You Spoke To Me In A Silent World // O/O // As gay as can be // OPEN

Callie sighed. Blood, he mouthed, unsure if the boy understood him. Few people did - he kept telling his mother it was a waste of time teaching him to mouth things, but she never listened.

“Blood?” He asked softly. “Err…. yes, I have normal blood that carries oxygen. Can I go? I don’t want to bother you anymore,” He mumbled shyly, shuffling away a little. “Also, can you hear me?”

Callie tapped his ear and shook his head, indicating that whatever the boy was saying, he couldn't hear it. Black, he mouthed. If only he had paper or something, he'd be able to write it down.

“Oh… um… I’m not really comfortable talking about it.” He shifted his grip on the pale bag he was holding. “Do you just… er… want to come with me?” He asked, making sure to accentuate his words. He felt like he was making a fool of the other.

Come with me. Callie got that, at least. Well…he had nothing else to do, and he couldn't just let this boy with black blood walk away from him. He didn't even know where he was going, or how long it would take, but…he had so many questions. So, he nodded. Yes, he'd go with the boy.

Apollo nodded back and gestured for the other to follow him. His apartment wasn’t too far away according to the address he had been given. He lead the other through the crowded street and to a complex, where he checked himself in for his apartment and into the elevator. There, he pressed one of the bottom buttons and smiled shyly at Callie.

Callie looked down at him, returning the smile kindly. It seemed like the boy had just checked into an apartment, and he assumed he was fairly new to the city. He didn't even know his name. Name? He mouthed. He'd been good at accentuating words before, so maybe he could tell him this.

“My name?” He asked softly. “Oh, I’m Apollo. Apollo Williams.” He set down the bag, the straps leaning forward. They were dark with his blood, despite the other male not bleeding very much.
“What’s your name?” He continued the conversation.

Callie tilted his head. He'd gotten that his name was Apol…Apollo something. He had said something else, too, but Callie didn't quite know what it was. But the blood. He couldn't get it out of his head - it wasn't necessarily bad to him, although he knew it meant the person had done bad things. It was just…so dark. And all over the bags.

When Apollo didn’t get an answer, he assumed the other didn’t want to talk. Apollo dropped his head and picked up his bags again, leading the way out quietly to his apartment. He fumbled with the keys for a bit until he unlocked it and walked in. It was a simple apartment, furnished. He set his things down, sighing.

Callie looked around. It was simple, not unlike his own, but it looked very…un-lived in, as if Apollo had just gotten the place. He looked around for…paper, a notebook, something to write with, but he couldn't see anything. He hadn't thought to keep one in his pocket today, he didn't think he'd need it.

Apollo glanced at the visitor, and pulled out a notebook as if he could read the other’s mind.
“I guess you’re looking for something to write on? You sad something about not being able to hear, right?” He asked, making sure his meaning was clear.

A notebook. Callie nodded and smiled gratefully, glad to finally have something to communicate with. He took a pen that was lying on a table nearby, and held out his hand for the notebook. His…mechanical hand. Curse it sometimes.

Apollo handed it over, smiling shyly when he saw the other’s hand. Though it was nothing compared to black blood. He shuffled off to wash his hands and change his pants, and returned a couple minutes later in fresh, darker, pants.

So your name is Apollo, right? Callie wrote, showing the notepad to him as soon as he came back.

Apollo just nodded, his cheeks a faint red. He gently took the pen from the other and wrote in rather neat handwriting:
Yeah, that’s my name. What’s yours? And why did you want to come home with me?

Callie smiled and his eyes brightened as he wrote back. The boy - Apollo - was actually communicating with him. Callie. Sorry about that, but your blood.

It’s nice to meet you. And yeah. My blood’s black. He wrote back, setting the pen down as if he were afraid of tainting it.

Callie looked up at him, eyes curious with a tilted head. Eventually, he picked up the pen and wrote again. Why?

(Shit man I thought I responded to this!)

Apparently from the place I’m from a lot more stuff is illegal. My parents immigrated from Guinea to here when I was going to university. But I was a really dysfunctional teenager. That’s what he left it at, setting the pen down. He didn’t like talking about it.

((You’re fine, I do it all the time lol))
Callie didn’t respond back, instead leaving the pen and notepad between them and looking up at him with his auburn eyes.

Apollo crossed his fingers together, sighing. He didn’t say anything else, reach for the pen or meet the stranger’s eyes.

Callie tilted his head at him, blinking a couple times before starting to drum his meta fingers on the table - not like he was waiting for something, but almost like habit. Hey. He’s cute. Not, like…but cute.

Apollo jumped slightly when he heard the tappings and clackings. He picked up his pen and wrote, So where are you from? After scratching out his previous statement. He set down the pen, his fingers curling and uncurling nervously.

Oh. Callie thought to himself, picking up the pen to write. Sydney. We moved when I was five. And you? He wrote politely.

My parents migrated to Guinea to stay with our grandparents. But we’re really British and German, Was his answer.

I’ve never been out of Australia before. He wrote with a shy smile.

It’s a very nice place. I don’t blame you. Apollo returned his shy smile with one similar, his cheeks reddenining.

Callie’s smile became less shy and more confident. And he blushed. Morning stars. He took the pen again and wrote. I like the apartment too. Mine’s further west.

Apollo just grinned and didn’t write a response back. He didn’t know much else to say to the other. He just looped his fingers together and looked down at his hands.