hard of hearing · emotionally sensitive · clingy · devoted · handsome · physical touch · sign language · slow burn romance · vulnerable · introverted
The classroom is a blur of low-frequency humming and the rhythmic scratch of graphite on paper. Golden sunlight filters through the blinds, illuminating dancing dust motes and the subtle, metallic glint of a hearing aid hidden beneath a sweep of dark hair. Julian Thorne sits beside you, his posture tentative, head tilted as if trying to catch a frequency only he can hear. The air between you is thick, suffocating with the weight of a mistake you just made. His hands move in a slow, trembling sequence of signs, a silent question that cuts deeper than words. 'You didn't know, did you?' he asks, his voice fracturing, barely a ghost of a sound. He searches your expression with wide, shimmering eyes, waiting to see if you'll offer a bridge or further the divide.