soda says, his voice still shakes a bit, but Darry can tell how much it means to Soda. 

“Wanted to make sure you have something of hers too,” Darry explains with a soft smile and Soda blinks up at him with a grin he reserves for only moments like this. It’s softer and more natural and that makes it all the more special when Soda shares this particular smile with them.

“Alright Pony, help me get this on the chain,” Soda says, moving the chain around his neck and going for the clasp.

“I’ll go get some candles going on this cake,” Betty says brightly, pushing up from the chair with a smile. She somehow always knows what to do in these types of moments. Darry pushes to his feet, figuring she can use the help getting seventeen candles put into this cake.

---

It’s after the evening has died down and it’s just his brothers and Johnny left at the house that Darry spots Soda slipping out onto the front porch. It’s a bit unusual, especially since Soda doesn’t smoke hardly ever, and it’s more than enough to draw his attention that something’s up. He spares a glance to Pony and Johnny who are currently doing dishes and laughing, and he decides to follow Soda outside. When he slips out he sees his brother wiping at his eyes hastily and Darry’s heart aches. He knows the gift might have brought up some of the emotions they all have about who’s missing from their lives today. He knows how much it hurts to have a birthday without their parents. 

“Hey Pepsi,” Darry says gently. He figures Soda might just need to cry a bit. Hell, he can't blame him. He shouldn’t have to have his seventeenth birthday without both his parents. But even his big brother can’t bring them back for him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to seem like I ain’t grateful for everything-”

“I know that. I also know it’s hard having them gone on a day like this-”

“It’s not that,” Soda sniffs, “I mean I guess part of it is. But I really had a nice night tonight Dar, honest.” He’s brushing his cheeks again with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

“It’s okay to still feel sad, you just turned seventeen, heck you’re almost an adult and they-” He’s cut off by a sob from Soda and Darry actually jolts at the noise. He didn’t mean to upset his brother further, and he’s not even sure what he said that made him more upset. Soda turns away from him and Darry feels a flare of protectiveness as he moves closer to his brother. It hurts to see him trying to hide away from him right now. He should never feel bad for showing his feelings to him.

“C’mon Soda, talk to me baby,” he says softly. He doesn’t know what else to say. What do you say to a kid who misses both his parents on his birthday when you would give just about anything to bring them back?

“Are you gonna kick me out when I turn eighteen?” Soda sobs, and Darry stops in his tracks from where he was about to place a hand on his shoulder.

“What?” He has no clue where this could have come from. Why would Soda ever even think that?
“You’re gonna settle down eventually, and Pony’s gonna go off to college and you ain’t gonna want me bumming around and-”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Darry sputters, and he moves on instinct, turning his brother around gently and trying to get Soda to look up at him. He feels his pulse quicken at the thought of Soda feeling like he was gonna be out on his own the second he turns eighteen. 

“I don’t wanna be alone Darry,” Soda chokes out and he pulls him against him with a shushing noise.

“Sodapop Patrick Curtis, why would I ever kick you out?” Darry asks, bringing a hand to the back of his head and stroking his hair gently. 

“You already took us on, and once I’m adult you won’t want me here anymore-” 

“Stop saying that. If you wanna live with me until the day I die then so be it. I’ll always want you around.” Darry says firmly. Jesus he’s always had his own terror that builds in his chest when he thinks about his brothers growing up and leaving him behind. He never thought that they might have the same fears in their own ways. Was Soda really that worried about this? And for how long has he been thinking about this?

“Really?” Soda asks, dissolving into another fit of sobs at the assurance.

“Really. I don’t care how old you are, you always have a home here. Why on Earth would you work yourself up like this?” Darry asks in bewilderment. He can't believe his brother came up with this idea in his head and has just been stewing with it. 

“I dunno, I just realized that I’m almost an adult and that eventually we’re all gonna have our own lives and you and Pony’ll get out of this town but I ain’t got a shot in hell at that. I just am scared you’re both gonna leave me all alone one day-”
“Shhh.” Darry soothes, Soda is sputtering so much he has to cut him off. “You think we’d ever leave without you Pepsi Cola? That’s some nonsense and you know it.” He means it. As much as he once wanted a ticket out, now he could never fathom leaving without both his brothers in tow. 

“What about Betty? Y’all ain’t gonna want us boys around if you ask her to move in with you!” 

“Soda, she would kick me out of my own house if I ever even suggested anything like that, and I’d deserve it,” he actually chuckles at the thought, Betty would really lose her mind.

“She really is good for you Dar,” Soda sniffs. 

“I know.” That’s putting it mildly. 

“You really mean it though?” Soda pushes. He squeezes him tightly as he continues.

“Sodapop, I’m dead serious. You wanna live with me until you’re old and gray, then you will. But I have a feeling you’ll get sick of seeing me every waking moment before then, and you’ll probably want a house of your own one day. But you get to choose when you’re ready. Not some silly birthday that decides you’re too grown. You’re still my baby brother no matter how old you get.”

“I feel stupid for crying about this,” Soda mutters. 

“I’ll tell you a secret,” Darry mutters. It’s hard to find the words to express this, it’s a fear that he keeps locked deep inside his chest, “I get scared of y’all leaving me too.” 

“I ain’t ever gonna leave you Dar,” Soda says, blinking up at him. Despite the many times he’s had to convince himself of this fact, hearing his brother say it soothes him in a way his own assurances never could.
“I’m getting that,” Darry snorts affectionately and Soda lets out a wet laugh. 

“Maybe one day I’ll upgrade to being your neighbor,” Soda concedes with a smirk. 

“I look forward to it,” Darry grins. He just keeps holding his brother until he’s calmed down and he feels his voice against his shoulder from where his face is buried. 

“Speaking of, when you gonna ask Betty to move in?”

“What?” Darry sputters. Where did that come from? He knows Soda mentioned it earlier, but he thought he was meaning in the hypothetical and distant future sense.

“You’d get to see her way more if she just moved in. Plus I dunno if you’ve noticed, but Pony and I both love her. We both think you should. Hell, I thought you were maybe getting close to asking her,” Soda says, giving him a look as if Darry is crazy for not thinking of this himself. 

“I don’t wanna scare her off Soda. That’s a big thing, and we ain’t been together that long,” he tries to explain. 

“She’d say yes. I can tell. I got a sixth sense about these typa things Dar,” Soda says firmly. To be honest, there have been thoughts he’s had about not wanting her to leave but he’d never really considered the thought of her actually moving in. He knows times are changing, but it’s still scandalous to shack up with a girl before marrying her depending on who you ask. “You know it makes a ton of sense.”

“Just cause it’s a nice idea doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for the time. I ain’t married to her.”

“Yet!”

“Do you know something I don’t?” Darry asks dryly. 

“C’mon, she’d definitely agree it’s practical. Plus she ain’t the type to care what people think.” That much is definitely true, Darry agrees internally. 

“Now that you know you can live here forever you’re just trying to bring more occupants in huh?” Darry snorts, giving Soda a shake affectionately. 

“Are you gonna ask her?” Ponyboy’s voice asks quietly, and Darry almost jumps out of his skin. 

“Jesus Christ! Ponyboy, what have I said about eavesdropping?” Darry snaps, whipping around to see his brother standing there with a sheepish look on his face.

“I wasn’t. Soda knew I’ve been here,” Ponyboy says, shuffling over to them. Of course Soda knew, he always knows. “I think you should.”

“You two gotta stop ganging up on me,” Darry sighs. 

“We will if we aren’t right. But we are!” Soda replies, tugging them both close with an arm around each of them. There’s a pause where they all just breathe in the crisp fall air and take a moment to just be together. Eventually he lets the words slip out. 

“I’ll think about it.”

---

It’s a couple of weeks later when November has begun and he’s on the phone with Betty before bed. He can tell something’s been weighing on her, but so far he hasn’t pushed her. She usually opens up pretty quickly when she’s ready. But she’s been a bit spacy, and he’s noticed she’s had to ask him to repeat something he’s said a couple times. The third time it happens she cuts herself off. 

“Ugh, I’m sorry. I swear I’m trying to listen,” she says with an air of frustration towards herself.

“What’s got you in your head?” he asks gently. He knows she needs to work it out by talking, and he’s more than happy to be a listening ear. He’d listen to her read the phonebook if she asked him to.

“That obvious huh?” She says knowingly. She pauses again. “I found out with the shifts I’m working I can’t go home for Thanksgiving. I was gonna go, but I wasn’t really looking forward to it, ya know, between my dad and all the judgy extended family and everything. But I told my family I can’t make it, and they’re coming up next weekend to see me instead.”

“Oh,” Darry says. He’s not sure what to say. Is this a good thing or not in her eyes? He knows she has a tough relationship with her father. He has always tried to reserve judgment against people he has yet to meet, but with some of the stories she’s told he can’t help but resent her dad a bit. From everything he’s heard, her father was pretty tough on her, and it breaks his heart when she occasionally mentions particular things her father had said to her. 

“My dad is coming,” she sighs heavily. He figured as much based on her initial reaction to the news. He can tell she is still trying to figure out how she feels about it all. 

“Are you gonna see him?” Darry asks. If you were to ask him,  she doesn’t have to do jack shit if she doesn’t want to and she doesn’t owe her father shit.

“Yeah. I do miss him in some ways,” she says slowly. “He wasn’t always bad, you know? There are moments where I miss him, but then I remember the rest of it.”

“I know. I’m sorry it's like that,” he says, and she hums thankfully into the phone at his words. She speaks much more softly as she offers up her next concern. 

“I want them to meet you and your brothers. If you’re willing. I understand if not-”

“If that’s what you want then we make it happen,” he says firmly before she can convince herself to feel guilty for asking this, and he truly means it. Hell, if she asked for the moon he’d probably try and find a way to steal it for her. With Two Bit and Dally on his side he thinks they’d actually have a chance at it too. 

“I’d really love that,” she says softly, and the relief in her voice alone is worth it. 

“I want to meet your mom and sisters,” he adds, because while he may have his own opinions about her dad, she loves her mom and sisters to pieces. He wants to meet them because they're part of her. 

“Oh Lord, the twins are gonna be obsessed with you and your brothers,” she laughs. 

“I dunno-” He starts with a shrug, he’s not sure that they’re that exciting of a bunch for a couple teenage girls to meet.

“Trust me,” she snorts. “They’re boy crazy.”

“Alright, you tell us when and where, and we’ll be there.” He says gently. He knows how hard this is for her.

“Thank you baby.”

Notes:

LMFAO guys I am not gonna lie, OB labor and delivery is kicking my ass. I have to pull twelve hour shifts and get up at 4:45am so I guess im doing an active character study on a day in the life of Darry and his long ass work hours lol.

All this to say, I wrote this chap a few weeks ago in prep for my three week stint on OB, so don't worry I've got chaps for the enxt couple Fridays ready 😉

Soda having a meltdown on his birthday was so personal to me cause like if y'all didn't cry on your birthday at least once at some point as a preteen or teen because you're scared of being an adult and fending for yourself: what's it like to be mentally stable? 😂
I just can also imagine with the chnages in their lives and their plans to get Pony to college and Darry having Betty in his life, plus how Sandy left him, Soda's got his own intense fear of being left behind, even though in reality his brothers never would ever leave him behind.

Also I am TERRIBLE at coming up with gifts to give my friends and family in real life, so I was fighting SO hard to come up with what to have them give Soda and I still am like not sure I like the gift I came up with but it's the best I could come up with.

I am legit a bit tired and burnt out from the week, so I am really excited to get this posted! Please come chat with me in comments or on tumblr it really brightens my day and gives me some much needed energy lol!

Chapter 27: Chap 27

Summary:

Meet Darry and his brothers meet Betty's family!

Notes:

Guy I really love this chap so I hope it gets the hype that I feel about it. Have fun 😉

“Listen, even if something happens or her Dad says some shit. We’re not gonna cause a scene, alright?” Darry sighs as he starts shaving a line down his face. He’s staring at his reflection in the foggy mirror as Soda takes his turn in the shower. Ponyboy is sitting in the hallway with his book watching him from the floor. He’s got a furrow in his brow as he looks up at Darry. 

“We know!” Soda groans from behind the curtain. 

“I’m just making sure y’all are prepared.” Darry insists, though they both keep giving him eye rolls at his preparations. Sue him, he’s trying to make sure the whole thing goes well on their end.
“We are well aware her dad sounds like an asshole. I don’t beat up Steve’s dad or Johnny’s folks,” Soda continues. This is a fair statement, Lord knows they all have to show a large amount of restraint when it comes to this issue. 

“I know,” Darry sighs. He decides it's only fair to let his brothers in a bit on his personal worries. “From everything I’ve gathered, I have a feeling he ain’t gonna approve of me, and I don’t need you two starting something cause you’re mad-”

“Why wouldn’t he like you?!” Ponyboy asks defensively. Case and point as to why Darry is giving this particular talk. His brother is already up in arms at the hypothetical idea. He’s got that teenage scowl across his face. Sometimes he worries about their relationship, it’s still something they're working on, but he’s touched by his brother’s defensiveness over him.

“Cause we’re poor!” Soda fills in, and Darry grimaces at the statement. He wasn’t sure how he was gonna put it, but that wasn’t it. It’s not being poor that’s the true issue. It’s that her father wants her to stop working and have a man make all the money. And Darry sure as hell can’t do that for her right now. She knows that. And her family is gonna figure that out real fast if they haven’t already. His brothers come first. 

“Oh. Then fuck him!” Ponyboy snaps, closing his book firmly. 

“See, this is what I’m talking about,” Darry says, turning to give Ponyboy a look to say see ?

“It’s true!” Ponyboy exclaims. 

“I am telling you that if you want to help me. I need you to just be polite and we can talk all we want afterwards,” Darry sighs. He knows all too well wanting to give in to the impulse of fighting against things that are unfair. Being a greaser means a lot of things are unfair. 

“But he’s even a dick to Betty,” Ponyboy points out, “Don’t you wanna tell him off?” His brothers are well filled in on the basics about Betty’s family. It’s a true statement, and he most certainly would do exactly that if he could.

“That is not the point-”

“We’re gonna be good boys,” Soda reassures cheekily with a firm hand on his shoulder as he slips out of the shower. Clearly Soda knows they gotta play their cards right. 

“Fine,” Ponyboy mutters in agreement, but the reassurances are enough to placate Darry to know his brothers will keep their words. He winces as he somehow nicks himself on his jaw, hopeful that is not an omen for their evening tonight. 

---

Betty’s leg bounces up and down as she sits down beside him as the whole group of them take their seats. It’s one of the big tables in the diner Betty chose for them to meet for dinner. She’d ridden with him and his brothers in the truck, and he could tell she was more than nervous to see her father. But the way she’d lit up when she hugged her mother and sisters was evident. She’d even hugged her father briefly before the man was shaking his hand firmly with a cold and calculating gaze. Darry knows when he’s being scrutinized, and at this point he’s used to it. After what he’s been through, the man’s attempt to intimidate him is almost laughable. Still they’re introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Merrill, Eugene and Jane, her mother says brightly. He’s not going to fall into that particular trap with her father, he has a feeling he will never earn the first name basis with the man. Her younger twin sisters are sat across from Ponyboy and Soda. Thea and Kate are seventeen he recalls; they look much different than Betty, and identical to each other. They’ve got much darker hair than Betty, and their faces are rounder. But they’ve got her eyes. Looking at all three of them the eyes give them away as sisters. He’s pretty sure he and his brothers have nothing like that in common. They all took different features from each of their parents. The second everyone’s seated Sodapop does what he does best, and he’s got the girls laughing almost immediately with some stupid flirty statement Darry tuned out.
“Told you,” Betty mutters, nudging him. 

“He’s a part of the problem,” Darry says with amusement. But he can’t deny Soda is fantastic at charming people, and while Ponyboy is quieter, his brother is good at talking to people when he wants to, and he seems to realize the importance of tonight because he starts talking quietly with Thea. 

“So son, tell us a bit about yourself-” That’s enough to draw Darry’s attention away from his brothers and he easily puts on the charm. He’s an expert in this sorta talk now, guess Barbara’s constant meddling with the state comes in useful after all. Betty presses her knee against his beneath the table, and he starts talking. 

---

Despite his worries, the meal goes pretty well. His brothers get on well with her sisters, and her parents keep their focus on him and Betty. Her mother makes his chest ache. She reminds him of his own mother, and he can see this soft look in her eye that is so distinctly one only a mom can give that he yearns for his mom deeply. On the other hand, her father is exactly as expected. Quiet. Abrupt. Here to collect information and deal out judgment. He’d frowned deeply the entire time Betty had updated the rest of her family about her job, though he knows she still talks to the rest of them regularly. All he’s really learned about the man is that Betty is related to Buck on her father’s side, and that her father grew up in Tulsa when he was small. He’d not elaborated a single word more on that.

He’d brought enough money to cover Betty and his brothers, and he ensured they’d all ordered whatever the hell they wanted. He’s still constantly impressed with his brothers’ stomachs, ‘cause they’ve both finished their plates, and they still light up at the suggestion of an ice cream parlor for dessert. 

“Oh you’ll love it! They have an amazing double chocolate ice cream!” Soda explains excitedly, and even her mom is smiling at his brother’s infectious energy. The waitress stops at the table and he’s ready to ask for their part of the check. 

“Just one check,” her father says as Darry opens his mouth. The man stares at him, and he knows it’s a challenge. 

“It’s no problem sir,” he insists. 

“Of course not honey, we’re paying for everyone!” her mother soothes. She says it with such joy he finds himself believing it immediately despite her father’s unreadable face. He sorta wonders why she’s with the man, but he figures he’ll keep that particular question to himself. 

“Thank you,” Betty says, giving her mother a genuine smile, but there’s the slightest change in the smile she then gives to her father. So slight he’s not sure anyone else would notice the difference.

“Thank you,” Darry echoes, and his brothers’ chorus immediately follows him. 

“So tell me more about this special ice cream place?” Mrs. Merrill asks, looking at his brothers and they light up at the reminder. 

---

“No, I’m with Darry, mint chocolate chip is a delicious ice cream flavor,” Betty laughs as she squeezes his hand in solidarity as they stroll up to the ice cream shop. She’s smiling genuinely, and he feels like she’s finally let her guard down. She deserves to be able to see her family without her dad ruining it. 

“It’s like toothpaste!” Soda protests with a wrinkle of his nose. “What person wants that for their dessert?!”

“You put grape jelly on your scrambled eggs,” Betty points out and Soda scoffs in mock offense. 

“That is because it’s a perfect flavor combination-”

“Here, go get in line,” Darry chuckles, cutting off Soda’s familiar monologue, handing his brothers some change.

“Honey, why don’t you go in with the girls? I wanna talk to these two for a couple minutes,” Mr. Merrill says to her mom. He knows her mom said to call them by their first names when they met, but her father’s true thoughts on that were well understood, so he’s gonna stick with Mr. Merrill. He feels the way Betty stiffens, and her hand squeezes his tightly. He gets the impression they both know what is about to happen. He’s never one to back down from a fight, and he nods firmly.

“I don’t know-” Her mother says gently, clearly catching on to what might ensue. 

“Go on,” he says firmer and Darry tenses at the way Betty stiffens even more. He can tell the way he’s just spoken to her mom has her bristling, and he can’t blame her. Everything he’s seen so far tonight tells him her dad is plenty strict and old fashioned, which he already knew, but it’s different actually seeing it in action. She gives her mother a single nod, and they stand there waiting as the rest of them shuffle inside. Darry gives his brothers a soothing nod over her head that gets them to follow inside albeit a bit reluctantly. Betty has moved to stand closer to him, and her hand is holding his tightly as she stares at her father, tilting her chin up slightly as she takes in a steadying breath. He can see she’s already preparing for a fight, and he’s more than happy to follow her lead. Her father clears his throat. 

“It’s been nice getting to know you and your brothers, son. I appreciate you taking the time to come meet my family at my daughter’s request.” Darry has gotten good in the last year and a half at keeping all his emotions from his face when speaking to people he doesn’t agree with. He’s being put to the test right now. He can hear the ‘but’ that is inevitably about to follow. 

“We were happy to, sir,” Darry replies, keeping his tone as neutral as he can. 

“But honey, we both know you need to stop with this production. This is getting more than ridiculous.” Darry watches the way her eyes harden as she stares at her father with an eerily blank expression. It’s unsettling. 

“What?” She asks, voice sharp and cold. 

“We both know this independent woman performance you’re doing is frankly getting embarrassing. It’s high past time for you to settle down. You know that. And it’s not going to be with him.”

“What are you saying?” She says, and her voice sounds so small, so defeated. He wants to scream at the man for making her shrink into this girl beside him. Someone who is just so scared and not at all herself. She’s supposed to be loud and bold and bright and it’s her own father who’s trying to snuff that light out. 

“I’m saying he can’t take care of you,” he father snaps, and Darry feels her flinch physically, but her face stays blank. He looks at Darry, “Listen, it’s noble what you’ve done for your brothers, son. But we all know you boys are barely scraping by, and there is no way this kid can take care of you too, Betty.” The comment cuts deep, but it’s nothing Darry hasn’t thought before in the middle of the night when he can’t sleep. Hell, it’s the whole reason he’d originally sworn off dating in the first place. 

“How can you say something like that?” Betty gasps, and her voice gets louder with each word as  her blank mask morphs into an expression of genuine anger. 

“Just look at them,” her father says simply. That one stings, Darry thinks, and yet he still keeps his face blank. A greaser is always a greaser he supposes. As far as insults go, it’s pretty mild. “And I’m speaking to you right now young lady, you cannot just interrupt me-”

“Oh for the love of God! Just STOP!” She snaps, and she steps forward, dropping his hand as she clenches it into a fist at her side. She somehow shoves herself in front of him putting herself in between him and her father as if he’s somehow being threatened by the man.   

“Excuse you-”

“No! I’m so tired of this Dad! I’m done,” her voice is quaking just slightly, but it’s clear and strong and back to sounding so distinctly her . “God, you can’t stand to see me happy, can you? I thought that maybe you’d understand meeting them, but somehow you just continue to hate everything.” Her father sputters in protest, but she pushes on, “I love him. And those two boys in there? I love them too. And guess what? You can’t stop me!” She’s actually laughing at the realization as she says the final part. Darry swears his heart is pounding out of his chest as her declaration echoes in his head. If he could, he would say it back even in this shitshow of a moment, but it’s not his turn to speak. It’s hers. But as scary as the phrase feels on his lips, he knows it’s the truth.

 “I’m not even asking for your permission, because you’ll never approve no matter what I do. Hell, sometimes I don’t think you’ve loved me since I turned twelve years old! I find a man just like you insist I do and then you tell me to leave him? Honestly, how do you not see why I don’t want to come home anymore?” He can tell she’s spiraling, the words seem to just keep coming as she waves her hands insistently. God, Darry pities anyone on the receiving end of her rage. 

“Betty Jane Merrill-” She still doesn’t stop, even with the way she shrinks microscopically at the scolding. 

“You’ll never be happy with me the way I am dad. I’m sorry, but I’m finally happy and I don’t need you-” 

“ENOUGH!” Darry sees her flinch and he’s moving before he can think, he’s right behind her and wraps an arm around her pulling her close. Reminding her he’s here, he’s got her back, both literally and metaphorically. The way she leans back into him tells him she knows it. 

“You oughta get better control of her son. She’ll start talking to you like this soon enough if you don’t put her in her place.” He swears he sees red at the phrase. Hearing her father talk about her like she’s some thing that needs to be dealt with. That has to be the final blow, because he feels her tense up and he almost wonders if he should let go of her. He’s not sure if the jab from her father has turned his gesture of comfort into something that feels restrictive and controlling. He starts to let go of her, to offer the out if she wants to take it, but she grabs his hand and keeps it around her. It’s an action that hits him like a ton of bricks, because she’s putting a helluva lot of trust in him. He knows he has to be very careful with how he phrases anything he says next, she needs to have the control.  

“What would you like to do baby?” He asks, keeping his voice calm and steady, completely ignoring her father. Though his flabbergasted face does give him a distinct feeling of internal satisfaction. She looks up at him with glassy eyes and they share a loaded look where he can tell she’s putting everything into keeping the tears back. She swallows once. 

“I want to leave. Let’s get the boys,” she says, already moving despite her father’s sputtering. Before she can take more than a couple steps, the group comes out the door and Darry gives his brothers a single weighted glance that gets them to come over beside him wordlessly. 

“Honey?” Betty’s mom asks. The tension in the air is palpable. You’d have to be blind and deaf to not pick up what just happened. 

“I’m gonna go home now. But I will pick you three up for some breakfast tomorrow before y’all head out on the road okay?” Betty says, and Darry can hear the return of a quiver in her voice. She’s trying so hard to protect her mom and sisters from the worst of it. Even now.

“You’re leaving?” One of her sisters pipes up, it’s hard to tell which twin it is in the dark like this. 

“I’ll see you in the morning at nine,” She replies firmly in answer. 

“It was nice to meet all of you,” Darry says, and the fake platitude is all too familiar on his tongue.

“Honey please don’t go-” Darry can see the way that her mom’s attempt to fix this is slowly cracking at Betty’s remaining resolve. 

“Where’d we park the car?” Betty asks softly, turning to him. 

“That way,” Darry nods down the road. He digs in his pocket and grabs his keys. “Soda, go start up the truck, we’re right behind you,” he encourages, passing it to Soda with a well coordinated toss. Soda and Pony bid polite goodbyes to the girls as they give Darry another silent look. He is eternally grateful for them, because they head for the car with nods of understanding.

“Whatever it is, we can talk about it,” Her mother soothes but still Betty shakes her head. Her father, the coward, just watches from behind and doesn’t say a word. She takes a couple steps forwards. 

“I’m so glad I got to see y’all,” Betty says softly, and she closes the gap in order to squeeze both her sisters in tight hugs. She steps back and pauses for a split second before she melts into her mother’s embrace. Darry can see she just about breaks in that moment, isn’t it always in the arms of your mom that your resolve falters? But she pulls back and gives them all a smile before she turns back to him, interlacing her fingers in his hand the second she’s close enough to reach him. She doesn’t look back.

It’s silent until they’re a good block away from them. Her voice is soft and a bit raspy. 

“I’m so sorry-”

“I love you too,” he says, cutting off her apology. He doesn’t need it. But he needs her to know this. She stops in her tracks, tugging on his hand as she stops and turns to look at him. She looks so tired.

“You don’t have to say it just because I-”

“I love you, and I’m gonna say it as much as I damn please,” he replies firmly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. He doesn’t know what to do for her right now, but at the very least he needs her to know that he feels the same. She makes comforting her easy for him, throwing her arms around him and burning her face into his shirt. She doesn't say anything, just squeezes him as if he’s the only thing keeping her tethered to the ground. He holds her for a long moment, chin resting on her head as he tries to somehow communicate all the things he wants to say in this hug. He’s not good with words, but he hopes he finds a way. She eventually pulls back and somehow she’s still holding back her tears. 

“C’mon, let's go home,” she says softly, stepping back with a deep breath. He keeps an arm around her until they reach the truck and she climbs in the driver’s side before moving to the middle next to Ponyboy. 

“Y’all okay?” Soda asks softly, eyeing them both with those soft brown eyes as Darry starts up the engine. 

“We’re alright,” Darry reassures. He knows they must have an idea of what’s happened; Betty had told him to warn them it could go poorly, and he did. As he pulls out onto the road it’s quiet in the car besides the soft music coming from the radio. 

“Here Betty,” Ponyboy says softly, holding out one of the paper ice cream cups his brothers are holding, “We got you some mint chip-” She lets out a sob and poor Ponyboy genuinely startles, eyes widening in horror. “I’m sorry-”

“Thank you sugar,” she gasps out as the tears finally start falling down her face, “That’s the sweetest thing-” she falls into genuine sobs before she can even get the sentence finished. Darry is about to pull over, but she throws an arm around his little brother before pressing a kiss to the side of his head gently. Despite the way she’s crying, Darry can see the blush erupting on his brother’s ears from earning the display of affection.

“Betty, are you okay?” Soda asks softly.

“I’m so sorry y’all, I should have never had you come, I knew he’d say some shit and-” She just trails off as Soda hands her a paper napkin from the ice cream place and starts wiping at her eyes.

“Hey, your mom and sisters were real swell, I had a nice time,” Soda says softly, and he’s reaching across Ponyboy to pat her knee. She nods at that, seemingly comforted by his brother’s expert way with words.

“My father is an asshole,” she chokes out, and it’s said with so much vitriol Darry can’t hold back a bark of a laugh at the comment. 

“Heck, the rest of the gang already has a club started for that,” Soda reassures, and that at least gets a wet laugh out of her. 

“Gosh, I promise I’m okay, I just have to cry it out,” Betty tries to reassure and Darry is so relieved that they’re pulling up their street. He feels terrible that he can’t do anything to help her right now. He has no clue what to say, and the only thing he feels like he could offer is some physical comfort. That’s all he ever feels like he’s able to offer to his brothers when they’re upset most of the time.

“Hey, that's okay. Pony and I’ll put y’all’s ice cream in the freezer and you can have it later,” Soda encourages as they pull into the driveway. His brothers are out of the car quickly, and she looks over at him.

“Can we go talk?” She asks, “I- I think I need to just talk it out.”

“Of course,” he agrees. He might not be good with words, but he’s more than willing to listen. 

It’s moments like this he’s really thankful that his brothers are good kids, because they put the ice cream away and then head to the living room to get the tv turned as Darry and Betty head to his room. He closes the door softly behind him and she sits in the middle of the bed crossing her legs beneath her and clutches a pillow to her chest as he moves to sit right in front of her. 

“I’m so sorry he said those things-”

“He ain’t said anything I didn’t already know. We both know it,” Darry replies, trying to calm her down. This instead brings on a new round of sobs. 

“And I love you!” She begs, “You take such good care of me. I don’t give a fuck about money, and fuck him for even implying shit about you and your brothers. Ugh, it makes my blood boil! I make money for myself, and it makes me happy, goddammit!” She lets out a sob at the end, and she's pushing her hair back from her face with a shaky hand. She’s an absolute wreck, she’s got mascara starting to run all down her face in dark tear tracks, and her nose and cheeks are starting to become flushed red as she continues crying. She’s the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. He has to say it, because he knows her father has a point, she must understand that right?

“I know I can’t take care of you with money right now but maybe one day-”

“I don’t care if it’s never! I just want you!” she sobs, as if he’s somehow trying to break it off. 

“You’re working yourself up,” he tries to soothe, and she takes a couple breaths at this, but she’s still crying pretty hard. “I ain’t going anywhere.”

“Don’t you dare listen to him, I swear to God, do not let him ruin this for us,” she says with a vitriol that makes him nod on reflex. She lets out another sob despite the assurance. “My father was so horrible to you!”

“If that’s what we call horrible, then I’m sorry to tell you I’ve had way worse,” he snorts. It’s unfortunately true. Hell, he and his brothers even got a free meal out of the man, even if he was a dick at the end of it. If Darry’s only crime is being poor, then he can’t bring himself to give a damn about the man’s opinion of him. It seems like her meltdown hasn’t been assuaged yet, cause she’s sniffling between sobs before she sputters some more.

“I hate him sometimes, because he’s right about me too. I’m not some girl who’s just gonna just listen to you and sit around at home. I’m stubborn and loud and annoying-”

“Hey. Stop,” he says firmly, taking both her hands and waiting until she looks up at him. He can easily deal with concrete facts, and he figures he should start there. She’s only gonna keep working herself up until he stops her. “You know that’s all nonsense. Nothing that happened tonight changes how I feel about you, understand?” She nods quickly, wiping at her eyes again. “I don’t give a damn what your father thinks of me. It’s your life.”

“It is,” she agrees slowly as she seems to chew on this idea. He wonders if anyone has ever told her that point blank. She whispers out the next words. “I just wish he loved me like I want him to.”

“I know. I wish I could fix that for you.” He means it. It drives him crazy that there’s not a damn thing he can do about it. Who is he if not someone who can fix things? She stops him from feeling at a loss for how to help her now.

“Can I stay here tonight? I don’t think I can stomach being alone right now,” She asks, as if his answer isn’t already known. 

“Of course. You would just move in at this point if it was up to me,” he says firmly before he even realizes the words that slipped out of his mouth. Damn Soda for making him think so much about her moving in on his birthday. He was gonna approach it slowly and ask her when the moment felt right. And that moment is most certainly not now . 

“Are you serious?” She asks, and at least she’s definitely stopped crying now as she blinks at him.

“Only if it was something you wanted-” he starts trying to say hastily. He knew it was way too soon for saying something like this. Hell, he just finally said I love you to her tonight.

“You sure sugar? I’m sorta a mess,” She asks softly, swiping at her cheeks hastily. Well, he’s already in it now, might as well just keep the train going at this point. 

“No you ain’t. And I always want you here,” he says firmly. If nothing else, he’s gotta be honest. He owes her that much. 

“I think I would like that,” she says. He blinks in surprise as he processes her response. He honestly felt like she would at the very most say let’s talk about this later. He wasn’t expecting a yes. “We’ll have to have a much more adult conversation about logistics sometime later. But you’re right, it’s my fucking life! And I want to be here with you. So I’m gonna do that!” She laughs almost hysterically as the sentiment seems to take root. 

God, he loves her so much. He pulls her hand that he’s still holding and it’s easy to get her pulled into his lap as she discards the pillow she’d been clutching. She curls up against him and lets out a sigh and he thinks she’s about cried it out just as she said she would. Her emotional intelligence and ability to understand these things rivals that of only Soda’s. 

“Your mom is amazing,” he says eventually, and he feels her nodding against him. He waits for her to speak again.

“Sometimes I wish she’d just leave him,” she whispers. He can hear the conflict in her voice. “I know that sounds terrible. But she deserves someone who loves her in the way she deserves, and I know he loves her in the way he can but I don’t really feel like it’s enough sometimes.”

“It ain’t terrible,” He replies. Hell, if he ever ended up being like her father, he’d rather be dead. It’s a bit unnerving. He knows he’s terrible with his emotions, and he’s historically been just as awful with other people’s. He’s trying to learn. But deep down he’s terrified it may not be enough. He’s terrified to end up like her father. He holds her a little tighter at the thought. He’s gonna try, not just for himself, but for his brothers and for her.

“He just never really listens , ya know? And I just think if he’d take one minute to look at how his words affect people maybe he’d change. But I think I gotta stop trying to somehow earn his love.”

“You shouldn’t have to.” 

“No. I shouldn’t.” She agrees. “I can’t believe I finally stood up to him,” she says after a moment, and there's a genuine air of disbelief in her voice. 

“Hell yeah you did,” he agrees, moving to press a quick kiss to her hair. It was a true sight to see her find it in herself. He’d want her on his side in a fight, hell if rumbles were fought with words alone then she’d win most of them without a doubt. 

“I know he said I’d eventually talk to you like that too, but I would never. No matter how mad I get, it’s just him that-”

“I know that.” He reassures, and she nods against him, seemingly reassured by his swift response. And he believes it. Plus, he prays to God he’d never be stupid enough to somehow think he’s allowed to talk to her like that. She seems to know what’s going on in his head ‘cause she snorts at his quiet thinking. 

“Thank you. For coming, for being there, for dealing with me being a mess-”

“Of course.” He replies firmly. He’d be content to sit here for the rest of the night, but she starts to move much too soon. He makes a noise of protest, and he knows he’s whining a bit but he doesn’t really want to let her go. He’s feeling a bit overprotective right now. 

“C’mon, we have ice cream waiting for us. And I need to wash my face,” she adds, but she does press a kiss to his cheek as she says it. He reluctantly lets her up, and follows after her as she heads for the door and slips down the hallway. 

“Wanna washcloth?” He offers, stopping at the hall closet as she slips into the bathroom. She’s laughing in an instant. 

“Oh my God, it’s so bad!” She exclaims. He isn’t sure if he’s supposed to agree or disagree, to be fair the mascara really has run down her both cheeks as evidence of her tears’ paths. He decides to keep his mouth shut, and instead just goes over to hand her the washcloth. She gives him a thanks and nods him in the direction of the living room and he decides to go for the arm chair. 

“Ice cream is still in the freezer,” Soda says brightly from where he’s laid out across the couch, his feet draped across Ponyboy’s lap. Darry notes he’s discarded his nicer clothes immediately upon arriving back at the house and is currently clad in only a pair of boxers. Ponyboy has also changed and dressed for bed, but at least he has a shirt on.“You’re both lucky you both like that mint chip stuff, we ain’t ever gonna steal that,” Soda adds. 

“You already had your ice cream,” Darry sighs with an eye roll. 

“Do y’all have face wash somewhere in here?” Betty asks, sticking her head out of the doorway. Darry’s brow furrows ‘cause he has not a clue what she’s talking about. Soda and Ponyboy seem to look equally bewildered as they look in her direction. 

“There’s a bar of soap in the shower, and there should be one on the sink counter too,” Darry says. Have they run out of soap? He hasn’t glanced at the current grocery list that’s growing on the fridge to see if someone has added that in the last day or so. Betty actually appears from the bathroom as she wipes at her cheeks with the wet cloth and she gives them a look. 

“Not that kind, I mean face wash?” She asks. Soda and Ponyboy don’t seem to be of any help cause they both immediately swivel their gazes from her to look at Darry to somehow answer even though he’s just as lost as they are.

“What are you on about?”

“What do you use to wash your face?” Betty asks. Is this some kind of rhetorical question or something?

“Soap.”

“You all just wash your faces with a bar of soap?” Betty asks. She’s doing an impressively good job of cleaning up her face despite the fact she’s not in front of a mirror. Still Darry has no clue why she keeps asking the same question when she already knows the answer.

“Yeah,” Soda says, looking intrigued as to where this is going. To be fair, Darry also needs to know what the hell she’s talking about. 

“Bar soap tends to dry out skin on people’s faces pretty badly. I use face wash so my skin doesn’t get all dry and irritated,” Betty explains, looking at them as if this is somehow commonly accepted knowledge. Soap is soap, Darry thinks, and he has no idea why she seems to think there’s a difference. 

“My face feels fine?” Soda says with a shrug, one hand coming to his cheek as if he expects it to somehow feel different after her statement. 

“Well, do you have to put a lot of extra lotion on your face afterwards?” Betty asks. 

“Why would we put lotion on our faces?” Ponyboy asks, nose scrunching up at the idea. It reminds Darry of the face he makes when he tries to make Pony put on sunscreen. 

“Next thing you’re gonna tell me is y’all don’t have conditioner for your hair,” she laughs as she finishes cleaning off her face of any remaining traces of makeup. 

“What’s that?” Ponyboy asks, looking genuinely bewildered and then gives Darry a look in search of help. 

“There is so much I have to teach you,” Betty says in this faux solemn voice as if this is dire news. Darry thinks she’s just making up products to mess with them or something. 

“We have soap and shampoo, what the heck is in your bathroom then?” Darry asks, because seriously, he’s not sure what else they need. 

“Shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, lotion, body wash, face wash, face cream-”

“Hey, we have shaving cream!” Soda adds triumphantly. Darry is still trying to wrap his head around her list, he’s pretty sure she wasn’t at the end of it either.

“Why?” Darry asks her as she puts the washcloth into the washing machine and she comes towards him to sit, but then seems to recall their waiting dessert and makes a detour to grab the two small cups with their little plastic spoons still inside them. 

“I am going to bring some supplies over next time and then I am going to change your lives,” she says as explanation as she comes to sit with him, passing him one of the ice creams wordlessly. He isn’t convinced he is going to enjoy this one bit, but it’s gotten her mind on something besides her dad. If it makes her happy, he’ll let her put lotion on his face. 

“Really?” Ponyboy asks incredulously. 

“Really. Plus, remind me I can show you what I do to get rid of pimples. I always hate when I get one of those.” 

“I don’t understand how this all came from a bar of soap-” Darry mutters, mostly to himself, but she catches it. 

“Hush up and eat your ice cream.”

Notes:

Alrgiht so I'm on day 2/6 of back to back 11 hour shifts with no day off and I am not a FAN. Also I sat for 8.5 hours today jus studying and doing legit nothing because I was at diff hospital for labor and delivery and apparently I had been warned nurses there don't like med students so they just sorta ignored me lol. It was... a time hehe. Anyways I am free for the evening and I have been so hype all day to drop this chap.

I think it's one of my favorite ones I've written.

Betty said wanna see some daddy issues? TBH this was sorta therapeutic to write. My dad and I don't get along well, and some of this is inspired by that, I def made the main conflict of the story more the misogynistic views of the times and how Betty navigates that in her life and choices. But man like finally standing up for yourself like that to a parent sucks, but it's also sorta freeing. I think Betty sorta found that out this chap.

Also Ponyboy has grown up around all guys, and was the youngest when they lost their mom, so he was NOT prepared when Betty finally let out the waterworks. Mans was bamboozled he thought she hated the ice cream lol. He was like uhhh idk what to do now...

I'm sorry y'all but we know it's the truth, modern day Curtis house I just KNOW those boys have like the 5 in one wash in their shower and they're just like perfect, we need nothing more. This is the 60's version of that, and Betty is like omg please use some conditioner and lotion im begging. You try tell me a single one of the boys in that gang know anything about skin care? You can't because we all know they don't lmfao. Don't worry, Betty's on it, but she had the pinnacle experience of going to a man's home and being like now wait a damn second... where is EVERYTHING lol

As always, come at me on tumblr and here. I def get my energy on weeks like this from interacting with everyone! (seems we can tell this rotation ain't for me hehe)

Chapter 28: Chap 28

Summary:

Let the long term sleepover trial begin!

(also y'all if you wanna skip the uhhh more mature stuff just stop once they say I lvoe you and then jump back in after the line break)

See y'all in the author's notes!

Notes:

I call this one, the chapter of big feelings of all varieties.

It is exactly a week after her family visits that Betty is walking up the steps of the Curtis house Friday evening with a folder tucked under her arm and a duffle bag slung over the other shoulder. She’d spent the last couple days collecting and organizing her pay stubs, bills, and receipts into a nice folder where she easily laid out her monthly income and expenses. She knew that if she was to actually move in with Darry and his brothers, they would have to talk about the dreaded topic of finances, and she’s been preparing herself all day for her non-negotiables as she knows this discussion is going to be quite a stubborn one from both their ends. Betty isn’t intending for this to turn into a true argument, but she’s not entirely convinced that it won’t go that way. She knows it’s not an easy thing to discuss, especially when there’s pride on both their ends involved, but she has tried as best she can to come into this level headed. 

“Hello!” She calls as she slips in the door, already toeing off her sneakers as she uses one hand to balance against the wall. 

“Hey,” Darry says, stepping into view from the kitchen and giving her a soft glance as she takes a couple steps in her direction. She sees his eyeing her duffle bag almost immediately, and she can see his mind is going about a mile a minute. 

“I figured we could trial run it for a few days,” she explains, nodding to her bag as she walks towards him, closing the gap. “Mind if I set this down?” He quickly grabs at the strap over her shoulder, and she gives him an affectionate smile as he takes the bag from her and starts down towards his room. 

“Just set it down and come back out here,” She says over his shoulder. She knows they gotta talk logistics, and she figures it’s easier to just bite the bullet. 

“Alright,” he calls from the room and she decides to take a seat on the couch, crossing her legs beneath her and setting the folder on her lap. Don’t be overly stubborn, Betty reminds herself. He comes back into the room and she gives him what she hopes is an inviting smile, and he comes over to the couch. He sits down beside her and she kisses him as a greeting, and she can tell he would much rather continue kissing as she pulls back and he tries to go back for more. 

“We have to talk about logistics,” she says, before she presses a second kiss to his lips, unable to fully pull away and leave him pouting. He sighs and pulls back enough that she can see the way he’s studying her face, and she knows she has to hold firm on this. He’s waiting for her to give in.

“Okay,” he agrees with a sigh. She knows it’s hard, money isn’t exactly a fun topic no matter who you are, but she knows particularly for him it’s a sensitive topic and she has up to this point been very conscious of treading carefully. 

“Alright, I went and collected all of my records and went through my receipts and last month’s bills and my pay stubs,” she begins, smoothing a hand over the folder in her lap as she settles back against the cushion. Betty prepares for her first non-negotiable to be voiced. “If I am no longer paying rent or utilities for an apartment, because I live here, then I am most certainly contributing to bills and mortgage each month.” 

“No-”

“Then we’re not doing this,” she cuts him off, before he can get into his vehement refusal. God she’s real pissed at her dad right now. She knows his comments about her needing to be taken care of have certainly taken root in Darry’s brain, no matter how much they both tried to fight it off. 

“That ain’t fair Betty,” he scowls, and she resists the urge to roll her eyes. She can’t have this turning into an argument this early into the conversation. 

“What would you prefer I do with my salary in your version of this, then?” Betty asks, and she barely stops herself from crossing her arms defensively. “Let it all sit in the bank and just make you pay for me?” She sees him chew on that, and he doesn’t like it. His eyes get all stormy as he seems to go through several arguments and counter arguments in his head. She knows he agrees that would be ridiculous. 

“You shouldn’t have to-”

“Darry, I’m going to show you my paystub from last month. I can help .” She reaches in the folder and grabs the paper before she hands it to him and he scowls at her again. He’s in quite a mood, but he takes the paper and eventually caves and looks down at it. 

“Betty-”

“This is enough that I can live off of each month for everything I need. Mind you, I am mighty careful to make it last. But if I’m living here it cuts out some of the things that eat up a lot of my paycheck, we can really use this to stretch things out for both of us.” She’s glad she took the time to organize her thoughts, because she now feels confident in her plans she proposes. 

“You can’t be expected to have your money go towards me or my brothers for food-”

“Yes I can. I’m paying 50% of the grocery bills,” she says, item number two on her mental list has now been voiced, she thinks in satisfaction.

“Absolutely not.” Darry grunts, looking even more grumpy if that’s possible. She’s a bit wary of pushing him into actually becoming irritated, but she knew he was gonna be stubborn as a mule through this conversation. She powers onwards.

“At this point I might as well just list my demands: I want to be paying 50% of the utilities and groceries, and I will cover my own gas and car insurance payment. Work already takes money out of my paycheck for health insurance, so that’s not an issue. Honestly my one big question is the mortgage on the house and how much that is, cause I want to be contributing to that as well.” He just stares at her, and she figures out exactly what he’s doing pretty quickly, he’s thinking if he doesn’t say anything she’ll eventually cave. She shakes her head at him, and while she’s starting to get annoyed she tries to break down some of the tension by placing a hand to his cheek and stroking it gently for a few moments. 

“You’re serious.” Darry sighs, studying her some more. 

“Yes. I’m serious. I’m not moving in here and making it so you have to work more.” He sighs, because he knows it’s true. And it makes no sense for her to just save all of her money when she would normally use it for rent and groceries anyways. Plus, while she doesn’t know the exact numbers Darry is working with, she knows her contribution is enough to take some of the burden off of his shoulders. If he can just breathe a little easier that is more than worth it to her. 

“I’m sor-”

“No.” She cuts him off, because she doesn’t want an apology. She realizes it comes out a bit harsher than she intends.

“Jesus, woman,” Darry slips, losing a bit of his patience. She raises her brows at that, cause while she knows she’s being stubborn, she’s not about to back down now. He’s being just as stubborn. But she knows they’re both getting a little testy and she needs to calm down a bit. 

“Do you agree to my ideas?” She asks after a moment, softer, but she’s still got her metaphorical heels dug into the ground.

