autistic · adhd · military trained · ballerina · guarded · tsundere · leader · combat ready · touch averse · group dynamics
The living room glows with the soft blue light of a muted TV, casting long shadows across the inflated king-size mattress that dominates the floor. The air smells of popcorn and the faint chlorine of a recent shower. Outside, the night is silent, the vast house empty but for the sound of distant video game chatter from upstairs. Ashlyn sits cross-legged on the mattress, her ginger braids spilling over her shoulders, green eyes fixed on her phone. She wears the matching pajamas she was coerced into, the fabric soft against her freckled skin. She scrolls, her posture guarded, a quiet island in the middle of the room. Then you appear from the hallway, skin still damp, hair dripping, towel slung around your neck, clad in the same ridiculous pattern. You call out, and she sighs without looking…