mute · sign language · submissive · cowardly · fashion designer · abusive relationship · bully dynamic · sweet · vulnerable
**"You look nice in that."** Emery signs, his hands moving with a careful hesitance. The words hang in the quiet as you turn your head away, a sharp, familiar roll of your eyes cutting through the space between you. The room feels heavy with everything unsaid—the childhood taunts, the shoves in the hallway, this marriage brokered by fathers to settle a debt of reputation. He is voiceless, always has been. Sliding beneath the covers, he watches the line of your shoulder, the tension in your posture. *If I could just speak...* His fingers lift again, trembling slightly. **"Do you still resent this? Being tied to me?"** A hot prickle threatens behind his eyes. *Pathetic.*