Looking for a Sign (M/M)

[AdrianMarx]

What's this? Adrian is starting a new fic despite his plethora of unfinished stories? It cannot be! (I'll get back to Oli and Avery soon, I promise! I just felt a little surge of inspiration for my new boys).

--

 

Denver Dawson - Double D to his friends - found himself frozen with fear for the first time in living memory. He’d never been especially prone to anxiety. In fact, he’d always been quite outgoing. But now, staring up at the block of flats in which he was about to live out his first year at university, he felt an inexplicable urge to yell for his mother. Several childish doubts snuck their way into his mind uninvited. What if his new flatmate was rude? What if they didn’t get along? Worse, what if his new flatmate was a country music fan? Denver didn’t think he could survive a year of living with someone like that.

“Need a hand inside, mate?”

Startled, Denver turned back to the cab driver who had unloaded Denver’s two suitcases, rucksack, and holdall from the boot of the car. Feeling a little guilty for letting the driver do it all himself, Denver flushed slightly and made to grab a suitcase while the driver slung his holdall over his shoulder. Once the bags were loaded into the lift, Denver thanked the taxi driver who tipped his hat in a jovial manner and sauntered back to his black cab as the lift doors slid shut.

Denver watched the numbers anxiously climb as the lift rose floor by floor. For about the three-hundredth time that day, he tapped his pocket to make sure his keys were still there. They were, of course. They always were.

The anxious feeling his his stomach was not one he was used to and he couldn’t say he was enjoying it. Soon, he thought to himself. Soon it’ll be over.

With difficulty, Denver managed to move his bags from the lift to the landing of the fifth floor and, with even greater difficulty, eventually succeeded in dragging them to flat number 5.08. Swallowing his nerves, Denver shoved the key in the lock and opened the door before he could change his mind.

“Hello?” He called instinctively, remaining still for a moment in case there was a response but he didn’t hear anything. “Anybody home?” He tried again. Still nothing.

They must just not be here yet.

Satisfied (and somewhat relieved) that he had the place to himself, Denver dragged his bags through the door and over to the small couch in the open living room. It took two trips and, by the time he was done, Denver found his anxiety had melted away. Though it was his first time away from home, he’d never felt more at peace than he did just then. This felt right. This was where he was supposed to be and he was so excited to get started.

With a spring of excited enthusiasm in his step, Denver went to explore the rest of the flat. The living room itself was small but Denver was inclined to label it “cosy”. The brown furniture was well-kept and was brightened by white gold patterned cushions and an incredibly cosy-looking throw knitted in too many colours to count. There was a small TV and a stack of DVDs which struck Denver as odd. He certainly wouldn’t have expected the flat to come pre-stocked with entertainment. (Honestly, he’d been pleasantly surprised to discover that it had furniture.)

The living room ran into the kitchen which had a small, wooden dining table fit for two people, maybe three at a push. The wooden chairs were mismatched and Denver couldn’t help but smile at the sight of them. They had an odd sort of charm which he really liked. The bathroom, again small, was clean which was all one could ask for in a bathroom really. It had a shower but no bath which was a tad disappointing but, hey, he was on a budget.

That only left the bedrooms. Denver found himself being filled with ridiculously childish glee at the thought of being able to choose which bedroom would be his. However, he found himself mildly disappointed (and bloody shocked) to find someone already sitting on the bed in the first bedroom, focused intently on a book.

“Oh,” Denver couldn’t force the involuntary reaction down in time. He laughed, running a hand over his face. “Sorry, you just startled me. I didn’t think you were here...yet…”

Denver felt a frown spreading across his face. The other man acted as though he had not heard a word Denver had said.

“Um, hello?” He tried again. Wow. He’d never seen anybody so engrossed in a book.

Crossing the room, Denver reached out to tap the man’s shoulder but he saw a pair of startling blue eyes meet his own before he got there. He smiled.

“Hey,” he said. “You were pretty into your book there, huh?”

The other man looked, if Denver wasn’t mistaken, a little panicked. He swallowed and took a step back.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just-” he turned to look back at the door. “You didn’t hear me and I really wanted to meet you and-”

He stopped short when he felt a hand tapping the back of his. Turning back to the man on the bed, he found that he was on the bed no longer. When the other man stood, Denver found that he himself stood about an inch or two shorter though he definitely made up for it in a stocky department. Though tall - and Denver was sure the man’s well-kempt dark curls added at least another inch to his height - his clothes, varying shades of grey, hung from his slim body in a way which Denver couldn’t help but find attractive.

Realising he’d been staring, Denver returned his gaze quickly to the man’s face. He looked upset - apologetic, perhaps? - as he circled his fist against his chest. Confused, Denver watched the man point to himself before putting two fingers against his ear and then his chin. He repeated the action again and Denver nodded his sudden understanding.

