By The Way, Danplan Oneshots

Sweet Silence 3

Hosuh held his hands out in front of him, unsteadily flexing his fingers onto his palm. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember the next movement, but his mind had drawn a blank – everything else had been distracting him.

Jay was sat cross-legged in front of him, patiently waiting with a large booklet in his hands. His eyes momentarily glanced down at it before staring back at him, unblinking.

Hosuh let out a huff of frustration, letting his hands land on his thighs. He shook his head, twisting the hem of his shirt.

It had been a few days since Hosuh had been taken away from the hospital. A week since he went deaf. Things, instead of getting better like the doctor said they would, were getting worse for him. He should've grown used to the silence surrounding him now but he just couldn't; the constant jumping at people's touch was getting on his nerves, and he was worried it was hurting the other's feelings. It wasn't their fault – he couldn't hear them approach.

For the past few days he had been trying to learn the basics of sign language. He could say most letters but that was about it – by the time he spelt out a few words, he couldn't remember what he was trying to say. It was easier to him if he just didn't try and communicate, only giving nods or shakes of his head when needed.

That behaviour was probably why Stephen and Dan decided that Jay was going to try to teach him (and himself) a few signs – unlike them, he was resilient, not letting Hosuh scurry away. So now he was locked in his bedroom, a collection of furniture (even his own bed) were pushed up against the door. He had been with Jay for several hours, at least, and his legs were starting to go numb again.

Jay's fingers waved in front of his face – out of all of his friends, Jay was the only one that seemed to understand that Hosuh preferred that way to get his attention. Hosuh reluctantly looked up at his friend, sighing silently.

"Test me", Jay sighed slowly, his fingers stumbling over the letters. Hosuh tilted his head, confused, but took the sheet from his waiting hand.

He scanned over the diagrams, looking up at Jay as he tried to form a word.

"You have..." Jay hesitated, waving his hands in the air for a few seconds. Hosuh smiled lightly at his bizarre antics. "Clothes. You have clothes."

Hosuh clapped his hands, gazing down at the sheet. He looked up at Jay again, who was obviously expecting something: his lips were twitching into a smile, his eyebrow raised. Hosuh watched as he spelt out something, pretending to be furious.

"Rude!"

An answer. He wanted an answer.

Hosuh let go of the sheet, holding out his hands again. His mind was a little more focused, and the silence wasn't as overwhelming when he wasn't concentrating on it.

"Well done." Hosuh signed back. Jay raised his eyebrow further, not satisfied. "You have clothes too. Mine are nicer."

Hosuh felt a small smile creep on his face as Jay applauded in an exaggerated manner, snatching up the sheet.

"That's wrong! I have bad clothes –" Hosuh laughed at Jay's mistake, and he saw Jay's lips form a curse, and he flipped through the book.

Hosuh, felt some tension leave him, and he closed his eyes, counting in his head. Something had sparked in him at the small conversation they had – it wasn't happiness, maybe a little hope? He still missed Jay's real voice, his real laugh, but he pushed the thoughts aside, opening his eyes again.

"You. Are. Hurt?" Jay hesitantly signed. Hosuh weaved his fingers together, raking his brain for any suitable answer. It felt like he was in school, trying to string up a few words in Spanish. Nothing came to mind, and his mood quickly fell, and he let his hands flop to his sides again. Something caught his wrist before they touched the carpet, and Hosuh looked up to find Jay staring at him. His hand was holding Hosuh's wrist.