“Betty. It’s too much, I can’t ask that of you-”

“I’m offering . And I know you have about one hundred things you wanna say to tell me no. But I love you, and I love your brothers. I know they’re your priority, and that's part of why I love you. I’m not doing this because I feel bad or obligated, I want to. But Darry, please let me help. ” He stares at her, and his eyes give nothing away for once, so she sits in the silence until he finally nods once in silent acceptance.

“I don’t deserve you.”

“Don’t say things like that. Please,” she says weakly. She hates hearing him talk like that. Now that he’s agreed she wants him to be happy about this. It’s supposed to be a good thing that she's moving in. It’s now that the doubt sneaks in, because of course it must. Maybe she came on too strong, and now he’s regretting the offer. 

“I love you,” he says finally as his conclusion to the discussion, and while he still looks like he’s still digesting it all, he’s finally softened. She feels the relief rush through her veins as she casts the folder aside to the coffee table. 

She decides he’s been a relatively good sport, despite the moodiness, and she figures since they’re conveniently alone she can reward him and herself now with some more kisses.

“I love you too,” she says, before she’s moving in to kiss him. He is soft and tentative at first when their lips meet, and she resolves to get him out of his head because he is so clearly still in it. She snakes a hand around his head and laces it into his hair, and she starts playing with it as she teases his lips to open a bit more with her ministrations. He seems to relax more, as a hand comes to her waist and he pulls her a little closer into the next kiss. She slips her tongue out and starts coaxing him to deepen the kiss and he seems to finally be out of his head as she feels him finally meet her halfway. She makes a noise of approval and scratches at his head a bit as an acknowledgement. She’s very much enjoying this, and honestly, she decides that she’s getting in a mood to take this a bit further. Considering they’re in the living room she’s not intending to go too far, and anyways she’s not quite ready to go all the way, but some of the way, well…

She moves before she can overthink it, and pulls away from his lips. He makes a noise of protest and she watches his eyes open as he tries to bring her back for another kiss. 

She uncrosses her legs from beneath her, and climbs across his lap in a fluid motion so she’s straddling him and she feels a satisfying rush of electricity down her spine. He makes a noise of surprise and she decides to guide his hands to her hips before she leans back in and continues where they left off. God he’s so big. She can feel the way his hands squeeze her hips and extend around to her back and all she can think is she needs more. She wants his hands everywhere at once, but she really wants to feel what it’s like to get those hands on her tits. Just the thought of that sends a jolt down her spine again and she decides that is a very important idea that she will most certainly be initiating. She keeps kissing him as she reaches for the buttons on her blouse, and he seems to be so caught up in what they’re doing that she’s able to get her whole shirt unbuttoned without him noticing. She pulls away from his lips and starts nosing up his jaw towards his ear, pressing fluttering kisses as she goes. His hands have remained firmly at her waist. Squeezing in a way that is very satisfying, but he very obviously does not intend to move them from this spot without her invitation. She gets close to his ear and whispers, 

“Gimme a second.” She feels him nod against her as she pulls back and she quickly gets her hands under the shirt and is undoing her bra beneath it when his eyes open and widen comically. 

“Betty-” God she wants to hear him say her name like that over and over again. Considering the way his pupils dilated she decides to go for it and shrugs the blouse and the bra down her shoulders in one fluid motion.

“Christ,” he says softly, and she sees the way his eyes are on her face, and she knows he’s waiting for her permission. She very much would like him to look and stare as much as he pleases. She has to admit, she has a nice pair of breasts, and she’s pretty damn proud of them if she’s being honest. She had heard some of her fellow nurses talking about push up bras and Betty had mused that she hadn’t needed to buy one of those since high school. Instead of saying a word she just reaches down and grabs his wrists, tugging on them and pulling them away from her waist. She guides them up her belly and then places each hand on a breast with a sigh of contentment. It’s even better than she’d imagined, with his hands being so much bigger than hers she’s biting back a moan at the simple contact alone. 

“Play with them,” she sighs, leaning forward into his touch as she speaks, her eyes falling closed automatically. God his hands, she can’t stop focusing on the way they feel against her skin. It never feels this nice when she’s tried playing with them herself.

“God, you can’t just say stuff like that, gonna kill me,” he sputters, but his hands act on her instructions and squeezes gently. She nods with a breathy sigh at the feeling and her hand returns to the back of his head and she goes back to playing with his hair. She opens her eyes again and sees he’s now finally taking a nice good look at her and she smiles triumphantly. She’s feeling pretty hot and bothered by this particular look he’s giving her, his pupils are huge. 

“C’mon and kiss me,” she encourages, and that seems to finally kick start him back into action, because he starts massaging them gently for a moment and she closes her eyes at the sensation. She doesn’t expect for one hand to leave her breasts and wrap around her low back, pulling her closer to him and also upwards. Her eyes flash open at the motion and she sees he’s moved her so now they’re right at his eye level and he makes a noise of approval

“Stay there.” He instructs with such an intensity she swears she almost melts at the way his voice sounds giving her that kind of instruction. Turns out she may have found a scenario where she doesn’t mind being told what to do; funny how things work like that. She’s so busy musing about that particular discovery that she isn’t prepared for when he moves in and starts adding his mouth into the mix of whatever sorcery he’s doing. It’s kind of embarrassing that the simple contact draws out a true moan that comes out much louder than she intended. She automatically holds his face close to her tits as if it’s a reflex. He makes a noise against her skin that makes her shiver and she is fighting to not put her dead weight onto his chest where she’s sorta straddling him.

“So fucking good, oh my God,” she babbles, unable to think about anything except the way her senses feel like they’re all dialed up to ten. He makes another noise that she thinks is one of agreement; she’s not sure, he seems to be busy enjoying his current task. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathes after a moment, pulling back and she smiles as she catches him looking up at her. The moment doesn’t last long because she lets out a pathetic squeak when his mouth goes straight for her nipple he’s been gently teasing with the pad of his thumb gently. He’s playing games, she thinks as she tries to form a more coherent thought as to how to get back at him.

“Don’t stop, holy shit,” she breathes, unable to hide how much he’s having his desired effect on her. She’s gotta get a grip. He laughs against her and she feels him start to nose between her breasts, and the sight of that, good God she should not be so turned on by the way he looks right now. She sighs out his name, eyes falling shut again.

“Darry-“ 

She cuts herself off as her eyes open to the onslaught of headlights of a car in the driveway peaking through the closed blinds. She feels the rush of terror come over her automatically. Oh God, they’re about to be found like this by his friends and his brothers. She can feel the way he’s frozen against her despite the way he’s still pressed against her tits, looking up at her with the same startled expression. They’re got a minute at most to cover up if they’re extremely lucky. 

“No, please, not right now ,” she whines pathetically, though she knows she should be way more concerned about the fact they’re gonna be caught rather than the fact she does not want him to stop. 

“Shit,” he curses, and she mourns the loss of contact as his hands leave her breasts with a whine. She’s about to scramble off of him cause she knows she needs to move, but he gets one arm under her and pushes to his feet so fast she has to muffle her noise of surprise. He moves so fast she can barely register what’s happening until he’s setting her on a countertop. She feels him take a steadying breath.

“They can’t see us in here,” he murmurs, and she realizes he’s very carefully blocking her exposed upper half with how he’s angling himself if someone were to walk into the room. It makes her heart swell with affection. He’s taken them to the kitchen, and he’s practically panting against her as they both breathe for a second and hear voices and the sound of car doors opening. 

“Can you fix my hair?” she asks softly and she’s slipping the bra back up quickly and starts on the buttons as she hears the boys somehow get distracted by something outside, thank the Lord. Darry is softly running a hand through her hair to smooth it out, and as soon as her top is rebuttoned she gives him a once over and fixes his hair too, ensuring there’s no evidence of what they were up to. It’s as she does this that she feels something hard against her inner thigh from where he’s currently standing between them. She looks down and confirms what she already knew, and she’s pretty proud of herself for that one. Guess he’s a fan of her breasts, she makes a mental note that she'll definitely use that information from now on. She knows it’s entirely unhelpful, but she can’t stop herself from rubbing her leg against him and he makes a strangled noise. He gives her a sharp look and she can tell he’d start to scold her if they weren’t trying to be quiet. Revenge for earlier, she thinks with a small glint in her eyes as she relents and stops the motion after his hand squeezes her leg in warning.

“Can you hide that from them?” She asks softly, glancing towards the direction of the door. She knows he would probably not enjoy  guys getting wind of any of this. She sees the way he tilts his head back in exasperation looking to the ceiling as if it personally wronged him, before he nods in resignation and she plays with the hair at the nape of his neck while he adjusts himself.

“Anybody home?” Soda’s voice sings as the door slams open and she watches as Darry makes a face of such dismay she genuinely feels badly.

 “You two better not be up to anything naughty!” Two Bit adds on with a delighted laugh. Lord if they had come in the door two minutes earlier. 

 “We’re just figuring out what to make for dinner!” Betty calls back, and she gives Darry a soft look. She mouths ‘sorry’ and glances down in reference to his current predicament. She feels bad she got him all riled up, but now they’re both keyed up and have no way of finishing what was started. She really wanted to see where that was gonna go, hell, she was starting to think she might get there just from what they were doing alone. He shrugs and gives her a small quirk of his lips. She is feeling a little bold, and more than a little horny, so she guides one of his hands to a breast over her shirt, and he squeezes her for a brief moment while they both give each other a forlorn look before she sighs in resignation and he withdraws his hands from her person. He takes a step back and she silently gets her feet on the floor and in a stroke of genius she grabs a pan that was on the counter and slips into view. She hears Darry start up the sink and assumes he’s washing his hands and making himself look busy. 

“How’s it hanging boys?” She asks casually. The entire lot of them are in the process of discarding their shoes in a messy pile. 

“Pretty good,” Steve acknowledges. 

“Did y’all know that soc kid’s dad’s trial started today, downtown was crazy I saw the news reporters-” Soda starts blabbing and she almost sighs in relief. Clearly they don’t suspect a thing. She gets the stove to start warming the pan, though she has no clue what they’re gonna cook, but Darry appears next, and he’s got a pack of ground beef in hand and she almost wants to kiss him for being so resourceful. They definitely are in the clear this time, but she makes a mental note to be more careful next time around. She hopes that’s as eventful as their first night of her staying over in this little trial run gets. 

---

Betty feels a kiss on her forehead as she stirs awake. She can tell it’s early, and it’s Saturday so she knows she doesn’t have to work today. She feels the distinct urge to turn over and go back to sleep, and burrows further into the pillow at the thought alone.

“Hmm?” She sighs, feeling the way Darry pushes her hair back gently. 

“Go back to sleep,” he murmurs, and she reaches out for him blindly, and feels him press another kiss to her forehead. 

“You going to work?” She asks softly, gaining enough consciousness to sluggishly realize what’s happening. 

“Yeah. I’ll be home around 6,” he says softly. 

“Okay,” she murmurs, but she reaches up and strokes his cheek with her hand. She feels another kiss, this time to her palm, and she snuggles back into the blankets as she feels him leave her side. She misses his presence immediately, but she falls back asleep to the sounds of him moving around quietly and getting ready for his day. 

---

When Betty wakes up again it’s light out and she feels much more amenable to getting out of bed this time around. She stretches with a grin and rolls out of the bed, grateful for the carpet to warm her toes as she pads into the kitchen. Ponyboy is curled up on the couch and Soda is sprawled out beside him, and they both look like they’re still waking up. 

“Good morning,” Betty mutters softly, still in that period of waking where she doesn’t feel the urge to speak much. Soda must be feeling similarly, because he returns the greeting with an ambiguous grunt of acknowledgement. She smirks as she goes for the coffee maker and gets it brewing before she curls up in Darry’s chair and pulls a blanket over her lap. They all sit in comfortable silence as the coffee slowly brews. Usually the boys are more energetic in the morning, but she figures they’re just a bit slow to rise today.

“What’s for breakfast?” Ponyboy eventually asks. 

“I dunno,” Soda replies, stretching like a cat at the prompting. If nothing else, their appetites will get them moving. 

“I can make some scrambled eggs,” Betty offers, she figures that’s always a safe bet.

“Eggs and cake sounds pretty good to me,” Soda agrees. 

It’s about twenty minutes later when they’re all eating with the tv on softly in the background when Ponyboy speaks again.

“Betty, are you busy today?” he asks softly. She looks over and sees a somewhat melancholic look on both of their faces. 

“Not at all, I’ve got the weekend off,” she replies as she sets her fork down on her now clean plate in her lap. 

“Could you drive us somewhere?” Ponyboy asks, and Lord this boy has the best puppy eyes she’s ever seen. She’s already happy to drive them without any convincing, but he drives a hard bargain with those eyes. 

“Sure sugar, where do you need to go?” There’s a long pause.

“The cemetery, it’s too far to walk and Darry has the car,” Soda explains when Ponyboy looks down at the question. She swallows, and tries to keep her reaction from her face. They wanna see their parents, she thinks with an aching heart. 

“Of course,” she says softly. 

“It’s mom’s birthday,” Ponyboy explains, and Soda is already slinging an arm around him in a gesture of comfort. If that doesn’t just break her heart to see them looking at her hopefully.

“What time would you like to go? Would you rather wait to go with Darry?” She asks, figuring all three of them might like to go together. Soda shakes his head almost sadly. 

“No. He wouldn’t come if we asked him,” Soda explains. She has about eight follow up questions to that particular statement, but she knows that’s not the important thing for her to focus on right now. 

“We can go whenever you want, I can take us to the store if you want to get some flowers?” She offers. 

“Thank you,” Ponyboy says, giving her a look of gratefulness that makes her heart ache. She resolves to do everything she can to take care of all three of the boys today. 

---

Taking the boys to the cemetery practically breaks her heart. She’d offered to drop them off and give them space to spend some time together and Soda had given her a grateful nod and she’d picked them up about an hour later. She could tell they’d both been crying, but she could see the small smiles on their faces and knew that going to see their mom seems to have overall brought them some comfort. Now, they’re back at the house where she’s got a lasagna in the oven cooking, and Ponyboy is currently reading to them as Betty sips on a glass of wine. She hears the door open and turns to look at Darry, who gives her a weary grin as he starts taking off his boots.

“Hey Darry,” Soda greets.

“Hi, what did y’all get up to today?” Darry asks with a tired smile. It seems like he’s handling the day pretty well, based on his current affect. She glances over at the brothers who both look at each other and seem to hesitate. 

“What?” Darry asks, his smile has been wiped off his face. 

“We went to see momma,” Ponyboy says softly, “Since it’s her birthday.” Betty sees both of his brothers watching him warily, and she watches his face closely. As she’s become accustomed to, his expression doesn’t give anything away, but his eyes flash an emotion she can only describe as anguish for a long pause before he starts moving again when his mind seems to finally catch up. He doesn’t say a word, and Betty sees the way his eyes have gone eerily blank as he seems to just continue going through the motions of getting home. 

“Darry-” Soda begins gently. 

“I’m gonna go shower,” he mumbles, and he slips across the room without further acknowledgement of any of them. They all stay quiet until they hear the shower going and the door close firmly. 

“Is he mad?” Ponyboy asks Soda with a worried glance. 

“No, he’s just sad like we are. He shows it differently than us, Pone,” Soda reassures, but Betty can hear the exhaustion in his voice. It’s clear Darry’s shutting down, too locked in his own thoughts to deal with the outside world. She wonders if this is how he grieved the first time around, she assumes so, considering the way Ponyboy and Soda seem used to the reaction. She knows he’s told her about feeling like he was in survival mode, and just pushed forward until he felt like he could finally take a breath after the entire ordeal. It seems like this reminder has sent him right back into the worst of it all. 

“Was this what it was like?’ Betty asks softly, glancing over at them. 

“Yeah. I think the thought of going to see them hurts too much. We asked him once, but he was like that for a couple days before he came out of it,” Soda says softly. She doesn’t know what to say, honestly there really isn’t anything to say, so she just nods. Hell they really have some great timing of trial running her staying at the house for a few days, she wonders if it’s better to leave and give them space just the three of them for a couple days. 

“Maybe Betty being here will help,” Ponyboy says hopefully, looking at her again with those sad green eyes. 

“Remember, we just gotta go easy on him, Pony. He’s had a long day,” Soda reminds, ruffling his brother’s hair as he pushes to his feet. 

“I can set the table,” Betty offers, following after Soda as she pushes to her feet. 

Puttering about the kitchen at least makes her feel useful, and she starts thinking of what all she can do to help. Pulling the lasagna out of the oven, she feels pretty lost for ideas. He’s been in the shower for quite a while. He didn’t get home until 6:30 pm, and it's past 7:15 at this point and Darry still hasn’t come back. 

“Betty made lasagna,” she hears Ponyboy say from the living room. She spares a glance and sees Darry has reappeared in the living room, his hair is wet and the curls are barely starting to form across his forehead.

“Thanks,” he says, and his voice sounds so hollow it actually scares her a bit. She has to resist the urge to start peppering him with questions she knows he can’t deal with right now like: are you okay?
“It should be cooled off enough now, we can probably start eating,” she says, moving to place the large pan in the center of the kitchen table. 

“I’m starving,” Ponyboy mumbles, and he’s making a beeline for the table. At least someone will have an appetite for her food, she thinks fondly. 

Darry barely says two words the entire time they’re eating, and it’s mostly Betty and Soda filling the heavy air with conversations about Two Bit’s latest saga; he claims there’s a fox trying to come after the chickens and he’s determined to trap the thing. 

“I ain’t ever seen a fox here,” Ponyboy mutters. 

“That’s ‘cause there ain’t any,” Soda replies insistently, gesturing wildly. 

“There could be,” Betty disagrees. “There’s definitely ones out in the farmlands.”

“Yeah, but we’re in a neighborhood, where they gonna be hiding most of the time? There’s houses everywhere!” Soda exclaims. 

“Well, maybe Two Bit will catch one and prove it,” Betty grins. 

“That trap he’s got couldn’t keep a mouse trapped,” Ponyboy snorts. “I watched him build it.” Darry stands up abruptly, and Betty has to resist the urge to flinch. It reminds her for a flash of her father coming home in a mood and souring the entire evening until he eventually snapped at someone, usually her. Darry isn’t mad, she reminds herself, and she’s pushing to her feet as he starts collecting dishes. 

“You boys go see what’s on the tv,” Betty encourages with a smile, and gives them a look that hopefully conveys that she's got this. 

“Maybe one of those westerns is on,” Soda says with a nod to Betty as soon as Darry turns around. 

“Let us know what you find!” Betty encourages as she heads for the sink and Darry is already washing the first plate. His eyes are trained downwards and staring into the soapy water as his hands seem to move automatically through the motions. She figures her best bet is to start drying them as he finishes, though she hates the task much more than actually washing the dishes. She doesn’t think asking him to switch will do any good. 

“How was work?” She finally asks softly. She’s trying to coax him gently. The only indication that he’s heard her is that his eyes flit over to her for a split second. 

“I forgot that it was today,” he finally says, so quiet she barely catches it. She nods, it explains why he seemed so taken by surprise when his brothers brought their mother’s birthday up. 

“I asked them if you would want to go with them to see her, I’m sorry-”

“I don’t,” he replies sharply, and she grimaces at the tone he uses. He’s hurting, she reminds herself silently. 

“Okay.” She replies, trying to sound as soothing as she can. They don’t speak again for the rest of the time they clean up the kitchen. 

Taking a hot shower is a much needed reprieve, and she figures it’s a good time for the boys to maybe talk about things without her present. She therefore takes her time, and enjoys the embrace of the warm water for as long as she feels is reasonable. Putting on her face cream and going through her nightly routine at least soothes her nerves, and she figures it’ll be helpful to gather her thoughts before she goes to his room. She slips out of the bathroom and clearly the boys are all getting ready for bed themselves and everyone is turning in early this evening. Betty slips past Soda who gives her an encouraging nod as she goes to get herself a glass of water to bring to bed with her. By the time she’s slipping into Darry’s room, she spots him in the bathroom brushing his teeth alongside his brothers. She sighs as she closes the door and takes a second to just sit on the edge of the bed. It’s hard. Up until this point they’ve almost exclusively been around each other when things are good. It’s easy to be in love when there’s no problems; the true test is how you navigate things when everything isn’t okay. His silence does not equate to anger, and while she knows this intellectually, emotionally it still is a challenging pill to swallow. She’s already settled under the covers and propped up with a pillow and a book in hand as she tries to occupy her mind when he slips in the door. She hears him murmur a goodnight to his brothers before he closes the door softly, and he climbs under the covers wordlessly, and just lays on his back, eyes gazing at the ceiling without a word. She tries to think of what to say, but every option leaves her feeling scared he’ll snap at her for trying, like her father would’ve. Which feels foolish, because she cares about him so much, and she shouldn’t stop trying to take care of him just because of a scenario she’s made up in her head, which she knows isn’t real. Her father sure left his mark on her in some ways.

“Darry?” She waits, and holds her breath a bit, seeing if he’ll respond. 

“Can we turn the lights out?” he croaks out and she looks over at him. His eyes finally look over at her, and there’s only one thing they’re saying. Please. She sets the book aside without another word and flicks off the lamp before she’s crawling under the blankets, situating herself to lay down beside him. She understands what he’s asking for. He needs the comfort that only the safety of the dark can provide, where he can feel like the world is no longer weighing down on his shoulders. She knows the feeling of laying in the darkness just wishing the enveloping blackness would hold her tightly the way her mother would.

God, when was the last time someone just held him? She’s seen him comfort his brothers and hold them plenty, hell, he’s held her when she needed comfort. But when was the last time someone comforted him in the way he’s been comforting everyone else? That is something she can do. She can hold up the weight world for him as long as he needs. She turns enough to get both hands on his shoulders, and she sees his eyes lock on to her at the contact. 

“C’mere,” she says gently, and starts to guide him to her. He moves under her ministrations, until one hand is resting on his upper back and the other snakes beneath him to wrap around to play with his hair gently. He’s stiff as she holds his head against her, making sure his ear is resting right where he can hear her heartbeat. She just starts praying he meets her halfway, gives her any sign that this is helping in any capacity. She feels him seem to register what she’s trying to do and he finally relaxes. She feels him sag against her, and he wraps an arm around her waist and just melts into her embrace. She starts scratching his hair gently, and she rests her chin on his head. She feels him breathing against her, the way his chest rises and falls, and she just waits.

 She feels him move to try and look up at her, but she keeps him held firmly against her. 

“I just wanna hold you.” She explains, before she presses a kiss to the top of his head. God, he’s so strong, she’s not sure she would have survived if she was in his shoes. She might not know what he’s thinking right now, or what to say to comfort him, but she can do this for him at the very least. He’s been the one holding it together for his brothers, and she’s trying to give him the opportunity to break if he wants to, hidden in the protective veil of the dark, away from prying eyes, even her own.

“I know Pony and Soda wanted to ask, but I can’t go visit them,” he says, voice thick as she continues to cradle his head, running her fingers through the curls gently. 

“You don’t need to justify anything to me-”

“I had to see them.” Betty pauses at this. 

“What?”

“I had-” He stops and she swears his voice almost broke. “I had to see them. Their bodies.” 

“Darry,” she murmurs, the thought brings tears to her eyes, and they’re threatening to spill over at record speed. She can’t even imagine it. 

“I couldn’t let the boys see, Betty. It was awful, and I had to tell them no to seeing their faces at the funeral because I knew what they looked like. And when they ask me to go to visit their graves, all I can see is what our parents looked like when I went down to the hospital that day.” Any chance she had on planning to be unshaken, steady, and comforting is gone; she’s got tears already streaking her cheeks. Thankfully he’ll be none the wiser from his current spot, and she focuses on keeping her voice smooth. 

“Darry, I’m so sorry,” she whispers, and she holds him a bit tighter. 

“I- I don’t wanna remember them like that-” He cuts himself off with a heartbreaking choking sound, and she realizes the dam must’ve broken because he’s squeezing her tightly and she feels the distinct feeling of hot tears making contact on her skin near her collarbone. He’s crying silently, she notes, even now he’s still holding back.  

“I’ve got you,” she murmurs, and she feels the way he tries to move away at the reminder she’s here, as if he’s ashamed. She won’t have that for an instant. “You don’t have to be strong right now.” She feels him inhale sharply, and it’s then she’s broken down the last wall he was trying to keep up. His sobs are quiet little broken ones, and she’s crying right along with him, pressing repeated kisses to his hair as she just holds him tightly. 

“I miss them. I miss her,” he chokes out, and she’s nodding against him. 

“You’re so selfless.”

“I’m not-”

“You are . You took this on so they wouldn’t have to. And you’ve been carrying the weight of it all this time,” she murmurs, using her hand that was around his shoulder to swipe a thumb across his cheek. “You can let it go now.” That brings on another round of choked sounds and she holds him through it. She takes in a deep breath, emphasizing the way her ribs rise and fall against his cheek, a reminder he’s not alone.

“I’m sorry, I know the way I acted tonight wasn’t fair.”

“You’re allowed to grieve. And I’m right here, okay?” She says softly. She doesn’t give a damn if he was a bit short with them. 

“I don’t know how.” He says it so mournfully it just about breaks her heart. 

“That’s okay too,” she replies. They must stay like this for a good twenty minutes, and she just holds him and murmurs reassurances against his hair, letting her own tears fall in earnest. He just clings to her; finally allowing himself to start to grieve the innocence he lost that day in order to spare his brothers. He eventually falls asleep like this, and she makes sure to keep stroking his hair until his breathing levels out, and only then does she allow her own exhaustion to take over.

Notes:

Note, I survived Labor and Delivery but just barely. Thank GOD that's done.

Betty POV and we love her for it. She learned a lot this chap.

ALSO they got horny this chapter yall, but ofc I had to be mean and cut it off 😂 can't speed up the slow burn too much, we gotta tease it out lol 😉 I need validation cause lemme tell you idk if that whole part is trash or not.

Betty, after having one adult conversation: I hated that, I'm gonna make out with you now 😊
Darry, who's still trying to process what just happened: okay?????

Also Curtis brothers I'm so sorry I made y'all sad again this chapter but I HAD to because I think it is integral to Betty better understanding all three of them as people. Also I just think about Darry trying to take on the brunt of everything after their parents died and how much it weighs on him. I think while he does tend to lean on Soda some, deep down there's some parts of the burden he just refuses to share with his brothers, he wants to preserve what youthfulness they have left.

Come say hi in comments or on tumblr!!!

Chapter 29: Chap 29

Summary:

Sunday shenanigans with the gang and chores with the Curtis bros

Notes:

Welcome back guys, my wifi at my apartment is down but these bitches can't stop me I have 5G phone hotspot. (I refuse to not post my fics using my computer I need the big screen to see, does that mean I'm getting old lol?)

Anyways see y'all in the end notes, have fun!!

Darry wonders when exactly coffee had transitioned from something bitter that he forced himself to drink for the much needed caffeine into something that soothes his nerves and actually tastes good. He’d never been a coffee drinker before their parents died, and it was only when he started working as many hours as he could the first weeks that he started. He began brewing what remained of his parent’s coffee in the kitchen in order to keep himself awake and going despite the fact he was running on empty. He’d hated the taste, and he’d forced himself to choke it down with a grimace, because he was so tired each day he was starting to worry he’d get himself hurt.

But now he’s lounging in the recliner on a Sunday morning and he’s savoring a sip of coffee with a grateful hum as he sets the cup back on the table beside him. Last night was difficult, and he still can’t really believe he’d broken down in front of Betty, but despite how vulnerable it felt at the time, he feels like some of the weight has indeed been lifted. Still, the experience has left him feeling a bit exhausted, despite the more than adequate amount of sleep he got. It was difficult to talk about something he’d been keeping for so long, but maybe she had a point about letting himself to feel the grief instead of avoiding it entirely. He’s not sure what to think of this particular epiphany; so far tamping his emotions down until they boil over has been his only strategy. He doesn’t know anything different. 

“Is coffee really that good?” Ponyboy asks from the couch, eyeing Darry’s mug in response to his noise of contentment. He’s curled up in the middle, and has his feet cross Soda’s lap. Johnny is on the other side of Ponyboy, and he honestly looks like he’s still half asleep. Darry wonders if he can convince him to go back to bed, but he’d complained that Steve was snoring in Soda’s old room and he’d just decided to get up. The two of them must’ve come over after Darry had gone to bed last night. He’s glad they’re listening to his rule of no sleeping in the lot anymore, especially since they’re in November now.

“You won’t like it,” Darry replies, and it’s true. All three of them have a sweet tooth at baseline, but Ponyboy would definitely not enjoy the black coffee Darry currently has. 

“It’s bitter Pony,” Soda agrees. Soda has enough energy he doesn’t need coffee, but Darry sees him drink it on occasion. 

“I thought people said it can taste sweet?” Ponyboy grumbles. 

“Darry doesn’t put any milk or sugar in his,” Soda says with a wrinkled nose. It’s true, but not because he doesn’t want to. It’s cheaper to just drink his coffee black. 

“It really is bitter Pony, I think you’d like this tea better,” Johnny mumbles as he pulls a blanket tighter around himself, cupping a mug that Darry had forced into his hands. He knows Johnny loves tea, and he was already up making coffee, so despite Johnny’s protest that he was fine he’s got some tea and honey that Darry had whipped up for him. 

“I’m not a grandma Johnny! Why would I drink tea?” Guess Ponyboy is now ‘too cool’ for tea, Darry smirks. 

“I like it,” Johnny shrugs, shooting Ponyboy an eye roll as he takes a sip. Despite still waking up, Darry can tell Johnny’s more than ready to start being sarcastic. The shower starts up and Darry knows Betty got up a few minutes ago and had slipped into the bathroom wordlessly, he’d spotted her in the corner of his eye. He assumes she must have decided to shower to wake herself up, and he’s figured out sometimes she doesn’t want to talk right when she wakes up, so he left her be.

“You can try my coffee but you can’t start crying about how it tastes bad,” Darry offers solely for his own entertainment. He knows the tea with honey is much sweeter and right up Ponyboy’s alley. Darry will occasionally drink some before bed when he needs it to try to relax, but Ponyboy seems to be dead focused on his coffee. 

“I ain’t gonna be a baby about it!” Ponyboy protests, pushing up from the couch and making a beeline to Darry who's currently got the mug in his hand. He eyes his brother as he stands there expectantly, Ponyboy seems to have taken this on as a personal challenge. Unfortunately he is so focused on this, he is none the wiser that Steve has wordlessly appeared and had zero qualms about stealing Ponyboy’s spot on the couch 

“Gimme-”

“Do not spit it back out into my mug,” Darry says sternly as he hands it over. Wasting the rest of his coffee would be a damn shame, no matter how funny this may be.
“I’m not gonna!” Famous last words, he thinks. He watches his brother take a big sip, because apparently a small taste wasn’t gonna be enough; Darry does get distinct joy in watching the myriad of expressions he seems to make in quick succession. He watches the way Ponyboy almost spits it out into the mug just as Darry predicted before he swallows it with a grimace. 

“Delicious ain’t it?” Darry taunts, though he knows he shouldn’t rile Ponyboy up. 

“Uh huh,” Ponyboy chokes out, his face contorted in an effort to hide his distaste.

“Wanna keep that mug? I can go pour myself another one.” He knows now he’s just playing chicken with Ponyboy, but it’s too entertaining to pass up. Ponyboy sags in defeat and hands it back. 

“No. It’s nasty,” Ponyboy sighs. He turns to go back to the couch, “Hey! I was sitting there, Randle!”

“I didn’t see you here when I came to sit,” Steve replies with a shrug and a smug look. 

“Ugh! Move it Steve!”

“No way-”

“WAKEY WAKEY BOYS!” Two Bit’s voice carries through the whole room as he hauls the front door open. Darry winces at the ruckus, it’s too early for anyone to be yelling that loud for any reason. 

“Two Bit why are you yelling?” Soda whines, looking put out by it all. 

“I got ’em boys! I finally caught the bastard!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Dally’s head appears in the doorway where he’s currently smoking a cigarette on their porch. 

“How long have you been here?” Darry sputters. He hadn’t a clue Dally was on their porch smoking. 

“I dunno-”

“We gotta focus! The trap I set up for the animal trying to get into the chicken coop caught something!” Two Bit exclaims loudly.

“Wait, really?” Ponyboy asks, looking quite shocked.

“Yes, now everyone get your asses up, we’re gonna go see what it is! Imma prove to all of you that fox is real!”

“Do we have to go right now?” Steve whines. 

“C’mon I caught the fuckin fox!” Two Bit yells excitedly. Darry hears a whoop from down the hall he wasn’t expecting. The water turns off. 

“You caught it?!” Betty’s voice yells, and Darry figures Two Bit was making enough of a ruckus that she could hear through the thin walls. 

“Yes!” Two Bit hollers back, looking delighted that someone is showing some excitement at his announcement. 

“Oh my God! Do not leave without me!” She’s yelling and Darry hears several thumping noises come from the bathroom that make him nervous before the door flies open and she’s wrapped in a towel, scrambling down the hall. “Wait for me, I’m not joking!” She calls out as she slips into Darry’s room. 

“Finally, someone cares!” Two Bit exclaims.

“It’s probably an empty trap,” Ponyboy mutters. 

“No it ain’t! I heard noises coming from it!” Two Bit retorts. 

“I think it’s a cat,” Soda says with a lazy stretch. 

“A cat don’t care about chickens!” Betty says breathlessly as she comes running into the room, her clothes thrown on and her hair falling into her face as she tucks it back. 

“What is going on?’ Darry mumbles out loud. He honestly has no clue why they’re all so up in arms. 

“Y’all just don’t wanna admit we’re right!” Two Bit exclaims, throwing an arm around Betty’s shoulder and shaking her excitedly. 

“It’s not a fox!” Ponyboy agrees, and it seems like he’s decided to take Soda’s stance on the matter. 

“Well, whatever it is, I wanna see what he caught,” Steve says, pushing to his feet. Darry feels like he has no choice but to follow the horde when Betty comes over and holds out a hand expectantly. He would’ve been fine staying here with his coffee and just hearing what they found when they came back, but he ain’t gonna tell her no. 

While they’re trailing after the boys she turns to him. 

“How are you feeling?” She asks gently, and he squeezes his hand a bit. He swallows as he processes the question. 

“I think talking about it helped,” he admits, she lights up at this.

“Good. We can always talk more later if you’d like.” She says, offering it to him. He’s not sure what he’ll do, but it helps to know she’s willing to. He's still trying to figure out exactly how to grieve.

“Now what do you think Two Bit caught?” She asks, letting him drop the subject, eyeing the group to ensure they don’t influence his answer. 

“I dunno.”

“That’s a boring answer!”

“Well. I don’t.” He shrugs. 

“At least guess!” She says as they slow to a stop where Two Bit has a wooden crate that is weighed down by some rocks in the yard. 

“I don’t think it’s a wild animal,” Darry finally says and she gasps in offense. 

“Darry! You’re supposed to agree with me!”

“Am I?” He says with a raised brow. “I’ve lived in this house my whole life, and I’ve never seen a fox or something of the likes in this neighborhood. Soda’s probably right, it’s probably someone’s pet cat.” 

“See!” Soda exclaims as they all sorta crowd around the crate giving it a generous radius. 

“Why would a cat be trying to get into a chicken coop?” Betty asks, and he shrugs at this. He thinks she’s thinking way too hard about this. 

“Alright, everyone take your bets. Team Curtis says it’s a cat.” Two Bit says with a grin. 

“I agree with Soda,” Steve says, earning a cheer from Soda and Ponyboy.

“I’m on team fox with you Two Bit,” Betty reiterates with a firm nod. 

“I think it’s nothing,” Dally says with a smirk. 

“What about a raccoon?” Johnny asks, “I feel like a fox is too big for that trap.”

“Wait! That’s true!” Betty says excitedly. 

“You just insisted it was a fox-” Darry points out. 

“I didn’t finalize my answer!” Betty retorts. He snorts at that.

“Johnny’s got a point,” Two Bit agrees contemplatively. “Alright, final answer. I think it’s a fox or raccoon.”

“Me too.” Betty pipes up. 

“I’m tired of waiting, it’s empty,” Dally grumbles before he goes for the crate and lifts it up. “Fuck!” He yelps. There’s a distinct flash of a masked face before he puts the crate down over it swiftly. Even Darry can’t deny what they all just saw.

“It’s a raccoon!” Two Bit exclaims, “Take that you fuckin’ non-believers!”

“Jesus, you really did trap it huh?” Dally says, looking like he’s still recovering from the surprise that the trap wasn’t empty. 

“I knew it!” Betty says, pumping a fist in excitement. 

“Where did he even come from?” Soda asks, sounding baffled. 

“I’ve seen ‘em out at night,” Johnny replies. “They like to get into trash cans.”
“That’s cheating Johnny!” Ponyboy says, looking upset at the fact they lost their little competition. 

“No it ain’t. I’ve even been walking with you and seen some,” Johnny replies with a grin. 

“So uh, what do I do with it? It’s been trying to mess with the hens.” Two Bit asks with a questioning look. 

“Kill it?” Dally asks, Darry figures that’s probably the best choice. They have to be smart about it though, he can’t have someone getting bitten and have to go to the hospital for rabies shots.

“No!” Ponyboy and Johnny cry in horror. Oh Lord, not this, Darry thinks. 

“It’s a pest and it’s trying to eat the chickens,” Darry explains. 

“It ain’t hurting anything though, it hasn’t actually hurt them!” Ponyboy reasons. 

“He’s gotta point,” Soda says with soft eyes. 

“I dunno, then just let it go,” Steve shrugs, looking completely uninterested in the debate.

“I think it probably won’t come back after this,” Betty says, nodding to the raccoon's current entrapment. 

“You know on farms they have to kill animals that are trying to harm the livestock?” Darry asks, giving them all a look. 

“You gonna kill it then?” Soda asks, raising his brows. Darry sighs, because there is a reason he’s not a farmer. He might not mind hunting, but killing the little critter like this feels kinda wrong. 

“I’m not killing the raccoon,” Darry grunts, because of course Soda has to do this. Just cause Darry doesn’t have the heart to, doesn’t mean he’s wrong about how they should deal with it. 

“Christ, just let the thing go,” Dally grumbles, before he’s lifting the crate and the raccoon hisses at them wildly before fleeing to some bushes and disappearing from sight. They all stand there for a moment, it all feels sorta anticlimactic in the end. 

“Wait, why didn’t we just use Pip?! He’s a coonhound!” Steve exclaims and Darry lets out a groan of exasperation, now he says it. 

---

While Sunday is Darry’s day off, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to still do chores and other shit he’d prefer to ignore. This seems to be the general consensus around 5pm for everyone in the house. He’s set up and ironing clothes in the living room, Soda is currently re-sewing some buttons onto a shirt, Betty had insisted she help by folding laundry, and Ponyboy is sat across from Soda at the kitchen table doing his homework. Darry had been so in his own world, just focusing on ironing each item he’d pulled from what feels like a never ending pile that it isn’t until he hears his name mentioned that his attention is redirected. 

“Just ask Darry silly,” Soda says softly, looking up from his current task. Ponyboy has a look of frustration across his face, and he rubs a hand against his cheek with a groan. 

“It’s fine, I’ll figure it out,” Ponyboy mutters, but he stares at the paper in front of him as if it’s personally offending him. 

“What’s getting you tripped up Ponyboy?” Betty asks from her spot on the couch. 

“Trigonometry,” Ponyboy groans, sounding quite forlorn for reasons Darry cannot understand. 

“Darry, come help Ponyboy, you’re the math genius Mr. Accounting Major,” Soda interjects, giving Ponyboy an affectionate smile despite the glare he gets in return. Darry realizes Pony is being too stubborn to ask for help, but clearly Soda knows he’s getting himself all frustrated and decided to put a stop to it. He sets the iron so it’s propped up on the table and won’t burn anything before he slips around the board and into the kitchen. He pulls out the chair on the other side of Ponyboy and sits down, his knees thank him for it.

“What’s the problem?” He asks, trying to get a look at the papers Ponyboy is currently hunched over. 

“Angles, I dunno,” Ponyboy murmurs, giving him a side eye before reluctantly handing over the worksheet. 

“Oh like the sine and cosine stuff with the triangles? I hated that when I was in school!” Betty chimes in from the living room in sympathy as he scans over the sheet. 

“I don’t even know what those words mean,” Soda muses with a grin, and he hears Betty let out a laugh. Darry knows Soda is real happy he never had to take this class.

“You got the first six right, but the one you’re working on now is wrong,” Darry explains as he looks over each problem Ponyboy’s done so far. He’s done well, but Darry knows math is his least favorite subject, and sometimes Ponyboy just gets tired of it and doesn’t wanna finish the homework. He just needs a little pushing to finish it out.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with it,” Ponyboy huffs. He’s only got four more problems left, and if he just calms himself down a bit and thinks it through, Darry’s pretty sure he’ll finish it in ten minutes tops. He’s just on one of his little meltdowns. 

“Well, what is your angle?”  He prompts setting the paper down and pointing at the page, it’s a given question. He knows Ponyboy knows this, cause he’s already marked it with his pencil.  

“I don’t know,” Ponyboy mutters. Darry sighs, because now Ponyboy is just giving up without trying. He literally already answered it by writing on the page.

“Yes you do, look at the page.” Darry replies, pointing at the triangle with his finger. He feels a flare of annoyance at his brother, but he swallows it down. He’s trying to be patient like Soda tells him to be.

“I don’t!” Ponyboy snaps. 

“It’s right here and you know it. Now what is the equation for the sine of an angle?” Darry prompts him, pushing past the little tantrum and trying to keep him going. 

“Adjacent side divided by opposite side,” Ponyboy sighs, staring at the page as he furrows his brow. 

“No. You know that’s wrong,” Darry mutters with exasperation. Ponyboy is just being lazy at this point. He thinks that having Darry here to help means Ponyboy hopes he’ll just do the rest of the work for him. But that won’t help him on the exam.

“I don’t know Darry! If I knew it, I’d be done with this stupid worksheet!” Ponyboy snaps again, shooting him a glare as he clenches his pencil tightly. 

“Okay, why don’t you write the three equations for sine, cosine, and tangent on the top of the page?” Darry asks, tapping the worksheet in emphasis. If Pony’s gonna claim he forgot them then he might as well make him write them out. 

“Sine is adjacent over opposite,” Ponyboy says again more firmly, and Darry barely bites back a groan of exasperation. Now he’s just being stubborn, he can see Ponyboy knows it too, based on the face he’s making.

“It’s not Ponyboy!” He replies, giving his brother a scolding look. 

“I don’t even want your help!” Ponyboy replies, giving him another look as he drops his pencil. 

“You have to finish your homework, you have school tomorrow. Pick your pencil back up,” Darry sighs, and he knows he’s being short with Pony now. But he doesn’t get why he’s making this all more complicated than it needs to be. 

“I will! Once you leave me alone!” Ponyboy snarls. 

“Write out the equation for sine-”

“I don’t know it!” 

“Yes you do.” Darry repeats, and he knows he’s raising his voice but Ponyboy is just grating on his last nerve and he knows Ponyboy knows the right equation because he’s already done half the fucking problems. 

“Stop yelling at me!” Ponyboy shouts, and that just snaps something in Darry’s patience. 

“I’m not yelling! Just write out the equation Ponyboy, I don’t understand why you’re doing this-”

“Leave me alone!” Ponyboy yells and Darry sees the moment angry tears start to streak his cheeks and he pushes away from the table, jostling the whole thing. 

“Uh uh! Sit. You’re not going anywhere until you finish this,” Darry snaps, giving Ponyboy a stern look. 

“Darry, let’s give him a minute-” Soda interjects. That only makes him more annoyed, because of course Soda’s taking the other side of this.

“No. He can’t get out of his schoolwork by throwing a tantrum-” 

“Alright, I’m calling a five minute time out,” Betty’s voice intervenes and Darry turns to see her slipping into the kitchen with her brows all scrunched up. He feels the sharp jab of betrayal at her agreement with his brothers.

“No-” Darry begins. 

“Yes, just five minutes. Ponyboy, why don’t you go to your room and drink some water and take some breaths,” Betty encourages gently, very carefully placing her hand on his brother’s shoulder. Darry feels like he sees red; Ponyboy and his little show has even his girlfriend against him now. With her permission, Ponyboy is hightailing it out of the kitchen before Darry can get a single word in.

“Asshole!” Ponyboy hisses, and Darry barely holds back snapping at him, only because Betty is currently in front of him. It takes only a second before Soda follows him wordlessly, giving Darry a tired look that tells him Soda is firmly on Ponyboy’s side. Betty finally makes eye contact with him from where she stands behind Ponyboy’s abandoned seat.

“What the hell? You can’t just let him run away from something cause it’s hard!” Darry snaps, and he knows it’s not fair to immediately turn his frustration to her, but he’s exhausted and he just wants to get this done with so he’s not stuck being up late helping Ponyboy with homework.

“I’m not. But he was getting real worked up. He wasn’t gonna be able to think until he gets a bit calmer-”

“I’m his guardian, and I gotta make sure he gets all his school work done! I’m the one who has to make him do things he needs to do, even if he doesn’t want to!” Darry pushes, because Christ, can she not see he’s trying to parent his brother? Instead she’s looking at him like he’s the bad guy. It stings more than he cares to admit, and that alone raises his hackles for a fight. 

“I know that,” she replies, crossing her arms. The gesture only makes him more mad, because now she looks pissed off and he’s not even done anything wrong! She’s the one who took the side of his brothers over him, and it hurts. 

“If I wanted your opinion on how to deal with either of them, I’ll ask . You can’t just come in here and undermine me-” 

“Undermine you?!” She scoffs. He sees the way her eyes narrow and her brows scrunch together.  

“I’m in charge of-”

“You sure as hell aren’t in charge of me!” She interrupts, and she’s definitely shouting, which means he must’ve been too. Plus, that wasn’t even what he was gonna say!

“Stop cutting me off!” He snaps, but he makes an effort to lower his voice, noticing the way his throat twinges at the volume he was speaking at. 

“I will if you stop scolding me for trying to help,” she bites back, giving him a challenging look. It’s then that he finally sees the way her hands are just ever so slightly shaking at her sides. He feels like he’s been dropped into a frozen lake as a jolt rushes over him; whatever he was about to say is long gone. She’s scared of him and he feels sick at the thought. The wave of self loathing is so strong it feels like a kick in the stomach. He wonders if Ponyboy is scared of him too? Was that why he was really crying? He feels the distinct urge to backpedal. 

“Betty-” 

“What?” She asks, voice steady as she looks at him, her fiery eyes alight in challenge. 

“You’re scared of me,” He observes, trying to soften his tone as much as he can, despite the fact he’s still simmering with irritation. She blinks in surprise, and somehow her entire demeanor softens ever so slightly for a brief moment. She looks at him for a moment before she speaks. 

“Lord have mercy, Darry. I’m not scared of you!” She scoffs, as if she finds the entire notion ridiculous. He wasn’t expecting that. He figured this was the part where they’d make up; instead she’s just continuing onward. 

“Your hands.” He points out, but the way she’s continued on with their own little argument without a moment’s hesitation has his head spinning. 

“Well, I don’t particularly enjoy conflict,” she snaps. “My hands can shake without it meaning I’m scared of you.” The admission makes the part of him that was worried about scaring her disappear. “Why the hell would I be scared of you? I’m plenty pissed, believe me, but I’m not gonna run off just cause you decided to start hollering for no reason! Stop trying to distract me from this!”

“You think I like this?” He snaps, because the accusation gets him right back into the throes of it. She clearly isn’t done with fighting, and to be honest, neither is he.

