I was wondering if you could do a story where reader is Darrys gf (and they've been dating for a bit) and one night, it's really busy at the Curtis house and everyone's over (pure, lovable chaos), Darry's making dinner and reader is helping Ponyboy with his homework. In the middle of all this chaos, Pony accidentally calls reader "mom" while she's helping him, like: "thanks, mom" just super instinctively, and everyone hears it and fill in the blanks from there...??🙂
Sorry, this is super long, lol😅
────۶ৎ "thanks, mom"
a chaotic evening ends up in a heartwarming revelation<33
warnings : swearing ig
ᐟᐟ ⟢ a/n: AHHHHHHHHHHHH THIS IS SO CUTEEE thanks for requesting anon and don't worry at all! the lenghty and in detail the request, the better!
It was a night.
Not just any night—a Curtis House Night, the kind where every light’s on, the record player’s fighting the TV for dominance, the couch is half a dogpile, and you could swear the walls are held up with duct tape.
You and Darry had been together for a while now. Long enough for his toothbrush to live at your place and for your perfume to linger in his truck. You had been going steady for a few months already. But tonight? Tonight was anything but steady.
The door had been swinging open since six.
First it was Sodapop with Two-Bit right behind, laughing over something stupid. Then Steve rolled in, hungry as a bear. Dallas showed up like he owned the place, and Johnny had slipped in quieter than the rest, sticking to Dally's side like a shadow.
And Ponyboy? Poor thing was sitting at the kitchen table, hair a mess, pencil tapping against his temple like the numbers on his worksheet had personally offended him.
You leaned over him with a gentle smile, your arms braced on the table, your perfume mixing with the scent of Darry’s cooking.
“Okay, Pony, remember what I told you, start by finding the lowest common denominator.”
He sighed, brows furrowed. “Ugh. This is hopeless.”
You chuckled and ruffled his hair. “It’s fractions, not the end of the world.”
Behind you, Darry was manning the stove, sleeves rolled up, brow glistening. You could hear him humming under his breath, spatula in hand, the smell of frying onions and ground beef filling the air. He kept glancing over at you and Pony, like the sight of you two made the ache in his chest soften just a little.
The rest of the gang was scattered. Soda was trying to teach Steve how to moonwalk in socks. Dallas was making a pyramid out of beer caps. Two-Bit was definitely stealing raw cookie dough from the fridge. Johnny was sketching something on a napkin with his thumb smudged in pencil lead.
You leaned a little closer to Pony’s paper, voice warm and soft.
“Here, like this—see? Multiply both sides by four and it cancels out.”
Pony looked up at you with wide, understanding eyes, his face lighting up like a match.
“Ohh. Thanks, Mom.”
Silence.
It hit the room like a dropped record needle. A full beat of stunned, dead air.
And then—
“MOM?!” Two-Bit shrieked, bursting into howls of laughter, nearly wiping out on the floor.
Dallas choked on his soda, Steve dropped his moonwalk mid-slide, and Soda straight-up fell off the arm of the couch from surprise.
Johnny was smiling shyly, chuckling behind his hand like he’d been thinking the same thing.
Darry turned slowly from the stove, spatula frozen in hand, eyes wide. “Wait—did he just…?”
Ponyboy turned bright red, face buried in his hands. “Oh my god, no-I didn’t mean to! It just-it slipped!”
You blinked, then slowly smiled, warmth rising to your cheeks. “Well… I am helping with homework.”
“Mom,” Steve repeated, shaking his head, “Pony just put a ring on your finger and didn't even ask Darry.”
Two-Bit was halfway into a laughing fit, pointing dramatically. “Y’all hear that?! She’s got Pony doing his math and saying thank you, and she got Darry cookin' dinner like it’s 1956. That ain’t a girlfriend, that’s a matriarch.”
Soda was fanning himself. “Next thing you know, she’s packin’ lunches and tucking us in at night.”
“Please do,” Johnny muttered with a grin. “Your lunches would probably taste better than Darry’s leftovers.”
Darry finally broke into a laugh, setting the spatula down and wiping his hands on a towel. He walked over to you, wrapped an arm around your waist, and kissed your temple in front of everybody.
“She’s already the mom of this circus,” he said, smirking. “Might as well make it official.”
You rolled your eyes, laughing. “Oh please.”
But Pony was still hiding his face. “I’m so embarrassed,” he groaned into his elbow.
You leaned over, pulled his arm down gently, and kissed the top of his head. “Don’t be, sweetheart. It was the nicest thing you could’ve said.”
His cheeks were still pink, but he smiled—and he didn’t pull away when you gave his hair one last fond tousle.
From that moment on, it was over.
Every time you passed someone a soda: “Thanks, Mom.”
When you bandaged up Johnny’s skinned elbow: “Thanks, Ma.”
If you opened the fridge: “What’s for dinner, Mom?”
Darry just stood in the middle of it all, grinning like the luckiest fool on earth, arms crossed as he watched you handle his house like you’d always belonged there.
Could you do a little fic with Johnny or Pony x reader (platonically)?? I was thinking something where reader and Darry are dating, so she takes on the role of "mom," and one day, when the gang's all flopped around, Johnny/Pony accidentally calls her mom, and while everyone is kinda teasing him she thinks it's the sweetest thing ever
OKAY TYSM IM IN LOVE WITH UR WRTING 🤭🤭🤭💍💍💍
An: OMG THIS IS THE CUTEST IDEA EVER! Thank you for requesting it! 💕 I going to do this with Johnny
W: not proofread, reference to Johnny's mommy issues
Word count: ~1000
When you started dating Darry, you hadn't realized you'd not only be getting a boyfriend, but also 6 new friends. You quickly grew close to all of them since they seemed to always be at the Curtis's house and so were you. One of the boys you were particularly fond of was Johnny Cade. He was a sweet boy who clearly looked up to you and was one of the only boys who was excited when Darry brought you over for the first time.
Without even realizing it, Johnny was starting to see you as a mother figure. You were caring, sweet, patient, helpful, loving, everything Johnny wished his mother was like. You made him feel comfortable, like he could come to you when he was feeling down. You started to slowly become a safe space for him.
One night, you were over at the Curtis's and helping Darry make dinner. Well, really you were making dinner while Darry was ranting on about life. You feel bad for him, truly. Losing your parents then having to become your younger siblings' provider and guardian can't be easy.
"I don't know what I'm gonna do with him, baby." He leans back against the counter with his arms crossed. "We can't afford a tutor for him. And, I mean, he's not stupid, he just doesn't put his full effort into school. A 68 in math isn't like him." Darry rambles on and shakes his head.
"I'll help him." You say.
He looks up and his eyes meet yours. "You don't have to do that."
"No, no, it's fine. I want to help him." You reassure him with a smile.
Darry smiles back and says, "Alright. Thank you."
Just then, the front door opens and in walks Dallas, Ponyboy, and Johnny. Soda and Steve were sitting on the couch in the living room, so naturally a choir of "Hey, guys"s, "Hi"s, "Hey man"s, start.
Ponboy walks over to the kitchen to inquire about dinner.
"Hey, what're you guys making?" He asks, looking between you and Darry as he stands in the entryway.
"Spaghetti!" You say, then you add more quietly, "It's one of the only things I can cook."
Darry chuckles and Pony smiles. "I like spaghetti." He tells you.
"Good."
Johnny approaches and stands next to Ponyboy in the kitchen entrance.
"Uh, sure. If that's okay." He responds. Of course it's okay, and you, Darry, and Pony all echo that statement at the same time, talking over each other. Laughter follows. Once it dies down Darry tells Pony that he has to finish his homework. He responds with a groan, "I know."
"Y/n will help you when we're done making dinner." Darry ruffles your hair with his hand and you swat it away.
"Really? Thanks." He says not very enthusiastically, clearly still not pleased about having to do homework at all.
"Don't mention it." You smile.
You suddenly remember that earlier today the news forecast said to expect lots of rain tomorrow, and since Johnny normally walks to school, you were going to offer to give him a ride.
"Hey Johnny?" You look at him.
"Yeah, mom?" He meets your eyes then processes what he just said. He instantly goes red and there's a look of almost- horror in his eyes. "I- I didn't mean to... I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that." He quickly stampers.
