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If life was already complicated for you before, it's even tougher now.
At least before the petrification you could do certain things and go out on your own. You were somehow useful because of your knowledge, but you still felt like an outsider all the time. You saw lips moving fast, lips from another person answering, then again quick words you couldn't understand, and the only thing you could do was watch. And when they thought it was worth it, they turn to you and explain the conversation at hand.
It was like that all the time.
You hated it.
But you hated even more the pitiful looks they gave you when they knew about your deficiency. You couldn't stand it. It was like they were sorry you were born that way, but how could they? This was your reality since born. You couldn't get better, so there was nothing to be sorry for. They didn't need to pity you for something you didn't have control for.
But then you met him.
Senku Ishigami.
He didn't care you couldn't hear his explanations, he still talked, a lot, when you were around him and you caught some words you could read from his lips to understand his experiment.
He didn't make you look less.
He never pitied you.
He always kept you close. While he was doing his researching, you were there reading some of his books. When he was at the chemistry class, you look his preciseness and concentration. When he fixed his machines, you paid attention to the tools and the cables even when you didn't understood what he was doing.
He never push you away.
You always wondered why.
You thought he just didn't care about your presence, that it would be the same if you were replaced by some other girl or you weren't there at all.
But he we did look for you.
Once you were at the library with an astronomy book at hand when you saw him already staring at you waiting for you to noticed him. He looked at you and his lips moved.
Come with me.
You didn't have any other choice. You got up and followed him once again.
Taiju and Yuzuriha were confused about your whole dynamic. They didn't understand why he kept you around. Not that they were judging, but they wanted to know.
And it certainly captivated everybody's attention in the school too; everyone knew, it you were nearby, Senku was following behind and the same way around.
Nobody understood why Senku hold onto you. They knew it was Senku all along.
You could be paying attention to anything, but his eyes were on you. And when someone point it that out, he denied it.
One day, Yuzuriha told you that his voice seemed a little softer with you around. You didn't understand what that meant or what was the implication of the shift in his voice towards you. But you wished you could hear him. Even just once.
Was his voice deep or was it high?
Was soft or hard spoken?
Was it calm or rushed?
You really wished you could hear him. Even more after Yuzuriha's statement.
How was his voice when he spoke to you?
And sadly, you will never know.
You only saw him and his lips moving faster and faster with every step and wonder each time what did he sound like.
You followed him to the vending machine when he took a break making gasoline with bottle caps. Some guys were at the window, lips moving, they were talking. Senku talked to them and it seemed it was something important by the shock in their faces. You were about to return to the class because you thought you weren't needed there when you saw a light at the distance.
***
When you opened your eyes, there was no city. No civilization. No knowledge of your condition.
You understood their words, but they couldn't understand your signs.
Senku knew it wasn't the best decision he'd ever took, but he'd made it and now he was responsible for it. If he kept you close before, now you two were inseparable.
"Why do you always keep her so close to you? You never leave her on her own" Chrome asked in whispers to Senku one day.
"You don't need to whisper, she's deaf" Senku said while mixing chemicals, "and I never leave her alone because none of you can read or write".
"So, she can't communicate, but you can somehow?" Chrome was confused.
"Yeah"
More confused. "How?"
"Sign language"
"What's that?" Extremely lost.
Senku sighed. "It's easier to show you"
He left the chemicals on the table and approaches to you. You looked at him expectantly and he moved his hands.
Do you want to look at the stars tonight?
Your face lit up and, with joyful gestures and facial expressions, you immediately said yes. He showed you a soft smile, one that quickly left his mouth as he returned at the table.
"What did you said to her?"
"That you need to focus on the amount of liquid in the mix"
Chrome snorted, he didn't believed him. "That's not it, but I understand the sign language now"
You stood there, looking at their lips moving again and again, but you didn't felt left behind, not this time. Even in a era like the stone world, you were useful in Senku's eyes. You help him all the time in the lab doing measurements and keeping everything in order. You couldn't do much with your deficiency, but as longer as you're by Senku's side, there was nothing to worry about.
Chrome saw you two walking to the observatory when they finished the work. He didn't understand the reason Senku brought you back, there was no logical explanation for it; you were in danger all the time. If something occurred, they couldn't warned you or you warned them. If Senku wasn't around, you were on your own, you couldn't talk to anyone. And, if they learned to read and write, a message would take time.
So, why did Senku brought you back?
Everybody in the village thought the same question. They never thought of Senku to be reckless or take an illogical choice. They guessed there was something between you two, maybe you were some kind of assistant, maybe you were an experiment (they hoped not).
One thing was certain, you were important for him.
He always looked for you and protected you.
Everyone saw the care he applied when anything involved you, from staring to his sign language. Everything precise but careful.
Now, you two were stargazing and while your eyes were on the telescope, Senku's eyes were on you.
Senku discovered he liked the way you always paid attention to every detail, specially on him; the way you looked to his lips to understand his words, the attention you delivered to his hands when he talked to you and he knew he was screwed the moment he wanted to see your curious eyes on him all the time.
People said that you were always there for him, but the reason is because he wanted it that way.
He wanted the understanding you two had as long as he could.
He looked you eyes and the steam from your breath as the cold night embraced you two.
"Look at me" He said knowing his words would never reached you. His silent plea.
You were admiring Saturn and it's rings.
You felt the movement of the floor and knew Senku was walking, maybe accommodating himself to take his turn in the telescope.
He slowly slides his hand between yours.
You froze. Your eyes still on Saturn.
Senku analyzed your reaction. Maybe you didn't liked him that way, he thought. But then he felt your fingers returning the given affection and you two remained that way.
Maybe you two will never heard each other's voice, but you didn't need words to comprehend the other one.
You both hold hands under the starry night.