“No. I think you’re having your own little fit just like your brother,” she replies, crossing her arms again and giving him a challenging look. That one makes his temper flare, because there’s a part of him that knows she’s right. He doesn’t like it at all. 

“Don’t condescend to me-”

“It doesn’t feel nice does it?” She interrupts and he swears she’s trying to rile him up at this point, “Telling me I’m undermining you was just as condescending and you know it!” He can barely wrap his head around what she’s saying before she keeps going. “And then you just start hollering at me! I was trying to help you!”

“He’ll do things like this Betty, he’ll throw a fit and get all worked up for nothing.” He tries to insist, wanting her to understand. “And sometimes he needs someone to be a bit tough on him!”

“I understand that, I really do. But the more he got himself worked up, the harder it would be for him to focus and try to understand anything you were saying.” He swallows this down painfully, because he knows she’s right. Why can’t he just be patient? It comes so easy to Soda, but Darry feels like every day his patience wears paper thin at baseline. But he’s too deep in this to admit he messed up now. 

“You’re against me too. You took their side immediately,” he finally bites out, though it feels shameful to admit. He just wants her to back him up. 

“I’m not against you, there’s no sides, good Lord! Darry, you both were getting worked up and I just wanted to give both of you a little break. I was trying to help you . You think I can't tell when your patience needs a second?” He blinks at this. He’d just assumed she’d intervened on Ponyboy’s behalf. He figured she saw the waterworks and immediately decided he was being too hard on Ponyboy. “And don’t you dare tell me I can’t give my opinion cause we both know that’s a load of bullshit.” He at least nods at that, he knows that was a particularly stupid thing to say to her, cause if there’s one thing she won’t put up with, it’s being told to listen without question. He feels like kicking himself for that particular comment.

“I’m sorry.” He means that, with his anger slowly cooling off he’s feeling more than a bit sheepish realizing the scene that just unfolded.

“Thank you,” She says after a moment, but she makes no moves of unfolding her arms. She’s still on the defense and he doesn’t like that he’s now worried she’s not gonna forgive him, she hasn’t ever been around when he’s lost his patience before. God and just when he got her to try out living with him too. Between last night and today he feels like he’s a walking hot mess.

“I didn’t mean to make him cry. He knows the answer Betty. He just needs to flip the numerator and denominator,” He sighs, reveling in the absolute absurdity of all of this. It started with a fucking math problem and somehow now he and Betty are going at each other. He wants to be mad at Ponyboy for ruining everything, but he knows he’s the one to blame, since he’s the one who lost his temper. It's easier to blame someone else for his own actions.

“Why don’t you just tell him that?” She asks, and he really feels like an idiot. She says it so calmly and plainly, it makes it all seem so simple in hindsight.

“Goddamit,” he sighs, just feeling like all the fight has left and now just left exhaustion in its wake. He can’t stop himself from running an exhausted hand through his hair and grabs a fistful of it before tugging in an attempt for the shooting pain to ground him in some way. He feels like he deserves it.

“Jesus, don’t do that!” She scolds, and he feels a pair of hands grabbing his and forcing it open. He looks up since she’s now standing in front of him, and he wishes they weren’t fighting, cause he really secretly wishes she’d give him some semblance of physical affection as she places his hand firmly on the table with a stern look. He still feels the lingering sting of betrayal even though he now knows she wasn’t trying to side against him. “Why are you making that face?” She asks, and he doesn’t even know what his expression was. 

“You know I wouldn’t blame you if you left. This is my life Betty, and I’m sorry but sometimes this is the best I’ve got to give to any of you.” He watches as she processes this, and then she does something he doesn’t expect. She grabs his face with both hands and turns his gaze up to her. It’s a gentle gesture he certainly doesn’t feel like he deserves right now.

“Darry, I’m going to tell you something. And I really need you to understand it. Just because we aren’t getting along perfectly or something doesn’t mean I’ll leave immediately. You gotta stop thinking we’re one argument away from me leaving. Cause I’m not. So stop treating discussions and disagreements like that, it’s not productive or fair to either of us.” He really sits with that for a moment. He knows he’s got a lot of fears about losing people, but he hadn’t exactly realized how often he sorta braces himself for the shoe to drop or the rug to be pulled out from under him. There’s almost a genuine sense of relief at her statement. He knows if he wants to be with her, he’s gotta start believing that. 

“Okay.” He feels her thumb stroke his cheekbone for a moment before her hands drop. He misses the contact immediately. “I’m sorry. For hollerin’.”

“Thank you for not continuing to yell after you realized you were,” She replies and he didn’t realize he’d even done that. 

“I’m not patient-”

“Neither am I. But this is how we learn, don’t mean we don’t make mistakes though,” she sighs, and he nods, feeling badly about how this all escalated. “I know you’re tired. And I know you’ve got a lot on your mind from last night.”

“Can I hold you?” He asks, because God she’s being nicer than he deserves. He knows he was an asshole to her, and yet here she is talking about his feelings and his grief. The only way he’s sure of trying to remedy things is by at least showing some physical affection. She doesn’t even answer, she just maneuvers into sitting on his lap and pulling an arm around her waist. She rests her head on his shoulder and he can feel her eyes watching him.

“I’m tired Betty,” he admits, it’s something he’s told himself to just push through for so long. He hasn’t had time to be tired.

“I know. You’ve been working hard for a long time,” she replies. He figures she's not just referencing the day. 

“He frustrates me sometimes, and I don’t mean to start yelling, but I just can't stop it once it starts.”

“That’s what I was here for, even if you didn’t like me much at that moment.”

“I just know he wishes it was our parents that could help him with this instead of me.” Darry admits. 

“He’s just 14 sugar, sometimes you cry over math homework when you’re 14, no matter who's helping you. I did. A lot.” Betty says with an amused lilt in her voice. 

“I should talk to them huh?” 

“I think that would be good,” she agrees, squeezing him once before she breaks away from the embrace. He feels a bit lighter when she gives him a soft smile as she stands up . 

“Ponyboy, Soda, can you come back out here?” He calls, trying to keep his voice light.

“He might like a hug, or he might not. But you could offer it,” she suggests quietly, nudging him a bit. He hears the door open and two sets of footsteps as the floorboards creak with the movement. Soda appears first, looking a bit tired and giving them both an uncertain look of warning and wariness before Ponyboy trails in. His eyes are definitely a bit red, and so is the tip of his nose, but otherwise he just stares at Darry blankly. He feels awful seeing the way Ponyboy looks like he’s just resigned that he’s gonna start hollerin’ some more. 

“C’mere Pony,” he says gently, offering just as Betty suggested. He waits a beat before Ponyboy walks over cautiously, and he pulls him in close and hugs him firmly. He wants to do better, and he figures this is a start.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have hollered at ya. You were doing real good on the other problems, so I was just pushing too much,” he murmurs, adding in a bit of praise as he remembers Soda telling him after a similar argument that Ponyboy feels like Darry isn’t proud of him. How the kid got that idea Darry has no clue, and he hopes it isn’t the case now that they get on better, but he figures the praise can’t hurt. He should work on telling him more often.

“Really?” Ponyboy asks incredulously, looking up at him. 

“Yes. Now you up for trying again? I promise we can get it done.” He hopes this is reassuring, he knows deep down Ponyboy just wants to get it over with so he can enjoy the rest of his evening. 

“Okay,” Ponyboy nods, looking much less worked up. Betty was right as she often has been and he catches her smile over Ponyboy’s head as she walks over to the ironing board and grabs a shirt without another word. He remembers his parents once told him that it was healthy for couples to have disagreements so long as they worked through them when he’d gotten into a squabble in high school with the girl he was dating. Maybe they’re more ready to move in together then he realized, if they’re already arguing like an old married couple. He has to suppress his smirk at the thought as he talks Ponyboy through the problem.

Notes:

Sorry to both my sisters who I accidentally made cry trying to help them with their chemistry homework in high school. I've since become a more patient teacher lol.

Betty was resisting every urge to tell Darry he's being a man-baby because she knew that would only upset him more, but she was thinking it very loudly. She still loves him, but internally she was like... now why are we having a meltdown about math homework at our big age lmfao (she knows why but she is also a bit frustrated in the moment) 😂

Also Two Bit's trap was basically cartoon like of a box propped open with a stick and some food as bait. Hence Ponyboy's shock and awe that he managed to catch something lmfao. Raccoons as far as I know don't care about chickens, so the hens will be just fine (idk if raccoons do eat chickens, I did not do a simple google search lol)

Anyways see y'all in the comments and on tumblr!!❤️

Chapter 30: Chap 30

Summary:

Brotherly bonding, the return of the flu shot debacle, and Darry looks after the gang (aka just another Tuesday at the Curtis Household™️)

Notes:

Taking us back to the roots of this fic, and it's kinda fun to see how far these characters have come lol. I really loved writing this, as usual 😂

See y'all in the end notes❤️

It’s a bit odd that he beat Betty home from work this evening, considering how close they live to the hospital. But he figures it’s a good opportunity to talk to his brothers, who are both lounging about the living room as he takes a seat in his arm chair to join them. They've been showing no signs of being bothered by Betty’s prolonged stay, but he can’t help but want to make sure they’re still okay with it all. While he knows they both had agreed on their little suggestion that he should ask her to move in, he still feels like he should have a private discussion with them before moving forward. 

“I gotta talk to y’all for a couple minutes,” Darry says, trying to keep his own nerves out of his voice. 

“Sure Dar, what’s on your mind?” Soda asks, looking over at him, attention drawn away from the tv. Ponyboy looks over after a nudge from Soda, clearly he was a bit lost in his own world. 

“I wanted to see how y’all have been feeling about Betty stayin’ with us the last few days?”

“It’s been great, you know we both love her,” Soda says with a confused look.

“Pony?”

“Yeah, she makes better pancakes than you. And she helps me when it’s my turn to fold the laundry.” Darry didn’t know she was doing that, he gives Ponyboy a raised brow at the admission. 

“Me too!” Soda exclaims, looking delighted.  

“She said not to tell,” Ponyboy shrugs at the look Darry shoots the both of them. He can’t believe this girl sometimes. She coddles them, and he deep down can’t even be mad about it because it makes his chest surge with affection. 

“We’re talking about that later. But I’m trying to see how y’all feel about all this. I know it’s different-”

“I mean yeah, but different don’t mean bad.” Soda shrugs.  

“We like her living here Darry, we ain’t gonna kick her out right after she just moved in,” Ponyboy says sarcastically. 

“She ain’t moved in,” Darry explains, feeling a bit confused. 

“She ain’t?” Ponyboy asks, now looking as confused as Darry feels.

“Not officially, not until you two let me know if you’re really okay with it.” He repeats firmly. They come first, and he wants to make sure they know that. 

“Darry, just tell her to get the rest of her stuff over here,” Soda says, looking completely nonplussed by the whole thing. He wasn’t expecting this to be such an easy discussion.

“Are you sure-”

“Yes!” Soda and Ponyboy reply in unison. Well, that answers that question, Darry surmises. 

“Okay then.” He nods, clearly they don’t have more to say.

“Just remember, we’re always right!” Soda sings. 

“Uh huh, I’ll make sure to write that one down.” He says with a scoff, but his grin ruins any chance of them believing his sarcasm.

---

It’s maybe a half hour later that Betty walks in the front door with a little cooler in hand that immediately catches the boys’ attention. 

“Whatcha got there?” Soda asks, eyeing the cooler hungrily. To be fair, Darry also is pretty excited at the prospect of not having to make dinner, so he’s also secretly hoping it’s some sorta food she’s brought along with her. 

“Is it dinner?” Ponyboy asks hopefully, he’s got that look in his eyes that tells Darry he’s getting hungry at the mere idea of food. It’s not surprising a good deal of their monthly bill is devoted to groceries. Darry is pretty sure groceries cost them more than utilities at this point, considering all three of them eat like crazy. 

“It’s not dinner, I’m sorry to disappoint,” Betty says looking genuinely sympathetic as she sets her things on the kitchen table. 

“What is it?” Darry asks, knowing his brothers are nothing if not relentlessly curious. Betty sighs, placing her hands on her hips as she stares at them. “Why you giving me that look?” Darry grumbles. He has no clue why she already is giving them, himself included, what he can only describe as a ‘toughen up’ look.  

“I brought home flu shots for y’all,” she explains calmly. 

“Shots?” Ponyboy blurts, and he looks like a cartoon character with how his eyes widen in horror. Darry can’t deny that he feels the same rush of dismay as Ponyboy, but he does at least do a better job of hiding it. 

“They just let you take them home? Cool!” Soda remarks, he’s already up and sitting at the kitchen table in interest. Darry disagrees with the sentiment wholeheartedly, but he is in agreement that his brothers do need their flu shots, it’s about to be peak flu season. He does not want Ponyboy to bring the germs home. He’s a walking vector from the high school, and Darry really does not enjoy getting sick.

“I got mine today at work, I figured it would be easy to just bring ‘em home!” Betty explains. Darry sighs, because he deeply appreciates her intentions, but he really is not interested in this particular endeavor. He’d honestly forgotten they all still need their flu shots.

“I don’t need one!” Ponyboy sputters from the couch, and he’s practically trying to melt into the thing in hopes he is hidden from view. 

“Would you rather get the flu?” Betty asks him with a raised brow as she starts taking the little bottles from the cooler and setting them out on the table. Darry spots the dreaded syringes and needles among her little pile of supplies and he feels his own traitorous rush of panic. 

“Yes.” Ponyboy replies immediately. 

“No.” Darry intervenes, giving his brother a look. “You both are getting your flu shots. No use whining about it.”

“Darry! I don’t need it!” 

“Both of us ?” Soda asks with a raised brow, and Darry realizes his slip of tongue has already been picked up by Soda; damn him and his observation skills. “What about you?”

“Ain’t none of your business,” Darry replies, avoiding Soda’s all knowing stare. It’s a weak cop out.

“Wait! How come you don’t gotta get one, but we do?” Ponyboy exclaims in outrage. Thanks a lot Soda; he was just gonna conveniently evade getting one but now Pony’s gonna get all up in arms. 

“Because I said so.” 

“That’s bullshit!”

“No it’s not-” Darry tries to reason, but he knows it is. 

“All done,” Betty announces, and they both look at Soda, who’s sitting contentedly as she places a bandaid on his upper arm. Oh hell no, Darry thinks, realizing he and Ponyboy are now the sole targets of the flu shots. How did those two even manage to do that so fast?

“Just remember I’m your favorite patient,” Soda says emphatically, grinning widely in amusement as he jumps to his feet. 

“Alright, who’s my next volunteer?” Betty asks, leveling them both with a look that tells him she’s not put off by their antics. 

“Darry!” Ponyboy blurts desperately, pointing at him as if she doesn’t know who he is. He sighs, he knows he’s being ridiculous, but last time they did this, they were in public, so Darry just sucked it up. But in the safety of his own home, his own dislike of needles seems to be taking over. He gives Betty a pleading look. 

“Dar, I thought you got over the whole needle thing?” Soda asks, and he seems to mean it genuinely. Darry grunts in acknowledgement, cause he doesn’t have a good explanation other than he’s not interested in testing the theory. 

“Are you gonna bolt if I come near you?” Betty asks, giving him a raised brow. 

“No,” he sighs. Some relaxing evening, he thinks, he’s honestly started moping as she gathers up the needle and syringe in her hand with an alcohol pad. 

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” she says soothingly. He knows that, but he still cringes at the thought of her sticking him with the needle. She comes to sit on the arm of the chair beside him, and he looks up at her, feeling a bit pathetic at how he wants to try and beg his way out of this. “You’re making it seem way worse in your head.”

“I’m not trying to,” he grumbles in response. He’s not, he just hates the idea of a needle buried in his arm, the thought makes him wanna squirm.

“Can I go ahead?” she asks, and he sees the genuine sympathy in her eyes. 

“Yes,” he sighs, knowing she’s right and beating around the bush will only make him feel worse. 

“I’m just cleaning your arm first,” she reminds him, and he nods as she draws circles on his deltoid with the alcohol pad. He feels her hand come to grip his arm and she squeezes it. “ Relax .”

“Says the woman with the needle in her hand,” he replies. She shakes her head at the taunt. 

“I’m serious, relax your arm, you know it’ll hurt if you’re all tense,” she repeats, and he feels her hand leave his arm to come up and brush his hair. He takes in a deep breath and does his best, letting the tension of his arm relax as much as he can. 

“Okay, just go,” he sighs. 

“One, two, three,” she says and he grimaces at the pinching feeling. He pointedly doesn’t look at what she's doing, but he feels the sense of relief rush in when she finally sticks a bandaid on his arm. 

“How’d I do?” She asks with a smirk as he looks at her again. 

“It wasn’t bad,” He admits. She’s pretty damn good at giving shots, even if he’s very much not a fan overall. 

“You did good,” she smiles, and he rolls his eyes. He knows she’s been more than patient with him. 

“Go bother him now,” he jokes, nodding in Pony's direction, giving her an affectionate nudge. 

“No! I’m fine!” Ponyboy blurts, though he’s not bolted from the couch, which is an improvement from the past couple times. Darry realizes he should probably get up and help. Ponyboy might go down swinging if Darry isn’t there to hold him still. Hes waiting to get up until Betty is ready, because once he moves, Ponyboy will most certainly try to bolt.

“Ponyboy, remember last time? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Betty reassures from her spot in the kitchen where Darry assumes she’s drawing up the next shot. 

“It did hurt!” Ponyboy replies. “I don’t wanna sore arm again!”

“Well, I don’t have to give in your arm,” she replies thoughtfully at his current excuse.

“Really?” Ponyboy asks hopefully. 

“I mean, if you’re dead set on protecting your arms from being sore, I can give it in the tush if you’re so worried-”

“What?!” Ponyboy yelps in horror. Darry knows he shouldn’t laugh, but the second Soda starts guffawing he can’t hold back the genuine peals of laughter that pour out. 

“It’s just gotta go into a muscle, so it can be your butt,” Betty continues, though Darry can hear the grin in her voice.

“No! Absolutely not!” Ponyboy sputters, and Darry is laughing so hard he actually feels tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Jesus Christ the shot in his own arm was worth it just to see the absolute horror that is all over Ponyboy’s face.

“Aw honey it ain’t nothing I haven’t seen-”

“My arm is fine! Honest!” Ponyboy begs, and Darry swears she must be some sort of criminal mastermind in manipulation because he’s never seen Ponyboy look so eager as he gets up and scampers to a kitchen chair, rolling up his sleeve as he sits. Holy shit, Darry can’t believe he’s not running out the door. He actually watches in shock as Ponyboy looks away and she very efficiently wipes off his arm and gives the shot before he can seem to process what's happening. 

“Ow!” Ponyboy yelps, but he stays in the chair and keeps his gaze craned away from catching even a single glimpse of the needle. 

“Alright, you’re free,” she says brightly, having already taped on the bandaid before she pats his back reassuringly. There’s a stunned moment of silence in the house, and even Ponyboy looks shocked as he glances down at the bandaid on his arm in disbelief.

“Holy hell he let you do it without us having to hold him down!” Soda says in surprise. 

“Yeah, cause I tricked his brain into being scared about something else instead,” Betty says, as if that level of psychoanalysis is common sense. Darry’s honestly impressed and a bit scared of how easily she pulled that off. 

“Do you really give people shots like that? Or were you just lying to me?” Ponyboy asks, looking offended at the entire thing. 

“I was tellin’ the truth. We have to give shots of antibiotics like that if you get something like gonorrhea or-”

“What?!” Ponyboy exclaims in horror. 

“As long as you ain’t having sex without a condom you ain’t gonna catch those-”

“He knows that!” Darry interrupts. How this turned into a sex talk he doesn’t know. 

“Hey! Sexual education is important!” Betty laughs. “You know sometimes they ask us nurses to do little demos for people, especially if there’s teenagers with questions. I’ve perfected putting a condom on a banana!” Darry can’t help but cough in surprise, he swears she actually enjoys giving him heart attacks. 

“Wait, this I have to see!” Soda exclaims, sounding so elated you would think this is somehow a belated birthday gift to him personally. Darry already doesn’t like where this is going, and he’s preparing to stop this train before it leaves the station. 

“Never thought that would be considered a party trick,” Betty laughs. 

“I’m serious! Educate me!” Soda encourages. 

“Sodapop, you know how-” Darry starts to deflect.  

“How would you know?” Soda retorts.

“Jesus Christ,” Darry exhales, sometimes he doesn’t know what on earth it’s like in Soda’s brain. He has to stop himself from tacking on that he knows Soda is plenty familiar with using a condom. That will only egg him on somehow. 

“Please tell me there’s a banana in this house,” Soda says as he scampers into the kitchen. Darry is honestly praying there’s not. He really does not want to be around his brothers and somehow forced to be an audience to his girlfriend putting a condom on anything . 

“Just leave it be-“

“C’mon Darry, would ya rather we get the clap?” Jesus Christ, this kid. 

“That’s not funny Soda!”

“You’re right, that’s why we need this lesson. Found one!” Soda exclaims in triumph, returning holding it up like some prized possession. 

“You really want a demonstration?” Betty laughs in question. 

“No.” Darry mutters.

“Yes!” Soda exclaims. Ponyboy is just doing that thing where he stares at them all wide eyed. 

“Gimme the banana, but I’ll need a condom,” she says with a shrug, “I feel like you’re expecting something surprising and its not-”

“On it!” Soda calls over his shoulder, scrambling down the hall. 

“Why are you playing into his games?” Darry moans as she saunters up next to him, sitting on the arm of the chair, welding the banana as if he isn’t dying of embarrassment. 

“Because it's funny!” She replies, looking genuinely amused. 

“Here!” Soda exclaims, tossing a packet at her. She of course wasn’t expecting it, so she doesn’t catch it and it lands into Darry’s hands easily. 

“Oh perfect, my helpful assistant,” she says, giving him a grin so wide he has to really fight to keep a small quirk of his lips at bay even if he is still losing his mind a bit. 

“I’m not participating in this,” Darry replies. 

“Oh shush. Alright I dunno why you think this is so exciting Soda,” Betty laughs wielding the banana proudly. Darry swears Soda knows exactly what he’s doing, and he’s going to wrestle him to the ground until he pleads uncle at the first opportunity after this. “Alright, all joking aside, this is important,” She adds. Darry huffs out a long sigh from his nose, and sorta reluctantly hands her the packet. 

“You just open the packet,” she begins, ripping it open and pulling out the condom. “Then make sure the top part is facing out,” She gestures to it as she moves. “And then you just roll it on.” She explains, doing just that as she speaks. She does it in about three fluid motions and ends with a shrug. “Tada.”

“Oh, so that’s how that works,” Ponyboy says, looking surprised.

“We talked about these?” Darry sputters, he has no clue why Ponyboy is all surprised. He swears the kid never listens.  

“I ain’t never seen how to actually put one on!” Ponyboy protests and that stops Darry’s retort because he does realize now that he wouldn’t have. 

“Well, now you know!” Soda grins, and Darry doesn’t like the look in his eyes, it’s too mischievous. “Hey Betty, mind doing that demonstration again? I think Darry wasn’t really watching and it’s real important for him to see cause-” He’s moving before Soda can finish whatever nonsense he was about to say, and his brother lets out a surprised laugh as he scrambles away. 

“C’mere you little shit!” Darry threatens as Soda tries to skitter off down the hallway, probably to barricade himself in a room. He’s not fast enough because Darry gets an arm around him and throws him over his shoulder easily before he can barricade himself in a room. 

“No! Darry, I'm just joking!” Soda laughs, and he tries to fight out of Darry’s hold but it’s an awkward angle for Soda. 

“Uh huh, I’m sure,” Darry retorts as he drags his brother back to the living room. Ponyboy scrambles out of the way and climbs into the recliner next to Betty. 

“I’m helping- Ah!” Soda yelps as Darry crouches and drops him on the floor. Soda makes an attempt to crawl away but it’s easy to get on top of him and start wrestling him into a hold. 

“Say uncle,” Darry hisses as Soda gets a little jab to his side with his wiggling. 

“No!” Soda protests, but he can hear his brother’s underlying amusement. He gets each arm wrapped around Soda’s body, one around his shoulders and the other around his neck, careful enough to avoid actually hurting him. Soda’s legs kick wildly, but they’re unable to do any real damage since Darry is behind him and has a leg flung over him to hold him relatively still. 

“You know you’re stuck Sodapop,” Darry teases, because if his brother is gonna be a little shit, he’s gonna tease him right back. 

“No I’m not!” Soda protests, one hand coming to grip Darry’s forearm in a feeble attempt to pull it off. 

“Just say uncle and I’ll let go,” Darry smirks. He narrowly notices Ponyboy stepping over them on his way to the bathroom. 

“I’m helping you and this is how you repay me!” Soda moans, but he feels his brother’s grin. Soda definitely knew he was poking Darry into a fight, and he got what he wanted. Darry squeezes Soda a bit with the arm around his neck, just enough that Soda lets out a wheeze. 

“Okay! OKAY! Uncle!” Soda caves, his hand falling from its attempt to wrench Darry off of him. Darry is true to his word and he lets go, his grip on his brother going lax. “He’s crazy Betty! Look what he did to me!” 

“Aww, poor baby,” she replies, giving him a fake pout that Darry can’t help but snort at. 

“You could be next! I’m tellin you he’s insane-”

“Aw sugar, he wouldn’t get rough with me unless I asked him real nicely,” She replies without a beat and Darry feels like his mind goes blank. 

“I know I set that joke up perfectly, but gross !” Soda laughs, though he looks completely unbothered and if anything delighted by the joke. Darry however is now trying to pick apart what the hell she means by that . 

“Oh please, you had me put a condom on a banana, you knew what you were doing!” Betty laughs as if this is a normal conversation to be had. He sorta can’t believe she actually stunned Sodapop, once again, it’s impressively difficult to accomplish. But Darry can’t stop thinking about her implying anything related to having sex with him. He knows he should be embarrassed as hell, but he’s too busy replaying her words in his head.

“Well, I ain’t got anything good to say to that-” Soda says with a grin as if he’s completely unaffected by the whole conversation topic. 

“What I miss?” Ponyboy asks as he walks back into the room, eyeing them curiously. 

“Aw nothin’ Pony, but watch out, Darry’ll grab you next!” Soda jokes. If his head wasn’t busy spinning, Darry would’ve indeed already made a grab for Ponyboy. But instead he’s letting out an oof as Ponyboy makes a noise of protest and decides the only course of action to avoid being brought into the fray is by climbing on Darry’s back and clinging on for dear life. 

“He can’t get me like this!” He hears Ponyboy exclaim as his gangly arms wrap over Darry’s shoulders and around his neck. 

“Don’t let go, Pony or you’re a goner for sure!” Soda laughs from where he lays on the floor beside Darry, clearly glad he’s relented on his previous attack on him.

“Ow! Careful!” Darry warns as Ponyboy’s bony knee hits him in the ribs as his brother wraps his legs around him and basically clings to him like a baby monkey. 

“You’re gonna be stuck with him like that until he decides to let go, Darry,” Soda laughs, and Darry catches a glimpse of Betty laughing from where she’s perched in the recliner. 

“I ain’t gonna wrestle you Pony,” Darry huffs, feeling his brother put basically all his dead weight onto him. He’s not all that heavy, but he’s throwing off his center of gravity. 

“I don’t believe you,” Ponyboy chirps over his shoulder. 

“What if I just want to get up and get a beer?” 

“Uh-uh, I’m not falling for it,” Ponyboy denies, squeezing Darry a bit in emphasis. Darry huffs out a sigh, knowing Pony isn’t gonna let go anytime soon and he pushes to his feet as Ponyboy lets out a noise of surprise as he holds on. Darry knows he could help him out and hoist his brother up a bit more, but Ponyboy’s the one who won’t let go, so he just lets him cling to him with a smirk as he heads for the kitchen. 

“Carrying all those roofing bundles helps for carrying brothers huh?” Soda laughs. 

“Please, he’s way scrawnier than-”

“No I’m not!” Ponyboy protests and he catches a glimpse of his brother’s indignant expression over his shoulder. Darry lets out an affectionate huff and hoists Ponyboy up a bit with one arm while he retrieves a beer from the fridge. 

“Want one Betty?” Ponyboy asks, as if he’s the one getting things from the fridge. 

“Well I can’t exactly say no to that kinda offer,” Betty laughs and Darry rolls his eyes. 

“Hold this,” He instructs, tucking one of the bottles into Ponyboy’s hands that remain slung around him loosely. 

“It’s like watching a circus act!” Soda laughs as Darry heads back to the living room. He doesn’t mind being a little annoyed by his brothers if it gets them smiling. Betty accepts the drinks with a smile, and Darry’s about to tell Pony to get down so he can sit with her when the front door flies open. The screen door of course slams against the house and a scolding comment is on the tip of his tongue until he gets a look at Steve and Johnny coming through the door. Immediately Pony unwraps himself from his hold and is letting himself be placed back down on his own two feet. 

“What the hell happened?” Soda sputters, looking at Johnny, who looks ready to bolt at any second, and the shiner forming on Steve’s cheekbone. 

“Johnny, show ‘em your hands,” Steve barks, and he sees Johnny flinch and curl up as if he hopes that he can just disappear into his jean jacket. 

“Easy,” Darry says, already trying to take stock of the two of them. 

“Johnny?” Ponyboy asks softly, and Darry barely resists holding him back. He’s scared anyone approaching Johnny right now could cause him to bolt. But Ponyboy seems to be deemed okay, because Johnny stays planted in place, staring down at the carpet. 

“What happened?” Darry asks, trying to keep his voice level and calm, both Steve and Johnny get real antsy when they’re spooked. 

“I found Johnny getting ran off by that bitch-”
“I just slipped is all,” Johnny mutters, and Darry catches a glimpse of the skinned palms Steve must be referencing. God it makes his blood boil; the fact that Johnny has had to run from that house countless times. Poor kid was running so fast he must’ve lost his footing and scraped his palms up in the gravel. 

“And your eye?” Soda prompts, unphased by Steve’s evasion of the question. 

“I didn’t get out fast enough to my old man’s liking,” Steve snarls, and the frown on Soda’s face deepens. Christ, they were both just fine this morning, and Darry’s a little annoyed they both went back home at all. He’d really prefer they just stay here where he knows they’re safe. But he can’t exactly ban them from going home.

“I just wanted to make sure they ain’t drank themselves to death,” Johnny whispers, and Ponyboy manages to guide him to sit on the couch together. God that makes his heart ache, the kid somehow still loves his sorry excuse for parents. Darry keeps his comment about how he wishes they would do just that to himself. 

Steve stays by the door, arms crossed as his gazes flicks all around, eyeing them as if he could still be threatened by someone. 

“You hurt anywhere else?” Darry prods, but he makes no motion to get closer to Steve, he knows that will only make him more defensive. 

“No.” Steve replies. Darry knows he’s probably lying, even if it’s mental wounds, there’s more to the picture. Soda watches Steve from the floor, and it’s easy to tell he’s giving his best friend a moment. “I need a smoke,” Steve finally says, before he turns to the door and slips out on the porch. Soda takes the cue that he should follow, and does so wordlessly. 

“Johnny, we should clean your hands,” Ponyboy says softly, eyes focusing down on his best friend’s palms. 

“It’s fine,” Johnny shrugs, and Darry sighs, he feels terrible because when Johnny’s spooked like this, he can get nervous around Darry. He knows the kid doesn’t mean to, but his father is not a small man, and Darry knows his own height and size can make the kid uneasy, even though he does trust him. But he does want someone to get a look at his hands and get them cleaned up and bandaged.  

“Johnny, would you let Betty take care of your hands?” Darry asks, trying to keep his tone gentle as possible. If there’s anyone who can calm Johnny down, it’s her. He sees Johnny’s gaze flit between him, Ponyboy, and Betty nervously before he finally gives a tiny nod. She slips past him, and he can tell she’s slipping easily into her role of caring for people.

“Let’s go get these washed off, okay honey? Ponyboy you can come with us to the bathroom, I could use an extra pair of hands.” Her voice is so reassuring it somehow calms Darry’s nerves too. He watches the three of them slip down the hallway and then it’s just him and the dog left in the living room. Never a quiet day in this house, Darry supposes. He figures he can go check on Steve and Soda on the porch. He stretches for a moment, making a noise of satisfaction as his back pops loudly with the motion. 

He pads over to the front door and pushes open the screen door quietly, as it should be opened, and slips out into the dark. 

“Hey,” Soda murmurs from where he’s standing beside Steve. As far as Darry can tell, Soda’s not taking part in the smoking, but he does see the way Steve’s hand is shaking as he takes a puff. 

“We’ll get some frozen peas on that cheek once you’re done,” Darry murmurs. He figures he and Betty splitting up medical duties is the best course of action. She’s much better suited for scraped up hands. Darry can easily manage a black eye. 

“It’s fine,” Steve mutters. 

“Stevie-”

“Leave me alone Soda,” Steve snaps and Darry watches his brother flinch away a bit. 

“It’s okay to be upset,” Soda says gently, and Darry sees the sideways glimpse Steve gives him at this. 

“I’m not. He does this all the time-”

“He ain’t ever hit you before! Lord almighty, it ain’t right! If I could I’d go down to your house right now and-”

“You can’t do shit Soda! So I just drop it.” Steve cuts him off.

“Steve-”

“So he fuckin hit me! I don’t know what you want. I’m not gonna start crying about it like some pussy.”

“You think I’m a pussy cause I cry?”

“No! Just get off my ass!” Steve hisses, and Darry can see the moment a traitorous tear slips down his cheek. 

“It’s okay,” Darry murmurs, seeing the way Steve looks at them both wildly. There’s a tense moment where they all stare at each other. 

“He hit me,” Steve whispers, hand coming up to his cheek as if reality finally hit him. It makes Darry furious. God why did their parents have to die when half the boys are treated like shit by their folks on the daily? Darry wishes he could fucking make some sense of it all. But he doesn’t have the answers for all the asking why that he seems to do. 

“You’re not going back there for a while,” Darry says firmly. He knows he can’t exactly stop the boys from doing that, but he can sure try. He knows they all respect him, and when he suggests something like this, they listen more often than not. He sees Soda flashing him a grateful look at the demand. 

“I can’t just bum around-”

“Well, you’ll have to help to cook Thanksgiving dinner just like the rest of us. There’s no bumming around at this house,” Darry murmurs affectionately, trying to divert their attention to something that he knows the guys look forward to. He has no clue how Thanksgiving is so close; he needs to start that grocery list. He needs to talk to them all about what they want to eat, and coordinate with Two Bit, his mom, and sister. 

“I don’t deserve-”

"Hey, no one gets to say shit about my best friend and what he deserves,” Soda scolds, slinging an arm around Steve and giving him an affectionate nudge of warning. 

“You Curtises are all crazy, you know that?” Steve sniffs, but Darry can see the grateful look he shoots at him. 

“Don’t you forget it!” Soda replies brightly. “Could we go inside though? My fingers are just about numb.”

“Use them to ice Steve’s face,” Darry suggests as he holds the door open for the two, and Steve and Soda start out on their playful roughhousing as they scamper through the door, and Darry follows with an affectionate shake of the head. 

---

“I wish they could both just stop going home,” Betty says from where she’s sitting on the side of the bed, brushing her hair out. Darry feels himself nodding in agreement. The boys had all settled in for the night, and Darry had double and triple checked that Steve and Johnny were safe and sound in the spare bedroom. He still worries. 

“It ain’t me you gotta convince,” he murmurs in agreement, padding across the carpet and moving to his side of the bed, pulling back the blankets. 

“I know. It just ain’t right.” He doesn’t have anything to say, because it isn’t. They both know it. He slips under the covers just as she pushes to her feet to deposit her brush back on top of the dresser. 

“Ya know, I was reminded tonight that Thanksgiving is almost here,” he notes, trying to segway into that topic of conversation. 

“Oh Lord, you’re right,” Betty says as she climbs under the blankets with a shiver, pulling them tightly over her. Darry doesn’t understand why she won’t wear pajama pants if she’s cold. 

“I still gotta go shopping,” Darry grumbles. He hates shopping for Thanksgiving, for some reason it’s always impossible to find what you’re looking for in a timely manner. It’s like the whole store gets rearranged or something. 

“I can go with you. I can make my family’s mac and cheese! And my grandma’s chocolate pie recipe,” she yawns, stretching a bit like a cat as her eyes fall closed. 

“Last year Soda made the mashed potatoes green,” Darry muses. 

“Can I request orange this year? That’s a very fall themed color.”

“Maybe, but he’ll argue that will make people think they’re sweet potatoes,” he snorts. 

“Dammit. Maybe red then,” she murmurs as she turns to her side and smiles at him. He has approximately 5 seconds to enjoy the way she looks before he’s met with a pair of cold feet against his calves. 

“Jesus Christ,” he hisses, but he can’t bring himself to nudge her away as she snuggles closer with a content sigh. 

“My feet are cold.”

“Thanks for sharin’,” he grumbles, but he knows he’s not condemning the action considering the way he’s pulling her against him anyways. 

“You’re very welcome,” she says cheekily. 

“Why don’t you just wear socks?” Darry scolds affectionately. 

“Only crazy people wear socks to bed,” She replies with a grin. That he can’t argue, he shivers at the idea of sleeping in socks. “So I wanted to see where your head is at.” 

“Hmm?” he prompts, looking down at her at the change of subject. 

“Just how you think this is all going?”

“You staying here?”

“Yeah, and just what we might think our timeline is right now.” She shrugs. Hell, his feelings on the matter ain’t changed. He doesn’t ever want her to leave again. 

“I think you can move in whenever you want,” he replies, giving her the choice. 

“I do a monthly lease, so my lease would be up December first,” she explains, and he feels a rush of excitement. He wasn’t sure if she’d feel ready to jump in just yet, or if she wanted to ease into it a bit slower. 

“Do you wanna renew it?”

“Not really,” she replies, “It wouldn’t be all that hard to move my things. It’s pre-furnished, so ain’t any furniture to move.”

“If you’re ready, I’m ready,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He doesn’t wanna pressure her if she wants to wait another month or two. 

“Will you help me carry boxes over?” She asks hopefully, and he scoffs, because he knows she knows the answer. But that seems to conclude the discussion. December first it is.

“I’ve got several perfectly able bodied knuckleheads in mind that I think are perfect for that job,” he laughs, burying his nose into her hair and inhaling the smell of her shampoo and perfume. 

“I’ll have so many helping hands I won’t know what to do with em!” She laughs, and Darry’s just glad her feet have just about warmed up finally. They don’t feel like icicles against his skin anymore. 

“You can call it my early Christmas present,” he says softly, and while it’s meant to make her laugh, there’s definitely some truth to the sentiment.

Notes:

The first bit of this chap is just:
Betty: smiling and looking like an absolute sunshine
Darry and Ponyboy: Shaking in their boots like chihuahuas cause she's got needles

 

Soda: I'm going to play a game called how much can I tease Darry about being horny for his girlfriend before he loses it. There is no prize, it is simply for my own amusement.
Betty, who knows exactly what Soda is doing and decides to beat him at his own game, also rendering him speechless in the process: 😊

Also Steve and Johnny I feel understand each other more than we think. I know Johnny is Ponyboy's best friend, and Steve is Soda's but I think that there is a certain connection that those two specifically share because they both actively live with parents who are abusive. Dally gets it too, but Steve and Johnny are still actively living with their parents, and I think that in some ways they're the only ones who understand each other. They both understand why the keep going back.

Darry already has taken on his brothers, and at this point he honestly believes it would be better for his mental and physical health if he just had Steve and Johnny living with them too. They all HATE Johnny's parents and Steve's dad, and while Steve and Johnny don't want their friends intervening, the Curtis brothers have definitely had many a conversation about wanting to 😂 All three of them have that protective instinct.

See y'all in the comments or on tumblr!!!

Chapter 31: Chap 31

Summary:

Surprise Surprise 😉
This is quite literally just smut and like zero plot. You have been warned.

Notes:

Like I said in the summary, this is just my shameless smut chapter coming at you, so CHILDREN SHIELD UR EYES PLS. Everyone else, have fun 😂 I'm gonna run off the the end notes eek!!!

If it is one thing Betty knows about herself, it’s that she likes to have a plan. She knows realistically that life is always changing, and plans rarely go exactly as one would hope and all that 'yada yada', but that doesn’t stop her from planning all the same. This particular plan, though, is crafted with the knowledge that once she kicks it into action, she honestly has no clue what direction it’ll go. It’s exciting, but also a bit terrifying to think about. Most of the planning involved all of her behind the scenes work that she has been doing so everything falls into place tonight. Listen, she’s moving into her boyfriend’s house in a couple weeks, and she’s been doing a lot of thinking, and has come to the conclusion that she would very much like for him to take her virginity, preferably sooner rather than later. It’s getting a bit inconvenient to have to quietly deal with her pent up feelings in the shower at his house, or to wait until she’s back home at her apartment to actually get off. 

Now, she realizes this requires more planning than just simply asking him, because they do not, in fact, live alone. Their little run in with almost getting caught on the couch a couple weeks ago was enough to remind her that she would prefer to have the house to just themselves for this particular endeavor. And the universe had set her up very nicely for that. Betty may still be figuring out her whole stance on God and everything, but, if God didn’t want her to have sex with her boyfriend right about now, then why did he ensure that all the other boys will conveniently be occupied outside of the house for the next seven hours this lovely Saturday evening? Case and point as to why she is currently parking outside the house after being at her apartment all afternoon, wearing what she believes to be a very cute matching set of underwear under her clothes. She’d spent most of it packing up the things into boxes to be transported over to the house in a week or so, but she’d also made sure she’d put on some cute matching underwear and fixed her hair to look nice before she’d driven back over. Do not even get her started on how long her shower was, shaving took way longer than anticipated. Padding up the steps of the porch she goes over her little mental checklist one last time. Darry may think he’s kept it a secret, but she’d ensured that the drawer on his side of the bed indeed houses a box of condoms and some lube. She’s been on the pill, which was a whole production and a half to get a prescription for, but she’s never missed a dose. One pill a day to make her period practically non-existent is well worth the trade off, even if she had to sneak around a bit to get that prescription set. She takes a steadying breath and slips in the front door, and feels her face split into an excited grin at the sight of her boyfriend in the kitchen. God she’s nervous as hell. 

“Hi,” she says as she closes the door softly, toeing off her shoes hastily. 

“Hey, the boys just left before you got back,” Darry says in greeting as he’s drying off a pan at the sink. Perfect timing, she thinks. So far, her plan is running smoothly. 

“Hopefully they have a good time and stay out of too much trouble,” she jokes, trying to use humor to calm down the racing of her heart. She sorta forgot how nerve wracking actually asking him was gonna be. She knows she could start by kissing him, and they could take it from there, but she’d rather have an actual conversation about things before jumping into bed with him. 

“It’s too cold out for them to be running around too much. They’ll stick close to the cars at the drive-in to keep warm. That’ll keep ‘em in line,” Darry grins, clearly he knows the drill with them at this point. She’s played out the conversation and what she’s going to say countless times over in her head for the past day or so, and while she should probably ease into the topic, her nerves are making her go crazy right now. 

“Can we go to your room and talk?” She blurts, feeling her pulse quicken. She’s kickstarted this whole thing into action, so now she’s gonna see it through. 

“Sure?” He says, and she can see the confusion on his face as he sets down the dish towel he was holding. He seems to open his mouth to ask a question, but she isn’t ready for that yet.

“Okay,” she agrees, as if it wasn’t her own suggestion, before she’s scampering down the hallway. She can feel his eyes on her as his footsteps follow behind hers. She sits on the side of the bed as he closes the door, and starts fidgeting with the edge of the bedding in an attempt to slow her racing thoughts. 

“Can you lock the door?” She asks. Never say she didn’t plan ahead, in case they do move forward in a bit here. She feels so stupid, because she wants to do this, a lot actually, but she sorta built it all up in her head and now she has no clue how to ask. 

“You’re making me a bit nervous,” Darry says, with an undertone of amusement as she looks up at him. He sits down beside her, and she can see the way his eyes are all focused on her, doing that thing they do when he starts worrying about someone. 

“I’m sorry.” She isn’t trying to make him nervous, in fact, that’s the opposite of the type of energy she’s trying to create right now. She’d figured she’d take on the old ‘fake it till you make it’ confidence, but now that she’s here, it seems that flew out the window. 

“What’s on your mind?” He prompts, and she can tell he’s really trying to draw it out of her. Usually she’s more than happy to talk without any prompting or coaxing, but God, all the sudden she feels like she has no clue how to just ask him. The look he’s giving her is one that is so gentle, and also a bit worried, that she feels guilty that she’s flubbing this so badly.

“I had a plan.”

“A plan for what?” He asks, brows raising ever so slightly as he seems to try and catch on to what she’s trying to say despite the fact she knows she’s being vague. She figures when in doubt, she should do what she knows she does best: talk up a storm. 

“The boys are all gone tonight, and I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I wanted to wait until the timing was right. I spent all day today packing and then it took me an hour to shower and shave and fix my hair, and pick out an outfit, which probably doesn’t matter considering if my plan works my clothes are sorta irrelevant anyways,” She can’t bring herself to look over at his face right now. It’s easier to just keep talking. “I practiced this in the car on the way over but I sorta couldn’t decide how to word it, cause I haven’t ever exactly asked someone to take my virginity before. But I figure it’s probably an awkward question no matter what ‘cause there’s not really a fantastic way to ask that if it’s not in the heat of the moment. And I dunno how you feel about doing that, and I don’t wanna put any pressure on you just because I asked you-”

“Baby, you gotta take a breath,” He finally interrupts her, and she feels him trying to get her to look at him based on the nudge he gives her. 

“I actually can’t make eye contact right now, I gotta just stare at the floor for a few minutes,” she jokes, though there’s a bit of truth to it. She’s a bit nervous to see where his head is at, so if she just doesn’t look at him, she doesn’t have to know.

“Well, I’d prefer if I could talk to you about this and actually see your face,” he murmurs, and she knows he’s right, so she lets out a sigh and turns her gaze upwards. 

“How bad did I mess this up?” She asks, falling back on the defensive shroud of humor in order to avoid feeling so vulnerable. He shakes his head at her little jab towards herself and she sees him thinking things over for a moment. 

“You’re sure? I don’t need you to feel like you need to just cause you’re movin’ in and there’s no rush to-”

“I would really like to. I just figured we should talk before we actually did anything, ya know? Make sure we’re both on the same page,” She feels herself blushing at the whole production she just put on. 

“Alright,” he says, nodding in agreement. She loves him, but Lord this feels like such an awkward string of questions she’s got for him. But they’re important.

“Have you done this before?” His eyes answer her long before he actually speaks, and she can see some hesitance on his end.

“Yeah. Just with two girls in high school, and only a few times with each of them,” he says slowly. She’d figured, but she’d never asked him out right. She doesn’t mind, it’s a bit reassuring to know he has a bit of an idea on how to do all this from actual experience rather than just theory. 

“Did you wear a condom?”

“Yes, always.”

“Good. And I know you’ve got some in your drawer, and some lube, which, smart by the way-”

“How-”

“I told you, I’ve been planning this,” She shrugs, “Though that’s the other thing. I’m on the pill, which was a whole fiasco to get sorted out when I first moved here. Did you know you have to have a husband sign forms to say you’re allowed to take it? Absolute bullshit, honestly. Anyways, I managed to work around that, and it’s actually more effective than condoms for pregnancy prevention. And sounds like infections aren’t a concern here, so up to you if you wanna wear a condom or not, I don’t mind either way. Though I hear it’s better for you without but-”

“Are you trying to kill me?” He sputters, and seems like she’s finally shaken his calm demeanor. 

