𝙰 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝙾𝚋𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍

Guys this part is also long because why not? Besides the story has like four chapters left soo....

(No warnings also)

Two-bit's POV:

I know I didn't waste half of my energy in that fight. They were swingin' like they were scared to wrinkle their shirts, and I swear I was waitin' for a real, proper hit that never came. Guess the little cowards decided they liked their pretty faces too much.

Still, I gotta admit, I was impressed.

Didn't think Y/n had it in her like that, not right off the bat, but there she was, swingin', holding her ground like she'd been doing it for years. Johnny looked like he wanted to jump in and help her, but I knew better, she had it handled just fine.

The rest of the greasers scattered off, hollerin' and celebratin', but our gang stayed close, stickin' together like always, already talkin' about patchin' up and maybe findin' something to eat after.

Dally was leaned up against Darry's truck, lookin' like he didn't even break a sweat, though I knew better. I caught bits of him talkin' to Ponyboy, low voices but not low enough.

"What if she doesn't like me?" Pony muttered, scuffin' his shoe against the dirt.

Now that got my attention.

Dal just shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal. "There's plenty of fish, man. Get a grip."

I snorted quietly to myself. Yeah, sure, like he wasn't thinkin' the same thing.

Pony glanced over at her, standin' a little ways off, catchin' her breath. "Yeah... but she's different. Way different than anyone else I ever met."

I stepped in then, couldn't help myself. "Is that what you were tryin' to do Friday?"

Pony looked at me, a little embarrassed, but he nodded anyway. "Yeah."

I nodded slow, lettin' that sit for a second.

He ain't the only one.

Wouldn't be surprised if half the town started fallin' over themselves for her after tonight.

"Woah there, girl," I called out as she finally turned and jogged over to us, "look at those busted lips, makes you look hotter."

I grabbed her hand, spinning her lightly so I could get a better look. She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the blush, wiping at the blood on her chin.

"Really?"

"Absolutely," I said, grinning. "Adds character. Real dangerous-like."

Steve let out a short laugh. "Yeah, real charming, Keith."

Soda stepped closer, his grin softer, eyes scanning her face more carefully. "You alright though? You took some hits."

"I'm fine," she said, brushing it off, but I saw the way she winced just a little.

Darry stepped in then, his expression serious, eyes moving over her like he was checking for bruises. "We're headin' back now, all of us."

I stretched a bit, ignoring the pain in the side of my ribs."I could go for sittin' down before I fall down."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The house was louder than usual once we got back, everyone talkin' over each other, movin' around, grabbin' whatever they could to patch themselves up.

I dropped onto the couch, wincing slightly. "Man, I swear I did more watchin' than fightin'."

"You complainin'?" Steve tossed a rag at me.

"I'm sayin' I was robbed," I shot back, pressing the cloth to a small cut on my cheek. "Next time, I'm showing them what talent this bad boy got."

Soda was sittin' beside Y/n, gently dabbing at her lip with a wet cloth. "Hold still."

"I am still," she muttered.

"Not really," he said, smiling a little.

Johnny hovered nearby, like he wanted to help but didn't wanna get in the way, while Pony stayed close too, quieter than usual, just watchin'.

I leaned back, smirking. Yeah... this was gonna get interesting.

Darry's POV:

The noise in the house didn't bother me, not really, I was used to it, the shouting, the laughter, the way they all talked over each other like the world wasn't just ready to crack open a few hours ago, what got to me was how many of them were hurt and how they all acted like it was nothing, like busted lips and bruised ribs were just another part of the day.

I stood near the kitchen, arms crossed, leaning just enough against the counter to look like I wasn't paying too much attention, but my eyes kept moving, counting them without meaning to, making sure everyone was still here, still standing, still breathing like they should be.

Sodapop was crouched in front of Y/n, carefully dabbing at her lip with a wet cloth, his movements slower than usual, more careful, like he didn't want to hurt her any more than she already was, and she sat there trying to act like it didn't bother her, like the sting didn't reach deeper than just skin, but I could see it in the way her shoulders tensed every now and then.

Steve was at the sink rinsing out a rag, muttering under his breath about how next time he'd take on two at once just to make it interesting, even though I saw the way he favored one side slightly, like something there wasn't sitting right.