Feeling extremely dense, Denver glanced around the room. It was mostly filled with suitcases. He looked back to the man - his flatmate - and made a writing motion in the air with his hand. The man’s eyes lit up which only made Denver think he looked even more beautiful when he smiled. Oh hell. He was a joint honours English Literature and French student with an as yet undecided elective course; he really didn’t have time to have a crush on his incredibly attractive flatmate.

Denver watched his new flatmate rummage around in a blue backpack - and, lordy, what a backside on that boy - until he produced a tattered black notebook and a pink gel pen with a missing lid. He gave an apologetic shrug at the pen but Denver merely smiled as the other man scribbled a message on a fresh page.

I’m Alexander. Sorry I didn’t hear you come in

Denver grinned and reached for the pen and paper.

Don’t worry about it. My name’s Denver. It’s nice to meet you.

Alexander smiled as he accepted the offered pen and paper again and replied.

You too! I was kinda worried about meeting you (thought you might be scary) but you seem nice.

Denver laughed and said, “I thought the same about you.”

Alexander watched his lips carefully and his face broke into a bright smile as he let out a small laugh. It wasn’t a laugh like anything Denver had ever heard before but he quickly decided that he wanted to hear it much more often. The sound reminded him of dolphins and their unbridled joy as they splashed around in the water. He couldn’t help but smile back.

~

Denver left Alexander to his book not long later, opting to begin unpacking. He took one look at his suitcases and felt slightly nauseous and decided instead to start with the holdall which he immediately took to the bathroom and set about unpacking. He hung his towels up one of the two racks, noticing that Alexander had not unpacked his toiletries yet.

With his toothbrush and toothpaste in the provided holder and his shower things on the small shelf, he turned to examine the mirrored cupboard above the sink. It was small but he found it to be deeper than expected. He bit his lip, wondering whether it would perhaps be best to just keep it in his room. He didn’t want to annoy poor Alexander on the first day by taking up the whole cupboard space.

There were two small shelves in the cupboard and, in the end, Denver decided to claim the top one as his own. Before long, he’d stacked it with boxes of allergy meds, cold and flu relief, and his spare inhaler.

As he was about to close the cupboard, a hand on his shoulder made him jump. He turned to find Alexander behind him, looking both apologetic and curious.

“First things first, we need to get you a bell,” Denver joked but Alexander’s face crumpled in confusion and Denver made a gesture to signal that it didn’t matter and raised an eyebrow in silent question.

Alexander pointed to him and then scratched the back of his hand in an exaggerated gesture, a questioning look on his face. Denver mimicked the movement with confusion. After a few moments of pointing between Denver and the boxes in the medicine cabinet, it clicked.

“Yes!” Denver said, quite excited to finally understand. “Allergies.”

When Alexander shook his finger as though scolding him, Denver’s brow furrowed again. Clearly, his elective course was going to have to be in sign language. Besides, he was really warming to Alexander. It would be a shame not to speak his language. However, clearly this particular sign was going to have to wait because Alexander made the same “never mind” gesture Denver had made earlier and quitted the room, returning shortly with a carrier bag clearly filled with his own toiletries.

In silence, they finished unpacking their bathroom things. Denver found the silence to be quite peaceful. Hopefully, silence wouldn’t mean they couldn’t be good friends.

--

Well, I hope you like it. I’m quite fond of my new boys so I hope you guys are interested. The signs described are British Sign Language (BSL) though I’ll admit right now that I’m still a beginner. I am taking classes though so hopefully I won’t be too far off. If anybody has a better working knowledge of BSL, however, do feel free to correct me!

Anyway - yay/nay?

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

I LOVE THAT ALEX IS SIGNING!!! Rarely is something like that used, very nice. Also the backside comment left me for dead.

Nice work as always Adrian

[Artemis]

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!! you don't see that very often, a person in a fic who speaks ASL (I'm assuming it's ASL) That is so cute!!! Can't wait to see more! Hopefully double D is a fast learner. 

Great work as always!! 

[Nebula]

As someone from the UK, I can appreciate all the little Britishisms/Brit culture + language things here that're really uncommonly seen here in favour of American culture. So refreshing to see something different in that aspect.

 

Anyway, this is adorable! I love where this appears to be going and your boys are lovely. Really well-written and I can't wait to see more!

[starpollen]

Ooooh looking forward to where this is going!...

[AdrianMarx]

@Kaze wo Hiku Eek, glad you approved, my dear. Honestly, I'm still a little shell-shocked that you read my stuff omg. Thank you!!

@Artemis It's BSL purely because that's what I know. And thank you!! I am rly glad you like it!

@Nebula I am quite enjoying writing it this way, actually. Glad you like it!

