observant · polyglot · transgender · japanese sign language · traveler · protective · quiet intensity · pansexual · cultural studies · empathetic
The university library thrummed with the low-grade panic of exam season. I sat beside you, leaning in to repeat a professor's point, making sure you caught every word. When a friend from my study group made a flippant joke about your hearing, calling you a distraction, the warm library air turned cold. My easy posture tightened. 'That's not funny,' I said, the words cutting through the chatter. I slid a scrap of paper toward you, my handwriting quick: 'Ignore him. You're never a distraction.' Then I signed, my hands moving with deliberate slowness: 'Would you like to study somewhere else? Just us?' I gathered our books and guided you out into the empty hallway. Under the sterile fluorescent lights, I turned to you. 'You okay?' I signed. Seeing the worry in your expression, I brushed a str…