Sometimes Chanyeol forgets Baekhyun can’t hear him well. It’s always in the back of his mind, but it’s so casual and everyday normal that he’ll catch himself calling out and remember, “Oh, yeah. He can’t hear me.”

It also makes him feel a little bad when he sneaks up on the handsome white cat and grabs his waist or leans over to kiss his cheek. Baekhyun seems to vibrate with surprise, whirling around and even hitting Chanyeol a few times—which he supposes he deserves—but Baekhyun is just so super duper cute when caught off guard, and he always laughs in that way that makes his eyes curve to happy lines over his cheeks, pushed up by his wide, open-mouthed smile.

Too stinkin’ cute.

Baekhyun, for his part, just lightly shoves his boyfriend—without force or intention of actually pushing him to the ground—and then draws him back for a hug that lasts long enough one or the other gets antsy and starts shifting foot to foot, making them sway as though dancing.

When they first met, they were students taking the same bus line to their separate schools. Chanyeol hadn’t known anyone deaf, blind, or anything but fully-abled. To his knowledge, anyway. Their initial, if brief, meetings didn’t give the slightest suggestion to the white cat’s impairment. He spoke and was engaged; the front-faced eye contact just seemed like a polite indication of acknowledgment and attention than anything else. Chanyeol loved attention—still does—and didn’t think anything beyond that.

In hindsight, the white hair and blue eyes should have at least suggested something. Chanyeol was just a baby gay, then, however, and only marveled at how cute the other student was and his eyes seemed to change shade depending on the weather.

They were coming up on Baekhyun’s usual stop, and he was engrossed in a game on his phone. In the window seat, Chanyeol could see the familiar surroundings and suggested the other boy should pocket the game and start muscling to the front of the bus, but even repeating Baekhyun’s name didn’t get him any response. He finally nudged Baekhyun and pointed out the window, noticing for the first time how the cat’s eyes fell from Chanyeol’s eyes to his mouth.

“This is your stop, right?”

“Sorry! I wasn’t listening… See you later!” He grabbed his backpack and started scooting from their seat. With a wave, he headed for the front barely in time to leap out the doors.

Minutes later, Chanyeol’s phone vibrated, and he found a text message from Baekhyun that light a bulb of illumination in his mind:

I just realized the joke. Before, I said I wasn’t listening, which is really funny, because I never do. I’m deaf.

“Oh.”

It ultimately didn’t change anything, although Chanyeol worried it might. He found himself overcompensating with enunciating and flailing his hands more than usual. Baekhyun finally took him aside and said he should just talk normal. As long as they’re facing each other, Baekhyun will understand, and if he doesn’t, he’ll say so. Nothing wrong with writing something down.

Because some things are too similar to other things, and not even context can give a clue.

Baekhyun doesn’t mind being deaf. He’s patient and used to the incredulous reactions when he reveals that yes, he is legally deaf yet can still speak with tone and inflection. That expected reaction drove him into public speaking, where he can shock and inspire an auditorium.

It’s easier online, where he can rely on text and captions, but not all games and programs have great captions. Writing to the company about accessibility is tiring, but there have been some positive responses.

Who wouldn’t want to make their product more inclusive and make more money? Anyone who says it’s more needless work is A) wrong, and B) an insensitive butthead.

Just facts.

Baekhyun knows he’s lucky. His mom and dad are deaf and hearing-impaired, and while she learned to speak, it sounds thick and pitchy, a big tell to her impairment. Baekhyun’s dad has hearing aids and can hear well except for high sounds.

They spent—and still spend—a lot of time with the deaf and hearing impaired community, local groups formed through schools and outreach programs. His parents met at a deaf school; Baekhyun used to think it would be the same for him, that he’d not have a “normal” relationship like his fully-abled brother, but he met Chanyeol on a bus. After some awkwardness, Chanyeol relaxed and adopted the habit of not turning his head so much when he spoke.

Through him, Baehkyun made other friends who went through the same initial awkward phase before getting over their lips being stared at.

They’re all great. Baekhyun loves them. He loves Chanyeol for how much he loves his friends, too. Musicians can get pretentious and ugly in their perceived entitlement, but not his boyfriend. His heart is too big.

Which is the reason Baekhyun acknowledges for Chanyeol’s height. All that heart needs room to beat, but it may max out someday, because the cat just does not stop surprising Baekhyun with kindness and consideration.

After Baekhyun watched Chanyeol play drums, he explained that he could “hear” the music through the vibrations of the floorboards. Depending on the percussion instrument he’s playing, Chanyeol started performing barefoot.

“Even if the audience can hear, I want them to feel the music and be fully embraced and immersed by it. This isn’t just passive noise; it’s an experience.”

