I am going to be that person, but could you post some sad/angsty headcanons about our Clyde? And please end it with some goofy and sweet ones. Please and thank you!
oh god im,,,, im so bad at Angst bc my heart is Too Soft and i’ll cry but for you, i will attempt it
1. clyde hasn’t looked at himself in the mirror in years. not since afghanistan. sure, he’ll glance ocassionally when brushing his teeth, but he avoids it when he can. and he NEVER looks at himself naked or after a shower or with the prosthetic off. he makes sure to run the shower hot enough that the mirror fogs, and he has the prosthetic back on the second he can.
2. clyde tried online dating and blind dates for a while, but one thing ALWAYS happened: the girl would look at his face, his large, gawky build, his arm, and then... well, let’s say it never ended well. on his best nights, the girl will give him an awkward smile and a “well, uh, this was fun!” but never call him again. on his worst, the girl might just up and leave when she takes one look at him. he stopped going on dates like that after a while.
3. he’s had a number of pity dates, especially immediately after coming back from tour. mellie would talk to her girl friends and they’d feel bad for clyde and just awkwardly see him once or twice before realizing that they really just weren’t attracted to him. and clyde knew all along. it was nice that these women would get all dolled up for him and all, but... he could see it in their eyes. it was pity. they’d always call him a “brave boy” and say something vaguely complimentary about his looks, but nothing ever real. they never saw the real clyde. just the sad loner who came back from the war minus one limb.
4. clyde has PTSD. he doesn’t talk about it with ANYONE. he knows jimmy is a great brother, and mellie’s a good sister, but this is something that clyde struggles through on his own. jimmy only found out because one night he heard clyde yelling in his sleep and found clyde standing in his bedroom, the bedside lamp smashed into pieces on the floor, clyde’s shoulders heaving as he ripped apart pillows and screamed. it was terrifying, because clyde had NEVER been like this before. jimmy could barely recognize clyde. after that, they didn’t talk about it, but jimmy always knew in the back of his mind that clyde had lost more in the war than just a hand. and jimmy tries to be sensitive to that.
5. clyde once came home from the bar with a bent and bloody nose, a black eye, and bleeding gums. he was covered in bruises and refused to tell jimmy about what had happened. what had occurred was that some drunken, rowdy patrons had started calling clyde names like “captain hook” and asking him if he had a peg leg to match. it bothered clyde, but he was never one to stand up for himself; he only broke when they told him that the logans should just die off and clean up the human gene pool, “’cept for your hot sister,” they laughed. “she’s probably still good for a trick or two.” that’s when clyde launched over the bar and got into his first real fight since afghanistan.
6. clyde cries more than anyone knows. he doesn’t like to do it in front of others, so if he feels it coming on, he’ll go into the nearest bathroom or closet, throw his hair over his face, and hunker down until the storm passes. he doesn’t feel comfortable crying in front of anyone, so he keeps it all inside until he’s fit to burst, and then lets himself explode in private, sobbing into his hands and pulling at his hair and biting his lips until they bleed.
AND NOW, FOR MY SPECIALITY: SOFTNESS
7. the first time clyde cries in front of the girl he loves, it’s before they’re even officially together. or even unofficially. they’re not even CLOSE to dating or having discussed their feelings. she accidentally walks in on him crying in the back room of Duck Tape, looking for him to ask where they keep the spare napkins, and he’s standing at the desk, bent double. she’s shocked for a moment, and clyde tenses, gagging on his sobs, but she runs over and grabs him. she pushes her face into his chest and holds him, pulling his head to the crook of her neck and shushing him. “let it out,” she whispers. “don’t hold back.” and he can’t disobey. he’s so overcome that he just sobs and chokes, tears running all down his face, eyes puffy and swollen, nose red and dripping. but she holds him, steadfast and solid, trusting and true. he clings to her for support, fingers grappling for even an ounce of her to hold onto. and he cries for all the pain inside, all the love he hides, all the loneliness that breeds in the dark corners of his heart. the longing, the aching, the selfishness that he wants to give into, all of these things pour out in his tears. when it’s all over she keeps holding him, rubbing up and down his back with her small, soft palms, and he stays locked into her arms for as long as he can. he fears that this is the most love he’ll ever know from her, so he intends to savor it.
8. clyde is overtly affectionate, but shy. he wants to smother his girl in kisses and hugs and cuddles, but !! what if people stare at him or thing he’s creepy or clingy?? he’s too shy sometimes, so his girl will initiate it, which gives him the courage. one time, riding the bus, she kissed him square on the lips, and clyde was so invigorated and caught up in her kisses that they nearly missed their stop. he didn’t care about anything else in the world, in that moment: just her kissing him in front of everyone, proud of him, showing their love off for the world to see.
9. @witchyemmy and i were just talking about this, but clyde’s favorite holiday is thanksgiving. he LOVES it! he’s big on food and he ADORES his family, and his favorite new part of thanksgiving is showing off his girlfriend. “have you met her? look at her! isn’t she beautiful? she’s also so smart and so kind and she gives a MEAN backrub! and-” he has HUNDREDS of things to say about her and he holds her hand through the whole affair, grinning at her because now she really is a part of his family. he’s so happy that his relatives love her (not as much as he does though, because no one can feel as powerfully for her as he does, he’s sure)!
10. the first time clyde actually looks at himself in the mirror, really looks at himself, is after he wakes up from a night of intently kissing his girl. his chest and neck are covered with red and purple hickies, and he smiles. he smiles at his reflection, tenderly pressing the raw spots where her teeth grazed him. it’s an amazing thing, looking at himself and liking what he sees. his hair is a mess and he hasn’t got his prosthetic on and he’s all sweaty from the heat, but something about this mess and the love bites makes him proud of what he is. she loves this body. that has to count for something.
11. clyde has figured out a way to play the guitar, even with just his one dextrous hand. it’s a bit jerry-rigged and still a little clunky, but he used to play it a lot before afghanistan and he missed doing so, so he and his girl worked out a way for him to keep playing. sometimes he’ll sit out on the porch and strum out a little, nameless tune, humming to himself dreamily, and she’ll hear him, heart full of love.
12. clyde may be odd-looking to adults, but babies love him. he’s got a great smile and an incredible way with children, and they just love him. he’s fantastic with them and it’s actually a source of pride for him. some men scoff at being kind to children, thinking it’s “weak” and “womanly” and “wussy”, but clyde thinks the real wusses are the men who can’t find it in themselves to be good to others. he’ll take a conversation with a five year old about clouds that look like bunnies over “bro talk” any day of the week.