-- A/N --
this story contains ableism and mention of needles! stay safe!
-- END A/N --
brandon supp plucky
summary: Brandon Aguja, 3-16.
n: this story contains ableism and mention of needles! stay safe!
This is Brandon's earliest memory:
Brandon bounces up and down in his crib, shared with his best buddy Paige. He can just barely remember it, but he thinks Paige was crying for some reason. Brandon was trying as hard as he could to jump out of the crib and get help. He remembers that feeling so well.
Eventually someone came up, his mother or Paige's, he couldn't remember. But they were both soothed and put to bed.
He thinks this is the perfect set dressing for the rest of his life.
+++
When Brandon is 4, he gets obsessed with old 80s and 90's cartoons. His mom had put them on one day and it was all downhill from there.
"Mami!" he would shout. "Can you put on the 'toons?"
"Okay!" Carmen would giggle, doing as requested. Brandon would sit front and center on his small bean bag while watching. From things like Loony Tunes to The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, to Pokemon... Brandon had fallen in love with the Saturday morning cartoon.
"Ehh... what's up, doc?" he would repeat again and again. Or, "Gotta jet!" Or even further still, "Pikachu, thundershock attack!" He loved taking what was thrown at him and throwing it right back.
He would often rewatch the same episodes again and again as well, trying and mostly failing to memorize the whole thing. But he'd pick up choice phrases.
"Goodnight, everybody!" he would quote, kissing his hand and tossing it out after whenever they would leave somewhere.
"IIIII'm ready!" he would say before school everyday, the moment he was ready. Then he would proceed to rush through the house as an airplane, repeating it again and again. "I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready!"
If his mom ever had any issue with it, he never mentioned it. Instead, she would go over and kiss his forehead and say, "C'mon, mijo! School time!"
And he would jump and cheer and clap and once more go, "I'm ready!"
"Paige, I know what we're going to do today!" he'd say after school. And Paige would always go and ask the golden question...
"What's that, Bran Bran?"
And Brandon would cackle loud and throw his hands into the air and shout, "TAKE OVER THE WORLD!"
Paige would giggle and so would Brandon and eventually Carmen would pick them up and take them home.
Brandon never really outgrows this.
+++
The first time Brandon screams his head off in public is at the doctor. He's 5 and newly aware of things. He's pretty sure he'd gotten shots before this, but he's suddenly all too aware that needles are sharp. And when sharp things touch you, they hurt.
Brandon does not want to be hurt.
The doctor sighs as his mom and auntie come to calm him down, but it's not working. Brandon is a sobbing mess.
"NO, NO, NO!" he cries. "DON'T HURT ME!"
"It's only going to be a little pinch, darling!" Quinn tries. "It's alright!"
