Day 6: Secrets/Barriers
Summary: For as long as Izuru can remember, he's been deaf to the world, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. He'd been coping fine with just having his brother for communication, it's enough for him. Which is why he couldn't help but raise a brow at the proposition his brother offered to him one day.
Or, in which Hajime gets the brilliant idea to introduce his deaf brother to his mute best friend. It...admittedly goes better than expected.
For as long as Izuru can remember, he's been deaf to the world, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. The sounds of communication that so many people take part in, often to the point of taking it for granted, is something completely lost to him ever since he was a child. The lack of hearing others is a barrier, that's true, but he didn't mind it so much. He had other ways to communicate what he needed.
Many other children back then couldn't understand his condition and his way of establishing communication, thought that he was strange for it, and mercilessly taunted him about it. Had it not been for his brother defending him, who unlike him, is born with the sense of hearing he lacked, things might have been worse.
During their middle school years, his brother had his savings to gift him a pair of hearing aids. Hajime thought it'll help him if only to widen his barrier and make things less difficult for him in the long run.
It did help a bit, Izuru supposes he should be grateful for his older brother, but eventually he felt it was unneeded. The sounds that he'd been deaf to for most of his life didn't turn out to be a big deal as he thought it would. It did feel wonderful to hear them for the first time, of course. But after a while, he got used to them, and in the end, it proved to be another simple thing in the background.
He held the same thoughts even as he entered his high school years.
Aside from Hajime, Izuru didn't talk to many people. Why should they? Why should they waste their time talking to someone who can't even hear them? That's what he rationalized back then. It would've hurt another person, but he simply knew it as a fact. After all, had he been in the same position as those people, he might've done the same.
He'd been coping fine with just having his brother for communication, it's enough for him. Which is why he couldn't help but raise a brow at the proposition his brother offered to him one day.
"Hey, Izuru." His brother talked in tandem with his hands signing. "I've been friends with this girl for over three months now. She's from Class 77, the same as mine, and I was wondering if-"
With a snort, Izuru quickly interrupted him. ["If you're seeking for relationship advice, then clearly you have the wrong person."]
"Just let me finish! That's not what I'm about to ask you." Hajime half-shouted, half-signed. His face flushed red for a second before he continued, "As I'm saying, I was wondering if you'd like to come meet her."
["Why should I?"] Izuru's expression didn't change as his hands signed that question. ["From what you've told me, there is nothing about this girl that sets her apart from other people our parents attempted to have me socialize with."]
"If you think she's gonna make fun of you for being deaf, that won't happen," Hajime reassured. "Look, she won't do that in the first place because she's actually nice and that'll be hypocritical."
["What do you mean by that?"]
"She's mute, Izuru."
He paused for a moment. ["That is new, I suppose. Again, how will that convince me?"]
"Well, I just thought if we're going to do this socializing thing better, you should start with someone with a more common ground." With a small smile, he then added, "Not to mention, you'll finally have someone else you can talk back with sign language."
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, of course. I won't force you to."
Izuru thought about it. It'll be nice to have conversations with someone other than his brother, he supposed.
["Very well. I shall meet this girl you've been friends with."]
Hajime beamed at this brother's acceptance. "Great. I'll let her know about it, and then we can meet up in an arcade on Sunday. Is that alright with you?"
["Do as you want. It's the same nonetheless."]
When Sunday had arrived, he isn't sure what to expect of Hajime's friend. There were only two facts he'd know about this friend: she's a girl, and she's from the 77th class. He's heard about less than stellar things about that class, especially about how the students were a rowdy bunch.
Surely, his brother isn't insane enough to do that to him, right?
As the two brothers walked towards their destination, Hajime turned to him and said while signing, "Izuru, try not to be too harsh on her."
["I will act civilized if that's what you're so worried about."]
"That's not what I mean and you know that. What I mean is, just try not to offend her too much. You've already done that to a lot of people, so please."
["I'll see what I can do."]
The arcade is a rather small one. It didn't have that many people within it, which made it perfect for this meeting. From around the entrance's corner, a girl around their age waved at them. Hajime waved back at her with a smile.
"Hey, hope we didn't keep you waiting." He spoke to her while his hands signed what he said; that piqued Izuru's interest.
