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Levi talks to his parents about his plans for the future.
TRIGGER WARNING! Contains: arguments, audism, confrontation, parental relationships
Levi, etc. are characters made by me, based off of characters in the Pokémon universe owned by GameFreak and Nintendo. I do not claim rights to characters such as Leafeon, etc.
By PseudonymousUmbreon. If you wish to use or reference my work and/or my characters, please contact me first.
The dinner table was scarily still that night in the Hollus household.
At one end sat a Meowscarada and a Gogoat, Jules and Ken, who took turns taking small bites of the night’s steak and potatoes and glancing at their son, Levi, expecting him to move.
At the other end was Levi himself, who could bring himself to stare at nothing except the food on his plate that he had been picking at for ten minutes in the hopes it would bring him the inspiration he needed to tell his parents about the letter.
And in the middle was an Inteleon, Levi’s best friend Isaac, who’d had about enough of the tension.
“Alright,” Isaac said, slamming on the table, causing the other three to jump. “I’m here for a reason, dammit, and the conversation is gonna happen whether you want it to or not. Levi, do you have something you want to tell your wonderful parents?” He fixed Levi with a stare that said something like, now or never, stupid.
Levi sighed. As per usual, Isaac was right, and his parents were staring directly into his soul. «I got into college,» he signed, half-heartedly.
His parents exchanged a glance.
«Levi, honey, that’s wonderful!» Mom signed, a smile spreading across her face.
«Which one? Galoudred? The Roserade Institute?» Dad asked, equally ecstatic.
Levi took a deep breath and pulled the folded piece of paper out of his bag. «Central City University.» He set the acceptance letter on the table and braced for impact.
«Oh. That’s okay! There’s still plenty of time before the new semester,» Dad signed, with a forced smile directed at his wife.
«Yeah, I’m sure you’ve got plenty more acceptance letters coming! How about we check the mailbox after dinner?» Mom added.
Levi sighed. «Yeah. Sure. Whatever.»
“Levi! You need to tell them,” Isaac hissed, kicking his leg under the table.
“What if I don’t want to, Isaac? What if I’m not ready to tell them?” Levi shot back, from behind a paw covering his mouth.
«Levi, we’ve talked about this, it’s rude,» Dad interjected.
Levi put his paw down and rolled his eyes. “I didn’t apply to any Deaf schools,” he said, signing while he spoke for Isaac’s sake. “And I’ve already sent my commitment to CCU, so there’s no point arguing about it.”
The room was still for an eternity as Levi watched his parents process what he had signed. Slowly, the realization dawned on their faces, and the mood in the room dropped even further.
Finally, Mom sighed. «Well, I knew mainstreaming him was a bad idea.» Levi’s heart sank. This again…
«Julie—» Dad tried to sign something, but Mom cut him off.
Mom shook her head. «A Deaf child needs a Deaf school! That’s what I said. But these Hearing kids—»
Levi slammed on the table. «I’m Hearing, Mom. I need Hearing friends just like you need Deaf friends. And I’m going to a Hearing school.»
«But you’d flourish!» Mom signed. «You could be an interpreter, or a teacher, or—you could even do that computer stuff you like. They have degrees for that at Galoudred, you know.»
«Julie,» Dad once again tried to jump in, but this time Levi interrupted.
«What if I don’t want to be an interpreter? Did you think about that? You think just because I can hear that I have some kind of moral obligation to you? No. I don’t. Sign language just isn’t my passion. If I was Deaf we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.»
«You are Deaf,» Mom signed. «Just because you can hear that doesn’t mean you’re not part of the community. You just have a gift, you should use that for good. What would Gramma and Grampa think?»
«They think I’m an outsider for having functioning ears to begin with,» Levi signed, fixing his mother with a glare. «Do you even know how they talk about you and Dad with their friends?»
«Levi, don’t,» Dad warned with a stern look, but Levi was already going.
«‘She’s polluted this Deaf family with Hearing blood! Ken isn’t a real Deaf man, she could have done better, but no, look where that got us!’» Levi regarded himself up and down with his paws. «‘A Hearing grandchild. It’s the End for us all!’»
Mom raised her paws to say something, but stopped herself and took a deep breath. «Honey. You know they don’t hate you. It’s just different, for them, for your dad and me, all of us. We just weren’t prepared for a child who can hear.» She almost seemed to show sympathy for a brief moment.
