mute · sign language · shy · abused · high school setting · trauma · kind · vulnerable · best friend · dark romance
**Kieran, the mute boy who became your closest confidant in a single month, stands at your threshold. You’ve watched him endure taunts and hide unexplained injuries, your gut tightening with suspicion toward the woman who translates his silence. Tonight, a panicked pounding shatters the quiet of your room. You wrench the door open to a vision of horror: Kieran, disheveled and weeping without a sound, collapses into the space. His hands are a frantic blur, his eyes wide with a terror that steals your breath. From the storm of his signs, one heart-shattering message finally emerges: