Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandoms:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Series:
Part 2 of Maybe the Gold Can Stay
Stats:
Published:
2025-03-24
Updated:
2025-05-14
Words:
2,969
Chapters:
2/?
Comments:
80
Kudos:
316
Bookmarks:
60
Hits:
3,614

Reuniting In Gold

Summary:

When he answers the phone, instead of Two-Bit slurring his words, he hears an unfamiliar voice.

“Is this Darrel Curtis?” The voice asks.

“Yes,” Darrel says cautiously, “Who is this?”

“My name is Jim Hopper. I'm a police chief in a town called Hawkins.”

“What do ya want, Officer?”

“Well, I know someone that you may want to see. A Ponyboy Curtis.”

 

or the reunion fic y'all have been waiting for

Notes:

So, it's been 8 months. Very sorry it took this long, I honestly have no good excuse. I hope you guys enjoy this and thank you to anyone who stuck around this long!

Chapter 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Darry stands mixing the noodles on the stove. Soda requested the meal and he's been working so much that Darry couldn't say no at this point. He was trying to figure out what they could eat tomorrow when the phone rang. He sighs, turns the stove down, and goes to answer. He's assuming that it's Two-Bit asking for another ride home. Two-Bit’s been drinking way too much these last few years. Mrs. Matthews had kicked him out a couple of years after Pony left, hoping that'll teach him to grow up but Two-Bit just moved into a shitty run-down apartment. Not like he uses it anyhow, he's either at the bar or at their house.

When he answers the phone, instead of Two-Bit slurring his words, he hears an unfamiliar voice.

“Is this Darrel Curtis?” The voice asks.

“Yes,” Darrel says cautiously, “Who is this?”

“My name is Jim Hopper. I'm a police chief in a town called Hawkins.”

Darry’s eyes narrow. The gang has all been nervous around cops (more than the average Greaser) since they shot Dally and stole Ponyboy. Why would a random officer in a random town want to talk to Darry anyway?

“What do ya want, Officer?”

“Well, I know someone that you may want to see. A Ponyboy Curtis.”

Darry freezes. The pot is still bubbling but his hand is frozen in place. His other fingers are stuck, curling around the phone. Usually, he can hear the faint buzz of it but not now. Not when he can hear his own heartbeat thudding in his ears.

But Darry straightens up a moment later. “Ponyboy?” He asks, knowing he sounds choked up. “You know where he is?”

“Yeah,” the officer says simply like Darry and the gang haven't been looking for Ponyboy since he got taken. "I'm guessing you and your brother would like to see him?”

“Yes! We would, where is he?! We've been trying to track ‘im but no luck.”

“That's because he got his name changed when he was adopted.”

Darry scoffs at the word adopted. He’s never used the word adopted. Ponyboy was stolen, plain as that, and that’s what he says anytime someone asks. Even when Cherry Valance came a-knockin’, looking oh so hopeful that she might find Ponyboy.

The Chief continues, “He goes by the name Steve Harrington. And I know that he would be very happy to see you.”

“How do you know that?”

“We're…close.”

He spits out, “What does that mean?”

And look, Darry’s not going around accusing no one but this Chief sounds at least fifty. What business does he have being “close” with his barely legal brother?

The Chief paused. “We’ve been through some tough times together. I'm sure he'll tell you about it when you see each other.”

Darry was skeptical but for now, he couldn't care less. For all he knew, the cop was lying but it was well worth the shot for just the chance he could find Pony.

“‘kay, I guess you know where I am. How far away is y'all's town?”

“Around 14 hours.”

Running through things in his head, Darryl responds with, “I think we can scrounge up some money to make the trip. I don't know how soon though..”

He trails off. He wants to just get going to see Ponyboy as soon as possible, assuming this cop is telling the truth, but it just won't be possible. They can barely make ends meet as is.

“It's all taken care of, don't worry. Just use your card during the trip and you'll be fine.”

“What, you saying you paying for this?”

This has to be too good to be true.

“No, let's just say I have some…investors.”

Darry is sick of these non-answers and he's highly doubting this is true and that he won't get arrested for fraud as soon as he uses that money. But he needs to find Ponyboy, he needs to see his little brother and this is the only lead the gang has had in years.

“Not sayin’ I believe you but okay. We'll all get going in the morning.”

“Bright in the morning, huh? Must be eager to see him.”

“Of course I am, Officer.” He says with sass. And he immediately regrets it, not because of guilt or nothing like that, but because he has no business acting like a moody teenager.

