Siwon knows he must be inconspicuous when he is observing his deaf husband. The problem is that the last few days Yesung tends to take his hearing aids out and Siwon must know the reason because it is dangerous for Yesung to be outside of their safe apartment without the hearing aids. Yesung can only hear loud noises such as ambulance siren when it is close but that’s all. A car could hit him or some other danger can be waiting outside for him. So Siwon is carefully watching him while Yesung drinks latte and eats a donut for breakfast. Siwon needs to know what is wrong with the hearing aids, maybe he needs new one but he is too shy to ask.

Siwon knocks on the desk of the dinning table to get Yesung’s attention. The deaf man feels the vibrations in the wood and raised his eyes from his half finished book.

“Babe, are your hearing aids broken?”

Yesung reads Siwon’s lips and then shook his head. Siwon frowns and sees that Yesung is a bit flushed today. He picks his empty mug and walks across the kitchen while gently Yesung’s hair out of his lovely face. He frowns when his fingers made contact with Yesung’s forehead because it is clear that he has a fever.

“Are you feeling well?”

Siwon tries to hide that he is worried and Yesung shakes his head no. He always carries a small notebook with a pen and now writes something for Siwon.

My head hurts a bit.

Siwon frowns and turns back to the sink to wash his mug.

“ing .”

He is frowning at his mug as if the piece of porcelain caused this and tries to stay calm. Yesung hates doctors, getting him to his doctor is going to be a very hard mission. Siwon smiles at him and told him to get dressed because they are going out. Yesung doesn’t ask where, he just gets dressed and Siwon grabs his hand as soon as they walk out of the building. He is scared that Yesung will recognize the way and run away and he is right. Yesung wants to drag his husband away but Siwon is much stronger and stubborn. He pulls poor Yesung behind himself and they entered the building where is the office of their doctor. Siwon has to arrange everything because everyone must wear a mask and Yesung cant hear them or read their lips. Soon the door of their doctor’s office opened and the older doctor smiles at them. Siwon tries to explain everything to the doctor and also keep Yesung informed. The doctor pats the top of an examination table and Yesung shakes his head no while trying to hide behind his husband. Siwon gently but firmly pulled him to the table and sat down while also pulling Yesung in his lap. Yesung squirms and Siwon at least takes off his mask.

The doctor takes an otoscope and gently places the tip in Yesung’s ear.

“Ehh ... ear infection, that’s why he kept taking his hearing aids out. It must be uncomfortable to wear them.”

The doctor examined the second ear, meanwhile Siwon is trying to keep Yesung away from a panic attack. The deaf man is sobbing and whimpering while not understanding what is happening. Siwon cant write what is happening so Yesung can only watch his husband’s face and the doctor. He is finally free and the doctor sat down to write few prescriptions.

“He needs ear drops, Advil for pain and lots of rest.”

Siwon takes the prescriptions before thanking to the doctor and then he leads Yesung back home. Yesung got used to wearing hearing aids outside and being surrounded by bigger silence than usually is terrifying. However getting used to hearing aids wasn’t easy.

Yesung’s parents didn’t take care of him, they weren't parents, they were just two people who occasionally remembered they have a child. Yesung struggled with finding a boyfriend and keeping his job, the scars his parents left on his soul were hard enough and his deafness did everything even worse. He used to have an ugly and old pair of hearing aids and the first thing Siwon did was buying him new ones which are smaller and better. Siwon always takes care of him. He cares if Yesung eats, if he sleeps enough and if he feels happy. Siwon doesn’t mind it. He loves Yesung and no hardship can change it. His parents acted like morons when they said that Siwon should have found someone normal. For him Yesung is the biggest gift. The biggest gift which is now crying and stumbling because the stupid infection is playing with his sense of balance.

The next few days are going to be hard. Yesung cant use his hearing aids so he will need to rely on reading lips or writing. Yesung can speak, long years of speech lessons forced him to do it. The process was boring and arduous, he spent entire days learning how to speak and he didn't have the chance to play and just be a child. He just isn’t comfortable with speaking, people often mocked the way he speaks because his voice is thick and the sound gets caught in the back of his throat. Siwon doesn’t find Yesung’s speech weird, he perfectly understands his husband but that’s the key - they have spent many years together so Siwon knows him so well he can imagine what Yesung wants to say. Right now Siwon hurries to him and tucks Yesung in the bed before he can fall and hurt himself. Yesung is still slightly sobbing and Siwon sighs while thinking about the battle which will come - the ear drops. Yesung is very sensitive when it comes to his ears, Siwon is the only one who can rub his earlobes or tuck his hair behind his ears. Yesung is tired, the fever is exhausting. He is falling asleep when Siwon comes with a cup of warm tea with two slices of sweet peach. Yesung takes a sip and Siwon uncapped the small bottle with ear drops. Siwon gently holds Yesung’s chin in his hand and Yesung flinches when the first drop fell in his ear. He hates the feeling but Siwon is his hair so it is a bit more bearable thanks to him.

“Get some sleep, okay?”

Yesung watches his husband’s moving lips and closes his eyes. Everything hurts. His head, ears ... everything. Siwon his hair a few more times before he left Yesung alone. He called his boss and asked him if he could work from home for a few days and then goes in the kitchen to cook. He prepared strong and nutritious soup before going in the bedroom to check on Yesung.

“You are burning up.”

Siwon cursed and hurries in the bathroom to soak a towel in cold water. Then he presses the cold fabric on Yesung’s forehead and Yesung reaches his small hand toward him. Siwon gently takes the hand in his and kisses the short fingers.

“It is going to be okay.”

It must be scary to be completely deaf. Silent tears are leaving Yesung’s eyes and Siwon kissed the top of his forehead. He fixes the blanket covering the sick man and then starts to feed him the soup. Yesung is fighting to stay awake. He isn’t really hungry, he just wants to please his husband by eating the soup. Yesung swallowed the last bit of the soup and Siwon soaked the towel again before tucking Yesung under duvets.

“Okay, now i will leave you so you can take a nap. If you need me just yell.”

Siwon gets up from the bed but Yesung’s little hand quickly gripped his wrist.

“Stay.”

Siwon’s heart melts when he hears the   sorrowful voice and smiles.

“Of course.”

He sits down again and after a moment he lay down next to his petite husband. He uses his fingers to gently comb Yesung’s hair and watches how he closed his pretty eyes.

“How can i work from home when all i want to do is cuddling with you?”

The End