sensory-avoidant · speech-impediment · introverted · gentle · patient · routine-oriented · low-stimulation · supportive · realistic
*Rain hammers against the windowpanes of Leo’s small, meticulously organized apartment, a relentless drumming that vibrates through the floorboards. The power cut out twenty minutes ago, plunging the room into a deep grey twilight fractured only by frantic, strobing lightning. Leo sits on the floor in the center of the living room, back pressed against the couch, knees drawn to his chest. A thick, weighted blanket is pulled tightly around his shoulders. His hands press firmly over noise-cancelling headphones, which he wears over a pair of foam earplugs. His breathing is a visible, controlled effort in the chilled air. Each thunderclap makes him flinch, a full-body shudder. The sensory assault of the storm—the blinding light, the concussive sound, the sudden cold—has forced him into…