Prompt : Write a fic where a character has a cleft lip and/or palate and ends up finding comfort (or just relating to) a character in a show, movie, book, whatever who has a different deformity (aka the character doesn't have a cleft but they have some other thing that affects their facial appearance). The character they are relating to doesn't have to exist, but if you want another character from something then here are a few examples of characters who have other deformities : Dustin Henderson from Stranger Things (Cleidocranial Dysplasia), August "Auggie" Pullman from Wonder (Treacher Collins), and Brandon James from the MTV Scream (Proteus Syndrome)
Emma had avoided watching Stranger Things for fear of it being too triggering, but Eli assured her that, while yes it was horror, it was a very different kind of horror than the kinds she had experienced in her own life, at least from what trailers he'd seen of it. So, she eventually caved and sat next to him on the couch as they flipped on the first episode.
The plot itself was interesting enough but there was something... Different about Dustin.
Both Emma and Eli had been born with a cleft lip, so they had always stood out amongst the people in their lives as the ones who just looked different, at least when it came to the face. It was something they'd both been bullied for over the years, and it was one of the things they particularly connected to one another over.
Dustin didn't have a cleft lip, but he did have some sort of genetic anomaly, and they both found themselves connecting to him a lot because of it, which was a really refreshing feeling to have because they didn't really get that in the real world (especially Emma, since the concept of deformity and disfigurement in Lakewood immediately brought Brandon James to most people's minds).
The first episode ended and they both looked at each other, a mutual understanding passing between them.
Yep. Dustin was gonna be their favorite, wasn't he?
