#the outsiders fic

[mister-mickey]

Word of god

(This is going to be a VERY long post so buckle up)

Word of god is a phrase used in fandom that refers to something that the author of the source material has said, but was never confirmed in the source material. Because it was never confirmed in the original material, it isn’t considered canon. However, word of god is basically the next step down from canon.

This means that while you can choose to ignore it, you can also choose to accept it.

In the outsiders fandom, there are certain “word of god” type things floating around. Think soda going to Vietnam (and then that being retconned) or Johnny’s legal name being John. Even Dallas being scared of spiders, of crying after he read little women, of Steve enjoying wearing women’s underwear (?).

These are all examples of word of god. They were not mentioned in the outsiders book, but they are all things S.E Hinton has said on her twitter and in other places.

I’m only sharing the definition because what a lot of people never seem to talk about (possibly because they don’t know or because they don’t know how to access it) is S.E Hinton’s fanfiction. I think a lot of people would enjoy learning about some of the other things S.E Hinton has said about the characters. (Keep in mind, on her ffn account, she claims to not be S.E Hinton, but using the details she’s shared about her fanfiction in interviews, it’s pretty obvious that this is her account)

Just keep in mind, none of this is canon unless you personally want it to be. Don’t harass other people for accepting or not accepting any of this as canon. Fandom is supposed to be fun, and that includes letting other people make their own personal spaces and headcanons.

I’m going to share all of her outsiders fics here (as in, I’m going to link them so others can read them too) and then I’m going to share every detail that I noticed. If you read them and notice things I missed or didn’t talk about, PLEASE REBLOG WITH THOSE THINGS!

First fic- The Haircut, published in 2008. This takes place after their parents die but there is no mention of Johnny or Dallas, so it could be before or after their deaths

- Pony cuts his brothers’ hair (or at least Soda’s) probably because they can’t afford a professional haircut

- Either pony is really bad at it (possible, as seen in the book with Johnny) or Soda is incredibly dramatic

- Darry checks pony’s homework

- Pony is not great at math but does well in English, however he still misspells things (which makes the fact that he judges sodas spelling or grammar in the letter soda sent in the outsiders very funny)

- Soda is likely very forgetful (he forgot that he left the iron on and burnt a hole on his work uniform)

- This is something we could have figured out anyway because of the time period, but it’s implied that their mother would have been the one cutting their hair and ironing their clothes.

Second fic- The first Christmas After, published in 2008 (shortly before Christmas too, on December 14) this takes place after their parent’s death and after Johnny and Dally’s death.

- The Curtis brothers are willing to forgo tradition in order to save money (Darry says they agreed on no Christmas tree and mentioned avoiding getting a turkey for thanksgiving, even though they ended up getting one anyway because Darry’s job gave it to them)

- Soda apparently is not actually a decent cook. People like to headcanon that his cooking tastes okay and just looks funny or tastes a bit too sweet, but apparently soda seriously fucked up the turkey.

- Twobit is willing to eat gross stuff (he ate the turkey and darry jokes twobit would willingly eat cat shit)

- The Christmas tree is also free, like the turkey. Soda got it at work. I guess the Curtis brothers are pretty lucky, or they have jobs that kind of care about them (wild idea)

- I think this was mentioned in the book, but Darry is very casual about drinking. He grabs a beer after work.

- The real reason Darry didn’t want a tree is because he knows it’ll be upsetting to do christmassy stuff without their parents.

- Darry will shove his feelings down to try and make the holidays enjoyable for his brothers

- Steve has a mother who is active in his life. This is crazy to me because everyone just kind of assumed he didn’t have a mother. I will continue to deny her existence though lol

- Steve’s mother cares enough about the Curtis boys to send Steve over with some fudge.

- The Curtis brothers have their own ornaments. Soda’s is a car colored like a candy cane, Darry’s is a reindeer holding a football, and pony’s is an elf reading a book. The ornaments were from their father.

- There’s a joke that I think I’m not catching? I think it’s twobit saying that he called a girl a ho, but it might be innocent? I’m not the best with tone. He’s making a Santa Claus joke

- Twobit likes eggnog (gross) and shares it with soda. The eggnog has whiskey in it, which is what gets Steve interested in drinking it.

- The Curtis brothers had a dog named bowser, who also had an ornament. Bowser was a present for Darry’s fourth birthday. Darry assumed he was the only one that remembered bowser, but soda claims to remember him too. I guess this means bowser died when soda was very little. Possibly before pony or when pony was a baby.

- A lot of the Christmas ornaments are crafts that the Curtis boys made at school. (Aww) Darry and soda grew up faster than Ponyboy did, apparently pony was willing to do kid stuff longer than they were (they stopped wanting to make crafts by middle school but pony did them even after) Darry thinks it’s because their mom wanted to keep her baby a baby.

- The boy’s personalities show in the ornaments they made, Darry’s are well structured and planned, but with zero imagination. Sodas are sloppy and not great, but hold character. Pony’s are said to be eye catching and imaginative.

- Pony is supposed to call Darry from a pay phone if he realizes he’s going to be late for curfew. Pretty solid rule, I think

- Mr. Curtis wasn’t actually better at understanding people than Darry is. The main difference seems to be Mr. Curtis’s patience in dealing with people he doesn’t understand. Darry compares himself to his dad

- Their mother and father also have ornaments! Their mother is an Angel playing the piano (considering the other ornaments, we can assume their mother knew how to play piano) and their dad’s is a Santa going fishing (I guess he liked to fish)

- This is basically canon anyway, but pony was too skinny and frail after Johnny and dally died

- Soda is lactose intolerant. This does not stop him from consuming lactose. He is kind and sleeps on the couch when he does so that pony doesn’t have to listen to him farting all night (disgusting)

- Darry understands soda even if soda doesn’t say anything. So I guess Darry not understanding pony isn’t because pony is quiet and doesn’t tell him anything

- They have ornaments for Johnny and dally. Johnny’s is a little dark haired Angel singing a hymn, and Dally’s is a little devil with wings and a halo with an evil smirk.

- Johnny doesn’t like cutesy things. He is a greaser, he’s still tough. They all decide that Johnny and Dallas would like if they saw their ornaments.

- Joking about Johnny and dally makes the gang a little happier. Even after death, they bully Dallas a bit because they miss him (the hang him at the top of the tree 😭💔 and they giggle about looking up his ornaments skirt)

- Dallas would allegedly have set fire to the tree if he was there and saw them doing that

- Steve has a bunch of cousins in Muskogee Oklahoma, as well as an Uncle Bob

- Twobit’s sister is named Bren. Twobit is close with his grandmother and is visiting her for Christmas. He is going to give her whiskey for her present because his mom doesn’t let her have it.

- Soda likes to attack his brothers with tickles

The third fic- The Drive North, published in 2007. This is the longest fic, and it’s an au. I have several disclaimers I think I should make before I talk about it.

Disclaimer one- this is a Wild West au, it takes place in the late 1860s. Because it’s an au, there are some things that don’t really translate to canon. I will be sharing things that are canon to this fic, and maybe expanding how I think they’d fit into canon, but just remember, they do not fit perfectly

Disclaimer two- some of the things changed directly contradict canon. Several of the characters go by different names, some of them even have the wrong ages (I originally assumed everyone was the same age as in canon, but then mason and Tex from Tex showed up and they were ten years older than everyone else which doesn’t make sense because Tex takes place in the 70s and they should be younger than the gang), and some of the characters have pretty different back stories (the Shepard siblings are orphans in this and they’re being raised by their grandfather. This contradicts canon because in That was then, this is now, they are said to have their mother and a stepfather)

Name changes

- Steve is called pistol

- Angela is called Angelique

- Twobit is called Two bits, and his real make was changed from Keith to Eugene.

- Dallas is called White snake, which leads me to my next, and the most important, disclaimer

Disclaimer three- there is a lot of racism in this fic. Mostly weird Native American representation. This mostly comes from Dallas and Tim, but basically dallas is a white child that was kidnapped by native Americans and was then raised by them. Tim’s parents were killed by native Americans (which is of course a thing that happened back then, but I don’t think it’s written very well) These are common racist tropes, and I think it would do people good to be aware of that if they choose to read this fic.

There is also a few brief references to slavery and the civil war, and off the top of my head, I don’t think any of the characters were particularly against slavery. So if you want to read this, be aware of that so you don’t get caught off guard. There’s also a few slurs/incredibly outdated terms

I think thats the end of the disclaimers, if anyone else thinks of something I should add, tell me. I think this fic is an interesting look into the characters, but I don’t want people going in blind and unaware of the negative aspects of this fic

- The Shepard’s grandpa is named Philippe Shepard (Shepard is spelled different several times through the story, so is Philippe) he is fairly well off, I don’t think he’s rich, but he is successful. He has a Spanish gelding which is a fancy horse. Darry is jealous of him. Philippe is a former Texas ranger and he is very strict and good at bossing people around

- The Curtis brothers are doing a cattle drive under Philippe’s supervision. He’s their boss basically

- Soda’s real name is actually Patrick in this, and “Soda” is short for Sodacrackers because he likes hardtack.

- Everyone loves soda. Just looking at him makes people feel good

- Pony was a solemn baby that liked to study his surroundings. He was only silly when he was around horses, which is where he got the nickname Ponyboy. (His real name is Michael)

- Pony and soda are uncannily good with horses, which is why Philippe Shepard hired the Curtis brothers. Darry seems to really admire Philippe actually, he doesn’t shut up about that old man

- Curly Shepard is described as a hot-head, who doesn’t seem particularly skilled because he’s riding drag. This is the worst position to take because the dust gets kicked up at you. Curly was very upset about getting that position

- The Curtis parents died at different times in this. Their mother seems to have died of some sort of sickness because her death is described as “lingering”. Their dad went off to war (the civil war, on the confederate side. This does not make me fond of Mr. Curtis) when Darry was fifteen.

- Philippe Shepard does not support slavery. He also seems to have an anti-war stance. At least for himself. He says he won’t get his head blown off so people can own slaves. Philippe Shepard fought against the Mexicans and the Comanche at some point, and has enough experience with war to know he doesn’t like it

- Ponyboy has a paint pony

- Pony cried after he said good bye to the lake (the Curtis brothers are leaving their house for good) because he spent a lot of time at the lake. Darry seems embarrassed of him for that

- Pony wears soda’s hand me downs, but they still don’t fit him because he’s scrawny.

- Pony is tough physically, but incredibly emotional

- Soda has a chestnut mustang horse

- The Curtis brothers will be relatively well off after the drive. Darry plans on sending Pony to a school so he can put his book smarts to use and live in a society where that stuff matters

- The first chapter is repeated twice lmfaooo

- Two bit does not like Philippe. Philippe also uses flattery to get his way lol

- Twobit is the cook, which I guess means in canon he could be a decent cook too. He learned how to cook from his mom

- Mr Shepard is in love with Twobits mom 😭

- Mr Shepard also uses his money to get his way

- Twobit’s sister is named Lizzy in this one. Either he has a shit ton of sisters, or his one sister does not have a decided name

- Mr Shepard does not approve of ms Mathews babying Twobit. His eye twitches when she says he’s “just a boy”

- The Curtis brothers are said to have sold their eggs to make money

- Johnnys name is John, and he’s named after his father. So he’s John jr. He’s also called “little John Cade” 😭😭❤️❤️ and he’s going to be twobit’s assistant

- Dallas is their scout/interpreter. Original when I read this, I thought Dallas was actually Native American and I thought that was interesting. But no, he’s just a White guy that was raised that way. I think native Dallas would be very cool to see though, becuase I hate the trope of white people being raised by native Americans instead of people just writing native Americans

- Twobit is lazy. He doesn’t like getting up early or walking

- Mr Shepard does NOT think twobit is funny. I think he might actually hate him

- Mr Shepard spanks his grandkids and he makes sure to tell everyone. He also seems fully willing to spank other peoples kids too (he threatens twobit) He is very strict with his grandkids. He says he uses a quirt, I looked that up and it looks scary

- Mr Shepard is genuinely mean asf, and he seriously doesn’t like twobit oh my god

- Mr Shepard is seriously down bad for ms Mathews. He hates twobits dad 😭 he even calls the dude worthless

- Twobit’s dad was a sweet talking drummer who only stayed around long enough to give her kids

- Philippe has dark eyes and white hair

- Philippe was present when twobit got the nickname twobit. I think twobit isn’t particularly proud of his nickname.

- People don’t seem to like Dallas. I’m not talking other people, even the gang seems kind of uncomfortable around him. Also the gang isn’t a gang. I don’t think they’re necessarily even friends here.

- Curly is confirmed to be just a nickname. His real name is not shared

- Twobit got his nickname when he was ten. Instead of it meaning that he has a big mouth and will give his “two bits” to any conversation, it means that he’s so useless that you wouldn’t give “even two bits for him”. The twobit lovers can feast on any angst that provides. It explains why he doesn’t like his nickname in this

- Twobit’s little sister worships him and his mother adores him

- Another reference to Mr Shepard having a big old crush on Twobit’s mom 😭 this point is really being driven home, and it takes twobit a while to realize. He is horrified when he dies and almost drops a barrel on Johnny 😭

- Jesus Christ Philippe won’t stop threatening people. He says “every pound lost is money out of my pocket, and I catch anyone taking money out of my pocket there's going to be an inch off his hide.” Which curly confirmed is true and not just a phrase.

- Pony doesn’t give a fuck about cows. He calls them meat on hooves 😭

- Pony, pre fic, never liked going into town and didn’t like people. I don’t think he’s friends with Johnny (yet)

- Darry likes talking to people and sharing his opinions. He’s respected in their town

- Pony doesn’t think he’ll ever grow as big as Darry or soda. I find this interesting because I always just assumed he was small because he was younger.

