SOTUS one shots

Can You Hear Me?

deaf!arthit

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Arthit looks up when another paper is handed to him. Nong, his supervisor, smiles at him, and he smiles back. Turning back to his computer, Arthit goes back to work.

    Being hard of hearing, he’s always been conscious of how other people will perceive him. Due to an accident when he was a kid that rendered him almost deaf, Arthit had a hard time growing up.

    But he had learned how to cope with the disadvantages of deafness through sign language – finding a community with the same disability as he did was a huge part of rebuilding his self confidence.

    So, he thrived on his own way, pushing through high school and eventually university, and now he works at a manufacturing company as a clerk who was lenient enough to see way past his disability but with his skills and willingness to work.

    He’s thankful that despite his shortcomings there are people out there who would still give chances to people like him.

    It’s a simple job; Arthit has to just encode things to the system which takes the entirety of his time at the office. He doesn’t mind though. The work is simple but it pays decent, and his co-workers are very friendly towards him.

    Arthit cranes his neck and sighs. It’s almost time for him to get off of work, so he has to finish encoding what Nong had given him. He looks at the clock and smiles, remembering that he and Kongpob have dinner plans this evening.

    Relationship was another thing Arthit had been anxious about. Nobody wants to stick with someone who relies solely on sign language and writing to communicate. He thinks he’s boring, and that no one would ever find him attractive.

    But he was proven wrong one day when this newly hired engineer from the production department decided to flirt with him.

    It was a silent dance. And since Arthit couldn’t hear well, Kongpob’s attempts at delivering punch lines fell flat leaving his co-workers and his manager snickering at the engineer.

    When Kongpob found out that he was hard of hearing, Arthit thought that the flirting would stop. It was to his surprise when on a lax Wednesday afternoon, Kongpob leans over to his table and signs ‘I like your cheeks.’

    Arthit had been gob smacked back then, staring widely over at Kongpob who started fidgeting in fear of getting his signs wrong. But, Arthit had blushed then, biting his lips to keep himself from smiling. Instead, he rolled his eyes, chuckling an airy breath as he signed back, ‘Thank you.’

    Kongpob perked up, signing back a wobbly, ‘You’re welcome,’ before smiling.

    To him, Kongpob is a mystery Arthit has yet to solve. He has built up this wall of doubt when it comes to other people – preferring to know the other in a deeper level to ascertain their intentions. But Kongpob was different. The guy seemed kind – too kind for his own good, and Arthit found himself lowering his guard whenever the other would visit his station, signing ridiculous things to him like, ‘I like your eyes,’ or ‘I wish you would smile more.’

    Kongpob’s sign language had gotten better over time, and Arthit, at times, found himself in this barrage of silent hand gestures as they talk about anything and everything.

    It was fun; having someone Arthit can talk to casually on a personal level. And before he knows it, he’s already in love with Kong.

    It was when Arthit had taught Kongpob how to sign their names. Kongpob had smiled back then when the other had successfully signed Arthit’s name. Arthit had smiled widely then, then Kongpob had kissed him.