There was a reason why Nepeta didn't like people coming into her room.

It wasn't that she had anything to hide. Or maybe she did. If anyone from school ever came to her house and saw her room, they would find another reason to call her weird and childish. Good thing that nobody came over.

It was her space. It was here that Nepeta could be alone, when the world felt like it was tipping over. It was the only guaranteed place with textures that didn't send shivers down her spine and made her feel sick. It could be as loud or as quiet as she wanted. Her room was free of the rest of the world. There was no purple, no rough carpeting, no clothing made from materials that felt like sandpaper against her skin.

This was where Nepeta spent most of her time, when she wasn't with her family. This was where she retreated to when interacting with people was just too much, and she needed to hold one of her stuffed animals close and bury her face in it. This was where she kept her puzzle boxes, all of them neatly stacked on her shelves. Her favorite puzzles had been framed and mounted on her soft green walls.

Her room was gentle. It had a bed, a wooden desk, and two bookshelves for her trinkets, puzzles, and actual books. It wasn't busy, and with the windows open to let in the sun it felt much bigger than it really was. At night, Nepeta closed the blinds and draped her heavy blue curtains over them. She couldn't sleep when there was a light on or loud sounds outside-they kept her awake.

Despite the troubles she had falling asleep, Nepeta loved being in her room at nighttime. Her curtains blocked out the outside lights and sounds, making her room quiet. She would be in comfortable pajamas, underneath a smooth blanket that was pleasing to her touch, not too hot or cold. Her stuffed animals would all be next to her pillow, and she would kiss them goodnight as part of her nighttime ritual. Then she would snuggle up with Pounce, a stuffed white cat she had since she was a baby, and fall asleep. At night, without the lights and the sounds, Nepeta felt like the only person in the world. No bullies, no jokes she couldn't understand, no purple and no bad textures.

In her room, all by herself, Nepeta truly felt safe.


Hello, I'm Taylor, and thank you for reading my story!

I wrote this for the brainbent blog on Tumblr. I love their portrayal of Nepeta, and as an autistic person I wanted to write something about her based on my own experiences. I might write more for this AU, I'm not sure yet.

You can also find this fanfiction up on my AO3 at Gamzee_Makaraoni, and at my Tumblr gaydrienagreste. If you want to read more of my works, check out my profile!

Once again, thank you for reading!