in which darry’s childhood friend is the mom of the gang
<3 Reader is referred to, or called ‘Ma’
“Darrel, right? I’m Y/n,”
“Yeah, you ready for me to show you around?” Darrel asked, Y/n nodded curtly, showing him a shy smile. “I can show you the library firs-”
“Darry!!” a young voice calls from down the hall, the two turn to see a small boy running towards them, “Soda you know you’re supposed to be at recess right now,” Darry scolded him. “I came inside to go to the bathroom and I saw you. I wanted to give you a hug,” the boy whined, reaching his arms out to him.
Darry sighed before reluctantly opening his arms for him, Soda accepted the invite and jumped into his arms. The young boy squeezed the crap out of him, Darry having to peel him back off of him.
“Okay okay, you need to head back to recess. I have to do something right now,” the older brother said, Soda looked over at Y/n. He looked her up and down before turning back to Darry.
“Oh I see what’s going on,” he said. Y/n and Darry shared a look. Soda turned around to walk back to recess, “Trynna avoid me so he can hang out with his girlfriend,” he said, rolling his eyes.
Darrel was floored, his jaw on the floor in shock. Y/n giggled.
“S-s’rry ‘bout that, I don’t know where he got that from,” Darry said, clearly embarrassed. “It’s ok Darell, I thought it was cute,”
Darry shoved what his brother said to the back of his head, and continued his tour. Y/n trailed next to him, taking in the conversation, and the details of the boy. Like how when the sun is in his eyes, there’s more green than blue.
“That’s everything,” Darry said, breaking Y/n from her trance, “Do ya’ have any questions?”.
“Nope, thanks Darrel,” Y/n smiled,
“Call me Darry, everyone else does,” The two smiled at eachother, before heading back to class.
“Y/n! Thank you for coming!”
“No problem Mrs. Phoebe! Thank you for hiring me for the job,” Y/n smiled as she walked into the lady’s house. “So which dress is it that you wanted me to alter?” Y/n asked, “This one right over here,” Mrs. Phoebe led her over to the long emerald green dress draped over her dining room table.
“Oh my, its stunning!” Y/n gasped, the morning sun hitting the sleek fabric just right. “I got a few months back, but its too loose at the waist. I need it by thursday for an event,”.
Mrs. Phoebe lived on the west side of town, so there were many charity events she attended with her husband. Y/n admitted that she wished that she were like her, she would love to afford such a nice house, go to formal events every week, and not have to worry about whether the gang is getting jumped at all. But she did love her life, the boys added such a spice to her world, and she wouldn’t know what she would do without them.
“It’s no problem Mrs. Phoebe, I can get it back to you by tomorrow,” Y/n smiled,
“You are a lifesaver dear,” Mrs. Phoebe exclaimed, “Say, how have you and Darell been? I saw you two on a stroll together last week,”.
“We’re not together if that’s what you’re asking,” Y/n sighed. “Yet.” Mrs. Phoebe said, “My husband took years to finally admit his feelings towards me, and if I know anything, I know Darell looks at you the same way my husband did to me,” Mrs. Phoebe smiled gently towards her. Y/n’s face flushed. “I better get going Miss, I-I still have your measurements from last time,” Y/n gently picked up the dress and folded it into her bag. “Have a good rest of your day dear!” Mrs. Phoebe said, winking as Y/n left the house.
Y/n walked her way to her house. She had finished her shift and her study session with Cherry. The session was extremely productive, Cherry had picked up on every tip to help her with her upcoming midterms. Y/n’s heels clicked against the sidewalk, her old blue house coming into view.
Shoes tapping against the fron steps, she could see through the screen door that there were two extra pairs of shoes in the entry.
“I’m home!” she yelled out, slipping off her shoes as well. She could hear the soft sound of cartoon music, the noise getting louder as she walked to the living room. A head of brunette and a mop of jet black hair sat on her couch. “Dally, Johnny, how long have you guys been here?” she asked, leaning over the couch to see them. “Not long Ma, just ‘bout an hour or so,” Dally said, eyes still glued to the TV. Johnny however, looked up to greet Y/n. “How was yer day Ma?” he asked softly.
