"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."

― Friedrich Nietzsche

Chapter 1

The crowd is small, something that usually doesn't bother Kise, as long as his music is being heard and enjoyed. So when the small group of people listening to his performance begin to stand and clap with pleased grins, he can't help but beam happily, and mutter a few unneeded 'thanks' before being pushed off the stage by his guitarist.

His heart is fluttering sporadically against his chest, and his throat is slightly numb from the hours spent of singing. But it's worth it. Kise loves singing more than anything else. Music is something he's always been fond of, even before it became a profession rather than a hobby. 'You have such a nice voice!' is something he hears often, and is only partially his motivation for taking his singing career to the next level.

"Good job out there," Kasamatsu mutters as they make their way down the steps of the stage; his guitar set in his hands.

Kise nods, and flashes his senpai a smile before responding, "you too!"

Discovering Kasamatsu's talent in playing the guitar was something Kise was extremely grateful for. He was sure he wouldn't have made it as far as he had if it weren't for the stunning instrumental his senpai provided during their shows. They were a team, and without one or the other, their music wouldn't be the same.

"Holy shit… Look at the girls lining up to see you," Kasamatsu nudges his head towards a group of girls, all of them smiling and waving in Kise's direction. Kise waves back; having grown accustomed to responding to his fans in any given situation. It was all part of maintaining a good reputation, and… well… he likes the attention.

"Yeah, they're harmless," Kise mutters as though he's defending them. He averts his gaze from the group of girls, and looks at Kasamatsu. "I'm kinda hungry, I think I'm gonna grab something to eat before I go," he says as he runs a hand through the blond strands of his hair. "I heard they sell good sandwiches here, I might settle for one."

"You go ahead. I'm going to head home, got to study a bit for some exams," Kasamatsu responds, and pulls his guitar case from beneath the stage steps. "I'll call you later; maybe we can practice tomorrow morning before I go to class."

"Yeah, sounds great."

Kasamatsu slips his guitar into its case, and snaps it shut before throwing it over his shoulder, a small smile gracing his lips. "All right, then I'll see you tomorrow. Stay out of trouble, kid."

A small chuckle is heard from Kise, and he begins backing away from Kasamatsu; lifting a hand up as to wave goodbye. He then turns on his heel, only to be stopped by a few people who had just seen his performance. With a smile, he begins engaging in conversation with them; beaming happily at their praise as though he was a dog being offered a treat. Being told how beautiful his voice is never ceases to gratify him. A few girls cling to his arm and flash him warm smiles that he doesn't pay much mind to. He's grown used to the excessive attention females provide him; considering that he used to be a model throughout his time in high school.

After a few minutes of conversing, Kise's stomach begins to growl, and he excuses himself from the group as to continue on his way to get food. His mind wanders off to other things, such as his earlier performance, the new song he wrote, and the apartment he is preparing to move in to within the next week. Kise is extremely content with his life at that moment, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Oh! Excuse me…" Kise stumbles over a chair, then immediately turns around to embarrassingly shower the male sitting in the seat with apologies. "I should really start daydreaming less, I'm really sorry."

The tanned male shoots a scowl up at Kise, and then averts his gaze back down to his food as though he was disregarding his apologies entirely. Kise shifts awkwardly, and begins chewing on the inside of his cheek; his hands dangling awkward at his sides as he stares down at the angered blue-haired male. If there's one thing the blond is afraid of, it's the disapproval of other people. The thought of someone not liking him makes him extremely nervous, so he tries his best to remain on everyone's good side.

Exhaling softly, Kise timidly slips into the seat across from the stranger and offers him a small smile. "I'm Kise… the guy that was just singing on stage," he introduces himself, despite the other not looking up from his food. Kise's smile falters a bit, and he leans forward in an attempt to grasp the blue-haired male's attention.

"Did you just get here? Or were you here for my performance?" He continues to try to initiate conversation, his voice a bit shaky.

The other finally brings his gaze back up, and he looks to be a bit surprised to see Kise sitting across from him. There's something about his expression that seems to scream 'I'm not in the mood', yet Kise feigns ignorance to the fact and continues to probe him with inquiries. He isn't sure why he is still trying. It's obvious the other doesn't want to speak to him… doesn't like him, yet he continues forth with his jovial façade in attempt to make up for his rather unpleasant first impression.

"You don't seem to talk much… sorry if I'm bothering you," Kise lets out a soft sigh, then reaches up to rub the back of his neck nervously. "Ah, could you at least recommend me a sandwich to eat? It's my first time getting something from here."

Finally, the other responds by lifting his teriyaki burger up a bit and muttering in an indifferent tone that is a bit too loud, "I'm trying to eat."

Kise blinks confusedly before processing what the other is trying to imply. Ah shit, he probably thinks I'm annoying. A forced smile graces his lips, and he gradually scoots his seat away from the table before standing up.

"Of course. I should go get something to eat myself before my stomach begins performing a show as well." He laughs at his own joke, and brings a hand up to his lips as to stifle the noise. "Gosh, it's growling really loud. I'm sorry. You must be really annoyed, I'm sorry again. I'll let you eat," he continues on as though his ability to shut up has been lost.