- Pony prefers animals to people

- Pony likes to watch people instead of talk to them. This is already kind of canon, but it’s funny to hear him talk about it

- Darry has to ride big horses because he’s a big boy. It’s also implied that he’s still growing?! Apparently he’s still filling out into his frame. How fucking big is he going to get jfc

- Soda likes pretty horses, but he’s smart enough to pick horses based off of their speed

- Steve and curly both like hot (I’m assuming wild) horses. The difference is Steve can handle it, curly can’t. Curly got thrown off his horse 😭

- Tim and his grandpa both ride the fancy Spanish horses. They’re very pretty but pony feels tired just looking at them because of how jittery they are. But they never get tired

- Tim and his grandpa are long boned? I think this means tall? Or maybe they have long limbs lol. They’re also said to be heavy muscled. I don’t know if that contradicts Tim’s description in the outsiders, where he’s described as lean. I don’t know if heavy muscled means bulky, but it feels like it would? Tim can be lean and still muscular but the way it’s written makes him sound pretty different from the book

- Curly is convinced that he’s going to have one of the fancy horses one day, but Tim and Mr Shepard think he’s stupid for thinking that. So I guess he probably won’t. In their family, you have to earn a fancy horse, and curly hasn’t earned one yet

- Dallas rides a white horse that he stole.

- Buck Merrill is the sheriff? I find that very interesting because he was just a party guy in the outsiders

- Dallas is wearing a breechcloth, but sometimes wears pants. He also wears eagle feathers and face paint. I don’t know if that means anything. He is said to be Comanche (or at least associated with them)

- Dallas cut off Johnnys dad’s ear and wears it on his belt as a trophy. He did this because Johnnys dad was beating Johnny, so I guess they’re still close in this fic

- Everyone can sense Tim and Dally’s tension (it’s not sexual, it’s worse) and they are placing bets on who will fight who first

- Steve claims Dallas grabbed a creature off the ground and ate its head off

- Dallas has a sweet tooth

- Dallas only really talks to Johnny

- Johnnys dad is a blacksmith, and he’s huge.

- Twobit is a gossip, he makes sure he knows ALL the goings on. Every day he takes a one hour walk across the town to see everything

- Johnnys dad is suspected to have hearing loss and a bad temper

- Johnny got his scar from his dad back handing him with a hoof file (this is the event that caused Dallas to cut Mr cades ear off)

- Ever since then, Johnny has had less bruises

- The younger people on the job get to have more sleep 🥺 tim and darry work early in the morning and late at night because of that

- Angela snuck along 😭 she wants to be treated like Tim and curly so she has been following them for the past few days. Mr Shepard is PISSED

- Mr Shepard’s scoldings have caused tears among many people, including Angela

- Mr Shepard CARRIES THE QUIRT AROUND to to threaten people

- Angela is just as good at riding and shooting as curly but not as good as Tim.

- Angela was meant to stay home and have sewing lessons while her family did the cattle drive

- Angela either dislikes doing girly things like sewing, or she just prefers doing horse stuff. I can’t tell if she’s meant to be a tomboy, which I feel doesn’t necessarily fit with her character in twttin, or if she just thinks sewing lessons are boring.

- Dallas knew Angela was sneaking around, which means he is sneakier than Angela Shepard.

- Mr Shepard would 100% beat Dally’s ass which is notable because so far he’s respected Dallas a lot as an adult. He’s very upset that Dallas knew Angela was there and didn’t say anything

- Tim and curly are said to play pranks on angela which is why she’s so sneaky and suspicious

- Dallas cut off a piece of Angela’s hair. This is strange to me because he didn’t have a reason to do that? In the fic he uses it to prove that he was watching her, but how was he supposed to know he needed to prove that? Why did he cut a lock of her hair? Freak

- Dallas calls Angela a scrawny prairie chicken? So I guess she’s small and skinny.

- Tim ends up being the one to start a fight between him and Dallas

- I think Dallas enjoys making Tim angry enough to start the fights. It makes sense to me tbh, it’s very funny and I think it fits with canon. Dallas slashed Tim’s tires in the book, and I guess he did that to get his attention

- Tim is racist, and this plays a part in his hatred for Dallas. It’s apparently because his parents were killed by native Americans, but Mr Shepard says that he needs to stfu because Dallas had nothing to do with that.

- Dally’s real family had a terrible fate and I think they were killed in either the same raid that killed Tim’s parents, or another one close to that one.

- The Shepards mom’s name is Antoinette and she had a fate worse than death. I say this because Mr Shepard says he wished he was there to put a bullet in her head to spare her from what happened to her. He doesn’t say what happened, but I guess it was pretty awful.

- Tim likes to punch and grapple, Dallas likes to dodge and kick

- They aren’t friends of any sort like in the book, there’s no “cut from the same cloth” here

- Curly, soda, and Steve would have been cheering and whooping if they’d been present, but they’re elsewhere at this time

- Pony and his brothers fight sometimes, but they usually give up pretty quick because Darry gets embarrassed fighting with teenagers, soda starts laughing, and pony will start crying out of frustration

- TIM PULLED A GUN ON DALLAS

- Curly almost shot his toe off practicing his fast draw, which led Mr Shepard to ban it 😭

- Tim, his siblings, and Dallas were all very young when their parents died. No specific age is given, but Philippe says they were all very little

- Philippe is their paternal grandfather (obviously) but he saw their mother as his own daughter and apparently she was very egg beautiful. He seems more sad about her death than his own son’s death

- Tim has an impressive fast draw

- Mr Shepard defends Dallas against Tim and says that he needs to cool it with the anti-native American talk. He says he understands why they’re all mad white people are in their lands. This doesn’t stop him from taking the land though.

- Angela is now riding drag as punishment so curly gets promoted I guess.

- Twobit exaggerates stories and Tim clips them too short. Pony is the best storyteller

- Pony doesn’t know what a “sporting woman” (a prostitute) does until soda explains it

- Pony understands sex, he just doesn’t understand why anyone would ever have it for fun lmfao

- Steve got his ass beat by his dad for wasting his wages on prostitutes 😭 I guess his dad does get physical with him

- Pony says if Steve knew half as much as he thought he did, he’d be the most valuable person on earth 😭

- Pony thinks sex is gross and begs soda not to have sex (soda refuses and says he’s gonna do what he wants)

- Darry really enjoys not being in charge. He likes that Philippe is in charge because then he isn’t responsible for his brothers. He hates babysitting and pretends not to see pony nonverbally begging him to come with him into town so he isn’t alone

- Mr Shepard calls pony and Johnny the youngest, but I know that in the outsiders curly is fifteen, so he’s in between them. Either curly is a different age in this fic, or Mr Shepard doesn’t see him as an individual person (which now that I’m typing that out, I think that’s probably the case)

- Johnny doesn’t like lots of people. As in crowds

- Darry makes pony and soda take at least one bath a month. Stinky boys

- I think pony and Johnny have become friends now, they’re naturally drawn to each other

- Pony yelps runs away from a prostitute because she talked to him? I don’t think the situation called for that? He seemed genuinely terrified and Johnny just followed him

- Neither of them know what the clap is, Johnny thinks they were going to “get clapped” 😭

- Pony likes cats but can’t have one because the coyotes will eat it (very sad, one of my cats got eaten by a coyote ☹️)

- Pony cries when he’s scared

- Twobit won thirty dollars playing a game (he told the people he’d give them a chance to win it back the next day, while knowing that he wouldn’t be there the next day 😭) that’s about 700 dollars today

- Steve tries to look cool in front of soda omgg

- Steve also seems jealous of how naturally cool soda is. He’s upset with himself for being jittery around the prostitutes when soda is so calm and charming

- Steve has a mustache 😒 he grew it out to look older and he fiddles with it subconsciously

- Soda is insecure about “just being charming and handsome” because it isn’t something he had to work for

- Soda immediately started venting to the prostitute ?

- Soda immediately talked about marriage with this prostitute, he hasn’t even done anything with her and he’s already in love with her

- He gave her his entire wage… he gave her TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS and told her to wait for him oh my god

- He saw her flirting with other guys and immediately thought about KILLING HER what the fuck

- THE OTHER GUYS WERE TIM AND DARRY!!

- They were described as tall cowboys so I guess that’s means Tim and Darry are both tall

- Philippe is sick of these teenagers. They all spent their money on dumb shit and he’s judging them hardcore

- Tim and Darry have become best friends at some point, they keep giggling with each other

- Curly gave himself alcohol poisoning the second he had access to alcohol which is kind of funny to me. Either he’s a serious drunk or he’s so inexperienced with alcohol that he die at know what a limit is. I don’t drink at all so I don’t know which makes more sense. I’m leaning towards the second one because of the way he’s characterized in this fic

- Steve gets mad when soda is sad, not mad at soda, just mad in general

- Tim and Darry became bffs because they ROBBED A POKER GAME WITH GUNS! ARMED ROBBERY! They did this to save twobit from being fired after twobit spent money that wasn’t his, which is kind of sweet of them.

- Curly is sad because he was trying to get the guys to enter a brothel (part of the reason he was drinking so much) and got so drunk that he woke up in an alleyway with all his money gone 😭. He laid in rant alley for a day and a half before Tim came and found him 😢 (my stupid son)

- Soda is embarrassed about falling in love with the first woman he saw

- Steve is mad all the time, and soda doesn’t understand how he does it. Soda finds anger exhausting

- Tex and mason are very… ?? Again, they’re ten years older than the gang, instead of ten years younger. They’re both bearded and wild. They live in the middle of nowhere and say that god has abandoned them. Tex says he shot mason to make him shut up

- Nobody has been sick yet except curly, so they have plenty of medical stuff

- Johnny compares Dallas to a knight in this (instead of a gallant soldier in the book)

- Tex says he shot mason because mason gave him a bad cup of coffee. They’re very strange

- Curly broke his pinky finger oh my god (I have to be honest and say everything curly does makes me giggle because he does so much stupid stuff. My baby broke his pinky 😭😭😭❤️❤️)

- Steve cracked his tail bone when his horse escaped, and Darry got bad rope burn

- Philippe likes Sodapop. He does think soda is tiring though

- Tim values the adoration and hero worship from curly and Angela to be too mean to them. He pretends to be indifferent to them, which fools everyone except Philippe (awww)

- Tex and mason are crazy, they talk so much trash and they’re so mean to each other. It gives everyone else a shock

- Angela has a crush on Tex, who is supposed to be around 24 ish. Tex has no plans on doing anything with her thank god

- Angela wanted to be a tomboy because boys got more attention, but now that she desires boys attention, she acts more feminine. This is masons insight because Angela starts acting sweet and precious the second she starts liking tex

- Tex became friends with everyone within a few days of them joining

- Curly is good enough at roping to teach Tex how to do it. It’s nice seeing him be good at something

- Tex took herding lessons from Tim and Darry

- Darry and soda mess with pony enough for him to be suspicious when people tell him things

- Dallas keeps doing things to piss Tim off (he whacked him in the head with a stick and rode off on his horse before Tim could do anything)

- Tim “doesn’t find anything humorous in anything white snake (Dallas) does” and is very grumpy when Dallas does something to make people laugh

- The story ends on a cliffhanger but that’s it

Anyway, take what you want from these fics as canon and disregard anything you don’t want lol

[littlestarbigsky]

ok i’m bad at writing requests but 😭😭 a fic with any of the curtis bros coming out to each other? specifically soda coming out to them (prob w stevepop but whatever u want) if that makes any sense 😭😭 i loveee ur writing !! 🙈

oh curtis bros my beloved you are sooo special to me :)) im imagining this to be about two-ish months post canon (johnny and dally still died, sorry team :p ) anyways they kinda take the long way around but trust me i did eventually follow the request lmao

hope this is okay🩷

soda knew darry was gonna kill him… even as he walked through the cold november rain he dragged his feet, trying to put off how angry his brother was about to be with him. the house loomed into view and even through the darkness and anxiety sitting in his chest, he couldn’t help but feel glad to see their house, their home.

he pushed the door open and pony and darry were both sitting in the living room, darry on the couch and pony on the floor, leaning up against his legs. they both turned around and stared at soda as he shut the door behind him and started wiping his shoes off on the doormat. he must have been a sight for fresh eyes; his hair plastered to his face and his clothes sticking to him with rain.

none of them knew what was about to happen. none of them had been late getting home since pony ran off, since…

“i’m sorry,” soda stuttered, bending over to take his shoes off, only to realize he didn’t know what to do with himself after the fact.

darry stood up, and even though he knew it was okay, that he was safe, he felt himself go tense. there was a moment when all three of them felt the weight of what was happening, darry deciding whether or not to yell, soda feeling tears welling in his eyes, and pony sick to his stomach with worry watching the two of them.

darry sighed, his eyes softening, “ponyboy, go get soda a towel, please.”

pony nodded and pushed himself off the floor, taking off down the hall. darry hurried forward and enveloped soda in a rib-cracking hug.

“are you okay?” he asked quietly, his hand rubbing the back of soda’s head, just like their dad used to.

soda nodded quietly.

“honey, you’re soaked…” darry pushed him back to look him over. “why didn’t you call? i’d have come and picked you up from work.”

soda didn’t know where to start. it was time for them to know, and he’d known forever that it was safe to, that it was okay to tell them, but the words always fell flat when he tried to string all the thoughts together.

he was spared the trouble of having to explain himself yet by ponyboy coming back and throwing a warm towel over his shoulders. darry scrubbed his head for a second and muttered, “go dry off and change, you’re gonna get sick.”

soda dragged himself back into his and pony’s bedroom, peeling his wet clothes off and sitting down on the bed, with the towel wrapped around them. he could feel his heart hammering in his throat in a way that had nothing to do with how cold he was. he pulled on a sweatshirt and pajama pants and haphazardly toweled his hair dry, not bothering to run a comb through it or even try to make it look presentable.

darry and ponyboy were on either side of the couch watching tv when he walked back out. he threw his clothes in the dryer and piled in next to pony, who curled up into soda’s side and looked over at darry, waiting patiently for what was coming next.