“Good, thanks for asking. I have a quick fix-up for a dress I have to do, so I won’t be here for long,” she said, giving him a smile. Her hands pushed her up and she started walking to her bedroom. “I made cookies last night, feel free to eat as many as you want,” she yelled out, opening her bedroom door and closing it behind her.
As she predicted, the dress fixup was simple. The only task required was to take in the waist. A few minutes later, she was done. Y/n packed up her stuff, grabbed a sweater, and started to head out. Not before saying goodbye to Dally and Johnny beforehand. “I’ll be at the Curtis’s to make dinner, so stop by if you need anything,” She said, finally getting Dally to look over, along with Johnny. Y/n noticed the blue bruise on the side of Dally’s face. “Dally did you get into another fight?” she scolded, reaching out the touch his face.
Dally allowed her to do so. “Yeah, that damn soc got what he deserved,” he said, “Stupid socs think that they own us,”. Y/n accidentally hit the sore spot on the bruise, Dally flinched and pushed her hand off of his face. “I’m fine Ma, don’t worry about me,”.
Y/n sighed, “Just try to be more careful, okay? You just got out from the cooler,”. “Yeah yeah, I’ll be fine,” Dally said, moving his eyes back to the TV.
Darry brought his hand up to wipe the sweat dripping from his forehead. He sat on top of a roof he was reshingling, the sun had been beating down on him relentlessly for the last four hours he had been working.
Hands calloused, sweat soaking his shirt to his torso and chest leaving little to the imagination. Darry was proud of his build he had accomplished from years of hard work. He knew the effect he had on women, he noticed the looks they sent him, no matter how subtle they try to be. Nothing compares to when Y/n’s eyes are on him though, sometimes he stretches a certain way while he knows she’s looking at him. Through all the work the two of them have, and looking after the gang, he hasn’t found the time to tell her how he feels.
“Almost done,” He said to himself, breaking out of his thoughts.
Y/n swung the Curtis’s door open and let herself in. She swung by the grocery store to grab some veggies since lord knows that there isn’t any in the fridge here. Checking the clock in the kitchen she noted she had a few hours till Soda got home. He was always the one home first, but with him would be Steve and most likely a few others.
Scouring through the cupboards, she grabbed a cutting board, a pot, and a knife and got to work cutting. The chopped veggies were tossed into the pot where they gonna get cooked down. Y/n stepped out of the kitchen to toss on a record and tie up her hair. Flipping through their collection she decided on a Beatles album she’d been able to sneak in. Yeah yeah, the boys thought the Beatles weren’t tuff enough, Y/n adored them. Especially that George.
Swaying to the music, she went back to her cooking. Y/n heard the door open and close. “I’m home,”, “Hi Darrel,” She responded, opening up the spice cabinet and searching for the bay leaves. Her eyes scanned the bottles until she found what she needed. Only thing is that it’s on the top shelf. ‘No problem’ Y/n thought as she reached as high as she would to try and reach it.
“Here Ma, I got it,” Darry said, reaching over her. Y/n could feel the heat from his day radiating from him as his body leaned against her, his large chest pushing against her back.
“Bay Leaves?” he asked. “Y-yeah Darry,” she said, face starting to flush.
“Here you are,” Darry said, his body pulling away from hers, placing the bottle in her palm. “Thanks Darrel,” Y/n says smiling up at him, face still pink. Darry smiles back at her, admiring her lovely smile. “No problem, Y/n,” he says, turning back to change out of his work clothes.
Y/n leans against the counter and inhales a deep breath, processing what just transpired. My, did Darry have a toned body. Y/n shook her head and stared into the pot, watching the veggies bubble as the butter sizzles beneath them.
Realizing the the rest of the gang is coming back soon, she grabs a pan from under the stove and starts on the chicken, rubbing in the appropriate spices and laying them into the now heated pan.
Darry walks down the hall and back to the kitchen after changing into more comfy clothes. He leans against the wall and crosses his arms, admiring the beauty in front of him. He watches her focused eyes as she flips the chicken breast over and stirs whatevers in the pot.
“Whatcha cookin’ Ma?” Darry asks, moving to lean against the counter next to her. “Chicken soup,” she responds, briefly looking up at him, then back down to the food. “How was your day Dar?” Y/n asks. Darry looks up, thinking of how to respond.
