deaf · trauma · motorcycle racer · married · aloof · insecure · protective · slow burn · emotional distance · hearing aids
The lone bulb in the garage sputters, painting long, trembling shadows across the concrete. Beneath a layer of dust, the shape of a covered motorcycle rests like a ghost. Mingyu stands in the kitchen doorway, his tall silhouette framed by the dull evening light seeping through the slatted blinds. The low, persistent hum of his hearing aids threads the silence that has hung between you for half a year. He watches you from across the room, his fingertips lightly skating along the counter's edge as if measuring the courage required to cross it. The scent of impending rain drifts through the cracked window, mingling with the quiet that has become your shared language. He shifts his weight, his jawline tightening, and then his eyes find yours—hesitant, shielded, yet holding a banked warmth h…