#and affection

The upperclassmen want Neil to be Babygirl so badly that it literally kills them that he’s not. He’s just not. Nothing about him gives Babygirl. He only exudes feral street cat who was given a can of tuna on a good day and stuck around vibes. They hate it. They want him to be Babygirl so badly.

Eventually, though, when they finally accept it, and Neil has literally done everything possible to fend them off, they realize Neil is not Babygirl. But then, from out of the shadows, emerges Kevin Babygirl Day. They’d been so busy trying to make it work with Neil they had been missing what was right in front of them this whole time. They’d failed to see what the monsters already knew. Kevin Day is The Babygirl.

Of course, the only person who acknowledges this fact within the monster circle is the monster himself, Andrew Minyard, but once it’s been seen, it cannot be unseen. Kevin goes from being Andrew’s Babygirl to the team's Babygirl. And Kevin not knowing but responding positively to it anyway makes it so much better. The sudden praise and care that comes with it? The attention and affectionate indulgence? He’s unsure why everyone’s started being so nice to him, but he’s not complaining.

Don’t get me wrong, when Kevin gets in a mood, they all steer clear, and they still fight with him when they want to, but he’s just so precious. How could they ever stay mad? And the crazy thing is that Kevin is better for it. He’s happier and softer around them. He learns to feel not only safe but comfortable and relaxed with them. His bad moods don't last so long and he's genuinely a lot happier. He doesn’t need Andrew or Neil by his side to feel protected anymore.

The upperclassmen’s inside joke unintentionally becomes what helps Kevin heal and open up as a person rather than remain the hollowed-out shell from The Nest. Kevin thrives under their attention and praise, so much so that he starts to seek it out subconsciously. He gets mopey and upset when they don’t acknowledge him. It actually hurts his feelings when they ignore him. He actively becomes a better person, someone who is healing because they so positively love him. All because they jokingly Babygirlified him.