“i wasn’t at work,” soda started, throwing an arm over pony’s shoulders and tugging him closer. “i was over at steve’s.”

darry tilted his head, “well, why didn’t you just say so, pepsi? steve’s house is no big deal.”

soda sighed deeply, not sure how to approach it gently, “yea… me and steve…”

he couldn’t do it. there was no way he could tell them, not yet. maybe not ever.

unfortunately, pony had caught on immediately. he looked over quickly, “what’s up, soda?”

“what about you and steve?” darry looked over curiously.

shit. he’d noticed, too, there was no going back now, they knew something was happening. it began to occur to him how incapable he was of taking any of it back, how he would never be able to undo it.

“steve and i…” he started, and he had to close his mouth and open it a few times before he could get the words to sound right in his head. “we’re to- he’s…”

soda huffed and pressed his lips together anxiously. pony sat up slightly, his brows furrowed, “it’s okay, take your time.”

“we’re together,” soda spat out, unable to beat around the bush any longer. “he’s my boyfriend.”

there was a palpable silence that hung in the air for almost a full minute after soda spoke, so tense you could cut it with a knife. all any of them could do was stare silently, the only sound being soda’s ragged, terrified breaths.

“that’s all?” darry asked, and soda nodded quickly. “baby, that’s okay! i thought something was wrong!”

soda felt like he could melt into the couch from the relief. he threw himself at darry, his eyes filling with tears as he felt a lump swelling in his throat.

“i thought…” he cried, gripping darry like a lifeline. “i thought you’d be mad.”

“hey,” darry held soda’s face in his hands. “you’re our brother, there is nothing you can do that could make us stop loving you.”

soda gave a heavy sob and darry and pony squeezed him between them.

“you don’t gotta cry,” pony whispered, his hands rubbing up and down soda’s back.

“oh, kiddo,” darry laughed lightly. “i thought you’d known about paul…”

soda sat straight up, his mouth falling open comically, “you… he- paul? seriously? but you were always taking a girl to dances!”

soda let out a loud laugh of delighted incredulity and darry blushed, “a bit of both never hurt anyone… but you already know that, huh?”

soda giggled wetly and wrapped darry in a bone-crushing hug, “thank you.”

“of course, we love you, pepsi,” darry held his little brother close.

darry was never one to hug for long, but soda needed it, needed him. they pulled back after a few moments, and looked over at ponyboy. soda’s heart sank as he realized that there were tears in pony’s eyes, tears that he and darry hadn’t noticed.

“hey, kiddo, what’s the matter?” darry asked quickly, and pony shrugged.

soda did what he did best, he smiled and joked, “you gonna tell us you like boys, too? looks like it might just run in the family.”

pony blinked, and a tear fell from both eyes. he didn’t say anything, just nodded slowly, a high-pitched sob following. they barely gave him a breath before they were both crowding around him and crushing him between them. soda had an inkling that he knew what this was about; pony only ever cried about one thing anymore.

“ponyboy,” soda asked gently, a hand running through pony’s hair. “were you and johnny…?”

“no,” pony gasped out as he shook his head, his breath coming in deep heaves as darry tried to keep him calm. “we weren’t, but i think we’d have gotten there eventually.”

“oh, honey,” soda felt sick to his stomach as he ran a hand over his baby brother’s face and darry tucked pony into himself.

what on earth had this poor kid done to deserve this? losing their parents would have been enough for anyone, but for ponyboy, losing johnny had been like losing half of everything he was. they may not have had it figured out yet, but there had always been more love between the two of them than soda could have felt with anyone, more than darry had with paul or any of the girls he’d taken out in high school. and ponyboy’s person was gone, sad, scared, and in pain.

“it’s okay,” pony sniffled as soda gently tried to wipe away some of the tears.

“no, it’s not,” soda sighed, tear’s prickling in his own eyes. “it’s okay that it’s not. it’s allowed to hurt, baby.”

pony sighed deeply, “thanks for telling us, soda. i guess it does run in the family.”

soda laughed and yanked his little brother into a hug, one that darry joined in on a few moments later. peas in a pod, birds of a feather, nothing would ever come between them, nothing could even if it tried.

[augiewrites]

"boundaries" - dallas winston

summary: dallas carries y/n to bed

pairing: dallas winston x curtis sister!reader

word count: 478

a/n: idk if this is a dead fandom but at least three times a year i remember that the outsiders exists and become obsessed again lol

Y/N hadn’t been sleeping well lately, so when she fell asleep on the couch Darry couldn’t bring himself to risk waking her up. The most he dared to do was drape a blanket over his sleeping sister before retreating to his bedroom for the night.

Dallas, however, didn’t give a shit.

He needed somewhere to sleep, and she was in his designated spot.

Dally had just lifted Y/N into his arms when her eyelids fluttered open, still weighed down by sleep.

“Darry?”

“No—shut up and go back to sleep.”

Y/N’s eyes snapped open at Dally’s unexpected voice and briefly registered him carrying her across the living room.

“Where we goin’?” Y/N’s voice came out in a mumble as her eyes fell shut again.

“Bed. Need a place to crash tonight.”

“And you chose my room? Gonna be a tight fit.”

Glory, she’s annoying even when she’s barely conscious, Dally thought, but he was too tired to be his usual combative self.

The hallway was dark, but he could see the shimmer of her eyes looking up at him from the void. He never liked the way she looked at him—there was too much hope, too much recognition, too much of an implication that she knew something he didn’t.

Dallas wasn’t exactly known for being respectful, but Darry’s acceptance of him meant a lot more to him than he would ever be willing to admit—even to himself. So, despite becoming quite fond of Y/N, he kept his distance. If there was one thing Dallas loved to do, it was to test the boundaries of every relationship he’s ever had, both friendly and romantic.

This was one boundary Dallas had reservations about crossing.

“Do you hate me, Dallas?” There was a softness in Y/N’s voice that was rare to hear coming from the girl.

Dallas paused in the threshold of Y/N’s bedroom and dared a glance down into her eyes, but quickly snapped out of it and kept moving across the room to her small bed.

“No, stupid.” He unceremoniously dropped her on the bed and turned to move out of the room, but he was stopped by her calling out to him.

“You not gonna tuck me in, Winston?”

He threw a glance over his shoulder and was met with the knowing glint in her eyes that he was ever-growing uneasy of.

Catching himself, he snapped back into character, scoffing and throwing a stupid plush dog at her head. He remembered the gang’s trip to the state fair a few years back, remembered how excited she was when Soda won it for her after seven tries at the ring toss, and he remembered her shoving it in his face while teasing that the K-9 unit was coming for his sorry ass.

“Go to bed.”

The door closed behind him with a solid thud.