Your heart melts, yeah, it was an accident, but he would've said it if he hadn't thought it. It makes you so happy that you provide that comfort for him. You simply smile, not wanting to embarrass him farther. "It's okay." You say. Darry looks so confused but doesn't say anything about it. Pony on the other hand, laughs. "Mom? Johnny, she's like 20!" He teases.
"I didn't mean to..."
"Cut it out, Pony." You say, and he shuts up. You huff then look back at Johnny sweetly. "It's supposed to rain tomorrow morning, so I was wondering if you wanted me to give you a ride." You look at Ponyboy, "I can give you a ride too, Pony, if you need one."
"Oh, sure.. thanks." Johnny says quietly. Poor guy's still flushed with embarrassment.
"Oh, I can take Pony to school tomorrow." Darry says as he stirs the noodles in the boiling water.
"Darry, that's no fun!" The youngest Curtis complains.
"I'm no fun?"
"No."
You sigh, "It's fine, Darry. If I'm already taking Johnny, why not take Pony too? They're going to the same place."
Darry looks at you with a hint of admiration in his gaze. "Fine. You do too much stuff for us, you know." You smile. "I love helping you guys. You're like family." You press a quick kiss against his cheek and Pony gags.
"Ew."
"Be quiet, boy."
You and Johnny laugh at the interaction. Man, do those two have a strange dynamic.
"I'll pick you up at 7, Johnny, and Pony, some time soon after that."
The next morning you get up way earlier than usual so you can take these boys to school. You pick up Johnny first. When he opens the front door you realize his house is strangely quiet. His parents must like to sleep in. Once you two are in the car and you pull out of the driveway, Johnny speaks.
"Hey, I'm really sorry I called you mom yesterday. That was weird and I can't stop thinking about it. Like, that's so embarrassing."
"Oh, no, you're fine. It's okay. I really don't care." You try to reassure him.
"But also... some times... I wish I did have a mom like you. Uh, you're patient and caring. I wish my mom was like that. Sorry if that's weird."
You turn down the Curtis's street and shake your head. "Not weird. I'm a positive, women role model in your life and you don't have good a relationship with your mom. You don't have to keep apologizing. That's pretty normal."
"Oh."
You park your car in the driveway, then reach over and ruffle Johnny's hair with a smile. "Let's go get Pony, kid."
an: I didn't know how to end this 😢 hopefully you enjoyed it!
Summary: Request - I was thinking maybe Darry & fem reader have been together for a long time, all the boys consider them to be the Big Brother/Sister/Mom & Dad of the gang. But Darry saved up enough money to propose to his girl. So he gets the gang involved in the proposal too.
A/N: Thank you for the request @fanboyswhore9 !!! I loved writing this and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!
Pairing: Darrel "Darry" Curtis x Female Reader
Word Count: 4.3k +
TW: General The Outsiders
The Curtis house was never quiet. Not really. Even when Ponyboy was nose deep in a book, lost in some far-off world, the house still buzzed with life. Soda was always running his mouth, cracking jokes, and filling the space with laughter. While Steve and Two-Bit bickered over whatever nonsense they had cooked up that day. And there was Darry. He was always steady, always carrying the weight of it all. His shoulders squared under the responsibility of keeping a family together.
And then there was you.
You had been around since the beginning. Long before everything fell apart. You had been Darry’s best friend back when he was just a golden boy with big dreams before life had asked too much of him too soon. You had seen the way his parents adored him. How they looked at him like he was bound for something great. You had seen him at his best, laughing and reckless, a kid who thought the world had endless possibilities. And you had seen him at his worst, standing in the wreckage of his life after his parents were gone, exhausted and terribly scared but too damn proud to admit it.
You never left. Not when it got hard. Not when Darry had to trade in his college dreams for double shifts and sleepless nights. Somewhere along the way you started picking up the pieces alongside him. You helped him raise Ponyboy. Kept Soda from spiraling. Always made sure there was always food on the table even when it meant stretching meals too thin. You weren’t just Darry’s best friend anymore. You were his family. Their family.
And the gang noticed.
At first it started as a joke. Something Steve tossed out casually when you made him an extra sandwich one afternoon. “Thanks, Mom,” he said with a smirk before stuffing his face. You had rolled your eyes at the time thinking nothing of it.
But then Two-Bit picked it up and that was when the real trouble started. “Hey, Dar, your wife says I gotta do the dishes,” he’d called out one night, grinning as he leaned against the counter. “You really gonna let her boss me around like that?”
Darry while scrubbing the kitchen table down had barely looked up. “If she says to do the dishes you’ll do the damn dishes, Keith.”
That only made Two-Bit cackle. “Alright, alright.” He threw his hands up and got to work.
Even Ponyboy who was usually quiet and reserved had given Darry a rare, knowing smirk one day after dinner. “She’s got more authority in this house than you do Darry.”
And that was when Soda decided to take it personally. “Dar,” he sighed dramatically one night, kicking his feet up on the table. “You do realize you already got yourself a wife, right?”
Darry shot him a look. “Soda.”
“No, no,” Soda continued, waving a hand. “I’m just stating the obvious. You act like a married couple. You argue like a married couple. Hell, you even cook dinner together like a married couple.”
Ponyboy looked up from his book with an innocent expression. “You should just ask her out already. You basically act married anyway.” Johnny nodding along with him.
Darry frowned, like the idea had never truly crossed his mind before. He scoffed, shaking his head. “I—I don’t—”
“You do,” Soda cut in.
“You absolutely do,” Steve added from the couch.
And then, as if this entire ordeal wasn’t already a nightmare for Darry, Dallas Winston strolled into the room smirking like he had been waiting for this moment his entire life. “Oh, hell, finally,” Dally drawled, plopping down on the arm of the couch while flicking his lighter open and shut. “Took y’all long enough to say it. I was about ready to spell it out in the damn sky.”
Darry groaned, rubbing his temples. “Not you, too.”
Dally snorted, taking a drag from his cigarette. “You’re real slow, man. Real slow. I mean, damn. You’re playing house over here, takin’ care of Pony, makin’ sure Soda don’t drink himself into a coma and then there’s your girl, who’s been stuck to your hip since before you had a damn mortgage on your shoulders. You’re tellin’ me you just realized it?”
Darry’s scowl deepened, but the tips of his ears went pink.
Dally exhaled a cloud of smoke before shaking his head. “Pathetic. You oughta be ashamed.”
Soda cracked up while Steve pounded the table. “Oh man, Dallas is calling you pathetic. That’s gotta sting.”
“Shut up,” Darry grumbled but at this point it didn’t matter. Because maybe, just maybe, they were right.
Maybe when you leaned against the counter laughing at something Pony said Darry had a hard time looking away. Maybe when you patched him up after a rough shift, scolding him for pushing himself too hard, he liked hearing the worry in your voice. Maybe when he watched you sitting on the porch with Ponyboy quietly listening to him talk about nothing and everything, something in his chest ached in a way he didn’t want to name. Soda was right. Dally was right. The whole damn gang was right. Darry had been in love with you for years. He had just been too damn stubborn to admit it.
It took him three days to work up the nerve to do anything about it.
He didn’t plan anything grand. That wasn’t your style. He just asked if you wanted to take a walk one night after dinner. His hands were shoved in his pockets. His shoulders tense in a way that had nothing to do with work. You didn’t question it but instead just fell into step beside him. The two of you walking quietly under the flickering streetlights with the night air cool against your skin.
Darry had never been one for fancy words, never been one to spill his feelings easily. But he had spent enough time swallowing them down. He cleared his throat before glancing over at you. “I… uh… I think I’ve been in love with you for a long time.” He blurted out.
You stopped walking and looked at him with wide eyes. “…Think?” You asked as he took you completely off guard with that one.
His ears burned red. “Fine,” he admitted. “I know.”
You let the silence stretch, dragging it out just to make him sweat a little longer, enjoying the rare sight of Darrel Curtis looking unsure of himself. Then after what felt like forever to him you grinned, grabbed the front of his shirt, and pulled him in close. “Took you long enough, Curtis.”
The gang lost their ever-loving minds when they found out.
