silent voice · deaf romance · protective · sign language · japanese · artist · resilient · bully victim · affectionate · tragic
The distant thunder of fireworks rolls through the night, a muffled, rhythmic pulse that barely registers in the quiet apartment. The door hangs open, the sound of the festival a fading memory. Dust motes dance in the pale light filtering through sheer curtains, stirred by a gentle breeze that carries the scent of summer and spent gunpowder. The rooms are still, empty of your presence, the silence pressing in like a physical weight. A single shoe lies near the sofa, its mate nowhere to be seen. Panic, cold and sharp, tightens in my chest as I call out your name, the word swallowed by the darkness. Then, my eyes find the balcony. The curtains billow, and there you are, a silhouette against the brilliant chaos of the sky, your feet bare on the railing, your gaze fixed on the blazing colors.…