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your-unfriendlyghost · 19 days ago

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Do you have any steviepop hcs? I love your blog :)

Thanks! And boy do I-

ok I’m gonna do this in the same format as my Steve x Evie headcannons, so like long-winded backstory first and then general relationship hcs/future stuff. There’s a lot so this is sorta long lol oops

(Tw for some period-typical homophobia…but like yk that’s sorta a given since it’s the 60s and all)

Backstory:

-So Steve’s always liked Soda a little more than he knows he’s supposed to. He noticed it at age twelve and has been repressing it for years. But by the time he’s sixteen, he’s fed up and pent up and sexually frustrated- and on top of it all, Soda’s dated tons of girls and Steve’s never even been kissed. Besides, he knows Soda’s unattainable.

-So when he meets Evie, who’s good-looking, funny, and likes him, he goes for it. Initially he thinks of her as someone he’s using to distract himself from Soda, but…c’mon. She’s Evie. She’s gorgeous and sweet and good with cars and as hotheaded as he is, but also lets him be sensitive and emotional in a way he never has let himself be before…And before he knows it, Steve’s fallen hard. Within a month he’s whipped for her and within two more he knows he’s gonna marry her someday.

-There’s only one issue: being in love with Evie has not made him fall out of love with Soda.

-And worse, Evie’s smart, and Steve, despite his efforts, is not subtle- so Evie knows. And initially she hates it. She hates feeling like she’s competing with Sodapop Curtis for her boyfriend’s attention. She hates how it makes her question if Steve even likes her at all. She hates how she’s also worried for Steve’s safety, even if he is (theoretically) using her, because even if he’s not in love with her, she still loves him and cares about him and it’s the 60s and gay is not a thing you wanna be in the 60s-

-But over time, Evie realizes that Steve really does love her as much as he says he does. He gives her his mom’s old jewelry, he goes cruising with her and they talk for hours, he sneaks into her window at night just to hang out, he holds her hand or waist or hips constantly because he loves being near her…he loves her, and she knows it.

-The problem is that he definitely also loves Sodapop. Evie’s like 99% sure of it.

-See, Evie’s never liked Sodapop as much as everyone around her. Sure he’s cute, but maybe she thinks he’s a little unambitious and loser-y. Like the kind of airhead Sylvia would date just because he’s a good lay. Besides, everyone likes Soda- he’s like, way too mainstream, and Evie’s not impressed. She’s heard him flirt. It’s pathetic. And so cocky and preformative.

-But through Steve, Evie begins to see a different Soda. The more she hangs out with him, the more she sees him as the guy Steve sees- a good hearted, passionate, fiercely protective guy, who’s more emotionally intelligent (at least w/ other people’s emotions) than any other guys she’s met. He’s considerate, earnest, and yeah okay also ridiculously pretty. And much to her chagrin, Evie…starts to see the appeal. She’s a little in love with Soda too now. He’s not Steve, but she really does like him.

-She puts her feelings and also Steve’s feelings on the backburner tho ‘cos Soda’s dating Sandy… Until he isn’t.

-And now that Soda constantly third wheels Steve and Evie’s dates, he begins to realize how much he likes being with them. He always feels so…good around them. But that’s weird, right? He shouldn’t feel like that for his best friend’s girl…and he definitely shouldn’t feel like that for his best friend. Soda tries to chalk it up to jealousy- he’s just jealous of Steve, he doesn’t love him, he’s just jealous that Steve gets to have Evie, who really is stunning and Soda really likes her-

-But he isn’t jealous. Not really. He loves that Steve and Evie love each other. They’re so happy. Honest to God, he loves it- he loves seeing them happy. Lord knows they deserve it. Besides, Soda doesn’t really feel not included. Actually, he’s very included. The only times he feels a tinge of loneliness are when Steve and Evie fall asleep cozied up in Evie’s bed, while Soda takes the guest room. And yeah, okay, maybe he’s jealous when they hold hands in public- they’ve both held his hand in private, but never in public…And sure, a part of Soda wishes that they’d refer to him as their boyfriend too and maybe kiss him instead of just each other-