Stupid girl.

~~~

i'm trying to get back in the writing groove but i'm so uninspired lol—feedback is appreciated as usual :)

[only-lonely-star]

ok so basically. after a particularly rough and unfair rumble with the socs, not only is dallas exhausted and sore but hes acting all soft and clingy. when he showed up at your door all he wanted was for his girl to hold him. but he is a mess and hes covered in dirt, blood and sweat so fem reader suggests that he takes a shower but hes like “im tired…” and she suggests that she gets in to help him (COMPLETELY DOMESTIC NOT IN A FREAKY WAY) and dallas is too tired and touch starved to complain so instead of a cocky remark he agrees and reader basically just helps him clean up and get to bed. is this too much?😭 im sorry if it is!!! u 100% do not have to do it!! but ilysm and thank you!!!❤️❤️❤️

🫧⋆｡˚ Bruised and Bare ˚ ｡⋆ 🫧

Warnings - Slight pain inflicted on Dallas. Mentions of blood and bruises. Showering together. Established relationship between fem!reader and Dallas Winston.

Summary - Dallas comes to you for some comfort after a rough fight with some Soc boys. You offer to join him in a hot shower to relax and unwind :)

Author’s Note - I love you too, Anon, thank you for your request! 😼😼 Let me just say… DAMN IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK TO WRITING. The post-meeting-C.-Thomas-Howell depression is so real and hit me so strong. This is a rather short one, I apologize. I fear if I didn’t get to these requests soon enough then I’d procrastinate even more. I have like four WIPs right now, they’ll be out soon y’all. I love you all SO much, enjoy!!!! 🙈🙈

Word Count - 830

⋆.ೃ࿔.𖥔 ݁ ˖*:･༄ ⋆.ೃ࿔.𖥔 ݁ ˖*:･༄ ⋆.ೃ࿔.𖥔 ݁ ˖*:･༄ ⋆.ೃ࿔.𖥔 ݁ ˖*:･༄

The sudden knock on your door hadn’t taken you by surprise as you sauntered towards the tall, wooden frame. It was late. Visitors at this hour usually resulted in your rebellious boyfriend, Dallas, looking for a safe haven to spend the night at. It was no surprise when you pulled the doorknob and saw Dallas with a look of defeat and exhaustion in his eyes.

He was hunched over, his shoulders slouched to a new level of low. The boy’s eyes revealed he had endured a tough night already, but the scattered bruises in shades of red and purple told you the full story. “Come on and let me in, just let me cool off for a minute,” he pleaded, his eyes lifeless.

“Oh, Dallas, you went looking for trouble again, didn’t you?” you spoke with playful sarcasm, pulling him inside by the stretched-out collar of his tee.

As Dallas stumbled inside, his boots left footprints of mud across the welcome mat. “No, actually,” he retorted with equal sarcasm, “I took a few blows from them Soc guys we saw that day in the park. I thought I could take three, but hell- I guess not.” Dallas glanced down at his raggedy shirt, one that couldn’t be saved now that it was ripped and torn in just about every place imaginable.

Frowning, you extended a hand to cup his cheek. He looked absolutely defeated - a rare sighting for such a well-known fighter. He didn’t budge at the gentle touch, instead, he stepped forward and snaked his hands to rest on your hips idly. “I’m sorry, baby, c’mere,” you beckoned, gently stroking your thumb across his cheek.

Dallas obeyed, closing the distance between the two of you. He rested his chin on your shoulder, allowing his hand to press yours firmly against his cheek. His lips formed into a small pout. “It hurts, baby. Everywhere. We can just have an easy night and uh…chill in bed, how ‘bout that?”

You grimaced, pulling away slightly. “You ought to shower first, Dal, you ain’t staining my sheets with all that blood… and dirt…and whatever the hell that is,” you pointed to a smear of bright green across his white tee.

The groan Dallas let out was something else. He slouched further and shook your hips vigorously. “Come onnnn, I’m tired. I can’t- I can’t get a hug from my girl? Is that right? I come crawling to you for a simple hug and I can’t even get that?”

His little sob story wasn’t convincing you for shit. “Dallas, don’t hand me that. I’ll even step in with you, that way all you have to do is stand there.”

He shrugged. This was a win-win. He didn’t have to do a thing and on top of that, he got to spend time with you. “Thank you,” Dallas replied sincerely. You could tell right away he meant it, he needed this gentle form of care.

_________________________________________________

As you twisted the knob to adjust the water’s temperature, Dallas analyzed the markings on his cheekbones and under-eye area. His lip seemed to be busted up pretty well, along with a dark purple rim around his left cheekbone. He grinned, “Looks good, don’t it?”

Scoffing playfully, you ushered him closer, “Just get in.” Dallas slowly but surely trudged his way into the tub, standing under the shower head. With another twist, the hot water splashed down from the nozzle, running down his bruised back. His eyes shut instinctively as he felt around the air in front of him for your body. Following him inside, you grabbed the spare white washcloth which hung from the rack located just across the sink. You enclosed yourself inside as you pulled the shower curtain shut.

“Get my back first?” he requested with a soft smile. The exhaustion written on his face was clear as day, but he maintained a sincere tone when speaking with you.

“Yeah, I got you.” His shoulder blades were tense and stiff. The purple spotting along the more tender parts of his back caused a wince from the both of you. Dallas was tough, he’d never admit he’s truly hurt.

“Careful-,” he hissed with clenched teeth, stiffening as he felt your hand pressing the washcloth onto the sensitive area between his shoulders.

“Does that hurt, baby?” you drew back, hovering the dripping fabric over his body.

Dallas sighed meekly. While most was done to his face, he still had sore spots scattered throughout his entire body. “I’m sore all over darlin’, that’s why I just wanted to lay down.”

Feeling your heart clench out of sympathy, you kissed the tender spots along his spine. The steam emitted from the shower head provided the moist heat needed to soothe his aching body, much like your love for him. He found himself able to relax and wind down in the solace of your presence. Who would have thought that even Dallas Winston needed some tender love and care after all?

THANK YOU FOR READING!! YOU ARE THE BEST! ❤️‍🩹

[sweetsreverie]

Saviors

while walking home after dark, the gang comes to your rescue after a group of socs jump you. pairing: outsiders gang x f!reader wc: 1,537 warning(s): assault, blood, allusions of intent to SA

You had spent the majority of the afternoon at the library working on a project before you left in the evening. It was dark by the time you left, and while you knew better than to walk home by yourself, you didn’t want to inconvenience anyone by calling your parents or any of the guys in the gang. 

So you start walking home, and in an attempt to give yourself some peace of mind, you grab your house keys and clutch them in your hand. You wished you carried a blade on you. 

Your walk home was fine until you were only three blocks away from your house. That’s when you saw headlights shining from behind you, and you heard a car engine; a white corvair was soon in your periphery, and there were three boys inside, around your age if not a little older.

“Hey grease!” One shouts from the window, and you try your best to ignore them as they shout obscenities at you.

“Broad’s ignoring us. Look.” One comments as they pull up the car closer to the curb, and they steadily drive beside you.

“Hey! You’re too pretty to be with those greasers all day. Let me show you a good time, huh?” 

You couldn’t help but feel panic as they continued to follow you. There really wasn't anywhere to run or hide. There was an alleyway nearby that led to a dead end.

When the car came to a stop, that’s when you started booking it. You take off in a full sprint and listen to the three pairs of footsteps rapidly approaching you from behind. One of the boys reaches out and grabs the top handle of your backpack and yanks on it, and the force sends you to the sidewalk on your back. It knocks the wind out of you and that’s when one of the boys pins you down to the pavement, and the other two stand above you with sinister grins on their lips. You were powerless under his weight, no matter how much you kicked.

“You know, we wouldn’t be here if you had just stopped to talk with us, hm? Now look where we are.” The brunette kneeling on you says, and his knees dig into your arms that were pinned to the sidewalk.

“Just let me go- please, I won’t tell anyone-” You stammer, and he shakes his head while making a tsk tsk sound.

“I think it’s too late for that now. It’s late and everyone’s in for the night, so there’s no one to bother us.” He says before he looks up at the other two, and without another word, the three of them begin to drag you into the nearby alleyway. You kick and scream, making any and all attempts to escape from their iron grasps.

“Shut up! Shut your trap!” The blond shouts as you’re pushed to the ground again, and it was his turn to taunt you while the brunette and redhead watched. He reaches behind him and pulls out a switchblade, flicking it open and holding it in front of your face.

“Now you be quiet. Or I’ll skin you right here.” He warns you while he puts his hand over your mouth, and by now your vision is blurry from the tears that were welling up in your eyes. 

You came to realize that you were fully at their mercy. If one of them had a knife, the chances were good that they all did. They were bigger and stronger than you, and if you didn’t want to be left for dead on the sidewalk, you had to be careful. You knew what happened to Johnny.

“You know, it’s a shame when pretty girls like you hang out with greaser trash.” He says while he moves his knife down, trailing the tip of the blade down your chin and chest, and his smirk grows.

“A lot of greaser broads are skanks. You don’t seem like it though.” He comments, and as his knife moves closer to the belt on your jeans, your brain goes into fight or flight mode.

“Let me go!” You screech, and you kick your legs as hard as you can to try and free yourself. You land a kick to the blond’s leg, and he grunts in pain while the brunette reaches down and grabs your ponytail with one hand, and he lands a hard smack on your cheek with the other. Your cheek began to burn from the impact immediately, but that didn’t stop you from fighting your way out of their grasp. The redhead whips out a knife from the pocket of his letterman jacket and flips it open, and he grabs you by the neck and holds the blade up to your jaw.

“Please let me go- please-” You cry as he presses the cold metal into your skin, making a small slice into your jaw. You felt weak from fighting them and your throat was beginning to hurt. 

Your attention was taken from them when you heard another voice shout from the other side of the street. 

“Hey! Get your ass out of our side of town!”

It was Dallas. You’d honestly never been so glad to hear his voice.

“Shit- get outta here!” The brunette says quickly, and they pretty much drop you to the pavement while they scramble back to their car. You turn onto your side and curl up, but you hear multiple sets of footsteps shuffling around. The tires on the corvair screech as they peel away, and you’re relieved.

When you turn to look, you see Dally, Johnny, and Two-Bit approaching you.

“Holy shit- Y/N is that you? Are you okay?” Two-Bit says quickly as the three of them jog closer to you, and Dally stands nearby while Johnny and Two-Bit crouch beside you. One would think that he didn’t care, but you knew he did. He just didn’t show it like the others.

“I’m okay-” You say meekly, and Two-Bit tilts your chin up so you’re looking at him. The blood on the cut was beginning to clot, your cheek was still red, and your eyes were a little red from tears.

“They cut you?” Dally asks, and you nod slightly. Dally grunts under his breath.

“You’re okay kid. C’mon, let us get you to Darry’s place and clean you up, alright?” Two-Bit suggests. The Curtis house was closer than your own home, and it was a good idea to get cleaned up before you see your parents.

Two-Bit and Johnny help you up to your feet, and Two-Bit takes your backpack and slings it over his shoulder as the four of you begin to walk.

“Where were you so late, Y/N?” Johnny asks, and you sigh.

“I was at the library. I’ve got a history project due soon.” You explain, and he nods. 

“You could have called any of us, kid. One of us could have picked you up or walked with you.” Two-Bit comments.

“I know, I just… I didn’t wanna put anyone out.” You mumble. “Where were you guys at?” You ask them, and Johnny rolls his eyes.

“Dally took us to the nightly double. We only got through one of the movies before we had to leave, thanks to Dal.” Johnny explains, and Two-Bit laughs. You didn’t even need an explanation to know that Dally probably stirred up some trouble, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Two-Bit helped him.

The four of you walk for a few minutes before you arrive at the Curtis’ house, and as soon as you walk in, you see Pony and Soda on the couch, and Darry was in his chair reading the newspaper. Once the three of them turn and see you, they get up from their seats quickly. Darry’s the first one to approach you.

“What the hell happened? Did you get jumped?” He asks, and you nod while you move over to the couch to sit down since Pony had motioned for you to move over.

“I was comin’ home from the library. They pulled over and grabbed me.” You mumble, and Soda disappears into the kitchen and comes back with a bag of frozen vegetables. He hands it to you and you silently thank him with a nod before you hold up the cold bag to your cheek.

“How deep is that cut?” Ponyboy asks, and you shrug while you reach up to touch it.

“Not very. It stopped bleeding pretty quick.” You explain, and Darry nods while he moves to sit back down in his chair while the others find places to sit. In a way, Darry saw you as his kid sister. You were a little older than Pony, and you became good friends with the boys quickly. Darry saw you as one of their own. 

Dally stands beside the couch and against the wall, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Glad you’re okay, kid. Just call one of us if you’re alone like that again.” Dally says, and he reaches down to nudge the top of your head slightly. You couldn’t help but smile slightly at the gesture. Maybe he does show that he cares.

[4lydsmarie]

radio - dallas winston

“now my life is sweet like cinnamon” - radio, lana del rey

dallas winston x newgirl!reader note: reader and dallas are underage drinking, reader gets a little tipsy. dallas realizes he has a lover boy side after all..just fluff basically? a/n: this takes place in the 60s! 60s detroit has my heart of course i had to involve it just a bit. 💋

your parents had decided to move you to tulsa, against your will of course, in hopes of living a “calm small town life” in their words. you thought it was just unnecessary. you were happy back home in detroit, enjoying the motor city and it’s homey feel. moving all the way to oklahoma to live in some small town felt idiotic. but, what could you do? you’d already settled into your new “home” and it’s not like your words could convince your parents anyways. 

the cool summer breeze had sent you wandering into buck merrill’s roadhouse. you’d heard from a couple of people in your neighborhood that it was a place most people went to for drinks, fights, and just to be lonely at. while it didn’t sound appealing, the drinks part settled well into your head. drinks were never your thing, but anything would make you feel better than being at home, the moving and adjusting had been all too much for you.

arriving at buck’s, many faces looked your way. some curious, some flirtatious, some disgusted. you flashed an awkward smile as you sat down and ordered a drink for yourself.

across the bar sat dallas winston. dallas winston was known for his cold demeanor and player antics. ask anyone and they’d tell you, he had no care in the world for anyone. not even himself. 

he’d noticed you just as everyone else had. new girl for sure, but something else about you interested him. he couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

lost in his thought, he hadn’t realized buck was right behind him.

“someone’s caught your eye, huh dally?” buck teased. “nah man, just lookin. hey, you got a light?” dallas avoided buck’s teasing as much as he could. but buck was right, you had caught his eye.

buck handed dallas a cigarette as dallas lit it and held it to his lips, still eyeing you closely.

you felt someone’s eyes on you, but to be honest who’s wasn’t? everyone felt eager to know who you are. it wasn’t often someone decided to settle their lives in tulsa. if anything it was more common for people to pack up and leave tulsa for good. everyone was curious to know you.

something told you to turn your head to the corner..maybe it was intuition, maybe it was just your knowledge. but you decided to do what your gut told you. 

that’s when you noticed him.

just by looking at him you could tell the kind of person he was. stuck up, unserious, to himself. he was mysterious in a way, and for some reason that drew you to him. it made you wanna know more about him. 

so being the newcomer yourself, you decided to approach him. he didn’t look any older than you..mature in face and body language but you could still tell he was your age.

as you made your way towards him you noticed him shuffle in his seat, sitting up and clearing his throat a bit. “hey” you said blankly. “hey, doll. whatsa pretty girl like you doin in this dump, huh?” the newfound nickname put a light blush on your face. luckily, neon signs filled the house, perfectly hiding in the tint. “no choice but to move here, parents forced me..” you responded, fiddling with the hem of your shirt.