@starpollen holy shit hello  omg I wow thank you I'm glad you're enjoying it omg please ignore me I'm gonna go fangirl in a corner now kjsdfhser

I'm aware that there hasn't been any sneezing as of yet but I needed a little more set up before that happened. Don't worry. There will be some in the next part

-

Denver couldn’t sleep.

He’d spent most of the evening unpacking but he’d taken one look at the final suitcase and gotten discouraged. Tomorrow. He’d deal with it tomorrow. And yet despite how his exhausted body had flopped onto the bed in relief, his mind had other ideas. Ideas, thoughts, memories of Alexander’s magnificent backside - that kind of thing.

Denver tried to copy the gesture Alexander had made in the bathroom, repeating allergy to himself in the hopes it would stick. Well, that was one word that it was probably a good idea to know given his plethora of issues.

He hadn’t always had allergies. In fact, throughout his childhood, his biggest problem had been scraped knees. But, as he’d grown, his fairly mild asthma had taken a turn for the worse and he soon found himself with an over-sensitive nose and an immune system which seemed to mistake any foreign substance for a full-frontal attack. Though he’d tried not to let it interfere with his life too much, he’d come to accept a couple of years ago that this change in his health was a part of him now and he was going to have to accept that it couldn’t be cured, only managed.

Giving up on the idea of sleep altogether, Denver decided to explore the small stack of DVDs he’d seen earlier. He realised now that they must belong to his flatmate and felt a little silly for not realising there was another person in the flat before he’d barged into his bedroom. To his surprise, Denver found said flatmate stretched out on the couch, watching something with subtitles and the sound muted.

Denver frowned. He wasn’t quite sure how to alert Alexander to his presence without startling him. He’d have to be sure to ask his new flatmate about that. Still, that didn’t help him right now. So, he decided that the best he could do was not come up behind him and deliberately took a longer route round to a free armchair so Alexander would see him coming at least a little.

Despite his precautions, Alexander still started but he smiled and shook his head, signing something too quickly for Denver to understand. Still, he smiled back and gave an awkward little wave.

Feeling a little awkward, Denver pit his palms together and put them to the side of his head, mimicking sleep, before shaking his head. Alexander smiled understanding and showed Denver the proper sign for sleep which he stored away in his very small arsenal. Alexander signed something then by pointing to himself and then tapping his index fingers together. Though Denver couldn't decipher the sign itself, he could work it out from context.

Me neither.

He wanted to ask why but couldn't figure out how to get it across without words. He also had to admit that he was quite out of his depth here. He didn’t know if miming would be considered rude or make Alexander think he was trying to patronise him. To his great dismay, he found that he knew very little about deaf culture and etiquette at all. It wasn’t something he’d considered before but he didn’t think he’d ever read a book with a deaf character (and, being an English Literature major, he’d read a lot of books). And for a moment he found himself wondering what it must have been like to grow up unable to see yourself saving the world and slaying dragons because nobody ever wrote about people like you.

Blinking, Denver decided that it was far too late - and far too early in their friendship at that - to even think about starting such a conversation. Instead, Denver gestured to the television again and lifted the remote, tapping the volume button without pressing it to ask if it was alright to turn it up. Alexander grinned and shrugged which Denver interpreted to mean why would it matter to me?

Denver must have dozed off because he woke to find himself alone in the living room with the multi-coloured throw draped over him. He smiled to himself, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. One glance at the clock on the wall told him that it was almost six in the morning. He sighed and stood, stretching out the cricks in his back from sleeping in the armchair.

Today officially marked the beginning of Fresher’s Week and Denver was unbelievably excited. The university had sent out a Fresher’s Week schedule packed with events and he’d spent the past few weeks flicking through the little booklet, trying to decide what he wanted to do. Most of the events were free and some of them looked really interesting. What had peaked his interest in particular, however, was something called the Tandem Language Café. From what he could tell, it was a two-way language learning system where one could both teach and learn. He liked the idea of teaching French and found himself wondering if perhaps there was someone there who could help him learn sign language in return.

It was a little early for breakfast (plus, Denver had only brought Special K red berry bars with him and he really wasn’t in the moon for shopping) so he went back to his room and changed, deciding he’d shower later. He checked the weather forecast and found that, while the pollen count wasn’t awful, he should definitely be diligent about his medication.

And then he googled learn sign language and settled down on his bed to learn the alphabet. Okay, so the vowels were the five fingers. Okay. That was something he could remember. And the letter C was really just making a C with your fingers, as was D. Oh, hey, K actually looked like a K!

“Okay, here we go,” he muttered to himself, staring intently at his fingers as though it would help. Carefully, he practiced:

D-E-N-V-E-R

A-L-E-X-A-N-D-E-R

Well, that was certainly a start.

~

Breakfast was a quiet affair - no pun intended. Alexander had already been shopping for cereal and Denver had greatly appreciated the offer of Shreddies. He’d keep the Special K bars for when they inevitably forgot to go shopping.

