BSL. Verbal Speech.
Triggering warning - Violence. Please engage as you read x
Harry briskly walks up the high street, putting his head down and trying to focus on getting a bus that'll take him home.
He avoids looking around the roads because Blue had mentioned this place being a little shady.
Speaking of Blue, he does not want to think about her. His anger boils on remembering what just happened.
This always happens with hearing people he dates or starts talking to. At first, they claim to be interested and not care but eventually their true colours show and he has to pay for it.
A little logic seeps in and he wonders if it was something else that bothered Blue but he stays stubborn.
Harry pauses and pats his jacket. Shit, he thinks. He rapidly pats before realising his phone is not here. He forgot it at her place.
Harry groans to himself and decides to return to get his phone.
Without his phone, his navigation around people is worse off and maybe she'll be able to explain things better when he gets there.
Does he want to care about an explanation? His eyebrows draw together as he stubbornly turns on the road and starts walking back to Blue's flat.
He pauses, unsure of which road he came through.
Right, he really shouldn't have walked with his head down in an unfamiliar environment. In his confusion, he walks into someone and immediately flinches.
Harry frowns and looks up to see the heavily muscled man glaring at him with a smoothie spilled on his jacket.
"Watch it!" the man yells.
This is unheard to Harry but he sees the man do something that shows anger on his face and he flinches again.
Harry does not know how to deal with anger and panic. He nearly freezes on the spot, staring at the man with that frown on his face and wondering how to release himself from this panic.
The man points at him, saying something that looks threatening and Harry cannot make out the words clearly flying out of his angry mouth.
"Why are you staring like that? Do you want to rob me?" the man demands to know.
Unable to communicate with him, Harry takes a step back and the man takes a threatening step to Harry.
He throws the nearly empty smoothie cup at Harry and Harry jumps with a low groan of worry escaping him.
The man makes a face on hearing the groan and a look of disgust shows on his face, worrying Harry even more.
The man is clearly saying a lot of words. Heavy and angry words. Harry does not know what to do.
Last time this happened, he did the silly thing to run and it didn't end well. He gulps and slowly nods.
Surely he's asking questions or just something that matches with a nod.
"I said are you a bloody mugger?" the man charges at Harry.
Harry frowns and strains on trying to read the lips. It is not working out right now. Great.
Storming out in anger has allowed him to walk into the wolf's alley. He rolls his eyes at this and the man grows angrier before Harry gently raises his hands up.
He exhales and decides to try communicating.
"Please calm down," he gently signs.
"What the fuck are you doing?" the man is confused.
Harry cringes at not understanding him and decides to continue. Whatever happens will happen eventually.
"I am deaf. I can only sign or read-lip, that's how I communicate."
Harry knows this is only a half truth but he's choosing to be safe right now.
The guy bathed in ignorance and confusion assumes Harry is doing gestures to mock him for some reason.
He charges toward Harry and in panic, Harry takes off.
Harry starts running down the high street, trying to figure out his way back to Blue's flat but this man is fast.
This is a clearly athletic bully that will catch up and deal with him. He sees a street and blindly decides to sprint into it but unfortunately it turns out to be a close.
Fuck! Harry hyperventilates and panics.
In panic he tumbles and staggers to a fall. Harry falls against a brick wall, his cheek lightly brushing against the rough surface and he lets out a little cry.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" the man demands.
A little pity envelopes the man but he still wants to be sure Harry is not a mugger.
He pushes Harry to the wall and starts patting him down, checking for a weapon or anything before he hears a shrill scream behind him.
"Get your bloody hands off him!"
Blue screams in panic and rushes to them, shoving him away. It is impossible to shove him away and he turns to see her smaller frame.
With tears in her eyes, she keeps looking at Harry pressed to the wall.
"Don't you touch me!" the man warns.
"Leave him alone! Leave him," she yells.
"I was trying to make sure he's not a criminal," he says, angry.
"He is not a criminal. He's lost and not familiar with this environment," she angrily explains.
"Couldn't he have just said that?" the man asks. "I kept asking and he kept being a total weirdo."
"He is deaf and was probably signing to you. Nothing weird about that," she catches her breath.
Losing her patience, she moves past the man and goes over to Harry.
On seeing him, her heart sinks and she's close to tears. The man gives up and walks away from them.
Blue reaches to touch Harry and he flinches, thinking it's the man.
When he looks up he realises it's Blue and tears gather in his eyes. He's in slight pain.
His cheek is stinging him and his side hurts from being hardly pressed to the wall. Blue moves closer to him and nearly breaks down on seeing his bloodied cheek.
This is all her fault and it hurts to see him like this.
"I am so sorry Harry," she speaks and slowly signs.
Everything feels fuzzy and confusing in the moment, he sees her hands move but right now he's not understanding anything.
He groans in pain and touches his side, the side that was hit on the wall and Blue gently reaches to touch it. He winces and wants to explain how much pain he's in but he simply can't.
Blue touches him and feels the side.
