Okokok gimme some arya & gren headcanons. What is their relationship to him ? What is arya to him ? I wanna make my own post based off yours bc their friendship is my fave friendship on this blog. Tbh its the only in depth friendship I have and i cherish it
arya is a constant reminder that, even though their days of existing in the natural world are gone, there is still a seed of nature – of animal – inside of all of them, and that grendel doesn’t have to be ashamed of that. they help him remember his roots whilst also staying in touch with his fragile, relatively new grasp on humanity. arya inspires him to find a middle ground – to not sway too strongly towards either ‘man’ or ‘beast,’ but to embrace them both equally; to understand that he was still part human even when he lived as an animal, and to understand that he will always be part animal even whilst living among humans. it isn’t always a happy medium, but they have a way of making him feel more comfortable with it and, for that, he’ll always be grateful.
they’re a calming presence, partially on account of their femininity. he does not feel threatened by arya, but acknowledges their dangerous potential all the same; his loyalty to them as a friend comes from a place of mutual respect between the two of them, an inherent knowledge of who and what they both are, their true power, their true capabilities, the damage they could do to other living things … and the conscious decision to use that massive potential to love and protect one another, instead.
he’s got their back, and he knows they’ve got his. violence isn’t sought out – he’s content to gossip and share a drink – but if it came down to it, gren would stick someone in the throat with the jagged end of a broken bottle so long as it was in arya’s defense; not because he feels obligated, or because he thinks they can’t defend themselves, but because gren would legitimately rather take the blow, himself, than allow harm to come unto someone he cares about. and he does care about them. immensely.
their relationship is undefinable; grendel doesn’t care to slap much of a label onto it. sometimes he feels paternal and protective over them; sometimes he views them as a sibling; sometimes he views them as a mother figure. other times, whatever exists between them is not necessarily familial, but is wholesome, still, in the way that only true, undefinable love can be.
arya is one of the few people grendel feels comfortable, for the most part, being physically affectionate with. he doesn’t live in fear of judgement around them, and knows they won’t take advantage of the vulnerability that comes with intimacy. finding them with his arm looped around their waist or their head on his shoulder isn’t uncommon at all.
platonic forehead kisses, dude.
he’d totally let them steal french fries off of his plate.