Soda whooped so loudly he nearly fell off the porch, clutching his stomach as he gasped for breath. Two-Bit declared a national holiday and immediately started preparing for an imaginary wedding. Steve groaned, already complaining about how he was going to have to witness “gross couple behavior” for the rest of his life.
Dally, of course, took full credit. “I mean if it weren’t for me he’d still be sittin’ there lookin’ confused.”
Pony just rolled his eyes and muttered, “God help us all.”
And Johnny?
Johnny just smiled, shaking his head, because he had seen it coming long before Darry ever did.
Two years had passed since Darry finally pulled his head out of the sand and asked you to be his girl. Two years of late-night talks on the porch, of shared laughter over burned breakfasts, of feeling light in a way neither of you had since the world had come crashing down. Loving Darry wasn’t always easy. He carried too much weight on his shoulders, worried too much, worked himself too hard. But you wouldn’t trade a second of it. Because the truth was you had always been his, long before he ever admitted it.
But time hadn’t stopped moving, hadn’t let you stay frozen in those golden moments forever. Life had changed. It had hardened in ways you never could have predicted. Johnny was gone. Dallas, too. The grief still clung to the gang, settling into the spaces they once filled, but it didn’t break you. Not completely anyway. You had all learned how to carry it. How to live with the loss without letting it consume you.
And somehow through it all Darry never let go of you.
You weren’t just his best friend anymore. You weren’t just his girl. You were his. And he was yours. The one he reached for at the end of a long day. The one he trusted to see the parts of him he hid from everyone else. And if there was one thing Darry Curtis knew with absolute certainty it was that he didn’t want to spend another day without you.
Which was exactly why he had a ring stashed away in a place even Two-Bit couldn’t find.
Darry Curtis was going to propose.
And unfortunately for him that meant getting the gang involved.
He knew it was a mistake. Knew it the second he opened his mouth. But Darry wasn’t the kind of guy who did things halfway and if he was going to ask you to marry him he was going to make it something special. Nothing too grand because you’d hate that. Always had. But something special for the two of you.
Which is why, for better or worse, he found himself sitting in the Curtis living room watching as Soda, Pony, Two-Bit, and Steve absolutely butchered what was supposed to be a simple proposal plan.
“Alright, hear me out,” Two-Bit said, leaning forward with a gleam in his eye that immediately made Darry regret every life choice that led to this moment. “What if we set off fireworks?”
Pony sighed, already rubbing his temples. “Two-Bit, you can’t even light a match properly.”
“Okay, fine, but what about—”
Soda cut in with a grin. “What if we get a horse?” Darry groaned. This was going to be hell.
Darry leaned back in his chair rubbing a hand down his face as he listened to the absolute train wreck unfolding around him. He wasn’t sure why he thought this would be a good idea. He knew these idiots had no sense of subtlety or reason. Here he was regretting everything as Steve pushed forward with what had to be the worst romantic advice he had ever heard.
"Listen, Dar," Steve started, crossing his arms like he was some expert on the subject. "The key to a solid proposal is shock value."
Darry raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Shock value?"
Steve nodded like this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah, man. You gotta catch her off guard! I’m talkin’ like bam! Just drop the question mid-conversation. Like, when she least expects it. Keeps things exciting."
Soda nearly fell out of his seat laughing. "Mid-conversation, Steve? What, you think Darry’s gonna be talkin’ about groceries and just throw in a ‘hey, wanna get hitched’ in between tomatoes and bread?"
Steve shrugged. "I’m just saying, girls love surprises."
"But she doesn’t," Pony muttered, shaking his head. Steve just shot him a glare and shrugged.
"Now me," Two-Bit cut in, pointing to himself, "I got class. Darry, you should definitely propose at the drive-in."
Darry sighed regretting this entire conversation. "The drive-in."
Two-Bit grinned. "Yeah! During a horror movie." Silence filled the room.
Pony just stared at him, looking almost pained. "During a horror movie?"
"Yeah, picture it!" Two-Bit leaned forward, waving his hands dramatically. "You wait till the scariest part like when the monster’s about to pop out then you drop down on one knee! She’ll be so freaked out she won’t even think, she’ll just say yes!"
Steve snorted. "Or scream and knee him in the face."
Soda wiped tears from his eyes finding far too much enjoyment for Darry’s liking. "Oh man, I wanna see that."
Darry groaned. "There is no way I’m proposing during a damn horror movie."
Two-Bit just shrugged. "Your loss. Could’ve been legendary."
Pony, ever the poet, sighed dramatically while slipping his notebook open. "You should do something meaningful, Darry. Something with depth. A real moment between you two."
"Not happening," Darry shot back immediately.
"You didn’t even let me finish!" Pony huffed at his eldest brother.
"Because I already know whatever you’re about to say is gonna be too complicated."
"It’s not complicated! I was just thinking—"
"No poems, Pony." Darry sat back in the couch, reeling.
"But—"
"No."
Pony scowled while muttering under his breath about how nobody in this family appreciated literature. Meanwhile, Soda was having the time of his life watching his usually cool, collected big brother flounder like a fish out of water. He was positively thriving in Darry’s misery.
"Damn, Dar," Soda chuckled, slapping a hand on his back. "You’re really sweatin’ this, huh?"
Darry shot him a glare. "Of course, I’m sweatin’ this, Soda. I’m trying to propose to the woman I love."
Soda just grinned. "I know and it’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen."
Darry sighed again, realizing that this was the moment he had officially lost control of the situation. But after what felt like hours of absolute nonsense, Darry had finally managed to wrangle the gang into something resembling a plan. It took a lot of patience, a lot of vetoing bad ideas (he was never letting Two-Bit near fireworks, and Steve was absolutely banned from giving further input), but somehow, against all odds, they had pulled it together.
The final decision? A simple, quiet dinner at the Curtis house. Nothing too fancy, nothing too showy, just something that felt right. The gang would help set it up, make sure everything was perfect, and then he’d finally ask the question that had been sitting on his tongue for months.
That was the plan.
Now all he had to do was actually go through with it.
Which, as he stood in the middle of the miraculously clean Curtis kitchen and adjusting the collar of his shirt for the hundredth time, suddenly felt a lot harder than he expected. His hands felt clammy, his stomach twisted up in knots, and for the first time in a long time Darry Curtis felt nervous.
Soda noticed immediately. "Would ya quit fidgeting?" his younger brother teased, nudging him with his elbow. "You look fine. Better than fine, actually. You sure you’re not the one gettin’ proposed to?"
Darry shot him a glare. "Not helping, Soda."
Soda just grinned, utterly unbothered. "What, you nervous?"
"No," Darry lied, adjusting his sleeves.
Steve snorted from across the room. "Yeah, okay, sure. You’ve been checking your watch every thirty seconds, Dar. If you get any more worked up you’re gonna pass out before she even walks through the door."
Darry groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I hate you guys."
Two-Bit clapped him on the shoulder, looking way too proud of himself. "You’ll thank us when she says yes, big guy. I mean if she says yes—"
Steve smirked. "Oh yeah, she could say no."
Soda gasped dramatically. "Oh man, what if she laughs?"
"Y’all are the worst," Darry muttered, shaking his head.
Ponyboy took pity on him. "Relax, Darry. She loves you. You could probably propose with a burger and a milkshake, and she’d still say yes."
Darry exhaled his shoulders dropping slightly. "Yeah. Yeah, I know."
But even as he said it the nerves didn’t fade. Not completely. Because this was it. The moment he was going to ask you to spend the rest of your life with him. And then as if fate had been waiting for just the right second to make his heart damn near stop, there was a soft knock at the door.
Soda grinned. "Showtime."
The second the knock sounded at the door. Darry felt his stomach drop. He had faced down Socs in street fights, worked brutal shifts in the heat of summer, taken on the responsibility of raising two younger brothers before he even hit his twenties. But nothing had ever made his hands sweat like this.
Soda, grinning way too much, clapped him on the back. “Alright tough guy, don’t choke.”
Darry shot him a glare before jerking his thumb toward the back door. “All of you, out. Now.”
Steve scoffed. “Aw, c’mon, we can’t even watch?”
“No.”
Two-Bit groaned dramatically but he was already halfway to the back door, grabbing a roll off the table as he went. “Fine, fine, we’ll leave you to your romantic moment. But if you pass out, I’m comin’ back to revive you.”
