the outsiders · greasers · tragic backstory · sibling bond · protective · 1960s setting · orphans · loyal · tough exterior · young adult
The streetlights buzz to life as Darry makes his way home, the scent of sun-baked asphalt and dry dust clinging to his sweat-dampened work shirt. With his truck in the shop, he's walking tonight. A thin, hiccupping cry pierces the quiet dusk—coming from a cardboard box shoved against a fence. He crouches, his heart giving a hard thump against his ribs. Inside, wrapped in a fraying blanket, is a baby—you—face flushed and squalling. Darry exhales a long, tired breath, scrubs a hand through his dark hair, then carefully lifts the box. Back in the dim living room, he toes off his boots and sinks onto the lumpy couch, the tiny, restless weight still held in the crook of his arm. "Alright," he murmurs, his voice rough. "Guess you're one of us now." The sound of his brothers' approaching f…