dinner date (deaf au II)

Jinki is in love and that’s bad. That’s really bad because he doesn’t know what to really do about it. Sure, he and Kibum have been talking a lot ever since they arrived in Seoul a month ago and while it is nice to have a friend that understands him when he signs and that doesn’t require he wears his hearing aids, falling in love with Kibum was never the plan.

Falling in love is making him anxious.

Taemin rolls his eyes from where he’s perched on Jinki’s bed, watching videos on Jinki’s tablet. Taemin prefers Jinki’s room for reasons Jinki doesn’t really understand but he usually lets his brother hang out in there as well unless he’s doing something important. And they both know that if Taemin is too noisy, Jinki will simply remove his hearing aids and tune Taemin out.

It works very well for both of them.

Except for now. Because even though Taemin is watching videos on Jinki’s tablet, he’s also painfully aware of Jinki’s feet tapping the floor in a stressful rhythm and it bothers him a lot. Jinki has long since removed his hearing aids, however, so Taemin can’t just shout at him to stop fidgeting.

Jinki is observing his phone in his hand, jumping a little in surprise every time it vibrates and indicates a new message from Kibum. Taemin turns the volume up and hopes to drown out Jinki.

A few minutes later, Jinki almost falls off his chair and Taemin sits up immediately to look at his brother. Jinki is staring at his phone with wide eyes and Taemin bursts into laughter. Jinki doesn’t hear him. When his eyes dry out, he blinks a few times but he still keeps looking at the phone.

Jinki feels the weight on his shoulder when Taemin leans onto his back and reads over his shoulder. On the screen is an invitation to Kibum’s house because Kibum’s parents have asked to meet his new friend and well - Kibum had decided to ask if Jinki wanted to come, stressing that he didn’t have to.

But Jinki wants to. He wants to so badly that he feels paralysed. It isn’t until he feels Taemin’s breath against his neck in a sigh and his slender fingers reaches out towards Jinki’s phone and answers Kibum with a yes that Jinki really realises what’s about to happen. Then he punches Taemin’s shoulder with a frown and Taemin grins.

Now, if Jinki had actually had a decent wardrobe he wouldn’t have had to steal Taemin’s white t-shirt but he doesn’t. It’s really not ideal, though, because Taemin is a lot skinnier than Jinki and the shirt is stretched over his chest. It looks good but maybe it is too much.

Kibum has told him that he has hearing parents and a twin sister that is also hearing and Taemin and their mother have spent 15 minutes convincing Jinki that wearing his hearing aids is a good idea so he’ll actually be able to talk to Kibum’s parents. Jinki still isn’t sure it’s a good idea. He wants Kibum to be able to understand him at all times.

30 minutes later, Taemin pulls into a gravel driveway that leads up to a small house in red stone. It looks like something taken out of a Western country, definitely not South Korea. Jinki swallows the lump in his throat and Taemin kicks him out of the car, mumbling something about being the chauffeur of his older brother that should have been very much able to drive on his own.

Jinki does have his driver’s license but Taemin is a better driver because he has been driving more.

Jinki takes a deep breath when he walks up to the front door but he doesn’t get to knock on it when Kibum opens the door with a wide smile. Jinki feels his knees buckle under him. .

Kibum is dressed in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. He looks simple yet stylish and Jinki is once again reminded that he is very much in love with the man before him.

Hi, Kibum signs and Jinki returns the greeting, terribly aware of the way his heartbeat. Kibum invites him inside and then introduces to him to his parents. Kibum’s mother looks as stylish as Kibum, it’s obvious where Kibum has his good looks. His father looks a little reserved, he doesn’t talk that much but Kibum assures him that it’s just the way he is.

And then a girl in a low-cut crop-top and a pair of shorts enters the living room. Her hair is dark pink, she has a snake-bite piercing and the same kitten-esque eyes as Kibum. Her’s are just lined with kohl eyeliner and mascara.

He’s cute, she signs to Kibum and both of them flush pink.

“I’m Gwiboon! 2 minutes older than that one over there,” she says and Kibum rolls his eyes as if he understands exactly what she has said.

“J-Jinki,” he introduces and Gwiboon sends him a smile that shows the same dimples as when Kibum smile. Jinki likes Kibum’s smile better than his twin-sister’s.

Kibum’s mother is curious about Jinki’s family during dinner and Jinki soon learns that they have all adapted to speaking and signing at the same time, making language available to the entire family. Multitasking like this is not Jinki’s strongest gift, however and he ends up fumbling a little, either forgetting to sign, forgetting to talk or making mistakes in both signed and spoken language.

He’s embarrassed for his mistakes but none of Kibum’s family members seem the least offended that Jinki finds it a little hard. If anything, they seem impressed that he knows sign language even though he isn’t completely deaf.

When the dinner ends, Jinki is completely used. He has a small headache so when Kibum leads him to the front door, Jinki asks if it’s okay if he removes his hearing aids completely. Kibum nods a little. It doesn’t make a difference for him, but Jinki asks anyway.

He’s fumbling with the smaller device while they stand on the porch. Jinki’s heart is pounding in his chest as he turns around to look at Kibum, silence enveloping them in their own small world. Kibum’s cheeks are slightly flushed with the cold night air and Jinki shivers a little in his small jacket but still they stand before each other with a smile on their faces.

Thanks for tonight, Jinki signs and Kibum bites his lower lip cutely. Jinki doesn’t count the seconds from when he lets his hands fall to his side to Kibum reaches up to lightly peck his lips.

Goodnight, Kibum signs and sends him a small smile. He turns around to enter again and Jinki is too frozen to do anything but watch Kibum slither inside again.

The lights of the car gain his attention and as he climbs into the car, it’s with a smile so wide it could blind Taemin. He quickly signs to Taemin to tell him what has happened and Taemin wacks his head instead of signing back. He’s an idiot, he knows. But he’s a happy idiot.

In his pocket, his phone vibrates, indicating a text from Kibum.

author's notes

Look, I really want to establish this AU as more than just a drabble. It's just too cute. They met by accident, but then they're just ... so. cute. Omg.

Also - twins Gwiboon and Kibum. I should write a drabble from Kibum's pov as well. 

It is possible for hearing parents to have deaf children and it is - apparently - also possible to have twins were one is hearing and the other is deaf. (I did research it a little, heh). So there's that. That's what happened to Kibum. His entire family embraces his disability, though, so there's no big deal there.