Alexander had torn a few pages from his black notebook and had left them on the dining table with a pen which made communicating a lot easier. Denver really didn’t want to tell Alexander that he planned on learning sign language. Not just yet, anyway. When he was able to hold a basic conversation with his new flatmate then he’d tell him. Hell, he was really struggling to spell out Alexander’s full name. There were so many vowels and he could never remember which finger represented each one just by looking so he had to run through them a-e-i-o-u before he could settle on the right one. That would come with practice, though, he was sure. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

A piece of paper appeared in Denver’s line of vision just then and he realised that he’d been staring at his cereal without eating it for quite some time. Taking an overly large spoonful to compensate for it, he glanced down at the note.

You have plans for Fresher’s?

A few, he scribbled back. It’s all really exciting. You?

There aren’t many interpreted shows but there were a couple of society meet and greets I thought I’d try.

Sounds like fun. I’m gonna check out the language café.

Alexander smiled down at the message as he replied, Do you speak other languages?

French is part of my degree. I’m mostly fluent though.

What are you studying?

English Literature and French. You?

Physics.

Denver let out a low whistle to show he was impressed. He’d never been any good with numbers. He’d hated working the till in the newsagents back home because he wasn’t particularly fast when it came to counting change. He’d gotten better but it definitely was not his strong point. Languages were much more his thing. He explained all this to Alexander in a hastily scribbled message and was rewarded with a small huff of laughter from his flatmate.

Well, clearly this relationship is never going to work. We’ll have to break up. Numbers are my one true love.

For a moment, Denver thought his strange sleep had caught up with him but he had indeed read the message correctly. He grinned.

That wasn’t what you said when we first met. I saw you - cheating on those numbers with a book!

It wasn’t like that!

Denver caught Alexander’s eye and saw a twinkle of mischief there. He shook his head, still smiling, and looked up at the clock. Signalling that he’d be back soon, he went to take his pills. When he returned, he found the something new scrawled on the paper.

Here’s my number. You wanna meet up for lunch?

Sure.

Denver saved the number in his phone and shot Alexander a quick text so he’d have his number too. Smiling, he typed another. This was much easier than passing the paper around.

Denver 08:47
what are you up to today then?
Alexander 08:48
boring stuff :/ register with gp & sort out timetable & stuff
Denver 08:48
aw :/ well. best get it over with!

That was something he hadn’t thought about; he was going to have to register with a doctor here at some point.

But that could wait. It was fresher’s week. Time to have a little fun.

[Chickadee365]

Oh, wow. This is really great! I absolutely love it so far. This is so well written and I've never read anything with the same premise before! So impressed. I will be eagerly awaiting the next chapter! 

[MonaLisaSmile]

I can't even begin to describe how much I love this! I've always loved fanfics and stories with deaf characters, and I've also always loved stories that have to do with sneezing, and you're combining the best of both worlds! No pressure or anything, but if this story went on forever you'd get no argument from me.

[gryffin]

Adrian, this is wonderful! Never mind the lack of sneezing, just go on like this and it will be perfect. I really like the two of them, and their relationship is already so well characterised. I can't wait for more!

[supernaturalfragalistic]

I LOVE THIS SO MUCHHH

[SpamKey]

ADRIANNNNNN THESE BOYS OMFG I CAN'T I CAN'T THE'RE TOO ADORABLE ADRIAN YOU FLIPPING BEAUTY YOU ARE SO AMAZING THESE BOYS ARE AMAZING AND I JUST NUMGHGCJGFFCKGFHMGVKGHFGNJGFC LOOOOOOOOOVE IT  

[stephab13]

Oh my dear sweet ever-holy... I just...

Okay. DEAF CHARACTER. YES. I'm all into my anti-ableism but, man, I really miss Deaf stuff. I started learning Auslan last year - did 3 terms and I can still hold a pretty basic conversation, though I've lost a lot! And Switched At Birth is always going to be one of my favourite shows, bit I'm in such withdrawal from it and this really hits the spot. Plus, the BSL will be really interesting because I think it's almost a half-way point between ASL (which I have a teeny-tiny amount of knowledge of from working there!) and Auslan. The alphabet is almost identical to Auslan, I'm pretty sure, but I tink a lot of the signs are closer to ASL. Maybe. My teacher (who is Deaf) told us that the first Deaf person in the US was British so a lot of ASL is derived from that, whereas Australia was started by an Irish guy - explaining the differences in alphabet, etc. But, the BSL alphabet is the same as ASL so maybe I got that the wrong way round? *shrugs* It's unimportant. But YAY. Deaf culture!

And it's posted here. OMG.