In worry, she touches his hoodie and slowly moves it, reveals a red splotch there. More tears sting her eyes and she shakes her head, this is really all her fault.
However, there is no time for self pity. Something must be done.
"I'll take you to my place and treat your bruises," she slowly explains.
Harry just dizzily stares at her, unable to focus on her lips to understand anything she just said and she exhales in frustration.
Blue stretches out her hands to him and he slowly takes them, allowing him to help him to stand up properly.
A supporting arm snakes around him as she helps him balance and slowly takes him away from that spot.
Harry and Blue slowly but surely make their way back to her flat. He painfully realises he was so close to getting there but panic didn't allow him get there.
On getting to the flat, she helps him in and he collapses on the couch, groaning a little more in pain.
The dizziness is gradually clearing as he makes sense of his surroundings and Blue stands before him.
"I'll take you to my room now," she manages to sign a bit as she speaks.
Harry slowly nods. For the first time in minutes he has a grasp of comprehension and feels a little more grounded.
Blue sighs in relief and leads him to her room.
On getting there, he peels off his hoodie in discomfort, revealing a black t-shirt in a lighter material. He slowly helps himself to sit on the bed and keeps wincing the stinging coming from his cheek and side at the same time.
Thankfully, they're both surface bruises. The cheek is more serious because the actual flesh brushed against the wall. The side is just due to the hit.
Blue rushes into her bathroom to get a first aid kit and he awkwardly waits for her bed, resigned to whatever might happen after this encounter.
He twists his fingers against the material of his t-shirt and desperately itches for his phone.
A few people cross his mind to reach out to but one person sticks and his ego isn't very sure he wants to leave a message.
"Here we go," Blue hurries out with the kit.
In silence, he just stares at her with his lips slightly parted as he controls the pain throbbing through the side of his face.
A part of him wants to shut down and blame her. Another part of him also wants to know how she's currently feeling.
Blue soaks a cotton ball into an antiseptic liquid and gently brings it to his face. Harry nearly flinches at the touch but remembers he's indoors and safer now.
A weak smile forms on his face and he calms down. Blue smiles in return as she tenderly places the damp material on his very red flesh. He winces and remains still.
"I'm so sorry about this," she speaks.
Harry reads her lips and recognises what she's just said. He frowns a little.
As much as a part of him wants to blame her, he doesn't know if it's entirely her fault. Maybe he just got too comfortable with people again.
That's probably his fault. Having better expectations from hearing people in general. He really should have remained in his shell and continued doing things his own way.
He stays still till she's done with his face and she moves to his side. He reluctantly moves his t-shirt for her to come in contact with his flesh.
There's no bruise here but she places a mini ice pack there to control any swelling that might happen. Harry slowly recoils from her.
"Thank you," he manages to sign.
"I am sorry," she speaks and signs.
"I want my phone," he replies.
"I have it with me."
Blue hurries out of the room to the living room to get the phone and Harry curls up on the bed, fighting himself from getting emotional here.
As Blue returns to the room, she pauses on seeing him like this and gently sits down next to him. The phone is handed over to him and he stares at the screen, wondering what to do next.
Blue does not know what to do or say. She wants to explain her panic attack but she's not sure if this is the time for that.
"You shouldn't have come to help me," he signs.
"I came after you because I care about you," she says.
"It was dangerous," he responds.
"I don't care about that." Blue frowns.
"You should. He could have hurt you, he hurt me badly." Harry simply signs.
"I already did a bit of that, clearly," she stares at him.
Choosing to ignore that, he slowly sits up and just stares at her.
Is she admitting to hurting him? Does that mean she didn't want to kiss him even after asking? What in the world is going on? He doesn't understand this clearly.
"Whatever it was earlier, it wasn't your fault," he shrugs.
"You don't even know what it is," she says.
"It is your business," he frowns.
"I can explain, Harry." Blue sighs.
"No, you don't owe me an explanation." He deepens his frown. "I got carried away with all of this and I'm sorry about that."
"What are you sorry for?"
"For getting in my feelings or thinking something could happen between us,"
Blue is a little confused.
"I didn't understand what you just signed,"
"Too bad," Harry reaches for his phone after signing.
This stings Blue and she's taken aback.
Harry is fully retreating into his shell and putting whatever feelings he has on hold.
It's never easy anyway for someone like him to have smooth relationships with someone that's not like him. He doesn't want history to repeat himself so he will stop anything before it becomes something.
It is not wise but it may work. Harry sends a text on his phone and quickly puts it away, dreading the response.
"Please, don't shut me out," she softly says.
"My friend is coming to get me," he points at the phone after signing.
"We can talk about this," she stresses.
Wrong use of word and it's too late to take it back.
"Stop trying to get me to speak." he angrily signs.
"Harry," Blue says.
"I know that's all you people care about. It's never enough to just be different, you still want me to somehow be like you," he is frustrated.
Deeply stung by this and with tears in her eyes, Blue shifts away from him. Maybe it was all too good to be true anyway.
