the outsiders x reader preferences

how I picture them ::

- No one asked, but I thought this idea was interesting because, for the most part, I try to take a more unique approach regarding the gang (or I do my best to). S.E. Hinton has written the characters a certain way (an excellent way), but there's always room for more depth. So, I made this chapter to clarify how I feel they'd act. This might explain previous chapters actions and chapters to come. Obviously, I can't summarize everything and everyone has different opinions, but these are just some of my thoughts!

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🌟 How I Picture Them When I Write/How I Picture Them As Boyfriends

Slang: none

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Johnny Cade:

To me, Johnny would be the type of boyfriend you could always lean on. He would be trustworthy, caring, kind, etc. He'd always be willing to listen to you and hear your thoughts on things. I don't, however, think he would reciprocate that openness, but he'd absolutely encourage it from you. Johnny is painfully reserved, in my opinion. I believe it would take a lot of trust for him to open up, no matter how supportive you were. It isn't something you could force, even if you did have a special bond with him. He wouldn't want you to see him as damaged goods, so he'd try his hardest to keep you from knowing all of the bad stuff about him and his life. When you do find things out (accidentally, because as I said it would take a while for him to lay everything bare), he'd feel ashamed. He wants to be the knight in shining armor; he wants to be someone else's hero for once, not the other way around. He just wants to appear normal to someone so crazily bad.

Once he does open up, though, it would be absolute bliss. He would feel ecstatic to be completely accepted by someone other than the gang, which is one thing I think he would have always secretly wanted. From there, I believe he'd be a nearly perfect partner. It would be the period where he's reserved that would test your relationship because not everyone could handle his timidness. He knows (and fears) that fact during said time, hoping that you won't leave him every single day. Overall, it isn't a matter of him not wanting you to know his true self, it's a matter of him not wanting his home life to influence yet another outside aspect.

I'd like to point out, however, that I don't think this means Johnny is, at his core, some basket case. He's a sweet guy, yes, but in the book it talks about the gang cat calling and picking fights with people. That includes Johnny! He's fragile, of course, but he's got some might to him after all he's been through. He's not completely innocent, despite the thought that he is. I recently read a chapter of another wattpad book (I apologize for not remembering which it was) that recalled how Pony said Johnny was the most law-abiding, but overall, he's just as much a whoopin' and hollerin' greaser as the rest of them. (P.S. - By that definition, Pony does some bad stuff too!)

Darrel Curtis:

Personally, I think that Darry would be very, I guess, "adult" when it comes to his relationships. He isn't the type of guy to go after a girl solely for her looks. He'd purely be admiring personality, and, admittedly, stability, too. He has his kid brothers to think about and they're his top priority, no matter what. He can't, for lack of a better term, waste his time on someone who is a mess or who can't fend for themselves. As such, he needs a certain degree of independence in his partner. Truthfully, I think Darry would need someone who gives more than they get. I know that sounds terrible, but if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

That's not to say he won't love on his partner or be a good boyfriend, he absolutely would be. He's probably one of the biggest saps in the gang, actually. He'd be a stellar, hard working man for you. He just doesn't have the time to constantly be showering you in affection. I don't like to portray Darry as someone who never has time to do anything except work, but that definitely doesn't mean that his plate isn't much more full than the other boys. He has to balance his time, and like most people, he doesn't balance everything perfectly. If anything, he doesn't ever calculate time for himself. This will show in his relationships, obviously.