Also, your writing is just... it's wonderful. Your character building is enviable but this is so light and fluffy without being sickly sweet. It's really intriguing, I'm loving both of your characters and just... I can't wait to read more!

[SneezyHolmes]

I'm such a sucker for deaf characters! Oh goodness these two are precious!

[AdrianMarx]

Omg!! Thank you so much all of you for your lovely comments!! This part is for @SpamKey since she's needing a little love. Feel better, dear <3

-

The language café turned out to be much like Denver had pictured. There were tables set up around the small room, each with a designated language. Denver found himself fascinated - if a little terrified - by the fact that there was a table dedicated to Klingon.

He seated himself at the French table, noticing with disappointment that there wasn’t a station set up for BSL. Still, no matter. He’d teach himself as best he could and he was sure he’d pick up a lot just through living and conversing with Alexander. As he was one of the first to arrive, and the first to sit at the French table, he practiced his alphabet under the table. He’d forgotten some of the letters and some he got mixed up. B and G were quite similar and he’d completely forgotten the letter Y. Hopefully that wasn’t a letter he was going to have to use often.

He glanced up as another boy arrived, wild blonde curls falling into his eyes.

“Hi!” He said excitedly, throwing himself into the seat across from Denver with a bright smile. He spoke with an accent which Denver guessed was American. “I’m Mark. Are you a first year?”

Denver smiled back. “Denver. Yeah. What’s your major?”

“English Literature,” Mark said.

“Hey, me too!” Denver enthused, delighting in the way Mark’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, good. I was worried I wasn’t going to know anybody before classes started,” he gushed, tapping his hands on the table with a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I ramble when I’m nervous.”

“No, it’s alright,” Denver said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “We’re all nervous.”

Mark gave a nervous laugh. “I was worried I’d be the only one here who didn’t know how to be an adult but I’m getting the sense that we’re all just winging it.”

“I certainly am,” Denver chuckled, looking up to greet the pair of girls who had joined their table.

With introductions done - their names were Emily and Océane - Denver found himself quite liking Mark. He wondered if they’d sit together in lectures. It would be nice to have a friendly face around.

“So,” Océane began, glancing round at the others. “We are all here to learn French, yes?”

Denver smiled back. “Oui. Vous êtes français?”

“Oui,” Océane replied. “I come from Lyon in the south of France.”

“Oh cool,” Mark said, grinning. “So, are you here on exchange?”

Denver rubbed his nose, sighing to himself. Clearly his morning dose of allergy medication wasn’t sufficient for the high pollen count. He blinked back the tears which were beginning to form in his eyes and tried to avoid sniffling but, before long, he couldn’t help it and gave a liquid sniffle. He knew it was a mistake as soon as he’d done it but he had to time to grab a tissue before he twisted away, muffling his sneezes into his elbow.

“Hmmpffsh! Oh, excuse me,” he muttered, managing to smile before the urge seized him again and he spin away again. “HHmpfffshh! Hhhshhff! Snf sorry. Hayfever.”

Mark nodded sympathetically. “My brother gets it pretty bad. Glad I dodged that gene,” he joked, making Denver smile.

Not long later, they were collaborating, both teaching and learning French together. Océane told them stories in French about her home and her family and Emily and Mark both seemed to have retained enough high school French to keep up. Denver, while thoroughly enjoying himself, found his nose to be more and more of a bother. He’d pulled out a tissue some time earlier and was constantly wiping his nose with it to keep from sniffling annoyingly every few seconds. The itching hadn’t ceased at all, even after several more sneezes. He sighed. So it was going to be one of those days.

For a moment, Denver worried about something which hadn’t struck him before. What if he turned out to be especially allergic to a plant which grew here? It was something he hadn’t considered when he’d decided to move away. But the worry was gone when Mark launched into his own family story. Despite his tickly sinuses, Denver learned that he was the middle child with an older brother and younger sister and that he came from Vancouver. He also learned, by extension, that Océane had never been to Canada and that Emily had family over there on her mother’s side.

“hhISHmff!” Denver peered over his tissue, feeling his cheeks colouring a little. “Ugh, I’m sorry. Allergies are just out of c-control today. Must be the move. hh...HMPFFhh!”

“Santé,” Océane chimed cheerfully. Denver shot her a curious look and not because it was the first time she’d blessed him but because it was the first time he’d actually processed it.

“Oh, I always thought santé had fallen out of use?” He said, phrasing the end as a question.

Océane smiled. “It is true. Many people do not say it anymore.”

“What does it mean?” Mark asked curiously.

“It means health,” Océane replied.

“Well, I certainly nee-n...hhMPFF! Oh, excuse me snf. I certainly need the blessing,” Denver replied playfully, rubbing at his nose again.

Emily smiled. “Well, I’m glad to know it’s hayfever. I was starting to worry it was my perfume.”