He's never felt so… stupid. The other's glare has a way of burning through his skin… as though he's seeing past his exterior and into his soul. And the fact that he is able to remain expressionless throughout it all…

Kise extends a hand out to the blue-haired male, refusing to completely give up. He feels as though his words are lodged in his throat… and his palms are a bit sweaty from the amount of nervousness he's experiencing at that moment. "I never caught your name."

The other is staring at his lips as he speaks… and it's a bit unsettling at first, though he pretends not to pay much mind to it.

"Aomine," the tanned male states bluntly; ignoring his hand gesture all together as he turns his gaze away from the blond and begins taking his first bite out of his burger. This causes Kise to immediately pull his hand back, and shake it a bit out of apprehension as it falls to his side. It's, in a sense, the same as being rejected. Which isn't something the blond deals with often, being that he usually gets what he wants just by flashing a smile and batting his long eyelashes.

At least he got a name out of him. And although the other had blurted it out in a rather irritated tone, he can't help but feel accomplished with just that much. He has a tough exterior, and although it makes Kise feel a bit uncomfortable, he can't help but think of it as a challenge. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Aomine… Have a good rest of your day!"

Damn it, why am I still trying?

He swallows over the forming lump in his throat, then waves farewell to the tanned male, despite him paying no attention to him. And as he walks away, he feels as though his heart is beating through his chest, and his palms are abnormally sweaty. It's odd to think how afraid he is of being disliked.

"No really, it's okay, senpai. Don't stress it," Kise chirps into his phone as he presses it against his ear. Kasamatsu is on the other line spurting apologies for having slept in, and in result, missing out on their usual morning practice. Kise isn't too worried about it; he knows Kasamatsu is a fairly busy guy when it came to school and his part-time job. So he's rather lenient with such matters. Though, he wouldn't deny that he had been a bit excited to start practicing their new song...

Since he no longer had plans for the morning, he had somehow let his mom convince him into walking the family dog. He held onto the leash firmly in his free hand, letting the yorkshire terrier roam around on its own free will. His name is buster; a rather well-trained dog, spoiled too. So when Buster looks back to see that Kise is talking on the phone, he slows his pace and begins walking cautiously. The realization causes a smile to spread on Kise's lips, and he kneels down momentarily to pet him while muttering 'good boy' under his breath.

"Anyways, we'll talk later. You can make it up to me by buying pizza tomorrow, I've been craving it," Kise states as he scratches underneath his dog's ear.

After ending the call, he stands back up and continues down his path towards the dog park, where he'd usually let Buster roam around without his leash. Kise would usually occupy himself by making idle chitchat with the other dog owners sitting around. Sometimes they'd recognize him, whether it's for his singing or his modeling, either way, he is satisfied with being well-known.

Just as he steps into the gates of the park, another dog runs up to him and begins pawing at his legs. It's a small dog, no bigger than Buster, and it has large, wide blue eyes that nearly melt into Kise's honey-brown ones like ice cubes under the sun. Kise kneels down and begins petting the dog gently, Buster sniffing its black coated fur to unmask the stranger.

"You're cute," Kise coos, then moves his hand underneath the dog's chin as to scratch the area.

"Nigou," a voice calls from behind the three enthusiastic beings, and Kise glances over his shoulder to see a male with eyes just like the strange dog with his fingers wrapped firmly around a cup. The dog runs from Kise's touch, and makes its way over to the other male with a tail wagging fast enough to hit a fly. "Sorry, he seemed to have managed to escape our sight," the other states with a never-changing expression that seems to amuse Kise.

"It's fine! I don't mind. He's really adorable," Kise smiles, then stands up with his leash still in hand. "I'm Kise!"

"Kuroko," the other responds blandly, and then brings the straw of his cup up to his lips.

"It's nice to meet you! I've never seen you around… not that I come here that often, but I'm usually familiar with the faces."

"Nigou is newly adopted," Kuroko states shortly, his straw bouncing off his bottom lip with each word.

"Ah, wow! How exci—"

"—Did you find the damn dog?!" A brash voice interrupts Kise, and he instantly feigns a pout as though he's disappointed with the sudden interruption.

"Yes, Kagami-kun. He's right here."

"Good, can we leave now? I don't know why you thought bringing me here would be a good idea," a taller male approaches Kuroko from behind, a terrified look spread along his features. "Aho doesn't want to be here anymore either. At least, lucky for him, he can't hear these little devils barking and shit."

"That's horrible, Kagami-kun. And I'm not ready to leave yet. I was just having an important discussion with my new friend Kise-san. Isn't that right, Kise-san?" The shorter male flashes Kise a sharp glare that pierces his skin like daggers.

"Eh…" Kise, a bit confused with the situation, brings a hand up to lightly scratch at his head, a small smile forced on his lips.

