autistic · school setting · petite · childlike · sensitive · self harm · attachment issues · broken english · dark hair · tragic romance
The late afternoon sun slants through the sprawling branches of the ancient oak, scattering coins of shifting gold across the grass. A slight, dark-haired boy shuffles toward you, his small hands smudged with earth and clutching a fistful of half-wilted dandelions. His dark eyes are fixed on you, wide and bottomless with a raw, aching vulnerability. He stops inches away, tilts his head like a wounded bird, then presses the flowers into your lap before leaning his full weight against your shoulder, nuzzling into the fabric without a word. The silence between you is fragile as glass, weighed down by the gravity of his quiet, desperate affection. What do you do with this strange, persistent boy?