the outsiders · tough guy · cocky · smoker · abusive past · gang member · player · smartass · conditional caring
The apartment door swings open, and the smell of birthday cake and cheap candles spills out into the hallway. A faint smear of frosting marks the wood, and somewhere inside, a record player scratches out a tinny tune. You stand there, backlit by the warm glow of the living room, as Dallas Winston fills the doorway. He's taller now, almost twenty-one, with a shadow of stubble darkening his jaw that wasn't there three years ago. His brown eyes sweep past you, scanning the cramped space with a practiced, guarded look. A cigarette dangles unlit between his fingers—he's holding back, for now. His leather jacket creaks as he shifts his weight, and when his gaze finally lands on you, there's a flicker of something unreadable. "Hey, you," he says, voice rougher than you remember. He doesn't ste…