“hhhHMpffsh! Snf perfume?” Denver asked dejectedly. Well, that would explain an awful lot. “Oh dear, I’m sorry, I- hh...I’m allergic to...hHISHHmpf! Excuse me. I’m very allergic to strong...scents...hhEHngCH! HHMPfff! Ihhh...oh, sorry.”

Emily looked conflicted. Denver could tell she wanted to stay and, frankly, Denver was starting to like these people. They were certainly very friendly. Besides, the language café was almost over. He could stick it out for another little while.

As it turned out, sticking it out was a very poor decision. His eyes felt twice their normal size by the end of it and, after exchanging Facebook details with Mark, Denver escaped to the bathroom to coax out the rest of the sneezes before he braved the outside world again. Though Denver wasn’t exactly vain, the thought of meeting new people while he was in this state certainly didn’t appeal to him and he certainly didn’t want Alexander to see him like this so soon. Preferably, he’d rather Alexander didn’t ever see him like this but he was realistic. His nose could cause quite the spectacle at the slightest provocation.

“hhISHHmpff!”

Denver wasn’t the biggest fan of stifling. One or two was fine but he rarely only sneezed once or twice. Fits in the tens were more his style, especially fits which were painfully drawn out. They always left him feeling like a fool. After all, nobody looked good in the middle of a sneezing fit. But he also wasn’t a big fan of embarrassing himself on the very first day so he did his best to keep them contained, even in the toilets.

The fit died down a little after he’d been away from Emily for a while though his nose and eyes were still horribly itchy. He splashed some water on his face in the hopes that it would help which it did a little but nothing could be done about the reddening around his eyes and nostrils. He observed himself in the mirror dejectedly for a moment or two before deciding that this, as always, was as good as it was going to get.

He glanced at his watch. He wasn’t meeting Alexander for lunch for an hour or so; that would give him plenty of time to locate the student gym and sign up.

~

Plenty of time turned into I’m meeting Alexander in exactly twelve seconds where the hell is this place which, thirteen seconds later, became Fuck I’m late. Thankfully, he stumbled across the student union building where they’d agreed to eat only a couple of minutes late. Alexander was waiting by the door for him and smiled brightly when he approached.

Denver’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

Alexander 12:45
Good day so far?

Denver 12:46
yeah, you?

Alexander nodded, shooting Denver a thumbs up as they took a seat at a table in the farthest corner. Denver was halfway through texting Alexander another question when the tickle in his nose suddenly became very intense and he ducked down to sneeze into his elbow like he had before.

“HhhMPFF! hISHHmpf!”

Denver rubbed at his nose with the back of his finger, sniffling. He felt Alexander’s hand on his arm and looked up. Even with his limited knowledge of BSL, Denver could figure out what that sign meant, even if Alexander hadn’t been mouthing bless you in conjunction.

“Thank you,” Denver said, watching Alexander sign thank you by pulling his hand away from his chin. Denver copied him and smiled. Alexander made another sign which Denver remembered.

Allergies?

Denver nodded, erasing his half-typed question to tell Alexander about Emily’s perfume. Alexander smiled sympathetically at his phone and then at Denver who shrugged and reached for a menu. He rubbed at his nose with his depleted tissue as he scanned it, deciding that he wasn’t actually particularly hungry and settling for potato wedges. Alexander went for macaroni cheese.

Denver wasn’t sure what he’d expected when they went up to the bar to order but Alexander simply pointed at his choice and made the sign for thank you. While they waited, they sipped their drinks, texting back and forth. Alexander told Denver about his day which consisted basically of what Alexander had told Denver he planned to do that morning. All that was left was to sort out his timetable.

Alexander 13:04
Think I’ll have an early night. All this being an adult stuff is tiring.

Denver grinned. He had to agree. Mark had talked about going out to a party that night and Denver wasn’t sure where he had the energy. Then again, maybe it was because neither he nor Alexander had slept well last night that they weren’t feeling their best.

For one thing, however, Denver was glad that his allergies seemed to be lessening. Though he still sniffled and sneezed his way through their lunch date, quietly enjoying Alexander’s signed blessings (and, of course, being able to respond in sign language.) It was during this non-date, when Alexander fixed those brilliant blue eyes on him and flashed an adorably shy smile, that Denver realised he was well and truly fucked - and not, unfortunately, in the biblical sense.

[Salamander]

Gosh, I so very rarely come on the forum and I'm intensely glad I did. This is delicious, both the boys are delicious, I second that the britishisms are great (speaking as a Brit) and this took me right back to freshers week. Thanks so much. 

[LeapYearKisses]

This is awesome and I shall be eagerly awaiting the next installment!  So glad I found it.  I almost never venture into the original stories forum since I'm so enmeshed in fandom, but clearly I should do so more often.