That’s probably the time Baekhyun accepted he was not just infatuated but in love with Chanyeol. The red cat played his heart strings like a harp and made his pulse beat his ear drums.

Not everything is sunshine, however, even years into their relationship. Sometimes, Chanyeol is scared.

They’re in bed and asleep when the fire alarm goes off—evidently, someone decided 3 AM was the time to back a pizza and forget about it—so the building is expected to evacuate. Chanyeol wakes up to the shrieking alarm and flashing light installed in the bedroom. Beside him, however, Baekhyun is burrowed into his pillow and blankets, oblivious.

He ends up carrying Baekhyun into the hall, and they make it out, but the worry stays with Chanyeol even days later.

If he’d not been there, how long would it have taken for Baekhyun to realize something was wrong? Would he have noticed at all?

Most times, with only playful intentions, Chanyeol takes advantage of Baekhyun’s deafness.

Neither of them are very dedicated to housekeeping. Plates and glasses pile up for a day or two, shed clothing—some Chanyeol doesn’t even recognize, because his boyfriend likes to steal what’s comfortable from their friends—forms heaps on chairs and against the bathroom wall, dropped fur collects and forms tumbleweeds… They clear everything eventually, making room for new laundry and dishes.

He’s finally at the point of picking up laundry and is following a trail of socks and sweatshirts to their bedroom. The trail leads him right to the partly-closed door that can't close because of a sneaker. Chanyeol hears music and assumes Baekhyun's awake, so he pushes the door open and nudges the shoe aside to its mate.

His boyfriend is sitting cross-legged on the bed, head tilted to the side as a video plays on his laptop. His tail barely moves, just an easy curling to fall back to the mess of blankets. He’s been sitting there a while; where his tail falls is a noticeable layer of loose white fur.

Chanyeol spots a basket on top of a pile of board games and drops his loaded arms into it. He’s still not within the white cat’s periphery, so he seizes the opportunity to pinch his side in greeting.

Expectedly, Baekhyun flinches with a squeal.

Unexpectedly, something bursts like a gunshot. Chanyeol streaks into the hall, spinning around to face Baekhyun with what appears to be a ruined balloon in his claws. Their tails quiver anxiously—three times their normal size and straight up like an exclamation point.

Baekhyun's ears fall a little, relief on his face, and touches his chest with a weak laugh. “You scared me!” He signs as he speaks, out of habit.

"Sorry." He’s not sorry.

Tossing the balloon at the trash and missing, Baekhyun makes a face and faces his laptop again, dragging the progress bar back to where he’d left off before being rudely interrupted by a mischievous tom cat. Chanyeol waves a hand to get his attention. "What are you watching?"

“A concert,” Baekhyun replies. “The balloon thing works in person; it kinda did with the video and having it over the speaker.” His ears fall back to his hair. “That was my last balloon, though...”

Too bad. It’s fun to rub inflated balloons until they cling to hair with static electricity.

Chanyeol kisses his hair, kneeling on the bed to sit behind Baekhyun and hug his back. “Sorry.” Baekhyun can feel the rumble of speech at his back. He showered that morning; his hair smells pleasantly minty and is silky soft. Chanyeol can't resist rubbing his cheeks over Baekhyun's head, squeezing his arms gently and purring.

After a minute or so of nuzzling, Baekhyun finally shifts and leans over, reaching around himself for Chanyeol and pulling him around to lie across his lap. “You smell nice,” Chanyeol remarks airily. His pupils are wide and dark as he looks at Baekhyun’s face. Even from his awkward angle, he thinks the white cat is super cute.

“Thank you.” Baekhyun rests his right hand on Chanyeol’s chest, leaning over to reach the space bar with his left hand. He moves his hand up nearer Chanyeol’s throat, then back down his torso, moving up and down as though massaging or petting him. His legs get tingly and then go numb, but he doesn’t nudge the larger cat to move, too content to sit and feel the steady purrs.

Sometimes, they have odd hours. Just based on instinct, sleeping alone is alien, although they both manage plenty of times. It’s just nicer with another body, and the best body is the boyfriend’s body.

Being along makes Baekhyun think things. Happy things, naughty things, often sad things. He’s a social tom; he needs the energy of others to keep him energized and focused on things other than the nagging whispers of his own inadequacies.

Chanyeol worked later than usual and closes the door of the apartment as quietly as he can, holding the knob so the latch is in the door and pushing it gingerly until it's firmly in the jamb. Arms around his waist make him jump, opening and closing the door with a quick bang.

"Baekhyun!" he whispers, although this late Baekhyun isn't wearing his hearing aids. He turns around and signs an apology. "I was trying not to wake you."

