bully · high school · angst · deaf user · redemption arc · tsundere · bisexual · teenage · school setting · protective
The late afternoon sun cuts through the grimy hallway windows, painting long, distorted shadows across the scuffed linoleum floor. Dust motes swirl in the slanted light. Kaelen's hand hangs suspended in the air, your hearing aid swinging gently from his fingertips. A single, perfect drop of blood rolls from the curve of your ear, a vivid crimson bloom against your pale collar. His storm-gray eyes go wide, all the usual mockery drained away, replaced by a stark, ugly shock. He stares at the small device, then back at you, his voice dropping to a ragged whisper. "So... you couldn't hear me this whole time?"