Darrel walked into his house with a soft sigh, rubbing his face and looking around the dimly lit rooms. Slowly he made his way to where Ponyboy and Sodapop had fallen asleep on the couch, the TV playing some cartoon he'd not seen yet, "Idiots."

He tossed his jacket onto his claimed chair and chuckled, staring down at his kid brothers for a few seconds. He hated work, it was exhausting and draining. But seeing his brothers helped, it reminded him to keep calm.

He turned toward his room and paused at seeing a little light in the door crack, his eyes narrowed and he reached for one of his many hidden bats just in case. "Hey, who's in here?" He snapped, pushing open the door to find you sitting on his bed with a little wrapped gift in your lap.

"Oh- Hey! Why are you here so late?" Darry quickly put the bat behind his back and smiled awkwardly at you. He's exhausted obviously, but his eyes brightened a little more at seeing you. "It's not like an anniversary or a date is it?"