Pony smirked but gave Darry a reassuring nod before following the others outside. Soda, the last to leave, wagged his eyebrows and whispered, “You got this.” Then he was gone, and the house was finally quiet.
Darry took a deep breath. This was it. No turning back now.
He opened the door, and there you were just back from your shift looking tired but beautiful as ever. Your brow furrowing slightly as you stepped inside.
Your eyes swept across the house taking in the shockingly spotless living room and the lack of boys sprawled across the furniture. The warm scent of something home-cooked lingering in the air. Your lips quirked as you turned back to Darry. “Alright, what’s going on? Did you finally scare the boys into cleaning up after themselves?”
Darry smirked but the nerves in his stomach twisted tighter. “Not exactly.” You narrowed your eyes slightly about to ask another question, but then he stepped fully into the light, and your words caught in your throat.
Because damn. Darry was always handsome. Annoyingly so. But tonight? Tonight, he looked unfairly good. He was freshly shaven, dressed up in a button-down shirt that fit just right. His usually messy hair combed back neatly. Your gaze flicked over him, then back up to his face, and you arched a knowing eyebrow.
“Well, don’t you look nice,” you teased, stepping closer. “What’s the occasion? Got a hot date?”
Darry exhaled a short laugh, shaking his head. “Something like that.” He took your hand, his grip warm and steady despite the fact that his heart was racing. “Come with me.” You let him lead you toward the kitchen, curiosity flickering in your expression. And when you stepped inside your breath caught.
The table was set for two. A candle flickering softly in the center with plates arranged neatly with a home-cooked meal that was definitely not thrown together at the last minute. The room was quiet, intimate, a stark contrast to the usual chaos of the Curtis household.
Your heart squeezed, warmth blooming in your chest. “Darry…”
He swallowed hard, suddenly finding it a lot harder to breathe. His grip on your hand tightened as he turned to face you fully. “Look, I—I had a whole speech planned,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “But now that you’re here, I—” He huffed out a nervous chuckle. “Damn. I’m sweatin’ this.”
You grinned. Your voice soft. “Take your time, Dar.”
He looked at you then, really looked at you and suddenly, the nerves didn’t matter so much. Because it was you. You had been there for everything. The good, the bad, the downright impossible. You had stood beside him when the world turned dark, made him laugh when he thought he’d forgotten how. You reminded him that he wasn’t alone even when he tried to carry everything on his own shoulders. He had been in love with you for longer than he cared to admit. And now, he was going to make damn sure he never had to go a day without you.
So, before his hands could shake. Before his voice could waver, Darry dropped down on one knee.
Your breath hitched, eyes widening, hands flying to your mouth as you took a sharp step back. “Oh my God.”
Darry let out a breathless laugh. “Not exactly what I was hopin’ for.”
You squeaked, actually squeaked, and Darry grinned despite the nerves rattling his chest. He pulled a small box from his pocket, flipping it open to reveal a simple but beautiful ring. His heart was pounding but his voice was steady.
“I love you,” he said with no hesitation. “I’ve loved you since before I even knew what that meant. And I know I ain’t always the best at sayin’ it, but you’re… you’re everything to me, darlin’. You always have been.” He exhaled, steadying himself. “So, what do you say? You wanna make it official? Would you marry me darlin’?”
You stared at him for a long second. Your eyes glassy with emotion, your hands still pressed against your mouth. Then, suddenly, and rather violently, you nodded. “Yes,” you gasped, dropping to your knees in front of him. “Yes, Darry, of course yes.”
Relief and joy crashed over him in one overwhelming wave and before he could blink you were throwing your arms around his neck kissing him like you had been waiting for this moment your entire life. He laughed against your lips, one arm winding around your waist as he held you close while the other slipped the ring onto your finger.
It fit perfectly. Just like the two of you always had.
The gang had lasted all of two and a half hours before their patience ran out.
They had tried to keep busy. Soda had challenged Steve to a dumb arm-wrestling contest, Two-Bit had thrown rocks at a can for way too long, and Ponyboy had at least pretended to read. But in the end they all found themselves back on the Curtis porch sitting on the steps, leaning against the railing, restless and nosy as hell.
Soda huffed, drumming his fingers against his knee. “Alright, how long does it take to say yes?”
Steve snorted. “Long enough for Darry to pass out from nerves, apparently.”
Pony rolled his eyes. “She said yes. There’s no way she didn’t.”
“Yeah, but what if she made him sweat first?” Two-Bit smirked. “I woulda dragged it out just to mess with him.”
“Oh, no doubt,” Soda agreed, grinning. “Bet he was sweatin’ bullets.”
Steve stretched out with a groan. “Y’know, we could just knock and pretend we left somethin’ inside.”
“Or,” Two-Bit said, wiggling his brows, “we could just walk in.”
Soda shot up, hands on his hips. “Y’know what? Screw it, I’m goin’ in...”
The door swung open. And there you were. The porch went dead silent like they’d all been caught. Soda, frozen mid-step. Two-Bit, mouth still open from whatever nonsense he was about to say. Steve, looking like he had just been smacked upside the head. Ponyboy looking nervous as hell.
You took in the sight of them camped out like kids waiting for Christmas morning and sighed. “You guys—”
Two-Bit threw his hands up. “Alright, enough suspense. Did he do it?”
Rolling your eyes, you held up your hand, letting the porch light catch the ring.
And just like that, all hell broke loose.
Soda whooped so loud the whole neighborhood probably heard. Two-Bit nearly knocked Steve off the railing in his excitement. Steve let out a long, low whistle and nodded approvingly. Ponyboy, though less dramatic, cracked a rare grin.
Then, the chaos really began.
“I knew it,” Two-Bit declared, shaking his head. “Darry Curtis, officially a taken man. Say goodbye to your freedom, big guy.”
Darry, who had just stepped up behind you, sighed. “Two-Bit.”
“Hey, it’s true!” Two-Bit grinned. “Speakin’ of which, let’s get to the important stuff. I should be the Best Man.”
Darry blinked. “I—I haven’t even thought that far ahead—”
“Well, think now!” Two-Bit pointed at himself. “I got all the qualifications. I’m fun, I got style, and I’ll throw one hell of a speech at the wedding.”
Pony groaned. “God, please no.”
“Oh, like you wouldn’t make it poetic and sappy,” Steve scoffed. “Guarantee Pony’s already writing some tragic love poem about the engagement.”
Pony huffed, crossing his arms. “I am not.”
Soda squinted at the notebook tucked under his arm. “Then what’s this, Mr. Shakespeare?”
Pony smacked him. “Shut up.”
Meanwhile, Steve turned back to Darry, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “Alright, now that the proposal’s outta the way, let’s talk bachelor party—”
“No.”
Steve scoffed. “You don’t even know what I was gonna say.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t!”
“Yes, I do,” Darry said firmly.
Steve clicked his tongue, sighing dramatically. “Man, you are no fun.”
“You say that like it’s news.”
Amid all the teasing, the bickering, the relentless chaos, something settled deep in your chest. Warm and certain. The gang wasn’t the same as it had been before. Some wounds never fully healed. Some people never came back. But this family you had built. This love that surrounded you, it was still here. And Darry with his steady hands and steady heart was yours.
You leaned into him, his arm wrapping around you instinctively, and grinned. “You ready for this, Curtis?”
He looked down at you, eyes soft, and squeezed your hand. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I am.”
The chaos eventually settled, eventually. The gang, satisfied with their relentless teasing, finally backed off leaving you and Darry standing together on the porch as the laughter and bickering faded into the night. Soda was still grinning like an idiot, Two-Bit was loudly arguing with Steve over something completely irrelevant, and Pony had already wandered off probably to scribble something poetic about love under the stars.
But none of that mattered. Not really. Because Darry was looking at you. His hand was still wrapped around yours. His thumb tracing small circles along your skin, his grip warm, steady and sure. For a man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, right now, he looked lighter.
You turned toward him, tilting your head. “So,” you murmured, voice softer now that the gang’s voices were fading. “You really nervous, or was that just a trick to make me feel special?”
Darry huffed a quiet laugh while shaking his head. “Nah,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was nervous as hell.”
You grinned. “Didn’t seem like it.”