The taller male, assumed to be Kagami, brings his gaze to Kise, and his fierce red eyes widen with newly found surprise. "I know you!" He exclaims, and his irritated demeanor seems to diminish entirely. "You're a singer, right? I've heard a few of your songs, they're pretty nice."

Kise begins beaming, his timid façade vanishing, and his usual cheery one remounting to take its place. "Ah, yes! I'm actually working on a new song at the moment; I hope to perform it at my next concert."

"That's pretty sweet, man. When's your next concert?"

"This weekend," Kise snorts, and then lets a shrug roll off his shoulders. "I'm a fast learner, though. A week is more than enough."

"I should stop by one of your performances some time; I don't do much other than play ball and…" Kagami shoots a disgusted look down at the dog standing by his feet.

"Why don't you come this weekend? I can get you in for free, probably front row seats if you want, too!" Kise suggests excitedly.

"Really? I'll go if Kuroko g—"

As though karma is making up for his previous actions, before Kagami could manage to finish his response, a familiar tanned male leans over and props his elbow on Kagami's shoulder. Kise instantly freezes in place, and he's sure that his jaw has nearly dropped to the floor, which is a bit embarrassing on his part. His grasp on the leash wrapped around his hand tightens, and his lips press into a straight line.

"Get your arm off of me, Aho!" Kagami nudges him away.

Aomine snickers, seeming to ignore the fact that Kise is standing right across from him, and then mutters, "What's going on? Can we leave yet?"

There's something about the tanned male that makes Kise feel extremely… nervous. And although he hates the feeling, he found it to be enthralling at the same time. Ultimately, he's conflicted. Kise usually strays away from those that show signs of disliking him, yet for some odd reason, he really wants this guy to notice him… to smile rather than scowl when he looks in his direction.

Kuroko, who Kise had completely forgotten was there, pushes Kagami aside a bit, and then begins making hand gestures in Aomine's direction. Aomine seems to be watching his hands carefully, and after a few seconds of this, his lips tug downwards into a frown. With a disapproving look, Aomine begins making hand motions in response, his movements a lot lazier than Kuroko's.

Are Kurokocchi and Aominecchi speaking… sign language? Kise's brows knit together as he watches the interaction between the three males in front of him.

"What's he saying?" Kagami finally broke the silence.

"I told him that Kise-kun invited us to his concert, and I wanted to know if he'd like to attend as well," Kuroko makes hand signals simultaneously with his words.

Finally, Aomine speaks out loud, his voice loud and seeming to crack somewhat between words. "I can't fucking hear the music, so why would I go?"

There's something about Aomine's words that causes the other two to look a bit sympathetic and Kise can't help but be curious as to what the hell he's talking about. "Excuse me, what do you mean you can't hear the music?" Kise finally speaks up.

"Aomine-kun is deaf."

Oh. Kise's heart feels as though it has plummeted. He feels so… dumb.

Aomine-kun is deaf.

And yet he had been too worked up in his own insecurities to realize. "I'm sorry…" The words are meant more towards Aomine, but he can't… hear. Kise begins chewing on his bottom lip, and Buster begins rubbing up against his leg in response, as though he notices that there's something off about Kise's mood. "I didn't know, I'm sorry for being nosy." Since when did I apologize so much? Kise feels as though he had said 'sorry' enough times in the past two days to last him a lifetime.

Everyone seems to be staring at him, as though they are confused as to why he's apologizing.

"He just found out I'm deaf, didn't he?" Aomine blurts as though the situation is the most nonchalant thing ever. A sigh soon escapes the tanned male's lips and he slowly averts his gaze from Kise, like he's irritated with the fact that Kise hadn't known. How was he supposed to know?

Instead of talking, Aomine throws up a few hand gestures, which Kuroko responds to with a nod of his head.

"Don't worry about it, Kise-kun," Kuroko brings his attention to Kise. "It happens all the time. But we're going to head off now; I hope to see you soon, preferably on stage."

Kise manages a feeble smile, "Yes, I hope to see you from the stage as well." He makes sure to exchange numbers with Kagami, promising him that he will text him details if they decide that they want to attend his performance that weekend. His fingers tremble as he enters his number into Kagami's phone, and he feels as though there's a massive amount of pressure being pressed down on him. Though, he tries to hide the fact by forcing his usual smile and managing to keep himself from stealing glances of Aomine.

He feels horrible. Not because Aomine is deaf, but because he didn't pay much mind to actually notice. It's usual of him to miss miniscule details of a person, but this… this is huge. Something he should have noticed from the start. And he thought it was because Aomine was disregarding him completely… although, in a way, he is. But Kise doesn't blame him, because he feels annoying and ignorant.

After handing Kagami his phone back, they all (excluding Aomine, who stuffs his hands in his pockets and begins looking around jadedly) wave goodbye, and begin walking off with Nigou prancing close behind them. And what caught Kise most off guard is Aomine glancing over his shoulder, his scowl not apparent for once. There's an apathetic, yet interested glint within his eyes as their gazes meet, and Kise finds himself holding his breath until Aomine finally looks away.

Kise sighs in relief.