“Hot.” he says, staring at his burnt arms that are still hot from the sun. Y/n chuckles a bit, “I bet. I wasn’t even moving around that much and I was working up a sweat,” she jokes, leaning on the counter next to him. “How about you Ma?” Darry asks, “How was your day?”.
“It was okay, I didn’t do anything special,” Y/n says, sighing. The two fell into a comfortable silence. The only sounds in the room being the sizzling of food and the chirps of birds outside.
“Ma! Whatcha cooking? It smells amazing,” Soda yells, opening the door. “Chicken soup!” Y/n yells back, stirring the pot. She heard a few sets of feet following Soda’s. “Hey can one of ya’ll flip the record?” Y/n called out.
Johnnie walked over to the record player and stared at the record. Steve looked over his shoulders to check the album. “Ah, Ma! What’s this trash?” Steve yelled out grabbing the record sleeve. “The Beatles?!” Soda groaned.
Y/n chuckled as she turned around to face the gang, “Yeah I love them,” she shrugged, still smiling at them. “We gotta get this trash outta here,” Two-Bit said, grabbing the album.
“Alright boys lets calm down,” Darry calls out, swiping the record from Two-Bit. “If Ma likes the Beatles, she’s allowed to listen to ‘em,”.
The boys groaned, walking over to the sitting area and plopping down. “When’s dinner done?” Soda asked, lighting a weed. Y/n took a look at the pot, “Mmmm, almost done. But no eating till Pony gets home,” she said firmly. Another round of groans hit her ears.
“I’m home!” Pony yelled at he slipped his shoes off and set his bag down. “Finally!” he heard Steve yell, then a large hoard running to the kitchen. “Okay, okay. One at a time boys,” Y/n said, handing each boy a bowl.
“Ma what’d you make? It smells great,” Pony comments walking over to the rest of the gang. “Chicken soup! Your favorite,” Y/n winked, handing him a bowl.
Various ‘thank you’s’ filled the room as the boys walked back to the living room. “How was your day Pony?” Y/n asked, filling up a bowl for Darry. “It was ok. Math’s gettin’ tougher, but it’s not too bad yet.” Pony said. Y/n nodded, “Well you’re a very smart boy, I know you’ll be able to get through it,” Y/n said, patting his shoulder. Pony shyly smiled at her, “The soup’s real good Ma,” he said. “Thank you Ponyboy,” Y/n smiled, handing the bowl to Darry.
After all the boys finished up, Y/n flipped on another Beatles record, ignoring the groans of protest from the gang. ‘Twist and Shout’ came on and she excitedly turned around, eyeing Soda. “Soda, do you know how to dance?” she asked, smiling widely. “No, but you can definitely teach me,” he said, jumping up. Y/n laughed as she grabbed his hands. Soda twirled her around as the boys whooped and hollered. The two of them danced around hand in hand, unable to stop laughing.
Y/n looked around and made eye contact with Ponyboy. “I think Ponyboy wants a turn,” Y/n said as she pulled away from Soda. Soda laughed and sat back down next to Steve. “C’mon Pony,” Y/n smiled, grabbing his hands. Pony groaned, but let out a shy smile. “We can square dance,” Y/n smiled. “C’mon Ma,” Pony sighed, reluctantly putting his hands on her waist.
‘And I Love Her’ came on, and the two swayed back and forth. “Come on Pony, twirl the lady!” Two-Bit called out, the boys laughing at the two of them. Pony stiffly lifted his arm and twirled Y/n around. Y/n laughed loudly as Darry pulled her away.
“Alright alright, calm down everybody,” he said. Darry looked at Pony, “Don’t you have homework to do?” he asked sternly. Pony looked down, “Yeah,”. “Then get to it kid,” Darry said, watching him grab his bag then head to his and Soda’s room.
Y/n slapped Darry’s chest lightly. “Let the boy have some fun Dar,” she said, “He’s a good boy, he deserves to take a break every once and awhile,”. Y/n shook her head and pulled away from him.
“Ooooooo,” the boys whooped, laughing at him. “Shut up,” Darry mumbled. Walking over to Y/n.
Ok, I know. It's been a while. But I hope you enjoy the second chapter! I'm getting back into the Outsiders so I'll hopefully be writing more consistently :).