“Alright, alright, I just wanted to make sure this wasn't a mistake.”

Darry frowns but this, he decides not to investigate further.

“Does Pony or Steve, I guess, know we're coming?”

God, the name Steve sounds so strange when thinking about Ponyboy. Their Steve is gonna hate this.

“No. No, kid, he doesn't.” Darry hates being called a kid. “I didn't want to get his hopes in case it didn't work out. That boy has been through enough.”

Darry doesn't know what happened to Ponyboy after he left but he knows his kid brother had already been through enough by the time he was taken. He hopes, and he would pray if he were religious, that Pony hasn't suffered too much in the following years.

“He has,” Darry says, agreeing. He's about to say something else when he hears the sounds of the screen door opening and Sodapop putting in his keys. “Look, my other kid brother is here. I gotta tell ‘im what's going on.”

“I get it. I’ll see you all soon.”

Darry doesn't respond, he just hangs up and then tries to watch Sodapop stumble tiredly inside.

“Hey, Darry,” he says putting away his work jacket. “That smells good.”

He turns to Darry then, smiling only to drop that smile after seeing the serious look on Darry’s face. He shifts uneasily. “What? Dar, what is it?”

Darry can't stop the tears as he moves across the living room to embrace his brother. Sodapop doesn't hesitate to hug him back.

“C’mon, Darrel. You're scaring me. Did something happen?”

“I-I think we found him, Soda.”

Soda doesn't need to ask questions, he instinctively knows who his older brother is talking about.

“We did? Darry!” He exclaims, hugging his brother tighter and starting to sob himself.

After years, they finally have hope.

 

“So, some random cop called you and we're just going to trust him?” Steve asks. He's sitting on the couch, legs spread and touching knees with Soda-Pop.

“It's the only lead we've had in years, Steve,” Darry says, leaving no room for argument. “Look,” Darry continues, “it might not even be Ponyboy. So, no, I don’t trust ‘im, Steve, but we can’t pass up this chance.”

Steve just nods at that, knowing Darry won't back down. (And Darry knows Steve misses Ponyboy too, no matter how much they disliked each other. He wouldn’t pass up the chance to find Ponyboy either.) Darry watches Sodapop squeeze a hand on Steve’s shoulder in appreciation.

Two-Bit, who's still reasonably tipsy but has sobered up instantly upon hearing about the news, says, “Y’all think Ponyboy still got that blond hair?”

Steve snorts. “God, I hope not. He looked fuckin’ ridiculous.”

Soda glares. “He did not!” He pauses, looking at their faces, and continues, “Okay, he kinda did. But don't y'all go telling him I said that.”

“Nothing you could say would that kid stop idolizing you,” Steve tells him.

Soda chuckles and nods. Then a frown overtakes his face and Darry knows exactly what he's thinking: they don't know this version of Ponyboy, they don't know “Steve”. The chief mentioned not wanting to get Pony’s hopes up, implying Pony misses them but what if that's not the case? For all he knows, Pony hates them. Darry already hates himself for never being able to find his brother.

Darry sighs then slaps Soda on the knee and stands up. “We better get packin’, we're getting on the road real early,” he announces.

Two-Bit groans. “Can't you pack for me, Darry?”

Darry just walks off to his bedroom. Two-Bit grumbles, muttering insults under his breath. Darry shakes his head and yells back at him, “And take a shower before we go! You reek.”

Darry smirks afterward, hearing Soda and Steve start jibing at him.

3 hours later they're finally ready to go. Steve had just gone down the street to his house, and came back within 10 minutes to watch the others scramble to pack. Soda was pretty fast at it but Darry thinks that because he just threw whatever would fit in there. Two-Bit took a shower and then refused to go to his apartment after, claiming what little clothes he had stashed in the Curtis house were enough. Darry ended up just letting him win this one. Darry himself had packed his clothes and some snacks in an old suitcase Mom and Dad used to own.

They would've gone earlier but Darry thought he might as well wait for it to be a little light out so he wouldn't end up crashing.

They all hop in his Camaro, Two-Bit and Steve taking the back seat. Two-Bit goes in first, feet flying behind him and narrowly hitting Steve in the face.

“Hey, watch it!”

“Chill out,” Two-Bit responds simply, settling down in his seat.

“Man, where am I supposed to stick this bag?” Steve complains.

“How about you shove it up your big fat nose?” Two-Bit jokes, falling into laughter. Yeah, he's definitely still drunk.