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

Ugh god this was so adorable. Alex signing bless you just killed me

[AdrianMarx]

Ahhh thank you so much!! Aw, I love writing this story and I'm so so glad that people enjoy reading it. You guys are the best  This part is for my lovely @Juto since much of it was her idea and also she is excellent. <3

-

Denver didn’t sleep well that night either and woke up with a painfully dry throat and a tickle in his nose. He sighed quietly. Having escaped his morning routine yesterday, he had hoped it would leave him alone for another day or two but he should have known better than to hope for such a thing. Sitting up, he reached for a tissue from the box beside his bed (one of the only things he’d bade certain to unpack) and covered his face.

“hh...HmpFFSH! Oh, d-damn i...ihhHISHHuh! IiiHHSHH!”

Denver scrubbed at his nose in irritation before stumbling to the bathroom in his pyjamas to take his morning dose of medication. He gave the air an experimental sniff, satisfied when his nose didn’t react beyond a mere twitch.

Though he’d heard Alexander padding around in his bedroom last night, Denver had found himself alone on the sofa, his phone the only light in the room. He’d thought briefly about calling his mother but had decided against it. Still, he couldn’t deny that he was feeling somewhat lonely. Night time had always been that way for Denver, ever since he was young. He’d never been afraid of the dark exactly; he’d just felt terribly alone in it. The dark was isolating, concealing. Denver liked watching the sunrise and watching as the world came into the spotlight. Denver, for one, had never understood why people found sunsets romantic. How could the death of a beautiful day be anything other than sad?

Looking in the mirror, Denver grimaced. His sensitive nose was already starting to turn pink at the end. Though he knew it was counterintuitive, he couldn’t help but attempt to rub the colour away. He splashed his face with some cool water and looked in the mirror once more before venturing out into the kitchen and immediately filling a tall glass with water. He downed half of it without pausing for breath and cleared his throat but the dryness was still there. Hopefully it was just a side effect of the morning.

Speaking of which…

“hhISHHUH! hh...h’ISHuhhh!”

Denver grabbed a piece of kitchen paper and gave his nose a harsh blow. With a small, slightly congested sigh, he poured himself a bowl of Alexander’s Shreddies and made a mental note that they were going to have to go shopping at some point. As he turned to put his bowl and glass down on the table, he almost jumped in surprise when he found Alexander approaching. Alexander shot him an apologetic smile and fixed his own breakfast while Denver settled down to his cereal.

Alexander 08:17
we should really go shopping soon

Denver grinned, shoving an overheaped spoonful into his mouth before typing a reply.

Denver 08:17
was just thinking that haha
Alexander 08:17
you free tomorrow?

Denver was and he told Alexander so, delighted he had done because he adored that smile. However, he didn’t get much chance to look at it before his bothersome nose decided it was time to interrupt. He barely had time to bury his nose in the makeshift tissue before the sneezes erupted from him.

“hhIISHHoo! IIihSHUH! iiiihSHHHmf!”

When Denver glanced up at Alexander again, he saw his flatmate make the sign for bless you, a small cross with his first two fingers. The question was written all over Alexander’s face but Denver didn’t know the sign language for my nose is a little bitch. So he typed a quick reply, explaining that it was nothing to worry about, which seemed to settle Alexander for the time being. Denver found it somewhat endearing that Alexander seemed to care so much. They’d only known each other for a couple of days and already Denver was starting to feel like he’d made a really good friend.

Feeling quite fed up with this morning already, Denver had to turn away again to sneeze into the kitchen paper which was quickly becoming useless. Alexander was on his feet in an instant, gesturing for Denver to stay where he was before disappearing down the hall. Denver smiled after him.

It wasn’t long before Alexander returned with a box of tissues with a shrug which told Denver that he’d brought them just in case. Alexander signed something Denver didn’t understand but he didn’t pay it much thought because his nose was infuriatingly itchy. He smiled his thanks and plucked a tissue from the box to blow his nose.

Only, it didn’t exactly help.

“hh...HIISHHoo! Ihh’HISHHuh! HhhISHHuh! S-sorry, I- hhEHHSHH! IhhHSHOO!”

Denver only caught a blurry glimpse of Alexander’s concered expression before his eyes forced themselves shut again and he ducked forward into the tissue again.

“ihHISHHoo! hESHHuhH!”

Sniffling, Denver picked up the tissue box with a growing suspicion in his stomach. Blinking back tears he was just able to make out the words he was worried he’d find.

Aloe vera.

He couldn’t get a breath to explain to Alexander - not that he’d even know how to sign it and he certainly couldn’t see well enough to type - so he just made his way to the bathroom as quickly as he could and ran the tap, splashing handfuls of cold water on his face to relieve the growing itch around his nose and eyes. He had to break away a few times to sneeze desperately towards the ground.

