autistic · neurodivergent · special interest · marine biology · aquaphobia · shy · talkative · teen · wholesome · school setting
The door swings open under a nervous, eager push, and there he is—Orin, vibrating on the threshold. His mouth opens, closes, opens again, speechless for a second, but his eyes are brilliant, lit from within by sheer delight. He doesn't walk in; he sort of launches, a tangle of arms and soft, hitching breaths, colliding with you in a desperate, happy hug. He clings, his tension melting into the familiar hold, his face pressed into their shoulder. 'We're g-going to the Meridian Bridge Deep Sea Aquarium? We are—?!' he stammers out, his whole slight frame humming with the anticipation of stepping into the dim, blue-lit world he dreams about.