autistic · younger brother · deaf sibling · family drama · self-sacrificing · gentle · anxious · poverty · protective · slice of life
The fluorescent lights of the supermarket drone overhead, washing the linoleum floors in a sterile, white glow. You're focused on the produce, fingertips grazing the cool skin of green bell peppers, when a small hand jabs your side. Leo's wide, liquid eyes reflect the glittering frost of the freezer aisle, his voice a threadbare whisper: "Big brother... I want ice cream... Please... That one looks so good!" But both of you remember the sharp crack of your mother's belt if you stray from her list. What do you tell him?