“mm, you a soc or a grease?” dallas responded, leaning back a bit. “huh? what’s that?” your face twisted in confusion, causing dallas to let out a laugh before responding. “sorry, forgot your new doll. soc’s are the west side kids. y’know the ones that got it made. their stupid fancy cars and pathetic polo shirts. just jerks. greasers are guys like me. low-life, less money, don’t got it all like the rest do.” you didn’t know what answer to give. you sure weren’t rich and popular, yet you weren’t poor and a “low life” like he’d described.

“neither id say. i don’t live in the rich neighborhood, but not the low-life neighborhood you describe either. im just normal..” you replied. dallas nodded knowingly before changing the subject. “didn’t catch a name for ya, doll.” his new york accent strung with every word. “yn..yours?” dallas sat up in his seat, “dallas. dallas winston. the fuzz probably know my name more than anyone. call me dally.” you smiled. you’d remember that name. hell, you’d remember everything about him. from his mysterious demeanor to his thick new york accent. 

every word, every movement he made, had you wanting to know more and more about him. “and why do cops know you, dally?” he smiled at you using his nickname before he spoke. “cause i get into trouble y’know? eh at this point whenever something happens im the first the fuzz run to. jerks..” dallas muttered the last word. he’d seemed like the kind of guy who had stories to tell for days, maybe weeks. 

“enough about me doll, i wanna know about you now.” dallas smirked. “nothin much to know..” you responded hesitantly. “don’t get all shy with me doll, just wanna get to know you” dallas could see right through you, and how nervous you’d suddenly gotten. “maybe that’s enough talk..let’s drink? you a drinker?” dallas changed the subject to your comfort, something he’d never do for anyone else unbeknownst to you. there was something about you that still pulled dallas in..made him wanna know you from head to toe, whatever that meant. 

“no i’m not really a drinker but anything feels good at the moment” you laughed. dallas took this as a sign to order whatever sounded good. vodka, whiskey, even beer. just the usual, just to occupy you. you took whatever he’d given you, downing it the minute you got it and making a face of disgust. dallas laughed at the sight. “cute..” he mumbled. then, dallas had realized it. he was falling for a girl he’d barely known, his laid back “no fucks in the world” demeanor was being crushed by a new town girl. 

hours had passed, you were now drunk and tired, words seemingly slurring before you could even form a sentence. “let’s get ya home, doll” dallas said, helping you to stand and walking you out of buck’s. before he’d left, he’d asked if anyone knew where you lived. since the town wasn’t too big and you were new, it was easy for him to figure that out from anyone there.

once dallas got you home to your doorstep you were a tad bit sobered up, just enough to carry your own weight. 

“hey uh, y’know if you ever want company you can just uh, call me or somethin.. never really busy and if i don’t answer it’s cause i got in with the fuzz.” dallas said, scratching his head. you smiled at the boys pathetic yet cute words. he’d wanted your company without asking for it. “yeah sure, why not? don’t get yourself into too much trouble now, i wanna see you more dally.”

and somehow to dallas, the nickname had squeezed his heart yet again. everyone called him dally, why was it different when you said it? you’d waved goodbye to dallas and went into your house, seemingly the call for dallas to make his way back to buck’s. the whole way back, his mind was stuck on you.

you’d made his life a little more interesting, a little sweeter, a little more desireable to live in just one night. you’d made his life a little “sweet, like cinnamon”.

[harrietswriting]

Could you do a cute little fic about Steve keeping pictures of yn in his wallet and yn sees them and gets all embarrassed and Steve teases her while trying to get her to quit being so self-conscious

an: Ah! This is such a cute idea!!! To the person who requested the ed fic: I'm so glad you liked it! Your message literally made my day when I saw it! Ily 💕

W: reader is insecure for a second. 60's pricing, fem compliments (pretty), idk

Steve Has Your Picture in His Wallet

Steve Randle x Reader

The Dingo is always loud. A place frequented by so many teenagers can't be expected to be anything but. It's usually a bit overwhelming, so you were hesitant when Steve told you that he was planning on taking you there for a date, but he told you that it would be fine, after all, it was a Tuesday afternoon! How busy could it be?

"Jesus." Steve mumbles after he opens the door for you and sees the inside of the Dingo. It is definitely loud and it is definitely busy.

"Is someone throwing a party? What's going on?" Steve looks around to see if there's a place to sit.

"Steve," you practically have to yell over the noise, "do we have to eat here?"

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't think it would be very busy. Let's go to that burger place you like down the street, that okay?" He looks down at you and grabs your hand.

"Yeah. It's not your fault, hun. I appreciate you wanting to take me out."

He brings your hand up to his lips and gently kisses it, making you giggle. He smiles at you then leads you out of the diner. The pair of you walk for a few minutes until you reach the restaurant. He holds the door for you and you walk inside, he follows. You sigh peacefully as you enter the much more calm environment. This place is way better. It's not nearly as busy, it's more quiet, the lights aren't so yellow, and there's a soft hum from the heater. You pull Steve along with you to the counter. You order your burger, fries, and a drink, then get out your wallet to pay. Steve puts his hand out to stop you.

"I've got it." He says.

"Are you sure?" You ask, surprised.

He nods and smirks. "Don't sound so surprised, I ain't completely broke." He then turns his attention to the cashier and orders. He takes out his small leather wallet when the cashier reads out the total. $1.05.

Steve opens his wallet, gets out the money, and hands it to the cashier. While doing so, something small and thin falls out of his wallet and drifts down to the ground. You pick it up for him and turn over the little paper to see what it is.

Your cheeks get hot and your eyes widen when you see that it's a picture of you.

"Why do you have this?" You ask, staring at the picture. This picture isn't even that good, you think, this is so embarrassing.

Steve looks over to see what you're holding, then he smirks again. "Cause you look real pretty in it." He wraps his arm around your shoulders and leads you to a booth.

"No I don't. That's a bad picture. I look weird." You tell him. The two of you find a booth and sit down. He looks at you with a puzzled expression then grabs the picture out of your hands and looks at it. "Looks like a good picture to me, babe. You looks beautiful."

You can't stop yourself from blushing more. You shake your head. "It's a bad picture."

He sighs. "Well, I like this one just fine, but if you want to get me a new one, I'm wouldn't be against that."

"You don't need a picture of me in your wallet." You try to say in a casual and not insecure way.

"Yes I do. I want to see your pretty face as often as I can. I look at this all the time when I'm at work." He smiles then puts the picture back in his wallet.

You can't stop the slight smile that creeps onto your face, but you still feel embarrassed and, honestly, a bit insecure. Though your boyfriend's comments do make you feel a little better.

"What's wrong? You really don't like me having a picture of you, baby?" He puts his forearms on the table and leans towards you.

"I- Do you really think I look pretty in it?" You ask shyly.

Steve reaches out of lightly touches your cheek. "You always look pretty, so yes." He smiles.

You look up at him, you pause before you speak. "Could you get a more recent and better one?" You ask hesitantly.

"Yeah, if you want me to. You gonna give me one, baby?"

"I can. My friend has a Polaroid camera."

He moves his hand from your cheek and holds your hand. "I'll be looking forward to it then."

You smile warmly. The little bit of embarrassment you're feeling is being overpowered by so many other things. You also feel weirdly honored and you feel cherished. Steve keeping your picture in his wallet really makes you feel like he loves you. Although you're aware that it's corny, you're planning on writing something cute on the back of the new picture for him. "For my love" or "I'll always love you" or something like that.

A few days later, you deliver the picture go Steve and he could not be more happy. He's completely overjoyed, and when he sees your little message on the back– he might just melt. It's safe to say he will cherish that picture for a long, long time.

An: Yall I did not know how to end this. Word count: 880 Hopefully you guys like it 💕

[dudegender]

Steve had a hard time remembering a lot of things. Granted, whatever he’d forgotten was always very minor. He also had a hard time showing his emotions, but if he ever did, they were subtle, and if someone decided to say something about it then he wouldn’t allow himself to slip up again for a while after.

That never did really stop him from fully being void of feelings around the gang, though. Whether he realized it or not, he showed that he cared through memorizing things for each of them.

He would remind Sodapop about wearing his shoes, shirt, or belt almost everyday.

He would remind Darry of what to jot down on the grocery list when he’d said what he needed out loud but forgot soon after.

He would remind Two-bit what times mickey episodes were on when they did an irregular broadcast every Tuesday.

He would remind Ponyboy of the book he had left on the porch after he’d searched for it inside the house for about five minutes.

He would remind Dally of where one of the rings he fidgeted with had been laid down at.

He would remind Johnny that his homework and pencil were stuffed underneath the couch in an attempt to shield it from roughhousing.

Steve hadn’t picked up on the pattern till Dally told him to ‘mind his damn business’ when he once said his ring was on the kitchen counter. He stopped reminding anyone of anything for three weeks, then started up again, which everyone was very grateful for, though they wouldn’t dare to voice it.

Nobody but Sodapop returned the favor. He helped Steve remember lots of things, but his car keys being in his left pocket instead of his right was the most common one.

[dynamicdiplomacy]

Surprise art for my Outsiders fic, Love's a Stubborn Fool. I've had this image of Pony and Soda's bedroom burning in my brain for weeks and now friends, you get to witness it too!

A quiet moment between Darry and Pony, after an unexpected awakening in the middle of the night.

“You can’t make promises like that.” He says matter-of-factly like it’s not the cruelest thing Darry’s ever heard from his lips. His baby brother, who used to go through the world making pinky promises with reckless abandon and a surefire grin, has had so many promises torn away from him that he doesn’t believe in them anymore.

If you haven’t read the fic yet, you can find it here:

Do not repost, adapt, or modify any of my art or writing.

[kaytheday]

Little Sister - Ace's Perspective on when Darry nearly went soc

This fic is inspired by some tags left on my post by @specific-dreamer! I have grown to love Ace so much! I also have no idea how old Ace is in comparison to everyone else. Alas! Enjoy!

The first time Ace had been to the Curtis house she had limped inside, leaning heavily on her half-brother Steve with blood dripping down her face. He had set her gently on the couch, the others around her saying things she couldn’t hear through the buzzing in her ears. 

Things were getting bad around town again, so bad that Steve and her had been jumped just trying to get home.While they were walking a soc’s mustang had rolled down the window and started yelling terrible things. Things Ace didn’t even want to repeat, the kind of stuff that nobody would say to those soc girls. When Steve had dared to yell back, four soc’s had poured out of the car and started running towards them. She’d barely had time to fumble her blade out of her back pocket before one of them had tackled her to the pavement. She’d taken about four punches before she’d screamed. 

“You want to be a boy so bad? Why don’t you start by taking your punches like one, huh?” The soc had sneered before hitting her again. 

She doesn’t remember much after that, too many hits to the head will do that to you. The next thing she does remember is Two-Bit touching her face after they’d chased off the last of those socs. 

“You look okay kid, let’s get out of here.” 

Then she was at the Curtis home. It was like she had never known comfort before that house. Mr. Curtis and Mrs. Curtis had been gone that night, but everyone else was there. That’s the first time she met the gang, except for Two-Bit of course. 

It was Darrel Curtis that had set right to cleaning up this random kid on his couch. Darry always had to be doing something and right now the only thing to do was fix her up. It was at that moment she was sure he’d delegated himself to be her additional older brother. Soda had fallen in love with her immediately, something Ace liked to tease him for but Darry… Darry had taken it upon himself to be her protector. And he had, since then, Darry always protected Ace. In fights, from mean boys at school, even from unsuspecting comments made by the gang. One time Dallas had made a comment about her making him a sandwich and Darry had nearly clocked him into next week. 

“You don’t get to say that shit to her, ya hear Dallas? Not in this house, not anywhere.” Dallas had rubbed his jaw glaring at Darry before storming out of the house angrily. He hadn’t said sorry but he hadn’t done anything like it since. It was the closest she would ever get to an apology from Dallas Winston. 

All of this was before Darry had gotten his new soc friends. To be fair, he’d always had to be closer to the socs than the rest of them. He was in the smarter classes at school and he was on the football team. Both areas in which there are typically more socs than greasers. 

The only difference was this year, he had actually become friends with them instead of just tolerating them like he used to. It had gone so far that he was spending the night at their houses, going to their parties, and sometimes even wearing their clothes. 

Ace knew it hurt every member of the gang to see Darry buddying around with the enemy, but for some reason it had cut her deeper. Now he was friends with those same boys he used to protect her from. The same boys that still found time to beat her up and call her slurs. It just hurt to be betrayed by one of the people she never thought would betray her. She carried that anger right at the bottom of her throat, as if waiting for a moment to yell and release it all.  

The worst was when Paul Holden and some of his friends had gotten ahold of her after school one day. Soda, Steve and Two-Bit had skipped, probably to get some lunch with their girlfriends. Johnny and Ponyboy weren’t in high school yet, still at the middle school. Ace was barely older, young and small for a freshman. She’d started the walk home to her grandparents house when she was passing the corner store. Paul Holden and his friends had strolled out of the store. 

She’d barely had time to count them all before they attacked her. Two of them dragged her by the arms to the ground. She’d gone down kicking and screaming, trying in vain to get herself free. It hadn’t been enough though.

“Have we found ourselves a little boy fellas?” Paul sneered. 

“Naw, I don’t know what this thing is, Paul.” Another one had answered, punctuating his statement by kicking her ribs in. 

They left her there once they had finished. Ace laid there for a minute, still seeing stars before she’d all but dragged herself to the Curtis household. Nobody was home and so she’d gotten out the first aid kit and started cleaning up before collapsing on the couch. 

Later, everyone had filed in and Ace told them what had happened. She’d left out the part that it was Darry’s friends but Dallas was still fuming. Darry still wasn’t home. He was the only one Ace dreaded seeing anyway. How could she tell him that his brand new buddies had beat the shit out of her? They had nearly killed her outside the corner store after school! How would she tell him the horrible things they had said? The names they had called her and nasty comments that still made her sick to her stomach? She found herself hating him. Darry hadn’t been the one to beat her up but he might as well have. He had betrayed her with the company he kept. 

When Darry had walked through the door that night, finishing out his long day of school and work at his part time job, Ace had been fuming, shaking with a mix of fear and fury. She had been so distraught that she could hardly look in his direction. 

“Let's go.” She had whispered to Steve sitting next to her. Soda gave her a confused, almost concerned look. He had always been good at reading people and Ace was no exception. She had to look away, fearing her face would betray her true feelings. Then Steve helped her up and they started home. 

Ace heard later from Steve who heard from Two-Bit who heard from Ponyboy that Dallas had really laid into Darry about the company he was keeping. Apparently Ace getting jumped had really gotten to Dallas. So much so he started yelling at Darry. He hadn’t said anything about what happened to her but he had said more than enough about Darry wanting to be a soc. Darry hadn’t taken nicely to that and Mr. and Mrs. Curtis had walked in on the two boys fighting. 