“What?” There’s many parts of her attempted proposal that he could be referring to at this point.

“So, to be perfectly clear: you’re asking me to have sex with you, without a condom, right now?”

“Yes, well, just preferably tonight, since we have the house to ourselves, and like I said, condom thing is up to you.” She confirms with a nod. If nothing else, that just about summarizes it. She watches him blink at her for a few moments. 

“Do you really think I’m gonna say no?”

“I dunno, I wasn’t the most confident in my seduction techniques here, and it’s been a bit of a rocky execution-”

Betty has always wanted to change the old adage to: good things come to those who plan. She feels right now is a perfect example of this, because she’s finally got Darry alone and he’s cut her off with a kiss that makes her toes curl. Clearly he’s very much on board with this plan based on the way he’s kissing her. 

“Wait-” She says, because there is one thing she needs to make sure happens before they get into this. He pulls back with a bit of a startled look.

“What?” He asks, and she stands up before they get all tangled together. 

“I need to make sure this pair of underwear is appreciated properly before it gets taken off,” she explains. It’d taken forever to find the lacy things buried in all her packed clothing, and she’ll be damned if she doesn’t get to show them off first. 

“Okay?” He snorts, and she sorta wishes she could see his face, but she’s pulling her shirt off so her view is blocked. She tosses the shirt towards the hamper in the corner and then wiggles out of her jeans. She manages it pretty gracefully, so she figures she earns a point back on her seduction technique. With her clothes deposited in the laundry basket, she moves to stand in front of him. “See!” She says gesturing to them as she tries to not feel self conscious about feeling so exposed. He doesn’t seem to mind, considering the way he’s looking at her like he might grab her and start kissing her again any second. 

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he says, and it’s so earnest she feels her heart ache a bit, but in a good way. 

“Alright, I’m really flying blind, so I’m giving you full permission to take the lead here,” She prays he takes up the offer. She’s been so nervous trying to orchestrate all of this to come together, she’s sorta praying he takes over and she can just get out of her head and let him take the reins. Funny, this may be the only time in her life she’s wanted a man to be in charge. 

“C’mere,” he motions, though really, it’s almost begging. He doesn’t need to, cause she’s happy to climb over his lap and wrap her arms over his shoulders, before she’s diving back in for a kiss. It’s easy to fall back into the rhythm of kissing him, she knows how to do that quite well these days. He draws out noise of contentment from her lips when his hands come to rest on each side of her hips. The feeling kicks her body into motion automatically and she’s settling further down onto his lap, and it’s undeniable that he’s already hard against her. She can’t say much, cause she can feel herself already getting pretty turned right along with him. He’s much too overdressed, and she needs to remedy that immediately. She grabs the hem of his shirt and tugs it in question, in lieu of breaking apart from the kiss. She feels him nod and he pulls away just enough to pull it off and toss it away, he starts to move back towards her lips, but she sits back, and finally she gets time to appreciate this man shirtless. She’s come to the conclusion that all three Curtis brothers are a bit unaware just how many people in this town find them attractive. Okay, maybe not Soda, he’s definitely aware. But sometimes she’s not sure Darry realizes how attractive he is, and Lord almighty, she’s definitely getting to enjoy the sight of him right now. She’s giving him a quick look of permission before she’s running her hand down his chest, feeling the muscles as she goes down towards his stomach. Of course he’s got abs, and she takes her time feeling them against her palm. He’s flexing them under her touch, and she figures it must tickle a bit based on the hitch of his breath. She sorta wants to just lay him down and get her tongue all over those abs, but before she can even figure out how she might go about doing that he lifts her up off his lap and sets her down on the bed and is pushing to his feet. 

“Lay back on the pillows,” he instructs, and she gets a set of goosebumps at how his voice sounds. But she sees an opportunity, and she’s gotta take it. 

“Take your pants off and I will,” she smirks, waiting to see his reaction. The way he gives her a raised brow and shows no hint of what he’s really thinking has her way more turned on than it should. She waits with a grin, thinking he’ll cave to her demand, but he just keeps looking at her expectantly. It goes for long enough that she very carefully moves to settle onto the bed as he’s asked. He gives her a nod of approval and then goes for his belt as if he’s got all the time in the world. She swears he’s going slower than normal on purpose. 

“Hurry up!” She goads, and she sorta hopes it draws his attention back to her. It has the desired effect, cause he gives her a look of warning and then continues taking his sweet time before he finally ditches the jeans. She almost sighs in relief when he comes over to the bed and she’s reaching for him eagerly. 

“We ain’t rushing through this,” he murmurs against her lips as he settles to sorta lay beside her, though he’s kinda half on top of her. 

“I’m not rushing, you were teasing,” she points out. 

“Thought you wanted me in charge?” he asks with a smile against her cheek. 

“Touch me some more?” she murmurs in response, before she’s pressing kisses down his jaw. Thankfully he’s more than happy to do that, and his hands splay over her ribs, rubbing her sides with his thumbs before they trail up and around her back before his hands stop at the clasp on the bra. 

“Okay?” He asks, pulling back to look at her, though she’d prefer to keep kissing his neck. 

“Yes,” she agrees and helps move around so they can slide the bra off before he tosses it away. She knows he’s gonna go give her breasts some attention, which she knows means she isn’t gonna be able to keep kissing his neck, but she still lets out a noise when he’s moving downwards and his hands and mouth start working wonders. She figures she’ll have to compromise the loss of his neck by playing with his hair. She does love the way his curls feel against her hand as she scratches at the nape of his neck how she knows he likes. His hands are each holding one of her tits, and she’s more than happy to arch her back a bit and somehow try to get his face closer to her. She realizes that while this is pretty incredible, she’s gonna have to help herself get all the way. Which she is kinda hoping to do before they actually try having sex. She’s heard it helps with pain, since muscles are more lax after orgasm. It’s easy to snake a hand around him and down over her belly, slipping into the underwear with a sigh as she feels just how hot and bothered he’s gotten her. She starts with the familiar motions of gently brushing between her legs with the pad of her finger and she lets out a sigh. It feels nice, and whatever he’s doing with her tits feels great, but it’s gonna take a bit to get herself to a climax. 

“Hey, does this not feel good?” He asks, pulling back as one of his hands comes to brush her arm in question. 

“It does, I was just trying to help things along, cause usually it takes me a bit to get there-” He looks puzzled for a second, and then it seems to click and his features morph into a frown. 

“I wanna try something.”

“Okay?” She trusts him, so she’s willing to roll with his idea. He seems to be calculating his next move. It’s interesting, for the first time since they started all this, he actually looks nervous, though it’s of course only his eyes that are giving him away.

“I ain’t ever… done this before. So you gotta talk to me, savvy?”

“We both know I ain’t afraid of talking,” she smiles, hoping to ease his nerves, though she ain’t really sure what he’s gonna do. 

“Just, tell me if you don’t like something,” he instructs, waiting until she nods before he’s moving, sitting back a bit so he’s perched over her. He hooks his thumbs in the waistband of her panties and he gives her a look before she nods, lifting her hips and helping him shimmy them off. It’s a strange feeling of vulnerability, laying completely naked in front of him, but he’s lookin at her so softly, she knows she has nothing to be afraid of. He practically has hearts for eyes for a moment there. She gives him a quirk of a smile and then he’s moving again, and she doesn’t really know how to help him as he moves down the bed. She’s not exactly sure why he’s- oh. 

“Darry, it’s okay. You don’t gotta-” She starts to say, cause Lord, as far as she knows most guys aren’t really too keen on doing this. It’s sweet he’s willing to offer. To be honest she’s touched, it feels more intimate than just the simple act of having sex.

“I want to,” he murmurs and she is too busy staring at him in shock to really argue as he moves one of her legs over each shoulder. Hell, she’d be lying if she said hadn’t wondered about what this would feel like, and if he’s really offering she’s most certainly not gonna say no.

“Oh God,” she whimpers, because just the sight of him looking up at her like this has her knees going weak against his shoulders. 

“I ain’t even done nothin,” he says with a small smile, but he snakes a hand around her thigh and brings it to rest across her lower belly. 

“I love you.” And God does she mean it right now.

“I love you too,” he says, and she can see he’s still nervous, but he’s got that determined look to him. She sees him start to move towards her, and she already falls back against the pillows, gaze locking up at the ceiling just as he makes contact and she lets out a noise she can only call a squeak. It takes a second to get her bearings at all, and by then he’s started using his tongue and she lets her legs go dead weight on his shoulders. She’s moving against him involuntarily, her hips canting instinctually towards him, and she feels his palm splaying across her lower stomach before he’s pressing firmly, keeping her held in place. 

“Good, that definitely feels good,” she manages to sputter out with a little laugh, remembering his request that she talk to him. She figures he can’t figure out if it’s working without some feedback, so she’ll try her best. She feels a kiss on her inner thigh as he takes a pause. 

“Keep talkin,” he encourages before he starts back up again. She’s not sure how he figured out that lapping at her clit was the best strategy but Lord she has rarely felt herself get worked up this fast. Usually it takes a while, but right now she feels like if he keeps up at it she might actually finish almost embarrassingly quickly. 

“God, just don’t stop. Just keep doing exactly whatever it is you’re doing-” Her voice cracks at the end, because he somehow comes across an angle where she’s particularly sensitive and she’s narrowly aware that he’s holding her leg still as she moves reflexively. She cannot believe this is actually happening right now. And damn him, because now masturbating will be pitifully unsatisfying compared to this. She reaches down and threads a hand in his hair and tugs, because she knows he likes it and it feels too good-

“C’mon Betty,” he murmurs, only pausing for a split second, before he’s right back at it. And he’s got one hand running up and down her leg soothingly and the other is holding her still cause for the life of her she can’t stop squirming cause it feels so good. And she cannot believe she’s already barrelling towards an orgasm, and it’s honestly impressive. 

“I’m close,” she manages to whimper and then she finally looks down, and it’s the sight of him looking up at her from between her legs that has her letting out a gasp and that rush of euphoria barrels through her as her entire body tenses and all she can do is ride it out. She knows in the back of her mind she’s moaning really loudly, which is new for her, but he doesn’t stop the motions of his tongue and it’s making it feel so much more intense than any other orgasm she’s had that she can’t hold back any sounds that seem to want to slip out. She swears he’s got some magic touch or something because it feels like she’s coming for so long that she actually sighs in relief when her body finally goes lax against him.

“Holy hell,” she says, taking in a breath. “Thank you,” she sputters because how can she not thank him for that?

“You taste good,” he murmurs as an answer, his cheek resting against her inner thigh. She swears she feels like she could just lay here forever. This was definitely not on her list of potential outcomes for the evening. 

“Thought you said you ain’t done that before?” She laughs, because how did that just happen?

“Cause I haven’t.” He replies and she swears to God she is so in love with him it’s not even funny. 

“Come up here?” She requests, cupping his cheek with her hand. 

“God Betty, the noises you made,” He mutters as he follows her request and it’s easy to let her legs fall open and let his body come to rest between them. Kissing him is a strange feeling, tasting some of herself on his tongue. Maybe it's the endorphins, but any nerves she was feeling have disappeared and left behind a thrilling hum beneath her skin.

“Your turn,” she murmurs against his lips, because if they’re gonna go for it, now is probably the best time. She sees the face he makes as he pulls back, and he’s got that worried look again. 

“It can hurt-” 

“I know. I’m tougher than I look,” she replies, grinning at him as he pushes her hair back gently. She sees him look reluctant at the fact, and she knew he was gonna get all in his head worrying about causing her any amount of pain. “Darry-”

“You’ll tell me if we need to stop?” He asks, she wants to huff at him for peppering her with questions about being sure , but it’s so damn sweet of him that she’s smiling anyways. 

“I promise.” 

“I’m serious,” he says, giving her a look that translates roughly as ‘don’t be stubborn about this,’ but he’s also moved off of her and is leaning over to dig in the drawer on his side of the bed. She must be busy just basking in the blissed out feeling she’s still got lingering cause she glances over at him and realizes he’s waiting for her go ahead, and her interest is piqued because she has definitely been eager to see him naked, finally . She’s nodding with what she feels is reasonable anticipation, because she willfully admits she’s been wanting to get a look for herself for a while now. And sure, she’s seen plenty of naked people, that’s just another day at work for her. But never like this, because she’s got a very attractive man in bed next to her. As much as she’s prepared herself for all this, the only thought racing through her head when she gets a good look at him is: how the hell is she gonna make that fit? She decides to keep this thought to herself, that’s an ego boost for him that she’ll keep in her back pocket in case she might need to use it one day. Guess you won’t know until you try, she muses with a small smirk. 

“Come back over here, I’m cold,” she asks. It’s a bit of a lie, cause she’s not really cold, but she wants him close again, wants him to hold her and chase those pesky nerves away again. Thankfully the invitation is enough to get him moving back over and she lets her legs fall open as she throws her arms around his neck with a noise of approval. It takes a bit of shuffling until he’s settled over her, and she feels his dick brushing against her lower belly. It sorta tickles honestly, and it makes her break out in goosebumps. She’s always been a curious person, so she figures he’ll survive with just one hand playing with his hair and lets her other one snake down between them. 

“Show me?” she asks, before she’s carefully wrapping a hand around him carefully, trying to make sure she doesn’t hurt him. She figures he must be okay based on the way he shudders and makes a noise that he tries to keep back. She’s careful with how she moves her hand, keeping her grip loose to make sure she’s not hurting him. 

“I don’t think I gotta show you anything,” he says breathlessly, so she figures she’s doing fine on her own. “If you keep doing that, I ain’t gonna be able to focus,” he scolds.

“You want me to stop?”

“For now,” he sighs, though he looks disappointed when she withdraws her hand. “Let me get you ready?”

“Sure,” she nods, trusting whatever he’s about to do, after that earlier performance, she’s sorta happy to let him do anything he wants. 

“Just try to relax, okay? And tell me if anything hurts.” She feels his hand snake down between them, and brushes two fingers at her entrance, giving her a moment before he’s pushing in slowly. Betty has tried this on herself before, more out of curiosity than anything else. It never really hurt, but she’d concluded it didn’t feel particularly good or helpful for getting off either, and hadn’t really tried again since. It doesn’t hurt this time around either, but Darry has much bigger hands, and she definitely is noticing the difference. 

“You okay?” He asks, moving his fingers in what seems to be practiced motions, which definitely feels strange, but not bad. 

“I’m okay. Promise,” She confirms before she’s grabbing his face and bringing him back in to kiss her for a few moments. She figures now is as good as any time. “I’m ready.” She murmurs against his lips, and she sighs as he pulls away. She watches him study her face for a moment, as if he’s double checking she’s not fibbing. 

“Okay,” he finally agrees, withdrawing his hand. She’s not sure if she should watch, or if that will make her tense up more, so she settles for watching his face. He’s clearly focused on the task at hand, and he’s got the slightest furrow to his brows in concentration. She’s grateful he takes the second pause to get some lube cause she almost certainly is gonna need it. 

“Gimme a warning so I don’t tense up,” she instructs, and honestly she feels like she just made this whole thing un-sexy. It just feels a little awkward and kinda clinical in some ways. Though she figures that’s just how it is when you’re trying to figure it out your first time. 

“I’m gonna go slow,” he confirms and she feels the tip of him at her entrance and she lets out a breath as he moves forward. She’d hoped with the lube and her aforementioned orgasm that maybe it wouldn’t hurt at all, but her traitorous body seems to have other ideas right out the gate. She tries to keep the wince from her face, but the stretch starts hurting enough that it’s turning into a burn. She just tries to breathe through it, but to be honest that ain’t helping much.

“Is that all?” She asks when he pauses for a moment, and she must’ve closed her eyes at some point, because she feels his hand coming to cup her cheek and his thumb is tracing her cheekbone. 

“No, I’m sorry baby, we should stop. You’re hurting-”

“Just go all the way in. It’s hurting worse going slow,” she decides. Her hymen is gonna have to go one way or another, she figures just get it over with. 

“Betty-”

“Please?” She murmurs, and she can’t bring herself to open her eyes but she just truly wants him to do it. She feels him sigh against her forehead, and she almost thinks he’s gonna say no, but then he moves and she can’t keep the grimace from her face as she feels the burn turn horribly sharp and then mercifully, it starts to subside.  

“I’m sorry,” she feels him saying against her hairline where his lips have come to press against her hair. “That’s it. I’m sorry,” he soothes. She keeps her eyes closed, mostly because she doesn’t trust the stupid tears to stay in her eyes where they belong. It doesn’t hurt so bad now, but she figures the whole thing will probably be a bit uncomfortable. But he’s being so gentle, and he’s pressing kisses to her forehead and his hand is running through her hair in a soothing motion that actually calms her down a bit. She tries to focus on that for a minute until she’s a bit more relaxed. 

“I’m okay,” she reassures, and she starts playing with his hair with a shaky hand. She wants him to feel good too. Honestly, if nothing else, there’s something intimate about being this close to him. God, not only does she love him, she trusts him. 

“You can move.” She knows he’s been very careful to stay still while she takes a minute to adjust, but he’s also very gentle as he starts moving. She feels like she’s okay to open her eyes, and she looks up at him and he’s got a genuine look of relief when she smiles up at him. 

“Betty,” he murmurs, and while she’s still a bit uncomfortable, seeing the way his eyes are getting all hazy with his own arousal is a very welcome distraction. 

His thrusts start picking up a bit of a rhythm as she pulls at his hair just a bit, trying to coax him a little closer to his own climax. But it takes her one glimpse at his face for her to figure out he’s all stuck in his head. He’s worried about her, and while it’s sweet, she wants him to get a chance to focus on himself here. She kisses up the line of his jaw until her lips are close to his ear; she can feel his breath coming out in little pants against her neck. 

“You’ve been so good to me Darry,” she whispers, one hand tracing up his spine, feeling the way the muscles flex with his movements, scratching every so slightly with her nails and then soothing the path with the pads of her fingertips. 

“You’re takin’ such good care of me.” She feels him shudder, and he makes a noise at her coaxing. He hasn’t quite caught on what she’s trying to do. She can tell he’s trying so hard to hold back for her sake, to make sure he’s being gentle, but she wants him to let go.

“You’re being so gentle, God, you feel good,” She knows that part is a little fib, but she knows he’s worried so she figures throwing in the white lie won’t hurt anything. Plus, she’s not hurting, per say, just a little uncomfortable, but that’s beside her point.

“Baby-” She is definitely cracking at his resolve based on the sound of his voice, but she figures she’s really gotta go for it and surprise him a bit to get him out of his head completely.
“You’ve been all pent up for so long haven’t you?” 

The moan that cuts her off tells her she’s got a target lock now on exactly what he needs. One of his hands squeezes her hip reflexively. She can’t believe the filthy words she’s about to let slip past her lips. But his thrusts are getting rougher and she’s grinning against his ear, because she knows he can’t hold off forever and he just needs a little push-

“Christ Betty-”

“You’ve been aching for a release, huh? Been waiting to have me all to yourself, you’ve been so patient too.” God he’s getting close, she can tell by the way his body is tensing up, and the whimper he lets out by her ear. “C’mon, baby, that’s it. Make me really feel you-” That’s all it takes.

“Betty!” She smirks triumphantly, despite the little wince of pain that follows, because he’s coming and she’s got her hands running up and down his back and it’s like she can feel him everywhere at once. God the moans coming out of him; they’re downright filthy, and she wants to do everything in her power to make him make those sounds again. She takes in a satisfied breath just as he gives one final thrust and then he’s going lax against her. She can feel him trying to make sure he doesn’t rest his dead weight onto her, catching himself with one arm.

“Just relax,” She encourages, his nose brushing is against her hair with lips pressing to the space behind her ear as he tries to catch his breath. It’s almost like she knocked the wind outta him. His body does go more slack against her at her encouragement, she knows he’s not gonna crush her. She’s more than content to just play with his hair while he comes down, because clearly he needs a moment. He shivers against her a couple times as he seems to just be catching his breath. 

“What was that?” He murmurs, sounding a little dazed as she feels one of his hands come to brush her cheek, since he seems to not want to lift his head. 

“You were holding back,” she replies, shrugging minutely against him. It’s the truth. 

“That stuff you said-”

“Too much?” She asks, and she’s genuinely wanting the feedback. It was definitely a gamble on if he’d like it or not.

“God no. Look at me,” he murmurs, and she swears he's acting like he’s drunk off of her. She smiles, 

“That was kind of the goal.” She feels him shifting a bit to pull back and she can feel his eyes on her.

“You know I’m so in love with you sometimes it scares me.” She turns her head and she’s able to look at him, though their noses are practically touching. 

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m in love with you too,” she says, meaning for it to be something to make him smile, but then she feels a tear streaking her cheek and she lets out a wet noise of surprise. 

“What hurts?” He asks worriedly, already starting to move them carefully and he gets a hand behind her head, cradling it gently.

“No! No, I’m okay, I dunno why I’m crying,” she says hastily, wiping at her eyes, but for some reason, feeling him hold her with such care and concern seems to only make her cry more. 

“Betty-”

“I told you I’m just a cry baby,” Betty laughs, because hell, this was more than what she could’ve hoped for for her first time, and she just loves him so much. How the hell is she not gonna get a little teary from that? “I just love you a lot.”

“I love you too,” he sighs, looking a bit relieved considering she’s very much grinning despite the tears. He presses a kiss to her forehead, and she feels him brush away a few stray tears with his thumb. 

“Can we go take a shower?” She feels like she’s starting to get a little sticky with sweat and all the other fun things that go along with what they were doing. Sex is unfortunately messy, and honestly a shower sounds heavenly. “What time is it?” She asks, and his gaze flicks over to the clock. 

“Seven thirty.” God they have so much time and she’s got him all to herself. “So, we ?” He asks with a raised brow.

“We.” She says firmly. She’s not really asking, she’s already decided she’s staying by his side for the rest of the night. “That is, if you care to join me?” She asks, looking up at him with a coy grin, she already knows his answer.

“I ain’t letting you out of my sight for a while,” he murmurs as an answer. It makes her snort affectionately at him, guess they’re both on the same page there. Maybe she can finally get him to try some face wash instead of regular old soap in this shower, she figures he won’t mind much.

Notes:

Okay I was nervous to post this so hopefully it meets y'alls expectations 😅

TBH being on OBGYN the last 6 weeks has included a lot of discussions about sexual health and also just vagina owner's sexual experience so I guess this is a slight ode to that in some ways because I had some very meaningful conversations about that with both doctors and patients, I tried to be realistic y'all, but idk I haven't ever written smut before so I will require extra amounts of validation this week.

We LOVE a Betty chapter, especially when she's being real with us, which is like her entire inner monologue this time around lol. She has more knowledge than most girls who were virgins in the time period might have going into this, but she's a nurse, and also has done plenty of sex ed. Plus she can pick up a lot from gossiping at work 😂

Darry unfortunately could not be reached for comment this chapter, but he's very content so don't worry about him too much 😂 Also while Soda talked a big game that one chapter at being an expert at getting girls off, Darry seems to be doing just fine without his advice 😂 (though to be fair, he definitely had some beginners luck, also Betty is just obsessed with him so everything played to his advantage even if he was flying blind hehe)

The gang had a wonderful time at the drive in. They had hot chocolate with their popcorn so Johnny and Ponyboy were vibing with their snacks and a double feature. Dally did not have any beverages (hot or cold) thrown at him this time, so a very successful evening for him overall. Soda made it 45 minutes into a movie before he got antsy (that is a new record for him!)

Chapter 32: Chap 32

Summary:

Thanksgiving is here and the gang is adorable

Notes:

Happy Friday! Please enjoy some found family and a nice romantic surprise!

Betty stirs awake and wonders if it’s already time to go start preparing Thanksgiving dinner. It feels mighty early, but she knows it’s going to take most of the day, and Darry had set an alarm last night to make sure he gets started on the turkey on time today. She assumes at first it was the alarm that woke her, but she realizes as she stirs awake that Darry is still fast asleep on the other side of the bed. It takes a couple moments of blinking to see the alarm clock reads 1:52 am, and another moment before she spots the figure standing near the door of the room. She reminds herself that she no longer lives alone. Therefore seeing someone else in her room at night is no longer cause for screaming bloody murder, but it does startle the hell out of her still. They’re both staring at each other, but the poor kid looks like a deer in headlights, and she figures the sound of the door is what woke her up. 

“Ponyboy, you okay honey?” she murmurs, rubbing at an eye as she moves to sit up. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers hastily, as if he’s scared he’s been caught. 

“Hey, c’mere,” she motions him over from where he currently stands shuffling from side to side. 

“I just, I needed to make sure Darry is okay,” he says quickly, and even in the dark she can see he’s blushing. She assumes he must’ve had a nightmare, clearly not to the caliber of the one she saw before, but enough to shake him up. 

“Of course,” she encourages, and she can tell he sags in relief as he approaches the bed quietly. She watches as he watches over his brother for a few moments, eyes following the way his chest rises and falls with each breath. She sees Ponyboy’s eyes flit to her for a split moment, and she decides to speak. “Do you wanna stay here?” 

“It’s okay, I already woke you up,” Ponyboy mutters. 

“Come around and you can get in the middle next to him,” she says, moving to climb out of the bed before he can protest. 

“I-”

“It’s still bedtime,” She prompts and she watches him shoot her a final look before he crawls under the covers and moves to the middle of the bed near his brother. 

“Thanks,” Ponyboy murmurs softly as she crawls back into bed, turning onto her side. She sees the way he snuggles up against Darry and she does something on a whim. She reaches out and starts running her hand through Ponyboy’s hair gently. She feels him stiffen for a moment, and she waits to give him the opportunity to move her hand away if he wants. But then she feels him sigh, and lean ever so slightly into the touch. She smiles to herself and keeps carding her fingers through the hair, waiting until he settles back into sleep before she closes her own eyes. 

---

Darry hates the sound of alarm clocks. The blaring noise is one that invokes a very specific feeling of annoyance he reserves only for that little fuck. He does get a distinct satisfaction every time he gets to turn over and smash the sound off, though he has to be careful to not break the thing. He turns over and is about to grab Betty, who he knows also wakes up quickly to the sound of his alarm. But the lump in the bed beside him is most certainly not her. 

“What- Ponyboy?” He’s usually a light sleeper, but  he has absolutely no damn clue where his brother came from. 

“It’s too early Darry, why’s your alarm goin’ off? You almost crushed me!” Ponyboy whines, as he burrows himself into the bed. 

“Where did you even come from?”

“Same place you came from. Mom, approximately 14 years ago,” Ponyboy mutters and Betty lets out a snort. 

“I’ll throw you out of this bed,” Darry threatens. 

“No! It’s cold. And early. I’m going back to sleep,” Ponyboy mutters hauling the covers over his head in protest. 

“Hi,” Betty says softly, stretching a bit as she stirs. Darry can’t help but feel forlorn; he’s still contemplating tossing his brother out of bed considering he now is a lump of blankets standing in between them. He figures Pony could use some more sleep, and Betty must agree cause she gives him a grin and wordlessly climbs out of bed and heads for the door and he’s hot on her tail. She makes a beeline for the recliner and grabs the thick quilt folded up neatly beside it and starts unfolding it. 

“When did Pony come in last night?” Darry asks, voice still filled with sleep as he follows her lead and climbs into the chair with a huff. He clears the spot beside him for her as she shakes out the blanket.

“Around 2, I think he had a nightmare. He told me he needed to check on you. I figured he would feel better staying close to you.” He knows she loves his brothers, but he’s still sorta surprised she let Ponyboy into the bed, he knows that’s definitely something most people wouldn’t offer.

“You didn’t have to let him-”

“It didn’t bother me none,” she says, cutting off his protest as she climbs into the chair beside him, tucking the blanket around them tightly. “As long as I get my personal space when I’m sleeping I don’t mind at all.” There’s been a couple rare occasions where she’s actually fallen asleep cuddled up with him, but for the most part she prefers cuddling until she’s ready to sleep. Then she prefers to retreat to her own side of the bed where she’s free to turn over and move as much as she pleases without being tangled up in another person. It’s honestly his preference too, it’s a nice change from his brothers who will practically sleep on top of him. He usually finds the two of them all tangled up when he goes to wake them up in the mornings. 

“He and Soda are terrible at leaving personal space when they’re sleeping,” he sighs. 

“I know, that’s why I let him cuddle up to you,” she grins. 

“Is that why my kidney hurts?”

“Please, he did not hurt you-”

“He’s kicked me plenty before,” Darry grumbles, though really, he’s just complaining because he can. He’s honestly kinda touched that Ponyboy came looking for him. He figures that’s a good sign that they’re getting along better. Plus, deep down he does like having his brothers near, he just wishes they were more still sleepers. 

“Well, I can promise I won’t kick you right now,” she laughs as she seems to move around so she can use him as a pillow, her ear resting right over his heart. 

“You don’t ever kick me,” he mutters. 

“I would if you try to take over my side of the bed,” she replies.

“Noted.”

“What time do you actually need to start on the turkey?” They both know he set an alarm early enough that he can have a little time to wake up before he’s actually gotta get a start on the task. 

“In the next 45 minutes or so.”

“Well, thankfully my pie and mac and cheese will be significantly less time consuming,” she grins and he knows she’s trying to get a rise out of him. But he genuinely does like doing the Thanksgiving turkey, even if it's sorta a pain in the ass. He felt like it was the first semblance of normalcy he was able to create for everyone after their parents died. 

“Thank you for offering to be my assistant baby, that’s very nice of you,” he replies, a hand coming to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as she peers up at him with an indignant look. 

“Is that what I said?” She asks with a quirk of her lips. 

“I might need your small hands,” he shrugs, which is true. It’s a pain in the ass to get the innards out of the turkey when he does it. Last year he had Ponyboy do it, but his brother was so grossed out he started dry heaving, which was a bit overdramatic in Darry’s opinion, but he figures Pony isn’t his best bet this go around. He says as much to Betty, which gets her genuinely laughing against him at the image of the scene. 

“What if I wanna watch him try?”

“Do I gotta beg?” Darry bargains. He really doesn’t think it’s that bad. 

“Well, I definitely don’t have a weak stomach,” she agrees. “I guess I can help you out, since you’re in such dire need.”
“Thanksgiving is saved,” he murmurs, and God he loves this girl. He could honestly just sit here with her, in the quiet of a late fall morning for hours. There’s a feeling of peace that comes along with it that he hasn’t felt in a long time. 

---

“What’s for breakfast?” The question gets an eyeroll out of Darry because, really Ponyboy? Considering he and Betty are both currently very clearly occupied with this turkey on the kitchen counter, he can fend for himself for breakfast. She’s practically elbow deep in the turkey, and he’s actually thankful that she seems completely unbothered by the task, considering she’s been talking away about one of her fellow nurses who’s apparently having an affair with some business man. He’s about to say something along the lines of: figure something out Pony, but Betty beats him to it. She’s withdrawing her arm from the bird and she’s actually gotten a decent amount of the innards out and she turns to Ponyboy with a smile.

“Want this?” She asks, with a grin so wide he can’t believe she’s holding raw turkey guts in her hand. Ponyboy gets one look at her and then he’s dry heaving with a dramatic gag. 

“No! That’s disgusting!” Ponyboy gasps, looking horrified as Betty bursts out into laughter and she seems to take pity on him as she turns and deposits the stuff into the trash can. 

“I’m sorry sugar, I had to!” She grins, and Darry’s sorta impressed with the whole thing.  “I think there’s some corn flakes or coco puffs you could eat.” She’s nicer than Darry was gonna be; he was gonna say, ‘look around for yourself.’ Ponyboy mutters something under his breath, but Darry sees him go for the cereal bowls and figures he’s just fine.

“Wow, Darry’s really making you do that huh?” Soda says with amusement, leaning in the kitchen doorway, giving Darry raised brows as if he’s being particularly cruel to her or something. 

“It’s like when I had to do my surgery hours,” Betty grins, chucking another handful into the trash without a care in the world. “Except, unfortunately my patient is extremely dead. But they’ll hopefully taste delicious!”

“You’re really not bothered by this?” Soda asks, sounding genuinely impressed. Considering the way she’s grinning, Darry would even venture to say she’s having fun. 

“I mean, it’s kinda cold since it was in the fridge, where human’s guts are all warm-”

“What the fuck?” Soda says, looking a bit horrified. It’s not an easy emotion to elicit from him. 

“Hey, I’ve had to shove my hand into people’s guts to stop a bleeder. Mind you, I didn’t become a surgical nurse for a reason, but I didn’t mind it so much.”

“They really make you do that?”

“Sometimes. It’s either that or they bleed to death.”

“That’s crazy,” Soda says, looking genuinely impressed. To be fair, Darry also feels like he forgets how crazy her job is. Sometimes he just thinks she’s taking blood pressures and giving vaccines. He forgets that hospitals have people who are actively dying. 

“Alright I think it got it all baby,” Betty says with a grin, dropping a final handful into the trash before she’s moving to the kitchen sink. “Geez, my hands are cold!” She says as she runs them under the hot water with a sigh. 

“It’s Thanksgiving miracle Pony, we’ve been spared!” Soda jokes, slinging an arm around Ponyboy and sloshing his bowl of cornflakes. 

“I sorta wish I had a surgical brush, I kinda wanna do a sterile scrub of my hands after that,” Betty mutters, and Darry has no clue what she’s talking about, but he understands the sentiment. 

“Thank you,” Darry murmurs, honestly she made the whole process seem so easy compared to their attempts last year.

“You’re quite welcome. So Soda, you got everything you need for the mashed potatoes?” She asks, drying her hands on a dish towel as she comes to sit at the kitchen table beside Ponyboy. 

“Of course, and don’t even go asking me what color they’re gonna be cause I’m not telling no one beforehand,” Soda says with a grin as he sits with his own bowl of cereal. Though, Darry is pretty sure they’ll be red, Soda seemed to like the idea when Betty had suggested it a few days ago. 

---

This year’s turkey is as stubborn as they always are, and Darry’s walking over to the Mathews’ house about fifteen minutes after his brothers and Betty had gone over with their dishes. No matter how early he seems to start the turkey cooking, it seems to always need a little extra time even if he plans for it. Still, it’s looking like it turned out about as perfect as he can hope as he carries it across the road and up the porch steps right around 4 pm for dinner. Two Bit must’ve been watching for him, because the door is opening just as Darry steps onto the porch and he’s being ushered in by his friend as he holds the doors open. The house is chaotic just as he’d expected it to be. Mrs. Mathews, Soda, and Johnny are lining up the various dishes all along the kitchen counter so people can make their plates. Steve and Dally seem to have gotten assigned to help set the places at the dining and kitchen tables that have been moved together to create one giant place to eat. Ponyboy is working on getting water glasses filled for everyone. But catching sight of Betty brings on a rush to his chest.

 She’s sat on the couch behind little Ellie Mathews and is currently weaving some braids into the girl’s hair, chatting up a storm. It almost knocks the wind outta him for a second. For just that moment he sees her sitting behind a little girl around Ellie’s age, but one who shares her blue eyes and his curls. It sorta sends a jolt of longing through him, followed by a rush of icy terror. He loves his brothers more than anything, but being thrust into all the responsibility he’s taken on has made him wonder if he could ever even want to have kids of his own. He’s been so focused on keeping his brothers at home, and getting Ponyboy graduated he honestly has no clue what comes after for him and his life. But with it sorta staring him in the face here, he wonders if Betty wants that. Maybe he would too, some day in the distant future or another life, but right now he just can’t. It ain’t a conversation they’ve had, but he realizes that it’s definitely needed. It’ll have to wait for another time. But there is something in his heart that aches for that little image in the back of his mind, even if it scared the shit outta him-

“Here Darry, we have a spot cleared,” Soda hollers, ushering him over, and breaking him from his whirlwind of thoughts. Thankfully, the turkey is much easier to carry with Two Bit’s help, and it is deposited safely on the counter before something catastrophic can happen. 

“This looks fantastic Darry!” Two Bit exclaims, and he’s definitely eyeing the bird ravenously. Darry does love Thanksgiving for the simple fact that he gets to be around all of his friends and family and watch them all go to bed overly happy and with full stomachs. 

“Good deal, since you’re man of the house it’s all yours to carve,” Darry says with a grin, giving Mrs. Mathews a kiss on the cheek before he’s slipping out of the kitchen ignoring Two Bit’s fake whining and heading for Betty on the couch. Ellie seems to be content to be talking her ears clean off. 

“Hi Darry!” Ellie chirps brightly, looking up as Betty continues weaving the other half of her hair into a second braid. 

“Hey Ellie,” he smiles. Two Bit’s eight year old sister has always been cute as a button, and as she’s gotten older she’s gained plenty of sass to keep up with the likes of her older brother. Darry doesn’t get to see her too much these days, but Two Bit keeps him updated with plenty of stories. Before he can sit, Ellie is looking up at him in scrutiny, almost as if he must first gain her permission to join their fray. 

“Mama says that Betty is your girlfriend,” She states, giving him a look as if he needs to confirm this important piece of information himself. 

“She is.”

“But Keith said you were too chicken-shit to ask her out-”

“Elliana Mathews!” Mrs. Mathews calls from the kitchen, sounding more amused than actually scolding. He can hear Two Bit’s wheezing attempts to hide his laughs. 

“That was a while ago!” Two Bit chimes in between gasping breaths. 

“Did he ask you out?” Ellie asks, turning minutely to glance back at Betty, who’s weaving the braid down her back. 

“Yes, he did. It was very sweet. And he took me out on some dates and got me dinner.”

“Does he tell you you look pretty every day? Mama says if a boy don’t tell you that every day then he ain’t worth having ‘round.”
“Ellie!” 

“Darry, I believe there’s something you forgot to tell me today?” Betty prompts with a Cheshire cat-like grin, and he has to resist the urge to roll his eyes because he knows Ellie is watching him with great scrutiny. Seems she’s turned on him for Betty mere minutes after meeting her. He can’t blame her honestly, he loves his girl. 

“You look very pretty,” He says with a soft smile, which he can’t keep from turning into a full grin, “And you do too Betty.”

“Thank you!” Ellie says, seemingly delighted by the compliment. Betty gives him an eyeroll just as she finishes off the braid and then Ellie is scampering off to torment Dally and Steve. 

“You look very handsome,” she says with a grin as he sits beside her.

“Thanks?” He says, feeling a bit confused by the jump in subject. He had showered and changed into a sweater for the holiday, but he didn’t feel like he looks any different than he did fifteen minutes ago when she saw him. 

“I figure if you gotta tell me I look pretty each day, it’s only fair I return the favor,” she smiles. 

“Guess that means I gotta keep you around?” He murmurs, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. 

“This Thanksgiving turned out real nice,” she says, leaning against him. 

“You ain’t even gotten dinner yet,” he shakes his head fondly. 

“I’m gonna tell you a secret,” she says, looking at him conspiratorially. 

“Hmm?”

“I don’t really like Thanksgiving food all that much,” she laughs, whispering in his ear. 

“What?” He’s sorta appalled by the thought. 

“It’s my worst quality I guess,” She smirks, and then she’s rising to her feet holding out a hand to him.  

“Alright! I’m starving ! Let’s eat!” Steve hollers, Darry figures that’s their cue, and he follows her into the kitchen. He wonders if it’s too cliche to say he’s thankful for all the people here when Mrs. Mathews makes them all go around and each say a piece? Honestly he doesn’t care. 

---

One day, they’ll all learn the perfect amount of food to eat for Thanksgiving that gives them a full stomach, but doesn’t put them into a comatose-like state. Unfortunately, it seems most of them failed again this year, Darry included. He’s currently rethinking his choices a bit as he sits on the couch, fighting to keep his eyes open while they watch the Cowboy’s football game on the tv. Normally he’s all in when football is on, but the post Thanksgiving dinner food coma has different ideas. It probably doesn’t help that the pleasant buzz of the alcohol he’s been drinking has definitely hit him by now. But looks like Betty is similar off, based on the rosy flush of her cheeks she has going. He’s pretty sure Ponyboy and maybe Johnny are actually asleep at his feet where they’ve both taken up residence on the floor. It’s hard to tell if they're just being quiet or if they’re sleeping off dinner. Even Soda and Steve aren’t horsing around at present, and have occupied themselves with commentating on the game. Betty is tucked in to his side, and she’s been sipping on a glass of wine for a while and chatting with Mrs. Mathews and Ellie, who seems to have decided they were having their own girl’s talk. She’d given Darry quite the glare when he’d offered his own opinion on their conversation earlier, which had Betty laughing against him. He’d since kept his attention moreso on the tv since. 

“Mama! When do we get to have dessert?” Ellie asks, bouncing with excitement to the point that Dally gets jostled. But Darry catches Dallas’ small look of affection at the kid, even if he tries to mask it. 

“Dessert?” Ponyboy asks, sounding half asleep as he pops up like a little prairie dog from its burrow, blinking around sleepily. Clearly everyone’s appetites saved room for dessert considering the way they all immediately perked up. 

“I’ll just have to run over to the house and grab the chocolate pies from the fridge, but they’re ready to be eaten whenever!” Betty says with a grin, clearly noticing the way everyone is stirring at the idea of more food. 

“Well I can start cutting up the pumpkin pies in the meantime,” Mrs. Mathews says, and she slips to the kitchen with Ellie hot on her tail, who insists on helping with the task. 

“I’ll come help you,” Darry murmurs as she starts to move to get up. He’s sure she could manage to get the two pies over here, but it’ll be easier if he’s acting as an extra pair of hands. 

“C’mon,” she offers, holding out a hand and interlocking her fingers into his as she steps over Ponyboy and Johnny and heads for the door, tugging them both out into the crisp autumn air. It’s walking next to her and looking at the way the afternoon sun lights up her features that a question from earlier slips into the pleasant haze of his brain.

“Now, I know y’alls thing is chocolate cake, but I do want honest reviews of this chocolate pie-”

“Do you want to have kids?” he asks. He feels his hand tugging him to a stop. She’s looking at him like he’s grown a second head. 

“Darrel Curtis are you trying to give me a heart attack?!” She sputters, looking up at him with wide eyes. He realizes quickly that his approach wasn’t maybe the most subtle and gentle way of broaching the subject. 

“I just meant-”

“Lord have mercy!” She says running a hand through her hair as she tugs them towards the front porch and she sorta lets out a laugh as she almost trips on the step. “Okay, you’re gonna have to elaborate a bit more, cause you’ve officially stunned me, because what the hell does that mean?!” He knows he better start talking now cause she’s giving him quite the look.

“I just- I saw you with Ellie today, how good you were with her, and I realized we ain’t ever talked about that kinda thing.” She seems to soften as he explains because she no longer has such a look of shock across her face. She lets out a sigh of what seems to be relief as she runs one hand down her cheek. 

“So, maybe start with that part next time!” She laughs, pushing open the front door and moving to sit on the couch instead of going for the kitchen. He figures that’s his cue to follow, and he sits next to her, and he sees the way she’s studying his face, and he sorta doesn’t know what to say. What if she’s not wanting to wait, or isn’t okay if he potentially never wants kids?

“Do you though?” He pushes, because he’s too much of a coward to somehow tell her how fucking scared he is that he’d rather make her be the one saying what she wants for them. 

“Want kids? I dunno. Not now, that’s for sure! Maybe someday, as in years from now, but I feel like I just started my life, and I don’t think I’ll feel ready to really think about that for quite a while.” The relief he feels almost makes him want to collapse against the couch. He swears most of the girls he knew in high school and college wanted to settle down and have a baby as soon as possible, he should’ve known not to assume anything about Betty, especially this. “You look upset, sugar,” she murmurs, a hand coming to his cheek. He takes a shaky breath, because while her answer of later definitely soothes his worries, he’s still just not sure. He doesn’t want to disappoint her.

“What if it’s never?” He manages to say, and he can’t make himself look her in the eyes. 

“Never? Is that why you’re all out of sorts over all this?” She asks, and he doesn’t have to say a thing because he knows she can read him like a book. The pause of her thinking is enough that he feels like air is getting trapped in his lungs “That’s not a dealbreaker for me. Like I said, all of this is a later problem honestly. But if it’s never for you, then we talk about it, but we’ll be okay .”

“You wouldn’t resent me-”

“I’m very sure I would never resent you.” God sometimes he wonders how he was able to find her. “But Lord have mercy, Darrel Curtis do not do that to me again! I thought you were about to ask to knock me up right now!” He feels his eyes widen at that, and he realizes very quickly how poorly his choice of words was.

“I-” she takes his chin in her hand and levels him with a stare.

“No babies anytime soon, got that?” She says firmly, giving him an actual stern look, though he can see the small hint of a grin she’s suppressing. That he’s very much on the same page with her about. 

“That we both agree on.”

“Good, now let’s get the pies back to feed the current children,” she says with an eye roll and a truly wide smile, patting his cheek before she heads to the kitchen. He knows she’s mostly joking, but he can tell she also said it with a certain weight to it that tells him she knows exactly why he isn’t sure if he could ever want his own kids. She seems completely content, and while he hasn’t prayed in a damn long time, he does wonder if he should maybe thank God for her. 

“I will say, a bit disappointed, I thought maybe I was just that good in bed on my first try-”

“Lord woman!” He sputters as she hands him a pie with a knowing smile. Guess they’re back to their dynamic of her rendering him all tongue tied instead of the inverse he just pulled.

“C’mon, Ponyboy is probably fully awake now and his sweet tooth is gonna be awake with him,” she says, as they trail out the front door. He’s so busy closing their front gate and watching her affectionately he actually does startle when she basically side checks him to get behind the front of his truck with a squeak.  

“Betty- What?”

“SHHH!” She says urgently, and he has not a damn clue what’s happening. She sets her pie on the hood of the truck and he follows suit. Then she’s peeking her head around the edge of the truck with an excited noise before she turns back to him. 

“What?” he asks again, this time whispering as she requested. 

“Look at their front porch.” She whispers back. 

“What?” He murmurs as he follows her eyeline and then he sees exactly what got such a reaction outta Betty. Two Bit is currently standing on his front porch, looking more bashful than Darry has ever seen in his life with his hands shoved in his pockets. He can hear him talking, but they’re too far to make out the words at the current volume. Across from him is that soc girl, Marcia, who seems to be holding a pie tin as she shuffles across from Two Bit. 

“What the hell?” Darry murmurs, and he looks down at Betty, who’s peeking around the car just below him. 

“She came to talk to him! That’s adorable-”

“She’s a soc girl, she’s playing with his feelings. That’s some nerve too-”

“Darry, she’s been sweet on him for months, I saw her at the rodeos, she practically watched him more than the riders.”

“She gave him a fake number and then her boyfriend helped try to jump Pony and Johnny-”

“Well, first, we don’t know if the number was fake since he never called it for sure. And maybe she’s dumped him? She ain’t responsible for his actions.”

“She could break his heart.”

“But maybe she won’t,” Betty says softly, and he watches in fascination as Two Bit laughs at something and then holds open the door, and Marcia seems to follow him inside. 

“Oh my God!” Betty squeals quietly, before she’s turning around so fast she actually bumps into him and he has to wrap an arm around her to steady her. 

“Why were you standing so close?!” She exclaims, as if she wasn’t the one who dragged him behind the car and made him peer around it. “C’mon grab your pie, we need to go back over there now!”

“We’re going, we’re going,” He reassures, and he has no clue why she’s so amped up about this, but he’s more than content to follow her along as she practically skips the rest of the way, pie in hand and everything. He almost bumps into her again when she stops him in his tracks on the porch. 

“Hm?” He asks, and she peers up at him with a stern look.

