katsuki falls deeper in love with izuku after he’s lost his hearing almost completely 💭
but he falls in love with the way he speaks with his hands. the way his body does the talking. the way his passion transcends audible sounds.
he’s the first person to learn sign language for him. he thinks of katsuki so often he signs while speaking no matter what. it’s like second nature.
the world has never been so quiet for katsuki. the loud cracks and booms are nothing but hum when he wants them to be now. he can’t even hear izuku’s late night whispering anymore. the way his pencil scribbles and the clicking of his nail against dead skin by his nail beds.
laying in bed fidgeting with his hearing aids, turning the volume up and down, up and down, in an already silent room. izuku might turn to him and tap him on the shoulder lightly.
“you’ll break them” he’d sign with a worried look on his face. not pity, that kind of pity the others give him when they have to repeat themselves. or the kind he’s met with when people want to tease him because someone like him seems unable to struggle like that. so untouchable, so bulletproof, so they apologize and try not to bother him.
but rather, genuine concern. reaching slowly to not startle him, izuku would brush his hair back and hold his chin. smile, no words ever really needed.
it was easy with him.
katsuki would pop the hearing aids out and lean into his touch. izuku would close his journal and place it on the night stand, before placing a kiss below katsuki’s ear.
sliding down, kissing his neck and jaw tenderly. pressing his hand on katsuki’s shoulder to lay him down gently. as he lay back down the soft thud of his head and the pillow would soothe him more than anyone’s muffled words ever could.
izuku’s head rested on his chest, the soft pitter-patter of a heart beat bouncing around in his head. a sound he hasn’t taken for granted for even a second since that fateful day it stopped beating.
