A Sneak Peak To The "johnny And Ponyboy Go To Darry After Bob Dies" Fic Im Writing

a sneak peak to the "johnny and ponyboy go to darry after bob dies" fic im writing

(after the break in case someone doesnt want spoilers ! enjoy)

However, when he rounds the corner that separates the kitchen from the living room, Darry’s suddenly reminded of a promise he made to his father all those years ago. 

Soda hadn’t even been born yet, but Darry remembers his father crouching next to him as he tucked Darry in that night. He can remember gripping his Spider-Man figurine that night as his dad ran his fingers through his hair in thought. He can remember his mom coming into his room too, but staying by the door as if she didn’t want to interrupt whatever important conversation they were about to have - well, as serious as a conversation a four and twenty-four-year-old could have. 

“You excited to be a big brother, Junior?” Darry had nodded excitedly, his eyes growing huge and suddenly he was no longer sleepy. It was a fool’s question to ask and, honestly, his dad should have known that. As soon as Darry found out there would soon be a second little Curtis, he’d been running around the neighborhood telling everyone who would listen. 

His dad had simply chuckled at the answer and, looking back, remembering the hardened look in his dad’s eyes, Darry thinks the older man knew how hard things would be for his boys in the future. “You have to promise me something, okay, Junior?” 

Darry sat up at that. As a kid, he had loved making promises for some reason; he took them as a vow, even early on. “ ‘Kay!”

“When the baby comes, you have to take good care of him, okay? Mama’s gonna be real tired and I’ll have to help Mama out, so sometimes we’ll need our big boy to help out with the baby. That's alright with you?” 

“...Huh?”

His dad sighed, biting back a smile. “After the baby gets here, Mama’s gonna be in bed a lot; she'll be real tired. So you and I have to take care of the baby together, think you can help me?” And those were the magic words. ‘Help me.’ 

“Yeah! I help you! I’ll show him my favorite toys and I’ll teach him how to play catch and soccer and-” Darry had begun to move the covers off of him, tossing the Spider-Man figurine to the side, so he could go prepare for the baby. 

“Woah, there Einstein! Calm your jets,” his dad put a hand on his chest, all but forcing Darry to lay back down. “The baby won’t be here for another week or so, kid. We have time to get ready, I promise. Can you promise me something else, though?”

Despite the pout on his face as he laid back down, Darry nodded. “When the baby does come,” his dad explained. “Your mom and I are going to be really busy taking care of him- I know, I know, you’ll be taking care of him too. I know that Junior,” Darry grinned victoriously at that, far too glad to be getting his way. “However when the baby gets here, we may not have as much time to play with you anymore.”

Darry can remember thinking, that’s it? That’s what his dad was making a big deal about? “It’s okay, Daddy,” he’d said like he had already thought long and hard about this ages ago. “I’ll play with the baby instead.”

Then his dad got a constipated look on his face that older Darry can now recognize as his look when he’s trying to decide which battle to pick. “Sure thing, buddy. But the thing is, babies are loud. They cry a lot, right? And since the baby will need our help, I need you to promise me you won’t ever get mad at the baby, okay? I want you to come find me if you get mad or annoyed with the baby, okay?”

Darry had had a lot of questions then. Why would the baby cry? Darry may not have every toy he wanted, but he’d say life is pretty good, he doesn’t really have a reason to cry. Also, why would he ever get mad at the baby? Darry wasn’t completely sure, but he thinks he’d been a baby once and his dad never got mad at him. And, Darry planned on being just like his daddy when he got bigger - he has his dad’s name for crying out loud, he kinda has to be like him - so he won’t get mad at the baby either, he promised that. 

It’s this promise that Darry thinks of when he sees two cowering figures standing in his living room. It’s this promise Darry thinks of when he realizes the figures are Ponyboy and Johnny Cade. 

It’s this promise that has Darry moving closer to them before his mind can even begin to overthink if Ponyboy wants to see him. Evidently, his mind didn’t need to think too hard, because Ponyboy lets out a choked gasp as he pushes past Johnny and all but collapses into Darry's chest.