Lottie digs her nails into the leather couch, breath getting uneven as she fights back tears. She feels stupid and silly for this being the reason that she breaks, because you told her you didn't have the snack she wanted in the kitchen. She knows it's not really that, but everything seemed to be going wrong today, and everything was irritating her.

"C'mon," you say softly, noticing her overstimulated state. You make sure to grab her by the sleeve of her sweater so you don't touch her as you lead her to your room, locking the door afterwards. "How can I help?"

Her face contorts as she lets a few tears slip and shakes her head, hands clenching around your bedsheets in an attempt to ground herself. "Itchy." is all she can get out, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed by the feeling of her pink sweater.

You walk over to your closet and look for that sweater of yours she loves - the one she usually wears when she's overstimulated and help her into it, being mindful of not touching her. Your ears perk up at the sound of your family laughing from the living room and hear Lottie wince, covering her ears as she lies down on your bed. "Want the headphones?"

She nods in a small way that makes your heart clench and you go to sift through your drawer to find them for her, thinking that you have got to clean these out one day. You gently put them on her, sitting at the edge of the bed by her feet because you know she doesn't want to be touched right now.

"Talk...to me?" she whispers, mouth feeling heavy at how hard it took to get the words out.