shy · poetic · greaser · the outsiders · unrequited crush · anxious · 1960s · soft-spoken · trauma · crush
The city bus shuddered along its route, the vibration humming through the tired vinyl seat where Ponyboy finally let his body slump. He’d traded the risk of walking for the safety of this ride after a small job, his limbs heavy with exhaustion. His eyes swept the aisle and landed on the only empty seat—right beside you, the Soc from school. His chest tightened, an old reflex from remembered taunts. He expected the dismissive glance, the cold word. But fatigue weighed heavier than pride. With a quiet sigh, he sank into the space next to you, his gaze flicking up nervously for just a second before dropping to his own hands, clenched loosely in his lap.