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Selective mute lwj who lost his confidence in speaking due to the unhealthy amount of pressure he felt to be perfect. He learns ASL to communicate and can talk to his brother, and sometimes his uncle, until one day he meets wwx. Fluent in ASL and VERY chatty and expressive.
((oh look, another threadfic is manifesting, probably))
this is 100% based on Breath of the Wild, specifically the French version of Zelda's diary explaining Link's mutism:
Translation - “The kingdom has always expected a lot from him, and it it’s the fear of disappointing that ended up locking him into mutism."
Translation - “The kingdom has always expected a lot from him, and it it’s the fear of disappointing that ended up locking him into mutism."
Lwj has been using ASL for about 3 years now. His uncle was resistant to him learning at first, insisting he should speak. He'd relented after demanding that lwj use his voice had incited a panic attack in a very public place. Lwj doesn't remember much of it.
He does remember the painful twist of his uncle's mouth when he'd brought home his first sheet of ASL homework.
Since then, he's adopted other methods of communication. Flashcards he keeps in his wallet, notes on his phone of common phrases he uses. It's a system he knows well.
Since then, he's adopted other methods of communication. Flashcards he keeps in his wallet, notes on his phone of common phrases he uses. It's a system he knows well.
Today just happens to be a bad day. Lwj had a class in the morning and had forgotten his wallet. It's a good thing he keeps a clip of notes and his student ID in his pocket, so he can at least buy lunch from the café just off campus. He's a regular there by now. He has a table.
Things are different as soon as he steps inside the café, the bronze bell above the door chiming his arrival.
There's a new barista at the register, smile a mile wide and ~pretty. It's too bad that he's chatty. Lwj finds chatty people the hardest to deal with.
There's a new barista at the register, smile a mile wide and ~pretty. It's too bad that he's chatty. Lwj finds chatty people the hardest to deal with.
They don't understand why he won't talk to them. Most of them assume he's deaf and gesticulate wildly to get their point across. Lwj used to correct people when this happened, but he found that they would look at him oddly and assume he was being "weird".
Now he just suffers silently through the drawn out speech, the caricature of communication people adopt to try and speak to him. He likes this café bc he comes here enough that people know his order and he rarely has to try and communicate anything.
This new barista doesn't know his order.
Lwj reaches for his phone instinctively as he approaches the register. The screen is black. He frantically jabs the button on the side but it's dead. Lwj feels a drop of panic dip below his sternum as he stares at the blank screen.
Lwj reaches for his phone instinctively as he approaches the register. The screen is black. He frantically jabs the button on the side but it's dead. Lwj feels a drop of panic dip below his sternum as he stares at the blank screen.
"Hi!" the barista chirps, face full with his smile. "What can I get you?"
Lwj opens his mouth. It's an old instinct. Nothing's coming out of it, ever, so he closes it again. The barista waits patiently but his smile is dropping at the edges the longer he waits.
Lwj opens his mouth. It's an old instinct. Nothing's coming out of it, ever, so he closes it again. The barista waits patiently but his smile is dropping at the edges the longer he waits.
"We have a cardamom-infused coffee on special if you'd like?" he offers. "Or maybe tea if you're not a coffee guy?"
Lwj nods, feeling the tension ease in his stomach a little.
"What do you fancy? Earl Grey? Green? Oolong?"
Lwj's finger jerks at the last one.
Lwj nods, feeling the tension ease in his stomach a little.
"What do you fancy? Earl Grey? Green? Oolong?"
Lwj's finger jerks at the last one.
The barista beams at him. "Small?"
Lwj nods again feeling a little silly at his kneejerk panic. It seems the gu's chattiness has saved the situation.
"One oolong tea coming right up," he says,and winks at lwj.
Lwj drops his eyes as he hands over a note, not waiting for change.
Lwj nods again feeling a little silly at his kneejerk panic. It seems the gu's chattiness has saved the situation.
"One oolong tea coming right up," he says,and winks at lwj.
Lwj drops his eyes as he hands over a note, not waiting for change.
Lwj goes and plants himself at his regular table. He'd very much forgotten to order lunch, but he's not sure he could suffer through that ordeal, and so resigns himself to getting something out of the campus vending machines later.
It only takes a few minutes for his tea to arrive. Since it's not too busy, the cute barista seems to have taken it upon himself to deliver it personally to lwj's table.
"Oolong tea," he says by way of announcement.
"Oolong tea," he says by way of announcement.
It's habit that overtakes lwj's actions. He taps his fingers to his chin and draws them away from his mouth. There's a startled "oh!" from the barista and lwj turns to him, feeling the tension creeping back into his spine.
But the guy just grins widely and raises his hands.
But the guy just grins widely and raises his hands.
<Sorry!> he signs. <I didn't realise you were deaf!>
Lwj pauses. This is where things get awkward.
He signs back, <It's okay. I am not deaf, though.>
Lwj drops his hands and waits for the doubt to creep into the barista's face, for the pinch to appear between his brows.
Lwj pauses. This is where things get awkward.
He signs back, <It's okay. I am not deaf, though.>
Lwj drops his hands and waits for the doubt to creep into the barista's face, for the pinch to appear between his brows.
It doesn't happen. The barista just nods, lifting his hands to sign, <That's okay! I learnt ASL growing up so I can understand pretty well.>
He grins at lwj again, something brilliant and warm.
<So you can talk to me!>
He grins at lwj again, something brilliant and warm.
<So you can talk to me!>
Lwj stares at him. He feels, ridiculously, quite unsure what to do with his hands. ASL is not a widely taught language, and finding non-deaf or HOH speakers is a rarity. Plus, the barista had said "you can talk to me". Without judgement, and without asking why lwj doesn't speak.
Lwj repeats the sign for <thank you.> He might be feeling a little overwhelmed.
The barista lifts his hands again. Drawing a fist to his sternum, then flicking two fingers away from his temple before finger spelling W-E-I-Y-I-N-G.
<My name is Wei Ying.>
The barista lifts his hands again. Drawing a fist to his sternum, then flicking two fingers away from his temple before finger spelling W-E-I-Y-I-N-G.
<My name is Wei Ying.>
He says his name out loud, "Wei Ying!" and accompanying it with a bizarre sort of jazz hand. It's a complete garbage sign but it's too late. That's the sign for his name now. Lwj returns the favour, finger spelling his name. His own name sign is much more controlled.
Wwx repeats it to make sure he gets it right. Out loud, he says, "Lan Zhan?"
Lwj nods and wwx offers him another bright smile.
"Well, Lan Zhan. I hope I'll see you around here soon."
<You will,> lwj signs before he can think.
Wwx blinks and he hastens to add, <I'm a regular.>
Lwj nods and wwx offers him another bright smile.
"Well, Lan Zhan. I hope I'll see you around here soon."
<You will,> lwj signs before he can think.
Wwx blinks and he hastens to add, <I'm a regular.>
Wwx laughs. It's a robust, beautiful sound.
"Lucky me," he says, and offers lwj another wink before heading back to the register.
Lwj settles in to catch up on his uni emails.
He's still forgotten to order lunch.
"Lucky me," he says, and offers lwj another wink before heading back to the register.
Lwj settles in to catch up on his uni emails.
He's still forgotten to order lunch.
((stopping there for the night! Gonna say in advance that I know VERY basic ASL, I took a term of it in uni bc my housemate was deaf so if I get anything wrong please let me know!))
