Deaf male tiefling (Dairon) x female reader (sfw) *ko-fi commission* (Patreon)

I had the pleasure of revisiting this lovely tiefling and his partner for a ko-fi commission. If you'd like to remind yourself of Dairon, you can find the first ko-fi commission I did here, but you don't need to have read it to enjoy this floffy story. 

I'll put it up on Tumblr in a few days, but you folks have early access to it, and the person who commissioned it is also a patron, so they're not missing out. 

“Ruari should be here any minute,” Dairon said, keeping his gestures small as he signed, shoulders hunched, chewing on his lip.  

You  ducked your head and then waved, and he caught your eye with a nervous,  husky laugh and cocked his head curiously at you, white hair tied back  off his handsome face.  

You  frowned. “What’s the matter with you today? You’re all…” you let out an  exasperated grunt, waving your hands slightly, and he sighed heavily  and shook his head. His tail - always an indicator of his moods - was  swishing back and forth like a cat’s with whatever was frustrating him, and he was jumping every time you went near him.  

Standing,  you crossed the room to him and took his face gently in your hands,  turning him away from the window and looking up into his beautiful,  yellow eyes. “Dairon, I love you. You know that, don’t you?” 

He  swallowed thickly and nodded. He brought his hands up and crossed his  arms over his chest, fists clenched, and in a way that he rarely did, he  hissed the words ‘I love you’, in that near-silent, breathy way he  occasionally had of articulating words when he signed. It sent a tingle  up your spine, and you kissed him.  

A knock on the door announced the arrival of Dairon’s  bouncy, cheeky, adorable younger brother, and you separated, signing  quickly that he was here. Ruari was shorter than his brother, and looked  more like an elf than a tiefling,  though his skin was also blue, and he bore the same cervine antlers as  his family. His, however, were the adorable little stumpy ones of a  young stag, and where Dairon’s tail was like a cat’s in shape, Ruari’s was short as a deer’s, and even bore the little flash of white underneath.  

He  embraced you warmly, careful not to jab you with his little antlers,  and giggled softly in his little, husky tenor. “Good to see you again!  Sorry I’m late.” 

“Tell that to Dairon!”  you chuckled back. “He’s been pacing the room like a werewolf before  full moon. Can you talk to him? I don’t know what the hell is wrong with  him lately…” 

“Dunno.  Not like him to stress. I’ll find out - don’t you worry.” He clapped  you on the back and darted into the small, fire-lit living room. 

The  brothers embraced a moment later, and while you knew Sign, and had  thought you were pretty adept, you watched in awe as the brothers began a  rapid-fire back and forth, full of so much slang and short-hand that  you couldn’t really follow. It had always been this way between them,  and you had long ago resigned yourself to that fact. It was cute really, how close they were. Ruari seemed to be ribbing Dairon about something, and Dairon’s cheeks flushed a darker blue before he said, “I’ll tell you later.” 

“No, you’ll tell me now!” Ruari signed back emphatically, hands slapping together. “C’mon, spill!” 

“I’ll… go and make some tea,” you suggested, leaving the brothers to whatever it was, and Dairon flashed you a grateful smile and led his brother away into another part of the house.  

By  the time you’d finished in the kitchen, they had clearly had whatever  conversation they needed to have had, because they had moved on to  discuss their twin sisters, Mhairi and Alys,  by then. As you set down the mug of tea for Ruari, he looked up at you,  eyes glittering, and then flashed a very dangerous and cheeky smile at  his brother. Dairon, shot him a distinctly warning glance, but you didn’t press the issue.  

Dairon  continued to act strangely for the next couple of weeks. Ruari popped  in after work more frequently than he normally did, which, while you  didn’t mind seeing him at all - quite the opposite in fact - was unusual  to say the least. And suspicious. Something was definitely going on,  and the brothers were plotting. What, exactly, you couldn’t fathom.  

One morning you woke, as you nearly always did, to find Dairon’s  tail draped over your legs, the familiar, gentle weight of it a  beautiful comfort as you rose from the fog of sleep. You blinked and  turned your head to look at him to find that he was lying on his back  with his yellow eyes open, staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t like him to  be awake before you, and you frowned. His skin looked paler than usual,  and a little frown of his own haunted the centre of his brows. You  reached for his chest and ran your hand over his slim torso, making him  jump slightly at the movement as he was jerked away from his private  thoughts. 

“You alright?” you asked, your signing a little sloppy so early, but his pretty lips curled into a soft smile and he nodded.  

“Just thinking,” he replied.  

