Sounds ⚣ Brallon

Seven

"So, Brendon, where does your family work?" Melanie's mother says, all three of them at the dinner table while eating the equivalent to a thanksgiving dinner. Turkey and all.

"Oh, my mom stays at home and my dad is the owner of that organic vegan whatever-they-sell store on the corner of 4th street." He says, putting a bit of stuffing into his mouth. Her mom nods and takes a bite, looking over at Ashley.

"That place is actually the best." Ashley laughs, flipping her hair out of her eyes.

"Eh. I've tried a few things and it all tastes bland." Brendon admits, taking a small bite of turkey.

"Well excuse me." She laughs, looking at Mel who's just silently eating.

"Wha..." Mel says, her voice muffled by all the food stuffed into her mouth. Brendon and Ashley giggles as her mother shoots her a look.

"Have some manners, Melanie." She demands, Melanie blushing. Ashley and Brendon look at each other with wide eyes and laugh, just going back to eating.

"How's the dinner?" Melanie's mom smiles, cutting her turkey into cubes so it's easier to eat.

"Absolutely delicious." Brendon says with a smile, mixing his mashed potatoes with the gravy.

"Aww, thank you. I worked quite hard on it." She smiles as Melanie scrapes her plate and puts the remainder of it in her mouth.

"You guys ready?" Melanie smiles, finishing her food quickly.

"How did you eat so fast..." Ashley mumbles, not even finishing her cranberry sauce. Brendon laughs and wipes his mouth, fixing his hearing aid a bit. Melanie giggles and shrugs, grabbing some more food.

"Phew. I think I'm good." Brendon chuckles, leaning back after finishing less than a full plate.

"You sure?" Melanie asks, obviously feeling ashamed about how much she ate.

"Yeah. I don't eat much anyways." He smiles.

"I'm done now." Ashley smiles. "Wanna head up to your room?"

"I gotta help mom clean up, but you guys can. I'll meet you there." Melanie smiles, standing up and collecting their plates. Brendon and Ashley head upstairs to Melanie's room as she cleans.

"It's... Pink." Ashley laughs, sitting on the bed and looking around.

"Yeah." Brendon laughs, looking around at everything.

"Okay. So, what do you guys wanna do?" Melanie says quickly, closing the door behind her and putting on a big smile.

"You alright?" Ashley asks.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine." She says almost too quickly, still putting on a big smile.

"Fair enough..." Ashley says uneasily, standing up and stretching a bit.

"Cool. Well um, you just wanna talk?" Mel sits on the bed, fixing her skirt.

"Sure. Just gimme a second." Brendon tries to adjust one of his hearing aids, fumbling around with it until it just falls off. "Shit." He mumbles and grabs it, trying to slide it back on.

"Need help?" Ashley asks, coming around to him.

"I, uh, sure." Brendon blushes, handing her it. Ashley smiles and slides it on, making sure it fits.

"Done!" She smiles and lays back, playing with the edge of the decorative pillow.

"Cool. Thanks." Brendon smiles and runs his hand through his hair, ruffling it around

"Can you do sign language?" Mel asks curiously, sitting criss-cross.

"Yep."

"That's so cool! Can you show me how to spell my name?" She smiles, seeming oddly intrigued.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." He begins to form the letters, doing it as quickly as it's usually done.

"Holy crap. A bit slower." She giggles, watching his hand form the shapes with ease. "That's so cool." He laughs uncomfortably as she tries to copy him, doing surprisingly well.

"No, here. You tuck the thumb under there." He moves his hands in and fixes her thumb position, getting it done quickly.

"That's so awesome. And there's like, a whole vocabulary with it?" She wonders with amazement like a little kid reading its first book.

"Uh, yeah. It's like how we both talk, but just with motions instead of words." He smiles, popping his knuckles.

"Awesome. I should try to learn it."

"It's kinda hard but I mean, you could try."

"Cool! Could you teach me some more?"