Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel's Inhumans or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended and no profits are being made from this fic.
Medusa stares determinedly at the hand gestures Black Bolt is showing her. He was testing the few new words they successfully incorporated into sign language and Medusa was attempting to translate.
"I... Can't... Fly—no, that's not right." Medusa frowns, head cocking to the side in concentration.
"I can't... Wait!" Medusa cries victoriously while Black Bolt nods. "I can't wait for the festival! Did I get that right?"
Black bolt nods and Medusa grins proudly. A tendril of hair flicks itself off her shoulder. "One day, you and I are going to get a hang of this language, and you can finally go out of this room and celebrate the festival with me."
Black Bolt's eyes soften at the thought. A year ago he never would have even imagined stepping out of his room a possibility.
Where in the past he was shrouded in brooding silence, helplessness, fear, and guilt, now he feels productive, happy, and hopeful.
His eyes bore into Medusa's.
And it is all thanks to you, he thought.
Black Bolt gestures his gratitude to his friend and then adds something else Medusa cannot identify.
Medusa frowns in confusion as Black Bolt grabs at the space next to his cheek and then crosses his fingers over his chest.
All of the hand signals she knows runs through her head but Medusa has never seen that gesture before. She can't remember Black Bolt having introduced it to her either.
The two of them usually wrote down ideas and then exchanged them when they meet every day. But this is new.
"What's that?" asks Medusa, forehead creasing. "I don't know that one. Did you make a new one when I left yesterday?"
Black Bolt points at her.
"Me? I didn't make it. If I did I would've remembered it."
Black Bolt shakes his head, the quirk of his lips telling Medusa he found her amusing. He does the gesture again, this time slower, and then points at Medusa.
"What does that..." Medusa mirrors the movement, grabbing at the space next to her cheek but wound up getting a fistful of hair. A thought occurred to her. She raised a tendril and asked, "Hair? Does that mean hair?"
Black Bolt nods.
Medusa crosses her fingers over her chest. "And...trust? Hair trust? You trust my hair?"
Black Bolt shakes his head.
"Write it down!" Medusa instructs him but Black Bolt was adamant to talk to her using their new language.
He keeps pointing at Medusa and Medusa found herself playing a guessing game. They haven't done this in a while.
Black Bolt points at Medusa again.
"Me?" says Medusa and Black Bolt nods. "Me what?" Black Bolt brings his pointer finger to touch Medusa's chest. "Heart? My heart? You're thankful for my heart?"
Black Bolt shook his head. He brought his hand over his mouth, a gesture for "name" and then did the sign again.
"Name... did that... I... Me… my name? Me? It's me?"
Black Bolt nods enthusiastically, his head bobbing up and down.
"Oh!" Medusa smiles, "You made a sign for my name! That's—" Medusa freezes as Black Bolt leans forward to cup her cheek.
Up close, she could see the beginnings of his facial hair growing as well as feel the heat coming from his body.
She was suddenly self-conscious and felt warmth creeping up her neck, spreading to her face. She supposes she looks the same color as her hair.
With one hand, Black Bolt signs again, Thank you, Medusa.
Medusa blushes at the intensity of his gaze, heart almost stilling.
"You're welcome," she manages to say.
Black Bolt finally draws his hand away and doesn't touch her for the rest of their time together.
They continue inventing more signs, names this time, and while Medusa does not bring up what happened, it plays over and over in her head.
Black Bolt's gesture for her is her distinctive hair and crossed fingers over his chest. He could have just stuck to a simple descriptive gesture like he did with Gorgon and Triton's names, but he didn't. He didn't stop with her hair, he added something else.
A heart.
Medusa lies in her bed later that night, her fingers crossed and resting against her chest. Black Bolt may not have said anything but Medusa got the message loud and clear.
I like you okay too, she thinks.
A/N: So I just found out that Black Bolt's sign for Medusa is hair and a heart and I DONT KNOW BOUTCHU BUT IM DECEASED.