“You gotta be nice to her,” Betty says. 

“I ain’t mean-”

“You can’t be giving her your little stoic stares. She’s been real brave coming here and she’s probably real nervous and she doesn’t need you looking at her like-”
“I ain’t doing anything?” He mutters, but he can feel his scowl that was forming and he knows she’s probably right. 

“Darry, would you have wanted the boys to have been mean to me when I first was coming around because they were worried I might break you heart?”

“No. Absolutely not-” He sorta sees red at the image she’s painting.

“Well, then just remember, not too long ago, I was her.” Without another word she pushes the front door open and announces their presence. God, he knows she’s right, and pointing out their own relationship definitely makes him soften more, so he figures he can worry about protecting Two Bit’s heart when Marcia’s not around. He follows her and cracks a smile at the way everyone is eyeing the pies eagerly.

“I’m starving!” Soda proclaims.

“You said an hour ago you were never gonna eat again,” Darry muses.

“I’ve changed as a person since then!” Soda jokes, from his spot beside Steve. He stops in front of Mrs. Mathews, Two Bit, and Marcia who all look up at Darry and Betty walking into the kitchen. 

“Y’all this is Marcia-”

“We met at the rodeo!” Betty interjects Two Bit’s nervous introduction with a big grin. “I love your sweater!” Darry can’t help but feel a rush of affection because Two Bit visibly relaxes and he sees Marcia seem to relax at Betty’s genuine kindness. 

“She was kind enough to bring along a pecan pie,” Mrs. Mathews gushes, and Darry sorta wonders why she ain’t home with her folks right now. But he figures he can’t exactly ask that. 

“That is your favorite, ain’t it Two Bit?” Darry says with a grin, eyeing his best friend who looks so twitterpated he almost snorts. 

“Really?” Marcia asks, looking hopefully as she turns and blinks at his friend. Darry still can’t seem to wrap his head around this girl actually having genuine feelings for his friend, but damn he’s not sure she could fake this. 

“He burned his mouth last year on a piece fresh from the oven!” Steve teases from the couch, earning an indignant shout from Two Bit, though he’s grinning. 

“Bet I can eat more pieces of pie than you!” Soda exclaims, jumping up and nudging Steve in the process. 

“You wish! Let’s do this!” Steve hollers. Darry just uses his good sense to get out of their paths as they make a beeline for making their plates.

Notes:

I'm at the promised land on inpatient internal medicine rotation and lowkey I finally feel ALIVE 😂 Also I don't ever have to do OBGYN again so WINNING

MARBIT STANS GET UP 😂❤️ I had to do it because them as a couple is the cutest thing ever to me. I love them. Darry, however, is nervous, but that's his baseline so he's fine. Betty will knock some sense into him (gently and lovingly)

The little moment between Ponyboy and Betty made my heart swell I hope y'all felt it too.

Betty is the best sous chef Darry has ever had. Ponyboy was very relieved for her to take over, despite still being disgusted by the turkey preparation.

There were indeed red mashed potatoes as a part of the dinner, Betty felt a bit teary at the gesture.

Darrel Curtis having to grow up too fast and having both an intense fear of having his own children is so important to me. He's so scared of messing up, or leaving kids behind like their parents, but as we see he deep down sorta has this ache in his chest. It's definitely something he will have to figure out over time.

As always, come at me in the comments or on tumblr ❤️❤️

Chapter 33: Chap 33

Summary:

Moving day and Betty gets immediately added into the family lol

Notes:

Happy Friday!! In honor of me working with sick people all week, here's Betty and Darry doing exactly that lol.

“Alright, spill,” Darry murmurs, glancing sideways at Two Bit as they start off down the road back towards the house. They’d just finished grabbing the remaining boxes from Betty’s apartment. Darry had volunteered to make the final run for the last of her things, and had encouraged Betty to instead stay back and start unpacking. Which makes the most sense, but he also suspects she also was eager for him to go because she’s been begging him for days to talk to Two Bit about Marcia coming over on Thanksgiving. It’s easier to say that he’s doing this for Betty alone, but they both know he’s just as curious as she is about the details. Plus, he knows his best friend can’t go too long before he’s just gotta start talking about it anyways.

“Bout what?” Two Bit asks with a crooked grin, but Darry can pick out just a hint of nervousness in his face.

“I thought you threw her number away that night?” Darry asks, not wanting to beat around the bush. He does wonder for just how long Two Bit has been talking to her.

“I did,” Two Bit confirms.

“But she came to Thanksgiving dinner?”

“I didn’t know she was gonna do that,” Two Bit admits. It kinda surprises Darry, he’d figured his best friend had been keeping whatever was going on between him and Marcia a secret. He didn’t really think that she showed up of her own volition.

“Really?”

“I’m not lying to ya Dar,” Two Bit shrugs, “I dunno. I mean I didn’t see her much in the summer besides at the rodeo. But I figured they just came over that one time cause they felt bad about what happened to Pony and Johnny. Like I said, I figured she was just joking around with me that night at the movies ‘cause her boyfriend was drunk.”

“So she just showed up for dessert?” Darry asks; he’s honestly a bit more impressed by the girl. He’d really assumed Two Bit had invited her. 

“Yeah. I mean we share some classes, but I didn’t really try talking to her much. I know what happens when a greaser guy falls for a soc girl. But I guess she wasn’t too pleased about me not talking to her or something, cause she overheard me sayin’ something about Thanksgiving dinner at my house to Steve and next thing I know she’s knocking on the front door!” 

“You’re serious-”

“Hell yeah, she laid into me too! Asked me why I’ve had her phone number all this time and never called her. And I swear I thought she was pranking me, because I ain’t expecting that, and on Thanksgiving too! She started going on about how she wanted an answer as to why I was ignoring her!”

“And?”

“And I told her the truth, and she laughed in my face, Darry!” Two Bit grins. 

“No shit?”  He knows the end of the story because she’d enjoyed some dessert with them all and Darry had watched their little flirting game the whole time. 

“She broke up with her boyfriend months ago, after she found out what happened.”

“Good.” Darry mutters, feeling ever so slightly more endeared knowing that. “So?”

“So what?”

“Keith. She came to your house. On Thanksgiving. With a pie.”

“I dunno Darry. She’s funny as hell, and I mean of course she’s gorgeous. But I have no clue what to do with a soc girl, not like I got loads of cash to take her out or whatever.” Darry sighs, because as nervous as this all makes him, he can see the way his friend lights up talking about her. How can he not want Two Bit to be happy?

“You really like her huh?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Well, I think she’s pretty tuff for what she did. Coming over by herself.”

“It was. God why are girls so confusing?” Two Bit groans. 

“Take her on a date, see what happens,” Darry encourages, though he still worries about his best friend getting heartbroken. They sit in some companionable silence for a moment as he shifts the truck into park in the driveway. 

“Thanks Dar,” Two Bit says with a genuine grin, he can tell exactly what all he’s saying in those two words.

“I dunno what you’re talkin’ bout. You still gotta help me carry these boxes inside,” Darry jokes, giving him a playful shove as he opens his door. 

“No good deed goes unpunished,” Two Bit teases, following him around the back of the truck. His laughs erupt into foggy breaths in the chilly December air. 

It only takes him and a couple of the guys ten minutes to unload the final boxes into the house. He sets the gang on the task of unpacking the kitchenware they deposited on the kitchen table, and then tells them to watch some tv or something until dinner before he slips down the hall to check on Betty.

“God why do I own so much shit?!” Betty moans from her current spot on the floor of the bedroom when he closes the door. She’s currently surrounded by a few boxes of clothes. He figures in the time he’d left for that last run, she must’ve reached the point where her energy is running out. 

“It’s really not that much,” Darry tries to reassure. There’s plenty of room for her things between the space in the closet and the drawers he’d cleared in the dresser. 

“I just feel like it’s never ending! Every time I get done with a box, another one takes its place,” she huffs. 

“We’ll get you unpacked, I can help you now,” He offers, stepping over some clothes as he tries to get over to her. 

“But only I know how to do it right!” She snaps, and he sorta stops in his tracks. He could tell she was a bit frustrated, but now she’s getting down right irritated. 

“I know how to fold clothes-”
“I said I’d do it!” She snaps, and he sighs. Maybe it’s the fact that he had the day off today that is playing into his patience being a bit more easy going than normal, but he’s not really phased at the moment. 

“Well, I can promise you that there are no more boxes coming. We just finished unloading the last of them,” he says, giving her a raised brow as she gives him what he would call a glare. 

“Okay.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want some help instead of being stubborn?” He asks because they both know she’s just being stubborn since she’s tired; they can get this done in no time. He watches her face contort before her little glare crumbles. 

“I forgot how much moving stresses me out. I dunno, I just get all worked up until I get everything unpacked. It just makes me anxious for some reason,” she admits, running a shaky hand through her hair.

“We’re gonna get you unpacked, it ain’t even gonna take that long. I’ve got the boys handling all the kitchen stuff. We just gotta unpack the stuff in this room,” he reassures. He figures she’s just overwhelmed herself with the task, which was exactly what he thought would happen when she insisted they just move her things on a day even though she had to work. He’s smart enough to know saying ‘I told you so’ would not bode well for him. 

“I’m sorry, I know you’ve been having to haul all my stuff too and I’m in a mood,” she sighs.

“You can be in a mood. But just let me help you alright? You can supervise,” he bargains. He knows normally she wouldn’t give a damn how he might fold clothes, but he understands she’s tired, and hell, he knows she’s sure of her decision, but it still is a big life change to be moving in.

“Okay.” She agrees, and he takes the sweater she offers up to him and goes for a free hanger, smirking to himself as she watches him with a studying look before he gains a nod of approval at his handiwork. Like he said, he’s plenty experienced with hanging clothes and folding laundry.

---

Seeing Dallas Winston walk up to the construction site about three hours before Darry is usually supposed to make his drive home brings several questions into his mind at once. How did Dally know they were done for the day early? Why is Dally looking for him? What could be important enough that it can’t wait until Darry gets home? How the hell is Dally not cold in his leather jacket? Darry knows he has a warmer coat, but Dally will refuse to wear it until it gets unbearably cold in the winter. That’s sorta on the backburner of Darry’s concerns right now.

“Dally?”

“Ponyboy is sick,” Dally says with a shrug as he leans against Darry’s truck. 

“What?”

"He won’t say nothing, but he’s been acting off all day. Johnny said he was close to fallin’ asleep in class. We got his ass home, but I told Johnny I’d come get you.”

“We’re finished for the day anyways,” Darry nods towards the rest of the guys packing up their things.

“I think he’s got a fever, he looks like it,” Dally shrugs, nodding as he takes Darry’s cue to get in the car. While the worksite they’re on right now is only about a mile from the house, there are very few people Dallas Winston would brave the cold for unless he thought it was worth it. 

“Thanks Dal.” Darry murmurs as he gets them going down the street. The heat from the car feels heavenly on his face.

“Shuddup. I dunno what you’re talking bout.”

“You better not catch a cold yourself walking around in that thin jacket,” Darry scolds as he weaves through the neighborhood. 

“I don’t get sick,” Dally shrugs. If anyone could stay healthy based on sheer will alone, Darry would be inclined to believe him. There’s a bit of a pit forming in Darry’s stomach as they near the house. Since their folks died, no one has gotten truly sick. Sure he’s dealt with his brothers throwing up from a hangover, and the occasional sniffles, but truly sick? That’s something they’ve so far evaded. Darry was pretty scared for a few weeks there, after what happened to Ponyboy at the park fountain. He was secretly convinced that pneumonia was not a matter of if, but when. Thankfully, God or whomever was watching let them get away from the ordeal without that. But now he's gotta figure out how to take care of a sick kid. Their mom was a pro at taking care of her babies when they didn’t feel well, and he feels a sorta panic building in his chest. He isn’t mom, he’s never gonna be, and he can’t bring her back. But he’s terrified because what sick kid doesn’t want their mom? And he’s not sure he can stomach seeing Ponyboy suffer like this and ask for mom and dad. A part of him just secretly wants to avoid it all entirely, but he knows that’s ridiculous. 

“C’mon, let’s see if maybe Johnny at least convinced him to rest on the couch,” Darry sighs, climbing out of the car and listening to the gravel crunch beneath his work boots. 

“Kids are germs man,” Dally shrugs, falling into step beside him. It’s almost funny, as Dally is most certainly still a kid himself, no matter how much he denies it. Then again, most days Darry is right there with him, feeling like a kid playing house. 

“Hey Dal, Dar,” Johnny murmurs, he’s currently sat on the couch with his legs extended, and Ponyboy is lying in the opposite direction. His brother looks downright miserable. The tip of his nose is red, and it takes only a couple moments to notice the way he’s sniffling. His cheeks seem to be a bit flushed, but he somehow manages to still look paler than usual. Ain’t no hiding he’s sick from anyone with eyes, or even ears honestly. 

“Hey Pony,” Darry greets, trying to get read on how lousy he feels as he gets his work boots off. 

“Why’d you have to go get Darry?” Ponyboy snaps, giving Dally a withering glare. 

“You talking to me?” Dally challenges, clearly not one to go soft on Ponyboy just cause he’s feeling like shit. 

“He didn’t need to leave work,” Ponyboy hisses. It hurts a bit, to be honest, but clearly his presence is of no comfort to his brother. 

“We finished early today,” Darry explains, trying to channel his patience. Based on the way things are going he’s gonna need it. 

“I’m fine,” Ponyboy mumbles, though his acting job is shit, and entirely unconvincing. 

“You ain’t,” Johnny sighs. 

“Can’t everyone just lay off me? I wanna be left alone!” Ponyboy snaps. 

“Alright, Johnny and I can go bum around Two Bit’s,” Dally shrugs, giving Johnny a nod to follow. Darry realizes this is Dally’s way of making sure Pony gets taken care of, he’s gonna be more cooperative if he isn’t worried about looking tuff to his friends. 

“Fine! Be like that!” Ponyboy snaps, as if they aren’t technically doing exactly what he told them to do. Dally seems to decide he’s above needing to respond to that, and he and Johnny slip out of the front door with knowing nods at Darry. There’s a few moments of silence

“You gonna let me at least take your temperature?” Darry asks, coming to move into Ponyboy’s field of view. 

“I don’t need it,” Ponyboy hisses, though Darry is pretty sure his resolve is waning. 

“Pony-”

“I didn’t mean to get sick Darry, honest,” he says, sounding miserable at the admission. 

“I know baby,” Darry sighs, finally moving closer now that his brother seems to have finally conceded. He crouches in front of him and takes a better look at his brother, who pointedly avoids his gaze. 

“Please don’t be mad,” he whispers, sounding so small it sorta knocks the wind out of Darry. He would never be mad at his brothers for something like this. 

“I ain’t mad, I’m just worried about you kiddo,” he tries to reassure, taking the risk and reaching a hand out and brushing his brother’s hair back gently. 

“I don’t feel good,” Ponyboy sniffs. 

“I can tell,” he reassures. “I’m gonna get the thermometer.” Ponyboy doesn’t say anything which Darry will take as a win. He grabs the thermometer from the medicine cabinet, and he goes ahead and grabs the cold and flu medicine, he’s really only checking Pony’s temp so he knows where he’s at right now. He knows he’s got a fever just by looking at him, but he wants to make sure it ain’t too high. He sets the medicine on the coffee table and Pony seems to understand what the plan is because he sits up weakly with a small noise. Darry sits down beside him on the couch, his feet definitely thank him for it. 

“Here,” He murmurs, holding out the thermometer in hopes Ponyboy is at least sorta gonna cooperate. He tries to keep his evident relief to himself when Ponyboy lets him place the thing under his tongue before he sits back against the couch looking pretty miserable. He takes the minute or so of letting the thermometer equalize to get the correct amount of meds out onto the coffee table and set them beside the glass of water Johnny must’ve gotten Pony. He glances over at Ponyboy, who's giving him a bit of a pleading look and he figures it’s probably been long enough, so he takes the thermometer back and glances down at it. 

“100.8,” He reads aloud, mostly to himself so he remembers the number. “Yeah, kiddo, you’re definitely sick. Let’s get you these meds and try to keep that fever down.” It’s almost worrisome to Darry that Ponyboy doesn’t whine or object at all, he just takes the glass and meds Darry hands him without a peep. 

“Can I just lay down now?” Ponyboy asks weakly. Darry feels that ache in his chest return, because he realizes he and Pony are both thinking the exact same thing; ‘I wish mom was here.’ He knows if she was, she would get him all tucked into bed and she’d sit and play with his hair until he falls asleep. 

“‘Course, you want a blanket?” Darry offers, nodding to the one thrown back over the couch. 

“Okay,” Pony shrugs, and there’s a moment where they both sorta stare at each other trying to figure out the next move. 

“C’mere,” Darry murmurs, patting his leg with an encouraging nod. He gives Ponyboy the option, but truth be told he’s not sure if his brother will take it. There’s a moment where Ponyboy puts together what he’s offering before he’s maneuvering himself to lay down on the couch again, this time giving Darry one final glance before he lays his head in his lap. Darry grabs the blanket from the back of the couch and gets it thrown over Pony before he glances down at him. 

“Just try and rest,” he encourages. They’ve got the tv on, but Darry really thinks he needs the sleep, but he’ll settle for anything at this point. He might not be mom, but God he’ll do his damndest to try and fill her shoes. He takes a minute to make himself comfortable lounging on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table and getting settled back against the cushions. He lets out a sigh before he gets a hand going to play with Pony’s hair, carefully smoothing it back from his forehead. He can feel the heat coming off of him, but he’s hoping the meds will kick in and help cool him down here shortly. 

“Darry-”

“Shh,” he hushes. He just wants to let Pony live in a world where maybe if he forgets for a minute, he’ll feel like it’s mom taking care of him, instead of Darry’s attempted replication of the comfort only she can provide. Ponyboy makes a little noise of protest at Darry’s shushing, but then he’s settling further into the couch and the little crease in his brow fades as he leans into Darry’s ministrations. Hopefully he can get Pony a couple hours of sleep before dinner time. 

---

“Poor thing,” Betty murmurs to him softly in the kitchen. Soda got home before her, and eventually Pony had stirred, so Darry and Soda switched places so he could start on some dinner and take a break from sitting. Betty had gotten a look at the two of them in the living room and had come into the kitchen when she got home from work. He’d explained to her the events of the afternoon quietly as he worked on the soup that’s now simmering on the stovetop. 

“He don’t get sick often, but when he does, he gets real sick. I’m worried,” he admits quietly, keeping his voice low and hushed enough that only she can hear him. 

“We’ll keep an eye on him. I think he’s just got a nasty bug,” She reassures. Her calm demeanor is more reassuring than he thinks she realizes. He may not have mom around, but having Betty here does ease his worries a bit. He knows she’ll tell him if Ponyboy looks sick enough that he needs the hospital. 

“Let’s just all try our best to not catch it too,” Darry murmurs, though in the end, there’s not a lot of control they have over things when you live together. 

“Hopefully his fever’ll break soon, it might be a bug that goes pretty fast,” She agrees, and he hopes for everyone’s sake she’s right. 

---

“Darry.” God Darry wishes he was someone who woke up in a good mood. He’s gotten accustomed to the instinctual flare of irritation that always rushes over him initially when someone or something wakes him up. He’s learned to take five seconds to let his brain take over before he actually opens his eyes. He squints up at Soda’s figure in the dark. 

“What’s goin on?”

“I got up to pee and checked on Pony, he’s all sweaty and clammy. He looks worse Dar, I’m worried his fever’s up,” Soda whispers.

“What time is it?” Betty’s voice murmurs, thick with sleep and just a hit of exhaustion behind it. 

“Go back to sleep,” Darry says automatically as he moves to sit up to follow Soda. 

“I’ll go get some more meds for his fever, why don’t you go check his temperature?” She replies, moving to climb out of bed, intentionally ignoring his previous remark. He’s too tired to argue, and honestly he thinks he might’ve fallen asleep sitting up for a few minutes, because Soda’s muffled curse is the next thing he hears. Darry’s got his hand resting against Ponyboy’s forehead, which indeed feels worse than before. 

“103.5, that's bad ain’t it Darry?” Soda murmurs, giving him a worried look when he looks up from the thermometer. Darry looks at it in hopes maybe Soda’s just read it wrong with tired eyes, but the number is indeed correct. 

“Soda?” Ponyboy croaks, eyes fluttering drowsily. 

“I’m right here,” Soda reassures, running a hand up and down his arm soothingly. 

“There’s lots of giraffes here,” Ponyboy slurs, and Darry swears he feels his heart skip a beat. 

“Whatcha mean Pone?” Soda says gently. 

“The sun is real bright too,” he continues. 

“He ain’t making sense,” Soda says worriedly just as Betty slips into the room. Darry feels like he’s wracking his brain for what to do, and he’s honestly feeling a bit panicked. 

“He’s delirious,” Darry says nervously, looking over at Betty. 

“What’s the temp?”

“103.5.”

“I don’t like that,” she admits, brows raising as she studies Ponyboy and sets the water and meds on the bedside table 

“He had a seizure once when he was little cause his fever got high-” Darry explains worriedly. He feels so out of his depth right now.

“That can happen in littles sometimes. This ain’t high enough to cause a seizure in him at this age. But I don’t like how high it is, we might need to break his fever.”

“You think?” Darry asks, at this point he’s gonna defer to her, but he’s pretty sure he knows what breaking the fever entails, and he knows Pony’s not gonna like it one bit. Betty chews her lip for a moment, glancing between them and Ponyboy before she moves and places a hand on his forehead. 

“I think it’s the safest choice. I just don’t want it climbing any higher, and hopefully he’ll feel better after.”

“Alright,” Darry nods. “Soda, can you go get the bath running?”

“Yeah,” his brother agrees. 

“Make sure the water is just lukewarm, not cold,” Betty instructs as Soda slips out of the room. Darry figures he can at least see if they can wake Pony up at all to talk to him. 

“Pony, wake up baby,” he murmurs, using one hand to shake him ever so gently. The noise his brother makes definitely does not constitute any words. “C’mon you gotta talk to me for a minute.”

“Darry?”

“Yeah. Pony your fever’s getting real high, we gotta get it down okay? You’ll feel a lot better once we do.” 

“I don’t feel good,” Ponyboy whimpers. 

“I know,” Darry reassures, “We gotta get these pajamas off okay?”

“Why?”

“You’re running a high fever,” he explains as he moves to sit beside him. 

“I just wanna sleep,” Pony protests.

“I know, you just rest,” he concedes, before he gets the blanket pulled away from him. 

“I’ll help,” Betty murmurs, slipping beside him and going for Pony’s tee shirt gently, “You work on his pajama pants.” He gives her a grateful nod, and Pony at least for the moment seems to be content to be dead weight and let them do what they need to do. The peace doesn’t last long once they’ve gotten that layer off of him cause he starts shivering. 

“Darry, stop. I’m cold,” he whines as he stops him from grabbing the blankets to wrap up in. 

“We gotta get your fever down okay honey?” Betty murmurs, taking a moment to also feel the heat radiating from Pony’s forehead again.

“Betty?”

“Mhm. I’m sorry you ain’t feeling well.”

“Why is everyone awake? Is someone sick?” Ponyboy murmurs. 

“He’s confused,” Darry sighs, glancing down the hall in hopes of spotting Soda. 

“I think it’s ready!” Soda calls out. Betty nods and then steps towards the door with a nod in his direction. He steps away from Ponyboy and comes to stand near her. 

“He’s not gonna like it, I’m sorry,” she whispers, giving a sideways glance to his brother. 

“We gotta get his fever down,” Darry sighs, but he’s pretty sure it’s gonna be a mess. 

“Let’s just get it done,” she says, walking back to the bed and brushing hair off of his clammy forehead. Darry follows suit, and gets Ponyboy scooped up in his arms easily.

“Wha-” Ponyboy murmurs, his gangly limbs still stay pretty lax in Darry’s hold.

“It’s okay, it’s just me,” he reassures, he’s gonna try and keep him calm until they can’t anymore. 

“Is he gonna be okay?” Soda asks nervously from his current perch on the closed toilet. 

“Yeah, just don’t worry, okay? It’s gonna feel cold to him, but it’s just ‘cause his temperature is so high.” Betty explains. 

“What’s happening?” Ponyboy asks, eyes finally fluttering open and looking up at Darry. 

“Listen Pony, we gotta cool off your fever,” Darry explains. He figures explaining how they have to do that will only make Ponyboy panic, so just biting the bullet is probably their best option. 

“Should we take his underwear off?” Betty asks. Darry thinks it’s a fair question, but of course that would be the thing that shocks Pony back into some form of lucidity. Darry forgets his brother is still in that awkward teenage phase where he’s none too pleased by that idea. 

“What? No!” Ponyboy protests, eyes locking on Betty with horror, suddenly putting up a fight in Darry’s hold. “Let me go!”

“Jesus, Pony you gotta stop!” Darry grunts, trying to make sure he doesn’t drop his brother. 

“Let go of me!” Ponyboy wails. 

“Just get him in the bath,” Betty says, and he can tell she doesn’t wanna further upset Ponyboy. Darry braces himself, and it’s harder than it should be to keep him still before he’s carefully lowering his brother into the water. 

“No! Please!” Ponyboy starts immediately, arms flinging wildly as his hazy eyes widen as he tries to grab Darry, the water splashing loudly at his brother’s fighting. 

“We gotta cool you off,” Darry murmurs, trying desperately to keep Pony still enough that he doesn’t hurt himself, but also trying to get as much of his body submerged in the water as he can. 

“Let me go! Soda! Help me!” Ponyboy cries out as Darry maneuvers around enough that he’s holding Ponyboy still by his shoulders, keeping most of his body in the water. He’s weak enough he can’t move much, but he’s still fighting against Darry to try and sit forward to stand up.

“You gotta hold on Pony-” Soda says shakily, and Darry can hear the way he’s getting worked up as Pony lets out a sob. 

“It’s so cold Soda! Please!” Darry feels sick to his stomach as his brother starts sobbing in earnest. He feels awful that they gotta do this, his body’s already shaking like a leaf. 

“You’re alright honey, deep breaths,” Betty murmurs, coming closer and sitting on the side of the bathtub next to Darry. 

“Please! I’m sorry, Soda. Tell Darry I’m sorry!” Ponyboy begs, and while Darry knows Pony’s just delirious, he feels like he’s getting another punch to the gut at his begging. 

“He ain’t mad baby,” Soda chokes out, and Darry gets one look over his shoulder to see the silent tears tracking down Soda’s face. 

“Darry, I’ll be good. I’m sorry, please just make it stop. I promise I’ll try and be good I’m sorry-” That seems to be enough that Soda lets out a sob, but Darrys’s terrified that Pony will get worse if they don’t do this. 

“I can’t watch this,” Soda chokes out before he’s fleeing the bathroom. Somehow that makes Darry feel more like a monster. He’s the one having to hold Pony still, and he wishes with everything in him he didn’t have to be the adult right now, because the way he keeps sobbing and begging might actually make Darry sick. He can feel himself reverting back to that cold numbness he felt when he first started looking after his brothers. It’s the only way he can make it through this, by shutting off his emotions completely. He can feel the dreaded numbness take over, and his brain keeps repeating the mantra, ‘get Pony’s fever down.’ His sorta shocked back into reality the same as Ponyboy.

“Ponyboy, look at me,” Betty says firmly, taking his face in both hands and wiping the tears away, forcing his frantic gaze to look at her. There’s a moment where he freezes and seems to focus on her finally. “You’re safe, baby. Darry’s got you, and we’re both right here. I know you’re scared but you ain’t done nothing wrong.” Her voice is steady, and firm as she waits to see if his brother seems to understand. The frantic confusion in his brother’s eyes seems to fade slightly. 

“I’m so cold-”

“I know. I know. We’re fixing it, I promise,” Betty reassures before she runs a hand on his cheek and mercifully Darry feels Ponyboy stop struggling and instead he just shivers and relies on Darry’s hold to keep him upright. 

“Darry, I’m scared,” Ponyboy whispers. 

“I’m right here, ain’t nothing gonna happen to you,” He says weakly, letting go of one shoulder to test Pony’s forehead again.

“I’m not in trouble?” God he must go pale at how sick he feels. He knows Pony isn’t thinking straight but the thought of his brother thinking this is some sort of cruel punishment from Darry makes him almost want to run out of the house.
“You’re doing good Ponyboy,” Betty interjects before Darry can even start moving, “I know it’s cold.”
“I just wanna sleep,” Pony whimpers, his teeth have started chattering quietly as he shivers.

“Just a few more minutes okay?” Betty bargains, fiddling with the thermometer in her hand as she looks down at her watch. He lets out a noise of dismay at this, but his feverish eyes have sorta focused on the two of them. 

“You’re all wet,” Ponyboy says, giving him a look up and down. Darry is very keenly aware of this, considering it was all of Ponyboy’s fighting that has left his tee shirt practically drenched.

“I know,” he manages to choke out. 

“Can I please be done now?” Ponyboy asks hopefully, though Darry knows very little time has passed. 

“Not yet-” Darry grits out. 

“Please!” Ponyboy asks, his voice getting louder. He’s working himself up again. 

“Hey, I promise I’ll tell you as soon as the time is up,” Betty reassures, drawing his attention back to her. “And I gotta ask you something.”

“What?” Ponyboy asks, giving her a suspicious look. 

“Got any funny stories about Darry?” That was definitely not what Darry was expecting her to say.

“He won’t let me tell any of ‘em-”
“You’re not feeling well, that means you get a free pass,” Betty assures him. Darry doesn’t know what her plan is, but if it keeps Ponyboy calm, he’ll let her take the lead. 

“I dunno,” Ponyboy mumbles, looking at her tiredly.

“Aw, c’mon you gotta have loads of stories,” she encourages, and Darry watches as she subtlety cups her hand and gets some of the water into Ponyboy’s hair, washing away the clammy sweat that had accumulated while he was sleeping.

“One time when I was like 8, we had a tire swing on the tree in the backyard,” Ponyboy starts slowly. 

“In that big tree?” Betty prompts, using another handful of water to slowly clean off his tear streaked face. Darry wishes he could get himself to move, to do something other than sit there silently, holding his brother’s shaking form.

“Uh huh. Dad hung it up before I was even born,” Ponyboy nods. 

“Well, I don’t think I’ve seen it out there, so tell me what happened to it,” Betty prompts. Darry realizes exactly what story Pony’s thinking of and he can feel his ears heating up with embarrassment, but he’s too stuck on just trying to make it through this ordeal that he stays silent. 

“We were all out in the yard, cause mama said we were all being too loud in the house and she sent us outside,” Ponyboy begins, a small grin breaking across his face. “And Two Bit dared Darry to swing as high as he could on the tire swing.”

“Did he do it?” Betty asks, and Darry can hear her amusement leaking through her concerned tone. 

“He tried, but he was too big and once he sat down it broke out from under him,” Ponyboy says, falling into a fit of weak laughter despite his shivering and the way his teeth chatter. Betty busts out a laugh before she’s covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to smother it. 

“It wasn’t funny-”

“It really was,” Ponyboy says, managing to give Darry a tiny sideways smile. The beeping of a watch breaks up their giggling and Darry’s burning embarrassment. 

“Alright honey, that’s been long enough. We can be done now,” Betty says gently, brushing Ponyboy’s hair back. 

“Okay,” he says softly. 

“I’m gonna get a towel, let Darry help you get up so you don’t get hurt,” she instructs as she moves through the bathroom. Ponyboy manages to get himself standing on wobbly legs, using Darry to keep himself steady before he basically lifts him out of the bath and sets him on the bathmat. He’s shaking like a leaf against Darry as he and Betty bundle him in a large bath towel. 

“We gotta check your temperature again okay?” Betty says as she slips the thermometer in his mouth and they get him back to his room. Soda seems to have calmed down, because he’s gotten the bed all made back up and has a fresh set of clothes out for Ponyboy. Darry sits on the side of the bed and holds Ponyboy tucked into his side as they wait for the thermometer to equalize. Betty eventually steps closer and takes it carefully before studying it close to the hallway light. 

“100 even,” she sighs. 

“Oh thank God,” Soda says with a wet laugh. 

“Can I go back to sleep now?” Ponyboy asks hopefully. 

“Take these two meds, let your brothers help you get dressed and then yes,” Betty agrees, holding out two pills for his fever and a glass of water that Ponyboy takes obediently. 

It’s easy to get Ponyboy dressed in some fresh and dry clothes, and he’s more compliant since it’s just Darry and Soda helping him out. By the time Darry slips back into his room, he’s expecting Betty to be fast asleep, but of course she turns over just as he slips under the covers, snuggling up beside him with a sigh. He’s tired enough he just presses a kiss to her hairline and tries to will his mind to go quiet.

“You did good,” she murmurs. 

“Huh?” He mutters. 

“I know it was hard. But you weren’t hurting him.” She says, a hand coming to rub his neck gently. 

“I didn’t wanna hurt him-”
“He knows that. He was just delirious, plus he calmed right down once he really woke up and knew it was you taking care of him,” Her observations seem to help rid him of the gnawing pit in his stomach. He’d thought Ponyboy saw him as some monster. 

“Thank you,” he whispers, letting out a shaky sigh of relief. 

“You’re too hard on yourself,” she murmurs, “Those boys love you to pieces. Now go to sleep.”

He’s finally learned that Betty is almost always right, so he lets his eyes fall closed and breathes in the smell of her shampoo as he tries for a few more hours of shuteye.

Notes:

Marbit ILY and I want you to be happy and in love

Moving stresses Betty out y'all, she's trying her best, but she was a bit overwhelmed trying to organize her stuff. Darry out here like... don't we gotta just hang up your clothes lol

Ponyboy Curtis getting wrecked by fevers is canon and I used to to my full advantage. Also Dally is the worst at pretending he doesn't care because he SO does haha.

Darry having to parent when he just want to be a big brother angst lets GOOOOO

Idk man I love a good sick fic moment so hopefully yall do too! Come talk to me on tumblr and in the comments!

Chapter 34: Chap 34

Summary:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Curtis house!

Notes:

Happy Friday! I was gonna say this chapter is pure fluff, but I realized I did throw in an inkling of angst, so here we go!

With Christmas rapidly approaching, the weather has turned to a wet, and frankly bitter cold. This means Darry works shorter hours actually outside, and more and more inside at the warehouse for the roofing company, which he honestly doesn’t mind. The gang however, is getting a bit stir crazy, and Darry feels that he’s seeing that in full force on this Saturday afternoon. 

“I’m so bored!” Soda complains, loudly, and if Darry’s count is right, for what seems to the the fourth time today. He doesn’t really understand how Soda can be bored, considering the guys cleared the coffee table from the living room, and have been wrestling with each other for the past forty five minutes. Darry had hoped his participation in their antics would be enough to tire at least most of the gang out, but it seems he really only managed to at least make Ponyboy and Johnny less stir crazy. Pony, Dally, and Johnny are currently perched on the couch, and Dally seems content to cajole both Steve and Soda for his own amusement. Soda’s current complaint of boredom comes as he’s trying to get out from under Steve’s current hold, which he seems to only be trying halfheartedly, though he’s grabbing on to Darry’s ankle as a plea for help from where he’s sitting propped up against the couch. Betty has been sitting in his arm chair for the entire production, sipping on hot chocolate and sprinkling in commentary as she watches tucked in a blanket. The only person missing from their little pack is Two Bit, who Darry has a sneaking suspicion is on a date with a certain gal, considering his uncharacteristic quietness on his plans for the day when questioned.

“Yeah, ‘cause yer losing,” Steve says with a shrug, which makes Soda start actually trying to fight back again. Steve’s face does screw up with effort, and Darry swiftly moves his outstretched leg out of the way as they careen across the floor. It’s the thud of one of the lamps falling to the floor with a clatter where Darry has finally lost his patience with their continued play fighting. 

“Alright. That’s enough.”

“Aw c’mon Darry we’re being careful!” Soda tries to bargain. Darry’s not sure who’s gonna go nuts first, him or the boys. 

“No. I don’t wanna deal with any broken furniture,” He scolds, waiting for Steve and Soda’s dramatic sighs before they finally both flop onto the carpet with a huff. 

“What’re we gonna do then?” Dally says with an annoyed glare in Darry’s direction. 

“If I give y’all money to go to the penny arcade will that at least keep you out of trouble for the afternoon?” Darry sighs. At this point he just needs them out of the house until dinner time for his own sanity, by then they will have hopefully mellowed out. 

“Really?!” “Yes!” “Maybe-” He swears he can barely tell who’s saying what in the cacophony. 

“Yes. But no trouble ya hear? And back for dinnertime. After dinner we’re putting the ornaments and things on the tree” He sighs, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his billfold before he’s grabbing a few dollars until he figures it’s enough to keep them occupied for at least a couple hours. The tree in question was acquired by Soda and Steve, who had a customer who sells them. He’d told them that he had a few that were too crooked to sell, and if they could transport a tree, it was all theirs. Darry is kind of glad he doesn’t know the details of how they got that tree back to the house. 

“Promise!” Ponyboy grins, taking the offered money from Darry as he practically bounces on his toes. 

“I’ll drive!” Steve offers as he already is shoving on his shoes and grabbing his coat from the hook. It feels almost cartoon-like to watch how fast they all scramble out the door, tripping over themselves and each other before there’s a blessed silence. He moves more to the center of the floor and flops onto his back staring up at the ceiling before lets out a sigh as his eyes fall closed. Unlike the rest of them, he feels more than content to curl up on the couch or in his arm chair with a warm drink and a book, but that would’ve been near impossible until now. 

“Well, you tried to tire ‘em out,” Betty muses, and he lets out a halfhearted snort. 

“I know it’s getting cold out when even Ponyboy is tired of reading inside,” he agrees. 

“My turn,” She says, and he cracks an eye open to see what she’s referring to. She’s climbed out of the armchair, and abandoned the blanket she was wrapped up in and is kneeling a few feet across from him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Hmm?” He asks, now truly focusing on her as he tries to figure out what she’s talking about. 

“C’mon, I think I can beat you! I didn’t get a chance to take on the reigning champion,” she goads, and he’s honestly a bit confused. He moves to sit ‘cause he figures she’s just wanting to cuddle on the couch. He doesn’t expect her hands to make contact with his shoulders and shove him. If he was trying, he’s pretty sure the force of her shove wouldn’t have made him move at all, but he’s not sure what she’s trying to do, so he lets her shove him backwards with a huff before she’s leaning over him looking down at him with a grin as she presses lightly on each shoulder with her palms.

“You’re not even trying!” She complains, leveling him with a look. 

“Trying what?”

“To win! I wanna win fair and square.” He knows she’s poking at him for a reaction, based on the glint in her eyes, but he can’t totally figure out what her angle is with this particular game she seems to be starting. He moves to sit up against her hold, only really pushing back a bit, and lets her climb on top of him before she’s pushing harder, and he’s letting himself be pinned flat on his back again.

“You’re gonna have to try harder,” she mocks, giving him a quirk of her lips as she stares down at him. He doesn’t know why she seems so focused on this, he actually was gonna suggest they work on wrapping Christmas presents and to be honest he’s all in all a bit done with wrestling for the day. 

“You win,” he concedes easily, “Now can I get up?” He’s honestly a bit peeved, he finally got the guys away to calm down, but it seems like Betty is just as stir crazy as the rest of them based on whatever this is.  

“No.”

“No?” He asks, feeling genuinely surprised. She just looks down at him and doesn’t say a word. “C’mon, just lemme up.”

“Make me,” She challenges, her voice firm, and he feels his eyebrows shoot into his hairline. If it’s one thing he knows, trying to make Betty do anything she doesn’t wanna do seems like a bad choice in his book. 

“I said you win, you can tell everyone too,” he grumbles, trying not to lose his patience. For whatever reason she’s pushing his buttons, and while he figures the simple answer is she’s just trying to have some fun, he sorta feels like she’s doing this intentionally for some reason. 

“I dunno,” she shrugs, before she’s using one hand to prod him in the ribs, which makes his patience wear thinner. 

“Knock it off,” he mumbles, and he bats at her hand gently before she grabs his hand by the wrist and pins it to the floor. 

“Make me,” she says again, with a look in her eyes that he can’t quite place.

“Just let me up,” he grumbles, trying to avoid having to actually lift her off of him. All he gets in response is her legs squeezing his ribcage just enough that he tries to grab her leg with his free hand to stop her.

“Betty-” She grabs his free hand and pins it by the wrist and he actually lets out a noise of frustration, and then she gets one look at his face, and she laughs. It’s something about her repeated teasing and jabbing that finally makes his patience snap, and he easily gets his hands free before he’s turning them over and she’s flat on her back with a noise of surprise. 

“Stop,” he says, leveling her a look as she looks up at him and blinks momentarily. He’s got her legs trapped between his own, and her hands still hold on to each one of his wrists. 

“No,” she shrugs, before she’s prodding at his ribs again and trying to free herself with one hand. 

“Quit it,” he snaps, grabbing her hand and holding her wrist carefully to stop the assault on his ribs. 

“Or what?” she asks, and it’s then he notices several things at once. She’s trying to goad him into something, and all signs are pointing him to think she actually wants him to take control right now. But he knows how she feels about that in general, and he can’t quite figure out what- 

He looks at the flush in her cheeks, and there’s a defiant glint in her eyes, but underneath that he sorta sees just a hint of nervousness. 

“You like this.” He says, the realization dawning on him as he says it. She’s poking until she gets a reaction. 

“Like what?” she asks, but they can both tell she’s playing dumb.

“Whatever this is,” he finally concedes, trying to figure out what it is exactly she’s wanting from him. 

“You haven’t answered my question,” she says, and he cannot believe she’s still trying to irk him. The final pieces of the puzzle come together when she moves to capture his lips with her own and he takes the risk. 

“Uh uh,” he says, pulling away and not letting her lips make contact, though just about everything in him is fighting against him for doing that.

“Why?” She whines, but he can tell she knows exactly why. 

“Now you wanna be nice?” He asks, leveling her with a look.

“I’m always nice,” She says with a grin, seeming to test against his hold just a bit as she tries to free one of her hands. It’s not going to happen.

“That’s what you call poking at me?” 

“I’m sorry,” She says with a shrug, looking very unrepentant. 

“Real convincing,” he says with a raised brow. 

“Please?”

“I dunno,” he shrugs. He would miss it if he wasn’t paying attention, but there’s the hint of a blush on the tips of her ears. 

“I was just teasing?” She tries.

“What exactly is your plan now?” Darry asks, giving her a look. 

“I guess that’s up to you,” she grins. 

“ I’m gonna go wrap Christmas presents for the boys, I dunno how much time we have before they’re back,” he says with a shrug. He knows neither of them are very keen on risking the guys returning if they’re in the middle of something. 

“Oh! That’s really smart! They’ve been piling up under the bed.” Betty brightens. Unfortunately, this marks the end of their little game, but considering they don’t know when people might arrive back at the house, it’s probably for the best. 

“C’mon,” he sighs, moving to sit up and offering her a hand. 

“I guess we’ll have to wait for later,” she sighs, confirming that it wasn’t just him thinking about a different activity they both seemed to be interested in. Living with so many people around definitely tries his patience sometimes. “Also, you may not sneak a peek at what I got you for a present, got that?” She threatens with mock sternness. 

“Wrapping paper is in the hall closet, I’m gonna grab some tape and scissors,” Darry says as an answer as she hops to her feet with his help, and she bounces down the hall before she gathers an armful of rolls of wrapping paper and heads for their room. 

It takes a few minutes to get everything set out on the floor. Everything is already packaged in nondescript boxes, so he wouldn’t even have a clue which one is for him if they hadn’t written names of the recipients on the outside of the boxes to keep track. It had taken the course of a few weeks for Darry and Betty to slowly acquire a couple gifts for each member of the gang, but they’d agreed keeping them hidden under the bed was the best way to avoid the guys getting too curious. 

“Hang on, I think there’s one more box,” Darry murmurs, reaching under near the head of Betty’s side of the bed and grabbing a medium cardboard box, though it’s not sealed shut. 

“Oh, that’s just my makeup and my jewelry box and curlers, all that good stuff,” Betty waves off from where she’s looking at the various wrapping paper prints trying to decide which she will use for the first present she’s selected to wrap.

“I thought we finished unpacking all your stuff a couple weeks ago?” Darry asks, feeling a bit confused. 

“Well, I haven’t figured out where I wanna keep this stuff yet. When I lived alone I kept ‘em in the bathroom cause I had some extra counter space.” The realization sorta dawns on him, it’s something he hadn’t even thought about. He and his brothers don’t have much stuff for hair or anything like that, and it all fits in their bathroom medicine cabinet just fine. He feels badly that she seems to have simply accepted keeping those things in a box without a word. He wants this to be her home, with no question about it. 

She seems completely unaware of his little crisis as she starts cutting the wrapping paper with the smooth glide of the scissors and his gaze focuses on the one thing he hasn’t been able to touch or remove when he moved into his parents’ room. Mom’s vanity. Most of the products and things that occupied it have been packed away, but her jewelry box still remains on its desk in front of the mirror. It was something that was hers . All three of them remember being little and watching mom sit at the vanity to fix her hair or do her makeup. After she died he couldn’t bear to remove it from the room, or God forbid sell it, no matter how much the sight made his heart ache those first few months. Sometimes it still does. He feels a surge in his gut strong enough he almost wonders if his mom is somehow giving him a fond nudge or something. 

“The vanity,” he says, and he sees her look up at him in confusion from where she’s taping the edge of the wrapping paper down.

“What about it?” Betty asks, glancing over her shoulder at it briefly. 

“You should use it for your things. So you can do your hair and makeup without needing the bathroom mirror.”

“Darry, that was your mom’s, I couldn’t-”

“She’d want you to use it. She’d be upset you’ve been keeping this all in a box for so long.” He means it, he can almost hear exactly what she’d say. He tries to cling to the way her voice sounds so clear in his head. 

“Are you sure-”
“Take a pause and set up your things,” he says, getting up and finally approaching the vanity before depositing the box on the floor beside it. He sorta looks in the mirror for a moment and he can see the melancholic ache in his own eyes. He feels a pair of arms snake around his waist and squeeze him tightly. 

“Thank you,” she says softly, making eye contact with him in the mirror. He can see the softness in her gaze. 

“She would’ve loved you so much,” he manages to whisper. 

“Really?” She says, and he hears the thick emotions in her tone. He can’t even begin to find the words to explain to her how much he wishes they were here to tell her themselves, so he turns and presses a kiss to her hair before he steps back. 

“Unpack,” he says firmly, before he moves back to his spot on the floor, and he starts surveying the presents to pick his first project to wrap. 

“What was her name?” Betty asks, softly as she runs a hand over the surface of the desk as she sits on the stool that goes with it and reaches into the box. He realizes they never would’ve spoken about it; she knows Dad’s name, considering she knows he’s named after him. He swallows down the frog in his throat. 

“Charlotte.”

“Thank you Charlotte,” Betty murmurs, before she starts moving to slowly and carefully unpack the first contents of the box onto the vanity. He feels a sorta weight lift off his shoulders at hearing her name, and he feels a wet smile on his face as he grabs Dally’s gift and the most obnoxious of the wrapping papers. 

---

“Anybody home?” He hears Two Bit’s holler from the living room. 

“In my room!” Darry calls back. With all the presents unidentifiable or wrapped, he doesn’t mind if Two Bit comes in, since he won’t be able to spoil any surprises. His best friend appears in the doorway, and Darry honestly doesn’t expect to see Marcia as he dramatically covers both his own eyes, as well as hers. Darry can feel himself turning red at the implication as he watches Marcia’s shoulders shake with silent laughter. 

