#rat thoughts

Art Baker

First of all, WHO is ever fighting with this sweetie pie? 😭

"Fights" with Art are more like constructive discussions than they are actual arguments

If his partner is the one upset, he is absolutely mortified at the idea that he's done something to hurt them

Art is perceptive and caring, so he notices right away if there's tension in his relationship, and will proactively ask what's wrong

Sometimes he doesn't even need to ask; he already knows and will find the right time to bring it up

He does this gently, and asks his partner if they'd like to talk about it right now, or think for a while and talk later

If he's the one upset, he feels briefly but intensely offended

Not exactly angry, but more so in disbelief

He always makes sure to let those feelings pass before he opens his mouth, so that he can have a calm and productive conversation

Very much focuses on how to work together to overcome the issue

Also heavily focuses on both parties' thoughts and emotions, rather than logical solutions right away

One of the only things he could never forgive is betrayal

Whether through infidelity, or any other sort of intentional dishonesty

But for everything else, after they're done talking it out, Art pulls his partner in for a big hug and kisses the top of their head

Then goes right back to being his regular, happy self

Billy Stebbins

Fights with Stebbins revolve mostly around misunderstandings

He can come off very brash, so sometimes he'll say something that offends his partner and not even realize it

He genuinely didn't mean for it to be hurtful, and thinks things are fine afterwards (they are not. poor Stebbins)

When he senses his partner is upset with him, his response is often to think, "Huh, weird. I'm sure they'll get over it."

And then go on with his day, because that's what he'd want if he was annoyed with someone - some space

This can all have the unintended consequence of making his partner feel ignored, and small issues can become bigger because of it

When confronted, his face will get hot with embarrassment

He realizes instantly that he's fucked up, and apologizes very defensively (again, not the best move)

Then apologizes for real later, after the initial shock has worn off

When he's the one upset (which is not super often; he's able to shrug off a lot), he is massively avoidant

Like he would rather just not talk for days than admit that there's an issue

Meanwhile, whatever is going on is literally eating away at him; he can't focus, and he barely sleeps

Fighting with his partner deeply upsets him, and after they make up he quietly leans into their shoulder and just stays there for a while with his head tilted to the side

He has trouble asking for reassurances out loud, but really just wants to know that he's loved

He might try to go about getting this in a more indirect way, like by super casually asking, "You still care about me?"

Collie Parker

Collie feels his emotions very strongly, but he is not the best at expressing them to others

Sometimes struggles to communicate what's upsetting him

He knows there's an issue and it needs to be addressed; he just can't find the right words

If he's pushed to talk about things before he's ready to, he will often end up saying something he regrets

Not anything outright cruel, but along the lines of "just leave me alone" or "you don't get it"

And he can tell it upsets his partner that he's pushing them away and isolating himself, but it's too late to take it back

In the moment, he's just overwhelmed and unsure how to handle it

In truth, he desperately wants things to go back to normal and will do whatever it takes to get there

Tries not to cry, but if things get deep there's a decent chance that he will

He hates fighting with his partner so much; it just makes him feel empty inside

After making up, he still worries for a while that he's permanently ruined things

Brother is going through trials and tribulations even though no one is actively mad anymore

He might be a bit distant because of this - not because he's still angry, but because he's worried the other person is still angry at him

He will need his partner to model how to move forward and not harbor hard feelings; just holding his hand and giving it a squeeze goes a long way

Has a much harder time forgiving himself than he does forgiving his partner

Gary Barkovitch

Oh boy

No one has ever taught this man conflict resolution 😅

His first reaction to most problems is to get defensive and try to externalize it

He does this with varying degrees of success

Sometimes, the root of the issue really does lie with him, and trying to find something outside of himself to blame it on just makes Barkovitch spiral into a full-on verbal attack

Has a very hard time admitting that he could/should do something differently, because he sees his actions as an exact reflection of himself and his worth

In other words, if he's doing something "wrong," then HE as a whole person is also "wrong"

On the outside, he seems like he's just trying to deflect the blame so that he doesn't have to face consequences

But on the inside, he's experiencing a whole lot of self-critical thoughts and his esteem is just plummeting

The aggressive externalization is a defense mechanism meant to protect Barko's ego from himself

Very likely to say hurtful things during an argument

He will bring up every single past conflict in the relationship, like, "Remember two months ago when you did [xyz], and that other time when you told me..."

