The Outsiders Imagines & Preferences

{Darry Curtis} Cake and Melancholia

Info: Platonic. Sibling!reader. Y/N is Darry's twin and we're pretending they have a dog. 2nd person p.o.v..

Warnings: Mentions of dead parents.

When you wake up it's still dark in the room you share with your brother. Your twin is fast asleep beside you, and you snuggle closer to him for a moment, taking comfort in the warmth of his heavy arm draped over you.

You're gonna need all the comfort you can get to make it through today. It's going to be the first time you'll celebrate your birthday without your parents.

You contemplate going back to sleep — you still have over an hour before you need to get up for work — but decide against it. Instead you slip from the bed, carful not to wake Darry, and kneel beside your dog, who's sleeping on the floor next to the foot end of the bed.

Gently shaking it awake you whisper, "Hey buddy, wanna go for an extra long walk today?"

It jumps up, happily wagging it's tail like it understood what you said, and you have to shush him so Darry doesn't wake up.

You blindly grab a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, hoping they're actually yours and not Darry's, and tiptoe to the bathroom to get ready, your dog following close on your heels.

The jeans is yours, but you weren't as lucky with the shirt. It's one of Darry's, hanging loosely from your shoulders and reaching down over your thighs. You shrug, and tuck it into your jeans anyway. You don't wanna go back and risk waking Darry while you rummage around for one of your own shirts in the dark, and besides, his shirts always seem so much comfier than your own.

Once dressed you leash your dog and step out into the dimness of the early morning, taking a deep breath of the fresh air and relishing in the quiet of the dawning day. Everything is asleep, no sounds aside from a bird or two chirping somewhere, but you know it won't stay this way for long.

The sun is already starting it's ascend into the sky, and it starts to get light as you walk to the park. Once there you let your dog off the leash — he promptly spots a cat and starts chasing it, but since there's no one around you let him have the fun — and watch the sun come up between two houses.

When you come back home to find Darry in the kitchen you pout. "Aww, I tried so hard not to wake you up! I was gonna make us breakfast!"

Your twin only shrugs, a small smile playing around his lips.

You walk up to him and wrap your arms around him from behind, pressing your face between his shoulders. "Happy birthday, Darry."

"Happy birthday yourself," he says lightly, reaching back to pet your hair.

It's a weird mood you're in, some mix of nostalgia, happiness about your birthday, and sadness that for the first time your parents aren't there to celebrate it with you, and you'd almost be willing to bet that Darry is feeling the same.

Of course neither of you let it show, putting on a smile for your younger brothers when they join you in the kitchen.

Soda comes rushing at you with a huge grin on his face, clapping you both on the back as he wishes you a happy birthday. Ponyboy is calmer, pulling you into a hug and giving Darry a smile as he congratulates you.

Silence settles over you as you set the breakfast table, but before it can get too heavy the door opens and in comes Two-Bit, Johnny right on his heels. The former wastes no time throwing his arms around you and almost squeezing you to death, before giving Darry the same treatment.

Johnny just smiles, not as big on physical contact as Two-Bit. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, kiddo."

The usual hectic sets in, everyone getting ready for work and school after shoveling down a quick breakfast. Soda spends five minutes searching for his DX hat, only to finally spot it under the couch as you drag him to the door after Darry so you won't be late. Ponyboy, Johnny and Two-Bit still have a few minutes until they need to leave for school, but you remind them to do so in time in case there's trouble with Two-Bit's car again.

Work is the same as ever, and you're glad when you're finally sitting in the car on the way back home. Soda told you in the morning that he was gonna get a ride home from Steve, so it's only you and Darry in the car, bickering about who gets to shower first when you get home in order to distract yourselves from the looming question of what to cook for supper later. In the past years your mother had always made your favorite for supper, but you don't have to ask Darry to know he likes the idea of trying to replicate that yourselves as little as you do. It'd never turn out the way it had tasted when your mother made it; it would only be another painful reminder that she and your dad aren't there anymore.

The discussion turns out to be futile when you come home, because the whole gang is there with cake and beer, yelling, "Surprise!", and you know you won't get a chance to take your shower any time soon. It also solves the question of what to have for supper, and yeah, the cake looks very tempting. You definitely ain't complaining.

Before you can even say anything, Two-Bit has already thrown an arm around you and is leading you to the table, pushing you down into a chair with a cake covered in birthday candles in front of you.

You can't help but grin. "Seriously, guys?"

"Yeah! You're officially old now, that has to be celebrated!" Two-Bit says.

"We're not old!"

"Oh no? Count those candles, then you'll see you are, in fact, old."

"You're mean."

"C'mon Y/N, stop complaining and blow out your candles before they melt the cake," Soda says.

"Okay, okay, don't rush me!"

"Darry's already blown his out!"

"I said don't rush me!" You laugh, slapping Soda's arm. "Don't be so impatient."

You wait another few seconds simply to annoy Soda, giggling at his impatient groan, before you finally blow out the candles. You lock eyes with Darry across the table and smile. You both painfully feel the absence of your parents, but you know you're far from alone.

The cake isn't the same one your mom used to make — the boys probably knew they'd never get that right — but it tastes almost as good.