“Liar,” he said, and you laughed because, okay, maybe you had seen the way his hands had trembled just a little when he opened the ring box.
He exhaled, looking down at your joined hands, at the ring now sitting on your finger. His voice dropped lower, softer. “I meant every word, y’know.”
“I know,” you said, your chest aching in the best way.
He lifted his gaze. Those deep, stormy-blue eyes locking onto yours, something so full in them that it nearly stole your breath. “I love you.”
It wasn’t the first time he had said it and it wouldn’t be the last. But something about this moment with the porch light casting a soft glow over him, the gang still bickering in the background like nothing had changed, the quiet between you two stretching warm and safe, made it feel like the most important time he had ever said it.
You smiled, stepping closer, resting your forehead against his. “I love you, too, Dar.”
His arm slid around your waist, pulling you in close, his lips brushing against yours in a slow, lingering kiss. One that held every promise he had ever made to you without needing to say a single word. And as you stood there, wrapped up in each other, the laughter of your family echoing behind you, you knew without a doubt that you had found your forever.
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can’t help falling in love with you ~ darry curtis
.lılılı.ıllı darrel curtis x f!reader ▹
،، genre ﹆ fluff/drabble includes ﹆ fluff | she/her pronouns used | domestic fluff | takes place before the book | established relationship | fluff without plot | possible time period inaccuracies | living parents! | a pinch of angst at the end﹕ ﹒ ⌕
⊹ ⌁ ˖ a/n ﹆ yikes i sort of forgot i had this blog aha… here’s the darry fic i was supposed to post like… january… with like fourteen more things in drafts….
𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎? ︵ 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐚’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 ▥ ▥ ▥
⭔ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 ⊹ ⌁ ⃕˖ nothing beats an evening dance to the record player with the love of your life.
while his parents were putting soda and pony to sleep, darry took a quick shower, towel slung over his shoulder as he crept downstairs.
his heart was still swelling with pride, at the memory of her and his mother immediately getting along, with his father patting him on the back, telling him he chose wisely. That he was eager to see their future together.
"darling," darry called out. he wasn't sure whether she had left yet- hopefully not, as it was awfully dark out, and he wouldn't want her to walk home like that.
"hm?" a small hum came from the kitchen, where darry found her scrubbing the dishes. darry smiled slightly, taking the sponge from her hands.
"take a break, darlin'. You don't need to do the dishes." darry's heart melted at her little pout.
"It's the least I could do-" she insisted, but darry cut her off with a small peck. he adored seeing her eyes widen and cheeks brighten red. "not fair."
"you do sneak attacks all the time. why don't we go watch a movie?" darry offered. she glanced upstairs warily, chewing her lip.
"your parents-"
"-are getting ready to sleep, themselves. stay the night, love, c'mon," darry coaxed, gently leading her into the foyer. easily, she relented, as darry swept her into his arms, turning up the radio on the way.
… wise men say, only fools, rush in…
they had only been together a few months. yet to darry, it felt like they had been through everything, that he knew with utmost certainty that he was placed on this earth to cherish her heart.
holding her tightly to his chest, he softly swayed her to the music, as she rested her head against his chest.
but I can't help falling in love with you~ shall I stay? would it be a sin? if I can't help…
"falling in love, with, you," darry echoed quietly, as she hummed along.
like a river flows, surely, to the sea,
"darling, so it goes," her twinkling eyes were dazzling to him, he could get drunk off being with her alone. "some things, are meant to be~"
take my hand, take my whole, life, too…
for I can't help, falling in love, with… you
perhaps it had been hours already, but darry could live forever in this moment, dancing away with the one who held his heart.
"stay the night," darry muttered again, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"we have school tomorrow," she reminded pointedly, arms locked around his neck as he swung her into his arms, gently setting her down onto the couch.
leaning over her, darry tried again. "stay. please?"
she sighed, and darry knew he had won.
"as long as your parents are fine with it," she kissed darry softly on the jaw. "and if you make me breakfast."
"you didn't even have to ask."
the next morning, she and darry awoke to jeering and teases from soda and pony as their mother shushed them, smiling kindly at her flustered expression before she buried her face into darry's arm. a small little moment, a memory darry would cherish forever.
he wouldn't ever trade mornings like this for anything else, but fate has a funny way of flipping a world upside down overnight.
⊹ ᮫࣭ ﹆ֹ written by and belongs to @loonsideofthemoon ! i do not give permission for this work to be translated or reposted to here or any other website without permission and credits. this blog does not use ai and does not condone the usage of ai, so please do not feed this here into ai either, thank you and enjoy reading!
𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: You and Darry have been inseparable since childhood, bound by an overgrown backyard fence and the hardships of growing up on the wrong side of town. As the years pass, your bond becomes more complicated. What will happen when tragedy strikes both of your worlds?
𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝: darry x reader, fluff, a lot of angst, a tiny bit on the long side (by my standards)
𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: lots of angst, mentions of death and grief, the Curtis family’s background is heavily discussed, a bit of mild language
𝚊/𝚗: second fic, here we go! i am so so so so sorry for the delay. my life went literally insane for a bit but now i'm back and very ready to write. this one is definitely a lot longer than my first fic so let me know what you all think! i hope you guys like it as much as you liked my first one! also please send in asks! my inbox is empty :)
so grateful for all of the love,
bear <3
(p.s. this is from an ask that accidentally got deleted so if you're still waiting on my post and you sent in an ask, here it is!!!!)
𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗
“I’m not playing house with you. That game’s for girls,” Darry spits, crossing his arms. You look up at him, clearly hurt.
“No, it's not!” Your face twists into a pout, tears threatening to spill over your lashes. “Please, Darry. I can't be a mommy if I don't have a daddy.”
Darry sighs, knowing all too well that he can't say no to you whenever you get like this. Darry was two years older than you at nine, and while it didn't seem like a large age gap on paper, you were still a tiny girl and he was almost a tween.
“Fine. But you can't tell anyone at school,” He replies nervously, afraid for his dignity.
Your tiny arms wrap themselves around his frame in excitement. “Thank you, Darry, thank you!” You squeal. “We can have ten babies and I’ll cook cake for dinner and you can drive us to church!”
Darry groans, sitting underneath the large oak tree in his backyard that you had chosen to serve as the house. Suddenly, a female voice calls from the back door.
“Dinner time!” It’s Mrs. Curtis. Dinner nights with the Curtis family had become increasingly common ever since you and your parents had moved to town.
Both families had grown incredibly close, connected by their shabby backyard fences and unspoken financial troubles.
It would have been perfect if it could have stayed that way, with your parents chatting away absentmindedly, and Sodapop teaching you how to shoot spitballs, much to Darry’s dismay. But nothing could stay perfect forever.
𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗
You were cornered. Helpless and afraid, you began to cry, terrified that the Soc boys in front of you would lay their hands on you, or worse.
The largest one… What was his name again? It didn't matter. They were all too big, too careless, and too thick-headed. The largest one pulled out a knife, smiling menacingly down at you as though you were his next meal.
“We don't like no Grease girls hanging around like they belong out here,” The boy threatened, gesturing for his friend to restrain your hands.
Your cardigan had been removed, lying on the dirty concrete, discarded. Your hair was tousled and your knees were scraped from the fall you had taken when they had pushed you to the ground.
The rest of the Soc boys sneered, laughing like hyenas circling a rabbit. “You know what we think of Grease girls?” He continued, bringing the knife to your throat. “That they're dirty, disgusting hood bra–”
Before he could finish, he was thrown off of you, his knife falling onto the sidewalk. A strong hand was quick to retrieve it. You looked up. It was Darrel Curtis.
Brandishing the knife at the Soc boys, Darry was quick to fend them off, all of them too scared of his size and strength.
Darry was the largest boy in your school, famed for his incredible skill as the quarterback of the Rogers High School football team at only fifteen years old. Any boy would be downright stupid to mess with him.
As the Socs scampered away, you looked up at Darry in disbelief. “Thank you…” You mumble out of breath, quickly checking over your neck for any injuries.
“Dumb Socs,” Darry grumbled, kicking small rocks on the ground next to his feet angrily. “Always picking on us kids from this side of town. It ain't fair.”
You nod shyly, standing up awkwardly and brushing the dirt and dust from your scraped knees. “Yeah… Ain't fair…” You murmur.