The next Monday at school Ace had seen Darry with Paul and the rest of those boys and that had hurt her more than anything. More than the busted ribs and the black eyes she was still carrying. Seeing Darry look at her and look back at Paul acting as if he hadn’t even seen her cut deeper than any knife. 

The person that was supposed to be her friend had become an enemy. Indistinguishable from those who had jumped her and called her names a day earlier. 

She’d skipped school the rest of her classes that day, having half a mind to drive to light his football jersey on fire. But she didn’t. 

Usually when Ace was this frustrated, she would find Soda and talk to him. He could always help her, but she was scared he would defend Darry and she didn’t want to hear any of that. This was the first time she had been jumped this bad in a while and it had left her terrified out of her mind, constantly looking over her shoulder, and nervous. In the past, after she had gotten jumped, she would try to stay as close to Darry as possible, any of the guys really but mostly Darry. She had always known he wouldn't let anything happen to her with those tree trunk arms, but now… now she wasn’t sure what he would do. She was lost, she didn’t know who to go to. 

So, she just stuck close to Steve and tried to stay out of the Curtis home. Staying away as much as possible. 

Despite it all, the gang seemed to notice. 

“Staying away kid?” Dallas found her smoking on her porch one day. “We ain’t seen you around much.”

“Yeah.” She’d said shortly, taking another drag.

“You know, I really don’t blame you. I’ve been staying away myself actually. Damn Darrel and those socs, all the way to hell.” He lit his own cigarette and sat down next to her. The two didn’t say anything else, just finishing their cigarettes and going their separate ways. 

That was one thing she had to love about Dallas Winston. He came off cold but he had a level of understanding to him that was deep in a different way than anyone she’d ever known. 

Soda had tried to talk to her too. 

“You okay Ace?” They were skipping school and had gone to a gas station for lunch. She had popped a piece of her stolen bubble gum. 

“Sure Soda.” She tried to sound confused but one look from Soda told her that he wasn’t falling for it. 

“It’s just… You haven’t really been around the house much and when you are…” You don’t stay long. That part went unfinished. She didn’t want to see Darry, she thought that if she saw him she’d start yelling and if she started yelling things would get bad again. Like they had before Ace had been welcomed into the gang. Back when she and Steve were alone. She didn’t want to be alone again but she didn’t know if betrayal was much better.

“You ever think I have other friends? Things to do that don’t involve you? You’re so self-centered Soda, it’s all those good looks, they get in your head.” She tried to say it with a smile, even pinching his ear like they used to do as kids. But it seemed Soda didn’t want to play this game anymore. He quickly turned serious. 

“You can always talk to me, you know?” He said, knocking his shoulder against hers. “If there is anything that’s troublin’ you, I’m always here.”

“I know.” He smiled then, stealing a piece of her gum and running off before she could kick him. 

So that's how it went for a couple more weeks. Ace stayed away from the Curtis home and tried to stay invisible at school, but those boys had singled her out and seemed hell-bent on seeing her dead. They called her slurs and said nasty things to her. Things that would turn her dead momma in her grave. So she tried her best to fade into the background. Don’t get her wrong, Ace was never one to run from a fight but there was a difference between being brave and being plain stupid and Ace had never been stupid. She wasn’t going to run head-first into a fight she couldn’t win and she definitely wasn’t going to run to someone who wouldn’t even bother to protect her anymore. 

Soda had definitely noticed something was wrong between her and Darry. Whether or not he had said anything to Darry? She didn’t know and she didn’t intend to find out. 

It all happened late on a Friday night. Ace had gone to the drive-in with Steve, Soda, and Two-Bit, she had left by herself. Some of those soc girls had shown up and started making fun of her, calling her ugly and boyish, pretty much the usual. Ace grew frustrated and told Steve she was going to the bathroom, opting instead to start the run home. In hindsight, it wasn’t the smartest decision she had ever made. 

She had been a block away from the Curtis house before she had realized where her feet were taking her. Just as she started to turn around, a mustang began flashing its lights at her. She started to run but didn’t get far before Paul and his friends got ahold of her. She had yelled something awful, knowing full well that nobody in their neighborhood would do a thing about it. Maybe that was why the socs chose to jump her on greaser turf, they knew no one would call the cops. 

Paul shut her up with a punch to the mouth, she felt her lip split. Two soc boys held back her arms. 

“Well well well, what do we have he-,” She spat blood at him before he could finish his growling sentiment. They all stopped, holding their breath as if waiting for Paul's next move. Then they erupted into howling laughter, like a pack of nasty hyenas.  

“Do you think that scares me? You greaser scum.” He delivered a blow to her stomach. She lost her breath and would have doubled over if not for the boys holding her up. 

“Oh… I think there's a lot that scares you.” She said with a wince. “You soc scum!” Paul hit her several more times, managing to split her eyebrow open, blood pouring into her face. Then they drop her to the ground. 

“Say that again you little dyke! Say that shit again!” 

“I don’t need to!” She spits back. “You heard me the first time, you know what you are!” She starts to say more but they begin kicking her. 

It’s getting to the point where she doesn’t even register how many times they’re hitting her anymore. Her whole body is pulsating in pain with her heartbeat. She tries again to scream or move or do something but she's pinned. Right as Ace is about to pass out she hears someone shout. 

“Hey! What the hell…” The voice fades after that and she feels like her head is underwater. 

When she finally comes around, she’s lying on her back. Blood drips from her eye and onto the cracked sidewalk below her. She’s suddenly hyper aware of Darry patting her cheek softly, looking more scared than she’s seen him in a long time. 

“...an you hear me? Ace baby… come on…. Can you hear me? Ace?” She blinks dumbly and tries to say something but her mouth won't work properly. Isn’t she supposed to be mad at Darry? It’s his friends who just beat her up. She can’t think straight.  “Okay, Let’s just get you home Ace.” He doesn’t wait for an answer before sliding his hands under her head and knees, picking her up as gently as he can and carrying her down the rest of the block and into the house. 

She doesn’t even register the walk… or being set down on the couch. Her head is still swimming and she can only feel pain and anger. Darry wasn’t supposed to save her! He was supposed to jump in and help his friends beat her up! She couldn’t believe he’d saved her. Not after everything. 

Darry came out of the kitchen with an ice pack and the first aid kit. 

“What’s goin’ on Ace? I ain’t seen you around anymore kid. What were you doing walkin’ home alone?” Ace could have answered him kindly, but she had weeks of pent up anger towards Darrel Curtis. He wasn’t going to get off this easy. 

“What do you care?” She spat. “Not like you’re around much anyway.” The way his eyebrows rose clear to his hairline told Ace that he had no idea what she was talking about. 

“What are you talking about?” He asked. 

“Don’t give me that!” She said, flecks of blood spraying from her lips. “With the company you keep, you should’ve helped Paul and your buddies jump me. You damn soc!” She spits out the last part with a conviction that only comes out of weeks of bottled-up anger. 

“What? Are you serious?” To his credit, he looks genuinely hurt, not that it soothes Ace’s temper any.

“You know what? I’m leaving, you asshole.” She goes to stand but is overcome with a wave of nausea, suddenly dry heaving while Darry runs for a bowl. 

Darry rubs her back as she empties her stomach. Which is mostly popcorn and soda from the drive in. 

“You probably have a concussion. Just take it easy Ace.” She wants to relax but Ace is still fired up, she has so many things to say to her once friend and surrogate older brother. 

“Yeah, thanks to your friends, real nice company you keep Darrel.” She doesn’t know if it’s the concussion making her honest or the angry bitterness running through her veins but she says it. 

“What are you talking about, my friends?” He moves for the first aid kit and starts fixing the cut on her eyebrow. 

“You’re tellin me you chased em off and didn’t see who they were? Paul and all your buddies were the ones that jumped me!” 

“That can’t be right.” Darry looks almost stricken. 

“It is. You think I’m stupid? That I couldn’t see the guys that jumped me? It was all those soc royalty guys you like to buddy around with.” 

“You’re making it sound like I have a choice in all of this Ace. They’re the people I’m around every day, they’re on the football team, I have to be friendly.” 

“Of course you have a choice in all of this. I just don’t understand how you could betray us.” 

“I’m not betraying anyone. I’m just doing what I have to.” Darry says through gritted teeth, he’s starting to get frustrated which is exactly what Ace is going for. 

“You hanging out with those socs is betraying all of us. You’d really trade the gang? Your flesh and blood? For what? Some jackals in letterman jackets and nice shoes? You think they give a damn about you? They don’t! You’re betraying us for nothing!.” She scoffs, flinching a little as he adds a butterfly stitch to her eye. 

“If you think I’m betraying my brothers or any of you, you’re stupider than you look! I’m doing what I have to do. To live my life right! To get out of Tulsa!” Darry finishes with the stitches and stands up, he’s openly yelling now. 

“Being a soc is living your life right?” Ace stands too, nearly two heads shorter than Darry but that doesn’t matter. She’s all spitfire and raw emotion. Darry needs a wake up call anyway. “I don’t understand how you can buddy around them when you protected me! When you stood up for me! You don’t know half the things those boys did to me, half the things they say to me! They’re terrible people and they’re gonna make you terrible too!” The last part comes out like a choked sob, but she swallows it. Ace doesn’t cry. Not in front of anyone. 

“What?” He looks like someone has slapped him and Ace is a little scared she pushed him too far. “What did they do to you?” His voice is icy, Ace didn’t expect that response. Ace doesn’t answer, she’s blinking back tears and is still in pain from the fight. “Ace. What did they do?” He emphasizes every syllable in that protective way, the same way that reminds her of how things used to be. 

“They… They…” She’s struggling for words and rightly so, but once the words start, they don’t stop. Coming out like a flood of terror. “They say terrible things to me at school every day, they call me names and slurs. Everytime I pass them in the hall they make fun of my hair and my clothes and my dead momma. Sometimes they pull my hair and they’ve jumped me twice now. I’m scared, Darry.” She sounds younger than she is and immediately Darry softens, taking a step towards his little sister. “I’m scared they’ll make good on their threats, or hurt me, or even kill me! I’m just scared all the time and I’m scared that you won’t help me because you’re friends with them now too.” 

Ace sits down on the couch, the fight knocked out of her. There it is, out in the open. She closes her eyes, ready to hear Darry start yelling again or worse tell her she deserves it but she doesn’t hear anything. Instead she opens her eyes to see Darry pale faced and visibly trembling. His cold blue eyes looking at her with something… pity? Fear? Annoyance? Something. 

“Ace… god…” He’s at a loss for words. “I didn’t know it was that bad.” 

“But you knew it was bad?” She’s exhausted, she’s suddenly so tired and ready to go to sleep. 

“Yeah, I mean, I know that they always have it out for greasers but… I’m gonna kill them for this. I didn’t know they were saying all that, I’m so sorry.” Ace doesn’t say it’s okay because it’s not. What they did will never be made okay. Darry looks up at her again. “Ace… I would never help them hurt you. I would never do anything to hurt you.” Surprisingly enough, Ace can feel a tear slide down her cheek. “You have to know that, okay? I would die before I let them do anything to my baby sister.”

 It’s the first thing he’s said all night that Ace truly believes. Darry would always protect her, of course he would. That never went away. He would never do anything to hurt her intentionally. 

Darry pulls her into his chest in a hug, his knees on the ground. Ace hugs him back, her quiet tears soaking his shirt as she clutches her arms to him. Then he pulls away and she wipes her eyes, sniffing a little and trying to laugh. 

“Don’t go turning soc on us Darry. I couldn’t take it.” But Darry isn’t laughing. 

“I’m going to kill Paul and Chet and all the rest of them for this Ace. I swear to god I’m gonna kill them.” He softens when he looks at her. “I’m going to stop Ace, I’m going to stop trying to be something I’m not. For the gang and for you.” She smiles easily, accepting that.  

“Thanks greaser.” She says good naturally, Darry grins.

“You sure you’re okay?” He says looking her over as if he missed something. 

“Yeah, it just hurts.”

“It’ll be okay, I’ll get you some aspirin. Stay here tonight and try to get some sleep. I’m going to see if I can find my brothers.” 

“Okay greaser.” She had a sneaky feeling that he might run into Paul as well but she didn't say anything. 

“Good night little sister. Call if you need anything.” She just nodded, sleeping well for the first time in weeks.

[ponykidcurtis]

overdue for a revival (spent so long just gettin' by) | ao3 link

The latch on the mailbox squeaks, always has, and the hinge is rusty, but it opens just the same. Pony grabs the stack of papers inside and leafs through. Bills, junk, more bills, more junk. And underneath, in an envelope so pristinely white it nearly glows; Mr. Curtis 731 North St. Louis Ave Tulsa, Oklahoma 74106 Ponyboy damn near chokes on his own heart. Mr. Curtis has never been anyone but his father, and sometimes Darry when the state comes knockin’. But there's no mistaking who it's for; the crisp seal, a bright red circle next the return address, is a dead giveaway. The University of Oklahoma. or; Ponyboy has his first panic attack.

[dalilacherie]

Can you please do something about Dally being shown affection for the first time? Preferably from Darry and/or the Curtis parents? Can be a fic, hcs, whatever, just please give my little boy some love.

𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲

[𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠!𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟]

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: This story takes place two years before the book because I can't remember if I mentioned that at all in the story. (+ Little Pony because I think his scenes are cute).

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: ~1,300!!

Inside it was warm and filled with the smell of dinner cooking. It was a chilly evening, and I was just finishing setting the table when the front door creaked open. I expected to see one of my boys, but instead, a disheveled figure stumbled in. It was Dallas Winston, looking more of a mess than usual.

His clothes were dirty and torn, his face bruised, and there was a haunted look in his eyes that sent a shiver down my spine. "Mrs. Curtis," he mumbled, swaying on his feet.

"Dallas, what happened to you?" I rushed over, catching him just as he started to fall.

"Got into some trouble," he muttered, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.

I guided him to the couch, feeling the tension in his muscles. "Sit down, sweetheart. Let me get you something to drink." I hurried to the kitchen, pouring a glass of water and grabbing a wet cloth. When I returned, he was slumped over, looking more vulnerable than I’d ever seen him.

I knelt in front of him, gently dabbing at the blood on his face. He flinched at first, then relaxed a little, his eyes watching me warily. "You didn't have to do this," he mumbled.

"Nonsense," I replied softly. "You're hurt, and you need help. We're family here."

He blinked, as if the idea of being part of a family was foreign to him. "Family," he echoed, his voice filled with a mix of longing and disbelief.

"Dallas, you’re always welcome here," I said, my voice firm but kind. "No matter what."

He looked away, biting his lip. "Ain't used to people caring," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

I felt my heart break a little for him. "Well, you better get used to it, because we do care. Darry, Ponyboy, Sodapop... and me. We care about you, Dallas."

He didn’t say anything, but I saw the tears welling up in his eyes. I pulled him into a hug, feeling him stiffen at first, then slowly relax into the embrace. "It's okay, Dallas," I murmured. "You're safe here."

He stayed like that for a while, clinging to me like a lifeline. I stroked his back, whispering soothing words until I felt him start to calm down.

The door opened again, and Darry walked in, his eyes widening at the sight of Dallas in my arms. "What happened?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Dallas got into some trouble," I explained. "But he's going to be fine. He's with family now."

