Kitty's Apartment, Saturday Morning

[so_hawkward]

So, Clint had decided to test this whole "I gave you a key because I want you to come over" concept, and after a long, long walk with Lucky to psych himself up, he'd gone over to Kitty's place late in the night.

Apparently she did not, in fact, mind waking up with him in her bed. Who knew that could be a thing?

Now there was sleepy morning cuddling going on as Clint started to wake up, because that was a thing too and he was all for secretly enjoying it as much as possible. He was surprised by how quiet things were - one of the joys of being in an apartment - until he woke up enough to realize the apartment was probably just fine, and the issue was all him. He'd had nightmares about this sort of thing happening, but he never really thought it would. Trying not to think about how much sound he was potentially making and missing out on, Clint started carefully pulling away from Kitty in an attempt escape the bed before she woke up. If he could get back to his place, maybe he could figure out a solution before she ever realized he couldn't hear anymore.

[For ze girlfriend!]

Comments

[throughaphase]

Kitty didn't hear him at all, but she was just awake enough that she could feel him move away, which was the exact opposite of what she wanted. So she reached back for him and asked where he thought he was going... and stopped when she realized she didn't hear her own voice.

She wasn't too tired to hear, right? That wasn't a thing?

[so_hawkward]

Clint watched her mouth move, and after a few moments of deciphering, he said, "I've gotta get something from my place, I'll be back."

It was really weird to not be able to hear himself and he really hoped that came out clearly.

[throughaphase]

Kitty sat up and shook her head, pointing to her ear. "I can't..." And then when she realized she couldn't hear what she was saying and she didn't like that, she decided she could just gesture.

[so_hawkward]

Oh. Oh.

Clint sighed, probably looking relieved, and pointed to his ear too. On one hand, that made him feel better, but on the other, if neither of them could hear, something was definitely wrong.

[throughaphase]

Kitty was thinking right along those lines, though not quite for the same reasons. "Fandom?" she asked.

Well, mouthed.

[so_hawkward]

Clint nodded, since that was the most likely explanation. He held up his hand, trying to get her to wait where she was, and then went into the kitchen to get a piece of paper and a pen. When he came back into the bedroom, he wrote you can talk, I can read lips and held it up for her. This was going to be an experiment in keeping his penmanship decent.

[throughaphase]

Good luck with that penmanship there.

She read the note, looking curious when she asked, "Really?" Or maybe she really did mouth it this time, since she knew actually using her voice was pointless.

[so_hawkward]

Clint grinned and wrote I have mad skillz. If Kitty had been hoping he'd be serious about this, that moment was over.

[throughaphase]

That Z alone got him a 'you're lucky you're cute' look.

Which is why she also mouthed "Your handwriting is terrible," because she could be not-serious about this too.

[so_hawkward]

sorry, Clint wrote, trying to make his letters a little bigger. Then, he went to sit down next to Kitty and frowned. This was not how he'd expected their weekend to be going.

[throughaphase]

Kitty looked over at him and mouthed, "This sucks" before kissing his shoulder.

Because this sucked.

[so_hawkward]

Clint pressed a kiss to her cheek and nodded before writing, I could distract you? and smirking at her. Sure, it wouldn't be as much fun not being able to hear her, but he didn't want to take anything off the table just because the island was being mean.

[throughaphase]

Kitty had to laugh, or at least look like she was laughing. She meant to, really. "One track mind," she mouthed.

And she minded terribly, really she did.

[so_hawkward]

Clint shrugged, because he really couldn't help it, and gave Kitty another cheek kiss. You ever dealt with this before? he wrote. Weird stuff happened at home too, after all.

[throughaphase]

Kitty made a so-so gesture, and reached for the paper and pen for a second to write back, Kind of. Could hear, couldn't talk. It sucked.

'Sucked' was underlined like four times.

[so_hawkward]

Clint frowned, trying to imagine Kitty going through that, and what she might have had to do to communicate. Thinking about the options, he signed ASL? That would certainly make things... well, not that much easier considering how out of practice Clint was, but at least a little easier.

[throughaphase]

Kitty looked at him blankly. And kind of surprised, since she did recognize what he was doing, even if she didn't understand it.

So that would be a no to that question.

[so_hawkward]

Yeah, Clint figured he couldn't be that lucky. He took the paper and wrote, "Worth a shot. Sorry you have to deal with this again. :("

The frowny face was sweet, right? Right.

[throughaphase]

Stealing the paper back, she wrote This is better, trust me. Because it meant she wasn't coming apart at the molecules.

You sign?

[so_hawkward]

Clint waved his hand in a little so-so motion and stole the paper. I know a little of a few languages. Knowing how to swear in foreign countries is important.

Was obvious deflection obvious? Hopefully not.

[throughaphase]

Deaf is not a foreign country, Kitty wrote when she got the paper back.

She'd probably ask more into it if they weren't left with writing and lip-reading as options. But since they were, teasing for now.

[so_hawkward]

It's too long a story for my handwriting, Clint wrote back. Seriously, Kitty was lucky she was only having to deal with short sentences.

[throughaphase]

Kitty smiled, and wrote back, Tell me when we're back to hearing?

She even drew a little heart there, like that was incentive or something.

[so_hawkward]

Oh, that heart was just mean, because there was no way Clint could say no to that. Maybe. It's not that exciting. Like that ever stopped Kitty from wanting to know things. But okay.

[throughaphase]

"I love you," she mouthed and kissed his cheek, because she was all into giving him positive reinforcement.

[so_hawkward]

Love you too Clint wrote back, kissing Kitty too. He did feel pretty sufficiently reinforced.

[throughaphase]

If that was all it took, then this part was just the bonus, because she took the pen back.

Still up for that distraction?

Because she hadn't looked outside yet and thought today might be boring without them giving themselves something to do.

[so_hawkward]

Clint broke into a grin and answered by taking the paper and pen back from Kitty, setting them on the floor, and kissing her. Whatever was happening in the rest of town could just wait.