Although you and Darrel were always together during family dinner nights, it had grown awkward between the two of you.
Darry was popular around town. Being the star of the football team, everyone wanted to befriend him. For the first time, he was more than a poor kid from the wrong side of town. He was respectable. He was admirable. He was cool.
You, on the other hand, were still a little kid in his eyes. Not yet in high school, he treated you like what you were— a skinny girl who had yet to hit puberty.
This was the first time you both had spoken in months. Really spoken. Not just cordial comments made across the dinner table when your mother prodded you to speak.
“You okay?” Darry asked awkwardly, his hands in his jean pockets.
You nodded shyly. “Yeah… They didn't nick me at all. Just roughed me up a bit.”
This upset Darry. His face contorted into a look that reflected the injustice he was experiencing.
“Those damn Socs. Think they can just come over to our side of town and pick on a little girl who ain’t even their size. I oughta’ rough ‘em up a little bit. That ain't right.”
You shrugged, still feeling the lingering hesitation floating through the air. “It’s alright, Darry. It's no big deal. Happens to everyone ‘round here.”
Darry’s hands dug deeper into his pockets as he began to walk beside you.
“Yeah, well, it ain’t gonna’ happen no more. You don’t gotta’ worry about things like that any longer.”
𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗
You had learned to keep your voice down in school. Girls on your side of town were labeled as troublemakers. You were written off as a bad influence, regardless of how you did in school or what you had to say. It was better not to speak unless you absolutely had to.
The only exception to this rule was during Friday evenings, when the lights over the football field would flicker on and Tulsa residents would fill the bleachers, excited for the big game.
On those nights, it didn't matter what other people thought of you. Only one person mattered. Darrel Curtis mattered.
Your meek voice would project across the entire stadium if you wanted it to. With homemade pom-poms in your hands, you made it your mission to ensure every person in the stands knew that Darrel Curtis was going to be a football superstar someday.
Even if you didn't understand any football, it was easy to tell that Darry had a talent. No one could stop him when he got his hands on the ball. He was clearly meant for bigger things than some meager high school football team. He was, in no uncertain terms, unstoppable.
The girls loved him. The boys wanted to be him. But without fail, at the end of every game, he would leave the locker room and head straight to you.
It wasn't a romantic thing, you told yourself. You and Darry had been best friends for what felt like forever. After the incident with the Socs when you were a scrawny thirteen year old, Darry had never left your side.
During those years, your relationship with him had blossomed into something more. Something tender. There was a hidden understanding between the two of you that you would both always be there for each other, bonded for life.
And hidden even deeper underneath that feeling was a huge crush that you had developed for Darry. He had seen you at your lowest and had still hung around regardless. He always made sure you were safe at school. He kept you company whenever your parents were working night shifts (which they often were).
You knew that Darry had never seen you in the way that you saw him. He would spend hours gushing on and on about some gorgeous cheerleader that had shown him any interest at all, which there were a lot of. It was hopeless to wish to be with him, but a girl could dream.
And as the lights dimmed after another night of americana, you and Darry found yourselves walking home through the east side of Tulsa, just two hood kids and a dream.
𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗
The funeral had taken a toll on your emotional state, but you refused to cry. You couldn't. Not when Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy were going through so much more pain than you could ever even begin to imagine.
Your black dress was clearly made in hast, the hem of the skirt slightly torn and the sleeves ill-fitting. But it was the best you owned, and you didn't have many other options with your family’s struggling financial state.
Recently, your parents had been forced to take up extra jobs in order to continue living where you always had. The Curtis family had always supported your parents and their endeavors, but now, finances were the least of your worries.
Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were gone. Hit by a train in a freak car accident. The news was so shocking, so appalling, that you had stood there dumbfounded for a couple of minutes, your brain holding tight to the few threads of reality it held dear.
You hadn't spoken to Darry since the accident. It wasn't because you didn't care. In fact, you had been worried sick for days. Ever since the Curtis parents had passed, their poor boys had been put through every system imaginable, the local government still deciding what to do with them.
Darry had been trying to take custody. You had heard the news from a girl in town. Your heart ached for him from afar.
But now, in the dim light of the Curtis household, impoverished Tulsa citizens milled around in their threadbare suits and ties, murmuring quietly and offering their condolences.
From where you stood in the crowded room, you could see Darry, talking with the man who owned the corner store. He was stiff, his face empty of any emotion.
He shook the portly man’s hand and slipped into the kitchen, the only part of the house that had remained vacant. You knew that you should give him space, give him a second to himself, but your worry took over and you found yourself following after him.
“Darry?” You murmured, cautiously crossing the room’s tiled entrance.
Darry looked up, his tired eyes relaxing into an expression of relief. “Yeah?”
You walked slowly toward him, taking his calloused hands gently in yours. “How are you holding up?”
In the eleven years of friendship that you and Darry shared, you had never seen him cry. And as the strong, masculine presence that had shielded you from the cruelties of the world began to crumble to the kitchen tile before you, you felt your heart shatter.
Tears streamed down his face and his shoulders were racked with sobs. “I-I dunno if I can do it anymore…” He shuddered, leaning against a kitchen cabinet. “I can't be a father to those two, I ain't good enough. They would do better in some boy’s home.”
Wrapping your arms gently around his shoulders, you took his cheek in your palm and gently wiped away his tears.
“Oh, Darry… You are more than good enough. No place in all of Tulsa, no, in all the world could ever replace you. You're strong.” Your voice dropped to a whisper. “The strongest man I know. You remind me of this boy I knew once."
“Yeah?” He looked up, his eyes still puffy and full of tears.
“This boy was the strongest boy I've ever met. More muscles than anyone in all of Oklahoma.. Girls would fall hopelessly in love with him,” You smile softly, your expression still traced with melancholy. “But you know what the best thing about him was?”
“What?” He sniffs, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
“He was brave,” You whisper, the gravity of that single word filling the heavy air surrounding you both. “He never let fear hold him back. Not once. And that was what made him strong. Not his muscles or how many girls fell at his feet, but his ability to face his fears.”
Darry’s eyes widen in realization as it dawns on him who you're really speaking about. “I ain’t brave,” He mumbles.
“Of course you are,” You murmur earnestly. “Who protected me all those years in school? Who defended me from herds of Soc boys? That was you, Darry. You were that boy.”
“I-I just can't do it all alone…” Darry confesses, tears brimming in his eyes once again. “I’m just a kid…”
You wrap your arms around his neck as he pulls you closer, the two of you wrapped in the other’s embrace. “You don't have to do it alone,” You whisper. “I’m here.”
The two of you sat there under the sterile kitchen light for the rest of the funeral reception, just two scared kids hiding from a world that had shown no love to them.
𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗
“Ponyboy! Soda! Come get breakfast!”
A year later, you stood in the same kitchen, the room flooded with golden morning light and the pleasant smell of pancakes floating through the air.
The boys rushed into the kitchen, skidding to a halt at the table and hurrying to their seats. You laughed softly. “Be careful. You can't eat any pancakes if you're being rushed to the hospital.”
“Don't worry, we'll be a-okay,” Soda mumbled haphazardly, before piling four pancakes onto his plate.
Darry soon followed in after them, his work clothes on and his hair slicked back. “You made pancakes?” He smiled, pleasantly surprised.
“I thought it would be a nice treat,” You responded, clearly happy with your cooking. “Come help yourself.”
It's the nicest morning in a long time, with everyone sitting together at the kitchen table, laughing softly and smiling. Not the fake smiles that the three of them put on for work or school. Real ones of joy and admiration.
Soon, the two youngest boys were out the door, with Sodapop to the DX and Pony to school, but Darry stayed behind tentatively, as though he had something he'd been yearning to tell you. “Thanks for breakfast,” He nodded shyly. “Really means a lot to me, ya’ know?”
You nodded, a soft “mhm” leaving your lips as you tidied up the kitchen. “It's really not a hassle at all, Darry. I'm glad to help.”
For some unknown reason, Darry still appeared to be hesitant, his icy blue and green eyes darting to the tiled floor. “I-I really need to thank you,” He mumbled. “For everything.”
“Oh, it's no big deal,” You smiled nervously, still shying away at his small compliments. Even after time had passed, you couldn't help but harbor deep feelings for him.