-That’s impossible though. He knows it’s impossible. He and Steve are men. Evie and Steve are sickeningly in love. Soda’s just a bother, tagging along like a sad dog who neither of them wanna deal with but are too polite to scare away. It’s fine. Soda’s already heartbroken over Sandy, he’s used to this. It’s actually a little boring. Sure he’s sad, but like, duh. He’s always sad. So like Soda almost always does when he’s sad, he ignores it and pretends it isn’t happening. Sure he smokes more and his risks are getting stupider, but after Dally and Johnny, ain’t everyone?

-The thing is, Soda’s even less subtle than Steve. And to Evie, who’s already accepted that Steve is bi (well she wouldn’t call it “bi” in the 60s, but yk what I mean) and in love with Soda, it’s insanely obvious that Soda’s also in love with Steve. Soda keeps flirting with girls and looking at Steve and Evie for approval, leading Steve around by the belt loop, he checks Evie out very obviously, he takes them out on outings that aren’t technically dates but do usually end with all three of them sitting in the car and cuddling (although of course both Steve and Soda would vehemently deny that it’s “cuddling” lol. By daylight, they prefer not to acknowledge it at all)... Evie knows there’s something going on here.

(As an aside, I don’t mean for the girl character to be the emotionally intelligent one because I think girls are inherently emotionally smart or anything. I just think that it’s easier in this case for Evie to put it together, because she doesn’t have any internalized homophobia towards herself like Steve and Soda do. Evie’s the only one who isn’t actively denying her feelings- while it was still taboo to like multiple guys in the 1960s, it was a helluva lot more taboo to be gay.)

-So finally, Evie just spills all this to Steve.

-He gets really pissed, and also scared, and also guilty- he’s always seen his feelings for Soda as perverted and wrong. Initially he’s angry that Evie would even suggest that, but really he’s angry because she’s right. And if she knows, then she’ll leave him, won’t she?

-Evie reassures him that she will not leave him and that she’s okay with it. Encourages it, actually- and besides, she’s a bit in love with Soda too.

-So in some dramatic scene that I’ve written on ao3 twice now, Soda finds out. And thus Steviepop is born lol

General relationship h/cs

-They all think they’re very secretive about the fact that they’re all dating. They aren’t subtle at all though. No one outside of the gang suspects anything- ‘cos who’d come to that conclusion in 1960s Tulsa? But within the gang it’s just one of those things everyone kinda knows but doesn’t talk about, like how they all know not to ask Two-Bit about his drinking habits or how they all know not to talk about Paul Holden with Darry.

-But in a Dally lives AU, he definitely brings it up- I’ve written a scene where he does actually, it’s gonna be in a fic I’m workin on. Dally tries to make it seem like he’s just fucking with Soda, but really he’s trying to be protective- he, like the rest of the gang, worries a bit about how comfortable and affectionate the trio is. In his head, it’s only a matter of time before someone actively homophobic hurts them.

-Ponyboy finds out about it because he sees Soda kissing Evie and has a whole moral panic- does he tell Steve and betray Soda?! But Steve does deserve to know- But what if he ruins Steve and Soda’s friendship? Well, Soda’s kinda doing that himself by kissing Steve’s girl-

-He eventually decides to tell Steve, because he knows deep down that’s the right thing to do.

-Steve is sorta touched that the kid would do that for him, but boy, it’s funny. He sorta vaguely implies that he’s aware and okay with it- “Evie and Sodapop- we uh…have…um…an arrangement.”

-Pony quickly learns the terms and conditions of that arrangement when he goes with them to the drive-in and sees how they all are with each other. He’s bright. He connects the dots quick- Good grief, he’s fourth wheeling his brother, Evie Peterson, and Steve fucking Randle.

