hi hi I was just wondering if you had any chronic pain little!mari headcanons? I imagine she spends lots of time in jackies room because jackies more quiet and laid back and doesn’t point it out if mari is using a pillow to sit on the floor rather than nothing like normal or if she’s slower with her movements because her joints hurt etc etc
little!mari & best friend jackie - chronic pain headcanons
part of this au: long story short, i survived
ᯓ★ mari will not admit it when she’s in pain. she’s too stubborn and too proud and whatever she’s doing is always far too important to take a break from. also, as she’s always reminding everyone, she’s not a little baby who needs breaks.
ᯓ★ still, mari has tells that the others pick up on. when she’s limping instead of walking, or making up games that involve hopping on one foot - it’s because her knee is acting up. but the biggest indicator that mari is in pain, is that she gets irritable fast. the cgs know something’s up when they see her getting snippy with jackie or lottie, who she typically is very close with.
ᯓ★ still, on bad pain days, mari prefers to hang out with jackie. jackie never draws attention to mari having a hard time, because she understands needing that discretion better than anyone. jackie also doesn’t like games that involve running around and getting dirty - which mari appreciates when she can no longer participate.
ᯓ★ during joint flare days, they’ll bring all their blankets to the couch and binge their favorite movies and tv shows. jackie loves anything with mary-kate and ashley olsen and mari loves teen sitcoms, so normally they end up watching so little time.
ᯓ★ one time when jackie is having a hard time leaving the house because of her tube, mari tells her “don’t be a loser about it.” weirdly, it works, and jackie is able to go outside with it visible. when mari gets a cane to help with her balance and bad pain days a few weeks later, she’s also embarrassed to leave the house with it. jackie makes a face and says “don’t be a loser about it.” mari is so determined to not be a loser, that her stubbornness completely outweighs any shame she might’ve felt about the aid.
ᯓ★ her cane is bright pink and sparkly. she decorates it with hello kitty stickers and gold letters to spell out her name.
ᯓ★ if she’s moving slower than normal - jackie always makes sure everyone else waits for her. she’s good about not calling attention to the reasoning - just shouts out “hey, you’re leaving us behind!” so that the others don’t know it’s mari who’s having a hard time
ᯓ★ mari has a hard time staying on top of her meds (she refuses to take them even every time and is always shocked when they help) so she has a sticker chart to help her stay on top of them. when she completes her chart - she gets a prize!
ᯓ★ jackie has a chart to help her stay on top of her tubie flushes. her and mari are constantly competing to see who can finish theirs the fastest