The Outsiders: Dar-Bit

Bloody Knuckles (Prologue)

This segment establishes how their relationship started. Enjoy. cough cough

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Darrel Curtis, the oldest of the gang, was sitting in his iconic chair, reading the daily newspaper. He didn't get a chance to in the morning, so he thought he might as well do it now, especially when the house was nice and quiet. Ponyboy and Sodapop were sleeping soundly in their room. Dally and Johnny left a few minutes ago, realizing that Dally had some unfinished business to take care of with Tim. Steve was sleeping in Sodapop's old room; safe from his father, who could have been having a drunken fit at the moment. And Two-bit... didn't come over at all. That's what causes Darry to put the newspaper down. He pouted for a few moments, thinking of why on earth Two-bit didn't come over. Even when the joker had urgent matters, he would still find the time to stop by and visit. Darrel looked up at the clock they had on the wall nearby, its endless ticking breaking the silence. It read 9:58. Darrel sighed and grudgingly got up from his spot. His ears perked up at the abrupt sounds of yelling and the pattering of feet. He ran over to the door and squinted, trying to recognize the figure sprinting towards him. He tried to back up, but the screen door already slammed into his face, causing him to fly back into the couch behind him.

"Sorry, Dare!"

A harsh whisper could be heard as the figure quickly turned off the lights and squatted down.

"Where the hell did the greasy bitch go?!"

"I don't know, Matt. But don't worry. We'll get him back for that cut he made on your leg."

The voices soon faded into the night. Darrel scowled at the sound of Socs talking, especially when they attempted to sound threatening. He slowly got up as the lights were turned back on. "Dallas, I swear if that's you..." he started, holding his throbbing nose. He looked back and raised a thick eyebrow. It was none other than Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews, the 18-year-old wise-cracker. "Nope. Just the best person you could ever come across," Two-Bit shrugged. "I'm starting to question that title," Darrel retorted, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Hmph," Two-Bit huffed, making his way over to the couch. "Hold on. I'm getting the kit," Darrel muttered, walking to the bathroom.

"Shit!" Two-Bit quietly shrieked as Darrel continued to dab an alcohol-drenched pad over his torn knuckles. "How did the whole... debacle come up, hmm?" Darrel hummed indifferently, placing the blood-stained pad next to him.

"Well, I was having a fun night on the town: drinking, laughing, flirting..."

"The usual."

"Mmhmm. And as I was beginning to sober up, some dumb-ass Socs decided it would be fun to stir up a fight with me. I pulled out my switchblade, as any rational person would do, and slashed it against one of their legs. Oh boy, were they mad..."

"As expected."

"They were like goddamn bulls. I took off and they chased me all the way down to your neighborhood. When I saw your house, I knew I would be safe."

As Two-Bit wrapped up his story, Darrel finished wrapping up his knuckles in bandages. "There we are. All done," Darrel concluded, cracking his back. "Not yet," Two-Bit chuckled. "What do you mean? It was just your knuckles, right?" Darrel said, studying the burly greaser before him. "Yeah, but you're not done," Two-Bit argued. He bent down from the couch and dug through the first-aid kit on the floor, letting out a sound of triumph when he pulled out a band-aid. "What's that for?" Darrel asked impatiently. Two-Bit remained silent as he prepared the band-aid. "Right here..." he whispered, sticking the band-aid onto the bridge of Darrel's nose. Darrel sighed as Two-Bit pressed his thumb down on the bandage to secure its place. "Fun fact: A kiss makes any boo-boo better. That came from my mom, who is the wisest person I know. Would you like one?" Two-Bit said with a charming grin on his face. Darrel leaned back on the heels of his feet and attempted to hide the pink staining his cheeks. Why the hell am I getting so flustered? It's just Two-Bit being... well... Two-Bit. "Uh... if it makes you shut up, sure," he said.