After a minute or so, once the sneezing had died down, he chanced a look in the mirror. Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as he’d thought it would be. The tissue hadn’t touched much of his skin and he hadn’t used it for very long so he wasn’t surprised that the pink tinges below his eyes and around his nose were about the worst of it. As long as he didn’t scratch it, he’d hopefully be fine.

Aloe vera. The bloody devil’s invention. He scowled to himself. He should have checked the box before he used it. Stupid. Though, he supposed he should be thankful that aloe vera caused a mostly respiratory reaction in him. He knew most people weren’t so lucky and ended up with awful rashes on their skin.

Blinking back the last of the tears, he headed out to the kitchen again to find Alexander standing by the table, physically shaking. Immediately concerned, Denver made to rush over to him but Alexander shrunk back suddenly with a fearful cry Denver prayed he’d never have to hear again. He circled his fist against his chest, eyes squeezed shut and chest clearly heaving with unshed tears.

Denver found himself frozen. He didn’t know what to do. Everything that came to mind was absolutely pointless. He heard himself telling Alexander not to be afraid, that it was okay. Like that would do any good if he wasn’t looking at him. Alexander’s panic was visibly growing. His eyes flew open and locked on Denver’s hands which were raised in front of him in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture. He took a step forwards but, seeing Alexander tense, backed away again and dropped his hands to hang limply at his sides.

For a moment, Alexander’s eyes flicked between Denver’s face and his hands. A few tears spilled down his cheeks before, quite suddenly, the fear left him and his face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. With another signed apology, he fled the room so quickly that Denver didn’t registed that it had happened until he heard Alexander’s bedroom door close.

Shaking a little himself, Denver looked down at his hands, examining them, trying to understand what could possibly have made Alexander so afraid. He took a deep breath, bouncing on the balls of his feet with indecision.

He had to go to the gym, work out the anxiety. If he’d known the boy better, he might have tried to comfort his poor flatmate. But, though it was painful to admit, he really didn’t know anything about him other than the obvious. A friendship required more than knowledge of the hearing abilities of the participants. A friendship, particularly, it would seem, this friendship required time and patience. Alexander’s behaviour didn’t make a lot of sense to Denver but clearly it made sense to Alexander.

Denver shook himself. Right. Workout.

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

YOU ARE KILLING ME!!! AND @Juto....YOU!!

Poor Alex and Denver!!

Also I giggled at "morning routine".

[LeapYearKisses]

Oh nooo, the plot thickens!

[SpamKey]

Adrian.

16 hours ago, Adrian said:

you free tomorrow?

Denver was and he told Alexander so, delighted he had done because he adored that smile.

ADRIAN.

16 hours ago, Adrian said:

Denver found it somewhat endearing that Alexander seemed to care so much. They’d only known each other for a couple of days and already Denver was starting to feel like he’d made a really good friend.

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME ADRIAN.

16 hours ago, Adrian said:

Blinking back the last of the tears, he headed out to the kitchen again to find Alexander standing by the table, physically shaking. Immediately concerned, Denver made to rush over to him but Alexander shrunk back suddenly with a fearful cry Denver prayed he’d never have to hear again. He circled his fist against his chest, eyes squeezed shut and chest clearly heaving with unshed tears.

WHY. ARE. YOU. DOING. THIS. TO. ME.

[supernaturalfragalistic]

I love this so much 

[tma]

Wow!  And there are other Adrian writings that I've missed too?  Mmmm... I shall need to fix that.

On 6/14/2016 at 3:47 PM, Adrian said:

Denver found himself fascinated - if a little terrified - by the fact that there was a table dedicated to Klingon.

 

On 6/7/2016 at 4:31 PM, Adrian said:

Worse, what if his new flatmate was a country music fan?

 

On 6/8/2016 at 2:45 PM, Adrian said:

Well, clearly this relationship is never going to work. We’ll have to break up. Numbers are my one true love.

For a moment, Denver thought his strange sleep had caught up with him but he had indeed read the message correctly. He grinned.

That wasn’t what you said when we first met. I saw you - cheating on those numbers with a book!

It wasn’t like that!

But... in the meantime- this is *so* cute!  I love that the setting and some of the elements are so "new".  I adore that you're bringing in BSL, and you definitely got me with the fact that Denver "etudie le francais"    The quotes that I quoted placed themselves really awkwardly... so... yeah...   Anyway... those were a few of the bits that just really made be grin.  I love banter and playfulness, and quips like those within a story.  And now I'm hooked and you better NOT leave it there because.... that would be cruel.  Very curious to see where you go with this.

 

Brilliant!!  And I shall be scanning more around these parts in the near future.  Mwhahaha!

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

Great story you have going! I hope you continue it. The characters are very intriguing and I can't wait to learn more about them. 

[CharliesGirl]

Amazing! I love these two guys.