Darry nodded, coming over to kneel beside us. "You need anything, Dallas?" he asked, his tone gentle.

Dallas shook his head, but there was a grateful look in his eyes. "Just... thanks," he muttered.

"Anytime, man," Darry replied, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

I could hear Ponyboy's soft footsteps approaching, and I looked up to see my youngest standing in the doorway. His eyes were wide with concern as he took in the scene, Dallas still slumped on the couch with Darry beside him.

"Pony, come here," I called gently, waving him over. He hesitated for a moment before stepping forward, clutching something in his small hands. As he got closer, I realized it was his favorite stuffed animal, a well-worn brown bear he'd named Mr. Snuggles.

"Hey, Dally," Ponyboy said softly, his voice tentative. "I brought you something."

Dallas looked up, his expression a mix of confusion and exhaustion. "What's that, kid?"

Ponyboy held out the stuffed bear, his face earnest. "This is Mr. Snuggles. He always makes me feel better when I'm sad or hurt. I want you to have him."

Dallas's eyes widened, and he looked from the bear to Ponyboy, then back again. "Uh, thanks, kid, but I'm too old for stuffed toys," he said, trying to sound tough.

Ponyboy's face fell, his eyes filling with hurt. He looked down at the bear, then back up at Dallas. "But... Mr. Snuggles really helps. I thought he could help you too."

There was a moment of silence, and I could see the internal struggle in Dallas's eyes. Finally, he sighed, reaching out to take the bear from Ponyboy's hands. "Alright. Thanks," he said, his voice softer.

Ponyboy's face lit up with a relieved smile. "You're welcome, Dally. Mr. Snuggles will take good care of you, I promise."

Dallas looked at the bear for a moment, then back at Ponyboy. "Yeah, I bet he will," he said.

Ponyboy beamed, then climbed up onto the couch beside Dallas. "You can keep him as long as you need," he said, patting Dallas on the knee.

Dallas gave a small, almost shy smile. "Thanks, Pony."

I watched the interaction with a warm feeling in my chest. Seeing my boys care for each other like this made me feel hopeful for all of them, especially Dallas. He needed this – needed to know he had people who cared, who would be there for him no matter what.

Darry glanced at me, and I could see the same pride and relief in his eyes. We both knew this was a step forward for Dallas, a small but significant moment of acceptance and love.

"Alright, boys," I said, standing up. "How about we get some dinner on the table? I'm sure everyone's hungry."

Ponyboy hopped off the couch, eager as always. "I'll help, Mom!"

Dallas looked up at me, holding Mr. Snuggles a little tighter. "Thanks, Mrs. Curtis. For everything."

I smiled, reaching out to ruffle his hair gently. "Anytime, Dallas. You're family, don't ever forget that."

Darry’s eyes shifted, taking in Dallas's torn and dirty clothes. His jacket, once tough and proud like Dallas himself, was now a tattered mess. Darry’s brow furrowed with concern. “Hang on a sec, Dally,” he said, rising to his feet.

Dallas looked up, confused. “What’re you doin’?”

“Just hold on,” Darry repeated, disappearing into the hallway.

Ponyboy was still hovering nearby, watching everything with wide eyes. I gave him a reassuring smile and a quick hug. “You did good, Pony."

Ponyboy scurried off to the kitchen. I turned back to Dallas, who was eyeing the hallway suspiciously, his fingers still gripping Mr. Snuggles tightly.

Darry returned a moment later, holding a large leather bomber jacket. It was one of his favorites, worn but sturdy, with a timeless look that seemed to suit Dallas perfectly.

“Here,” Darry said, holding the jacket out to him. “Your jacket’s seen better days. Take this.”

Dallas stared at the jacket, then back at Darry. “I can’t take that,” he protested weakly. “It’s yours.”

“I want you to have it,” Darry insisted. “You need it more than I do right now.”

Dallas hesitated, his eyes flicking between Darry and the jacket. Finally, he reached out, taking it with trembling hands. He pulled it on, and despite his rough appearance, the jacket seemed to fit him like it was made for him.

“Thanks, Darry,” Dallas said, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked down at himself, almost like he didn’t recognize the person wearing the new jacket.

Darry smiled, a rare, gentle smile that softened his usually stern features. “Looks good on you, Dally. Now, how about we get you cleaned up and ready for dinner?”

Dallas nodded, the smallest hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, okay.”

Ponyboy came back into the room, his eyes lighting up when he saw Dallas in the new jacket. “Wow, Dally! You look cool!” he exclaimed, his admiration clear.

Dallas chuckled softly, the sound almost foreign after the tension of the evening. “Thanks, kid. You picked a good bear, too.”

Ponyboy beamed, proud of the small part he played in making Dallas feel better.

As we all moved to the kitchen, I felt a sense of warmth and togetherness that filled the house.

[littlestarbigsky]

i made this post a few days ago and it’s just been lingering in my head for a while (plus y’all seemed to vibe with it lol), i could talk about ponyboy with water trauma foreverrrr

it’s kinda short but here’s soda washing pony’s hair for him post canon :)

darry set the basket of towels fresh from the dryer on the kitchen table and looked over at soda, who was setting his shampoo and conditioner on the side of the sink.

“where do you want these?” he asked, and soda looked over.

“oh, don’t worry about it, i’ll put them out, thanks, darry.”

darry nodded and busied himself with folding another basket of laundry in the living room. he wanted to be close by in case things went south, and they definitely could if soda wasn’t careful.

soda laid a few of the towels out on the cleared-off kitchen counter, rolling one up and placing it next to the sink and setting another by the shampoo to use for drying when they were finished.

“hey, pony, we’re all ready in here!” soda called, no notes of impatience in his voice, just passing along the message.

after a few minutes, pony sidled out of their room, wrapped up in one of his favorite hoodies. it had once belonged to darry and could swallow the kid whole, but he’d been wearing it nonstop since he’d been back home.

“you ready, kiddo?” soda asked, and pony only shrugged. soda smiled playfully, trying to keep things as lighthearted as they could get, “alright, then step on up. maybe take off that sweatshirt, i’ll get you a towel for your shoulders.”

pony hesitantly pulled the sweatshirt over his head and threw it into the basket with the towels, taking the towel soda handed him.

“want the water warm or cold?” soda asked gently, turning on the sink and checking the temperature with his hand.

the three of them had always gone back and forth with taking cold showers, darry insisted it helped him feel more productive and also helped with all of his muscle tension. soda had done it once and decided he would never do it again, but pony would get in the habit during track season, and had been doing it more often since he’d come home.

“warm,” pony answered quickly. “just not hot…”

“you got it,” soda smiled. “in that case, i think we’re ready, c’mon over.”

pony walked over to the counter and hopped up, laying his head back against the makeshift pillow soda had made with one of the towels. he took a few steadying breaths, listening to the water running. he looked up at the sun catcher in the kitchen window that their mother had painted. he could smell darry’s aftershave on the towel around his shoulders. he took a moment to check in with what was happening in his body; unclench his jaw, stop biting his cheek, keep his breathing as steady as it could be.

soda started slowly by wetting his hands and running them through his hair. he was so careful, taking care to keep the water off of pony’s face and out of his ears, not missing the tension in his shoulders or the stony look in his eyes.

“let me know if you need to stop, okay?”

“i know.”

he squirted some shampoo into his hands and started to work it into ponyboy’s mangled hair. he tried as hard as he could to be gentle, but it was so tangled from not being washed for so long and there was so much grease to work through, compounded over two weeks of improper care.

it was heartbreaking work. it made soda’s heart ache knowing how badly ponyboy had to be feeling if he couldn’t take care of his hair. of course, it wasn’t the same hair he had left home with. it was dried out and chopped awkwardly, soda still felt a little shocked every time he saw pony out of the corner of his eye.

pony flinched when soda worked out an especially tough knot, and soda frowned, “sorry, kiddo, i’m almost done.”

he rinsed out the shampoo as quickly as he could, giving the same treatment with the conditioner.

he couldn’t help but cringe at how botched johnny’s bleach job had really been, some patches a perfect platinum blond and some a bright yellow. pony had called it a halloween costume he was stuck in.

soda’s stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch as he carded his hands through pony’s dried out ends and saw pieces of his auburn-brown roots starting to come in. it made him feel strangely at peace with the whole thing. their whole world had stopped, or at least it seemed that way, and yet ponyboy’s hair still grew. the world still spun, and with each passing day, the weight of what had happened to them felt less heavy. one day his hair would grow out and maybe he would let them cut it, maybe he would let that part of his pain go.

they were in no rush, they would let it take all the time he needed it to, but it was comforting all the same to know that with every passing day, with every breath, they were getting close to things feeling better. one day closer to the reality of all of their pain not being so fresh.

soda finished up rinsing out the conditioner, shut the water off, and grabbed the towel from the other side of the sink, wringing out the water from pony’s hair. he sat his little brother up on the counter, drying his hair as gently as he could.

he grabbed pony’s face in his hands when he had finished, holding his gaze, “you alright, honey?”

pony swallowed thickly and nodded, “can i have my hoodie?”

soda gave a tight-lipped smile, “of course. do you wanna go sit with darry?”

pony nodded again, shrugging the towel off his shoulders and hopping off the counter. soda handed him the hoodie, warm from the towels, and pony clumsily pulled it over his head, quickly pulling the hood off his wet hair. soda cleaned up the excess water from around the sink as pony dragged his feet over to the couch and flopped down next to darry, his knees tucked into his stomach and his head comfortably laid back against darry’s chest.

darry threw an arm over pony’s shoulders and pulled him into his side, resting his cheek on the top of pony’s head. soda came over after cleaning everything up and piled in next to pony, effectively crushing their baby brother between them.

“you feel better now that that hair is clean?” darry asked, messing it up a little for good measure.

“mhm,” pony nodded, sinking down into the couch and almost burying himself in the material of the hoodie.

“good, can we get you anything?” soda asked.

pony shook his head, “‘m tired.”

“okay,” soda leaned over towards the coffee table and turned the radio down before snuggling back in with his brothers. “you can rest, baby, we’re right here.”

[augiewrites]

"bartender" - dallas winston

request: Hi! I love your work and was wondering if you could do one for Dally from the outsiders where he's helping bartend for Buck to earn a couple bucks and Curtis!Reader is just sitting at the bar teasing him about it.

pairing: dallas winston x curtis!reader

word count: 618

a/n: i can't tell if i'm writing dally too ooc, but i was aiming more for shithead vibes than meanie vibes

Dally was too aware of Y/N Curtis sitting all by her lonesome at the end of the bar. She was wearing a nice dress and more makeup than usual, but Dallas hadn’t seen her speak to anyone since arriving. She looked good—a fact that Dally would never admit out loud.

“Ain’t it past your bedtime?” He asked, sitting a fresh beer in front of her. The bottle she ordered at the beginning of the night had been long finished, the label picked clean and laying in a little pile on the bar.

“Aren’t you the one always telling me ‘sleep is for the weak’?” She smirked at him, taking a long drink from the bottle, “Just taking a page out of your book.”

He leaned against the bar, “Your brothers know you’re here?”

“What they don’t know won’t kill them,” she rolled her eyes, “I deserve to have a little fun too.”

“Being all depressing by yourself isn’t exactly what I’d call fun.”

Y/N glared at him as he moved to take another patron’s order. After a few short minutes, he returned to his spot across from her and gave her an expectant look.

They stared each other down for a few seconds before Y/N rolled her eyes at him, looking away.

Dallas opened his mouth to tell her to either stop being a sad sack or go home when she cut him off, still not meeting his gaze.

“I was supposed to meet up with Scott Davis, but he never showed.”

“Davis? That guy’s a fuckin bum!”

She finally looked up at him, anger flaring behind her eyes, “Well it’s not like I wanna marry him or anything! You’re not exactly fit to be lecturing me on who to hang out with.”

“Oh, I think I’m perfectly fit, dollface.”

She rolled away the anger in her eyes and sent him a teasing smile, “I guess it takes a bum to know one.”

He glared at her, but only half heartedly, flicking a small piece of ice at her forehead.

“Yup—that right there. Bum behavior.”

“I guess it takes a bum to know one,” he mocked her, “at least I have a job.”

“Not sure if you’re gonna make six figures by over-serving people and being mean to lonely girls at the bar.” Y/N finished her drink and slid the empty bottle across the bar.

Dallas continued glaring, “Y’know, you’re a mean drunk, lady.”

Y/N laughed, and Dallas couldn’t help the smirk pulling at his lips.

“Two beers is hardly enough to be drunk.”

“Alright, then. You’re just mean,” Dallas popped the cap off another beer and sat it in front of Y/N. “Gonna start correcting people when they go on about how ‘Y/N Curtis is just such a nice girl’”, he shook his head, “if only they knew.”

Y/N scoffed, “I don’t think anyone’s ever said that.”

“Yeah, right, with your whole ‘Saint Curtis’ act—helpin’ old ladies cross the street and tutoring dumbass kids.”

“Devil in disguise I guess,” the pair smirked at each other, holding the gaze for much longer than they should have.

Y/N cleared her throat, looking around the bar, “Shouldn’t you be doing your job?”

He took the bottle from her grasp before finishing it off in one last swig, “Shouldn’t you be going home?”

She scoffed and started collecting her things, standing up from the bar stool. “That towel,” she pointed to the dish rag tossed over his shoulder, “makes you look stupid, by the way.”

Dally removed the towel to swat at her, “Go home, stupid.”

Y/N moved toward the door, sending Dally one last smile, “Go back to work, bum.”

[only-lonely-star]

Your recent fic of the Soda mishap is my new fav fic of the outsiders! It was so funny with just the right amount of angst!

Could I request a fic with a sister reader who is the youngest curtis and develops separation anxiety with Soda after the two of them were in a little fender bender? Neither were hurt but it brought up memories of their parents dying and she can't shake off the thought that Soda not being in her eyesight means he's gone too? She refuses to sleep in her own room goes with him to work (it's summer holidays so school isn't a factor) and anytime he showers she stands outsode the bathroom door asking if he's okay periodically. Just a big emotional breakdown if she happens to get separated from him? I hope that makes sense!

Thanks you!

☁︎ The Accident ☁︎

~ Sodapop Curtis ~

Warnings - Minor car accident, mentions of death, separation anxiety

Summary - You couldn’t imagine losing Sodapop.

Author’s Note - THIS REQUEST WAS MWAH!! CHEF’S KISS! 😽 I’m very proud of this one. It took me longer to write since I got a bit carried away, so I apologize for the long wait. I couldn't bring myself to make the ending sad, so I hope you all like how I closed the story. Thank you so much for requesting, enjoy it my loves !!

Word Count - 3.3k.

»——•——« »——•——« »——•——« »——•——«

You kicked back, finally able to rest after a long morning spent dipping in the lake with your older brother, Sodapop. It was summer break, so what better way to spend the day than being under the sun - swimming and shoving him around in the cool, crisp water? Your oldest brother, Darrel, still had work, even over the summer. Your third oldest brother, Ponyboy, decided he'd rather spend some time with his friends. Being the empath he is, Sodapop decided to drive you down to the lake to ensure you didn't feel left out. He loved spending quality time with you either way - he quite enjoyed your company.

Feet on the dashboard, you turned up the radio and sang along. You could practically feel the funky music thumping in your chest. The bass could be heard a mile away, causing Sodapop to let out a chuckle. "Havin' fun?" he asked, his eyes drifting to see you smile bigger than he ever had since the accident.

You nodded vigorously, a few stray droplets of water that remained on the ends of your hair flying onto Sodapop, dampening his skin. "Of course!" you beamed, removing your feet off the dashboard as you leaned back into your seat.

He gave a head nod of accomplishment at that. Sodapop was glad to have taken you out for a fun time for once. He would have to return to the DX again tomorrow morning, the cycle repeating all over again. "Glad we went swimmin', we could go next weekend or something too y'know..." he suggested, a grin on his lips not faltering once as he offered another trip down to the lake.

You gasped, already looking forward to it. "Really? Like - you'll actually take me again?" you asked, needing the last bit of reassurance before you could truly accept the offer.

He nodded once more, stopping at a red light to gently swat your shoulder with his knuckles. "'Course I'll take you again."

He earned another grin from you at that, proud of himself once more. Sodapop's eyes darted for the rearview mirror, noticing a red Pontiac Firebird riding up on the back of their car. "Well damn, you gonna slow down?" he asked aloud, a slight bit of annoyance in his voice. The car must have been going at least fifteen miles per hour right at the red light. You hadn't paid much attention to it until you noticed Sodapop's eyes go wide. The 'deer in headlights' gaze is the only right way you could describe it. Sodapop cursed under his breath once more, holding his hand out to press against your chest. The sound of screeching breaks against the road scared the both of you as you jerked forward. Sodapop's arm prevented you from moving around that much, but there was still an impact. You slowly opened your eyes, recovering from a wince you hadn't even realized was in effect.

"The fuck - ?!" he hollered, rolling down the window before slamming his hand onto the horn and holding it there to express his anger. Road rage was one thing, but this was totally different. Sodapop rarely acted out on his anger, let alone follow through with it and stick his hand out of the window just to flip him off.

You sat there, breath hitched in your throat as you momentarily dissociated whilst staring at the dashboard.

This was all too familiar for you. ‘The Accident’ is what still haunts the four of you to this day. Having both of your parents wind up in an auto wreck sure wasn’t on your bucket list at all.

It was the sound of the car nearly crashing that frightened you. The fact you could have obtained the same fate as your parents was such a big fear you’d been attempting to hide since the accident. What you dreaded the most was losing your brothers. Put in a life or death situation - you’d hand over your life in an instant if it would ensure your siblings would be safe.

It wasn’t until you realized you and Sodapop were pulled over with that same Pontiac behind you. Slowly returning to reality, the bearded man with salt and pepper-colored hair had his arms resting on the now rolled-down window. “She alright?” he asked, his eyes fixated on you. Your dazed expression had been permanently marked onto your face.

Sodapop scanned your face for any other emotion, but couldn't seem to detect any. He quickly turned back to the man, brushing him off. “She’s a little spooked, she’ll be alright.”

He gave a slight shrug and waved the both of you off. Sodapop immediately placed a hand on your shoulder and shook your upper half. “Gave me some cash to fix the damage…it ain’t too bad, the back is a little dented and some paint got scratched off - but that’s about it,” he explained in an attempt to snap you back to reality.

Your eyes scanned the road, still busy with vehicles buzzing around everywhere you look. Listening was easy, but trying to comprehend his words while your mind raced with panic was a difficult task.

“You sure look out of it,” he commented, moving the gearshift to head home. There was an underlying tone of concern you could easily hear in his voice.

Squirming around in your seat, you found a better position where you could see the road ahead, clear as day. Feeling paranoid was an understatement. “No, no, I’m fine,” you assured him, all the confidence you could muster coming into play. You couldn’t stand the thought of worrying him even further with your newfound state of shock.

The car turned at an intersection, a red Corvette coming at you from the left side. It was as if your body just knew what to do - curling up into a ball as your eyes closed shut. The car isn’t going to hit you. This is how normal cars drive. You weren’t hurt. Stop.

“Why are you all jumpy with me? You ain’t in any danger,” Sodapop piped up, noticing your flinch at the sight of the Corvette. “Calm down a bit, will ya?” he teased light-heartedly, unaware of the true conflict inside your mind.

“Sorry…” you mumbled in response, pushing down any remaining feelings of apprehension. “That car, Soda -…” the crack in your voice said it all, “Just scared me a bit, I guess I just don't want you to… to end up like Mom and Dad.”

The car became eerily silent, the only noise being the zooming of cars outside. The accident was a touchy subject for both of you - Darrel and Ponyboy as well. Just talking about it always darkened the mood.

“No. You’re safe, I ain’t ever gonna let anything like that happen to you,” he assured you, his voice thick with tension. He seemed to grasp onto the wheel tighter as he pulled over just outside your home. “You hear me? It ain’t happening.”

For once, he was stern. Sodapop was never stern nor agitated with you, he was always bubbly and grinning. You knew the mention of your deceased mother and father had triggered it. The accident may have been months ago, but the damage was nowhere near repaired.

“I hear you,” you mumbled shamefully, opening the car door and shutting it behind you swiftly. You stood with your hand rubbing onto your arm. The body language represented was one of dread and concern, but somehow relief. Relief that Sodapop was still standing before you - even if he was completing a mundane task.

Sodapop shut the car door as he hauled the bag of wet bathing suits through the gate and towards the front door. You followed, not once letting him out of your sight. You watched as he set the bag near the bathroom door. “Darry and Pony ain’t home yet, better shower before they come back,” he suggested, offering you first dibs with the shower.

You shook your head and stood underneath his arm, seeking some bit of comfort. “No, uh - I’ll do it later,” the words nervously fell from your tongue.

Sodapop ruffled his fingers through your hair, grinning like always. At least something felt normal. “Alright then, shower after me.”

With that, Sodapop waltzed inside the tiled room, unraveling an off-white and awfully tattered towel. Tossing it on the counter, he placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed it closed. You respected the privacy of course, but the pang of paranoia kicked in once more.

“Soda…?” you called out, the sound only a hoarse whisper. No reply.

It was strangely quiet on the other end of the door. No water could be heard running, no background noise of shifting clothes around, nothing. Your hand balled into a fist, the sound of three knocks beckoning him. “Soda, you okay?”

“Yeah…?” Sodapop responded with a confused tone, leaving the boy in deep confusion. “Are you?” he stifled a laugh at the question. He’d been gone a mere few seconds!

“I’m fine,” your voice quivered, exhaling deeply as you slid down the wall. You rested your arms around your knees and sat on the brown wooden flooring. You could practically feel the sadness washing over you. The corners of your lips seemed to subtly droop, your expression now a worried frown. A warm tear escaped from your left eye, leaving you to wonder why you were crying in the first place.

That car could’ve killed you. It could’ve killed Sodapop too - oh god, anyone but him. You couldn’t lose him. First your parents and now your brother - ?”

Wiping the stray tear away, you stood back to your feet and leaned your ear against the door, trying to make out any heavy breathing. The panic set in once more when the running water was the only sound coming from the other end of the door. “Soda, are you alright?”

The knob had been twisted, causing less water to flow from the shower head. “I’m okay - now what in the hell is up with you?” Sodapop demanded as his words echoed through your mind.

Sodapop beginning to feel a bit pestered by you didn’t seem to be an issue, you were at least grateful to have a response. “Nothing…sorry,” you spoke up, giving it a rest for the time being.

The eerie silence only led to the intrusive thoughts of Sodapop no longer being alive. This was torture at its finest. The shower seemed to drag on longer than you would’ve liked.

—————————————————————————

As the day came to a quiet evening, Sodapop had already climbed into bed for the night. Darrel could be found in the kitchen with Ponyboy baking a chocolate cake for tomorrow’s usual breakfast. Clutching your pillow and stuffed bear you’d had since childhood by your side, you crept inside his darkened room. He was lying on his front side, face buried in his pillow. A smile adorned your face once you saw him sleeping peacefully underneath the warm bedding. You tip-toed for Ponyboy’s spot in bed and lifted the corner of the sheets to slide in underneath them. Sodapop stirred and scooted further back toward his side of the bed. His eyes could make out your figure, halfway crawled into bed. “What’re you doin’?”

You were quick to reply, fully laying on your back now that he was awake. “I just wanted to sleep in here tonight…” you shrugged, the stuffed teddy a source of comfort against your chest.

Normally Sodapop would’ve urged it's best for you to not upset Ponyboy by taking his spot in bed. He felt tremendously guilty for earlier’s mention of the accident, it only made him want to ease your concern for his wellbeing. Sodapop could sense the constant fear nagging at you that if he wasn’t with you, he was gone as well. He wasn’t stupid - he was well aware. “Scoot over so there’s room for three,” he sighed softly before pulling your arm closer.

You could feel his lips curled into a loving grin against your hair. It was getting late, so it was a given that Ponyboy would walk in any moment now and settle down for the night. Your back against Sodapop’s chest provided a warm feeling inside. His arm was almost trapping you beside him from how tightly the embrace was. Feeling his heartbeat thumping against your back eased any nervousness that still lingered in your mind.

Sure enough, the hallway lights could be heard flicking off with a quick hit to the switch. A faint ‘goodnight’ was barely audible through the closed wooden door. Ponyboy twisted the knob and saw an unfamiliar shadow beside Sodapop in bed. He groaned once the realization swept over his head that it was you. “Alright, outta my bed,” he commanded with a rather sassy eye roll.

The sheets were flung off of your body as Ponyboy expectantly waited for you to leave. Sodapop squeezed you tighter against himself. “Pony, let her stay.”

Ponyboy scoffed and furrowed his brows in frustration. “Stay - ?! This is our bed, she has her own!”

Sodapop stifled a groan of his own, his hand extending to toss the bedding back over your body. “You’ve got room, either sleep with us or take her bed. It’s just for tonight...”

Ponyboy took one last glance at the two of you before plopping himself down in a huff. “You don’t even need to be here, it ain’t your bed,” he grumbled as he fiddled with the blanket that had been kicked to his side.

You felt guilty enough as is, but now the guilt had grown stronger. You exhaled softly and let your eyes drift shut. “I’m sorry,” is all you could manage to say in response before it turned to a whole meltdown on why you needed to stay close to Sodapop.

Ponyboy’s anger subsided to a calm and aloof demeanor. He was most likely too tired to even argue it anymore.

“I just can’t go back to my room…not when Soda’s all the way in here,” you explained, your voice kept at a quiet whisper. No response from either of them. That sickening feeling of loss had begun to eat you alive yet again now that you lay awake, speaking to your unresponsive brothers.

———————————————————————————

Morning came once again, except this time you weren’t woken up to the bird’s singing outside, or one of your brothers pouncing over your resting body. It was as if your mind already knew that Sodapop had left. Ponyboy too, it was nearly ten o’clock in the morning when the lonely feeling sank back in. You sighed and propped yourself up onto the pillows, using your forearms for support.

A muffled sound escaped your lips, immediately calling for Sodapop. Obviously, he couldn’t hear you behind a closed door. You sprung out of bed, the stuffed bear falling to the floor along with you. With a swift twist of the doorknob, you sprinted down the hallway to catch sight of Ponyboy in the kitchen.

“Soda - Soda - where’s Soda?” you asked frantically, no sign of your two eldest brothers being around.

Ponyboy bit into a mouthful of chocolate cake, not caring to finish chewing before speaking, “Leavin’ for work, why?”

You shook your head without another word and scrambled for the front door, pajamas and all. You saw Sodapop buckling in beside Darrel as he slipped on a shirt. You sprinted towards the car, shouting and pleading for them to wait.

“Soda, Darry!” you called out, your hand smacking the side of the car to stop the vehicle. Darrel looked beyond frustrated to see you causing such a scene. Sodapop was filled with great concern, even as the adrenaline rushing throughout your body masked your fear. He gave a head tilt to signal Darrel to let him handle this.

“I’m here,” he replied in an assertive tone, his empathic eyes feeling every emotion you’ve felt since yesterday’s accident. He understood you better than anyone. Reaching a hand out to pull you closer, his gentle grasp latched onto your wrist. He leaned closer to you and spoke lowly, “You alright, kid? You’re scarin’ us, y’know.”

You nodded. In all honesty, you were okay now that you’d seen Sodapop. It felt like every second spent away from him was hell on earth. He could be hurt, laying out in the street somewhere - dead.

“I’m coming with you,” you insisted, tugging on the backseat door behind Sodapop. It didn’t open. Instead, Darrel’s husky voice backed you away from the handle.

“Coming with us -? No kids allowed, be realistic for once.” Darrel gave you a stern warning that if you didn’t head back indoors then you would never hear the end of it.

Sodapop exhaled sharply and glanced between you both, trying to handle the situation. He locked eyes on you, giving you the same empathic look as before. “Just…” he gave Darrel a wince before facing you again, “You got five minutes to get ready and then we're leaving.”

Your smile reappeared yet again, immediately racing back up the stairs leading to the front door. The sound of your brothers’ voices grew louder even as the distance between you and the car grew. A glimpse of the two arguing caused a bitter pang in your heart. Pushing the feeling away, you darted for the bathroom.

———————————————————————————

“She can stay with me. The DX ain’t in a bad area, she’ll be fine…” Sodapop spoke softly to Darrel, trying to reason as to why you should come along to work with them.

You settled yourself in the vehicle as it began to propel forward. The tension of the previous argument still lingered, but at least Darrel kept quiet as soon as you were in a close enough radius to hear the bickering. He wouldn’t be caught dead speaking of you like that while you were listening.

———————————————————————————

Taking Sodapop’s hand, he led you inside of the gas station in which he worked. You’d been here countless times before, bumming around with your brother’s friends as they smoked and attempted to sweet-talk any girl that passed. Sodapop and Steve never did, they would be fired after receiving complaints for doing such activities. Sodapop would always bend the rules, slipping a few snacks and whatnot into his pocket before leaving work. The DX brought back fond memories even as you stepped inside the front door, a small bell ringing overhead, indicating your entry.

“Now, I ain’t supposed to have company,” Sodapop spoke quietly, holding onto your shoulder and bending down a bit to be eye level with you, “But I couldn’t say no, I just couldn’t.”

Your eyes stung from the tears that dared to form during such a heartfelt moment. Sodapop was aware?

“Soda, I can’t lose you too,” your voice quivered as you quickly closed the distance between one another. Your arms wrapped around his neck, Sodapop immediately reciprocated the hug.

“I know, I know…” he replied as he softly stroked the back of your head, his fingers intertwining with your hair in a soothing motion. “You ain’t losin’ me anytime soon, I can promise you that.”

You willingly let the tears fall from your cheeks, landing on Sodapop’s shoulder which dampened the fabric quite a lot. He didn’t mind at all, in fact - he was glad you were no longer bottling yourself up. You squeezed him tighter, wishing the hug could ensure you’d never lose him. “I love you,” you spat out in a desperate cry.

Sodapop nodded along, the soothing motion of his hand still in effect. “I love you too y’know, a lot,” he said with a delicate tone, one he only used with you. You were his little sister and he would never let anything separate the two of you.

You just don’t stop living because you lose somebody.

It was as if the hug was the one thing you needed - the one thing that could ease your pain. Learning to cope with the death of your parents was by far the most difficult task you’d faced. Memories of the accident only strengthened your love for your brothers, clinging onto them as if you’d lose them next. Living in constant fear, dreading any separation was no healthy way to cope. The only way to cure the feeling of this overwhelming pain was to cherish your brothers like never before. And that’s exactly what you did.

[broareweabouttoviberightnow]

writing a fucked up sodapop fic that I was like to blame entirely on @sodapopper for making me think about bawl baby soda😔