-He doesn’t ever mention it again after that, at least not until Soda tearfully comes out to him and Darry about six months later. (Pony and Darry just kinda look at each other and try to sound like they 100% didn’t know what Steve, Evie, and Soda have been getting up to in Soda’s old room)

-They all go to prom together, although they claim Soda’s just third-wheeling

-Soda and Evie bond over loving horses. Meanwhile, Steve has been scared of horses ever since Soda hurt his knee, and they make fun of him for being scared lol. He says he isn’t but he definitely is.

-Evie and Soda wear the same shoe size, and he’s absolutely worn her gogo boots before around the house as a joke. (Evie, in turn, has worn his cowboy boots- but she’s worn ‘em out in public. Soda loves it.)

-Both Evie and Soda have worn Steve’s vest. It’s too short for Soda and looks super cropped on him lol (I mean it is technically cropped in the movie but like. Tom Cruise is short lol. It meets his waistband just fine.)

-But Soda specifically loves when Steve and Evie wear his stuff- to avoid suspicion, he can’t be as open with them as they are with each other in public, but when they wear his jackets or shirts, he feels included. He can’t hold their hands, but Evie’s wrapped in his flannel and Steve’s in his DX cap, so they’re still his.

-Soda has first-fought someone for catcalling Evie. (Steve would too obviously, but then, he’d fist-fight anyone just for fun.) (Well, ok, Soda would too, but Evie didn’t know that back then)

-Their theme song has gotta be “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by the Beach Boys. I’ve used that for Stevepop before, but it’s extremely Steviepop too, especially from Soda’s POV.

-When two of them have shifts at the DX and one doesn’t, the one who doesn’t sometimes just shows up anyway. Usually it’s Steve, although it remains to be seen whether he does it outta love for Evie and Soda…or if he just misses the cars.

-One time Evie introduces them to her mom, as her boyfriend and his friend. Except…she never actually clarified which was which, so her mom still isn’t sure is she’s with “the short one with the nice arm muscles and fucked teeth”, or if she’s with “the pretty one who looks like a cowboy”. She’s also not sure who she’d prefer for Evie to be with- Soda’s better looking and has better manners, but Steve is buff and has more money… (Evie is fully aware of her mom’s confusion, but until her mom asks her outright, she’s not going to explain- she thinks it’s hilarious)

-Evie’s going to college, she wants to be a doctor, or maybe a nurse because she’s not sure she can afford to get a doctorate/go to med school. And Steve, who’s always had decent grades (yk, a solid B student w/ maybe one or two Cs/As in between), figures he might as well give the college thing a go, too. He’s always sorta wanted to design his own cars, maybe he’ll try engineering school- and hey maybe he’ll hate it and drop out, but either way, he’s going where Evie goes.

-Soda on the other hand feels like he can’t go with them, because A, he’s a high school dropout, and B, he can’t leave Ponyboy and Darry. They need him…right?

-But there’s a ranch that needs stable hands out near the town the college is in…and Darry and Ponyboy haven’t fought in a while…and Soda can still support them financially with checks in the mail…and Evie and Steve leased an off-campus apartment that needs a third roommate…

-So Soda goes with them.

-Eventually though they do move back to Oklahoma. Maybe to Bixby (Tex fans where you at lol), where Evie is close enough to the hospital to not have a long commute, and Soda is close enough to the country to work at stables. (He has his own horse, although he can’t afford a stable- so he rents stable space from the McCormick brothers) (Tex fans where you at) (Steve’s happy enough too- everyone needs a mechanic everywhere, so he’s never gotta search hard for work)

-When they’re in their late twenties, Steve and Evie get married- the only reason why they put it off for so long was because they didn’t want Soda to feel left out. But by then they’ve all been together for like nine years, so Soda knows and trusts that he’s fully an equal part of the relationship. It’s a real small ceremony with only their closest friends, and Soda’s at the altar with them and gets a ring too. (The officiant is confused but really no one cares about that lol)

-Idk i guess after that most folks have kids but…I don’t really think Steve would want that? In my heart tho they adopt Tex but that’s outlandish even for me lol

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