When I saw this sequence in the anime, I was amazed at how, despite his hearing loss, Soya could still direct Rei to what was needed next, just with his gaze. It really was quite impressive. He's not entirely helpless, but he does need some assistance, when his intermittent hearing loss kicks in.
Also, quiet with the yaoi talk- Rei already has the one he's meant to be with, they're just not official yet. Still got about a year to go on that relationship, I think. I don't know for sure- it didn't start by the end of the anime, so I'm not really clear on the timeline. But those two have been getting closer and closer since the beginning, and it's been choreographed wonderfully. She's just so important to him, already, it's hard to see anyone else taking that place in his heart.