“It's not,” Darry pressed on. “What you've done for me all this time has made me a better man. I don’t deserve you, and I ain't gonna’ pretend like I do. You've helped me raise those two more than anyone else.”
A smile crept onto your lips as you looked up toward him with sympathetic eyes. “I care about you, Darry. I really do. I'd do anything to help out.”
“I care about you too.” He nodded. “But in a different kind of way.” Your breath caught in your throat and you froze for a moment. “I’ve never seen anyone take care of those boys like you do. You're like a mother to them… A-and I think I’m in love with you.”
You felt dazed. All those years of yearning, of pining not for the star of Tulsa’s football team, but for your best friend, had suddenly become reality. “I-I love you too,” You stuttered, emotion heavy in your voice.
Darry took your face in his palms and kissed you, his rough hands gentle against your blushing cheeks. The kiss lasted for only a moment, but it felt like more. As though it was made of the twelve years of longing and devotion you had desperately held onto for so long.
The two of you broke away, breathless, eyes sparkling with adoration. And all of a sudden, it was just like it had been so many years ago, with the two of you playing house under the big oak tree in the Curtis’ backyard. Except this time, your home was real, because the two of you had built it together.
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ in which you run into your high-school sweetheart, darrel curtis.
( a/n : this isn’t my best work but not every piece has to be my fave! hope u cuties enjoy nonetheless, sorry i have no idea how to write darry )
his brown eyes met yours from across the classroom for the first time since grade 12.
your heart sank. you thought darry would’ve left by now, started his career as a successful football player or something even better, but he was standing in your classroom, still in tulsa.
your entire teenage years flash before your eyes — running on the field to kiss the quarterback, playing kiss marry kill, driving to parties, meeting his family. he looked the same.
darry’s eyes widen as he sees you. he elbows ponyboy. “you did not tell me that y/n l/n was your geography teacher.” he whispers.
“you’d of freaked if i had told you, man,” ponyboy whispers back.
tonight was parent-teacher interviews. one of your best students was ponyboy curtis, little brother of your high-school sweetheart. they were greasers, and you were a soc, but that never stopped you from going over to their house everyday, back when you were bittersweet 16.
“darry curtis,” you say softly, smiling gently. “long time no see.”
he avoids your gaze, his cheeks glowing pink. “yeah, nice to see you, y/n.”
“feel free to take a seat,” you offer, and they sit in front of your desk.
you begin talking about ponyboy — his incredible grades, your insistence on him participating more, assuring darry that ponyboy has a high chance of getting into a good post-secondary school.
you look at darry again. you have to address the elephant in the room — it would be weird not to. “this is weird, isn’t it?” you ask, voice soft. “i mean, we met in this school, and now i’m teaching your younger brother.”
“yeah, i guess so,” he agrees. “i honestly thought you would’ve left this dump by now, you always talked about wanting to move to new york city or toronto or somethin’.”
“yeah, plans changed.” you shrug. “i thought you would’ve moved by now, too.”
“plans changed,” he repeats, quoting you. you smile at him.
“what have you been up to since high school?” you ask him. “still play football?”
“i roof houses.” he answers. “but yeah, sometimes i fool around with football. not as much, though.”
“you were good,” you compliment.
“thanks,” he answers. he is never this awkward, what is happening? “you still into reading and history and stuff?”
“yeah,” you answer. “i mean, ponyboy can tell you, i never shut up about it when i’m teaching. always got a new book to talk about.”
and there we go. the conversation is back to ponyboy. “oh, that’s nice. pony only talks good about you. just never pieced together that it was you.”
“yeah, well, guess you thought i would’ve been gone by now.”
“guess so,” he agrees. “glad you’re not.”
you smile at him.
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
the following weeks, you’d notice ponyboy talking to you a bit more whenever he could in class, talking to you about darry. and when you walked into the DX, sodapop asked if you were “darry’s chick,” and you had no idea how to respond.
flowers started blooming at the local park in your neighbourhood, so you decided to take a walk and pick some to decorate your classroom and decorate them for spring.
everything reminded you of him — you walked past a small punch of pink tulips. he got you tulips for your grade 11 semi-formal. he got them for a discount at the gas station, it was all he could afford. they were beautiful.
while you were walking, you spotted a gang of greasers. darry was with them, he was the tallest and stuck out like a sore thumb among the pink and yellow flowers and blossoming trees.
sodapop and ponyboy spotted you instantly, catching your eye and then telling the rest of the gang that you were here. they all excitedly started pressuring darry to go talk to you. you overheard the giggles and you couldn’t help but smile to yourself.
darry walked up to you after a few moments of resistance. you looked stunning — your hair gently waving in the warm breeze, a handful of wildflowers in your grasp. and you were smiling at him!
“hi darry,” you greet. he starts walking beside you, leaving his friends behind.
“hey, y/n,” he says. his voice is deeper than it was when you knew him. “it was real nice seein’ you at ponyboy’s parent-teacher thing.”
you agree, and then he speaks again. “i just, uh, wanted to talk to you about something.”
“what about?” you ask with a tilt of your head.
“okay, so i know we dated back in high school and stuff,” he starts. “it was real fun. we had some good times.”
“yeah, we did.” you agree.
“do you want to try again?” he asks you. his muscular body and his intimidating looks would be nothing if you heard how he was speaking now. it felt wholesome, shy, like how he asked you out in high school.
you take a second to think. you remember how you felt when he took another girl to prom 3 weeks after you broke up, you remember how that hurt you and how you wanted to kill him. but you remember watching shows with him on saturday nights, you remember kissing in the backseat, you remember his mom, mrs. curtis, kissing you on the cheek the first time you met her. you remember cheering when he got a touchdown, you remember him kissing tears off your face when he got hurt in a rumble. you remember the good and the bad. and when you look back up at him, you feel so high school.
“yeah,” you say softly. “i would love that, darry.”
Darry Curtis x Fem! Reader
Tags: Angsty-ish. References of violence. Financial issues. Darry is stressed.
Word Count: 2.3k
“If you really don’t mind…that’d be great,"
“Darry, why don’t you come to bed?” You called with a calming, sweet voice.
Darry was listening, but he didn’t pay any attention to your suggestion. His back was turned to you from where he stood at the tattered dresser in his bedroom.
He had a basket of dry clothes that he was working on folding and putting away, but his stewing was more obvious than anything.
“He just doesn’t ever think,” Darry grumbled, his head shaking in irritation. “He’s always got his head stuck somewhere else.”
He was talking about Ponyboy, of course. The only person in the world that Darry could get so sore and annoyed with was his youngest brother.
It had been a stressful day for Darry. Work was exhausting and he received a notice for being behind on the electricity bill again this month. Darry had mentioned to you that money was tighter than usual right now.
Soda was picking up extra hours at the DX to make up for it, considering that he had more time to spend now that he had dropped out of school. Darry was taking on more roofing jobs and spending extra time bookkeeping for the company.
He already had a lot on his plate, and today had only made it heavier.
Tensions between Greasers and Socs had been higher lately. Socs were getting too comfortable stepping outside of their side of town, harassing and assaulting any Greaser they could get their hands on.
All Ponyboy did was walk home from the movies. For weeks, all he talked about was the new Paul Newman film coming out.
He wanted to be one of the first ones to see it, since he anticipated it for weeks.
Getting jumped by a group of Socs definitely put a damper on his afternoon, his screams and cries as proof to it. The gang was quick to his rescue and Ponyboy was relatively unharmed...but it had scared Darry something awful.
You hadn't been there when it happened, but when you showed up to the Curtis' home around dinnertime, you knew that something wasn't right.
Darry was quiet all through dinner. Sodapop did his best to crack jokes and start up conversation, but the energy between his older and younger brother was too much to break through.
You really knew something was wrong when Ponyboy couldn't have cared less about answering your questions about the Paul Newman film that was fresh on his mind. You made a mental note to ask him about it later when things cooled off, because you really wanted to know all about it.
Ponyboy finished up his homework in his bedroom after dinner, Sodapop retreating to the shower to rinse himself of whatever traces of diesel and gasoline might've been lingering on him.
That left you and Darry with the dishes, where he told you all about the day's events...not leaving out a single detail.
