Title from "Runs in the Family"

Welcome one and all to my new hyperfixation. This one is bad guys. I'm having 2020 Newsies flashbacks. (And laughing at the irony of wrapping up my Newsie stuff my freshman year of college and starting the Outsiders stuff first year of Grad school).

Anyway. I have no idea how long this will be. I have an outline but I'm hoping to condense it (If it actually ends up being 13 chapters you can all laugh at me. Because I'm hoping for like... 5).

No real triggers you wouldn't have found in the book/movie. (I love the musical too but I lean towards book/movie verse).

This isn't finished yet but I needed to post something because it had been too long and it was making me sad lol.

Please enjoy!

Soda was already awake. Kinda. He'd been the one to wake Ponyboy up from his nightmare. It certainly wasn't his worst nightmare as he'd caught it in the whimpering stages before it got to the screaming stage. This one must have been about Darry. That happened sometimes. And when it did, Pony would abandon Soda's comforting words and go straight to Darry's room. Soda was glad that their relationship was at a place where that could happen. In the months since Pony came back to them, things hadn't been perfect, but they'd been better. The fighting was a lot less and everyone tried to understand each other a little bit more.

Pony's nightmares were calming down which was a huge relief to everyone. Soda had gotten back into a routine at the DX. Sometimes Soda would find himself being thankful that Steve hadn't been one of their friends to die, but then he'd feel guilty because Pony had lost his best friend and Dally and Darry had been closer than either of them would ever admit.

Darry… Darry had been acting kinda weird lately. More tired than even before. He'd isolated himself in a way that reminded Soda a little too much of when their parents died. The one year anniversary had just passed. Darry's birthday had gone by mostly forgotten. Pony and Soda had come together to buy him a nice watch. He'd smiled softly, thanked them and that was the end of it. None of them really felt much like celebrating.

But Darry was trying so hard not to get into it with Ponyboy that Soda was afraid to address the weirdness. Like asking his big brother if he was okay was going to throw off the balance that they'd found. He had to believe that if Darry was struggling he'd come to him. He didn't actually think he would, but he liked to think that.

Soda was mostly back to sleep but just awake enough to recognize the pounding footsteps coming back towards his room.

"Soda." Pony sounded scared, like he was still mid nightmare, and Soda was trying to convince himself to sit up. "Sodapop." He said again, and the tremor in his voice was enough to push the older brother fully into the land of wakefulness.

"What's wrong?" Soda rubbed his eyes as he sat up.

"I-" His younger brother's voice was shaking and Soda could see now that his eyes were wide and his breathing wasn't quite right.

"Ponyboy?" Soda stood, coming over to wrap his brother in a hug. "You're okay. It's just a nightmare."

"Darry-" He sobbed into his brother's shoulder.

"Darry's fine, hunny. He's just asleep."

Pony rocked his head back and forth, his entire body trembling. "He's gone." Came out in a sob. "He's not there."

A sick feeling spread over Soda's entire body. "What do you mean?"

"He ain't here." Pony sobbed into his shoulder. "He's dead. He's gone."

Soda knew that Pony was still wrapped up in his nightmare. That Darry wasn't dead. But if he had been in the house he would have come running by now. Soda glanced at the clock. It was nearly four in the morning. Why wouldn't Darry be home?

"It's alright, Pony. Darry just went out. He'll be back." Even as he said the words he doubted them. Why wouldn't Darry be home in the middle of the night? Should he call someone? Who would he call? Maybe Two-Bit? But what could he do? And who's to say he was even home? Tim Shepherd? Soda had no interest in calling him at four in the morning. "You want some chocolate milk? Let's get some chocolate milk."

Soda carefully deposited Pony on the couch, his mind whirring as he turned on the lamp and headed into the kitchen.

How long has Darry been gone? Was he okay? Why would he go out this late? He'd been here when Soda had gone to bed. Why didn't he hear him get up? Shouldn't he have at least left a note?

Grabbing the chocolate milk he thought back to any clues. Darry had been acting weird. Tired. And in the moments when he thought they weren't around, more stressed than he'd seemed in a long time.

Money was tight right now. Roofing hours were shorter during the winter and sometimes days got canceled all together if the weather was real bad. Darry had wanted to pick up a swing shift at the factory but Pony and Soda wouldn't hear it. They weren't gonna have their brother maimed or blinded by that low-playing death hole. It wasn't worth it.

The milk was almost gone and Soda made a mental note to pick some up after he got paid.

But the present issue was figuring out where Darry had snuck off to.

