I’D LOVE TO HEAR UR THOUGHTS ON STEVEBOY!!! It’s my favorite outsiders ship ^-^
EEEEEEEE I'm glad I got an ask for this!!! (okay so I've started writing and I've realized that this is gonna be a bit of a longer post with much different vibes than I was anticipating ^^")
So depending on how you interpret post canon Ponyboy, their relationship changes. There's really only a few different ways it can go in my mind.
In the case that Ponyboy kinda retreats in on himself, becomes softer, quieter, etc, they'd kinda take on a relationship that vaguely follows the traditional male/female relationship, with Pony playing the woman's role. I imagine that, after canon, Steve kinda steps up when no one else can. Darry and Soda are busy working off the immense hospital debt they have, and are both working themselves to death while also trying to outrun their grief and take care of Ponyboy's physical and basic emotional needs, with little time to actually sit down and help him and be available even though they want to be. Two-Bit is drowning himself in alcohol and sorrow, and while he definitely cares for Pony, and he's there for him as much as possible, he's still an alcoholic at the end of the day and he's never sober and around enough to truly help Pony. That leaves Steve. At first he only plans on ensuring Pony is alive and okay enough for the state to not take him away, but he sees that neither Soda or Darry or Two-Bit have the time or energy or mindset to take care of Pony, so Steve starts actually trying. He brings Pony to the DX with him, follows Pony to his classes in school, and hangs around when he has free time. Of course, he's still grieving, but at some point around 6 months after everything, Steve realizes that Pony is getting better, but he's not even doing decently yet. That kinda brings him to the realization that if Steve isn't healing, he can't help Ponyboy heal. So he decides to heal with Pony, instead of doing as little as possible to make Pony feel better while ignoring his own grief. It's up in the air how he goes about that, but it leads to him and Pony getting really close, and Steve eventually seeing Pony as less of a tagalong or Soda's little brother, and more of a friend and eventually boyfriend! Now, Steve is/tries to be very manly-man, macho, tuff guy, and Pony honest to God has no interest in that kinda stuff other than the basic 'not being weak as fuck,' so Steve kinds views himself as the guy in the relationship and Pony as the girl, and Pony - while affronted - doesn't truly care all that much. They still bicker and fight and wrestle, but in their softest moments, that's how they'll act. It's still the 60's after all, and they're gonna try and abide by relationship norms. Once they get older and more mature, around 30-40, they'll cool it and stand on more equal - but just as loving - footing. (more under the cut)
Now in the case that Pony gets tough and follows Dally's advice post-canon, they get together a lot sooner because it's kinda hard to see Pony as a kid in need of help when he's jumping people, running from the cops, getting close with the Shepards, and hanging around Buck's. Pony and Steve end up falling together because Steve tried to get Ponyboy off the path he's going down and, after a bit of fighting, succeeded. As I put it in another post of mine: Steve's the one who most understands what Dally's gone through. Not in terms of prison, but being abused, hurt, angry all the time, surrounded by drunks and addicts. Steve understands, but he didn't turn out like Dally. Two people with similar experiences and feelings yet different outcomes. Steve is the one who understands Dally, and therefore Pony the best, and helps him out of it. Once he helps Pony, and inadvertently helps himself, they get together pretty quick, and they have a pretty equal relationship because Steve's seen that Pony isn't just softness and dreams, so he can't really assign Pony to the girl's role in the relationship. He tries sometimes, just to mess with Pony, but Pony shuts that shit down real quick. He may have stopped putting up a tough guy act, but for at least a couple months, he was trying to fill Dally's shoes and he learned some shit doing that, including how to fold someone in half in .5 seconds.
If Pony stays fairly true to canon, then Steve and him don't get together until after Pony comes home from college. Post-canon Pony is soft but stronger. Willing to defend himself and others but not fight. He sees things clearer than he used to, and even though he has his fair share of problems but he's never stagnant in his healing. When he needs help he tells Darry and Soda, and overall Steve really doesn't have a reason to see Pony as more than a kid and help Pony heal, but helping Pony heal is what helps Steve heal, so Steve takes a lot longer to heal and just isn't right for Pony until after college once they've both become adults and healed. This universe is probably the healthiest for their relationship out of all of them. The boys are healed, have prior relationship experience, and are adults. They'll be able to avoid a lot of the bumps that come with teen relationships, and aren't relying on each other to help the other heal. Steve is also a lot less likely to put Pony into the traditional woman's role too, since Pony is...well, an adult man at this point.
i am SO sorry this took so long, art block is a bitch :,)
Art below the cut!
really hope I did you justice, jordie! The beanie was giving me so much trouble it isn't even funny 🥲
ref for the pose was found on Pinterest, can't tell you who the artist is because the watermark was obviously removed and nothing on that hellsite is original work :/
Request anything! ask me anything! i’ll try to respond within a 1-3 days! (Please only max 3 characters per request for now i’m easing myself back into reqs! doing a bunch of characters burns me out)