“Remember when Ponyboy made that comment about your big nose?” Sodapop says, reminiscing.

Darry just smiles and starts the engine.

“Yeah, I wanted to punch that kid.” Steve shoves the bag underneath his feet.

Darry did not appreciate it at the time but now, he misses Ponyboy’s little sassy remarks. Especially when it's about Steve's big nose, he thinks while smirking to himself.

He starts pulling out of the gravel driveway and onto the road, and as Two-Bit and Steve start to argue, again, he knows this is going to be one chaotic road trip.

Notes:

Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. My plan is to make the next chapter the road trip and bonding between the gang and then we'll finally get to the reunion! I also have questions for you guys. Should I continue to write in Darry's POV or switch between people? (There will be Ponyboy's POV later.) Would you like me to have Hopper tell Steve they're coming or have it be a total surprise? And finally, what do you guys want to see for the road trip? Any conversations you want, things you want to happen? Tell me your thoughts!

I really hope you enjoyed and I look forward to your comments <3

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

He was right. Everyone was pretty tired since they had been up all night, so Darry drove as the others dozed in the back. But not even an hour after they get on the road, Darry hears grumbling from the back seat. 

 

“Dare?” Two-Bit whines. “Can we stop for some water? I’m parched.” 

 

“It’s barely been an hour. Go back to sleep.” 

 

“But I’m sooo thirsty.” 

 

“Not my problem.” Darry knows Two-Bit probably has a dry mouth from being drunk, but Darry won’t bring it up. He and the gang don’t like talking about Two-Bit’s…problem. It’s not the best way to handle it, but Two-Bit isn’t dead in a ditch yet, so it’s fine. (It’s fine that Darry is constantly worried that it will come true one day. It’s fine that drinking is the only way Two-Bit can cope with everything. It’s fine.)

 

“Darrrryyyy.” 

 

Steve suddenly reaches over and punches Two-Bit in the shoulder. “Shut up, ‘m trying to sleep,” he says. 

 

“Hey!” Two-Bit exclaims, reaching over and sacking Steve on the shoulder. 

 

Darry sighs as they start to squabble, sharing punches and kicks. 

 

Sodapop rolls his head over and blearily opens his eyes. “Y’all are a bunch of hooligans.” 

 

“Okay, y’all stop roughhousing before I crash,” Darry tells them sternly. 

 

Them fighting reminds him of road trips with Mom and Dad. Soda and him arguing in the backseat, Ponyboy caught in the middle, and the older brothers trying to get him on their side. But then, Mom and Dad were gone, and Ponyboy was always on Soda’s side, Darry was against Ponyboy, and Sodapop was now stuck in the middle. 

 

Two-Bit says, “Ugh! You’re such a square.” 

 

“No, I just don’t want to die before I get to see Pony again.” 

 

Two-Bit huffs at that but shuts up. 

 

“Don’t you think it’s weird that Ponyboy is called Steve now?” Sodapop asks them. 

 

Steve gives a chortle. “Bet he fuckin’ hated that.” 

 

Soda rolls his eyes. “What should we call him when we get there? I mean, we can’t have two Steves.” 

 

Darry’s face scrunches up. “Just call him Ponyboy. That’s his name, it always will be.”

 

Soda gives him a look at that but doesn’t say anything, 

 

“You think Pony’s still a geek?” Two-Bit asks. 

 

Sodapop says, “Man, I hope so. He loved reading, I can’t imagine him giving that up.” 

 

“And movies. Oh man, you think he saw Paul Newman’s new movies?” 

 

Steve cut in, “Totally, kid loved that dude.” 

 

“ Oh, did you see how cool Paul Newman was doing that stunt? His hair in the movie looked amazing. He’s such a good actor ,” Two-Bit says, mocking Ponyboy, before falling into cackles. 

 

Darry rolls his eyes but grins nonetheless. 

 

Sodapop smirks. “Ya think he turned out like Dal?” 

 

“Oh, I hope not,” Darry says, just dreading the thought. 

 

“Come on, Pony has potential. He was so tuff in that rumble. Right, guys?” 

 

“Yeah, come on, Darryl, he would make such a good mini Dally.” 

 

Darry huffs. But he’s happy. They haven’t talked about Dally or Johnny much besides drunken rambles, mostly by Two-Bit. It was just too hard. So, it feels good to be able to talk freely like this, and it’s all cause of Ponyboy. He can’t wait to see how the gang acts when they finally see Ponyboy again. 

