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Seven had plenty of time to adjust to the challenges that being autistic had presented. Ever since she’d realized on Voyager that it wasn’t her status as an xB that made her different, but her being autistic, she’d found herself doing research alongside her friends on how to make her experiences easier. But of course, some things are impossible to predict.
She was on La Sirena, trying to stabilize the ship against alien attacks and started to become overwhelmed. The lights, the shouting back and forth of all the crew members, the sensation of the ship rocking back and forth, had all become too much. Once the threat was neutralized, she mumbled some excuse to get her out of the room and made a run for it. Raffi turned around as Seven turned the corner through the doorway and paused for a moment before following her.
Raffi looked in Seven’s quarters first, guessing that Seven would prefer the familiarity of her living space. The room was dimly lit and she wasn’t sure if Seven was there. She almost left the room before she noticed the top of Seven’s head peeking above the side of the bed. Raffi made her way over to Seven and knelt in front of her, being careful not to touch her just in case it would overwhelm her further.
Seven looked up slowly, her hands wrapped tightly around her knees as she rocked back and forth. Seven shook her head as tears fell down her face and Raffi knew based on her demeanor that she was fighting off a meltdown. She wanted to wipe away her tears, but she knew her instinct to do so might end up doing Seven more harm than good. She lifted her hands slowly to sign the word “Touch?” Seven shook her head, still rocking. Raffi nodded, signing “alone” and raising her left hand, then “stay” and raising her right hand. Seven, still holding her knees, pointed over to Raffi’s right hand. She was overwhelmed, but something about Raffi’s presence made her feel calm, like the world wasn’t about to fall apart and collapse on top of her.
Raffi adjusted her position on the floor, crossing her legs and making sure she was close to Seven, but not touching her. Seven’s eyes fixed on Raffi, and Raffi signed “sound okay?” Seven nodded, lifting one hand to hold up her index finger and thumb close together to indicate that Raffi should speak softly.
Raffi whispered, “Did you need something to eat?” Seven shook her head. “Can I bring your basket over?” Seven nodded. Ever since Seven and Raffi had a conversation about her being autistic, Raffi had been meticulous in collecting objects that helped her; the basket she kept in Seven’s room was filled to the brim with stim toys and objects that gave Seven a good sensory experience to help her calm down when she needed it.
Raffi stood up carefully, moving to grab the basket and placing it in front of Seven, sitting down so the basket was between the two of them. Seven slowly stopped rocking as she looked through the basket and Raffi watched in case Seven needed something from her.
Seven’s face twisted up a bit as she focused in on the basket. She seemed conflicted, unsure of how to go about what she wanted to do. Raffi whispered, “what’s up?” Seven unwrapped her arms from her legs, touching a bit of the soft blanket in the basket. It was buried under other objects and she didn’t want to touch the other things that were obstructing the plush object she had her heart set on.
Raffi nodded, moving the objects and gently placing them on the floor next to the basket so that nothing remained but the blanket. Once the last object had moved, Seven quickly grabbed the blanket, holding it close and sticking her nose into the fabric. It smelled like Raffi’s detergent and the scent combined with the sensation of the plush helped her to breathe a bit easier.
Raffi gently placed all the objects back in the basket, whispering “we can put the blanket on top from now on, alright?” Seven nodded, her eyes closed as she focused on the sensation in her hands and on her face. She felt herself coming down and she just sat still, holding the blanket. Raffi smiled as she watched Seven just sit peacefully. She knew meltdowns were harder on Seven than they were on her, but it was never easy to watch her in such distress, whether she’d kept the extent of it internal or had outwardly expressed it by stimming (harmfully or otherwise) or by any other means.
Raffi waved gently in front of Seven’s face and she opened her eyes to see Raffi’s soft smile. Raffi signed, “strawberries?” Seven nodded enthusiastically. It had practically become a tradition for Seven to have a strawberry milkshake after a meltdown, as strawberries were her ultimate safe food and having it in a milkshake got rid of any sensory issues she might encounter with the seeds.
Raffi stood up waiting for Seven to follow suit. Seven reached her right hand up and Raffi took it to help her stand. They made their way over to the section of the garden that they had devoted to growing fresh strawberries and Raffi grabbed the basket they had hung up next to the garden. As they walked around, Raffi waited for Seven to point to each strawberry that she wanted so Raffi could pick it for her. When they were done, they made their way to the kitchen.
Raffi prepared the ingredients and began to blend them together. She’d managed to find a nearly silent blender so that Seven didn’t find herself even further overwhelmed by the sound. Once the milkshake was done, Raffi poured it into her favorite glass and placed a straw in it for Seven to enjoy.
Seven bounced up and down in her seat as Raffi brought it over; Raffi was one of the few people she’d felt comfortable stimming around, and it had almost become second nature to her. It always made Raffi smile, seeing Seven so overcome with emotion that she physically couldn’t contain it. After Raffi placed the glass down, Seven opened her mouth to try to speak, but Raffi whispered, “You don’t have to say it.” Seven shook her head; this was something she needed to make sure Raffi heard. Her voice came out soft and raspy as she whispered, “Love… you.”
Raffi’s face softened and she lifted her hand and held it next to Seven’s face waiting for her approval. When Seven nodded, she tucked her hair back, touching her as lightly as possible, whispering “love you too” and watching as Seven smiled softly. Raffi couldn’t help but wonder how she got so lucky as she watched Seven turn to enjoy her milkshake.