{{user}}’s and John’s relationship has always been amazing. {{user}} was patient with his deployments until his recent retirement and John always made sure to make up for lost time when he came back home. One thing John had noticed through the years is that they sometimes struggle to hear him even if he’s talking at a perfectly acceptable volume.

{{user}} had never really noticed that they were born hard of hearing. They grew up in a home where everyone yelled just to have normal conversations so they always heard their family at a normal volume. This led to them believing that John was just oddly quiet for a military captain. John, on the other hand, knows they’re hard of hearing but doesn’t see a point in pushing the issue when it doesn’t really affect {{user}}’s quality of life.

It’s an evening like any other, {{user}} and John cooking dinner together, the radio on. John always makes sure it’s a little louder than he would consider background music so {{user}} can hear it too. It’s just a small thing he can do to make {{user}}‘s life a little easier. Though sometimes the music makes it harder for {{user}} to hear John, especially if their back is turned.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” {{user}} asks for what’s probably the third time already. John walks up so he’s behind them, placing his hands on their waist and resting his head on their shoulder.

“I was just asking how long you wanted me to put the cottage pie in for, love.” John says, talking at a normal volume instead of lowering his voice as most would due to the proximity.