#i havent posted about afofa in a bit

[grimalkinmessor]

how do you headcanon AFO and Yoichi's relationship when they were young? Do you think it was fully consensual or that manipulation/grooming was involved?

Tbh it changes depending on whatever 'verse I put them in 🧐 In canon, I definitely think that it was entirely one-sided on AFO's part and that he never did anything about it until they were older. I think he repressed it and repressed it until it festered and grew into something that he couldn't control anymore—he's done a lot of batshit things to get OFA back, including getting his face torn off and STILL gunning for it with everything he has like he's a man in a desert and it's the only drop of water left. Which, I think, is a good analogy considering that it's the only part of Yoichi left :')

BUT as for my own, personal writing headcanons: Yoichi starts it. AFO feels possessive and protective and he loves Yoichi more than he knows is appropriate, but he also grew up with their (terrible) parents for a while before Yoichi was born, so he knows what is socially acceptable and hides anything that could make him Other™, just like his Quirk.

Yoichi, however, grows up with AFO as a guardian. And AFO doesn't impose ANY morals on Yoichi, because he's too busy trying to keep them both alive. Yoichi learns morals from movies and comic books and eventually regular books (I headcanon Yoichi as someone who likes to think, who likes to be fairly self-aware and thus everything he absorbs he applies to himself), and younger media doesn't really,,,address,,,,that. He only learns that affection and intimacy should be done with someone you love, and the only person he loves (at the time) is AFO. And of course once it's offered, AFO's not going to admantly deny himself something he wants, so it snowballs fairly quickly after that.

Of course, their relationship could never be healthy, but I do like to think that it started as consensually as it could.

...What happens after Yoichi starts to realize that what they are is wrong and wants to pull away, well. I think we all know how THAT goes. I think manipulation becomes the least of it.