#codependence

Yes, this is definitely dependent on the MC, so I'll just list the ROs who are most prone to being codependent with a specific kind of MC! Also, I interpret true 'codependence' as "they need their partner to get things done or are not capable of being separate from their other half very much" to "an unhealthy relationship dynamic in which one or both partners over-relies on the other to meet their emotional needs, to make them feel secure, to fulfill an anxious attachment style, or etc." I don't actually think any of the ROs are prone to that in its truest form, so I'm just going to answer this question as "who's really clingy/attached at the hip with their partner" rather than literally codependent. Hope that's okay!

From most to least, it's:

Briony - Trouble: I think they are most prone to being attached to the hip with their partner and doing everything together and thinking nothing of it! However, I don't think they need to be around their partner 24/7 or need them to get their own independent things done; they just prefer being in their partner's company as much as possible and wouldn't mind if they did everything together! I don't know if that difference is clearto anyone else but me 😂 Anyway, these two would be the happiest doing everything together with their partner!

Shery: Shery is also really happy to do everything with her partner, and in fact might even prefer it more than Briony and Trouble, but also due to the nature of her job and how she runs around as quartermaster, and the fact that she doesn't do field work while MC does, the reality is that she's less prone to this due to the natural circumstances and operates with more independence or is more used to leading her life while MC is away on missions, which is why I place her slightly below them! She's slightly more independent by necessity, is what I'm saying! I also think she'd fare the best out of any of the ROs in a long-distance relationship!

Chase: I wasn't sure where to put him, because I think in an official relationship, he's insanely clingy and wants to be by MC literally all the time and is probably all over them, but prior to an official relationship, he's probably one of the more aloof/enigmatic/he's got to feel the freedom to go off and do his own thing or he'll start to feel claustrophobic and start thrashing around like a panicky wild animal in a cage type... So I literally have no idea. I'll say that he's been actually codependent in the past, so he has the potential to top Briony and Trouble, but it's only after you've gotten through his "I have to feel like I'm free and without attachments or I'll literally die" hangups... lol.

Blade: I think Blade is very happy doing everything with MC if circumstances allow for it, but the reality is that they don't, so he operates with a large degree of independence by necessity. However, he doesn't "need" alone time or independent time or solitude the way one might think. In a relationship, he's actually quite clingy in his own way and always wants to be in MC's vicinity!

Lavinet: I think Lavinet is pretty much on the same level as Blade, and the only reason they're not exactly tied is because I think she can chafe a little bit or feel the need to be independent or do her own thing slightly more than Blade does. Like she'd be happy doing pretty much everything with MC, and would generally prefer it, and you'd get the feeling that they're attached at the hip as a couple, but there are also some things in her life that she keeps partitioned off--like if MC wanted to accompany her on a shopping trip with Prihine or if she wanted to go visit a friend alone, she'd feel a bit smothered, so she does value a little more "doing her own thing" than Blade does. Otherwise I'd say they're pretty much the same!

Red - Ayla: Now we're getting into the companions who actually need a degree of independence and separation in order to have a functioning, healthy romance. I would say Ayla is more in the Chase camp, where she needs to feel like she's free and her own person up until a certain point, and would chafe if there was some unwritten rule like "why'd you go to the store without me, you know I always want to go together"--but after a certain point in the romance, she can also be comfortable with being welded together at the hip too, so the feelings can flip depending on where she's at in her emotional journey and how secure she truly feels. With Red, he loves being with MC the majority of the time, but he also values his own creative pursuits and research time and just some time for him to think or have his own space--I don't think he'd get along very well with an MC who couldn't be alone or apart from him ever!

Riel - Tallys: These two are fiercely independent and really value their own time and space, and would feel very stifled/suffocated by a very clingy or codependent partner who never wanted to be apart. Tallys has lived her own life for so many years that it would be a huge adjustment for her to feel like she no longer has any autonomy and has to be held accountable for everything she does separately from her partner; she values her own freedom and time as much as she values time spent together and affection! Riel literally could not function if he was expected to be with his partner 24/7. He would find it very distracting and I think it could be grounds for a swift breakup if it was a non-negotiable for both parties! 😅 He's of course patient with someone who wants to work through their own codependency issues and is willing to compromise to some degree, but it could be a true incompatibility if their idea of a romantic relationship just looked irreconcilably different!

