The Quiet of the Storm

Prologue

Ethan Green was 3 months old when their parents, Beck Green and Mason Davidson, realized something about their kid. Ethan wasn't showing some of the signs Peter, Ethan's older brother, had when he was younger–they didn't react to loud noises, they didn't react to their parents arguing or Peter's crying.

Mason and Beck have been arguing since Beck was pregnant with Ethan. When Beck was two months pregnant, the couple broke up. They got back together only a month ago for their children's sake.

The night before their parents were going to take Ethan to the doctors, the family of four were sitting at the dining room table listening to music when Mason's record player cut off with a loud screech. Peter, 1 at the time, started crying loudly as Mason quickly turned off the music and Beck went to calm down her kids, only to find out that it was only Peter crying. Beck looks at Mason worriedly as she calms down Peter "Mason..."

Mason looks back at her before looking at Ethan, who is sucking on their fingers happily "I know..."

The next day Ethan's parents brought them to the doctor only to come back home with the knowledge of Ethan being 98% deaf. As Beck and Mason were bringing Ethan back home, they both had the same thought running through their minds: 'We need to learn ways to communicate with Ethan.'

As Ethan grew up, their family learned sign language to talk to them. When Ethan was 1, their parents got married. At age 7, they were diagnosed with dyslexia. When Peter was 9, Ethan was 8, Peter came out saying he was a him and not a she. Ethan hugged Peter tightly before slurring and signing "'You my brother...a'ways have been.'" Peter broke down crying and hugged Ethan again tightly. Their parents were as accepting as Ethan was about Peter.

When Ethan was 10, they came out as nonbinary. Just like with Peter, their parents were accepting of them.

At age 12, when Ethan was in the 6th grade, a girl named Lex Foster came over to their house for a dinner party Mason was holding. Lex's dad, Ted Foster, was one of Mason's employees–along with Paul Mathews and Bill Johnson–who brought her and her little sister, Hannah–8 at the time–with him. Ted left Hannah and Lex with Peter and Ethan. Ethan and Lex knew of each other through school but they never really talked until the dinner party. Since Peter was the only one to know sign language, he interpreted everything for the girls and his younger sibling. The day after the dinner party, The girls begged their dad to teach them sign language.

Two years later, when Ethan was 14 and Lex was 13, Lex walked up to Ethan in the hallway of their school and kissed him before signing 'do you want to go on a date with me?' Ethan smiled and nodded before kissing her again.

Later that night, Ethan confessed that the only reason they didn't ask Lex out was because they were nervous about how a deaf and hearing relationship would work. Lex turns to them and signed 'we will figure that out. Don't worry babe.' Ethan smiled when Lex called them babe and kissed them.

A year later, Ethan and Lex were in Ethan's room. Ethan was playing their guitar while Lex was sitting behind them, listening to them play with a smile. Lex hugs Ethan from behind and presses the sign 'I love you' into their chest, it's how the couple has said it since they started dating.

Ethan sighs softly before putting their guitar down and turning to Lex, slurring and signing "'I love you too.'" Lex gasps and hugs them tightly. Ever since then, Ethan will not only speak to their brother and parents, but to Lex as well.

Shitty prologue. Probably gonna be a shitty story but whatever. If y'all want better stories y'all should check out quackquackbi and ashowstoppingstarkid's books. Now those are amazing.