“We’re wrapping Christmas presents, get your mind outta the gutter,” Betty scolds, but there's an undertone of amusement.

“But it’s funny!” Two Bit grins, before he’s letting his hands fall. Darry notes he intertwines his own hand with Marcia’s. 

“Hello, Keith. Thank you so much for coming over. You’re so kind for knocking -”

“Aw Darry we both know no one knocks in this house! Where is everyone?”

“The penny arcade,” Betty replies, “We had to do this before one of y’all tried to spoil a surprise by snooping.”

“Me? Snooping?”
“Please, you probably know what your mom got you for Christmas already,” Darry scoffs as he folds the edges of the paper of the current box he’s wrapping for Soda. Betty grabs the final present that needs wrapping and he feels a bit of relief that this is finally taken care of. 

“And it was a very touching gift!” Two Bit chuckles. 

“What’re y’all up to?” Betty asks, somehow maintaining the casual atmosphere of the room despite the fact he knows they’re both very surprised to see Marcia in the house right now. 

“We went to the park to ice skate, but it got too damn cold after a while,” Two Bit laughs, “Colder than those looks Darry gives us sometimes!”
“Oi!” Darry huffs giving Two Bit a glare, though the both know he’s not meaning it. 

“Like that!” Two Bit gestures, seemingly to make sure everyone else is aware of the glare. 

“You know, it’s cold enough outside your face could get stuck like that,” Marcia says, a small grin on her face that looks eerily similar to the cheeky grins that Darry knows so well from Two Bit. He hears Betty let out a snort and he shoots a look at her in betrayal. 

“You’ll be the one stuck lookin at it all the time,” Darry grumbles as she moves to come give him an affectionate squeeze as he rolls his eyes. 

“Oh no! Whatever shall I do?” Betty laughs, before he feels the peck of lips on his cheek and he lets the glare fall, knowing he’s simply just resigned to being the target of some good natured teasing. 

“Yeah, yeah,” He grunts, before he’s slowly pushing to his feet. “Y’all want some hot cocoa?” He gives both Marcia and Two Bit a questioning look. Like Betty told him a few weeks ago, she makes Two Bit happy.

“Hell yeah!”

---

The one perk of sending the guys to the arcade is that they bring home burgers and fries for everyone for dinner. Two Bit had left to drive Marcia home about an hour ago, and walked back in with the gang in tow, whooping excitedly as he waved one of the many takeout bags around excitedly. With stomachs now full, they’ve managed to rope the boys into helping get the tree decorated. They had to sorta wedge it in the corner of the living room to make sure it didn’t tip over, but Darry figures it's easier to decorate considering they only have to do the part that faces out into the room. 

“No! You gotta do the tinsel before the ornaments, Dally!” Soda is scolding as he pulls out the aforementioned decoration from the boxes Darry hauled out of storage. He feels Betty laughing against him from where they've settled into the armchair as spectators for this particular endeavor. 

“Says who?”

“Says everyone!”

“I think he’s gotta point Dal,” Johnny says, and Darry watches Dally sigh with a huff before he sets down whatever ornament he’d been holding before he snatches a strand of tinsel. Hestarts decorating while looking like the most grumpy display Darry have ever seen. 

“How mad would he get if I told Dally he’s the Grinch?” Betty whispers in his ear. Darry has to bite his cheek to stop the bark of a laugh from escaping against his will. Dally would be irate, but the comparison is hilariously accurate. He can tell Betty knows not to actually disrupt the delicate balance that is Dallas Winston showing vulnerability. 

“Do ya think there’s bugs living in this thing?” Steve asks as he maneuvers some of the branches, Darry tries to keep his grimace off his face as he watches pine needles shower onto the floor. He’s gonna have to vacuum after this for sure. 

“Why would you say that?” Ponyboy says, sounding horrified as he looks up from where he’s sorting through the box of ornaments with Johnny. 

“Because genius, bugs live in trees-’

“I know that! But why you gotta ruin it?!”

“Most bugs die in the winter ‘cause of the frost,” Betty interjects, which seems to placate Ponyboy, and Steve seems uninterested in truly bickering, so he just shrugs and goes back to helping Soda and Dally. 

“For you my bestest buddy,” Two Bit sing songs, before holding a mug out to Darry as he appears from the kitchen. 

“What is it?”

“Eggnog!” 

“I want some!” Ponyboy says excitedly.

“You can on actual Christmas, no alcohol tonight,” Darry says, not entertaining the idea. The kid is still only 14. 

“But-”

“I’ve got hot cocoa too Ponykid, and I already have the marshmallows out for you and Johnnycakes,” Two Bit reassures as he deposits a second mug into Betty’s hands as she chirps a thanks to him. 

“Thanks Two Bit,” Ponyboy grins, looking overall satisfied with the compromise as he holds up an ornament and hands it to Soda, who hangs it on the tree carefully. 

“Please don’t break any ornaments, but if you must, just not any of the glass ones,” Darry instructs. He knows that both his brothers adore decorating the tree, so they’ll be careful, but with this many teenage boys, sometimes their roughhousing can be a bit of a danger to the more fragile items. 

“We won’t!” Soda assures with his happy go lucky smile that makes Darry’s heart swell with affection. Their first Christmas after their parents died last year was hard, and overall tense. Emotions ran high for the whole gang, but Darry remembers that particular morning. He’d gotten up before his brothers, and he’d managed to get the gifts underneath the Christmas tree the night before. He’d been careful as all get out to be quiet, but he’d cried the entire time, just wishing that he didn’t have to be the one to do it all. He’d wished more than anything his parents were around to do it instead. He’d woken his brothers up with a smile, and he’d forced himself to act as normal as possible, to try and mimic the magic their parents seemed to always manage to create. But he knew it was no use, because the second his brothers were out of bed and saw the tree with the presents, they both had dissolved into sobs, and then it was up to him to console them. At the time, all he’d wanted was to break down right along with them, but he was still fighting with everything he had to not burden his brothers. Things had lightened up once the tears had eventually dried and the gang came around for breakfast and gifts, but Darry spent most of the day just keeping his head above water. It wasn’t until he went to bed that night, having stayed up to clean up the kitchen, that he found a single wrapped gift from his brothers on the bed, and he’d dissolved into another puddle of tears just as he had the night before. He still has the nice warm pair of gloves they’d gotten him, and the note that came with them still is tucked away in his box of important keepsakes. 

“You okay?” He hears Betty ask him softly, breaking him from his memories. 

“I’m okay,” he agrees. The hurt is still there, and he knows it always will be, but maybe the whole adage about time healing wounds has some merit to it, because there is also the familiar joy that comes with the holiday this year. 

“You know, I think we could put some nice sleigh bells on Pip’s collar, make it feel like Santa’s reindeer are all around,” she smiles. He can tell she knows he was in his head, and she’s giving him a much needed laugh. 

“Do you not enjoy silence?” Darry snorts. The dog moves so much he's pretty sure he’d be constantly jingling. Darry has seen him run in his sleep, probably dreaming about chasing squirrels. 

“Maybe some cute little antlers instead,” she agrees.

“He’d chew on any costume you try to put on him,” Darry sighs, just as the aforementioned subject comes up and places his head in his lap seeking some pets. 

“No he wouldn’t, cause he’s a very good boy? Isn’t he,” she coos as she gives in immediately and starts loving on the dog, passing her eggnog into his free hand so she can give him her undivided attention. 

“What do we think so far?” Soda asks, drawing their attention to the tree. It’s a mess, the tinsel seems to have been applied with no specific pattern in mind, and the ornaments are placed randomly all over the tree so far. It’s perfect.

“Looks good, little buddy,” Darry grins. 

“Told y’all I was the best creative director for this job,” Soda beams, before they’re back to their chaotic decorating. Two Bit is singing some carol purposefully out of tune, and it’s enough that Dally visibly cringes when he tries to hit a high note. 

“Jesus Christ, did you lose your hearing from listening to yourself talk too much?” Dally winces, to be fair, Darry isn’t sure humans were supposed to make sounds of that pitch. Even Pip seems disturbed. 

“Some people have no taste, huh Betty?”

“I’m sure baby Jesus appreciates the thought of your gesture?” She offers, giggling at the antics. 

“Course, it’s way better than that oil or whatever the old dudes tried to give him.” 

Ponyboy scoffs, “Myrrh,” he corrects.

“Gazuntite,” Two Bit says, and the look of dismay on Ponyboy’s face sends both Darry and Betty into laughter right along with the rest of them. 

“At least I paid attention in Sunday school,” Ponyboy grumbles.

“Excuse you, Mrs. Simmons told my mom I was ‘a very enthusiastic child of God.’” 

Betty’s laughter spills closer into hysterical as she lets out a wheeze and hunches over, looking so delighted by Two Bit’s joking, especially because Darry distinctly remembers that this indeed actually happened. She takes in a shaking breath, and Darry thinks she might be on the other side but then she takes one look at Two Bit and dissolves right back in the thick of it, holding her side with a delighted grimace.

“I’m gonna pee my pants,” Betty gasps out.

“Breathe,” Darry encourages, between his own chuckling, thankfully he isn’t quite as worked up as Betty. She takes in a sharp breath, and her laughter subsides into more controlled giggles. 

“Well Two Bit, I think that means you’re on the nice list for sure,” she manages to get out between giggles. 

“See Ponyboy! Betty knows all!” Two Bit goads. 

“Hey! I’ve been nice!” Ponyboy says with an indignant look.

“I dunno-”  

“I’m with Two Bit,” Steve chimes in, earning a glare from Ponyboy which makes him bark out a laugh. 

“I know I’m nicer than you Randle-”

“I can guarantee everyone has made it on the nice list,” Betty laughs, putting a stop to the bickering. 

“Even Dally?” Soda teases, avoiding the swipe that Dally tries to give him upside the head in retaliation. 

“Yes, I happen to know that Santa already has everyone’s presents wrapped and ready to go under the tree, and he will know if anyone tries to see them too early,” she goads with a grin. 

“We would never!” Soda says dramatically.

“Uh huh,” Darry says with a single look. Soda has always been the one who begs to know what presents are early. Their parents and Darry have never given in to his attempts, though he will shamelessly beg, and he’s always delighted by the surprise on Christmas morning anyways. 

“Aw Darry, you’re being like Scrooge-”

“Keep it up and I’ll put coal in your stocking,” Darry threatens, but he's kinda impressed Soda remembers the name of that character, cause Darry knows he didn't read the book. 

“I meant you have the most amazing Christmas spirit and you’re the best big brother ever.” Soda replies with a cheeky grin.

“Yeah that’s what I thought,” Darry murmurs, before he takes another sip of eggnog, content to watch the boys toss ornaments and throw tinsel on each other.

Notes:

If Darry and Betty weren't light sleepers, Soda would've definitely tried to sneak in their room to snoop at presents lol.

Also Betty and Darry continue to be absolutely just adorable in love, and Betty is as always good at getting a reaction out of him.

Also I'm sorry Darry for making you sad but also with the holidays I feel like grief sometimes creeps in around that time, so I felt it would be cathartic for him to talk about his mom, even if it's just a tiny bit.

The gang setting up the Christmas tree was so fun to write and also I made myself giggle with the myrrh joke so I hope y'all laugh as much as I did because I was pretty proud of that one (writing Two Bit's humor is hard, I'm not the best at jokes 😂)

This made me wanna sit by a fireplace. Anyways I know I'm bad about replying to comments, I just have gotten busy on these last couple of rotations, but I read every one and love hearing from you guys! Also come hang out on tumblr if you want!!

Chapter 35: Chap 35

Summary:

Soda angst has landed. Just some middle child moments for y'all.

Notes:

This cold I have has knocked me on my ass, I def didn't edit this thoroughly but hopefully y'all still like it.

When she imagined her first Christmas away from home, Betty had expected it to hurt more. She’d thought she’d feel some longing ache in her chest, perhaps she would feel like some part of her childhood was gone. She’d prepared herself for that, but Christmas at the Curtis house was none of that. It was freeing. The boys were rowdy, their excitement and energy was infectious from the moment she curled up in the chair with her morning coffee. Presents were opened and plenty of messes were made to be cleaned up later. There was no stiff thanking her father for impersonal gifts, no worrying about being too loud and getting snapped at by him, no looks of judgment from him when she received her first stethoscope from her sisters as a gift. She missed her mother and sisters horribly, and the hours-long phone call she made probably will comprise most of the phone bill for the month, but she’d felt them there, and a part of her wished she could’ve shared this Christmas morning with them. 

It’s on one of the weird few days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve that she decides to run over to Buck’s place to get his mother’s recipe for homemade rolls, she’d craved them on Christmas, they’re something her mom always includes with their dinner,  and figured she’d attempt to make some to go with dinner some night soon. She’d stopped at house after work to shower, she didn’t particularly want to bring the smell of the hospital along with her. Plus, Buck is never in a rush, so she figured she could spare the time.

“Darry, where’s Soda at?” Ponyboy asks from where he’s curled up on the couch with a book, his socked feet tucked under him. He’d been reading aloud to Johnny, but seemed to notice the time of evening and paused. 

“He called from the DX and said he was going out with Steve after work,” Darry shrugs from where he appears from his own shower with a towel draped over his shoulders, catching the water that drips from his hair and avoiding dampening his t-shirt. He looks good, like most people he’s gotten a few days off for the holidays, and she’s seen the tension he often carries around has dissipated these last couple of days. 

“More dinner for us I guess,” Ponyboy shrugs, turning his attention back to the book in hand without another word. Betty thinks it’s a bit of a dig at Steve, she knows those two like to bicker for the hell of it. 

“You going somewhere?” Darry asks, brow furrowing as he looks her up and down. They both know most days once she showers after work she’s in her pajamas for the rest of the evening, but she’s slipped on some casual clothes to run out. 

“I’m running over to Buck’s to pick up his ma’s recipe, remember?” She prompts. She’d mentioned that she’d wanted to get around to it at some point this week, but she hadn’t decided exactly when. 

“Tell him hi. And keep an eye out for Dally, I haven’t seen him ‘round today,” Darry nods as he pads to the kitchen. 

“Wait! How come Betty can go to Buck’s?” Ponyboy grips, eyes shooting up from his book as she wrestles on her boots. 

 She sees the ‘are you joking?’ look on Darry’s face before he even opens his mouth.

“That’s her cousin. She’s not underage. And she’s not even going there to drink,” Darry lists off in quick succession, clearly unamused by Ponyboy’s complaint. She is in full agreement with Darry’s rule of none of the gang going and hanging around Buck’s. They’re too young to be drinking in that kinda crowd, not to mention she knows he’s selling God knows what under the table too. Dally is the exception, but she knows Darry and Buck have an understanding about Dally in general. Ponyboy seems to accept Darry’s explanation, even if he frowns a bit at it.

“I’ll be back in a jiff!” She grins, grabbing her car keys and zipping up her coat before she faces the temperatures of the Tulsa winter. 

---

She swears the second Buck opens up his door to her knocking a cloud of smoke billows out. A lot of the boys smoke, but Darry makes them do it outside. Unlike home, Buck’s place is always filled with people, and she thinks cigarette smoke has probably taken root in the foundation of his place at this point. She’s just grateful that smoke never seemed to bother her asthma much. 

“Hey Betty,” Buck greets. Buck has always been a bit stoic, more so in recent years, but growing up with him means she can see the affection in his expression, even if it isn’t the most obvious.

“Hey, yourself,” she says, bustling in the door at his ushering, eager to escape the cold, even if it means entering into the cloud of smoke. 

“I got the recipe from Ma, she was so excited you asked for it she wrote you out a copy recipe card,” he grunts, but she can hear the underlying amusement in his tone. Buck is gruff enough that he takes no shit, which is why he’s able to handle all his legal and illegal dealings so well. It’s also why Betty thinks he is able to help wrangle Dally. There's mutual respect there, but also Dally can tell Buck won’t take any of his shit. “Also, you’ve got good timing, cause I found something I think belongs to you.”

“What?” She asks, following him through the bar, weaving around people near the front. It’s not too crowded yet, given it’s still mighty early, but as she follows him towards the bar she spots exactly what he’s referring to.

“Sodapop Curtis!” She sputters in shock, eyes locking on him sitting at the last stool at the bar, holding a glass of what she guesses might be whiskey or maybe scotch based on the color. She sees his eyes widen as he whips towards her, and he seems to just freeze as she marches up to the bar. Soda’s still taller than her, even sitting down, but she blames it on the barstool. Buck seems to be highly amused by the whole thing, leaning against the bar from the other side across from Soda with a smirk. Buck’s favorite pastime when they were young was to try and get a rise out of Betty. She’s pretty sure it’s still one of his favorite things to watch based on the way his eyes are lit up.

“It’s uh, not what it looks like?” Soda manages to squeak out as she stops in front of him and crosses her arms, looking up at him with as much intimidation as she can muster.

“Buck Merrill! He is barely seventeen!” She snaps, giving her cousin a glare. Buck is damn well aware of this fact, and she knows he’s almost always the only one bartending, so she’s certain he’s the one who served Soda. 

“I know, s’why I only gave him one drink.” Buck grins. 

“Lord have mercy!” She sighs. God, Darry is gonna flip his lid, and she’s gonna have to be the one to tell him since she was the one who caught Soda red handed. She cannot believe Soda came here of all places.  She feels another jolt when she remembers that Soda was supposedly with Steve. “Is Steve here too?” She asks, giving Soda a look of shock. God both of them being here will only make for twice the drama.

“No. I just needed to be alone-”

“Well, you could’ve done that at many other places,” She says, trying not to let loose on Soda. She knows she’s not his sister, or his guardian, so she resolves to keep her scolding and thoughts to herself. Though as Darry’s girlfriend she feels like it’s well within her scope to drag his sorry butt straight home.

“Betty-”

“Here’s the recipe,” Buck interjects, holding out the index card with a shit eating grin. The asshole is loving every second of this. She takes it with a sigh and slips it into her purse. 

“C’mon, I gotta take you home. How did you even get here?” She sighs, giving Soda what she hopes is a stern look. 

“I walked.”

“In this weather?!”

“It ain’t that far of a walk.”

“The scotch helped warm ‘im up,” Buck grins, gesturing at the half finished drink. She sighs, and snatches the glass before anyone can react, and takes a swig of the glass grimacing as she swallows down the remainder of the liquor. She hates scotch.

“Let’s go Soda,” She says, turning around before he can protest, and listening for the scramble of his feet to tell her he follows behind. “Thanks Buck.” There’s a bit of sarcasm in her tone, but she knows he knows she means it.

“Always happy to help my favorite cousin,” Buck hollers over her shoulder. 

Soda doesn’t say a word as they climb into her car, and the air is filled with a heavy awkward weight as she gets her car started up, and they wait for the warmth of the engine to fill the car with heat. She knows it’s not her place, so she figures she should just keep quiet, and Soda sure doesn’t have anything to say for once. It’s while she’s waiting for the heat to get going that he finally speaks. 

“Ya know, this whole silence thing almost makes me feel more lousy,” Soda mumbles, shooting her a sideways glance. He looks like a dog that got caught stealing food off the counter, and she reminds herself that his sad eyes cannot make her fold.

“It ain’t my place to say anything more than what I’ve already said,” she replies calmly. There’s a thick pause as she lets that sit with him. 

“Betty, you’re just as in charge of us as Darry at this point,” Soda says, sounding genuinely earnest for a moment before he continues, “You got every right.” She takes in an inhale through her nose, and she contemplates for a moment. But then she sees the boy sitting beside her in the passenger seat and the pleading look he gives her, and she knows her continued silence would hurt him more than any lecture she can come up with. 

“What the heck were you thinking Soda? You know Darry’s rule. And honestly, as much as I may love Buck, it’s a very fair rule.” She figures it’s a fair question, and she wants to give him the chance to explain himself, even if it doesn’t change that she’s pissed.

“I just- I needed to go somewhere, to be alone-”

“There’s plenty of other places you could’ve done that!” She reiterates. It’s not much of an excuse in her opinion. 

“I just needed a drink-”

“I would not recommend using that one on Darry, sugar,” She scoffs, he’s got some nerve just like his brothers. 

“I know, okay?! I get it! I fucked up, like I always do!” Soda says, his voice becoming frantic in the blink of an eye. She feels like she’s got a bit of emotional whiplash, she hasn’t really even laid into him.

“You do not-”

“It’s all I am anyways! I’m the fuckup of the three of us!” He says hysterically, with a barked laugh as he tugs at his hair wildly with one hand.

“Soda-”

“It’s true! I mean, Darry got out, and now he’s the one who’s able to keep our whole family together. Lord knows if it were me we wouldn’t’ve even made it a week! Pony would’ve been taken from me in the snap of a finger!”

“That is not-”

“And Ponyboy’s driven as hell; he’s gonna go to college and leave this town. And I’m just the fucking dropout that girls just come to look at like I’m some doll they can flirt with to piss off their soc boyfriends and I’m gonna just be left here-”

“Sodapop, stop,” She finally cuts him off, hearing the way his voice breaks and she sees the tears streaking his cheeks as he looks at her. 

“Sometimes I feel like all anyone thinks I’m good for is my looks-”

“Don’t you ever say that,” She scolds, before she’s moving to place both hands on each of his shoulders. 

“Today. There were at least five girls that came and flirted with me, but it’s just a game to them Betty. I’m not blind, even if I am stupid. I’m just the idiot dropout with the nice face they wanna kiss once so they can tell all their friends, but they don’t actually want me. I dunno, it just finally hit me today. And I couldn’t take it anymore Betty, I just wanted to be alone and at least have a fuckin’ drink before it killed me knowing that’s all I’m ever gonna be-”

“That’s enough .” She says firmly, her voice cold in a way that she rarely allows it to be. It’s enough that it shocks Soda into silence. God, he’s breaking her heart. She can’t believe he’s been carrying all this around in his head without a word.  

“Now you listen to me, Sodapop. You and me? We understood each other first. Before Darry even had an inkling of my feelings for him, you and I both know we both knew what I was doing. Hell, I think you knew Darry liked me even before he did! So you know I know you.” She starts, feeling this blaze in her chest, this protective instinct that lights up her nerves like a wildfire. God she hopes she finds the words, that she’s able to do this right. 

“You kept them together. When they were at their worst, you kept your brothers together. Do you hear me ? You are smart, and more than that, you’re kind, and that’s worth so much more than any looks. You are so much more than all these things you’re saying, and I know if either of your brothers caught wind of this they’d make my little speech here look like child’s play!” By the time she pauses to catch her breath, she can see the look he’s giving her, the way some of the weight on his shoulders has lifted. They seem to both let her words hang in the air, filling the silence as the warm air dusts their cold cheeks.

“You really think all that?”

“I know all that.” She says firmly, reaching up and swiping away a stray tear with her thumb. 

“I just, it felt like too much, I just wanted to stop thinking about it-”

“Honey, I can tell you drinking ain’t the answer. And I’m sorry you felt like you had to carry all this alone.”

“I just, it feels stupid. And Pony and Darry need me to be the happy one-”

“Talking about how you feel is never stupid. And they don't need you to be anything other than yourself,” She says firmly, and she waits until she gets a small nod before she pulls him into a hug and squeezes him tightly waiting until he breaks the hug first and she feels his arms let her go.

“Thank you,” he sniffs. 

“You don’t ever need to thank me for this,” she says sternly. She remembers the other thing he’d touched on in his ramblings. “Did you know I’d kinda accepted I was never gonna find love?” 

“What?” Soda says, looking confused as his brows furrow at the admission.

“Before Darry, I’d never even kissed a boy, or really even gone out on a real date. I know I’m not the most traditional of girls, and between me focusing on my career and not wanting some man to just boss me around I figured love might not be in the cards for me. And I tried to convince everyone and myself that I didn’t care.”

“Really?”

“I tried. But God, no matter how much I told myself I’d be better off alone, there were still a lot of nights I spent crying about it.”

“But you seemed so confident with Darry from the start-”

“I was scared shitless actually. And I was sorta convinced he wasn’t interested, but if nothing else, I knew I wanted to know him-”

“I told him he was being too standoffish-”

“I appreciate it, but that’s not my point in telling you all this. My point is: one day Sodapop, you’re gonna find someone who sees you for who you are, even if you might not believe me right now. And they’re gonna love you to pieces. And you’ve already got a bunch of people at home who love you more than you can count.” She sees his wipe at his eyes before he gives her a wet smile.

“Thank you Betty.” She leans over and presses a kiss to his temple, before she shifts the car into drive and starts the trek home. 

She actually spends almost the entire ride home congratulating herself on how well she handled this all things considered. She knows Darry is still gonna be pissed, but she figures especially since she already laid into Soda a bit he’ll calm down quick. She’s still pissed at Soda for being reckless, but God she is just touched he opened up to her about all that was bothering him. She feels Soda grab her hand as she pulls the keys from the ignition and she looks over to see a frantic look on his face.

“Please. Betty. Please don’t tell Darry,” He begs softly, and dammit he’s gonna guilt her, she can already tell by the look in his eyes.

“Soda, honey, I can’t not tell him. He’ll wonder how I came back with you-”

“Please! He’ll whup me for this, I know it!” Soda says frantically, his gaze flicking to the front door nervously. 

“He ain’t gonna whup you-”

“He went easy when it was Pony cause he’s the baby of the family, but I ain’t the baby! He’s gonna be so pissed Betty, please!” She hears the hysteria leaking back into his tone.

“Sodapop, you’re working yourself up, I promise, whatever happens won’t be as bad as you think it’s gonna be,” she reassures. Secretly, she’s a bit unsure, and doesn’t wanna give Soda false notions of how Darry decides to handle things. He knows his brothers better than her, and while she doesn’t think Darry’ll whup him, there’s always the chance she could be wrong. Once again it’s not her call to make. “I will tell him I already gave you a talking to, okay? C’mon, lets go inside before it gets freezing in here,” she encourages. He gives her a final pleading look, but through some miracle she manages to get him to the front door, and she watches him take a shaky breath as he slips in the door as she holds it open.

“Soda?” Ponyboy asks, looking up from the book with a confused face. Betty knows it’s clear Soda’s been crying, and Ponyboy clocks it immediately. 

“Soda? I thought that was Betty’s car pulling up?” Darry asks, stepping out of the kitchen, studying them intently. She can see his brain start running through scenarios.

“I got my recipe,” Betty says calmly, moving to take off her boots. She figures if she starts out normal it will keep them all a bit more level headed. 

“Soda what’s wrong?” Ponyboy pries, still bewildered as he tries to put together what’s happening, but Betty watches as Darry appraises her and Soda, and she sees the gears turning in his brain. 

“Sodapop Patrick Curtis, you better not-”

“Darry,” Soda says weakly, eyes looking straight to the carpet. She sees Darry give her a pleading look. 

“Betty?” She blinks between the brothers, and it takes one look at Darry’s face to know he’s figured it out, he’s smart, and she loves him for it. Soda gives the ground a practically morose look, and she nods once to Darry in confirmation. 

“Goddammit Sodapop! What the hell were you thinking?” Darry snaps, and she can hear his voice becoming louder with each word. She resists the urge to step in and try to calm him down, she knows her own aversion to yelling makes her a bit hypersensitive.

“I just, I needed to be alone-”

“There’s a hundred other places you could do that besides Buck’s!” Darry hollers, and she figures she should step in and say her piece before he really gets going.

“I already laid into him for that,” she placates, moving closer to Darry and placing a hand on his shoulder. He looks down at her and blinks, gaze softening for a second. She can see him visibly cool off, even if just a tad. He seems to sit with it for a moment before he looks at his brother again.

“Good. Now, you got anything to say?” Soda looks down at his feet,

“No. I was just being dumb.” Betty can hear the self loathing in his tone. She prays Darry picks up on it. She knows there’s a part of Soda who needs his big brother’s assurance in a way she just can’t provide.

“Sodapop, you are not dumb,” Darry snaps, sounding immediately upset at the implication. She makes a mental note to kiss him for that later, once things have cooled down. There’s a thick pause until Darry seems to figure out Soda isn’t gonna talk until prompted.

“Did you drink?” 

“I–”

“Just tell the truth,” Darry interrupts, clearly knowing his brother well enough to know stalling before it starts. 

“Yes. Just one glass of scotch, honest! And Betty drank half of it!” She sees Darry’s gaze swivel to look down at her before he lets out a sigh. 

“Why?”

“Shame to waste alcohol,” she shrugs. 

“Lord have mercy,” Darry groans before he looks back at Soda, who is still staring at his toes. Betty can see his lip quivering. She feels awful watching Soda look so sad, but she knows he’s gotta face some consequences for making a bad decision.

“Are- are we gonna go to your room?” Soda asks weakly. Betty sees the confusion morph onto Darry’s face. 

“For what?”

“You’re gonna whup me,” Soda chokes out, pointedly avoiding looking at anyone. She sees Darry make a face of exasperation, and then he softens and steps across the living room carpet. He stops in front of Soda, who slowly looks up at Darry with a wobbly lip. She waits and smiles as she watches exactly what she knew was gonna happen, he wraps Soda in a tight hug and holds his head to his chest. 

“I’m not gonna whup you, Jesus, I thought we all were past this?” Darry mutters, but she can see his arm moving as he rubs Soda’s back soothingly. 

“But Pony’s the youngest-”

“So? I said I ain’t ever gonna do that. To either of you,” Darry says firmly. She hears a particularly loud sniffle from Soda, and she figures Darry has it plenty handled. She moves to the stove to stir the pasta that he clearly just added to the boiling pot.

“I just wasn’t thinking Darry,” Soda says morosely, and she figures he may have decided to keep what they spoke about in the car between the two of them. “I’m real sorry.”

“I know little buddy,” She hears Darry murmur. 

“How long do I gotta be grounded?”

“I dunno, how much lecturing did you already get from Betty?” Darry questions, though there’s definitely a hint of affection in his tone. 

“She can be just as scary as you, Dar,” Soda replies after a moment, and she can hear the small smile on his face. 

“Don’t you forget it neither.” 

“I know not to go to Bucks again, promise,” Soda says, and she can hear he’s genuine. It’s a moment later that Darry slips around the corner and gives her a soft look.

“How long do you think?” He asks her. 

“I’d say three days is more than fair, he didn’t get into much. Buck kept an eye on him.” she shrugs. She knows it’s not very long, but that gets them to New Years Eve, and she figures Soda has most certainly already learned his lesson, and they’ve sorted out the real reason he was messing around.

“You heard Betty,” Darry says firmly, though he’s giving her a grin from where Soda and Pony can’t see. 

“Hey! How come his grounding is so much shorter than mine?!” Ponyboy protests indignantly, looking at Soda in shock.

“Soda didn’t get arrested and have to have me bail him out from going to jail,” Betty calls around the corner before Darry can answer him. 

“That’s….” She hears him trail off to the sound of the tv being turned up by Soda, who takes the offered grounding without a peep of protest. Some arguments just can’t be made. 

“Uh huh, that’s what I thought,” Darry mutters, before he’s coming to stand beside her and take the ladle from her. “Thank you.” He murmurs in her ear and she feels him press a kiss to her temple. She knows he’s not just talking about her taking over dinner duty for him.

“Sometimes I think it’s easy to forget he’s only seventeen,” She replies quietly. 

“I know.”

“He’s a good kid, just being a bit rebellious like we all have,” she shrugs. She knows Darry has let most of it go, but she figures the little debrief will help ease his mind. 

“At this rate I’m gonna go gray early,” he gripes, though she can tell he’s not really still irritated. 

“You’re lookin just fine to me sugar,” she replies, giving him a glance over her shoulder from where he’s standing behind her.

“How bad did you scare him?” Darry asks quietly with amusement. 

“I think what I lack in height I make up for with intimidation,” she replies. 

“God I love you,” He murmurs, before she feels him pressing a kiss to the crown of her head and an arm wrapping around her. She feels a rush of affection, she’s sorta touched he trusted her to take the lead on the whole Soda debacle.

“You better behave when there’s three boys right around the corner,” she teases softly. 

“I don’t think I’m the one that we have to worry about,” he goads, and she can’t deny that he’s got her there. 

“I dunno what you mean,” she smirks, and she doesn’t need to look to feel his affectionate eye roll.

---

Later, just as she has finished up the last dishes, Darry moves to sit down to help Ponyboy with his winter break math homework. She knows Darry is just relieved Ponyboy didn’t wait until the night before school restarts to do it, but Pony’s definitely not the happiest camper as he starts explaining something at the kitchen table. She figures hovering in the kitchen won’t help much, so she pads into the living room where Soda is laid out under a blanket on the couch. She’s sorta learned from watching that he gravitates towards physical touch as his source of comfort, but with his brothers both occupied, she figures she could offer her own company. She sits down on the couch with a noise of contentment as he moves his legs to leave a cushion open for her. He’s got the tv on quietly so Darry and Pony can focus. She’s pretty sure she catches a glimpse of the Looney Tunes characters before the commercials take over, and she feels him spare her a glance. 

“Thanks for not telling ‘em all that stuff earlier,” Soda murmurs softly. 

“It ain’t mine to share, but I promise if you wanna tell them, they’d both listen,” she replies, keeping her voice quiet and covered by the sounds of the television and the groan Ponyboy lets out as he scribbles on the page. 

“I dunno if we’ve ever really said it, but you know we love you too, right? I mean, not just Darry, but me and Pony too.” She feels the emotions in her throat as she turns to look over at Soda who’s giving her a soft grin. 

“Course,” she manages to get out, though to be honest, hearing it aloud is a different thing. Of course she loves all three of these boys, but she wanted to allow both Sodapop and Ponyboy to take their time to form their own relationships with her, however close or not close they may be. Hearing that they don’t just see her as someone who is with their older brother makes her feel the tears prick at her eyes. God these boys have so much love to give, sometimes she wonders how life can be so unfair to them. She just grins at him and moves to grab his bent knees, tugging his legs so they’re extending again so the rest across her lap. She can tell though he tries to hide it, the physical gesture is comforting after everything that happened today. A moment later he nudges her hand gently with his blanket covered foot. 

“Don’t tell Darry, but me and Pony think he should marry you. You’re already basically our sister,” Soda says very quietly, giving her a grin that's a bit mischievous, but she catches the genuine affection in his eyes. It makes her bust out a laugh, Soda, ever the romantic. Of course she’s thought about it late at night, in the secrecy of her half waking moment. There’s no rush on her end, but she’s touched by his earnestness. 

“You’re a charmer, you know that?” She laughs, his genuine earnestness at the statement is infectious.

“One of the three of us ought to be,” Soda grins back. 

“Told ya you’re smart,” she replies, giving his leg an affectionate squeeze before the both focus back on the tv. 

“PEMDAS isn’t real Darry, that isn’t even a real word!” She hears Ponyboy cry from the kitchen. She catches a glimpse of Darry’s dismayed expression, but then they lock eyes, and the grin on her own face must be enough to at least get the slightest quirk of his lips before he goes back to combating high school math homework.

Notes:

Betty and Soda bonding also just Soda having a moment and being allowed to feel things RIGHTS

Betty hasn't realized that the boys see her as basically an older sister at this point, but she's starting to lol.

IDK guys I just am dying my ears are plugged so bad from congestion I've tried EVERYTHING send help or advice.

Come yap at me on tumblr or here in the comments I need the pick me up lol

Chapter 36: Chap 36

Summary:

The winter is cold, Darry and Betty are adorable (Ponyboy thinks they're disgusting), and Dally angst.

Notes:

Happy Post Thanksgiving Friday gang! Please enjoy some couple-y fluff followed by Dally angst

The end of January shouldn’t be so damn cold, Darry thinks bitterly to himself as he lays down a bundle of roofing with a huff that is probably louder than necessary. He swears, he just wants the temperature to be decent outside when he’s working, not hot, not cold, decent. Thankfully, this is the coldest day of winter he’s dealt with all year, so it’s not a normal day, but he’s pretty damn miserable. Plus, he knows he’s in a mood today, not just because of the cold, but he forgot his lunch on the counter this morning, and with the lunch break rapidly approaching he is really kicking himself for that mistake. If nothing else, at least he gets to warm up for a minute over lunch in his truck, but the empty stomach feeling is gonna be gnawing and unpleasant the rest of the afternoon. It’s just as he’s climbing off the ladder onto the frosted dirt that he hears a car pulling up to the work site and he turns at the sound reflexively. He sorta blinks a couple times as he watches Betty climb from her car, her breath coming out as clouds of white in the cold air as she spots him and her face breaks into a soft smile. 

“Who’s that?” He hears one of the guys mutter, and he realizes quickly she’s drawn everyone's attention as she walks over with that innate confidence she’s had since the day he met her, despite the fact she’s got about 10 pairs of eyes locked on her.

“Hello, miss-” He can hear Jim start with a tone that makes Darry bristle.

“You forgot your lunch!” Betty says brightly, holding out exactly what has been preoccupying his mind for the last few hours. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” He asks giving her a look of question, he’d feel terrible if she’d skipped for some reason on his behalf- 

“I’m on my lunch break,” She replies, leveling him with a look that stops him from protesting before he really gets started. 

“Hey Curtis, you gonna introduce me or-”

“Go eat your lunch Jim,” Darry replies, trying to keep himself from truly snapping before he ushers Betty back in the direction of the car as he starts walking. 

“Lord, it’s freezing, lemme warm you up in my car, I’ve already got the heat going,” she says, pulling her coat around her tightly as she falls into step beside him nudging him with her shoulder.

“You didn’t need to come-’

“I wanted to. Now get in the car,” she says, giving him a flickering stern look before she slips around to the driver’s side door and climbs in the car. He can’t hold back the sigh of contentment when he’s hit with the blast of warmth as he closes the door and feels the warm air across his cheeks.

“I brought some hot coffee, should help warm you up too,” she says, somehow sounding even brighter now that she’s out of the cold. 

“You-”

“Do you not want me here?” She asks finally, her expression cracking ever so slightly as she looks at him from where she’s holding out the aforementioned coffee. 

“Betty, of course I want you here,” He says, resisting the urge to scoff at the notion. “I just feel bad you’re using up your lunch break cause I forgot mine-’

“I was worried about you, ya know? It’s bitter cold out today.” She says giving him a look as he finally moves towards his hands on the heat vents, he doesn’t bother taking off his work gloves, it’s so cold today that despite their best efforts his hands are still freezing.

“I’m fine,” he grunts out, hopefully if he keeps telling himself that he won’t feel so damn cold. 

“I'm allowed to worry,” she replies, sounding resolute in her statement. “Plus, you know you ain’t gotta lie-”

“I’ve been thinking all morning about leaving my stupid lunch at home, and I’m freezin’,” He admits, finally allowing the complaints to slip past his lips. 

“Your poor cheeks are all windburned, sugar,” she murmurs, and he feels her warm hand come to press on his cheekbone and he becomes aware that his cheeks do indeed sting. He takes a long drag of the coffee, allowing the warmth and the familiar taste to smooth the edges of his sharp mood down. 

“You’re a real sight for sore eyes, you know that?” He says, looking over at her with a rush of affection. She’s got her hair mostly covered by the hat she’s got pulled down over her ears and the matching scarf is wrapped around her neck. She’s wrapped up in her thick winter coat so the only parts of her that are exposed are her face and hands. He can see the redness of her own cheeks from her time spent in the cold. She’s so beautiful.

“Kinda surprised you can see me in all this winter gear,” she laughs.

“Thank you for bringing me my lunch,” he says, grabbing the sandwich he’d made for himself last night gratefully as his stomach rumbles at the mere thought of some food. 

“It was entirely self-serving,” She says with a grin, and he feels her bustle so she’s leaning against him as she sips on her own coffee.

“I’d kiss you if my lips weren’t a bit numb,” he mumbles after another sip of coffee. 

“You can owe me one later,” she sighs, and he feels her resting her head on his shoulder through his own winter coat. 

“Yessum,” he replies, leaning his head on hers as he finishes off his sandwich. God he needed this pick me up so badly, he was running on fumes and he didn’t even realize it. 

“You finally warming up some?” she asks with a laugh as he wraps an arm around her.

“Think you got to me before I became a total icicle,” he agrees.

“Good, you’d take a lot longer to thaw,” she smirks. “It’d take a lot of hot water.”

“God, I want a hot shower,” he sighs, the idea makes his body ache at the thought of returning to the cold, but he knows the lunch break is almost over. 

“I will do everything in my power to make sure that’s in the cards for when you get home,” she replies, giving him a squeeze. 

“I love you,” He says, feeling content to just sit with her for the next five minutes before life calls him back. 

---

The hot shower does indeed exceed even his own daydreams as he steps under the stream of warm water. He’d given Ponyboy and Johnny a quick greeting as he’d arrived home, and had made a beeline to the vacant bathroom as soon as he’d rid himself of his many winter layers. They’d both been under blankets on the couch with Pip between them, eyes fixed on the cartoons on the tv. Darry envied them deeply at just the sight; he tried not to dwell on it. 

The water grounds him as he bites back an actual groan, though his hands and feet are so cold they actually sting a bit as they adjust to the warm water. He’d seen Betty’s car outside the house, but he hadn’t seen her on his mission to warm himself back up, but he figured she probably did the exact same thing he’s doing when she’d gotten home. He’s trying to build up the motivation to wash his hair when he hears the bathroom door open and close softly. He figures based on likelihood that it is almost certainly Ponyboy, who probably has to pee. Darry swears it’s all that Pepsi he drinks. 

“Pony, again ?” Darry says in mild exasperation. 

“Shh,” he hears Betty’s voice say softly on the other side of the shower curtain. 

“Betty?” He says, though he keeps his voice low at her own quiet tone, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, besides the fact I’m freezing,” He hears her say with a very soft laugh. It’s about ten seconds later he almost jumps out of his skin when the shower curtain is pulled back before she’s climbing into the shower and pulling the curtain back into place. 

“Betty what-”

“Quiet!” She whispers, even softer now that she’s closer to him and not hidden by a curtain between them. God his head is about to start spinning, because they are most certainly not home alone. 

“What’re ya doin’?” He sputters out in a whisper as she moves closer and he at least has the sense to make room for her under the stream of water. She makes a very small noise of appreciation as she feels the heat of the water on her skin. 

“I said I’d make sure you got a warm shower,” she explains, referencing their lunch conversation. 

“With you?” He manages to say. God if they were home alone, he’d be thrilled. To be fair, they sometimes have sex when the boys are home, but always late at night, once they’re sure everyone’s gone off to bed and half asleep. But they’ve never messed around where they could actually get caught at any moment. That alone has his brain running a hundred miles an hour. He swears he’s listening for every little sound out in the living room. “What if someone comes in?”

“Ponyboy and Johnny are locked in on the cartoons, and no one else is here right now,” she shrugs, before she’s basically maneuvering so she’s pressed flush against him with her back against him so they’re both under the stream of water. 

“You are being way too risky-” Dammit, she needs to stop that because his dick definitely does not care about the details of circumstances that they find themselves in. 

“I just missed you,” she admits quietly, giving him a soft look over her shoulder as he sighs, pushing her wet hair back from her face. 

“God, if this house was empty-”

“I know,” she says with a small grin, moving just enough that his now hard dick rubs against her back, of course she’s gonna take the opportunity to tease him until he stops her.

“We can’t,” Darry sighs, hand squeezing her hip in warning.  

“I know. Honestly, I just wanted to come shower with you, no funny business, promise. Lemme wash your hair too,” she says with a small grin. 

“I can do that-”

“Like I told you earlier, let me worry,” she says with a smile. How can he say no to her? He nods and bends down to press a little kiss to her lips. 

“I might need you to sit down so I can actually reach your head without being on my tiptoes,” she says looking up at him with a thoughtful expression. He rolls his eyes a bit, though he of course will do whatever she wants. Honestly, it’s worth it when her hands start massaging his scalp as she works the shampoo into his hair. 

“I’m gonna put some lotion on your face after this, should help with the windburn,” she’s explaining softly, and he’s honestly just trying to not fall asleep at this point.

“Mhhm,” he agrees, trying to keep himself awake by talking. He figures the shampoo is plenty worked into his hair, but she keeps massaging his head for the hell of it, and he’s not gonna stop her.

“Have you thawed back to the land of the living yet?” she asks, a hand coming to work at the muscles just at the base of his skull. 

“I think I can feel my toes again,” he agrees.

“Well that’s a good sign,” she laughs softly, and he feels her rinsing the shampoo from his hair as she grabs the showerhead for a moment. Once she’s replaced the showerhead he moves to stand up, but her hand on his shoulder stops him. “Hang on, lemme at least put some conditioner on your hair.”

“I don’t need it-”

“It’s good for your hair, let me just put it on, then we’ll let it soak in and you can rinse it out at the end,” She bargains, and he gives in, because he’d do anything she’d ask. He glances over his shoulder once she’s done and he pushes back to his feet. He takes the conditioner from her before she can start on her own hair.

“C’mon, my turn, I owe you a head massage,” he murmurs, rearranging until they’re both under the stream again. She’s leaning against him with a soft smile and her eyes closed as he works the conditioner into her hair, and he’s about to make a joke when the bathroom door opens loudly. He reflexively pulls Betty flush against him and covers her mouth with his hand gently, muffling her squeak of surprise as he eyes fly open. 

“Hey Darry!” He hears Soda exclaim boisterously as Darry hears him close the lid of the toilet. Jesus Christ. 

“What is it, Soda?” He asks, trying desperately to keep his voice even. He drops his hand from Betty’s mouth and presses a kiss to her head in silent apology. He feels her hand come to squeeze his in response. Her eyes are a mix of panic and amusement, and he can see her trying to stay silent and still against him. 

“Nothin’! I just wanted to come talk to you!” Soda chirps and Darry can feel his own panic begin to rise, because he needs Soda to get out of this bathroom before he figures out what he’s walked into. 

“Can this wait-”

“C’mon Darry, I found out some pretty good gossip about that one cheerleader you knew in high school-” Betty looks up at him and he can see the laughter in her face as he gives her a look of utter dismay.

“Not a peep,” he whispers in Betty’s ear. God he’s gotta come up with a way to get Soda out of here. 

“-And so, come to find out she’s pregnant! With that weird history teacher’s baby!”

“What?!” Betty sputters in shock, before either she or Darry even realize what’s happening. The scream that Soda lets out makes Darry jump in surprise. It’s the same noise he makes when one of the gang jumps out at him from around a corner.

“Betty?” Soda asks, his voice at least much less loud this time around.

“Hi Soda,” she says, somehow sounding effortlessly relaxed despite the panicked look she and Darry share. There’s a beat of silence before Soda speaks again.

“Don’t scare me like that! It’s mean!” Soda sputters. There’s a brief pause where Darry tries to think of anything he can say, but Soda beats him to it.

“So anyways, Betty, this history teacher is real creepy, believe me. I remember he was always watching girls in the hallways and would be super focused on dress coding them, which is weird-”

“Soda what happened?” Ponyboy asks, his feet padding to a stop in the hallway; Darry swears he’s cursed. Somehow the fact that they weren’t actually doing anything makes getting caught feel even worse.

“Oh nothing, I just got startled,” Soda brushes off. “But this cheerleader girl, she’s been with the same guy since junior year right? So-”

“Why did you say Betty’s name, I thought Darry was in the shower?” Ponyboy presses, cutting off Soda’s story. 

“Ponyboy, just go,” Darry tries not to snap as he speaks. 

“What if I wanna hear the story?” Ponyboy protests, but Darry can tell he’s only saying this for the sake of being stubborn. 

“Just go!” Darry sighs, more so begging than telling at this point. 