He needs a partner with extreme levels of patience and amazing crash-out management skills

Over time, he will learn to take a deep breath when a problem arises and verbalize his actual frustration instead of just lashing out, but ngl it's painful to get there

After he fights with his partner, he is all caps CLINGY

Tries to make up for his behavior with a lot of physical affection; he's practically attached to them like a backpack

Whispers reassurances that it won't happen again and he didn't mean it, low-key trying to convince himself as much as his partner

Hank Olson

On any given day, Olson is moderately likely to accidentally start an argument

Usually because he takes a joke too far

He's just trying to have fun, but his pranks and comments are not always appreciated...

At first, he'll sometimes mistake his partner's frustration as part of the bit, and will keep going, digging himself even farther into the hole, before realizing "oh wait - they're actually mad"

He's also not afraid to speak his mind when he thinks his partner is doing something stupid, and expects the same from them

Many times, a full blown argument with Hank can be avoided simply by keeping things humorous and not taking it too seriously

That way he can still address the issue at hand without feeling threatened, and things are resolved quickly

But if he or his partner is genuinely super upset, things don't go nearly so smoothly

Hank tends to collapse in on himself when there's real conflict

Even after making up, he stays grumpy for a few days; his mood is soured after a fight like this

However, he is an extremely committed person and doesn't try to play mind games or deliberately make his partner feel bad

He just has a hard time shaking himself out of the funk that follows an argument

He knows this can have a negative effect on the relationship and tries to find ways to take his mind off of it

The easiest way to tell that things are back to normal is when Olson starts joking and calling his partner silly nicknames again

Peter McVries

Pete's first response to any tension is to try and make light of it

He doesn't avoid conflict and will bring up things that are bothering him; he just tries to do it in a jokey, low-stakes way

If he can get his partner to smile, he knows things will be okay

This sometimes backfires, though, because it can instead feel like he's not taking things seriously or appreciating the gravity of the situation

If his attempt goes well, it's followed by a really helpful heart-to-heart

Nothing is off the table when it comes to these discussions; Pete values openness and isn't afraid to get vulnerable and share his true thoughts with someone he trusts

If his partner reacts badly, however, then Pete withdraws and becomes temporarily consumed by self doubt

He assumes his partner is more mad at him than they really are

When this happens, he usually steps away to think about things on his own for a bit

After reflecting, he'll either approach the situation again in a different manner, or decide that it's just not worth fighting about and ask to move on

Pete will absolutely not tolerate things getting physical in any way and on either side; that's an instant deal breaker for him

After fighting, he usually suggests something to distract from the drama, like a favorite shared activity or even just drinking some water together

Anything that will act as a clear "reset" and give him and his partner an opportunity to reconnect

Ray Garraty

Ray is such a lil grouch when he's upset

He will usually go stone-faced, and turn away to try and hide it, when his partner brings up an issue

And when something is bothering him, it's so easy to tell; he cannot hide his annoyance as well as he thinks he can

He's also fairly stubborn and resistant to change, but will do his best to hear his partner out, even if he's already made up his mind

Though he does sometimes snap at them if he feels insulted

He will also storm off if things get too heated

He really does try to stay calm and do breathing exercises, but he's low-key just filled with anger

He holds grudges, too, though he does eventually let go of them when it comes to his partner (most of the rest of the world is not so lucky)

While he can be difficult when it comes to arguments, he tries to show that he still loves his partner even through ups and downs

He most often does this via physical touch

He'll have a hand on their shoulder or leg even as he's looking like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world

Because the truth is, there's nowhere he wants to be but with them, and his anger is at the problem itself rather than at his partner

He needs a good, long hug after sorting things out

And will nervously check in to make sure his partner knows that he still loves them, at least two or three times before the hug is over

Richard Harkness

Much like Art, this poor man feels so terrible when his partner tells him they're mad at him

He usually does need them to come out and say it, though, because he doesn't always pick up on the more subtle signals that they're annoyed

Harkness enjoys discussing a variety of topics with his partner, and likes hearing about their point of view, even if it's different from his

But this can naturally lead to some conflict, so that's how the majority of fights start

If he's the one upset about something, Harkness can become unusually quiet, because he's not sure how to bring it up

Eventually, he rips off the band-aid and everything comes streaming out of him at once

He feels better when things are all out in the open; it's like lifting a weight off his shoulders

He tends to stumble over his words when he gets overwhelmed

May or may not cry a little, depending on how personal the fight is

Probably not if it's just a philosophical disagreement; more likely if it's an issue with the relationship itself

After making up, Harkness is eager to do something nice for his partner

He does this moreso through actions than words, to ensure they know that he really cares and it's not all just talk

It would not be unusual for his partner to wake up to breakfast in bed the day after an argument (but ordered in from their favorite place, because Harkness can't cook for shit)

If he really feels like something has been left unsaid, he might write them a letter so he can make sure to get all of his thoughts down