Nathaniel's POV
I was sitting in my room with Marc. We were working on our newest chapter for our comic book. The only thing you could hear was the soft scribbling from pencils on paper and my clock at the wall. This was nothing new that our working hours were completely silent. I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked at Marc. He held up his book and smiled, signaling me that he was done writing. I smiled in return and took the book, reading what he wrote so far "This is really good! Thanks Marc, I'll work on it right away." He signed with his hands a 'thank you' and turned back to some other idea's he wrote down on some extra paper.
Marc was mute and we had some difficulties when we first met. No one wanted to talk to him because he was so quiet but it wasn't his fault. Me and a friend of mine, Marinette, were the first ones that talked to him. I didn't want him to feel like an outcast just because he couldn't speak so I learned sign language for him. We became best of friends and soon he opened up a little more. He showed me some stories he written in his spare time. I had an idea and asked him if he wanted to do some comic book with me. He happily agreed and soon we made our first ever comic book! We decided to do more and now it became a part of our life. I was really happy working with him. He's such a kind and loving person. I always wondered what he would sound like if he could talk... I soon started to catch feelings for him but I never told him. I was to scared that it could ruin our friendship, so I kept quiet...
But lately he has been looking down for some reason. He wasn't as happy anymore and he kept daydreaming with a worried face. We all tried to ask him what was wrong but he always shook his head with a smile, signing that we shouldn't worry about him. We all were though. Marinette asked me if I could talk to him, since were the closest. I tried talking to him but he kept walking away from the conversation, signing with his hands 'It's nothing' and 'Everything is alright.'.
A week later he dissapeared, not telling anyone where he went or what happened. I tried visiting him at his place but no one was home that could've at least told me where he was. I waited so long for him to come back but he didn't.
A few weeks passed since Marc's disappearance. I was at home, drawing some random pictures. I didn't know if I could continue the comic books without Marc. I missed him. It was so quiet, even quieter when he was here. I was lost in thoughts when I heard the doorbell ring. At first I didn't want to answer. I didn't want to look anyone in the face right now but I decided I should check what it was. I slowly walked to the door, opening it. When I looked up, my heart stopped beating for a second. At the door was Marc, smiling slightly and waved. I immediately hugged him, as if he'd dissapear right away if I would let him go "Where were you? We were all so worried about you!". He patted me on the back, signing me to let go of him. I didn't want to at first but then I slowly let go of him. He signed with his hands 'Can we go inside?'. I moved aside so he could come in and closed the door afterwards.
We went to my room. He sat down on my bed and I sat beside him. I looked at him with a worried expression "Can you tell me now why you dissapeared for almost a month?". He reached into his pocket and pulled a letter out from it. He handed it to me and waited for me to read it. I looked at the letter before opening it and reading it.
The letter said:
Dear Nathaniel,
I'm really sorry for dissapearing without telling you guys. I was just really worried and I didn't want to burden you with my problems. But my dissapearance had a reason. I saw that everyone was struggling keeping a conversation with me because of my disability. I thought about it for a long time and decided: I wanted to do surgery and I did! It was a success. I needed to recover from the surgery and take some therapy sessions to talk. Again, I'm really sorry for dissapearing without telling anyone.
Sincerely,
Marc
I was done reading the letter and was in complete shock. Marc could talk? He can talk! I hugged him again, never wanting to let go. I was so happy for him, I couldn't keep myself together "I'm so happy!". He smiled and took my hand. I was slightly confused when I heard him trying to talk "Na...th...". I was at a loss of words. I started to tear up, not knowing what to say. He tried to say something more but it looked like it hurts him to talk "Wait, Marc. If it hurts you, please don't talk." I tried to comfort him to not over do it but he shook his head. He whispered out in a slightly raspy voice "I... lo.. ve..." he struggled to finish his sentence and just pointed at me. I was a little confused by what he was trying to tell me. I stringed everything together and got a little red. Did.. did he just confess to me? No, it couldn't be.. I thought to myself. I was to scared to ask him. What if he meant something else? I took a deep breath before asking him "Did... you just confess to me..?" He looked down nodding, getting a little red. I couldn't believe it. He did confess to me. I was so overwhelmed, I hugged the living daylights out of Marc "I love you too!". Marc smiled brightly and hugged back. I stopped hugging him and looked at him, smiling "But I got to admit, you do sound cute.". Marc got red and hid his face behind his hood. I laughed and hugged him, laying down. We didn't really do anything for the rest of the day. We only layed in bed, cuddling and watching some movies on my phone.
I hope you all enjoyed the new Chapter! I'll post soon again :)