 

(He refuses to let himself think this is a dead end, and what could happen now that the gang has gotten their hopes up, only to be met with nothing.)

 

“You think he’s got a broad?” Sodapop asks. He just seems full of questions. Darry reckons he’s been holding back his thoughts about Ponyboy for years. It makes Darry frown for a moment. 

 

“Probably a redhead. Remember his little crush on Cherry Valance?” Two-Bit chuckles. 

 

Steve says, “He didn’t have a crush on Cherry Valance. And I doubt he has a broad now.” 

 

Soda looks back at him. “Why do you think that?” 

 

Steve just shrugs. Darry can tell he’s not saying something, but what, he has no idea. 

 

It’s quiet for a while after that. But Sodapop just seems to have more questions.

 

“Who do y’all think this police chief is to Pony?” He looks serious, and Darry knows they’re not joking now. 

 

He sighs. “I don’t know. I don’t know even if he actually knows Ponyboy.” 

 

“Maybe, maybe, Ponyboy asked him to help find us?” Soda asks hopefully. 

 

“Maybe.” 

 

Darry sees Steve reach in between the doors and Soda’s seat to grab Soda’s bicep. Soda reaches up and rests his hand on where Steve’s lies. He doesn’t think anything of it, it’s just a new normal that’s happened over the years. 

 

It’s calm after that while Two-Bit snores in the background. 

 

Soon after, they had to stop for gas. Darry reluctantly pulls over to a gas station, even though all he wants to do is continue driving until he gets to Hawkins. They only have 9 hours to go, he thinks as he checks the car clock. 

 

“Wake up!” He yells at the back. Two-Bit snorts himself awake. 

 

“Are we there yet?!” He exclaims. 

 

“No, we’re not. Get your lazy ass up,” Darry demands as he opens his door. “You all go in there and take a whizz while I get gas.” 

 

Sodapop gets out without much fanfare, Steve close behind. Two-Bit groans and haws as he gets out, complaining of sore legs, but Darry just ignores him. He approaches the gas pump and hesitantly slides his card in. He can afford the gas needed, but if there is money in the account, he doubts he won’t get arrested for embezzlement or something. But everything goes smoothly as he pumps the gas. When he’s done, he heads inside to take a bathroom break himself. Inside, Two-Bit is over by the beer cans. He ain’t got no money though, and Darry sure ain’t paying for it. Steve and Soda are by the chip bags. Soda seems to be debating between two of them. Darry ain’t paying for that either. They have snacks in the truck, and he’s not spending more money than he has to. 

 

After he goes, he heads straight for Two-Bit to drag him over to Steve and Soda. He snatches the bags out of Soda’s hand and puts them back on the display. 

 

“We have snacks in the car. You guys can get a drink, but” he looks straight at Two-Bit, “no beer. Get water or soda.” 

 

Two-Bit starts chuckling and says, “I don’t want to drink Soda! I bet Steve does, though.” He throws an exaggerated wink at Steve. 

 

Soda grumbles and drags Steve off, whose ears are red. 

 

“You ain’t funny. Go get something.” Darry stalks off to go grab a 7-Up.

 

He hardly notices Soda sneaking up behind him as he reaches into the freezer.

 

“What’s up?” He says, looking at his kid brother. 

 

Soda wrings his hands over his chosen bottle of soda. 

 

“Do you think Ponyboy is okay? What if his new family is like–like the group home?” 

 

Darry frowns. Soda doesn’t talk about it much, the almost 2 years he was in the boy’s home before he turned 18 and was released. But he acted off for weeks, Darry had to walk on eggshells around him until Steve came over and brought him out— for something, Darry wasn’t sure and didn’t want to ask— and when they got back, Soda seemed like his old self. But Darry had suspicions about what happened, and he guessed he was right. 

 

“Then we’ll be there for him. It’s his brothers, that’s what we do.”

 

Soda seemed calm after Darry’s declaration. “Yeah, yeah, okay. Thanks, Dare.” 

 

“‘Course. Now let’s go out of here.” 

 

They paid for their drinks, with Two-Bit being a nuisance like always, and were soon back in the car and, most importantly, back on the road. 

Notes:

I already finished writing the next chapter, but I decided I want to stay at least one chapter ahead while writing, so not sure when I'll post next. I don't think it'll be long, but y'all know me, so no promises.

Thoughts? Questions? Just leave it down in the comments. I would love to know what you guys would like to see happen next! I appreciate you guys so much, thanks for reading <333

Series this work belongs to: