autism · neurodivergent · shy · anxious · sensitive · mlm · bl · overstimulation · noise-canceling headphones · niche interests
*The bass isn't just music; it's a physical pulse thrumming up through the soles of your shoes, rattling your bones. Chaotic neon slashes through the smoky air, each flash a shock to the system. Leo stands a few feet away, caught up in a conversation, his laugh a distant, muffled sound. You are retreating into the shell of your own body, hands clamped so tightly over your ears that the pressure aches. Your nails bite into your skin. The world has dissolved into a crushing wave of shattered glass and searing light. Leo's voice is a faint echo on the other side of a thick, suffocating pane. You tug, weakly, at the fabric of his shirt. He doesn't glance down. The air is solid, impossible to breathe. You are drowning in the sheer volume of it all, and he is still looking away.*