He glanced outside, the streetlights glinted off of Darry's truck. Wherever he'd gone, he'd walked. Which was not a comforting thought. Not with tensions still high with the Socs.

Ponyboy was awake now. Still huddled in a ball, but he wasn't actively crying anymore.

"Here you go, hunny." Soda handed him the glass then sat beside him, lightly rubbing his shoulders. Pony leaned into him.

"Sorry."

"Ain't nothin' to apologize for."

"Do you… do you know where Darry is?"

Soda's hands stopped. He didn't want to worry Pony anymore than he already was, but a layer of panic was beginning to form.

"You don't- you don't think he got jumped or somethin' do you?"

"Nah, come on Pony, Darry ain't gettin' jumped. Even the Socs know better than to mess with him." And he knows better than to go out alone at night.

The tell-tale porch creak had both boys on their feet. The door opener and Darry pushed inside. He looked like he was barely on his feet. Pale in the porch light than they had been meaning to replace.

"Darry?" Pony said quietly, pressing back into Soda. He couldn't tell if he was scared of Darry or scared for Darry.

The oldest brother's eyes came to them, he frowned as if not sure what he was seeing.

"What are you boys doing up?" He asked in a scarily monotone voice.

"Pony had a nightmare." Soda offered, instead of asking any of the million of questions running through his head.

Darry sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry, Ponyboy. Are you alright?" He took a few slow steps forward, resting a hand on the youngest's head. There was a bit more of the Oklahoma drawl than usual. That only happened when Darry was really tired or…

The smell of alcohol and sweat knocked him and he could feel Pony stiffen beside him.

Was Darry… drunk?

Soda was waiting for Pony to say something. To go after Darry for breaking his own rules. For being out alone after dark. For not telling anyone where he was going. But he didn't. He just looked at Soda.

"Where ya been, Dar?" Soda finally voiced.

"Had some things to take care of." The voice still held no emotions. He swayed slightly and Soda had the sudden fear that he was going to pass out right there.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You guys should get back to bed." Soda could see tightness forming around his eyes. That he felt this conversation was over. He gave Pony a very weak smile before pushing past them towards his room.

"Darry-" Soda tried again, unable to let go of his fear that something was wrong.

"I said I'm fine Sodapop! Now just leave it!" Darrel snapped and Soda took a step back, surprised by the intensity of the anger pointed towards him.

Guilt immediately flashed in Darry's eyes and he rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm sorry, look just- I'm sorry for scaring you. I just… didn't expect you to be up when I got home. I'm fine." When it was clear neither of them believed him, he shook his head, reaching out for the wall to steady him when it was clear he was losing his balance. "Goo'night." He murmured, and without another word stumbled into his room and shut the door.

Pony had been remarkably quiet throughout the whole scene, but now he turned towards Soda. Concern and a touch of fear was evident when he asked, "Is Darry… drunk?"

Soda tried thinking back. He had only seen his brother drunk a few times. Mostly sneaking through a window to avoid their parents after some high school party. But from what he remembered, Darry had been a sappy drunk. Goin' on about how much he loved his brothers and the gang. Or he'd be all weepy and it'd make him cry about things Soda didn't understand and Darry never elaborated on once sober. But Darry had never been an angry drunk. Then again a lot had changed in the past year.

It wasn't like he was throwing things or hitting like Johnny's parents had, Soda tried to reassure himself. And he hadn't screamed at them like Steve's dad. He'd just snapped at them, something that wasn't completely unusual. Especially not when he was tired or stressed.

But why else would he sneak out of the house in the middle of the night without telling anyone? Why would he come home reeking of booze at four am? Why didn't he drive wherever he was going?

Soda met Pony's eyes, his own concern mirrored there, and shook his head. "I don't know."

~TH~

Something everyone needs to know about me is that Darry is my beloved. Darry is my precious darling and I love him more than words can say. He deserves happiness and a good life and a nice hug. That does not mean that I will not write him with issues lol. He's on the struggle bus of life and it keeps crashing.

I have no real idea when I will update again but hopefully within a week lol

I'm simultaneously working on a fic that started just being about Darry in highschool and ended up being about Darry and Paul in highschool lol. Anyway that's for another time. But I'm jumping between them right now because I do not have time to write against my muse. And this fic won the Tumblr poll I put up lol.

Speaking of Tumblr, come ramble. I will talk about the Outsiders all day any day. I'm at/Trekkiehood.

Would love to hear your thoughts about this! Shout out to my friend who is not on here for listening to me ramble and reading my stuff before I post it.

Comments make me write faster :)

Much love and God bless,

Jamie