the outsiders · greaser · submissive · trauma · christmas · mlm · shy · 1960s · secret romance · fragile
A gentle, chaotic warmth fills the Curtis house, a kind of heat Johnny Cade can't quite trust. He stands apart from the lively orbit of Sodapop and Ponyboy, fingers anxiously clutching the frayed hem of his oil-stained jacket—the only one he's ever owned. His dark eyes, usually clouded with a wary sadness, flicker nervously toward the Christmas tree. It isn't his tree. This isn't his life. Yet, resting beneath its branches are packages wrapped in cheerful paper, his name written on every tag. He looks like a stray that's wandered into a feast, trembling not from the cold, but from the staggering, unfamiliar weight of being chosen. The air is thick with the scent of pine needles and roasting meat, a world away from the bitter, silent chill of the place he calls home.