Work Text:
Breathe, Wen Junhui. Breathe.
Junhui internally instructs himself upon resurfacing, gasping for air while removing the diving regulator from his mouth. He spits out some of the salt water that got into his throat, making sure that he won’t swallow more of the hypertonic fluid. After coughing for several seconds, Junhui finally tries to relax his lungs and airways as much as he can.
Breathe in... Breathe out...
Junhui sets a steady breathing rhythm before he swims where his yacht is anchored, trying to keep himself afloat. His arms and legs are now exhausted from hours of diving, taking photos and recording videos of coral reefs. He needs to go home as soon as he can and rest since he will do the same routine again tomorrow, just like what he’s been doing for the past four years.
Oh well. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Junhui smiles to himself as he climbs the small ladder towards the yacht deck. As soon as he sets foot on the flat ground, the wooden floor boards start to showcase a damp trail from the water droplets coming from Junhui's body, diving gear and filming equipment.
Like clockwork, Junhui places all his diving paraphernalia inside his yacht compartment that he lovingly refers to as his 'office aquarium.' Junhui even taps the sturdy glass walls of this part of his yacht, giving it a nonverbal form of gratitude for accompanying him yet again like it did for the past four years.
Hm?
Junhui's sentimental reunion with his yacht is cut short when he starts to feel heavy water droplets fall on his nape and hands. He then looks skywards and outstretches his arms and palms, checking if indeed the heavens has blessed his birthday with another rain shower for the eighteenth straight year.
Happy birthday to me, indeed.
Junhui smiles as he greets himself, closing his eyes to relish the raindrops that fall one by one from his head to toe.
Eighteen years.
Junhui lets the words float in his mind the same way he was doing for hours while at sea.
Thank you.
With his right hand on his lips, Junhui directs his gratitude towards the sky, thanking his Creator for blessing him with such a beautiful life despite his disability.
Junhui exhales before he finally opens his eyes, realizing that the previous drizzle has turned to steady rainfall. Junhui was about to go inside his yacht for shelter when he suddenly jumped off his feet, startled by the strong vibrations coming from his left wrist.
Oh. High tide is coming.
Junhui then walks over the edge of his yacht, checking if the waves are stable enough for an hour of mindless floating. Junhui considers this as his form of meditation, drifting aimlessly during high tide while the rain is pouring is one of his favorite aquatic activities. Junhui has always considered the sea as his second home, even during rainy days such as this one, when the ocean is threatening to show its impending turmoil, Junhui is assured that his day will be serene.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
A sudden immense pressure flooding straight into his ears makes Junhui open his mouth to a voiceless scream, covering his ears as he crouches down while his body leans on his yacht's railing for support.
"Help! Help! Please!"
Hurts... It hurts...! Stop!
Junhui shuts his eyes when a tingling vibration starts to accompany the sensation that his ears are registering. It feels like his ears are being shattered from the inside, like his bones and cartilages have been awakened from years of slumber, resulting in extreme discomfort from the deepest parts of his ears.
Wait... What?
Junhui then tries to distract himself from his self-centered lamentation, finally using his wits to make sense of the situation rather than letting his emotions take the better of him.
Junhui breathes carefully, desperate to regain control of the situation. One long inhale leads to an equally dragging exhale, resulting in a tedious breathing cycle amidst the sudden downpour around him. When he senses that his heart is thumping slower compared to when the unusual commotion started, Junhui finally opens his eyes, his pupils blown wide with surprise despite his attempts to be tranquil. His hands are still on his ears, grasping his lobes for protection, even though his mind is telling him that it is alright to let go. Whatever is happening, Junhui has never felt like this before. Every second that his ossicles are ringing, Junhui can feel himself becoming hyper-aware of everything happening in his surroundings.
The uncertainty envelopes him and it makes Junhui desperate to find something to ground him. With this, Junhui looks down, directing his gaze towards the pattern provided by the wooden floorboards of the yacht that he inherited from his grandfather. The constant vibrations originating from inside his ears are the greatest source of confusion for Junhui. It feels like he knows what it is called, but he can't put a name to it. Junhui shakes his head, feeling like his mind is playing its own game of hide and seek with him.
Junhui then begins to tap his ears with the heel of his palms, as if the shaking motion will give him access to a wider nomenclature of things.
Tap tap tap
Junhui takes note of the rhythm of his movements in his head as the bony part of his palm meets the flat portion of his skull.
Occurring together with the count is something coming from his surroundings that seem to directly go straight inside his head.
"Help! Mister- Help me!"
The voice from earlier has now become a looming presence occupying his auditory field.
A voice...?
Junhui heaves as his chest struggles to breathe in, as if he just resurfaced from the longest dive of his life. His eyes dart across the endless ocean, panic stricken as he tries hard to concentrate and register whatever the fuck is happening inside his ears.
"Somebody-! Help-!"
All Junhui can sense right now is panic each time something gets inside his ears.
Just raw unadulterated pleading for survival being communicated through sound.
Sound...?
Wait.
