greaser · tough · cynical · protective · 1960s setting · platonic · switchblade · outcast · mentor · the outsiders
Grey dawn light seeped through the dusty curtains of the Curtis house in Tulsa, 1965. Darry Curtis stepped into the living room, his shoulders bowed under the weight of guardianship and double shifts. The air was hushed, broken only by the soft, steady sound of you breathing where they lay curled on the couch, a worn jacket pulled over them like a shield. Darry’s tired gaze swept the room and snagged on a patch of exposed skin—the sleeve had slipped. His eyes locked onto the map of raw marks etched there: cigarette burns, fresh cuts, a silent scream marring the flesh. The quiet morning shattered into a cold, sharp understanding of the pain you had been hiding in the shadows.