«I didn’t ask to be born Hearing!» Levi punched back. «Don’t act like it’s my fault I wanna do my own thing and don’t wanna cut myself off from the rest of the world like you guys do.»
Mom’s face contorted in shock. «It’s the Hearing who cut us off! You know that!»
Levi shot out of his seat. “The Hearing only cut you off because they have to speak to you using your fucking child!” he yelled, signing as if he was brandishing a knife.
Isaac stood up and placed a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “Levi. Breathe.”
Levi shrugged Isaac’s palm away and grabbed his plate still full of food, refusing to break eye contact with his mother, who had become frozen in her seat. Dad wasn’t much better, looking down and away at his plate in shame. “Isaac? Can I stay at your place?” he asked, making sure Mom could read his lips clearly.
Isaac swallowed and nodded slowly.
“Perfect,” Levi said, forcing a smile across his face. He turned away just as his dad looked like he was about to sign something, not allowing himself to care as he took his plate to the kitchen and set it on the counter, then swiftly made for the stairs up to his bedroom.
Levi was halfway through packing his things when Isaac materialized beside him.
“So… that could have gone better. Probably,” Isaac began, rubbing the back of his head.
“Ya think?” Levi muttered dryly. He huffed. “Heaven forbid I wanna be my own person or whatever.” He shoved his laptop into his backpack with a heavy thud.
“Think your mom thinks I infected you with like, Hearing disease or something?” The Inteleon cracked a smile.
Levi paused and fixed his friend with a straight-faced stare. “Don’t let her see you say that, she’ll have a new way to make fun of Hearing people.” He couldn’t contain himself for too long, and the two burst out laughing.
Isaac laid a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “Look man. You know I’m here for you. Through all of this. You stay as long as you need, alright? I already cleared it with my dad.”
Levi pulled his bag shut. “Thanks Ikey. Means a lot.” He slung his backpack over his shoulder and made for the stairs.
In his peripheral, he noticed his parents’ bedroom door wide open, his mom sitting on the side of the bed, head down and shaking. Was she crying?
He paused for long enough for his dad to see him and catch his eye from the bottom of the steps. «You’re going?» Dad asked, his face betraying no hint of emotion.
Levi looked down at his father and nodded. «Yeah.» He started down the stairs to meet him in the foyer, with Isaac close behind him.
Dad shuffled awkwardly. «Look. Your mom and I… We…» He faltered. «We really do love you.»
«I know Dad…» Levi signed, looking away.
Dad pulled Levi’s paws in and fixed him with a serious stare. «I know you know. But… sometimes, your mom… she’s not the best at showing it. I know you’re mad. And you have every reason to be. But I need you to know that we will support you. You make the decisions that are best for you, and we will be behind you. Okay?»
Levi took a deep breath and nodded. «Okay.»
Smiling weakly, his dad patted his shoulder. «Take the time you need tonight. We’ll work through this later.»
«Thanks Dad,» Levi signed. «I love you.»
«I love you too.»
“Let’s go, Isaac,” Levi said to the Inteleon, who had been standing there watching the exchange.
Isaac raised an eyebrow as they made their way out the door, looking back at Levi’s dad, who waved the two goodbye, and then at Levi. “What just happened?” he asked, hitting the button on his car keys to unlock it.
Levi shrugged. “Hard to say.” He swung open the passenger seat door and threw himself in, practically melting into the seat. “My parents are…”
“Complicated?” Isaac said, sliding in next to him.
“That’s one word for it,” Levi said, as a singular laugh escaped his throat.
As Isaac’s car started to pull out of the driveway, a notification chirped on Levi’s phone. He tapped it, and his new college email opened.
RE: Deaf Person Looking for Roommate
Hi Levi,
I’m a new student at CCU this coming semester, and I’m looking for a roommate who knows sign language. I saw it in your housing profile and wanted to reach out. Interested?
~Umbre Morgan
Levi stared at the message.
“Everything good?” Isaac asked, casting Levi a sidelong glance.
Levi nodded. “Yeah. Just a roommate request.” He hit the reply button.
RE: Deaf Person Looking for Roommate
Hey Umbre,
Yeah sure
Levi
Levi hit send and shut his phone off. “Hey Isaac?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for being there tonight.”
Isaac smiled. “Always, man. Always.”