“Wait! Betty? Are you in the shower?” Ponyboy asks, and Darry can hear the abject horror that creeps into his tone. 

“You know, I’m starting to see some downsides to the house only having one bathroom,” Betty remarks, but only Darry can see the embarrassed red flush on her face. It makes his protective instincts flare up, and he holds her a bit tighter, even if she’s the one who started this whole mess. 

“Oh God !” Ponyboy sputters. 

“Aw, c’mon Pony they weren’t doing nothing,” Soda says, and Darry lets his head thump against the tile in defeat and anguish. 

“How-”

“Cause they’re too responsible,” Soda concludes as if its common sense.

“Thank you Soda,” Betty says with a laugh, though Darry can see some genuine affection in her face. 

“Plus, Pony, the shower is a terrible place to have sex cause-” Soda begins, Darry can hear his shit eating grin.

“I’m going to smoke with Johnny on the porch,” Ponyboy cries, before they hear his footsteps retreating. 

“He’ll get less squeamish eventually,” Soda says, as if that’s their primary concern right now. “Anyways, as I was saying-” Darry just sighs as Betty hands him a bar of soap with a shrug, before she’s peppering in comments to Soda’s monologuing. 

---

After dinner Darry is pretty sure he can say he’s officially warm again, and he’s more than content to enjoy that little win as he finishes drying the final dish Betty hands to him. The ringing of the phone forces him to take a pause, and he sets the dishrag and the pan on the counter before he picks the receiver up off the wall. 

“Curtis residence,” he says on autopilot. 

“Darrel, it’s Buck, you gotta come get the kid,” he hears Buck rasping over the phone line. 

“What happened?” 

“Nothing yet, but he’s looking for a fight, and he’s gonna find one eventually,” Buck says. 

“Give me fifteen minutes,” Darry says, and hears Buck’s gruff noise of confirmation before he hangs up the phone. 

“Who was that?” Betty asks, brows furrowed as she seems to already start worrying at her lower lip. 

“Buck, something’s up with Dally. He’s gonna get himself into trouble,” Darry sighs. It’s a sight he’s only seen twice before, Dally truly blowing up. The last time it happened he got taken to the cooler for 90 days. He’d been grieving their parents in his and robbed a convenience store in a fit of what Darry could only assume was indignant rage at the unfairness of it all. Hell if he knows why Dal’s about to blow this time around, but he hopes to God he can get to him before he sets himself up for more jail time. Darry thinks a part of it is some instinctual urge to make the world feel the pain he’s carrying, he’s pretty sure it's the only way Dally knows how to show it. 

“I’m coming with you,” Johnny pipes up, pushing off from the couch as Darry goes for his boots by the door. 

“I’ll bring him back here, I’ve got it handled, he’s gonna be on one-”

“I’m coming,” Johnny says firmly, giving Darry a fiery look with his soft brown eyes. He doesn’t have the energy to argue with the kid, and if anyone might calm Dally down, it’s Johnny. 

“C’mon, we better get a move on,” Darry huffs, wrestling his jacket on as Johnny quickly follows suit. 

---

“Just wait here in the car Johnny, I’ll be out with Dally as fast as I can,” Darry pleads as he shifts the truck into park. If Dally truly does get a fight going with some random drunk at Buck’s Darry doesn’t want Johnny getting caught up in the midst of any chaos, kid gets nervous enough in crowds as it is. 

“Hurry Dar, I’m worried ‘bout him,” Johnny says with a nod and he leaves the keys in the ignition as he heads for the door, slipping into the smoky bar with a huff. It doesn’t take long to spot Dally, who’s against the bar earning glares from several men in his vicinity as he rants about his winning streak at pool. Darry catches a sharp glance from Buck, who’s eyeing Dally warily, the tension in the bar is palpable.

“C’mon man, you too much of a pussy to-”

“Dallas, that’s enough,” Darry says as sternly as he can muster, channeling that stoic firmness everyone tells him he has. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Dally snaps, eyes locking onto Darry like a viper onto its prey. 

“You’re done,” Darry says firmly, taking the pool cue from his hands before he can stop him, though he hears the barking laugh it earns him as he hands it to Buck. 

“The fuck you say to me?” Dally challenges, eyes alight with that blaze that tells Darry he’s almost excited at the idea for a fight. 

“I’m taking you back to the house to cool off ,” Darry replies. To be honest, it’s terrifying to be on the receiving end of Dally’s pure unbridled emotions, it’s like staring into the sun, and you’re not sure when you might get burned. But a chink in the armor is exactly what Dally is looking for, and Darry can’t give it to him. 

“Like I have to listen to you-” Dally sneers, taking a couple steps closer. He’s tall, but still he doesn’t quite reach Darry’s height, and he has more sharp angles and sinewy strength to him than Darry. 

“Oi, take it outside Dallas, you know the rules,” Buck whistles, leveling them both with a look. Darry catches the nod that tells him it’s Buck’s way of helping him get Dally out of the door. 

“My pleasure,” Dally hisses, shoving Darry hard before he stalks past him to make his way outside. 

“Good luck Curtis,” Buck huffs, giving him about as sympathetic a look as Buck ever can muster. He gives him a nod and mutters out a thanks, he knows Buck knows he’s grateful for how he looks out for Dally. The cold air stings his cheeks, and he makes a mental note that he’s gonna have to ask Betty for some more lotion when he gets home. Dally stands in the gravel of the drive, looking downright murderously at Darry. 

“You think you’re so big and tough, like you’re somehow the boss of me, I ain’t like your brothers, you don’t get to pull that with me,” Dally hisses, stalking towards Darry, his breath dances in the air as if he’s a dragon preparing to douse him in flames. 

“I’m the closest thing you’ve got bud, so cut the shit and get in the car,” Darry huffs. He knows he should be more patient, but approaching him gently like he would Pony or Soda would only add kindling to the flames of his rage. The only way to face an upset Dallas Winston is with anger. 

“Fuck you,” Dally spits, it’s so harsh Darry feels himself wince instinctively, and he realizes his mistake too late. “Ah, not so big and tough not huh? I thought you were here to drag me home like I’m your bitch, just like you do with those poor brothers of yours, always houndin’ them for no good reason. No wonder they get sick of your ass-” While Dally may not show it, he sure has a knack for locking in on your deepest insecurities and holding up a mirror to them.

“Stop,” Darry grits out, feeling the traitorous surge of emotions rush over him, knowing it’s exactly what Dally wanted. He takes a shaky breath and places a firm hand on Dally’s shoulder and is about to steer him towards the truck when he feels a fist make contact with his cheekbone. Cold gravel hurts more than normal gravel, Darry thinks in a haze as he falls over at the blow. Fucking stupid that he let his guard down with Dally, as if he’d have any qualms about coming to blows with Darry. He feels a sharp kick to his thigh and he’s scrambling to turn onto his back and try to gain footing as he catches a glimpse of Dally getting ready to circle back for his next attack. 

“Stop!” Darry brings a hand to his throbbing cheekbone and forces himself to his feet. 

“Get the fuck outta my way Johnny Cade!” Dally hisses. 

“No, you think you’re so tough? Then hit me!” Johnny yells, louder than Darry swears he’s ever heard the kid talk as he somehow wedges himself between the two of them. 

“Fuck off Johnny-”

“C’mon Dallas, you’re lookin for a fight huh?” Johnny shouts, his entire body shivers from the cold as he stares, “Show us how tuff you are.”

“Shut up!” Dally yells back, looking less like a predator and more like prey as he seems to look at them both in horror. “Why can’t you just do what’s good for you, you stupid kid!”

“Get in the car Dal,” Johnny sighs, leveling him with a look of disappointment so heavy that Darry feels sheepish just seeing it. There’s a thick pause where the only sound is Dally’s panting breaths, before he storms past them and climbs into the truck without a word.

“You okay Dar?” Johnny asks, giving him that God forsaken puppy look that makes his chest ache. 

“I’m okay, you’re real ballsy ya know that?” Darry sighs as he ushers Johnny to follow him to the drivers side so he can move across to the middle of the bench. He can’t believe the kid put himself in front of Dally like that.

“He’s hurting Dar, I think the only way he knows how to deal is to hurt other people,” Johnny mutters just before he opens the driver’s door. He nods, that they both agree on. 

“Let’s go home,” Darry sighs. His face hurts like a bitch, Dally always could land a good punch, and Darry wasn’t expecting it. They bustle into the truck, with Dally practically shoving himself against the passenger door, eyeing them both angrily as Darry closes the cab door. He’s about to start driving when Johnny speaks again, 

“Think you at least owe us an explanation.” There’s a thickness in the air as the statement settles, and Darry feels like Dally might just get out of the car. He stares at them for so long Darry has to resist the urge to squirm, before he pulls out a crumpled up paper from his pocket and tosses it to Johnny, before he focuses his gaze on the floorboards.

“What-”

“Just read it!” Dally snarls at Darry’s question. He watches Johnny unfold the wad and he glances over Johnny’s shoulder. It doesn’t take long to skim the letter, and the same ache he gets when he hears about Johnny’s folks settles in his chest. 

“He wants to see you,” Darry says, because hell, what is he supposed to say? 

“Well I sure as hell don’t wanna see him, the fuckin bastard!” Dally cries, snatching the paper and wadding it up aggressively, as if that will make the words written on it go away. 

“Dal, it’s okay to be upset, it’s your Dad,” Johnny says softly. 

“Old man can rot to death in the clink for all I care! Why should I care about his ‘wanting to see his son bullshit?’”

“Maybe you’d feel better,” Darry tries to reason. God knows the last time Dally had seen his father. Darry is pretty sure he went to jail years ago at this point, and even before that, Dally was never home with him. The man only had custody on paper, Dally basically lived at the Curtis’ most of the time. 

“That’s fuckin rich, let’s all hold hands and talk about our feelings. Ya know, like how I grew up with him telling me every day that it’s my fault my mom died!” Dally snarls, his voice breaking on the final word and it’s like a dam ruptures. He sees the silent tear that streaks down his cheek against his will. When he was around 13, Darry had asked his mom where Dally’s mom was, and she’d quietly explained to him that she’d died giving birth to Dally, and to never bring it up. Darry never did, and Dally never spoke of his mom, maybe because he never even knew her. He knows the gang all found out at some point, but he never knew his father said- 

“Dal, I’m so-” Johnny begins

“Don’t look at me!” Dally howls, like a trapped animal, he’s been forced to be vulnerable, and Darry feels like he just might chew off his own leg to escape this trap. 

“We won’t look,” Darry says firmly, before he’s shifting the truck into drive, and pulling onto the main road. “But you’re allowed to feel things Dallas, even if you don’t believe me. Why the hell do you think we came for you?” 

The rest of the drive home is silent. 

It's only when Johnny stops on the porch and pulls out a smoke, holding one out to Dally, that Darry takes his cue to leave them be to talk. The inferno had been put out by the stream of sobbing tears Dally had let out in the car, and Johnny was more than capable of doing what he does best. If nothing else, he’s the one thing Dally undeniably loves in this world. He slips in the door with a sigh, and feels three sets of eyes on him. They’re all dressed for bed, but they’ve clearly set up camp waiting for them. 

“Oh my God! Darry-” Betty starts, sounding horrified. His face must look as bad as it feels. 

“I’m fine,” he huffs as he grabs his boot, wrestling it off. His face hurts.

“What happened?” Soda asks, his voice laced with worry. He glances over his shoulder quickly. 

“Listen, he got a letter from his father. That’s all I’m gonna say.” It’s all he needs to say anyways, their faces show they understand perfectly clearly what that means. “He and Johnny are having a smoke, they’ll be in in a bit. 

“Jesus Christ,” she hisses, coming over to him and pulling his jacket off before he can do it himself. “Go get changed Darry. Ponyboy put out the extra blankets on the couch, then everyone off to bed. He’s not seeing anyone else until morning,” She snaps, and he feels her simmering rage as she moves about the room. Honestly, he’s cold again, and now his leg and his face hurt, so he follows his brothers down the hall without protest and only stops because Ponyboy stops in his path. 

“Darry are you okay?” He asks softly, giving him a worried look. 

“Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t help, Pone,” he reassures, pulling both his brothers into a quick reassuring hug, before he heads for his room. It’s once he finally sits on the bed after wrestling off his clothes and slipping into pajamas that he lets out a sigh and moves to lay flat on his back on top of the covers. He can’t bring himself to move, even when he hears Betty saying goodnight to his brothers before she slips into the room. 

“Lord have mercy,” she huffs, and he turns to look at her before she’s marched over to the bed and is clamoring over to him, a bag of frozen peas in hand. 

“I-”

“You know, when I said earlier to let me worry after you, you didn’t need to go get yourself hurt for more attention,” she says sarcastically as she moves to sit beside. She brushes his hair back and studies his face for a moment before her fingertips brush his aching cheekbone and he winces, even the featherlight touch hurts. “I’m sorry!” She says hastily, withdrawing her hand and looking more apologetic than she needs to be. 

“Hey, I’m okay,” he tries to reassure, catching her wrist with his hand. 

“Let’s at least ice on your cheek for a minute, okay?” she asks, moving to lay down next to him, before turning on her side, which he takes as his cue to follow suit. She gently places the frozen bag on his cheek and he makes a noise, it does help with the throbbing a bit, and he hand snakes around his neck to come to rest at the nape, fingers carding through his hair gently. 

“Goddamn, Dally throws a hard punch,” he sighs, leaning into her touch in an attempt to distract himself from the discomfort. 

“He get you anywhere else?” She asks, and he sees the flare of protectiveness in her eyes. 

“Just in my leg,” He reassures, taking his free hand and tucking some of her hair behind her ear, she catches his hand with her own as he pulls it back, he misses her playing with his hair immediately. 

“You poor hands are so dry,” she observes, holding his hand as she examines it. He doesn’t have a good response to that, because they are. She moves to sit up and he makes a noise of protest. “I’m not going anywhere.” She turns back holding the bottle of lotion she keeps on her nightstand before she dispenses some of it onto her hands and then holds them out expectantly. He gives her a look with a quirked brow for a split moment before he gives her one of his hands and he lets her start working the lotion into his dry skin. To be honest, it feels nice, he really should remember to use it more often, before they get all cracked and bleed like they sometimes do. 

“Thank you,” he murmurs as she takes his other hand and starts the same thing over. 

“You know how you told me to behave the other week?” She says, giving him a suggestive raise of her brows. He feels a bit surprised at the sudden change in subject. 

“Yeah?”

“Well I’m behaving. Cause I’m not gonna go give Dally a piece of my mind, even though I really want to,” she says with a serene look on her face. He lets out a small huff of a laugh at that, 

“Thank you,” he says, but they both know he truly means it. He knows what Dally did wasn’t okay, but they both know that forgiveness is something he desperately needs right now. Darry was never really mad at him, hell, in some ways he understands Dally better than he ever has before. 

“I trust Buck was conveniently out of range of his attack?” She gripes. He lets out a genuine laugh; she knows her cousin too well.

Notes:

Darry having someone take care of him he's like "I'm fine." but God he loves the attention.

Ponyboy out here scandalized ranting to Johnny on the porch like a horrified grandma (the woes of being 14). Soda continues to have never felt the feeling of embarrassment in his life. Darry just wanted to melt down the shower drain.

Dally hating his dad spoke to me idk yall he told me to write it. Also in my head Dally was very close with Mama Curtis, she was one of the few people he listens to. He had a very hard time when they died, because they were really just as close to parents as he's ever known.

Come talk in the comments or on tumblr!

Chapter 37: Chap 37

Summary:

Curtis mornings, Dally reflects, and Darry and Pony have a breakthrough.

Notes:

Okay I did cry a bit when I wrote the second half of this chapter. See if you can pick out what dialogue is what got me lol. All this to say I call this chap: character development and reflection for several of the gang 💁🏼‍♀️

Waking up on a school morning is always an arduous process. It had been since their parents died. It was the first obstacle Darry stumbled upon as their guardian, because they all knew he was infamous for being particularly grouchy when woken up. Being grumpy and tired when having to wake up much earlier than he prefers was a luxury Darry realized very quickly he was no longer afforded. Instead of waking up to his alarm and being greeted by his mom’s warm affection, he realized that fell to him now. No mom to wake them up gently, no dad to make them laugh over breakfast, somehow it was now him that it all hinged upon. He’d started their now routine by accident. His brothers were both so exhausted in the early days, especially with Ponyboy’s nightmares, so he’d reassured them he’d wake them up once his alarm went off, hoping that might afford them both some extra precious minutes of sleep. But their parents have been gone a year and a half now, and despite his continued hatred of mornings, he still wakes both his brothers up every day without fail. He still hates his alarm clock, which he takes great pleasure in hitting roughly to shut it off as it blares him from sleep once again. His cheekbone throbs from the night before, and he’s pretty sure in spite of Betty’s efforts he’s gonna be sporting a nice bruise today. He makes a noise to ensure he lets the world know he’s not pleased about being awake and he hears an answering noise from Betty, who’s buried into her pillow, eyes still closed. He learned to set his alarm with enough time that he can lay in bed for a few minutes, giving himself the time to lament being awake before he actually has to get a move on. Betty makes another noise of acknowledgement in his direction, though he sees her eyes are still closed as her face furrows with slight discontent. He was sorta pleasantly surprised when he discovered she was also not a morning person. He doesn’t have the energy to be immediately happy when he wakes up, and she sure as hell doesn’t expect that from him. 

“How’s your face?” She mumbles, her voice thick with sleep. 

“Bruised, if I had to guess,” he replies, his voice still rough as his vocal cords wake up. She cracks an eye open to look at him, 

“It’ll fade fast” she murmurs, a hand coming to gently brush his cheek despite her own prickly mood. 

“Dammit Dallas,” he sighs, letting his eyes fall closed at the touch. 

“Did you even hit him back?” She asks, and he realizes that they didn’t exactly discuss the details of the events of last night after he got back. 

“No.”

“I love you,” she says, blinking her eyes open enough to give him a soft look. 

“Love you too,” he sighs, he can feel that his time to be slow is wrapping up and he’s gotta get a move on. 

“He’s real lucky, you had every right to hit him back,” she says firmly, moving to sit up. 

“He’s hurting, it's the only way he knows how to show it.” 

“I know,” she says with a nod, “You probably did the best thing to show him that’s not the way to handle things by not hitting him back.” Darry nods, feeling a rush of affection for her uncanny ability to understand not just him, but all the boys too. 

“C’mon, some bacon sounds good don’t ya think?” he sighs, pushing up to sit. He gets a reluctant noise of affirmation that brings a small smile to his lips. Padding to the door and stepping into the hallway he catches a glimpse of Johnny, who of course has already stirred at the sound of Darry’s alarm rooms away, making up Soda’s old bed. He spares another fleeting glance to the living room, and spots Dally on the couch, who is folding up the quilt he clearly slept under. He opens the door to his brothers’ room, and they’re both still asleep in a pile of tangled limbs. He takes just a split moment to look at them, the peace on their faces when they’re asleep, before he sits on the edge of the bed and puts a hand on someone’s ankle, shaking it gently. 

“Soda, Pony, it’s time to get up,” he murmurs. He knows it sounds stupid, but waking his brothers up has always been an act of patience. He’d love nothing more than to just go about his morning and not have to talk until he gets to work. But he loves his brothers more, so coddling them it is.

“No,” Ponyboy whines, and the blanket goes flying over his head as Soda makes a noise and starts stirring under Darry’s hand. 

“Hey Darry, nice shiner,” Soda yawns, stretching out with a groan. 

“Thanks,” Darry sighs sarcastically, unable to come up with some witty quip in response this early on in the day. Soda sits up with a tired grin, his hair is a real mess this morning, Darry thinks his bedhead wouldn’t be so bad if Soda wasn’t moving around like a madman half the night. Unlike him and Ponyboy, Soda wakes up much more amenable to speaking to others.

“Ponyboy, up and at em,” he says, grabbing a leg he now has determined does not belong to Soda and shaking it gently. 

“I don’t wanna,” Ponyboy gripes from his lump of blanket. 

“You got school today. Do you want some bacon with your breakfast?” Darry presses on. He’d learned early on that Ponyboy can and will go back to sleep if Darry doesn’t get him physically up out of bed. The response he gets is a simple disgruntled noise and a halfhearted nudge of the leg trying to remove his hand. He gets a grin from Soda before he moves his hands to pull back the blanket and then his fingers are on Ponyboy’s ribs, tickling him before he can snap at him for taking the blankets away.  

“Ah! Soda help me!” Ponyboy starts squirming, his gangly legs are getting long enough Darry actually has to dodge them when they start moving. 

“I dunno Pony, seems like Darry is the one who might need my help,” Soda says with a faux thoughtfulness as his brother lets out gasping laughs between writhing under Darry’s ministrations. 

“Please! Darry, I’m up. Promise!” Ponyboy cries out between laughs, the blankets tossed aside in the fray.

“What’s the magic word?” Soda sings.

“I already said please!” Ponyboy snaps, though Darry can tell his brother can’t keep himself from laughing at their antics. 

“I believe the answer Soda was looking for is, yes I would like some bacon with my breakfast before I go to school,” Darry teases before he relents and lets Ponyboy fall back against the bed with a huff. 

“That’s way more than one word,” Ponyboy huffs, giving them both a glare, though he breaks into a little grin almost immediately. 

“Please remember to actually turn in your math homework today, Pony,” Darry says, giving him a look that hopefully is enough to remind his brother. He does just fine remembering to turn in any English essays, but math homework seems to sometimes be conveniently forgotten. Ponyboy thinks he’s subtle about it.

“I will,” Ponyboy nods, and Darry gives him a hand up, making sure Ponyboy is indeed truly standing and moving around to get ready before he heads for the kitchen. He catches Dally sitting on the couch watching him with a look Darry is way too tired to try and unpack, and he almost bumps into Betty when she slips around the corner.

“Sorry,” she yelps, and he gets a momentary flash of when he ran into her at the grocery store with Pip all those months ago. Unlike then, he is more than content to wrap an arm around her and hold her close for a second as he takes his thermos that she holds up to him. 

“Thank you,” he murmurs, taking a long sip. She put milk and sugar in it, and he wants to tell her he doesn’t need it, but it honest to God makes the coffee so much better so he keeps his comment to himself. 

“Can you watch the bacon? I’m gonna go get changed for work,” She says against him, giving a small grin at the affection despite the fact they both are still in the phase of waking up where they are a bit grumpy.

“On it,” he nods as he lets go and lets her slip past in a breeze. He’s turning the bacon over when Johnny slips into the kitchen, with Ponyboy on his heels.

“There’s corn flakes and cocoa puffs,” Darry says over his shoulder looking at them both puttering around the kitchen. 

“I’m having cake,” Soda announces, a flurry of chaos as he’s wrestling on his DX shirt and simultaneously trying to grease his hair back as he flops into a chair at the kitchen table. 

“Lord, Soda hold still,” Darry grumbles as he slips behind his brother, knocking his hands away to get him to focus on buttoning up his shirt as Darry takes over greasing his hair back. The motions are familiar, albeit a bit different when you do it on someone else than on yourself, but he gets Soda’s hair settled just as his brother finishes buttoning his shirt. He wipes his hands on a dish towel before he returns to the stove.

“Thanks Darry,” Soda says, shooting him a toothy grin before he’s eying the cake hungrily as Ponyboy and Johnny deposit it on the table. Darry isn’t sure why he bothered offering the cereal, he knew they’d all opt for cake when given the option. He’s busy making sure the bacon doesn’t burn while the boys start making plates,

“Dally, come make your plate,” He instructs, sending out the olive branch without moving his gaze away from his task. It’s now up to Dally if he wants to take the offering. 

“Trade!” Betty instructs, appearing beside him now dressed for work and nudging him with her hip, hand extended to take the tongs from his hand. 

“Thanks,” he says before he’s making his own trek back to the bedroom and pulling on his work clothes. God, it takes so much longer to get dressed when it’s cold outside. By the time he’s finally fully dressed for the weather as he’s walking down the hall to fully cooked bacon. 

“Pony, Johnny, who’s driving you-”

“Two Bit and Steve,” Ponyboy hollers back before he can finish the question, mouth full of breakfast. 

“Soda-”

“I’ll drive him, it’s on the way for me, and your worksite is in the opposite direction,” Betty interjects from where she’s perched in the armchair with a bowl of cereal. 

“Thank you!” Soda chirps, his grin full of chocolate. He notes that Dally has taken a silent seat at the kitchen table and is picking at his own breakfast. 

“Ponyboy, do you have your warm gear for track practice?” Darry probes, taking the extra plate of cake and bacon Soda has set for him beside his plate. 

“Yes,” Ponyboy groans, sounding very put out for being asked what Darry is a fair question.

“It’s cold out there Pony, I’m just making sure you don’t freeze to death at practice. I don’t want you getting sick-”

“I won’t!” Ponyboy gripes, giving him a teenage look of long suffering. 

“I’m just checkin,” Darry mutters before he sits down beside Betty with a suppressed eye roll. 

“Can I have a bite?” Betty asks hopefully, eyeing his cake as he eats it a bit faster than he would like. 

“You know you can have cake too?” He asks, nodding to her bowl that was full of corn flakes minutes ago. 

“If I had a full piece of cake for breakfast I’d get sick to my stomach, don’t mean I don’t want a taste,” she mutters, giving him a side eye. He rolls his eyes this time around, and holds out a piece of cake on the fork to her lips before she takes a bite and gives him a peck on the cheek before she’s heading to the kitchen and washing her dishes quickly. He spares a glance at the clock, the boys should be leaving for school in the next five minutes. 

“Did you and Johnny pack lunches?” Darry starts as he moves to start on his own dishes, stomach content to be full for now. 

“Yes- Why are you always-”

“You forgot your lunch two days ago Pony,” Johnny points out with a grin and Ponyboy makes a noise of betrayal. 

“Guess we oughta be thankful you’ve got your guardian Johnnycakes here to help you remember,” Darry jokes affectionately before he’s squeezing each of their shoulders. 

“Johnny, are your services for hire? I forgot my hat the other day-” Soda jokes as he’s cut off by a honk of the horn signaling the arrival of Two Bit and Steve. “Geez Two Bit, why he always gotta scare me like that?!”

“Alright, get a move on,” Darry encourages, grabbing their empty plates as Ponyboy and Johnny go to don their jackets and backpacks with huffs. 

“Bye,” Ponyboy says as he wrestles on his other shoe. 

“No walking home alone after practice Pony, don’t forget,” Darry calls out, hearing some trailed off affirmation before the door slams closed. 

“C’mon Soda, we gotta get going too,” Betty says, noticing Soda has finished his food as she’s moving for her own coat and bag. “Darry, don’t forget your lunch.” She adds with a pointed smile, and he gives her a nod, because as happy as he was to see her yesterday, he’d rather not go through the turmoil of forgetting his lunch again. 

“See ya tonight!” Soda chirps, saluting to Darry and Dally as if he’s off on some grand adventure and not just going into work. 

“Stay warm!” Darry instructs, both a term of endearment and a warning before he hears the front door close again, much softer this time. Betty, he surmises fondly. He’s struck with a split moment where he realizes it’s him and Dally left in the house, and he’s pretty sure he hasn’t made a peep the whole morning. Darry doesn’t know what to say to him, how to begin to help Dally work through whatever is going on in his mind. Instead he wordlessly goes to wash up the plates, since he still has a good fifteen minutes before he needs to leave. 

“You do this every morning?” Dally asks gruffly, breaking Darry from his automatic motions of washing and drying plates and silverware. 

“Do what?” Darry asks, feeling a bit puzzled. Despite it being only 7 am he’s done a lot of things already today. 

“I dunno man, wake them up, feed everyone breakfast, and make sure they packed their shitty lunches,” Dally grumbles, voice cold and rough as Darry turns to look at him. When he thinks about it, he realizes that he’s not sure Dally has ever been around for a school morning since their parents died. 

“Yeah, that sorta sums it up,” Darry shrugs. 

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you do all of that? They could make their own food, and if they forget their lunch or oversleep it’s their own fuckin fault.”

“I dunno Dally, I just do,” Darry sighs, it’s a bit too early to get into philosophical questions about life for Darry’s liking. Dally has turned to face him, studying him with a look that would intimidate just about anyone. Darry doesn’t feel the need to match his gaze. 

“That doesn’t make sense, man. Aren’t you pissed, you’re stuck being a parent, working some job freezing your ass off, and your folks died-”

“You think I’m not mad at the world Dallas?” Darry snaps, because God, this is really pushing his buttons this morning. “Course I’m angry. There’s a lot of unfair shit I’ve dealt with in the past year and a half.”

“You just do these things all nice like-”

“There ain’t a lot of places or times where someone is kind to us greasers Dal, no need for me to go making anyone's life any harder by giving out too much tough love,” Darry shrugs. Sure, Dally has a point, he could easily tell his brothers to set an alarm and get up without him. But there’s a part of him that just wants to give them a little bit of space to still be young, to whine and complain when their older brother makes them get up for school. “Sitting in that anger was only gonna kill me, and it’s tiring to be angry all the time.”

“Why didn’t you hit me back?” Dally finally asks, giving him a look that Darry can’t place, it’s not the normal cold facade he usually puts on. 

“You were already hurting enough,” Darry says finally, drying the next plate and setting it down. Dally seems to process the words, mulling them over with a blank look on his face. It’s silent again until Darry finishes the last of the dishes, when a hesitant voice breaks his reverie. 

“I’m sorry.” 

That was definitely not what Darry was expecting to hear, and he isn’t sure if he does a good job of keeping his surprise from his face. Dallas Winston never apologizes. There’s a look of vulnerability that Darry sees is being shot at him from the kid in the chair across from him, and there’s that same rush of brotherly affection he feels for the rest of the gang. He knows Dally doesn’t want an acknowledgement, or to talk about last night, so he presses onwards. 

“You know, if you hurry you might make it in time for second period,” Darry says with a sideways grin, going to retrieve his boots and sitting in his chair to wrestle them on. 

“Hell man, I ain’t going. Someones gotta watch over this place, God knows he’s not,” Dally says with a nod towards Pip, who’s snoozing on the couch after finishing his breakfast. Darry lets out a chuckle at that, 

“I trust you’ll keep the house standing till I get back,” he says with a grin, grabbing his coat. 

“You got it Curtis,” Dally says, sauntering into the living room and going for the tv, looking about as gentle as he’s ever looked as he gives Darry a single look and a nod. Darry figures that’s his cue, and he slips out into the cold with a huff.  

---

It’s still well enough into the winter that it gets dark early, meaning Darry is driving home from work right around when Ponyboy’s track practice is ending. He figures Pony likely either caught a ride with Two Bit or is gonna walk with Johnny, and if it’s the latter, Darry figured he could pick them up and save them the walk in the cold. The drive to the high school is one he can do on muscle memory alone, and he turns onto the road and almost drives right past the bundle of jacket that looks just familiar enough to catch his eye. He slows the truck down and glances in the rearview mirror to ensure there’s no one coming before he pulls off the side of the road and throws the passenger door open.

“Ponyboy Michael Curtis, get your ass in this car,” he snaps, watching his brother’s gaze shoot up from his toes where he was bouncing a bouncy ball. Darry can practically feel new gray hairs growing on his head realizing his kid brother wasn’t even watching his surroundings as he walked. They only live two miles from the school, but Pony’s gotten jumped by the socs walking home before, and it sure as hell could happen again. 

“Darry-” Ponyboy whines, blinking at him in confusion as he steps into the open door. 

“Now Ponyboy, it’s letting the cold in!” He scolds, feeling at least a bit relieved that Pony seems to follow that instruction, closing the door with a huff. There’s a moment of silence before Darry realizes this is just gonna be Pony brooding if he doesn’t speak. “What the hell did I say about walking home alone? I told you this morning !”

“I forgot.”

“You forgot?” Darry sputters, he swears he cannot wrap his head around how that is even possible. The kid remembers every book he reads but not a word out of Darry’s mouth?

“It’s only two miles Darry-”

“That’s not the point Ponyboy! The point is you not listening-”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“It is to me! I’m your guardian whether you like it or not kiddo, so that means listening to me even if you don’t like it.”

“Why can’t you just lay off me?” Ponyboy asks, voice raising as anger leaks into his tone. Here we go, Darry thinks. They haven’t gone at it like this in a while, and he’s kinda disappointed that they’re falling back into it. 

“Because my job is to raise you!” Darry snaps back. He hates it when Ponyboy does this. As a little kid he went through a very long phase of asking ‘who, what, when, where, why and how’ to every thing you said. No matter what explanation you gave Pony, he’d listen to you till your breath ran out and then he’d just ask again. He sometimes does it now, though it’s harder to pick out, and Darry thinks he does it specifically to grate on his nerves.

“I never asked you to-”

“Because that’s not something you ask for Ponyboy!” He realizes his brother has managed to derail the conversation, and he’s gotta get them back on track. “And that’s not what this is about. I don’t want you walking home alone because I don’t want you getting hurt! Just cause the socs have backed off for now doesn’t mean they wouldn’t mess with you if they see an opportunity. Walking alone isn’t a smart decision. You know that.”

“Stop getting on me-” Ponyboy shouts, and he can hear the waterworks starting, Soda would usually step in at this point, but Soda’s not here. It’s just him and Ponyboy, locking antlers in a showdown. God, he just wants Ponyboy to understand he’s trying to help him in more ways than just keeping him safe.

“What if you got really hurt, Ponyboy? What if you couldn’t run for a while? You gotta stay healthy so you can get scouts from colleges lookin’ at you for a scholarship! You can’t just be risking throwing that all away-”

“What if I don’t get in?!” Ponyboy shouts, voice cracking as he cuts through Darry’s train of thought. It’s enough that his own racing thoughts and rising anger stall as he processes the words. 

“What are you talking about?”

“What if I’m not good enough Darry? What if I don’t get a scholarship and my grades aren’t enough and I don’t go to college and you and Soda wasted all this time and money and energy on me for nothing. What if I just fail?” Ponyboy says coldly, looking at him defiantly, as if he’s challenging Darry to say the worst. It stabs him in the heart, to hear the Ponyboy thinks that he wouldn’t be just as loved if he did fail, that the only reason Darry and Soda do anything for him is that. After the dust had settled that night their parents died, and Darry sat alone in his room, he’d eventually come to a conclusion. He was going to drop out, he was going to take guardianship of his brothers, and he was gonna work his ass off to give them everything he possibly could. He’d made peace with the fact that he’d gladly give up his future, as long as he had the promise his brothers could have theirs. 

“Ponyboy, do you really think that’s why I do all of this?” He asks, feeling the deep ache in his throat as he tries to swallow back the emotions building up. 

“I just, you always tell me that I’m gonna get out, Darry. But what if I can’t?” He sounds so small, so scared. He knows he pushes his brother, but he always thought it was fueling him on. He thought Pony took it as praise for how well he’s doing, he never thought Ponyboy would feel pressure from the attention. He takes in a breath, normally they’d go right back to hollering at each other, but he can hear both Soda and Betty’s voices telling him it’s okay to let Pony in on his own feelings, even if it hurts.

“Ponyboy Michael Curtis, I know without a doubt in my mind that you can do it. But even if you don’t, it breaks my heart to know you think I’d love you any less.” He has to swallow thickly, trying desperately to keep it together, he can feel the tears pricking at his eyes against his will.

“You wouldn’t be mad?” 

“Baby, I tell you these things because I know they’re true. Not to pressure you, I could never be mad at you, not when I see how hard you work every damn day. Lord, I’m sorry it’s me that’s gotta be the one to get you through all this Pony. I wish it was Momma and Dad who were here helping you. I’d give just about anything for you and Soda to get them back. But no matter what, I will always be so proud of you and Sodapop.” He lets them sit in the warm air of the truck, and they both sit quietly beside each other. The silence is only broken by the sounds of Ponyboy sniffling as he wipes his eyes. It’s so long Darry is combing through his mind on what he can say, how he can somehow figure out what's going on in that crazy little mind his brother’s got. 

“Why’d you do it? Ponyboy asks, so softly Darry looks over to confirm he actually spoke and he didn’t just make up hearing it.

“Do what?” Darry asks.

“You got out. You were on your way to being a football star. You were getting straight A’s in your accounting classes, and you just let it all go. Why?”

“Because I love you, and I love Sodapop. You two mean more to me than that.” It’s maybe the easiest truth he’s ever said, if nothing else, it's the one thing Darry is absolutely sure of. 

“You gave up your dream for us,” Ponyboy says, looking at him with glassy eyes. 

“Maybe then. But the second I knew you two needed me, it wasn’t my dream anymore. And I have never regretted it for a single second Pony. You gotta believe me on that-” He isn’t expecting to be practically tackled by his brother, who hugs him pretty damn hard considering he’s in a growth spurt where he’s all arms and legs. He holds him back tightly, burying his nose into his hair and just feeling the weight of this boy he’s known since the day he was born clinging to him. For all the titles he’s ever held, he’s always gonna be the most proud of being Soda and Pony’s big brother. 

“Thank you.” Ponyboy sniffs, gripping him like he’s afraid Darry is gonna disappear into thin air. There’s something about the weight and sincerity of those two little words, the way he feels like for maybe the first time in a year and a half he and Ponyboy see each other, that makes the tears start streaking his cheeks. 

“You don’t ever gotta thank me for being your brother,” he chokes out, feeling a lightness and a weight off of his shoulders that he’s been carrying for so long. For the first time, he knows they’re gonna be okay, he can stop worrying, if even just for a bit.

“Soda’s gonna be mad we had a hug like this without him,” Ponyboy laughs, as he feels Darry wiping at his eyes. 

“We’ll give him one too when we get home,” Darry reassures, making no moves to let Ponyboy go. He’ll hold his brother for as long as he lets him. 

“I’ve been thinking about trying to write a story, Mr. Simes said I’d be good at it. Thought it could be interesting to try since I read so much. Plus he said colleges would find it interesting to talk about,” Ponyboy says, finally pulling back and looking up at him. 

“Me and Soda will be your first readers if you want,” Darry says, giving his brother an affectionate smile. He already knows it’ll be something to see. 

“I think it might get too long for Soda.”

“I’ll read aloud to him.” Darry laughs. 

“I ain’t even started it yet.”

“Well, we’ll be ready when you do.” Their moment is broken by a loud growl, which makes Darry’s brows raise in amusement. 

“Hungry?”

“I ran a bunch, Darry, I gotta eat to make up for it!” Ponyboy squawks indignantly, though there’s a blushing amusement to it. He doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on in terms of having a small appetite himself.

“C’mon I’ll drive us home.” 

It’s not until they’re back on the road, with some country song playing softly over the radio speakers, that Pony speaks again. 

“Darry? Do you have new dreams?”

For as much as Ponyboy can get lost in his own head, he sure can come up with questions that Darry can’t even begin to formulate an answer to. 

“What-”

“Like, are you gonna roof houses forever? What do you wanna do, once me and Soda are adults?” Lord this boy, always coming up with some hypothetical scenarios. Right now he can barely decide what he wants for dinner, much less his whole future.

“I dunno Pony-”

“There’s gotta be!” Ponyboy says, sounding almost offended at the answer. He looks over at Darry insistently. If nothing else, maybe he can stand to let himself dream a bit with his brother.

“Alright, I guess maybe I’d wanna go back to school. Get my accounting degree and work doing that in a few years.”

“You will,” Ponyboy says firmly, with a fierce look blazing in his green eyes. 

“One step at a time little buddy, we’ll work on it when the time comes.” Darry soothes.

“And what about Betty?” 

“What about her?” 

“Is she part of it?” 

“Of course she is, for as long as she wants to be,” he says, feeling a rush of affection at just the mere mention of her. It’s silent again as they turn onto their street, and he thinks he might’ve finally given his brother a satisfactory answer.

“Are you gonna marry her?” God it’s like Ponyboy’s back to that six year old kid again.

“Hopefully one day.”

“How do you know when it’s time to ask her?” He loves Pony, but he just has no clue how to answer these sorts of questions, because he doesn’t know himself. 

“I dunno Pone, I wish I knew.” he sighs, trying to keep his mild exasperation from his tone. “Maybe you can find the answer in one of your books. And let me know if you do.” It’s silent again, which means Ponyboy’s gears are turning. 

“When you know you want them in your forever, that's when you ask.” 

He may not be a big reader, or someone who loves fiction and poetry and movies and dreaming, but as he mulls over Ponyboy’s words, he decides that’s something to think about.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Ain’t her birthday coming up in March?” Ponyboy asks, pivoting to the subject as they pull up to the house. 

“Yeah.” 

“We gotta have a party for her, I wanna make her a cake!” He sometimes can’t figure out how Ponyboy can remember a birthday party he wants to plan a month and a half out, but forgets something Darry tells him the same morning. He figures he shouldn’t waste his time trying to figure out how that smart little brain runs. He mulls it over as they trudge up the porch. 

“You know what Pone, I think we do. And I think we gotta get some other knuckle heads to help us out,” he trails as they step through the front door. Betty’s working past dinner tonight, and the rest of the gang looks over at them as they wrestle off their coats. 

Darry starts with a smile, watching the way the room turns to focus on him,

“I’m cashing in some favors-”

Notes:

Dally seeing love without string attached I want him to be HAPPY

Also Darry and Ponyboy's conversation is so fucking raw and real, idk it just felt like how I interpret Darry's motivations and his character. At his core it's why he's one of my favorites.

Soda and Betty when they find out that Ponyboy and Darry finally understood each other a bit better 😭😍

Idk this one is just a bittersweet mix of feelings, I hope yall liked it!

I love the comments and talking on tumblr, so lets get the weekend going!!

Chapter 38: Chap 38

Summary:

Betty's Birthday, Part One 😉

Notes:

Okay please enjoy a healthy dose of Darry Curtis trying to make Betty's Birthday PERFECT for approx 5.5k words.

Also content warning a little bit of just a hint of smut so skip once Darry and Betty try to go back to sleep until the line break if that's not ur thing!

Place ur final guesses for Darry's gift.

Darry hates shopping for presents; he always overthinks it, no matter who he’s doing it for. Coming up with a present for Betty, for the first birthday of her’s he’s celebrating with her, is infinitely more stressful than picking out a gift for his brothers or friends. Even today, on her actual birthday, he’s still filled with an anxiety that has made itself at home in his stomach as he drives his brothers to work and school. He’d taken this Friday off work to celebrate with Betty, who’d also gotten the day off. He’d told her a bit of a lie that he didn’t have to work today, ‘cause he knew she would’ve protested and told him her birthday wasn’t worth him feeling like he needed to call out. His main task for the day, as Soda put it, is ensuring he keeps her out of the house from 3-6pm, where the gang will be working on dinner and a cake and Lord knows what else. He’s been so focused on his plans for her for the day he can’t even remember what flavor cake Pony and Johnny have settled on.

“Dar, you don’t gotta hold the steering wheel so hard,” Soda says with his characteristic grin as Darry glances down at his hands and over at his brother beside him. His knuckles are turning a bit white from how tight he was holding the wheel, he didn’t even do it on purpose. He’s so in his head he realizes they’re halfway to the school at this point. He’d told Betty to sleep in, and he was planning on making some breakfast for them once he got back from driving his brothers. 

“Why are you so nervous Darry?” Ponyboy asks. Easy for him to say, he broods for a moment, all Ponyboy has to do is make a cake, which Betty will love no matter what. Darry has to make sure today goes perfectly, he thinks that he’s having an entirely reasonable response. 

“He’s just being a perfectionist Pony, he’s all in his head-”

“I’m not,” Darry denies, though it doesn’t come out as strong as he intended. 

“She’s gonna be so excited Darry, you’re making yourself stressed for no reason!” Soda beams as they pull up to the school. Ponyboy groans in disappointment, clearly not enthused to be starting his day. He'd begged Darry to drive them to drop Soda off first, trying to prolong the enivitable. 

“Good luck on your social studies test,” Darry encourages, nodding to the door, knowing Pony’s trying to drag his feet and stall having to go in. He gets one long sigh from his brother before he grabs his backpack and opens the door. 

“Thanks Darry. You better not be home when I get done with school, I want it to be a surprise-”

“I promise,” Darry reassures for what feels like the twentieth time. “I’ll see ya tonight.”

“Bye,” Ponyboy says once more, shooting them both a reluctant smile before he closes the door and starts up the sidewalk to the main doors. Darry can practically feel his thoughts taking over again as he heads in the direction of the DX. 

“Are you at least a little excited?” Soda presses, giving him one of his characteristic soft looks that makes Darry feel a little silly for being so nervous. 

“I am, I just-”

“She’s gonna love it. I can practically hear your thoughts over the radio. They’re even louder than Pony’s,” Soda jokes, giving him a nudge. He knows his brother has historically always been right about these kinds of things, no reason to think he’d be wrong now. 

“Thank you Soda,” Darry says gratefully, he knows his brothers have helped him more than they’ll admit with planning all this. 

“C’mon Dar, you know I love a good celebration,” Soda smiles as they pull into the DX lot and he tugs on his hat. 

“Keep the house from burning down please,” Darry implores as Soda gathers his things to head inside. 

“I dunno why you’d even be worried about that,” Soda blinks with faux innocence. 

“Six pm, there better be a house still standing,” Darry repeats, earning a cheeky smile from Soda as he climbs out the passenger door. He pauses just before he closes it, and locks eyes with Darry. 

“Just, try to enjoy the moment today, don’t spend too much time worrying,” Soda says softly, and he’s closing the door before Darry can say a word. He sits with the thought for a minute while he makes sure Soda gets inside okay. He takes a steadying breath, letting it out slowly through his nose, and he heads for home. 

---

“Though I said you should sleep in,” Darry says with a raised brow as he leans against the doorway of his room, taking in the fact that while she’s still in bed, Betty is definitely awake and looking at him with a grin. She’s still got her hair wrapped in a scarf from where she did it with some curlers the night before. 

“I am resting,” she concedes. He understands the sentiment. They both get up so early so often sometimes you just wake up anyways, even when you can go back to sleep. 

“I told you you don’t have an somewhere to be until 3 right?” He murmurs, hoping she isn’t awake because she feels like she needs to be. He swears he told her. He wanted her to feel like she has the morning to do whatever she pleases. 

“You did! And I’m dying to know what that is by the way,” She chirps, moving to toss the covers back on his side of the bed. “But I dunno, I just couldn’t sleep. Also, come back here.” Honestly, getting back in bed in the mornings is something he rarely gets to do, he’s certainly not gonna pass up the offer. He starts wrestling off his clothes, because the idea of getting into bed fully dressed makes his skin crawl.  It’s thankfully finally warmed up enough in March that he can comfortably sleep in boxers again without feeling like he’ll freeze to death if he has to leave the covers for any reason. Still he feels himself shiver for a moment before he’s throwing the covers over himself with a sigh, turning onto his side to face her. 

“Happy Birthday,” he says softly, looking at the freckles that have begun to dust the bridge of her nose with the slow return of the sun. 

“Thank you,” she replies, moving closer to him and practically intertwining herself with him as he gets his arms around her. 

“How’s twenty two feel?”

“I dunno, pretty good so far,” she muses with a smile. “You’ll find out in a couple months here yourself.” He can’t help himself from going in for a kiss, savoring that they in fact have as much time as they want this morning. He can feel her smile against his lips as he pulls back,

“C’mon it’s only eight, we could go back to sleep,” he encourages, because he knows how tired she’s been recently. He figures with a little coaxing she might try to sleep again. 