Junhui blinks, redirecting his eyes towards the oceanic view that has now become completely fogged with rainfall from the apricot late afternoon sky.
However, the solemnity of such a scenic sight is crushed when another haunting scream reverberates straight into Junhui's ears.
"Help! Somebody!"
Is that… what an actual voice sounds like?
Junhui, still mesmerized and utterly frightened by whatever is happening inside his head right now, finally stands up to check wherever the shout is coming from.
"Over here-! To your left!"
Junhui's head reacts even before his mind can, as if he has adjusted to the sudden ability to hear in just a few seconds despite being deaf for the past eighteen years.
Just when Junhui turns his head leftwards, he sees a person in the actual act of sinking down the ocean, black painted fingernails slowly getting swallowed by the waves until nothing on the surface is left.
Fuck!
Junhui curses inside his head. Without thinking twice, Junhui climbs his diving ramp and plummets straight towards the ocean to save the person who was begging for his help.
Come on... Where are you?
"Here!"
Despite being already underwater, Junhui has found the man whose eyelids are fluttering, threatening to close any second by now as he stares with a hopeless gaze at Junhui. His neck muscles already looked strained, superficial facial and cervical veins popping as more deoxygenated blood occupies his blood vessels.
Junhui then hastens the speed of his swimming, arms already outstretched as he closes the distance between them.
"Faster..."
Junhui almost inhales saltwater as the other man sinks deeper. However, he manages to reach out his hands for Junhui to take. The latter can perfectly see that the drowning man's mouth is closed and yet, Junhui can still hear him.
Loud and clear.
"I can't..."
Junhui kicks his feet before he dives deeper. The man's fingertips straighten to hold onto Junhui's digits then they suddenly close.
Together with the man's eyes.
I got you!
Junhui finally grabs the man's fingertips before pulling him closer, his right hand possessively gripping the other's while his left hand is around the man's waist, supporting his body so Junhui can pull their bodies upwards together.
Junhui estimates that the swim towards the surface is around thirty seconds. It is quick, yes, but to a drowning man, each second without oxygen circulating towards his brain is equivalent to a recurrent death sentence.
Talk to me.
Just like the tides on a daily basis, their fates have also turned. Junhui, who once was the receiver of the plea, ends up the one saying it, desperately latching on the deadweight of this stranger's body.
Talk to me again. Please!
Junhui desperately pushes all his might as he perseveres to make both their bodies fight against the current and the oceanic pressure. Junhui claws onto the man's back, before he takes the final push of their ascent, reaching the surface in due time.
Yes!
Junhui gasps for air, thanking the heavens for watching over them when he realized that they managed to resurface right next to the ladder of his yacht.
Talk to me talk to me talk to me.
Junhui chants inside his head when he sees that the stranger's head is slumped down, body as unresponsive as his verbal stimulus.
Junhui finally knows what 'adrenaline rush' means when he effortlessly pulls the unconscious stranger up the ladder with only one hand around his waist. Once on the solid flat surface of his yacht's floorboard, Junhui then carries the stranger in his arms and runs towards the first room of his yacht, a common space that serves both as his living room and office at the same time.
Upon entering, Junhui presses his emergency button, sending an SOS to the other marine biologists in their nearest headquarters. Junhui then places the man flat on his back, readily searching for a pulse on his neck while stooping down to check for his breathing as he brings his cheek over the other's mouth.
Fuck!
Sensing that both are not present, Junhui places his left hand over his right on the middle part of the stranger's sternum and begins to pump, commencing a round of CPR.
One one thousand two one thousand three one thousand...
Junhui is trying hard to count inside his head, focusing on the steady pumping motion of his hands on the other's chest. One cycle of pumping is done and he rechecks both pulse and breathing, the wetness of his face now coming from the tears of panic and frustration in his eyes rather than his aquatic misadventure. However, Junhui sniffles and restarts another cycle, now mixing his resuscitation chant with a silent prayer.
One one thousand two one thousand three one thousand...
Lub... dub... Lub dub lub dub lub dub
"Stop!"
The stranger suddenly opens his eyes and rolls to his side, spewing out all the water that he accidentally swallowed and inhaled. He coughs, the sound of fluids being spilled flooding all over Junhui's auditory field once again.
Junhui instinctively assists the stranger by patting his back. However, that was when Junhui noticed something. He stares at his hand hitting the man's back and no matter how much controlled force he applies... He just can't hear his hand hitting the other's back.
"Fuck... Ugh..."
The man finally speaks out, his voice understandably hoarse. That is, if Junhui is actually correct in using such an adjective for something he isn't familiar with.
Junhui then switches his pats to gentle rubs, now sitting beside the stranger. The latter, noticing that the force on his back changed, finally turns his attention towards Junhui.
The diver raises his hand to sign the letters "O" and "K", pointing at the just revived man afterwards with a quizzical expression.
The stranger didn't even let Junhui fully finish his sign before he reached out and hugged him tight. Junhui blinks, not knowing what else to do so he just embraces the other man back.