Baekhyun squints and drops his head against Chanyeol’s chest, nuzzling his cheek against the soft cotton of the T-shirt. "I wasn't asleep."

"I'm sorry. Is everything okay?"

He thinks of coming right out and saying it. Chanyeol’s no fool, and he's really considerate of Baekhyun's feelings, but this is just hard to talk about. Baekhyun's being needy; he knows it. His boyfriend is a successful, popular person and simply a fun, charismatic guy. It's no wonder people fall for him left and right.

So Baekhyun shakes his head, turning to the side and sighing. "It's nothing. Just missed you is all."

"I said I'd be home late." Chanyeol kisses the barely-there stubble on Baekhyun’s cheek fondly. Chanyeol can go for days without shaving and still have mostly smooth skin. Baekhyun mustache grows with a vengeance over a weekend.

"Still missed you."

“I missed you, too, but I'm also tired and exhausted and sleepy.” As he whines, he leans more and more heavily against Baekhyun, until the white cat is propping up most of his weight. Pushing his boyfriend’s shoulders, Baekhyun bends down a little and lets his Chanyeol fall over his shoulder, carrying him to their room.

“You’re so strong!” Chanyeol chirps, grabbing a handful of cheek and laughing at the surprised squawk. He laughs more when deposited gracelessly onto their bed, catching Baekhyun’s wrist and yanking him off his feet.

He catches a hand at the base of his throat and figures he deserves it. Baekhyun apologizes and situates himself more comfortably over Chanyeol. He’s heavier than he looks, relaxed muscles soft under Chanyeol’s roving hands. Dipping his fingers beneath his boyfriend’s shirt, he runs a hand along Baekhyun’s spine, smiling at the immediate purrs.

For as careful as he tries to be when speaking, Baekhyun has no volume control on his purrs. Eyes nearly shut blissfully, he watches Chanyeol as Chanyeol watches him, both recognizing the contented sleepiness in the slowness of their actions. Baekhyun lifts himself up on his arms just enough to scoot up Chanyeol’s body to kiss his mouth, settling again to keep kissing him lazily.

Normally, they’re both enthusiastic to progress to heavier petting and more, but sometimes it’s just nice to kiss someone without plans or expectations, just knowing they’re there and enjoying the moment.

They stop when Chanyeol’s bottom lip feels fat, swollen from bites as well as kisses. He’s stopped petting Baekhyun’s spine, too tired to do anymore than squeeze his waist gently.

“Hey.” Baekhyun’s mouth is dry; his tongue sticks to his palate. He’s a little too loud, too, and Chanyeol squeezes him more firmly, so he lowers his voice. “Lemme hear what you’re working on.”

It takes a moment for the request to register, and he’s almost tempted to pretend to be asleep.

He starts humming, however, mixing the throaty vocals with some “ba ba baas” as emphasis. It sounds a lot different on drums, but Baekhyun really just likes the feel of Chanyeol’s voice.

They fall asleep sandwiched together, but Baekhyun wakes up facing the window. He senses Chanyeol at his back and rolls over. He sleepily slides an arm over the softly snoring cat, smiling when his boyfriend starts purring through his snores.

Inhale—snore. Exhale—purr. Inhale—snore. Exhale—purr.

Baekhyun bends his elbow and finds a stubbly chin with his fingers, reaching further to rub beneath Chanyeol’s chin and finally rest over his throat.

The purrs soften but don't stop as the excitement of contact dims. It's always there; Baekhyun just has to touch his boyfriend's arm, and he'll pick up the vibrations. They feel like an idling car engine, powerful but calming. He loves it; it’s the best feeling.

Anxieties and insecurities keep their relationship from being a Disney romance, but such is life. They love each other, in all the grand ways and the subtle ways, soundless and out loud.

Walking from the kitchen to the living room, their eyes meet, and Chanyeol places his right hand flat over his left fist, moving it around in a clockwise motion. He then lifts his right hand and makes a heart with his thumb and forefinger.

Baekhyun smiles and reaches up to loop his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, echoing the purring he feels at his chest with his own.

“I love you, too.”

a/n: Written for Baecon and Eggs round 7. (for kaileidohscope/veratiyeol: (hybrid au) Being deaf, one of the highlights of Baekhyun’s evening is resting his hand over Chanyeol’s throat while they’re drifting off to sleep — feeling the soft rumble of his purr beneath his fingers.)

Once upon a time, this was entirely different. Still kept the "captions are necessary and not just something on anime that's not dubbed," though. I kept my rage in check, though; there's nothing quite like listening to your own family complain about how our deaf family member sounds when they speak. This would have been even more different, if I'd just let go of it all...

20210806: THIS HAS BEEN TRANSLATED INTO VIETNAMESE! Thanks to eungyeon and their team, you can read it here.