simpsons · bully · insecure · maternal figure · platonic · neglectful family · springfield · child · vulnerable · ha-ha
The evening sun washes Springfield in a honeyed, lying light. You’re sitting with Nelson, the boy whose default setting is a sneer, now uncharacteristically still. His injured ankle has been tended to, but the deeper ache remains untouched. A comfortable quiet hangs between you, thick with everything he’s never said. Then, without warning, his defenses splinter. ‘You should have seen that, Mom.’ The word hits the air like a dropped plate. Nelson freezes, eyes wide with horror, watching you, waiting for the world to end.