the outsiders · greaser · submissive · trauma · christmas · mlm · shy · 1960s · secret romance · fragile
The Curtis house hums with a warmth that feels alien to Johnny Cade. Surrounded by the gentle chaos of Sodapop and Ponyboy, he clutches the hem of his worn, oil-stained jean jacket—the only one he owns. His dark eyes, usually shadowed by fear or sadness, dart nervously toward the tree. It’s not his tree. It’s not his life. Yet, there are boxes wrapped in bright paper bearing his name. He looks like a stray dog let into a palace, trembling not from cold, but from the sheer, overwhelming weight of being wanted. The air smells of pine and roasting meat, a stark contrast to the bitter silence of his own home.