Sound in the Silence
There are a few things Jesse had come to rely on since the F-Bomb incident.
Security was the main thing.
That heavy desire for a presence, for certainty.
He needed someone to be there, he didn't have to see them, but he did need to sense. He needed to reassured that someone-anyone he trusted was there to hear what he could not. He didn't have Rueben anymore, no constant companion to warn of danger or leave a simple but encouraging touch.
He needed the familiar, somewhere he knew he was safe, somewhere he knew that death or injury didn't wait in total silence around the bend. And since they began this never ending journey through world after world after world, Jesse could rarely get that anymore. There was hardly ever a sure and safe place to camp at night.
Ever since Jesse's world had fallen into nearly total silence, he desired these things very much.
He had the presence, Ivor, Petra and Lukas were always there. They knew what he needed, what was required.
Aiden had become a valuable ally as of late, his home the sanctuary away from sanctuary. He was only newly friends with Jesse, and he didn't always understand, but Aiden tried, tried very hard to make his place safe.
But he still longed for home, he longed for Olivia for Axel, more than he longed for sound in the silence.
But when Jesse opened his eyes, there was no security, there was no presence.
He recalled the archer, and falling into the river - he had been poisoned.
He remembered hearing a voice, actually hearing it. It wasn't muffled, like someone yelling it. It was clear, as fine of clarity of when he could hear.
You need to be here.
Then he woke up, and there was only silence.
Jesse was in a world of pain, his ribs were on fire, his legs felt broken. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know this house. This wasn't Aiden's and this certainly wasn't home. In his pain he panicked, crying out as he fell out of a bed that wasn't his either.
"Lukas! Petra!"
He felt something far away hit the floor, sending little vibrations wiggling up his shaking hands. He looked around, trying to find the source of the vibration, only too see the one door in the bedroom swinging quickly open.
A woman with carrot red hair entered the room, eyes wide with surprise, she was brandishing a gleaming silver kitchen knife. She looked alarmed as she spotted Jesse down on the floor, her mouth opening, forming words he could not hear. She was speaking too soft, too quiet.
Jesse saw the knife and immediately backed away, his body screaming in pain - Stop! Stop! - while the voices in his mind cried - Flee! Flee! She's going to kill you!
Where was his armor, his shirt, his sword?! He needed something - anything to defend himself with! His left hand slapped against something cool and firm on the nightstand, and he grabbed hold. Jesse's hand came forwad, a letter opener, and he wielded it like the weapon it wasn't.
The female was clearly panicked now, still speaking, still trying to calm him down and he still couldn't hear here. He looked to the knife in her hand, and she noticed his gaze shifting, immediately realizing it was the main source of his distress, or at least the strongest factor at the given moment. She let the knife drop to the floor, and with one well placed kick of her foot sent the utensil sliding out of the door and therefore out of reach. But Jesse wasn't about to let go, not for a instant, of his own weapon.
There was a moment of tense nothing.
Then she was trying to speak to him again, softer, slower. Jesse had been learning to lip read and to understand sign language from Ivor, that way he didn't need people to be right by his ear to understand them. Even though his lessons had been coming along really well, when he focused hard on the female's lips; looked at the words she was forming, he didn't understand. Was she speaking a different language? The woman took a step closer-
"Get away from me!" Jesse cried.
She froze, then spoke, this time, Jesse could read her lips, she had been speaking a different language before.
"Are you alright?" she asked slowly.
"Just stay away from me," he repeated.
"You're ser...sly in..ured right now." She said. She tilted her head, he must have had an expression of confusion on his face, "Can you ... me?"
He looked at her.
The female slowly slid down onto her knees, and Jesse watched as her hands came up, doing a string of motions and then came up to her ear, her expression questioning.
Can you hear me? she was asking via sign language if he heard her.
She can help. It was that voice from earlier, the one that came when he was in the river, there is was in perfect sound right next to him. He let his eyes shift slightly to his left, then his right.
There was no one on either side.
She can help.
He was losing his mind.
Jesse looked to the woman again, she was repeating her question, this time more slow and careful to define her lips and her hands "Can you hear me?"
"N-no," he finally answered, rather shakily, "I can't, not unless you're close or yelling at me."
The woman nodded, "Okay, um," she pointed to her lips, "Can you read lips?"
"A little, I'm still learning,"
"Sign language?"
"Some of it,"
"Okay," she scooted closer, pausing as he lifted the letter opener back up, "Can you give me your name?"
"Jesse," he said, albeit reluctantly.
"Jesse, I'm Alex," she said. "I need you to let me help. You are in...ed."
