#literally I have no hearing difficulty this ain't even processing

[iconsumeheadcanons]

WHY ARE PHONE CALLS SO FUCKING QUIET??? I HAVE MY PHONE AT FULL VOLUME EVERYTIME AND ITS RIGHT NEXT TO MY EAR AND I STILL Can't FUCKING HEAR THE PERSON I'm TALKING TO OR THE SHITTY ASS HOLD MUSIC I HAVE TO LISTEN TO FOR HALF AN HOUR EVERYDAY

[spaced-out-human]

Cecilia

Sounds are powerful. Most sentient species, however, have a limited vocal range. Your average being makes soft clicks or low rumbles at best. Their languages took millennia to develop- and the latter half was often purposeful. After all, why wouldn't anyone want to edit their genome if it makes life easier?

The species that can make noise don't have much control over their pitch. They don't need to. Others "hear" with specialized pads, designed to pick up the slightest vibration... (Don't ever touch them, you hear?) Anyway-

You know how the human voice can literally break glass? Yeah, so do the higher-ups in any organization that knows what they're doing. In the Rhusngi's Immigration fleet, crews are chosen through a complex AI system. Applications take Jovian aeons to process- But this ain't Rhusngi Immigration.

There's no one name for what we are. A bunch of idiots, taking random jobs here and there- wait, what? No, we're not- We just do deliveries! *unintelligible alien muttering* Sure, it can be dangerous, but we're not stupid. Our crews communicate, for Dsheng's sake.

I understand your concern- Ship 7 does have a more, er, potent blend of species... they balance each other out- The two humans? Hhhhhhharmless. *xe hisses, frustrated.*

｡.:*☆*: .｡:*.:*☆☆*

"Aaaaaalright, Bumblebees! Another day, another dollar! Everybody, up, up, up!"

Kit's voice crackled with enthusiasm and static. It reverberated through the black-and-yellow ship, signaling the start of another shift. Satisfied, she hung up the mic and turned to complete her video log.

"Today marks Gregorian-month three of employment. Most of the crew have been here for years- that's what Faizan says, at least. I bet he knows the exact date and time everyone joined. Hell, he probably has a spreadsheet with everyone's information in like six different languages... Getting used to him has been rough, not to mention living with other species-"

"There have been some difficulties, sure, but yeah. It's made us closer, I think. -Besides, now it's even. Seventh ship, seven crew members!" Faizan chimes in, startling the teenager.

"OH hey Faizan-" They pause their recording. "-how long have you been here? Don't you have to be securing deliveries or something?"

He chuckles. "Already did. Two dozen boxes of cargo, and all of them need scanning." He holds a small device up to his mouth and speaks into it, making a series of clicks. A rather versatile language, quite like morse code. For Kit, he spoke in English. "That means you too- be at the loading deck in 5."

☆☆

A mantis-like insectoid paced across the cargo hold, complaining in her native language.

"Eh, they're on time when it really matters." Faizan answered. "Give 'em a break, Needih."

It wasn't until after the rest of the crew gathered that Kit burst through the door. They braced for a lecture, but it never came. "Kit, you and I are unloading today. Needih has the scanner." The two got to work, moving packages from the hatch as the rest of the crew chattered away. Their cargo wasn't particularly large today, nor moving- thank God.

"Kit, you need to..." Faizan started hesitantly.

"...I don't know what could possibly happen for you to start managing your time better. More chores, perhaps?"

Kit frowned when he stopped talking-

"You know you're breaking my heart..." They turned the sentence into a melody.

Faizan stopped in his tracks, a smirk on his face.

"You're shaking my confidence, daily." He replied.

--Here's a link for y'all--

He didn't know what he expected- The song was old. Really old. And Kit had never even set foot on Earth...

Kit started tapping the side of the box and stomped to a rhythm Faizan hadn't heard in forever-

"...'Celia... you're breaking my heart..."

Faizan's eyes lit up. Of course Kit sang the higher part, and of course he knew the lower one.

"You're shaking my confidence daily!"

Needih was in awe. She felt her shell shake with the vibration- it was impossible to describe. Sometimes, on her home planet, wilder sounds would align- but that was incredibly rare. Almost mythical. The crew all "heard" in different ways. We're lucky 'cause they're similar enough to communicate...

"...I'm down on my knees, I'm beggin' you please to come home!"

Jaws dropped. Scrounge and Sdaer put down their drinks, eyes wide. Scrounge let out a deep rumble and tilted his ursine head. Faizan rolled his eyes and kept singing- the crew had never seen him like this...

The two humans sang like nobody else was in the room. They felt a sense of belonging, of harmony, like nothing else in the universe.

For the first time in years, Faizan dropped the package. He and Kit tapped out a beat on every available surface- the walls, the floor, even the boxes. And they laughed. It scared the hell out of the rest of the crew, who were too stunned to do anything but stare.

Goodness knows how Kit was able to sense Faizan's movements before they happened- and vice versa. Sure, they both missed a beat here and there but what did you expect? They're only human.

"Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up!" He exclaimed, conveniently skipping to the good part. Kit grinned.

☆☆

"God, I haven't sang in years..." Faizan paused and looked around the room. The crew was just. In shock.

"To, skh..." Sdaer struggled with the English. "To quote you, what the fUCK was THAT?"

"That was harmony." Kit said with a smile. And the humans just? Got back to work? Kit hummed softly, and Faizan smiled (without baring his teeth, to be polite- as if he and the newbie didn't just break goodness-knows-how-many-galaxies' regulations).