TRIGGER WARNING! Contains: arguments, audism, confrontation, parental relationships
Levi, etc. are characters made by me, based off of characters in the Pokémon universe owned by GameFreak and Nintendo. I do not claim rights to characters such as Leafeon, etc.
By PseudonymousUmbreon. If you wish to use or reference my work and/or my characters, please contact me first.
*****
Left Unsaid
Coevolution Int.20.5The dinner table was scarily still that night in the Hollus household.
At one end sat a Meowscarada and a Gogoat, Jules and Ken, who took turns taking small bites of the night’s steak and potatoes and glancing at their son, Levi, expecting him to move.
At the other end was Levi himself, who could bring himself to stare at nothing except the food on his plate that he had been picking at for ten minutes in the hopes it would bring him the inspiration he needed to tell his parents about the letter.
And in the middle was an Inteleon, Levi’s best friend Isaac, who’d had about enough of the tension.
“Alright,” Isaac said, slamming on the table, causing the other three to jump. “I’m here for a reason, dammit, and the conversation is gonna happen whether you want it to or not. Levi, do you have something you want to tell your wonderful parents?” He fixed Levi with a stare that said something like, now or never, stupid.
Levi sighed. As per usual, Isaac was right, and his parents were staring directly into his soul. «I got into college,» he signed, half-heartedly.
His parents exchanged a glance.
«Levi, honey, that’s wonderful!» Mom signed, a smile spreading across her face.
«Which one? Galoudred? The Roserade Institute?» Dad asked, equally ecstatic.
Levi took a deep breath and pulled the folded piece of paper out of his bag. «Central City University.» He set the acceptance letter on the table and braced for impact.
«Oh. That’s okay! There’s still plenty of time before the new semester,» Dad signed, with a forced smile directed at his wife.
«Yeah, I’m sure you’ve got plenty more acceptance letters coming! How about we check the mailbox after dinner?» Mom added.
Levi sighed. «Yeah. Sure. Whatever.»
“Levi! You need to tell them,” Isaac hissed, kicking his leg under the table.
“What if I don’t want to, Isaac? What if I’m not ready to tell them?” Levi shot back, from behind a paw covering his mouth.
«Levi, we’ve talked about this, it’s rude,» Dad interjected.
Levi put his paw down and rolled his eyes. “I didn’t apply to any Deaf schools,” he said, signing while he spoke for Isaac’s sake. “And I’ve already sent my commitment to CCU, so there’s no point arguing about it.”
The room was still for an eternity as Levi watched his parents process what he had signed. Slowly, the realization dawned on their faces, and the mood in the room dropped even further.
Finally, Mom sighed. «Well, I knew mainstreaming him was a bad idea.» Levi’s heart sank. This again…
«Julie—» Dad tried to sign something, but Mom cut him off.
Mom shook her head. «A Deaf child needs a Deaf school! That’s what I said. But these Hearing kids—»
Levi slammed on the table. «I’m Hearing, Mom. I need Hearing friends just like you need Deaf friends. And I’m going to a Hearing school.»
«But you’d flourish!» Mom signed. «You could be an interpreter, or a teacher, or—you could even do that computer stuff you like. They have degrees for that at Galoudred, you know.»
«Julie,» Dad once again tried to jump in, but this time Levi interrupted.
«What if I don’t want to be an interpreter? Did you think about that? You think just because I can hear that I have some kind of moral obligation to you? No. I don’t. Sign language just isn’t my passion. If I was Deaf we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.»
«You are Deaf,» Mom signed. «Just because you can hear that doesn’t mean you’re not part of the community. You just have a gift, you should use that for good. What would Gramma and Grampa think?»
«They think I’m an outsider for having functioning ears to begin with,» Levi signed, fixing his mother with a glare. «Do you even know how they talk about you and Dad with their friends?»
«Levi, don’t,» Dad warned with a stern look, but Levi was already going.
«‘She’s polluted this Deaf family with Hearing blood! Ken isn’t a real Deaf man, she could have done better, but no, look where that got us!’» Levi regarded himself up and down with his paws. «‘A Hearing grandchild. It’s the End for us all!’»
Mom raised her paws to say something, but stopped herself and took a deep breath. «Honey. You know they don’t hate you. It’s just different, for them, for your dad and me, all of us. We just weren’t prepared for a child who can hear.» She almost seemed to show sympathy for a brief moment.