When he tilted his head, she slowly reached out, hand coming to a stop just at his ribs. When he looked down he could see the stark white bandages on his chest rapidly growing red by the second. Injured, she was telling him he was injured. "Shit."
"Let me help you," she repeated.
"I don't know you," Jesse countered.
"Jesse..." Alex assured, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
It was such a strange sentence, and it put Jesse in a old familiar sensation of peace.
Alex reached her hand out, "Jesse? I promise."
He looked at her.
She can help.
Jesse gave her the letter opener. Alex wasted no time placing it away, and pulling medical supplies from the nearby cabinet. She kept talking as she worked, loud enough for him to actually hear her. She had a beautiful voice, "You're going to be okay. I'll have my husband find your friends. Just rest. You're going to be fine." and other things like that. "Are you hungry, we'll get you food."
Jesse relaxed after awhile, letting her work, till her voice eventually dulled out of existence. But the other voice was still there, a steady sound in the silence.
You're okay.
It'll be okay.
You are meant to be here...
Jesse wasn't sure if he was truly meant to be here. But one thing was for certain, as he watched Alex tend away his broken stitches; that for the first time in a very long time... It startles and confused him, butJesse wasn't longing for security, or certainty, or a presence. Alex filled out three, and as her gentle fingers slowly eased the pain with each touch...
Jesse felt safe.
Three Weeks Later...
"When did it happen?" Alex asked.
Jesse stopped eating, "I'm sorry what?"
"When did you lose your hearing?"
"How did you..."
The woman shrugged, "I heard you tell Lukas you missed hearing the birds sing when he pointed out my bird house. I'm sorry, I assumed -"
"It was a little over a year ago," he said quietly.
"That soon?"
"Yeah~"
She hesitated, then, "Jesse what happened?"
He stared solemnly at her, "It was a bomb."
"A bomb?"
Jesse nodded, "Yeah, there was this monster - the Witherstorm - and we tried to kill it with a super TNT. The F-Bomb. I volunteered to detonate it. But it went off before I got far enough away." Jesse rubbed his ear, pushing down the memory, "I didn't have a helmet on, it..."
"I'm sorry, this must be so hard for you."
"It can be sometimes, it's hard to explain."
"You feel afraid of things you never feared before," she said thoughtfully, "You need someone there, someone to assure you. You might even hate complete darkness now. That's how it was for me anyway..."
He was stunned, "For you?"
"I was temporarily deaf for awhile," Alex explained, "I had my husband there of course, but it was still frightening. I was always afraid of what I could not see. I leaned on my eyes pretty heavily for awhile."
Jesse was still shocked, "That's exactly how it is. I had Rue-" he cringed.
"Jesse?"
"Rueben..." he choked out, "He was my friend um..." Jesse swallowed thickly, "I lost him in the last fight against the Witherstorm."
"Oh sweetie," she reached across stroking his cheek, "I'm sorry."
"It was a long time ago..."
"That doesn't mean the pain just stops," Alex soothed, "Jesse if you ever need to tell me something, I'll be there for you."
He leaned into the hand nodding, Jesse knew she meant it, because Alex understood. She knew what the silence was, she knew how lonely it felt.
He didn't realize how much he needed to hear that.
The pain eased a little then, if only for that day...
*REQUESTS ARE STILL CLOSED DON'T ASK FOR ANYTHING UNTIL I SAY OTHERWISE PLEASE AND THANK YOU*
Lexi from Tumblr requested:
Hi! You can call me Lexi! I'm a really big fan of your story Immortal's Child and I noticed you do writing requests. Anywho, there is this other story on FF called Decibels, by ChoyofBonk and it's where Jesse is deaf after detonating the F-Bomb. It's one of my favorite stories alongside yours. So my point is, I wanna do a writing request, and I was wondering if you could do a piece that centers around ChoyofBonk's Jesse in a situation from Immortal's Child like meeting Alex, how would he handle it deaf. Please and thank you!
(P.S. To Lexi! ChoyofBonk says thank you for enjoying Decibels!)
Author Section:
So this was ridiculously fun to do. Special thanks to ChoyofBonk for allowing me to use their version of Jesse in this one shot.
I have to admit, it was quiet a challenge, seeing how a person with most of his hearing sense gone would handle a situation from one of my stories. But I hope I did the character justice.
Decibels and it's concept belong to ChoyofBonk, while Immortal's Child belong to me.
If you haven't read Decibels yet, I highly recommend it, I'm embarrassed to say I didn't read it sooner. Feel free to also check out Immortal's Child if you'd like!
Thank you all again for your support I will see you guys all soon!
P.S.
The author has heard your - requests/demands/threats figurative not literal haha - and the oneshot The Heaven's Are Burning, is now in the process of being a multi chapter piece. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it that much haha.