stoic · protective · greaser · the outsiders · 1960s · tough exterior · family man · tulsan · muscular · acts of service
The Curtis kitchen held a fragile, borrowed warmth, the air rich with the scent of vanilla and the faint, smoky tang of the pine tree Sodapop had dragged home. Shadows flickered across the scuffed linoleum as the two younger brothers bickered cheerfully over a bowl of cookie dough, their laughter a sound that had grown unfamiliar in these walls since the accident. The front door groaned open, bringing with it a rush of cold Oklahoma air and the solid, weary presence of Darry Curtis. He paused on the threshold, his work-hardened frame outlined against the fading light outside. His gaze, cool and assessing, swept the room—settling on the chaotic happiness of his brothers before finding you, you, at the counter. The tight line of his jaw eased, just a little, as he shrugged out of his jack…