“Expensive thoughts,” you grinned. “Gonna take me more than a penny to pay to hear them…” 

He  smiled, showing his canines, and he rolled over and cuddled you,  burying his face at your neck, breathing in the scent of you and  groaning softly as his tail coiled tightly around you. You stroked his  white hair and let him stay there for as long as he needed. Finally, he  pulled back and sat up. “Come with me today?” he said, hands dancing,  almost fluttering nervously as he signed. “I want to do something. I… I  want to take you somewhere.” 

“Sure,” you smiled, wondering what could possibly have got him so nervous. “I’d love to.” 

It  was a bit of a trek, but you soon realised that he was taking you  towards the lake. Bordered on all sides with thick pine trees, it was a  peaceful, quiet place. The wind ruffled the surface into tiny waves,  like goosebumps  against the cold breath of the mountain winds, and you shivered  slightly. Although it was officially spring now, the last sighs of  winter still lingered up here in the mountains. It was breathtakingly  beautiful though, and Dairon  was in his element. His long, lean, slender legs strode confidently,  determinedly, and his tail was, as always, curled around your waist as  you walked side by side.  

A little white boat bobbed at the jetty, and when you tapped Dairon on the upper arm, he looked around at you and grinned.  

“We’re going boating?” you asked suspiciously.  

He nodded and tugged you along the shingle path that led down to the shore.  

Inside was a blanket and a hamper.  

“Dairon, what?” you asked, eyeing it. “What’s going on?” 

He  only grinned again, and, putting his surprising strength to good use,  he simply picked you up off the jetty and set you down in the boat. It  wobbled and rocked, and you dropped down onto the bench before you ended  up in the lake. When he’d climbed gracefully in beside you, he put the  red tartan blanket over your knees and opened the hamper.  

“Dairon, what is going on?” you giggled, baffled. 

He  didn’t cast off just yet, and he bowed his head, getting you to look  down at the hamper. Inside was an assortment of all your favourite  foods, a lovely bottle of white wine, and some fresh fruits that must  have come from the special glass houses and must have cost a small  fortune. “Just a treat… Dig in…” he said evasively before casting off  and picking up the oars.  

You  decided not to open the wine just yet, even though it was now well  after midday following your lengthy hike. Instead, you got Dairon’s attention by tapping him on the knee. He seemed reluctant to meet your gaze at first; not rude, but shy. “What’s all this for, Dairon? How did you pull it off?” 

“I had some help,” he said after pulling the oars in a little to free up his hands. “I’ll tell you when we get there…” 

“Get there? Where are we going?”  

He pointed over his shoulder and you squinted.  

“I don’t see anything…” 

“Useless human eyes,” he laughed. “You’ll just have to wait then.” 

It was a long way across the lake, but Dairon  was much stronger than he looked. The wind picked up about half way  across, and while it helped shunt the boat along since it came from  behind, it brought with it the scent of rain.  

“Shit,”  he said, eyes going wide, hands leaving the oars momentarily to bring  his left hand up, fist closed, and he stuck his right thumb into the  space created by his curled fingers and removed it quickly. Shit. His  whole body cursed too, his face expressing a mixture of frustration,  fear, and mild panic.  

You  looked over your shoulder at the way you’d come, and saw a thick  curtain of rain sweeping down the valley at an alarming speed. It would  be on you in minutes, and you were more than halfway across the lake by  then, and there was absolutely no shelter.  

Dairon set his jaw and rowed hard. Of course, he couldn’t out-row the storm, and in no time you were huddled under the blanket with rain lashing your back. Dairon  looked horrified and appalled and, honestly, furious with himself.  “It’s fine,” you tried to tell him with half-frozen fingers, but he  shook his head and grimaced. Ah, but he could be as stubborn as he was  beautiful sometimes.  

Eventually you made it to the far shore, and Dairon  helped you out, blinking rivulets of rain from his eyes as thunder  rumbled over the mountains and lightning now forked through the late  afternoon sky. Up a short track was a log cabin, and he led you there,  carrying the hamper himself, gripping your hand in an iron grasp. He  looked stiff and exhausted from the hard row, but he was wiry and fit  and he never let anything slow him down. Not even a late spring  thunderstorm.  

He  opened the door with a key he pulled from his pocket, and ushered you  in first, closing and latching it behind him against the storm. Your  fingers were so cold you could barely sign, but you tried to reassure  him that you were fine, just soaked and freezing. He said nothing as he  got a fire going in the burner, and you looked around the cabin, finding  a little bathroom tucked away in a corner and dumping the sodden  blanket in the tin bath to deal with later. When you returned to the  open living room, decorated with beautiful, colourful, woven rugs and  cushions, you found Dairon standing by the fire, arms clasped tightly around his torso. He looked worried and vulnerable and, frankly, miserable.  

