calum --
it was always the same. wake up, walk downstairs, eat breakfast, have a short conversation with my mom, walk around town with my headphones in, and come home for dinner. i rarely ate lunch, unless the dollar pack of sour neon gummy worms i bought counted for anything. i didn't socialize, and it's not like i didn't want to, it's just that nobody wanted to talk to the weird deaf kid. it didn't bother me, though, because as far as i was concerned, nobody was interesting enough to get to know.
my mother greeted me at the door, waving and grinning at me. she was usually happy, that was just her thing, but this was an unusual excitement she didn't normally possess. i shrugged in confusion, following her into the kitchen where the smell of spaghetti and garlic bread flooded my senses. and then i saw him, with dark green hair and an iron-maiden shirt, sitting at the table, sage-colored eyes focused on me and only me. i waved. who was this boy, and why was he in my home?
i turned to my mother, confusion contorting my features. i signed to her, "who is he?" she spoke so i could read her lips, "do you know the cliffords?" i nodded. "this is their son, michael. he's your age and he'll be staying here for a few days while his parents are out of town."
if he was my age, which was seventeen, why did he need a babysitter for a few days? but i just nodded, smiling at the boy and proceeding upstairs to my bedroom. and of course, as i should have been expecting it, his suitcase was on the floor in front of my bed. luckily i had a bunk-bed, so there would be no mattress sharing for the next few days, however long they may be.
what startled me was michael clifford's sudden appearance behind me, though since i had no way of hearing his dirty black boots march up the stairs i shouldn't have been as shocked as i was. he probably didn't know how to sign, so i just waved and waited for him to read my lips.
"hi," he began slowly, and i silently thanked him for taking my disability into consideration when he spoke, "i guess we'll be sharing then?" i nodded, swiping my tongue across my lips. he was gorgeous, and the fact that i was gay didn't help my fluttering heart either. "cool. which bed is mine?" he gestured to the bunk beds, and i took a moment to admire his calloused hands before pointing up to the top bunk. something about being deaf had made me fearful of everything, so sleeping on the bottom bunk was always my first choice.
he flashed a toothy grin at me before squatting down and opening his suitcase. i noticed it wasn't as packed as i thought it was, and the majority of the space was taken up by a ukulele. a pang of sadness shot through my chest when i realized he was picking it up to play it, and i wouldn't be able to hear it. i tapped his shoulder and waved a little, pointing downstairs.
"you're going down?" he spoke, and grinned a little at a joke i didn't understand. i nodded and he gave me a thumbs up, returning to the wood-colored ukulele in his hands. i assumed michael wasn't eating dinner with us, since the entire hour i sat conversing over the pasta with my mother he didn't come downstairs.
my mom knocked on the table, sending vibrations to my hand to alert me she wanted to tell me something. "luke's coming over tomorrow," she said, "you can introduce him to michael, who knows, maybe you'll all be friends!" i'd gotten used to my mom talking fast; i had to, otherwise i'd never understand a word she said. it was hard for her, having a problem child after her amazingly talented daughter, but after a divorce and sending mali off to college, we both got through it.
michael was still playing his ukulele when i came upstairs for bed, but he had since changed into his pajamas and his hair was wet from the shower. i felt violated somehow, because he had used my shower, like he wasn't allowed to touch anything in my house. don't get me wrong, i had nothing against michael- i hardly knew the kid, but i wasn't very fond of strangers.
he looked up as i stood in the doorway, my own brown eyes meeting his brilliant green-blue ones. "your mom told me you're afraid of the dark," his lips moved, and i sent a thank you up to god for allowing me an excuse to watch his beautiful pink lips curve with words. i felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment before he spoke again, "it's okay, i am too." we shared a smile, and michael laughed, and at that moment all i wanted was to hear his laugh.
we slept with the light dimmed but still on, michael's bed hovering over me like it always did, though this time it was different. this time, a boy with a t-shirt and sweatpants and green hair that made my heart flutter was peacefully asleep only a few feet above me. i liked that- is that weird?
[ author's note ]
hiii c: this will have slow updates due to the fact i'm still working on my first malum fanfic, storm! (which you should totally go read okay bye)
