#崩铁理砂[超话]#
🛁🦚

🦚 lost his voice for a week.

It happened during an expedition when 🦚 encountered a strange object and accidentally touched it. So when 🦚 returned to camp to meet 🛁, 🛁 was confused at 🦚’s refusal to talk until 🦚 started writing on a piece of paper.

“So that was why you were out for so long.”

🦚 smiled innocently.

🛁 sighed deeply, shaking his head as he skimmed through the contents on the paper again. “That’s fine. I suppose it means that there can finally be some peace and quiet around here.”

🦚 grinned.

For the next day, they hiked through the abandoned forest of the desolate planet.

It was fortunate that 🦚 had carried a spare notebook with him, so that became their main communication. But otherwise, 🦚 silently followed behind 🛁.

Although, 🛁 had to periodically check behind him to make sure 🦚 was still here, considering that not only it was easy to get lost in the forest, but 🦚’s lack of a voice and very light footsteps made it difficult for 🛁 to tell whether or not 🦚 was with him.

It wasn’t a lie when everything was quiet. In fact, it was almost jarring to 🛁, who was expecting 🦚 to ramble in his ear.

Sometimes, when 🛁 would say something and expect an answer, he would be confused until he saw 🦚 looking for his notebook to write in.

At the same time, 🛁 got to see a new side of 🦚.

After setting up camp and making dinner, 🛁 was bringing 🦚’s portion over when he saw 🦚 sitting on a huge tree log and staring up quietly at the sky — which only held a scatter of dimly lit stars.

“Are you looking at the stars?” 🛁 asked, and as he approached closer, he got a glimpse of 🦚’s expression changing as 🦚 turned to him with a smile and a nod.

“It’s not much compared to the other nights, right?”

Another nod.

The dinner together was silent, and it was almost unnerving.

The next couple days, 🦚 wrote less in the notebook and did more gestures by nodding and pointing.

“Why that direction? You think there’s something interesting there?”

🦚 nodded.

🛁 thought that by now, he would come to understand 🦚 a bit better. Instead, 🛁 was completely in the dark about what was going through 🦚’s head, or what 🦚 might truly want to express.

Soon, 🛁 found himself talking a little more than usual, while constantly looking at 🦚 for his responses and see what kind of thought would flash through his face.

“What do you think, 🦚?”

🦚 lifted his notebook and nodded.

[ I think it’s fine. ]

It was a simple response…

By the 5th day, 🛁 was already restless by the dreading silence that it was extremely hard to concentrate on their work.

🛁 would constantly steal glances of 🦚, and when he tried to talk to 🦚, 🦚 would keep responding to him with simple answers and gestures.

🛁 didn’t mind if he had to sit down in one spot for half an hour while 🦚 was writing pages worth of his thoughts.

But considering the nature of their assignment, 🦚 seemed like he refrained from making long answers in order for them to keep the mission going.

At the same time, 🛁 felt like 🦚 was becoming distant from him.

“You can write out everything, 🦚. You don’t have to make short responses if you have more to say.”

🦚 shook his head and lifted his notebook.

[ Let’s just keep going. ]

It was the sixth night when 🛁 had stirred up in the middle of the night to find the sleeping bag beside him was empty.

Immediately, panic rose, and 🛁 quickly began to search around the camp.

“🦚? 🦚!”

Only to receive no response. The camp was empty.

While 🦚 had the ability to defend himself, 🛁 couldn’t stop himself from feeling irrationally panicked that he slipped on his gear and traversed through the forest with his flashlight — calling out to 🦚 and hoping for a response in the silence.

Where did 🦚 go? Did something happen to him? Did he get hurt?

The idea of losing 🦚 haunted 🛁’s mind, and 🛁 desperately pushed through the thick forest until he saw a figure sitting at a spring.

“🦚!”

🦚 turned around, startled and bewildered as 🛁 suddenly rushed over and kneeled down in front of him.

“Are you hurt? Did anything happen to you?”

🦚 was unable to say anything as 🛁 cupped his face and tilted his head around to scan for injuries.

Overwhelmed, 🦚 quickly swatted 🛁’s hands away and retrieved his notebook from his bag.

[ Not hurt. Why are you panicking so much? ]

“I woke up earlier and saw that you weren’t at the camp. I thought something happened to you.”

[ I’m fine. I just wanted to sit here for a bit. ]

“How long were you here for?”

[ Three hours, I think. ]

🛁 knitted his brows. “How come you wanted to sit here?”

[ To think. ]

“Can I ask what you’re thinking about?”

🦚 visibly hesitated, the tip of his pen hovering above the paper for a brief moment. 🦚 pressed his lips thin, smiled, then lifted his notebook.

[ Is it better like this? ]

“Better? Without the talking?”

🦚 nodded.

“Why would I think it’s better?”

[ It’s nice and quiet. ]

🛁 stared at those words, realizing that those were his words back then.

“No. It’s not,” 🛁 muttered. “In fact, it feels like I’m going crazy because I’m always expecting to hear you, or even read an entire page’s worth of words from you.”

“It’s been driving me crazy to the point I’ve gone mad and thought about trying to find ways to end the effects faster because I miss talking to you. I miss hearing you. I miss you. Do you know how crazy I sound right now?”

🦚 stared at 🛁 with wide eyes as 🛁 rambled on and on, pouring out all the words with intense frustration.

Suddenly, a loud laugh rang through 🛁’s ears.

It shocked him so much that 🛁 stopped talking to witness and listen to 🦚 laughing.

“You missed me? Hahaha! —“ 🦚’s words were broken and hoarse, due to laughing and not using his voice for so long.

For once, the sensation of relief washed over 🛁 strongly that 🛁 pulled 🦚 in and hugged him tightly, hearing 🦚 gasp in surprise.

“Damn you, Gambler. Don’t lose your voice again.”

🦚 smiled at the muttered curse before 🦚 hummed weakly and hugged 🛁 back.

“Mmm, okay.”