Miles X Ran. Yes, weird ship name, but us two liked it XD VolarFinch

Soulmate AU: You are deaf until you hear your soulmate speak.

Hearing.

That's what all of us wanted to do, wasn't it? Not just excel in sports or academics, but to actually use one of our so-called senses properly.

It was stupid, in my opinion.

Music was worthless if you haven't found your soulmate yet. Communication was done through sign language and paper.

I didn't deserve a soulmate.

I was worthless, really. Only good for taking up oxygen from the world. Besides, I was actually asexual- did asexual people even get soulmates?

An orange blur flashed across the scene I was set on taking.

I lowered my camera, slowly glancing in the direction it came from.

'Sorry,' my best friend, Cameron, signed cheekily. 'I couldn't resist disturbing you.'

Picking up the basketball that had rolled off to the side, I tossed it back to him. After aiming another wild grin at me, he went back to playing his basketball game.

With a sigh, I lifted the camera back up, kneeling to get the frame of the tree branches.

That is, I was going to, if not for a short girl coming into view.

Lowering the lenses, I stared at her, quirking an eyebrow and frowning.

'Is this the E-L-A-T-U-E University?'

I gave her a nod.

'I'm a part of the group whose's supposed to come here to see what college life's like.'

Her hands were fast, weaving through the air with more grace then a serpent. That signaled over-excitement.

The camera fell back down to my chest as I slid my phone out of my pocket, checking the screen:

1:58.

My class was about to begin.

'Follow me,' I signed, then turned my back, gesturing to Cameron. He caught glimpse of my gesture, dropping the ball where he stood and following both of us.

'Entrance is here. I have to get to class. Pardon me.'

After several moments of looking around, she noticed my hands. 'Okay! My class has to be somewhere around here...'

I left the girl to that, instead sliding into a classroom. Several students were already there, some doodling in their notebooks, and others staring at a wall.

I dropped into a chair, slinging my bag up onto the desk and then hung my camera up.

Minutes flew by as I struggled to get it back in the bag, a nasty knot preventing me from doing it faster.

When the teacher entered, she always would flick off the lights. Not all of us would be able to hear it if she rapped against the whiteboard or something of the sort. 

As the classroom went dark, I put the camera bag on the ground, averting my attention to the whiteboard as Miss Rocuberg picked up a marker and started to scribble on the board. 

As she wrote, my attention drifted over to the door, and through the window, I could see a blonde woman with her back turned to us.

As Miss Rocuberg finished writing, I squinted at the board.

'We have a class coming today, seeing what college life is like. Each of you will get a partner that is a student from that class, and you will interact with them and answer any questions they ask.'

Forceful, I thought. Very well. 

She turned back to the board, and began writing names down the left side of the board, then some names I haven't seen before in this class on the right. 

'This are your partners.'

Miles ----> Ran

So mine was a girl named Ran, I suppose. 

The door opened, and in filed what I could assume was the class.

The same girl I had saw earlier bounced up to the whiteboard, trailing her finger down the board until she stopped at a name.

My name. 

I lifted myself up out of the seat, slinking over to the girl. When she turned around and saw me, her face lit up in a smile.

'You're Miles?'

'Yes. You're R-A-N?'

She nodded, then whipped around, signing quickly to her teacher. After a moment, the blonde woman nodded, before Ran proceeded to grab me by the arm and drag me out of the room.

It was a bit difficult to sign with one hand and keep it in a place where she could see it, but I somehow managed. 'Where are we going?'

'Cafe!' 

I frowned as we ran out of the campus, down the street, and into a cozy-looking shop. The air reeked of coffee. 

Ran pointed to the table in the far corner, then up at the menu. I gestured to the hot chocolate sign in return, before striding over to the table she had pointed at and plopped down. 

After a few minutes, Ran came back with two steaming cups. I raised an eyebrow at her, to which she only smiled to.

'Do you know how hard it is not being able to talk with no one hearing you? Like, I love talking, but I can't even hear my own words, and the only ones who can really hear me are my mom and dad. And half the time they tell me to slow do-'

'You do need to slow down, even in sign language.' 

She pouted, bottom lip sticking out. In response, I only took a sip of the hot chocolate, nearly reeling as it scalded my tongue, but somehow kept a straight face. 

'So, what's college like?'

'It depends on which classes you want to take.'

'Well, I want to at least get some kinda' art degree!' 

At that's what it was like, for nearly forty-five minutes. Exchanges between Ran and I, done only with hands, hands that flew through the air as if it telling a story. 

Then:

'Will you speak?'

At the three words, my eyes widened, and it was instinct to shake my head rapidly. 

'Why?'

No, no, I didn't deserve to speak, I didn't deserve to hear, I didn't deserve to be happy-

"Please?" 

I flinched. 

"You heard me, right?" Ran asked, another smile on her face, laughing between each of her words. "Your face is priceless!"

"... No," I said after a moment, testing out my own voice. It had been ages since I had even tried to speak- my throat was sore. "I'm... not supposed to..."

"Not supposed to what?" She peered at me through wide eyes, cocking her head innocently to the side. 

"I'm... not supposed to-"

"Aw, come on, Miles! Enjoy the sounds!" 

I'm not supposed to have a soulmate.

That's what I had first thought, anyway.