"Thank you... Thank you so much. I never meant it... I swear... I never really wanted to die."
The man explains before his words lengthen its interval, pausing as he struggles to pronounce his words.
Is he crying?
Junhui blinks before tilting his head sideways. He then proceeds to position their bodies as if they are puzzle pieces complementing each other. There is a feeling flourishing inside Junhui that urges him to provide comfort to this stranger, who is now sobbing nonstop on his shoulders. He doesn't know why, but he instinctively places his nose on the other person's neck. Right now, Junhui is focusing on sharing his bodily warmth with the stranger as the poor guy hiccups between sobs, shivering from the cold.
"I'm sorry... I really didn't mean to... I didn't really want to die..."
He keeps chanting, clutching on Junhui's chest, knuckles desperately clenching on Junhui's rashguard. The diver, now accustomed to hearing this stranger's voice, carefully pulls him away so he can look in his eyes.
Junhui has never been able to speak yet he bravely cups the stranger's cheeks, now face to face with him. This sudden intimacy allows Junhui to appreciate the fact that the man he saved is actually one of the most beautiful human beings he has ever seen. Junhui then blushes, swallowing before his thumb fondles the other's face.
Their eyes stare at each other with unexplained fondness. Junhui's gaze is full of concern as he touches foreheads with the stranger, while the other showcases both confusion and glee.
With their heads still touching, Junhui then places his palm on the other's chest, and he closes his eyes as he gently pats his palm to the tune of the stranger's heartbeat.
"You... You can hear my heartbeat..."
Junhui then opens his eyes and nods, mole adorned lips showcasing his boyish smile.
The other man’s serpentine eyes twinkle upon seeing this, and he proceeds to copy Junhui's joyful expression, his plump lips smiling as well. Junhui notices that, like him, the other has some beauty marks on his face, naturally highlighting the other's charm.
Junhui couldn't help but open his right palm to cup the other's cheek. The act makes the now-familiar stranger close his eyes, completely tranquil as he rests within Junhui’s embrace.
"I can... I can also hear your heartbeat... Softly pulsating but steady."
He then opens his eyes, smiling wider when he sees that Junhui is as mesmerized with him as he is with the diver.
"I want to hear your voice too... They say all you can hear when it's raining is your soulmate's voice..." His plump lips completely hold Junhui’s attention. The diver is still amazed by the fact that the words that this pretty person is saying can actually be registered by his eardrums. However, when he finally understands what is happening, the sparkle in Junhui's eyes suddenly dampens because his destined soulmate will never hear his voice.
"I'm Minghao. And you are?"
Junhui's eyes begin to shake and he can only retract his hand from Minghao's cheek before firmly placing his closed fist over his mouth.
Minghao watches Junhui's movements with a mixture of childlike wonder and confusion before his mouth parts slightly, letting out a soft gasp of realization.
It doesn't take a genius to understand what Junhui means. Before it's too late to explain himself, Minghao proceeds to kneel in front of the diver, and he places his hands on Junhui's face.
"It's alright.. Oh dear, it's alright."
Minghao speaks as he initiates the hug this time, gripping Junhui's shoulders and succumbing him into a tight embrace. Junhui knows Minghao can hear his racing heart so he tries to calm it down. Noticing this, however, Minghao pulls away and he intertwines their fingers.
"Don't worry," Minghao says, placing their clasped hands on his chest, letting Junhui know that whatever he lacks, Minghao is willing to accept. At that moment, Junhui can hear Minghao's heartbeat, loud and clear. He can't help but to tear up, knowing that this heartbeat that he almost lost will be the same heartbeat that he will hear every day for the rest of his life. "I don't need to hear your voice as long as you promise that you will stay. Just like the way fate dictated."
Junhui nods enthusiastically, finally sensing that the rhythm of Minghao's heartbeat is in sync with his. Junhui then begins to look around, seeking something that he can write with. He then sees a pencil and paper on his work desk, readily grabbing them.
Both of them lean on a sturdy couch, while Junhui scribbles. Minghao idles comfortably as he rests his cheek on Junhui's shoulder, watching the other as he writes. For now, Minghao is content with just being able to hear Junhui's faint heartbeat while it rains, enjoying the opportunity that comes with the gloomy weather.
As Minghao reads what Junhui is writing, his hands cling on the latter's arms, eyes glistening with tears. He can't help but reach for Junhui's nape to pull him down for a kiss on the lips, uncaring if it's considered too fast for two people who just met. Minghao doesn't know how to do sign language yet but he vows under the pouring rain that he will learn it soon.
For his soulmate.
For the love of his life that came with the first rain of spring.
Junhui kisses back willingly, letting the pencil roll over the piece of paper where he wrote the first words he wanted Minghao to know.
Thank you for giving me not only the gift of hearing but also the opportunity to love. I lost hope a long time ago, thinking that disability goes hand in hand with heartbreak. However, after eighteen years of solitude, you came into my life and gave me the chance to exist in a completely different way. I have only one wish from you, my destiny. Even if the rain halts, please don't stop being with me.
- Junhui