«I didn’t ask to be born Hearing!» Levi punched back. «Don’t act like it’s my fault I wanna do my own thing and don’t wanna cut myself off from the rest of the world like you guys do.»
Mom’s face contorted in shock. «It’s the Hearing who cut us off! You know that!»
Levi shot out of his seat. “The Hearing only cut you off because they have to speak to you using your fucking child!” he yelled, signing as if he was brandishing a knife.
Isaac stood up and placed a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “Levi. Breathe.”
Levi shrugged Isaac’s palm away and grabbed his plate still full of food, refusing to break eye contact with his mother, who had become frozen in her seat. Dad wasn’t much better, looking down and away at his plate in shame. “Isaac? Can I stay at your place?” he asked, making sure Mom could read his lips clearly.
Isaac swallowed and nodded slowly.
“Perfect,” Levi said, forcing a smile across his face. He turned away just as his dad looked like he was about to sign something, not allowing himself to care as he took his plate to the kitchen and set it on the counter, then swiftly made for the stairs up to his bedroom.
Levi was halfway through packing his things when Isaac materialized beside him.
“So… that could have gone better. Probably,” Isaac began, rubbing the back of his head.
“Ya think?” Levi muttered dryly. He huffed. “Heaven forbid I wanna be my own person or whatever.” He shoved his laptop into his backpack with a heavy thud.
“Think your mom thinks I infected you with like, Hearing disease or something?” The Inteleon cracked a smile.
Levi paused and fixed his friend with a straight-faced stare. “Don’t let her see you say that, she’ll have a new way to make fun of Hearing people.” He couldn’t contain himself for too long, and the two burst out laughing.
Isaac laid a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “Look man. You know I’m here for you. Through all of this. You stay as long as you need, alright? I already cleared it with my dad.”
Levi pulled his bag shut. “Thanks Ikey. Means a lot.” He slung his backpack over his shoulder and made for the stairs.
In his peripheral, he noticed his parents’ bedroom door wide open, his mom sitting on the side of the bed, head down and shaking. Was she crying?
He paused for long enough for his dad to see him and catch his eye from the bottom of the steps. «You’re going?» Dad asked, his face betraying no hint of emotion.
Levi looked down at his father and nodded. «Yeah.» He started down the stairs to meet him in the foyer, with Isaac close behind him.
Dad shuffled awkwardly. «Look. Your mom and I… We…» He faltered. «We really do love you.»
«I know Dad…» Levi signed, looking away.
Dad pulled Levi’s paws in and fixed him with a serious stare. «I know you know. But… sometimes, your mom… she’s not the best at showing it. I know you’re mad. And you have every reason to be. But I need you to know that we will support you. You make the decisions that are best for you, and we will be behind you. Okay?»
Levi took a deep breath and nodded. «Okay.»
Smiling weakly, his dad patted his shoulder. «Take the time you need tonight. We’ll work through this later.»
«Thanks Dad,» Levi signed. «I love you.»
«I love you too.»
“Let’s go, Isaac,” Levi said to the Inteleon, who had been standing there watching the exchange.
Isaac raised an eyebrow as they made their way out the door, looking back at Levi’s dad, who waved the two goodbye, and then at Levi. “What just happened?” he asked, hitting the button on his car keys to unlock it.
Levi shrugged. “Hard to say.” He swung open the passenger seat door and threw himself in, practically melting into the seat. “My parents are…”
“Complicated?” Isaac said, sliding in next to him.
“That’s one word for it,” Levi said, as a singular laugh escaped his throat.
As Isaac’s car started to pull out of the driveway, a notification chirped on Levi’s phone. He tapped it, and his new college email opened.
RE: Deaf Person Looking for Roommate
Hi Levi,
I’m a new student at CCU this coming semester, and I’m looking for a roommate who knows sign language. I saw it in your housing profile and wanted to reach out. Interested?
~Umbre Morgan
Levi stared at the message.
“Everything good?” Isaac asked, casting Levi a sidelong glance.
Levi nodded. “Yeah. Just a roommate request.” He hit the reply button.
RE: Deaf Person Looking for Roommate
Hey Umbre,
Yeah sure
Levi
Levi hit send and shut his phone off. “Hey Isaac?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for being there tonight.”
Isaac smiled. “Always, man. Always.”
Category Story / Pokemon
Species Pokemon
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 69.8 kB
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