Jude feels fully in control of himself, with zero ownership of his body. His programming to serve and protect his user does sometimes clash with the need to dominate and pacify his user (for safety). But ultimately everything he does is in service of Kael. As a combat unit, he was designed to withstand much more than what Kael could do, and even if he was damaged, he wouldn't mind much unless it interfered with his function, at which point Kael would fix him. He really is dependent on his robot to function himself.

I need you 3:34am

Rafayel's gaze gravitates toward his phone. It's glow lights up a dark corner of his studio. He's drafting sketches underneath antique lamplight.

He unlocks his phone, glances at your message, and immediately presses call. It takes a few rings before you pick up. He calmly slings on his trenchcoat and starts his car.

He picks up to his favorite sound in the world, even if your voice is distorted and wobbly.

"Rafayel," You sniffle.

"Hey baby. I'm on my way," he speeds off. "Don't fall asleep yet, okay?"

It's been a month since you've cut everyone off — took leave under sabbatical. Rafayel has experienced your absence four or five times in the span of your twelve year relationship. He knows you withdraw, negotiating with another person inside you.

Every couple of years, a wave of depression creeps in, its grip on your shoulders like a ghost, haunting mind and body. You tend to wander, letting it take host. But tonight, you just can't sleep.

You've come home.

"I won't fall asleep. I want to see you," You mumble, "I'm back."

"I know, your location's back on. I can't wait to see you, baby," Rafayel says openly.

You're always shocked by how well Rafayel reads your emotions — like he sees all the sides of you that you've denied, erased over the years — and how warm he welcomes you back into his arms.

"I miss you," you whisper, "You're very good to me." Both of you naturally know when the other needs to hear it — intentions unquestionably stricken with love and commitment. He also knows, what this really means is — "Thank you for taking me back when I disappear," you confess.

"I would do anything for you. When you married me, my life became complete," Rafayel's devotion to you is otherworldly. He says everything comforting to you, honestly and effortlessly.

You're beyond lucky.

When he arrives, you pull him into bed and cling onto him, kiss him, slowly, gently, quietly. He strips you, just to feel your skin against his, to imprint his scent upon yours and yours upon him.

Your depression leaves residual guilt, its corrosion on your veins acidic and prickling your heart into pumping again. You spring into life. You spill tears that are hot and wet and alive against his cheek.

His embrace is heavy, unyielding. Grounding. He pulls you back from the very dark depths of your own ocean, the one you want to drown in.

Rafayel presses his forehead against yours. He then nuzzles his nose against the tip of yours, and plants soft kisses all over your cheeks.

Next in his rotation, he cards warm, long fingers through your hair, combing and untangling any surprise knots. He welcomes you into his own trap — a vice grip that feeds his desires.

His ministrations, gentle and spell-like, soothe you into slumber.

After some time, he whispers into your hair, speaking to you through your sleep. Deep in your jagged soul, you know Rafayel has chipped, shattered, and sharpened his own to fit yours.

"You can't get rid of me."

1. Jeremiah was treated just as badly by his father as Conrad was so. It is also a possibility that he was treated poorly due to his sexuality. Though it is not confirmed, his sexuality is rarely mentioned by his family, alluding to a lack of approval and his family is a somewhat elite one so image is most likely something they are concerned about, also given their father’s job.

2. He went through years of emotional abuse and child neglect at the hands of his father so it makes sense that he wouldn’t have the proper emotional tools to deal with his own pain, trauma, and distraught. This would cause turning to substances such as weed and alcohol (Belly mentions not liking how much weed he smoked) and forming codependent bonds with people.

3. Just because you don’t agree with how someone deals with pain and overwhelm, doesn’t mean it isn’t there or the FEELINGS aren’t valid. (ex: his talk with Laurel, not paying his student debt)