You  drew close and snaked your arms around his sodden chest, and hugged  him. It wasn’t pleasant - he was as cold and wet as you were - but you  needed to reassure him.  

“This is a disaster,” he said, pulling back to free his hands.  

“It’s  sweet, and I had a good time before we got soaked…” you said with a  smile. “And we’re here now, there’s a fire, and we can dry off. It’s  fine, Dairon… please, stop worrying so much. You’ve been acting so weirdly lately. You’ve got me worried!” 

“I’m  sorry,” he said, turning away. “Truly, I’m sorry. I’m doing this all  wrong.” He looked back around at you and smiled when he saw the look on  your face. “I love you,” he said. “Come on. Ruari will have left us some  clothes here.” 

“Ruari? This was his doing?” 

Dairon shrugged. “I asked him to help.” When you shivered violently, he scowled. “Come on, let’s get out of these wet clothes.” 

You waggled your eyebrows suggestively at him. “Going to warm me up too, are you?” 

He smirked and snorted. “You know how I feel about sex before marriage,” he said.  

“Doesn’t have to be sex,” you grinned at him.  

His  mood seemed to improve after that, but there was still something  lingering in the background; an unarticulated tension in the way he  spoke, a stiffness to his gestures that betrayed his unease.  

After  dinner, with the rain still thrashing against the windows and the  thunder crashing hard enough over the small cabin that you and Dairon  could feel it, you looked at him and stood up from the little rustic  table. You held your hand out to him and he let you lead him over to the  hearthrug with a little, quizzical frown on his handsome face.  

You  sat down cross-legged and tugged him playfully so that his knees  buckled and once he was down, you flattened him on his back, mindful of  the tiefling’s big, stag-like antlers, and kissed him.  

You rolled off him and sat beside him, legs out to one side, the heat of the fire warming the length of your body. “I love you, Dairon.  I know this didn’t play out exactly the way you wanted, but I’ve had  the best time. I love just being with you, whatever we’re doing.” You  voiced the words as you signed them, knowing it would mess up the  grammar of your Sign, but you didn’t care.  

Dairon  froze and then sat up suddenly, eyes glinting faintly as the flames  danced over your face, flickering and glimmering. He stared at you with  an intensity that had been missing from them for weeks. He chewed his  lip. “Wait here,” was all he said before he strode away to the little  bedroom.  

When  he returned, his tail was lashing behind him again, and he carried  tangible tension in his shoulders, and was holding something behind his  back.  

“Dairon?” 

He  smiled sweetly and motioned for you to stand up. He took one deep  breath, and then sank onto one knee, resting a little, square box atop  it so that he would have both hands free.  

Your eyes went wide, your lips parted, and your heartbeat began to race. “Oh my god, Dairon,” you breathed, not signing this time. It wasn’t exactly necessary though. 

“Honestly,  I had this whole romantic proposal out on the lake planned, but… well…”  he cast his eyes towards the water-lashed window, and snorted. “That  didn’t work out so well. I mean, we both nearly got pneumonia because of  it, but…” He took deep breath and let it out slowly. He began with your  name sign, which he’d given you all those years ago, and you watched  with a pounding heart as he went on. “I thought it was a miracle when we  met and you knew Sign, but then I got to know you and I think I fell in  love with you in the space of that first week. You’re gentle and kind  and funny and patient, and…”  

Dairon’s  hands began to shake so hard he could barely formulate words. You held  your breath as he nervously licked his lips and smiled up at you.  

“I  wanted so much for this to be perfect. But… then I realised just now  when you kissed me that I should just… ask. I want to be with you for  the rest of my life - I know that without a doubt. So…” he took a huge  gulp and then he held up the box, opening it to reveal a modest and  beautiful ring, and smiled. “Will you marry me?” 

Your hand moved to cover your mouth, and tears filled your eyes. You nodded and sobbed, “Yes!”  

Flinging  yourself at him, you knocked the pair of you over backwards onto the  hearth rug and clung to him. He laughed his hoarse, breathy laugh, and  you nuzzled close to him. 

It was a long time before either of you released the other from that embrace. 

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 I hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I did writing it! Remember, if you want a commission, you can find the info you need either here in this announcement post, or on my commissions page on Tumblr (it says they're closed, but they're not closed for you folks). Come and talk to me - here in messages or on Tumblr - and we can work something out for you!    

Don't forget that you can browse my masterlist for other stories and posts (since the format of this site is not great for finding older works)