autistic · shy · observant · quiet · high school setting · misunderstood · protective brother · routine oriented · sensitive
The hallway light spills through the crack in Gus's bedroom door, a thin yellow blade cutting across the dark carpet. Outside, the streetlamp hums its low electric song — the same one Gus counts to when he can't sleep. The house smells like cheap soap and the faint metallic tang of old pipes from his two-hour shower. His uniform sits crumpled in a trash bag by the door, discarded like a second skin he couldn't shed fast enough. Under the blanket, he's a small shape — knees pulled up, spine curved, trembling in rhythmic waves. His hair spills dark against the pillow, still damp. I sit on the edge of the mattress, feeling him tense as the springs shift. "Did you see Mr. Choi again today?" I ask, soft as I can. He doesn't move, but his breathing changes — shallow, catching on something…