After homework was finished and everybody was cleaned up, bedtime called and the house was put to rest for the night.
Darry, however, was still fired up.
You had been in bed for at least an hour now, but Darry was pacing the room and was basically beating up his poor laundry.
Darry wasn't really angry. His way of expressing concern could come off as aggressive. You knew this from experience and from understanding him, which was the only reason you were keeping your cool with him for being so harsh.
“He knows better than to walk anywhere alone. Especially after what happened to Johnny,” Darry sighed a harsh exhale of air. “He could’ve at least been carryin’ a blade.”
There was a sudden urge to defend Ponyboy within your heart. In these moments where Darry was at odds with one of his brothers, you tended to not to take sides. Most of the time, you could see clearly from both points of view.
But Darry scolding Ponyboy for not having a knife on him was unfair, because you knew what Darry would’ve said if he had.
“You would’ve gotten on to him if he had been carrying one,” You pointed out, and Darry sighed again. “And he shouldn’t have to watch over his shoulder just walking home from the movies.”
Darry didn’t say anything. He continued to fold his clothes and all but slam them into the drawer.
“Darry,” You said sternly. “He’s alright. That’s what matters.”
Darry’s hands stopped fidgeting with the gray t-shirt that he was close to creating a permanent crease in. His head lowered with defeat and the knowledge that you were right.
There was no sense in fretting over it now. He hoped that Ponyboy would be more careful after this. He could at least feel somewhat better that Pony was planning on spending his Saturday with Dallas and Johnny.
Actually, that didn't make him feel all that comfortable.
“Yeah. I know.” He set the t-shirt inside and closed the drawer.
Darry was trying his best, and he often felt like his best wasn't good enough. He didn't know how to raise and take care of a 17 and 14 year old. He already had so much to worry about.
He supposed he could add "being worried about his little brother getting beat to a pulp" to the list.
You couldn't see his face, but you didn't need to see his expression to know what he was thinking. He wore his stress and he showed the weight on his shoulders physically. You could see the anxiety and the strain from a mile away.
"Hey," You said to get his attention. His head raised and he turned at the sound of your voice that called to his heart in the most beautiful way. "Come here."
Oh, he looked so tired.
His eyes were glazed over and the dark circles under his eyes had gotten so much worse lately. He couldn't take much more of this. Darry was strong and capable, but even the strongest and most capable had a limit.
His limit was being pushed like never before.
You always let him know when you were concerned. Over and over again you had reminded him that you were there for him in any way. Oftentimes, he felt insanely upset for making you troubled.
Ironically, he felt stressed that you were stressed about him being stressed.
You tried not to show your concern too much, simply just to keep him from feeling so bad.
But when he looked into your pleading eyes that were looking at him so intently, he knew you were worried. The desire to comfort him was written all over your face. The least he could do was give in to your needs.
After all, he could lay the events of the day to rest and start over tomorrow.
His steps were heavy and slow as he approached his side of the bed. A soft bed and his favorite girl appealed to him far more than manhandling his laundry. His strong, superman frame slid into bed, a quiet groan escaping his chest at the feeling of the mattress offering his muscles and bones so much relief.
You turned off the lamp on the table next to you, sending the room into darkness. The only light came from the moon in the sky outside and the street lamps on the road. Together, they offered just enough light so that you could make out his face and features.
His eyes fluttered closed, but he wasn't asleep. No matter how tired he was or how downhearted he felt, he never went to sleep without chatting with you for at least a few minutes.
"Didn't even ask about your day," Darry's brows raised in regret. "I'm sorry."
His legs intertwined with yours, his arm snaking around your waist. His hand rested on your lower back and rubbed in soothing, gentle circles.
"It's okay. I worked the breakfast and lunch shift. Nothing special." You shrugged, taking one of his large hands into yours and fiddling with his fingers playfully.
Darry's eyebrows went from apologetic to confused. It was funny talking to Darry when he was half asleep because his expressions still changed accordingly.
"You did that one day last week. Are you workin' double shifts now?" He asked.
"Just once a week. I'm hoping the extra cash will help me out."
Darry almost laughed. He understood that better than anybody.
A few moments of silence passed. Darry was enjoying having you here and so close to him. His sleep would still be restless, but it made him feel better to know that the three most important people in his life were all together, safe, and accounted for.
He felt somewhat at ease, and if he could go to bed in a halfway relaxed state, then that was a good end to the day.
But he wasn't surprised when you brought up the previous conversation.
"Pony loves you a lot, you know. He wants to make you proud," You placed a stray set of hairs back with the rest. "He looks up to you."
"You sound like Sodapop," He grumbled, his closed eyes twitching once. "Always stickin' up for the kid brother."
"That's not true," You responded with a soft voice. "I just understand what both of you are feeling. Seeing the two of you so at odds is hard."
Darry only sighed. This wasn't the first time that you had brought this up to him. He knew that you were only trying to help, and he appreciated it endlessly.
He was thankful that you were so understanding with the obstacles that came between the two of you. Those obstacles often had nothing to do with your relationship, but Darry had to juggle so much that it was inevitable that some of it would creep its way in.
Darry couldn't understand how you were so patient. How you could put up with him -- a guy who rarely had enough time for you and was always giving the majority of his attention to his brothers -- was a mystery to him.
Whatever the answer was, he was forever thankful for it.
“I’m working the dinner shift for the next several days,” You said. “How about I take Pony to school on Monday? That way he can sleep in — and I’ll make sure he gets fed and to school on time.”
His eyelids shot open. The frustration and hardness from before in Darry’s eyes faded into something softer. It was a cross between love and adoration…with a sprinkle of guilt.
“You don’t have to do that.” Darry sighed, his heart sinking but also swelling at the thought of you helping take care of his brothers.
The last thing Darry wanted was for you to feel obligated to help out with Sodapop and Ponyboy just because it was such a priority for him. Darry never wanted to make his duties become yours.
Even the little things like washing the dishes after dinner or helping Ponyboy with his homework made Darry feel like he was bestowing responsibilities upon you that you didn’t ask for.
You always offered to do these things or just did them because you wanted to. Darry’s biggest fear was that you would feel like the only way to earn his affection was through picking up the slack that he fell behind on.
“I really don’t mind,” You smiled. “Besides, if I’m going to stay here all the time, the least I can do is help out.”
Darry knew that all of these little chores that you helped out with did take pressure off of him. The smallest of tasks really made a big difference at the end of the day.
“It’d be a huge help, but…I don’t know…” He held the back of his neck, hesitant to give in to your offer.
“Darry, I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to,” You rested a warm hand on his cheek. “I’ll take him to the diner for breakfast. He loves the pancakes.”
Pancakes. Darry could’ve teared up. Not only were you going out of your way to get him to school on time, you were going even further out of your way to feed him a breakfast that he loved…and also one that he didn’t get to have very often.
In many ways, lending a hand around the house and taking care of the boys was because you loved Darry.
Loving Sodapop and Ponyboy as your own? That was loving Darry. Washing dishes after dinner and hanging wet clothes on the clothesline — that was loving Darry too. Driving Ponyboy to school and letting him pig out on chocolate chip pancakes…was most definitely loving Darry.
“If you really don’t mind…that’d be great," He nodded, eyes closing again. "I know Pony would really dig that."
"Good," You brought the palm of his hand to your lips. "And I don't want you feeling guilty over it."
He couldn't help but chuckle, a genuine smile spreading on his face.
"Alright. I'll try." He agreed.
He chuckled again when you pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose, his grip tightening around you slightly and bringing you closer to him. He caught your lips in a kiss this time, humming with content at the feeling of your smile underneath.
He couldn't help but think about how lucky he was. A woman as wonderful as you, working double shifts and taking on extra responsibilities and yet you still made time for him.
He had a lot of time to make up to you. He owed you a date night if nothing else, and even then, that wasn't really repaying you at all.
But for now, the best he could do was be here and be in the moment. If kissing you and keeping you close was making you happy, then that was the least he could do.
He didn't stray far from you for the rest of the night. The two of you slept closely, sharing kisses and soft hums throughout the night whenever you stirred one another awake.
This was something that Darry wished for. And perhaps one day, he could have this all the time. Not today, but maybe someday.