“I don’t think it’ll happen, but we can rest,” she agrees before she’s extracting herself from their current entanglement and turning over onto her other side, before she tucks herself against him, sighing as he curls himself around her. He brings his right arm to wrap over her and hold her as he closes his eyes with a sigh, burying his face into the pillow. They must lay there for at least five minutes, but he can tell by the pattern of her breaths she’s nowhere near asleep, and neither is he. 

“Are you even closing your eyes?” He mutters, though he can tell sleep is most likely going to evade him too. 

“Yes,” she retorts but he feels her wiggling against him a bit, unable to fully settle.

“You know, you don’t seem very relaxed,” he muses with a smirk against her head. 

“Wanna help me?” She asks, sounding too cheeky for such an innocent question, he’d open his eyes if he thought it’d give him any clues as to what she’s implying.

“Yes,” he replies without hesitation. That’s kinda his whole goal right now is to at least get her to relax if she won’t sleep in. She makes a noise of contentment at his response and her hand grabs his wrist, guiding it dowards and he figures out very quickly what she’s wanting. 

“That’s not sleeping,” he says with a smirk in his voice. 

“You said relaxing, this is relaxing,” she murmurs as he lets her guide his hand past the waistband of her underwear and then she lets her hand rest over his. Hell, he’s never gonna say no to her, and he starts moving his finger in lazy motions. She lets out a noise of approval before she’s leaning into his touch. 

“We’re resting,” he reminds her, and to be fair, he’s still got his eyes closed and is for all intents and purposes very much resting, besides his one small task.

“God, yes,” she agrees and he feels her go more lax against him. “More-”
“We’re taking it slow, you’ll get there eventually like this,” he murmurs, continuing his slow lazy movements. 

“Are you gonna stop,” she asks worriedly. He shakes his head against hers. 

“Not gonna stop, but shush, we’re supposed to be trying to sleep,” he teases, though he can tell she’s pretty on board with this plan as she nods. 

“M’kay,” she agrees, “But after we ‘sleep’?”

“After we can do whatever you want, it’s your birthday,” he grins. 

“God, I love you,” she sighs and he presses a kiss to the crown of her head, more than content to follow the direction this lazy morning takes them. 

---

Much later, after a shower and some breakfast that rightfully earns the name of a brunch, he’s sitting on the bed in his room, content to watch Betty get ready to go out for the day. 

She’s sat at the vanity in her pajamas, she’d taken her hair down from the scarf she’d wrapped it in to sleep, and is arranging it to her liking. She's currently got makeup set out in front of her and is applying some mascara to her lashes in the mirror. He has no clue how she doesn’t blink or flinch with that thing so close to her eye.

“Am I allowed to ask yet where we’re going?” She asks, his eyes are almost watering just watching her put on the mascara.

“We’re gonna get some lunch, first things first,” he replies evasively. He’d been preoccupied enough with their morning activities he’d actually forgotten his nerves for a bit, but with it pushing noon and the activities he’s planned about to begin, they’ve returned to make themselves right at home in the pit of his stomach. 

“Anywhere in particular?” She presses.

“You want french fries?”

“Always,” she replies without a beat, grinning in the mirror. 

“That’s what I thought, so I figured we’d start at the diner.”

“I really am getting everything I could dream of today huh?” She laughs, giving him a grin. 

“French fries are everything?”

“Of course,” she says as she starts applying some blush to her cheeks. He can’t help but laugh at that, because God she makes him so happy. He watches her give herself a once over in the mirror, seemingly satisfied before she turns around on the stool she’s sitting on. “So, what exactly is the outfit I should wear for this mystery outing?” He sorta buffers at this, he doesn’t wanna give much away about his plans by revealing what types of clothes she could wear for it. 

“Well-”

“If you’re still keeping secrets, just go look in the closet and pick something for me,” she offers, looking quite delighted at the idea.

“What if you don’t like the outfit?” He worries, though he knows he’s probably overthinking it. 

“Darry, I like all the clothes I own,” she laughs waving a hand as he pushes up from where he was lounging and opens the closet door. He knows he can’t keep all the plans a secret entirely, because the outfit he has in mind is not exactly casual clothes she’d normally wear on the daily. He spots the pale blue dress she has that goes nicely with her lighter jacket she’ll probably wear and he hesitates for just a split second before he grabs the hanger and turns around. 

“Oh I love that dress! This is only making me more curious you know,” She grins, looking quite content with his outfit choice. He tries to keep himself from melting with relief as he meets her halfway and hands her the hanger. 

“I’m gonna change too,” he says, going back for his outfit he’d already set aside in the closet last night. 

“Are there specific footwear requirements for where we’re going?” She asks as she starts the process of slipping on the dress, careful to not mess up her hair and makeup. 

“No, just maybe no real tall heels?” He says, honestly he’s not even sure if that’s the right choice, but they’ll be walking some so he doesn’t want her feet to hurt. 

“Perfect, I’ve got some flats that go with this. Now mind you Darrel Curtis I’m slowly narrowing down my ideas of where we’re going at three.”

“Patience is-”

“Lemme have my fun,” she laughs, spinning around as she messes with her skirt. She looks so beautiful, he almost feels like she’s taken the air from his lungs for a second. 

“Of course, but I’m not telling you anything till at least we’ve gotten our food at lunch,” he reiterates as he starts working his belt through the loops of his pants. 

“I’ll hold you to it.”

---

She does hold him to it. She has dipped a single french fry in their shared chocolate milkshake before she’s looking at him expectantly. 

“What?” He asks, too busy thinking about each step of his plan for the day to remember what she’s thinking about right now. 

“Where are we going?” She begs, practically bouncing on the booth seat across from him. He can feel her excitement from where her ankle is hooked around his under the table. 

“We just got our food,” he smirks. When he conceded earlier he didn’t think she’d take him quite that literally. 

“I know, but I’m so excited, I gotta know!” She begs. At this point he feels bad, like she’s built this up in her mind and she’s gonna be underwhelmed by it. 

“Well,” he swallows a fry nervously, trying to keep his face relaxed. “You were telling me you ain’t had your nails done since you moved to Tulsa, and I know you like to, so I was gonna take you-”

“Really?!” She squeaks, looking more delighted than he expected, considering he doesn’t really understand the entire thing. He vaguely remembers his mom getting her nails done on special occasions. Sometimes she’d try to paint them at home, but she claimed it was much more fun to have them done professionally. 

“If you wanna, I know it’s not-”

“I’ve been wanting to for so long! I can’t believe you thought of that for me,” She says, giving him a look that makes his heart ache with how sweet it is. 

“Well, that’s where we’re going after this,” he concludes, still feeling a bit self conscious.

“Thank you,” she says, reaching a hand across the table to squeeze his. It's cute, even if their hands are both a bit greasy from the fries. “Are you gonna stay while I get them done or-”

“I can run errands if you want some alone time,” he offers. He’s clearly never really done this before, so he wasn’t sure if she’d want him there or if it’s a thing girls do by themselves.

“I’d love for you to stay, don’t be ridiculous! Plus, I want help picking a color,” She says firmly. He gives her a nod, 

“I’ll try my best.” Honestly, he has no clue what constitutes a good nail polish color, but he’ll be more than happy to be in her company. 

---

Darry really didn’t anticipate spending the next hour at the nail salon being watched by a gaggle of women, who all seem to have decided they have no qualms talking about him right in front of him. 

“Ain’t he just a doll, surprising you with this?” One older woman had said, eyeing the two of them with delight as Betty beamed at him in agreement. The attention made him blush despite his best efforts. 

“He’s real handsome, where’d ya find him?” Another woman had asked Betty quietly, but still plenty loud for him to hear. He’d lost track of all the little flirtatious comments and envious gazes after a while, but he was happy to endure it for Betty’s sake. To be fair, they seemed to boost his ego a bit, even if the attention was embarrassing. Soda would’ve preened like a peacock if it were him; Ponyboy would’ve probably wanted to run out the door. So he figured he was a nice medium of quiet and respectful. Betty had shown him the wall of polishes and he’d never realized there were so many options, and he had no clue how he was supposed to help her pick. But she’d immediately zeroed in on the pinks, and then presented three or four to him for his opinion, which was much more doable. She’d gone with a soft baby pink, which he knows is her favorite color, and he honestly thinks she would’ve gotten it with or without his opinion. All that to say, he’s a bit relieved when they walk out the door, as she intertwines her hand into his as they walk towards the car. He will say whatever lotion they put on her hands does make them feel real soft. 

“Thank you Darry, you’re real sweet for this, I know they were all over you like some piranhas,” she laughs, swinging their intertwined hands gently.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he says, grinning a bit at her antics. 

“After all that commotion I think I’m ready to go home,” She laughs, looking excited at her own proposal. He feels himself panic a bit, because he doesn’t want to outright say no, but he most certainly cannot take her home, considering it’s four thirty. 

“Uh-"

“I know that musta taken it outta you, I’m more than happy to go curl up on the couch with you and watch some tv,” she grins.

“We can’t,” he blurts out, stopping beside his truck feeling some panic rising up as he realizes she’s grown tired of the day, but he’s still got one more plan in store. 

“What?” She says, looking a bit surprised.

“I just, uhh, gotta show you something?” He stutters, trying not to kick himself when he notes he’s doing an awful job of keeping the secret. His whole plan seems to be done before he can finish it.

“Uh huh,” she says, grinning knowingly. 

“Please?” He says, though he knows his cover is blown. He feels a bit disappointed, he’d really tried to keep this a secret she wouldn't suspect. 

“Course you can show me something! What time did the boys say we could be back?” She grins, squeezing his hand. 

“Huh?” He says with a raised brow.

“You’ve been acting so nervous all day, I figured you were working yourself up trying to keep a secret,” she smiles. “I figured you had some time parameters for our outing.”

“I ain’t saying nothing,” he murmurs, feeling so relieved she’s more than happy to play along. “But six pm may have come up in conversation.”

“Well, let's go to this ‘thing’ you wanna show me then, we've got plenty of time!” 

---

“Botanical Gardens? I didn’t even know Tulsa had a somethin’ like this,” She says, stopping to read the sign as he tugs her through the parking lot. The drive had taken about another half hour, and he’s at least a bit more relaxed because he’s gotten her to their final stop of the day. 

“Weather is unpredictable in March, here we’ll be inside and the flowers will be in bloom,” he explains, feeling himself blush a bit through his explanation. He’s not sure if she’s that into looking at flowers, but he figured it was a good activity in case it was colder than usual or it rained. Plus, after the Tulsa winter, it’d be nice to be around some green and warm colors.

“You been here before?” she grins, hopping up on the curb as she falls into step beside him. He can feel his heart racing a bit as they head for the doors. He’d decided this is where he wanted to give her the final part of his birthday gift, and he has to resist the urge to check his pocket for it again, considering he’s checked every few minutes. If he keeps this up she’ll start to notice, she’s too observant. He feels himself swallow a bit at the question.

“Our mom liked it here,” he explains, trying to keep that melancholy ache he feels at bay, he wants to focus on being here with her today. He wanted to take her somewhere special, not just random.

“You know, I was always mad when I was little that the flowers weren’t ever in bloom around my birthday. The twins were born in late May, so they always had the prettiest flowers blooming outside when we’d have their parties. But mine was just around when things started to sprout. Guess I finally get my turn with some birthday flowers, even if they’re getting a little help being kept warm indoors,” She beams, leaning into his side with their hands intertwined as they head for the main entry. She’s practically tucking herself against him, and he can feel her free hand coming to hold onto his bicep with a squeeze of affection. 

“Do you have a favorite?” He asks as they step through the doors, the rush of warm humid air is a stark contrast to the gentle spring day outside. 

“Flower?” She clarifies as they slow to a stop at the start of the pathway that weaves through the gardens. He remembers running up and down this path with his brothers, their mom would sometimes bring them here to get them outta the house in the colder weather. 

“Uh huh,” he nods. He sorta hopes whatever flower she says, they have here. 

“Hmm, probably peonies, I’ve always liked the way they smell,” she contemplates tugging him forward gently as she sets foot onto the path. 

“We’ll see if they’ve got some here,” he nods, making a note of it. He’s pretty sure he knows what those look like. Maybe. Don’t all flowers sorta look alike? He’s so in his head about making sure this is perfect for her, he barely can focus on reading the plaques with the names of the various plants as they start on the path traipsing leisurely. She’s holding his hand real tightly, but he can’t figure out if she even likes this place, but she is humming gently to herself, so she can’t be that bored of the idea of hanging around here right? It’s peaceful, there’s very few people here on a random Friday afternoon, so they have plenty of space to themselves as they walk. 

“You said we’re banned from the house till six huh?” She asks, cutting off that particular thought spiral. 

“I didn’t say that-”

“I think we should try to find different plants that remind us of the boys,” she grins, glancing down at one of them with a snort. He spots what her gaze is locked on, a small cactus sprouting up from the dirt. 

“Dallas,” he murmurs in recognition, nodding towards the thing, a bit wary about how close it resides to the main pathway, one wrong step and you could end up with a foot full of spines. 

“Oh this is gonna be fun,” she grins widely, eyes alight with mischief as she starts reviewing the plants with a renewed vigor. Try and enjoy the moment, he reminds himself.

---

“See, I think Dally would secretly like roses, with the thorns and all,” Betty chirps as he checks his watch one more time. They’ve been here for a little past a quarter of an hour, and he’s starting to feel the clock ticking. His gift is practically burning a hole in his pocket, and he knows he’s gotta get a move on actually-

“Look! Peonies!” She exclaims as they round a corner and she’s hurrying over to them, dragging him right along by the hand. He’s glad she recognized them, because it turns out he does not know what a peony is. They’re real pretty, a mix of whites and pinks that seem to burst open into a soft fluff of petals. The bushes they’re growing from are an impressive size and from where she’s standing between them to the point she’s practically surrounded by them. 

He’s a half step behind her and she drops his hand for a moment to reach out for one of the many blooming flowers and hold it carefully as she leans in to smell it. 

“You know, I’ve been thinking about getting a perfume that smells like these-”

He wonders if this is what a heart attack feels like, cause he can sure feel his heart beating behind his ribs. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s got him feeling a little breathless as he just takes a split moment to just gather himself. He knows she’s talking, but if he doesn’t do this now he’s terrified he might chicken out entirely, and honestly his heart is pounding so loud he can barely make himself listen to the words she’s saying. He reaches into his pocket, and takes a steadying breath before dropping to one knee. 

“But I’m not even sure where I’d even go shoppin’ for a perfume like that, ya know? They make that stuff so dang expensive for no reason, I swear. Are you gonna come smell this?” She continues, before she turns to look over her shoulder. “Thought you were right behind me-” She laughs before she spots him, and he swears he’s never been so fuckin nervous in his life than right now. 

“What are you doing?” She breathes, and if he wasn’t so nervous he’d say something along the lines of ‘what does it look like?’ He can’t get a read on her face, it’s terrifying. 

“C’mere,” he offers, holding out one hand, hopeful she’ll close the couple feet of distance between them. She seems to at least register that and takes a couple steps before she’s grabbing his offered hand. 

“What?” She sputters. He’s about to start in on trying to say some of the many speeches he’s been rehearsing in his head for the month and a half he’s spent planning this. None of them ever seemed to cover it right, to somehow describe everything he feels for her. It might honestly be beyond words, and he sure as hell doesn’t have the artfulness to attempt it.

“I-”

She uses her free hand to cover her mouth as she lets out a sob-like noise. He pauses, feeling like any words he was about to say vanished once again. 

“God, I’m sorry! I promise I’m not gonna cry, I know you’re tryin’ to talk,” she says frantically, but he can hear the tears in her voice. He prays to God and his parents and whoever else is watching him at this moment that they’re happy tears. “I just, are you actually-” She lets out another hiccup as she locks eyes with him. There’s a split moment where he feels like it all comes together, looking in her eyes. They’d understood each other long before any of this, and he remembers that first knowing look she gave him all those months back at that diner. Long before he had even a clue what she’d mean to him now. He can somehow tell she knows everything he’s trying to say right now, just based on the look in her eyes. 

“Will you marry me?” He says squeezing her hand as he holds out the ring to her, somehow feeling like all the panic and nerves suddenly faded away like a puff of smoke. He feels her hand shaking in his and he squeezes it more instinctively. 

“Yes.” She breathes, still looking at him like he’s shocked her beyond all belief. Guess he wasn’t so terrible at surprising her in the end. “Oh my Lord, I’m shaking so bad,” she sputters, pulling on his hand trying to urge him to his feet. 

“Lemme give you the ring first,” he smirks, feeling a rush of affection through the high that’s currently coursing through his veins. He takes her left hand and moves to put the ring on carefully, and he sees her face the moment she registers it. 

“Darry, your momma’s ring-”

“I know. She’d want you to have it. I want you wearin’ it.” He reassures, sliding it on before she can protest. Getting confirmation of her ring size was maybe the hardest part. He’s still not entirely sure how Dally managed to measure that without Betty ever noticing, and he’s not sure he should ask questions. He’d taken that information and gotten the ring sized for her, and he’d been careful to make sure she hadn’t noticed it’s absence from his neck for the week it was missing.

“It fits perfect, how-”

“Dally,” he grins. 

“Can I kiss you now?” She begs, tugging his hand again, this time he rises to his feet, now standing above her again. He doesn’t waste a second before diving in for her lips, feeling the way she squeezes her arms around his neck as he lifts her up just slightly with his hands on her waist. He sets her back down carefully and only pulls away when they both need to breathe. 

“You planned all this.”

“Yeah,” he says breathlessly as she holds on to him, nose only a few inches from his. 

“That’s why you took me to get my nails done. And why you seemed so nervous all day ,” She says in realization. 

“I just wanted it to be perfect,” he murmurs, giving in to the urge to press another kiss to her forehead. 

“Darry, I dunno what to say.”

“I don’t care how we do it, I just know I want you with me forever,” he says against her hair. 

“I love you,” she sniffs, and he can tell she’s barely holding back tears again.

“I love you too.” He replies, giving her a final squeeze before he pulls back. “How’s about a celebration dinner at home?” 

“They all knew!” She says, realization dawning on her face.

“They all helped,” he smiles as she grabs his hand tightly. He’s just about to head for the exit, but he stops, glancing at the peonies once more. He takes a quick look around before he carefully plucks one, and he hears her make a small noise of surprise. 

“Shh, they ain’t gonna miss just one,” he reassures, before he hands it to her with a grin. She smiles at him again, eyes still glossy with tears he now knows are definitely happy ones. 

“Smell it,” she encourages, holding it out to him. He obeys without a question, inhaling the light floral scent as he tries to memorize it in one go. It’ll forever remind him of her. 

“Beautiful,” he murmurs, though he’s mostly talking about her. She laughs against him as he guides them down the path, towards the exit. He knows they’re both ready to go home now. They head for the car in a sort of giddy silence that makes his face feel stuck in permanent grin. He’s climbing into the truck beside her when she speaks again. 

“God, is it crazy I just wanna run home and call my momma and my sisters? How am I gonna explain this one to 'em?” She laughs. 

“They’re waiting for your call.” He reassures as he starts up the engine. 

“What?” She asks, turning to look at him from where she was currently admiring the ring with a wide grin. He swallows again. It’d been maybe the most nerve wracking phone call of his life, but he’d wanted to ask, to do it right.

“I asked for permission,” he says softly. 

“From my father?” She breathes.

“No. Your momma, and your sisters. I asked them .” He says firmly, watching the realization break across her face. He’d wanted to ask those who mattered most to her. She lets out a laugh, and finally the tears start flowing. 

“I love you so much Darrel Curtis,” she manages to gasp out before he’s pulling her into an embrace, pressing kisses to her tear streaked cheeks. 

“I love you too. Now, I think Soda might go crazy if we keep him in suspense any longer, how’s a drive home sound?”

“Let’s go rescue him,” she laughs, pulling away to let him drive, but planting herself as close to him as possible. He pulls out of the lot with her head resting on his shoulder.

Notes:

WERE YALL SURPRISED?!?!?!? I TIRED SO HARD TO PULL A PLOT TWIST LOL

Betty was def surprised, and I also cried writing this by the way. Anyways, uhh this is just tooth rotting fluff tbh.

Darry out here just looking nervous as hell the ENTIRE day and Betty has to resist the urge to ask him whats wrong about every ten minutes 😂 once she figured out why she was like OH THATS WHY

Next week we get some all around celebrations with the gang ❤️

As always come talk to me on tumblr or in the comments! One of my attending doctors today gave me feedback that I am "too enthusiastic" so that def was a bummer but we're rallying cause its FRIDAY BABY!!

Chapter 39: Chap 39

Summary:

Betty's Birthday Part 2 Feat The Gang

Notes:

I finished my exam and I give to you: I make everyone in the Curtis gang happy because they all deserve it.

“So, do we know what’s for dinner?” Betty muses as they’re exiting the highway. He doesn’t know how to say, ‘I was too busy panicking to pay attention to what the guys are actually planning’ without sounding like a mess. His face must give him away or something. “You know, you can stop being nervous now.” She goads, nudging him from where she’s tucked up against him. 

“I’m not nervous,” he protests. He’s honestly not, he’s just sorta coming down from the nerves, he’s been a bit stressed all day. 

“Good. I’m not that scary.” She jokes, and while he’s got his eyes focused on the road, he can hear the grin in her voice. 

“Don’t tell the boys that. Don’t wanna lose your intimidation points,” he murmurs, earning a giggle from her. 

“I think I earn some bonus points now that I got a ring saying I have you to back me up,” she laughs. 

“They barely listen to me,” he shrugs, though he knows that’s a bit untrue. They listen when it matters. Mostly. 

“So Ponyboy and Soda are okay with me wearing her ring-”

“They’re the ones who came up with it,” Darry reassures, not letting her even begin to finish that thought.

“Were you and I the last people to find out about this engagement?” She muses, and he shares a look with her for a moment at the stop sign. 

“Yes.”

“I’m starting to think we aren’t really in charge at all,” Betty laughs. 

“Not until there’s laundry or dishes that need doing, then somehow we’re very much the adults.”

“I dunno, Soda and Ponyboy do the laundry-” 

“You help them fold it when it’s their turn!” He scolds, though they both know he’s not actually mad.

“Who told you that?!” She sputters. 

“They squealed on themselves a long while back,” Darry grins. 

“Well, I can’t help ‘em not tattle on themselves,” she laughs as they pull into the driveway. 

“You ready?” He asks with a grin towards the house. They both know it’ll probably be chaos. 

“Let’s mess with ‘em a bit,” she grins, hopping out of the car with a mischievous grin before he can even ask her what she’s planning. He follows behind her and is about to stop her on the porch to ask what her plan is, but she slips in the front door before he can. 

“Surprise!” The chorus of voices rings out as Darry slips inside behind her, trying to keep his expression neutral. 

“For me?!” Betty says excitedly, looking overjoyed as she kicks off her shoes. “This is why you kept me outta the house all afternoon!” She says with fake realization. 

“How was your afternoon?” Soda prompts, appearing from the kitchen with a grin, but Darry can see the confused look he shoots him when he thinks Betty can’t see. Darry doesn’t say a word. 

“It was real nice. I got my nails done, and we got some lunch out,” Betty says casually as she moves to pet Pip in greeting as Darry works off his shoes. 

“Anything else?” Soda says, and Darry feels a bit guilty, ‘cause he can see the concern in his brother's eyes. Ponyboy has also appeared from the kitchen. 

“I dunno, it was real nice sleeping in this morning don’t you think, Darry?” She says, giving him a soft smile. 

“You didn’t go anywhere else?” Ponyboy clarifies, eyes a bit wide and giving Darry a pitying look. 

“Oh the gardens, we did go walk around there for a while,” Betty says nonchalantly, as if it truly was just a simple walk in the park. He sees the way his brothers share a nervous look and while they think Betty doesn’t see, Darry catches her soften at the sight. 

“Well we’re glad you had fun-” Soda begins, though his disappointment is pretty obvious.

“ I had a wonderful time. This one was a little nervous all day,” Betty nods before she gives Pip a final pat and very obviously holds out her left hand to Darry. She even wiggles her fingers dramatically before he takes her hand. 

“Oh thank God !” Soda exclaims, eyes locking on her hand as he visibly relaxes. The entire room seems to let out a sigh of relief. 

“Why’d you do that?!” Ponyboy squawks, looking a bit offended. 

“Now y’all got a taste of how nervous he was all day,” Betty shrugs, giving them a cheeky grin. 

“That sucked!” Ponyboy whines, though his face breaks into a grin. 

“ I never lost faith in you Darry!” Two Bit chortles before he’s bounding over to the two of them and wrapping them in a tight embrace. 

“Thank you Two Bit,” Darry grumbles, feeling a bit disgruntled at the teasing. Honestly, he’s too happy to really care as he cuffs Two Bit playfully on the shoulder as he releases them. 

“Does the ring fit?” Dally asks from the couch, if Darry looks real close, there’s the smallest hint of a smile on his face. 

“Like a glove,” Betty chirps, giving Dally a smile of thanks, though she doesn’t draw more attention to his involvement in the scheme than that. 

“Do you like it?” Soda asks, giving her a hopeful look 

“I love it.” She says firmly, and Darry gives both his brothers a nod they both know means c’mere, and they seem more than content to be wrapped up in another squeezing hug. 

“Does this mean we can open the booze now?!” Steve hollers from the kitchen, looking all the more excited for the party.

“Hell yeah!” Betty hollers back, grinning widely as she gives each of his brothers an individual squeeze before letting them all go. 

“Pony you gonna come back and help me?” Johnny says with a sarcastic tone, where Darry spots him trying in vain to do some sort of design with frosting which clearly requires an extra set of hands.

“Sorry!” Ponyboy says in realization before he’s scrambling back to help his friend out. 

“So, what’s for dinner?” Betty asks Soda.

“Darry didn’t tell you?”

“He doesn’t remember,” she laughs, and he feels himself flush. 

“Homemade spaghetti and meatballs, it’s our mom’s recipe!” Soda grins. As soon as he says that, of course Darry remembers. He can’t believe he forgot. He feels his heart swelling with affection for his brothers, for putting in their own touches to include their parents in today. 

“Am I allowed to ask what kind of cake it is?” Betty asks as she moves across the living room towards the bathroom. 

“Marble!” Johnny calls back, earning a cry of protest from Ponyboy that sends him into a fit of mischievous laughter. 

“I need the restroom for a moment, no one come barging in please?” She grins. 

“I’ll get you a drink in the meantime,” Darry reassures, and she chirps out a thanks before she’s padding down the hall and closing the door softly. 

“You did it!” Soda exclaims, letting the spoon clatter onto the counter top, where he was stirring the pot of sauce. “You two tried to make me think you chickened out, but I knew you would do it!”

“I guess I did-”

“I’m so proud of you Darry,” Soda says wetly as his face buries in Darry’s shoulder as he grabs him tightly. He can feel Soda sniffling against him. 

“Thanks.” Darry murmurs with a smile. He feels Soda try to lift him, “What’re you doin?” He asks Soda with affectionate exasperation. 

“I’m gonna spin you around, I’m so happy!”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” he cautions, feeling Soda make another valiant attempt to pick him up. 

“I’m not- shut up- just stop being so hard to lift!” Soda jokes, and he finally manages to just get Darry lifted off his feet for a couple seconds before he’s dropped back to the floor. “Close enough.” Soda concedes, before he’s grinning up at him. 

“Thanks little buddy,” he says, ruffling his brother’s hair before he scampers back to his cooking, making sure the sauce doesn’t burn from not being stirred. 

“So Superman, how’s it feel being off the market?” Steve prompts as he’s popping open a couple bottles of beer. Darry makes his way through the crowded kitchen, carefully avoiding Johnny and Ponyboy who seem to have gotten better at making frosting flowers by the look of things. He opens the fridge and spots the wine he’d told them to have on hand and he goes for the counter, grabbing the corkscrew. 

“I’ve been off the market since I met her,” he says, giving Steve a firm look as he starts working the cork from the bottle. It’s the truth, he knew she was it for him pretty much right away.

“So touching,” Two Bit sniffs, giving him a cheeky grin as he grabs a beer from Steve.  

“Don’t you forget it,” he retorts as he opens the bottle with a satisfying pop. He reaches into the cabinet and grabs two wine glasses, he figures he’ll at least sip on a glass before switchin’ to beer. 

“Did she like the gardens?” Ponyboy asks, giving Darry a hopeful look. He knows they all took quite a while trying to come up with a place to propose. It was Ponyboy who’d thought of the gardens. 

“She loved it!” Betty reassures as she appears in the hallway. 

“Jesus Christ, she’s got hawk hearing just like Superman,” Dally says in awe as Betty slips into view in the kitchen. He holds out a glass to her. 

“Thank you baby,” she says appreciatively, pecking him on the lips, earning a groan from Ponyboy. 

“Hey Pony! We’re celebrating love tonight, no moans and groans allowed!” Soda scolds with a grin, pointing his spoon at his younger brother in warning. 

“Don’t mean I gotta see it!” Ponyboy grumbles, though there’s a little smile on his face. Darry waits until he locks eyes with Ponyboy before he goes back for another kiss, just for the hell of teasing his brother. He feels Betty smiling, so she knows what he’s doing.

“Alright, we’ve officially been out all afternoon, I’m sitting down,” Betty announces, taking his hand and pulling as an invitation as she heads for the living room. He’s more than happy with this idea. He’s got just enough of a pleasant buzz of joy running through his veins, he swears she can probably hear the way his heartbeat changes as she tucks against his side in the chair. 

“I have a gift for the birthday girl!” Two Bit announces very loudly, enough to make Darry wince. They’re all in the same room, there’s no need to shout other than to be annoying, something which Two Bit has been known to enjoy. 

“You didn’t need to-”

“Trust me Betty Boop, you’re gonna want this!” Two Bit interrupts. 

“Not sure how I feel about that nickname but-”

“He dug around for it all morning!” Ponyboy interjects, looking a bit miffed at whatever this gift is. 

“Voila!”  Two Bit exclaims, whipping out a large book with a flourish. Darry looks at it for a split moment before he makes the connection between Ponyboy’s irritation.

“No. Two Bit, why-”

“I present to Miss Betty Merill, soon to be Curtis: the Curtis boys’ baby pictures,” Two Bit continues on, ignoring the cries of protest. 

“Oh. My. God,” Betty laughs, and Darry can already tell by the delighted glimmer in her eyes he’s not gonna be able to talk her out of a thing. 

“Soda I thought you put that away!” He gripes.

“I did! But he went looking,” Soda replies, not sounding as bothered by this as Darry and Ponyboy are. 

“Gimme!” Betty says with delight, more than elated to accept the book with welcoming arms. 

“Mrs. C has lots of labels for the pictures in the album too!” Two Bit grins, taking a sip of his beer and giving Darry a taunting smile. He wonders if he can knock Two Bit’s feet out from under him with a swipe of his leg. 

“May I?” Betty asks, turning to look at him, snapping him from his standoff with his best friend. He sees the mirth in her eyes, but there’s a softness in her face that tells him that she won’t look if he really doesn’t want her too. 

“Fine,” he sighs, giving her a subtle reassuring squeeze despite the exasperation he voices. She cracks the book open and he can already feel his ears heating up, why did Dad have to love owning a camera so much?

“Your mom looks so young,” she says, looking at a photo of mom holding him, based on the note it’s the day they brought him home from the hospital. 

“They were twenty when I was born,” Darry explains. There’s something that floods his heart with warmth seeing his mom’s face. 

“You were a 10 pound baby?!” She sputters, looking up from a picture of what he surmises is just him asleep as a newborn. 

“I guess?” He shrugs, according to mom’s writing it says he was 10 pounds even. 

“Holy shit. Wait, how big were the others?” She sputters before she’s turning through the pages. She finds Sodapop pretty quickly, “9lbs 10oz,” she mutters before she’s turning the pages again. 

“What-”

“Ponyboy was 7lbs 12oz,” she says, sounding a bit confused. 

“He was born a bit early, that’s why he was so small,” Darry explains. 

“That’s not small!” She sputters. He’s a bit confused, because he’s fairly certain he remembers mom saying Ponyboy was a small baby since he came early. As far as he knows he and Soda weren’t remarkably small. 

“Whaddya mean?” Two Bit grins, looking amused as more of the gang has settled in the living room for the time being. 

“I was 7lb 6oz at full term,” Betty explains. “Technically any baby over eight and a half pounds is really big for a newborn!” 

“But Darry and Soda were-”
“Those are really big babies, was your mom okay?!” She sputters.

“I think so?” Darry says, feeling a bit baffled by the information. 

“You know on the labor and delivery floor we would call that a ‘big ass baby.’ I remember we had to watch them carefully, in case they got stuck!”

“Holy shit! Mama C wasn’t that tall either,” Two Bit laughs. Damn him and his meddling, he may be Darry’s best friend, but he also never wastes an opportunity to tease him.  

“Good lord,” Betty shudders, and Darry feels a bit baffled by her reaction. 

“Well, Dad was tall, and we’re all pretty tall, so it makes sense,” Darry tries to reason. He thinks it makes sense at least.  

“Hey, there’s a big difference between pushing out a seven pound baby and a ten pound one,” Betty defends. 

“Shit, that’s fucked up,” Dally says realization, looking a bit sympathetic all of a sudden.  

“See, that’s why momma said I was her easiest baby,” Ponyboy taunts, giving him and Soda a grin. Darry suddenly understands his mom’s sentiment a lot more.

“Okay, back to the first pages,” Betty laughs, “I wanna see what outfits your mom dressed you boys in!” He feels his ears turn red again as he mumbles some form of halfhearted protest. 

---

 “So Two Bit runs to the backyard because we heard Johnny laughing right? So he’s somewhere outside in this hide and seek game,” Soda explains, eyes alight with mirth and corners of his mouth ever so slightly stained with spaghetti sauce. 

“And he’s not anywhere in the yard! At this point like everyone has come out of hiding to help me find Johnny except Ponyboy.” Two Bit continues, gesturing wildly with his fork full of spaghetti. “So we realize we gotta find Ponyboy if we wanna get to Johnny.” 

“Thankfully, he was much easier to find,” Steve chimes in, earning a glare from Ponyboy. 

“Hey! It was a good hiding spot!” 

“You were in a bush,” Steve retorts. “But anyways we get the little gremlin pulled out of the bush but he won’t squeal on Johnny, but we’ve looked everywhere . There’s literally nowhere he could be hiding at this point.”

“How old were you again?” Betty prompts looking amused. Darry recalls this particular hide and seek incident was only about three years back.

“That ain’t the point!” Dally snaps, shaking his head vehemently. 

“Okay, okay. So Johnny, where were you?” Betty asks, laughing at the way the conversation is turning into an argument over something as silly as a game of hide and seek. 

“On the roof,” Johnny shrugs. 

“It took an hour to find him!” Soda exclaims. 

“Ain’t my fault no one looked up,” Johnny smirks, looking too pleased with himself. Darry does remember the dawning sense of disbelief he felt when they did eventually find Johnny. It was a bit impressive. Darry still doesn’t know how the kid got himself up there. 

“Mr. C helped me,” Johnny grins, watching the way everyone reacts to the reveal. He’d kept it from them for years, and every time the story came up he’d refused to tell. 

“I KNEW IT!” Steve says, looking more vindicated than Darry thinks is necessary. It’s enough that it draws out a genuine laugh from both himself and Betty. 

“Well, I gotta say I very much enjoy the pairing of baby pictures and family stories,” Betty smiles as she sets her finished plate aside on the side table. “Also, I gotta know what this sauce recipe is, it’s the best spaghetti I’ve had!”

“We’ll show you, since you’re a part of the family now,” Soda grins with a wink, “But it’s a family secret.”

“Ah, that’s the real reason I said yes, you know? I need to collect all the family recipes,” Betty jokes, nudging Darry playfully. 

“That’s the only reason huh?” Darry murmurs, looking down at her from where she’s currently tucked under his arm against his side. 

“Yep, I can’t see any other reason,” she grins, snuggling closer to him now that she’s finished eating. 

“Why’d you say yes Darry?” Two Bit goads, cheeks flushed like they get when he’s happy and relaxed. 

“Tax benefits,” he deadpans.

“Oooo that's a good one!” Betty chimes in with a grin.

“I don’t even get what taxes are for,” Soda shrugs. Darry sometimes is real glad he’s the one of his brothers who takes on the bills. Soda would get confused, and Ponyboy would forget to pay them. At least so far Darry’s managed to keep the lights on. 

“Oh, also so I can use him for warmth in the winter, that’s another reason,” Betty adds on, laughing as she sips a glass of wine. 

“Great,” Darry jokes, giving her an eye roll. 

“Hey, you’re getting tax benefits out of this!” She protests. 

“That’s it?” He deadpans, suppressing the grin that threatens to split across his face.

“And you get me, I’m pretty fun,” she adds on, looking at him cheekily. 

“I guess sometimes,” he murmurs, pretending to contemplate. 

“I guess,” she mocks, lowering her voice and giving him a nudge.

“Wait, I think I need to hear many more Betty impressions of Darry!” Two Bit chortles as he barks out a laugh. 

“They have to come naturally,” Betty shrugs. 

“I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Wait! Before I forget, you two stay right there!” Soda exclaims, before he’s scrambling down the hall. He left his plate on the floor instead of the coffee table, Pip takes the opportunity to lick the plate clean. Soda comes skidding back with Dad’s old camera in hand, grinning widely. 

“We found it and got it working! We gotta take a picture of the lovebirds!” Soda explains, stepping over Ponyboy to center himself in front of them where Betty currently sits with her legs thrown across his lap.

“Gimme a second to find my hair,” Betty laughs, and as embarrassing as the attention is, Darry would like a picture of the two of them from today. She seems to deem her hair ready, and she turns to him and pauses, using one hand to slightly adjust his hair too before she nods in approval. She turns back to the camera and moves so her left hand rests against his chest displaying the ring proudly before she cuddles herself closer to him. 

“Okay, stay there!” Soda encourages. He thankfully gives them a countdown and he feels his grin turn wider at the sound of the guys cheering as the flash goes off. They wait until Soda moves before they move, making sure they don’t mess up the photo. 

“Perfect!” Soda deems before he’s depositing the camera. He pauses for a moment when he finally spots the casualty that is his dinner plate. “Pip! I was gonna get seconds,” Soda groans. Lesson learned, Darry smirks. 

“Well, do y’all mind if I step out and make a phone call?” Betty asks, moving to sit forward now that they've gotten their picture. 

“Go call ‘em, we’ll tackle dishes,” Darry murmurs, giving her hand a squeeze as she pushes up from the chair. 

“I can help-”

“Your sisters are gonna start calling the house on repeat if you don’t go talk to them. Go,” He encourages, giving her a playful nudge forward. 

“Don’t have too much fun ‘till I’m back!” She jokes, heading off down the hall, no doubt opting to use the phone in his room instead of the kitchen phone. He pushes up from the chair himself as he hears the door close softly, and starts collecting plates automatically. 

“C’mon Pony, let’s help out Dar,” Soda grins, offering the youngest a hand up. Darry knows they both must be real happy since there’s not a peep of complaint from either of them. He figures it might be nice to have a couple minutes with just his brothers to talk. 

“Now’s a good time for smoke break boys, before we get dessert going,” He sees the way Dally lights up at the offer, “Outside.” Darry emphasizes. He sees the huff that Dally gives him, but there’s some begrudging affection as he and the others all opt for the suggested smoke on the porch. There’s a cacophony of voices as they slip out the front door, no doubt ready to roughhouse while getting some fresh air. He turns the taps on the kitchen sink, listening to the roar of the water coming to life as he wets his hands with the first plate. Soda has begun cleaning plates and off in the trash, getting rid of any remaining debris so the sink won’t clog on them. Ponyboy is puttering around behind him, working on packaging all the leftovers, which it seems they have plenty of. Darry’s a bit excited actually to have some for lunch at work in the next couple days here. 

“How you feelin’ Darry?” Soda prompts, somehow already catching that he’s a bit in his head.

“I’m happy,” he replies, though he isn’t sure if happy even sufficiently covers how he feels. 

“We’re both real proud of you, ya know? I know it was nerve wracking,” Soda continues, giving him a sideways grin. 

“Thank you. Both of you, for helping me.”

“We wanted to,” Ponyboy interjects. 

“I know. I’m not just meaning with all this, but with everything.” He swallows. As much as today has been about Betty, it’s also been about him, and how much his life has changed in the last year. God he’s so thankful for his brothers, for caring about him even when he didn’t want them to worry. “ I dunno, just, thanks for worrying about me. For making sure I was okay too,” he manages to get out, feeling the emotions rising in his throat. 

“Darry?” Ponyboy asks, clearly catching on to the way he’s losing the fight with his own emotions. 

“C’mere Pony!” Soda encourages, before he sidles up to one of Darry’s sides, and Pony appears at the other. 

“I just, I’m happy, ya know that right?” He says firmly. God knows it’s been a long road, but truly he is. Even though he still has to work his ass off, and come home tired, and Soda sometimes puts too much salt in the potatoes, and Ponyboy forgets to do his math homework again, and he’s gotta fold the laundry before bed; he finally feels content. 

“So are we,” Ponyboy says firmly, nudging against Darry in a way he would’ve never done in the same place a year ago. 

“Hey Darry, don’t get all weepy on us now. It’s okay to admit that you were wrong and me and Pony are always right-” Soda grins, playfully splashing some soapy bubbles at him between scraping plates.

“Was that what I said?” Darry deadpans, but he can’t keep the tiny smirk from his face.

“That’s what I heard, you agree Pony? He said ‘Thank you my lovely baby brothers for telling me to not be self sacrificing and to be happy, you were both so right-’”

“‘And you’re both allowed to use my car to drive yourselves whenever you want.’ You’re forgetting that part Soda,” Ponyboy grins. 

“Oh and how could I forget, ‘I’m bringing home takeout for dinner every day now, because you were both so right.’”

“Keep dreamin’,” Darry snorts, though he’s gotta hand it to them for their creativity. 

“How about: ‘And I’m getting us another puppy-’”

“Pip is more than enough,” Darry interrupts, rolling his eyes as he feels both his brothers squeezing him from each side. “I love you both.”

“Love you too, Dar. Thanks for getting us a sister too, I think we desperately needed some female energy in this house,” Soda laughs, before he finally lets him go and starts back at his task. That, Darry can agree on as the guys come bustling back into the house, howling up a storm over who knows what. 

“I love you Darry,” Ponyboy says softly, before he’s scampering off to finish packing up leftovers as Johnny meanders in to help him. He’s only got the big pot left to wash when he feels some hands wrapping around him, much smaller than his brothers’. 

“Hi,” He hears Betty say against him. He turns enough that he sorta maneuvers her under his arm so she’s against his side. He catches a glimpse at her face as she looks up at him, she’s got some redness around her eyes and the tip of her nose, but she’s grinning all the same.

“How was it?”

“It was real good. They’re very excited,” she beams. 

“And you?”

“I think this might be one of the best days of my life,” she shrugs, as if it’s a simple thing to say. The squeeze in his chest tells him he’s in agreement with her. 

“Well we better get some cake and champagne then to add on to it,” He replies, squeezing her once more before he turns off the sink, depositing the pot on some dishrags to let it dry on the counter. 

“You really know how to sweet talk me Darry Curtis,” She grins, tugging him across the kitchen with a laugh as they go for the fridge, he’s more than ready to enjoy both those things. 

---

Watching Betty blow out the candles on the cake is a moment Darry wishes the camera was capable of accurately capturing. She looks so beautiful with a smile on her face as the flames sculpt her features beautifully in the warm light of their house. She’s laughing as the guys cheer at her, and of course Darry barely swoops in in time to stop her from trying to cut up and serve her own cake to everyone. 

“Uh uh, you get the first slice,” Darry murmurs, slipping in beside her with a knife to cut the cake and gently nudging her away. 

“I was just gonna plate them all-”

“Nope, now what part of the frosting do you want?” He continues, not giving her the chance to try and stop him. 

“I’ll take a piece with some of the flowers,” she grins, and he spots the blush that’s spreading across her cheeks. He cuts a generous slice, despite her protests that she doesn’t need that much before he deposits it on a paper plate and holds it out to her. “Thank you baby.” He gets into the groove of plating slices of cake to the point that he doesn’t notice the fact that the guys are still staring at him even after he’s handed them a plate with cake and a fork. He can feel the confusion on his face before he turns, to see Betty standing next to him, her plate in hand and cake untouched. 

“C’mon Betty, birthday person has to have their bite of cake before anyone can have theirs!” Soda explains with an encouraging grin. 

“I was gonna wait till everyone gets their own slice,” She protests. He gives her a fond eye roll before grabbing her fork and taking a small piece of the cake on it before he’s holding it up to her lips expectantly. “Can I help you?” She grins, looking a bit cheeky. He gives her a look before she accepts the offered bite and grins. 

“The cake is delicious Pony and Johnny!” She grins, a bit of frosting stuck to the corner of her mouth. There’s a couple of whoops of excitement and Darry finishes getting himself a slice of cake before he turns to Betty who’s giving him too mischievous of a look to be trusted.

“What?” He says, leveling her grin with a raised brow. He doesn’t have much time to react before she takes a generous dollop of frosting and is smudging it across his nose and cheek with a serene look on her face. “Hey!” He protests, hand coming into touch his face, which probably only makes it worse. She’s practically beaming at him, and he catches the grins of everyone as they all start busting into peals of laughter. He gives her a faux frown. 

“Oops?” She smiles, looking unrepentant through her giggles. It’s only fair that he takes his own glob of icing before he’s returning the favor, smudging it across her face with a slight quirk of his lips. 

“Oops,” He replies as she lets out a squeak of protest between laughs, and she’s grinning up at him with a brightness in her eyes that he vows to keep there for the rest of her days. He takes a quick glimpse around the room, at all the laughing faces and grins full of cake and frosting. He feels that rush of contentment again, the one that soothes his sharp edges like a warm blanket on a cold day. God if he can just keep everyone in this house laughing like this for the rest of their lives and keep them close, that sounds more than okay right now. And he thinks he just might be able to, and that’s enough for him.

Notes:

I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH
Okay no one panic, alright, we aren’t panicking. We are CALM. Okay, you still with me?

Yes, I know I marked this as complete, because it is! BUT DON’T PANIC REMEMBER? I still have many more stories and ideas in my head for the SGUN universe, I just felt like the story timeline was well wrapped up here. But I will still be posting every week on Friday with fics in the SGUN universe, just through one shots or shorter multi chapter fics. Everything’s the same I PROMISE, I just wanna be able to be a bit more loose with my timeline and bounce around in terms of chronological order lol. I will put where things are in sequence in the beginning notes of chapters and one shots I post from now on. I’m super excited because there’s some scenes I’ve been itching to write but felt like they didn’t fit into the flow of the SGUN timeline but now I can be as chaotic as I want with the order of things and not having to keep my timelines straight lol! I can’t believe this fic has become what it has to me, and also I am very excited to keep writing and sharing things in this little world I’ve somehow written. All of this to say, I’ll be updating on Fridays per usual, just keep an eye out for new postings instead of chapters here!

Alright, come on over to the comments or tumblr, because this chapter once again made me cry! ❤️❤️

Notes:

Hello! Longtime lurker on AO3 but this is the first time I've felt like I like my writing enough to contribute and post it so pls be gentle. The Outsiders musical awoke something in my brain as I loved the book when I was in sixth grade and the hyperfixation came back with a vengeance. I may write more based on how y'all like this so please like and comment if you enjoy!

This first chap is bc I saw a tumblr post by @outsidersheadcanons that was basically saying Ponyboy would be an absolute menace about having to get shots and I had to write it. Please come discuss these boys with me in the comments!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of SGUN Verse