The whole friendship and whatnot was too easy. It couldn't have worked out. Maybe he's right about this.
"I am sorry." Blue signs one last time.
The two of them stay in silence for a while as he waits for his friend to show up and awkwardly feels thirst itch his throat. He slowly stares at the sadness written on her face but decides to keep being stubborn.
This hurts and he knows that. He reaches over to slowly tap her and he steadies himself.
"Did he hurt you too?" he asks.
"No," she responds.
"Good," he sighs.
"Do you want some water or anything?" she asks.
"I think I should leave your room, it's awkward," he slowly stands up.
Blue doesn't bother protesting as she watches him gets his hoodie and wear it. He winces a little bit and walks out of the room. She sits there with tears in her eyes before cleaning up her face and following him out.
The two of them are not communicating with each other. Harry is getting defensive and self sabotaging already. Blue is not sure if she's really ready to share the reason for her panic attack.
On getting to the living room, Harry goes to the couch and calmly helps himself to sit. As Blue wonders what to do next there's a gentle knock on her door and she looks at Harry, who's just staring at the door as he waits.
Blue walks over to him to get his attention.
"There is a knock, I think it's your friend," she says and roughly signs at the door.
Harry does not react as he dreads this but truly has no choice. Blue heads for the door and opens it, revealing a young man around their age.
Blue is taken aback by his presence and he calmly stands there, waiting to be sure he followed the address in the text properly.
"Hi, I'm Zayn. Here for Harry," he speaks.
"Hi, I'm Blue. You're at the right place," she says.
Blue allows him in and Harry looks away, almost regretting reaching out to Zayn of all people for help.
Zayn stares at Harry with a worried look as he picks on his bruised cheek and he turns to Blue.
"What happened to him?" he speaks and signs at the same time, in case Harry decides to join in the conversation.
"Someone thought he was a mugger," she sighs.
"Did you call the police?" Zayn asks.
"No. I panicked and just wanted to bring Harry to safety," she explains.
"Right. Thanks for making him safe," he smiles a little.
"It's nothing. Just make yourself comfortable," she awkwardly says.
Zayn walks over to Harry and stands before him, calm. He is used to whatever is going on and he knows Harry is bound to be super stubborn with him.
It must have taken a lot for him to text him and that's saying something. Harry looks at Zayn with a small frown on his face and clears his throat.
"Hi, I got your text," Zayn speaks and signs.
"I can see that, thanks," Harry is calm.
"Oh he's so happy to see me." Zayn scoffs.
"I really don't need your fucking drama right now, mate." Harry glares.
Blue is stunned to see this little side of Harry but brushes it off as she understands he's in pain and might be a little traumatised.
"You didn't tell me you've been making new friends," Zayn attempts to lighten up the mood.
"We're classmates," Harry clarifies.
"I thought we were friends." Blue's voice is broken.
Harry looks away.
Zayn notices the tension between them and exhales. This is not new to him and he knows how his friend can get.
Blue does not bother saying more and she just folds her arms, watching them and waiting for them to leave.
"She says you're friends. Who do I believe?" Zayn is curious.
"The person you know," Harry frowns.
"How's your face?" Zayn remains calm.
"It hurts! What do you think?" Harry is impatient.
"I think all this anger is for the man that attacked you not me or the person who saved you." Zayn speaks and signs.
Harry slowly stands up and groans a little at the pain coming from his face. He will have to take some painkillers as soon as he gets him.
Harry walks over to Blue and maintains a distance.
"Thank you for helping, you shouldn't have but you did it." he starts.
"I did because I had to! You're welcome and just stop this," Blue nearly yells.
"Stop what? Saying the truth?" Harry stares at her.
"Just let us talk like adults and understand things better." She says.
"I wanted to but you took off like kissing me was the worst thing to happen to you," he frowns, hurt.
"When you sign so fast, I don't understand it," Blue sighs.
"Not my problem."
Zayn watches this exchange, concerned that Harry might be ruining a potentially good friendship or relationship.
"He doesn't mean any of this," Zayn mumbles.
"He's an adult, don't make excuses for him." Blue sighs, controlling her own emotions.
"Oh great, you're both alike." Zayn roll his eyes.
"I'll be leaving now," Harry says with sad eyes.
"Text me when you get home?" she asks.
Harry does not respond to that and he slowly walks out of the flat. Zayn manages to smile at her before following his friend.
Blue shuts the door behind them and leans against it, feeling all the anger and pain take over her body.
Outside the flat, Harry stands there. Memories flood his head as he remembers the last time he was beaten up for a simple misunderstanding and his partner watched in contempt.
This time around is different because Blue risked getting hurt to help him but the feeling lingers. He cannot help but feel helpless and nearly useless for being disabled.
It is such a nasty feeling and he has a feeling his demons are coming back stronger.
Text her when he gets home. Right. Except he does not think he wants to do that. He doesn't even know if he wants to text her again.
-
Poor Harry & Blue, thoughts?