Two-bit was sprawled across the couch, talking like he owned the place, joking about how he barely got a hit in and how it was practically a waste of his talent, but every now and then he'd press that cloth a little harder to his cheek when he thought no one was looking.

Johnny hovered close, quiet like always, eyes moving from one person to another, checking in his own way, making sure nobody dropped when he wasn't watching, and Ponyboy stayed near him, quieter than usual, like something was still sitting heavy on his mind even after the win.

Dally leaned against the wall, arms crossed, acting like none of it mattered, like it was just another night, but I knew him well enough to see past that, to catch the way his gaze lingered a second longer on Y/n, on Pony, on all of them really, like he was making sure they were still there too.

I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair, trying to shake that tight feeling in my chest that wouldn't go away.

We won.

That's what they were celebrating.

But winning didn't mean no one got hurt.

It didn't mean things couldn't have gone worse.

I pushed myself off the counter and stepped forward, my boots heavy against the floor as I moved closer, my eyes landing on Y/n again, the bruise forming near her cheek, the cut on her lip, the way she held herself like she wasn't about to let anyone see her weaken.

"You alright?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

She looked up at me, a little surprised, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

I didn't answer right away, just studied her for a second longer, not fully buying it but knowing she wasn't gonna admit anything else even if she wasn't.

My eyes moved again, scanning the room, counting them all one more time without meaning to, Soda, Steve, Two-bit, Johnny, Pony, Dally...

All of them here, breathing, good, alive...

That should've been enough to ease my mind.

But it didn't.

Because I knew how fast things could turn, how one bad hit, one wrong move, could change everything in a second, and no matter how much they laughed it off, no matter how tough they acted, they were still just kids trying to hold their ground in a world that didn't give them much room to stand.

I leaned back against the wall again, arms crossing tighter this time, my jaw setting as the noise filled the room, laughter bouncing off the walls like nothing ever touched them.

I let them have it.

Let them celebrate.

They earned that much.

But I kept watching.

Making sure no one slipped, no one fell, no one got left behind.

Because if anything happened to any of them, I'd be the one picking up the pieces.

I stayed where I was, leaning against the wall like I had nowhere else to be, but my eyes kept moving, not in a way anyone would catch, just enough to take everything in without making it obvious, and that's when I started noticing something else, something more easier to see than the bruises and the cuts, something that didn't need words to be said out loud.

It was in the way Soda hovered.

Not just helping, not just being his usual self, but staying close, like he had some reason to be right there, like if he stepped away something might shift, his voice softer when he talked to her, his hands slower, more careful than I'd ever seen them, like he was handling something he didn't quite understand yet but didn't want to mess up.

Steve tried to play it off, like he didn't care, like he was too busy with his own stuff, but every now and then his eyes would flick over, quick, like he was checking without wanting to get caught doing it, and he'd look away just as fast, clearing his throat or saying something smart to cover it up.

Two-bit... well, Two-bit was still Two-bit, running his mouth, joking, leaning in just a little too close when he talked, throwing those comments out like they meant nothing, but I knew him well enough to see the difference between when he was just messing around and when something actually stuck, and this—this wasn't just for laughs.

Johnny was the quietest about it, but somehow the most obvious, the way he stayed near without stepping in too much, like he didn't think he had a right to, but couldn't pull himself away either, watching her like she was something steady in the middle of all this mess, something he didn't want to lose sight of.

And Pony...

I exhaled slowly, my jaw tightening just a bit.

Pony didn't even try to hide it, not really, he just didn't know how to handle it, the way he sat there, quieter than usual, eyes drifting back to her without thinking, like it just happened on its own, like he didn't even realize he was doing it half the time.

Dally was harder to read, always was, but even he had that look, subtle, quick, gone as soon as it showed, but it was there, buried under everything else he carried around.

I rubbed the back of my neck, glancing away for a second before looking back at them again, at all of them in the same room, the same space, all circling around her in their own ways without even noticing it.

She didn't seem to see it.

Or maybe she did and just didn't say anything.

Either way, they were there–expressing themselves without a word. I didn't need anyone to admit it.

Those feelings just sat in the room, quiet and growing, like something waiting for the right moment to make itself known.

And I knew that it was gonna be a problem.