{"It's fine. I just got here."} She signed back to him.
"Now that everyone's here." Hajime signed while he alternated between the two. "Izuru, this is Chiaki, my classmate, and friend from school. Chiaki, this is Izuru, my brother."
{"Hi. I'm Chiaki Nanami."} Chiaki regarded Izuru with a soft smile. {"Nice to meet you."}
["Izuru Hinata."] He didn't return the expression, simply regarding her with a stare. ["I'm guessing I should say the same for you."]
Hajime lightly coughed.
"Well, I'll just leave you two here; don't want to make things awkward." His brother said with a chuckle, turning to leave. "Still, I'll be back here later."
Before he left, he signed back to his friend, "If Izuru starts being mean to you, let me know immediately."
And just like that, Hajime left him alone, with a stranger he only knew the name of.
The inside of the arcade proved to be just as similar as it had been on the outside. There weren't too many people inside compared to how it'd be in a much bigger arcade. It's rather thoughtful of Hajime if he'll give his often dimwitted brother some shreds of credit.
As he said earlier, Izuru acted civilized as best as he could.
{"Do you want to try something first, Izuru?"} Chiaki asked him.
He replied, ["Any is fine. I haven't been here since I was a child."]
She pointed towards an arcade cabinet. It appears to be a rather recent one, with a bit of lore and storyline going on in the background. {"How about that one?"}
With a slight nod, he signed back to her, ["Alright."]
They occupied the game cabinet. It's two-player with relatively simple gameplay but difficult timing. For a casual gamer, they would've died several times on the first level. Not in either's case, though. When it came to the game's story, in contrast with its gameplay, it's rather complex for one in an arcade. Complicated and messy, as a matter of fact. If not for his skills, Izuru would've been lost in trying to comprehend the mess of a story.
It felt like hours had passed. During the beginning and middle segments of the game, the two had been working side-by-side as they mercilessly mowed down the AI enemies. By the near end, however, after a series of events and clash of ideals, their player characters had gone against each other, with the eventual victor left to decide the fate of the villain, as well as that of the game's world.
It was a steady fight between them. Hit after hit, lower health after lower health until both characters were left at critical health. Neither of the players gave in.
A stray shot from Izuru's character made the battle end.
{"Wow. I never lost to anyone before."} Chiaki breathed, looking up at him.
["To be fair, you lasted longer than I thought you would."] Izuru no longer paid attention to the game.
{"You're better at this game than I thought. You sure you never played this before?"}
["Why are you so into these games?"] Upon seeing her stare, he then elaborated, ["I do not mean to imply it in a bad way. I'm merely curious."]
She sighed soundlessly. {"Well, in a way, I can talk in some games, and even though they say the same things sometimes, the NPCs actually listen back to what I say."}
["I see."]
{"That's how it's always been for me, I guess. Never had anyone in real life talk back to me until I met Hajime."} Her solemn expression changed to that of fondness upon recalling that boy's name. {"Speaking of him, your brother's really nice."}
["In order to put up with someone like me for most of his life, it's only natural."]
The girl's cheeks puffed. {"I'm not sure that's the reason why."}
Their topic branched off since then. As Izuru found out, like him, Chiaki didn't have many friends due to her condition, a barrier of her own like his. Unlike him, however, she didn't have the benefit of a sibling or another friend to connect with her.
Until now, that is.
By the end of their conversation, Izuru heard the steps of his brother coming inside the arcade. Standing up from the cabinet's seat, he glanced back at her. ["You're an odd girl."] He decided.
She didn't look offended by it. {"Lots of people call me that already.}
Just as he left, he saw her hands sign, {"I wouldn't mind talking to you again, Izuru."}
"How did it go?" Hajime asked as he and his brother stepped out of the arcade.
["She's alright, I suppose."] Izuru replied. ["I wouldn't mind talking to her again if you inclined so."]
His brother teasingly grinned at him. "See, what did I tell you, Izuru?"
["Yes, go on and gloat about how you had the last laugh. It shows how mature you are as an older brother."]
"Hey!"
As they walked on their way home, the deaf brother thought back to the mute girl he spoke with earlier.
It's funny, to think that two barriers will shape itself into a bridge.
A/N: Again, I'm so sorry for being late in this. But better late than never, right?