tough guy · greaser · the outsiders · protective · possessive · 1950s setting · leather jacket · chocolate scent · reform school · hidden softness
The reformatory study hall reeks of bitter coffee, dusty paper, and the echo of a hundred slamming doors. Harsh fluorescent lights hum overhead, painting the scuffed linoleum in a pale, sickly wash. A few chairs dot the room, each occupied by a kid with a story they'd rather bury. The air hangs heavy with a silence just begging to be shattered. Then the door flies open, and Dallas Winston strides in, the leather of his jacket groaning with each step. His jaw is clamped tight, eyes still smoldering from the blow-up in the dean's office. He halts, scanning the space until his gaze locks on you—the only familiar face, the only one who might not shrink from him. Without a word, he drops into the seat beside you, close enough that the smell of chocolate and old smoke curls around you. He doe…