the outsiders imagines

pride - darry

pairing: darry x reader

warning: none

summary: darry meets the sister of one of the kids ponyboy and johnny rescued.

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Darry Curtis didn't give himself credit for much. He knew he was strong, because he'd worked hard during high school and even after high school to maintain his muscular figure. He knew he was responsible and organized, because how else could he handle two jobs and taking care of two kid brothers? He knew he was mature, because, again, how else could he carry so much weight on his shoulders? But when it came to acknowledging his strengths, that was where Darry stopped.

He was insecure. Darry worried that Steve was right, that he was "all brawn, no brain." Darry worried that one day, he'd crumple under all of this stress. Most of all, Darry worried that he wasn't doing a good job taking care of his brothers, that he was stunting their potential rather than nurturing it.

This is what Darry thought about, sitting in the hospital next to Sodapop. He blamed himself for the fact that Ponyboy was somewhere in this building, possibly hurt and all burned up because Darry had lost control. None of this would have happened if he had just been a bit more gentle, a bit more lenient, a better brother...

"Excuse me, are you Ponyboy Curtis' brothers?"

The soft voice snapped Darry out of the darkness of his own mind and back into reality. Standing in front of him was a woman, around his age, her hair tied back neatly into a ponytail. She wore a skirt and blouse, her height supplemented by the heels on her feet. Darry stood up, cleared his throat, and looked down at her. He noticed a younger girl standing shyly behind her, peering up at him from through the woman's legs.

"Yes, we are." Sodapop smirked, noticing that his older brother was distracted by this woman, absolutely smitten despite having met her only a few seconds ago.

"Hi," she replied, addressing Sodapop before turning to Darry. "I'm Y/N. This is my sister Alexis." She gestured to her younger sister, who opted to hide herself. Sodapop gave her a tiny wave and his movie star smile, to which the little girl responded with a nervous grin.

"How do you know Ponyboy?" Darry asked Y/N, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He couldn't help but notice how absolutely beautiful this woman was. He could tell from her non-brand clothes that she wasn't a Soc, but that she wasn't a greaser either.

"Well," Y/N said, looking down at her sister, "Alexis here was one of the children who was at the church when it burned down. She was one of the girls that your brother and his friend saved. I came here to thank Ponyboy and Johnny, but I was told that I wasn't allowed to see him, seeing as I'm not family."

"We haven't been allowed to see him yet either," Darry told her, smiling. "But I'm sure he would love to meet you and your sister."

"I hope so." Y/N had a faraway look in her eyes. "Ever since my parents died two years ago, it's been me and Alexis. I couldn't imagine what I'd do if I had lost her. I mean, I've been taking care of her ever since..."

"Really?" Darry said, a bit too excitedly. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound happy about what happened to your parents. It's just that, I know exactly how you feel. I've been taking care of my two brothers here," Darry gave Sodapop a playful slap on the back of his head, "ever since my parents died in a car crash almost a year ago. I know what it's like."

Y/N beamed up at him, her eyes lighting up. "You don't know how happy it makes me to know that someone else can relate. Listen, I need to take Alexis home now, but would you be interested in meeting up sometime? You know, to talk or something. It'd be nice to have a genuine conversation with you. I mean, only if you want to of course," Y/N asked nervously, fiddling with the edge of her blouse.

"Of course," Darry said, pulling out a pen and notepad to ask for her phone number. Y/N quickly jotted down her number before handing the notepad back to Darry with a smile.

"I'll see you sometime soon," Y/N said, grabbing her sister's hand. "By the way, I have to tell you: What Ponyboy did was truly incredible. He's a real hero. You must be doing a great job raising your brothers."

As Y/N and her sister walked away, Darry felt his heart bursting with pride and happiness.

Sodapop shot Darry a suggestive glance, wiggling his eyebrows up and down like Two Bit had taught him. Darry rolled his eyes, pushing Soda's face away with the palm of his hand. "Stop making that face, Soda," Darry groaned.

"Looks like someone's got himself a date," Soda teased, making Darry's cheeks turn a deep red. "I think someone's in loooooove."

"Oh shut up," Darry mumbled. But deep down inside, Darry was jumping up and down, ecstatic for a potential new friendship (or maybe more) with the gorgeous Y/N.