Work Text:
Over the years, Emu has grown rather used to people talking down to her. Sometimes it's out of clear disrespect, like a few of her classmates or even her brothers in the past. Sometimes it happens even when she knows the person means well, like with Hinata or Mr. Mascot. She tries not to let it affect her— after all, she does need help understanding things sometimes. But she knows she's not stupid, and she knows she's just as worthy of respect as anyone else. She dislikes ("hate" may be a more accurate word, but Emu refuses to entertain the idea that she hates anything) having to pretend others' patronizing tones never bother her.
But the point is that she's used to it. What she doesn't think she'll ever get used to, though, is when people don't condescend her. It's something that always continues to surprise her about her troupe. They have no problem explaining jokes she doesn't understand, rephrasing sentences with too many clauses to keep track of, or giving her time to stim when she's understimulated. It always makes her heart smile and flutter, just being accommodated in casual ways.
Emu appreciates it when Tsukasa listens to her infodump and contributes with near-matching enthusiasm (no one can perfectly match Emu's endless enthusiasm, but he comes pretty darn close!). She loves that he joins her in her sensory seeking behavior, when she needs to flap her arms or make silly noises so she can focus, even if he himself doesn't always need it. Tsukasa is always there to take care of her, to protect her smile, to remind her that she's loved. He never complains when Emu constantly points out pretty birdsongs or nice textures or funky looking insects— well, he does complain about that last one, actually. But he more than makes up for it in every other regard.
Emu appreciates it when Nene gently reminds her to stop picking at her skin or forcefully rubbing her knuckles together. Emu's been getting better about that one ever since she stimmed so hard her knuckles bled, and though she likes to joke that she got the scars from punching bad guys ("Heh, you should see the other guy!") she does love that Nene's looking out for her. Nene shows her kindness in that way a lot, actually: kindly letting Emu know to regulate her volume, or when she's oversharing, or to take bathroom breaks during rehearsal. She's always there to explain figures of speech or social cues or pop culture references Emu misses, but it never feels patronizing or rude. Nene shows her support subtly, but it warms Emu's heart to know it's there.
Emu appreciates it when Rui gives her little buttons and dials from his workshop for her to fidget with. They're better than the stim toys from any online shop, because they remind Emu of her good friend. Rui has a propensity to exhibit his love by gift-giving; he always has some sort of trinket or gizmo to share with Emu, to show he's thinking of her even when she's struggling. He even implemented a detachable AAC device for Robo-Nene, so it's always available if Emu loses speech at rehearsal. (She likes it more than the app on her phone since it reads everything in (Robo-)Nene's voice; this leads to shenanigans about as silly as you can imagine.) Rui is always willing to entertain Emu's endless questions, too, never getting annoyed or tired of her curiosity. He always knows just what to say.
Emu loves her friends more than anything in the world, and it always amazes her just how much they love her back. They're willing to support her no matter what, even with things most wouldn't need support with. She never has to worry that they're judging her, or talking about her behind her back, or just putting up with her to be nice, or any other of the countless worries she has to struggle to push away with just about everyone else. Emu feels safe around her friends, and she appreciates that more than they can ever know.