Chapter 16

A month ago, Aomine would have never imagined standing in front of Kise's wall staring at a painting he'd completed all by himself with nothing more than amateur brushes and cheap paint from the arts and craft shop down the street. Kise wraps his arms around Aomine's neck from behind, and Aomine can practically feel his smile as his breath hits his skin. The heat of Kise's body burns through the cotton of his shirt and warms his back, and Aomine can't help but lean back into Kise's touch.

The wall is painted a sunset of blended purples and blues and pinks and yellows, and stretches from one corner to the other. The sun glistens off a body of water that rolls lazy waves over the shore. It's soothing—the way Kise makes him feel, warm and relaxed like he's lying on a beach and absorbing the softening rays of the setting sun. It's the calmest thing he's ever painted, but it's also the most calm he's ever felt while painting. Even on his most stressed days, working on Kise's wall had a way with easing his nerves and clearing his mind.

Kise straightens and stiffens his arms over Aomine's shoulders so he can sign in front of Aomine's face, It's beautiful.

And that's all the confirmation he needs to feel completely satisfied with his work. His fingers trail up the length of Kise's arms before reaching his hands, where he loosely intertwines their fingers. This is definitely the best part of drawing, the finished product. When he can finally take a step back and admire everything he worked hard on; when other people admire it as well.

"Alright then," Aomine says after a few more minutes, and turns his head to catch a glimpse of Kise in his peripheral. "We gonna do something, or are we just gonna stand here all day?"

Kise smiles, then presses a chaste kiss to Aomine's cheek, lips soft as always. Kise's breath is warm and rigid on his skin, like he's laughing and Aomine tries to look over his shoulder again. His suspicions proven true when he sees the corner of Kise's lips curled up into a huge grin. Aomine lets go of Kise's hands then so he can turn around and meet Kise face-to-face. He quirks a brow and rests his hands on Kise's waist, wanting to maintain contact in any way he can.

There's always been something about touching Kise that causes the nerve endings in Aomine's fingertips to feel like they're melting over and over again. It's an addictive feel, Aomine touches Kise anytime he's given the chance, even if it's something as simple as brushing knees or bumping shoulders. If he can't hear Kise, then he will touch and smell and taste and look at him to his heart's desire.

I thought I was needy, Kise had said playfully once when Aomine refused to let him go while they were cuddling in bed. And it wasn't until that moment that Aomine realized his craving to touch and hold Kise, how grumpy and irritated he gets when he hasn't seen Kise for an extended amount of time.

"What's so funny?" Aomine asks.

I was thinking about the first time we met. And I was so intimidated by the idea of you disliking me, Kise says, still smiling.

"I don't see how that's funny."

I just never expected us to turn out like this, Kise continues. Thinking back on how we started and how we are now, it's just a humorous thought.

"Hm, well I still think you're a pretentious pretty boy. That hasn't changed," Aomine teases, and Kise playfully nudges him in the stomach.

Well I still think you're grumpy asshole.

"Your grumpy asshole…" Aomine says, pulling Kise closer.

My grumpy asshole, Kise confirms with a gentle smile that causes Aomine's heart to flutter, and begins to slowly lean forward until their lips are closing the last bit of distance between them.


"You shouldn't eat and work at the same time, you're going to get ramen all over your paper."

"I'm writing," Kise says, one hand guiding noodles into his mouth as the other jots down thoughts onto a sheet of paper. His eyes never cast away from his work the entire time, and maybe if he'd look up for even a brief second he'd notice how irritated Kasamatsu looks.

"Obviously," Kasamatsu says with bitter sarcasm, though it soon fades when he becomes curious. "A song?"

"Yeah."

"Already? You just finished one a few days ago."

"Yeah, but this is for someone." Kise skillfully pinches a few noodles between his chopsticks while keeping his focus on his song. "Someone special," he adds in.

Kasamatsu falls silent for a brief moment, and then Kise can hear him setting his chopsticks down on the table. "Is it for Aomine?"

"Yes…" Kise admits, because it's not something he's ashamed of and he sees no point in lying to Kasamatsu. "Why?"

"I've been meaning to ask… are you guys dating or something?" Kasamatsu asks a bit reluctantly.

Kise pauses when he catches the hint of disapproval in Kasamatsu's tone, then sets down his pen and slowly looks up. It's not the first time Kasamatsu has acted so sullenly to the subject of Aomine, either. And although Kise is not entirely oblivious to it, he tries his best to disregard it. Kasamatsu has never been so concerned with his past relationships—so what makes this one any different? Is it because Aomine is a male? Kise nearly chokes on the thought, because he can't imagine Kasamatsu being bigoted or judgmental to people's sexual preferences. He's always been an understanding person; someone's who's trustworthy, even if a little harsh and blunt.

Kise sighs and sets his chopsticks down as well, straightening his posture. "Yes, we are dating."

"I knew it, I just wanted to hear you say it."

"We've been dating for four months now," Kise clarifies. Since he's being honest, he might as well fill Kasamatsu in completely. "He painted a mural on my wall, so I thought I the least I could do for him is… this. Write a song that's dedicated to him."

"Why?" Kasamatsu asks.

"Well, isn't common courtesy to return the favor? Besides that, ever since meeting him, my writing and creativity has improved. I've written so many songs that have become hits over the past few months, so I wanted to thank him for being my muse—"

"No," Kasamatsu cuts in. "I mean… he won't be able to hear the song, so, why? What's the point? He won't be able to hear any of your songs."

Kise winces, somewhat offended. He's not sure why, considering it's true—there's just something about Kasamatsu's tone that rubs him the wrong way. "He can read the lyrics. And I sing to him from time to time. Deaf or not, I'm not going to exclude him from these sort of things. Singing makes me happy and so does he, so why shouldn't include them both?"

Kasamatsu picks up his chopsticks and begins resuming his meal. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just saying."

"Well, don't," Kise mutters under his breath and picks his pencil up again, his appetite suddenly gone.

They don't talk for the rest of the evening until it's time for them to begin practicing a song, even then things are a bit tense and not as fluid as they usually are. Though, it's nearly impossible for Kise to remain upset with Kasamatsu. He's his best friend, after all. Someone he can talk to about anything. Maybe Kise overreacted to what happened over dinner—maybe Kasamatsu was just curious. And there's nothing wrong with being curious, Kise was curious when he first met Aomine as well.

Before Kasamatsu leaves for the night, he pauses at the door, then gives Kise a look that nearly burns through his retinas. Kise blinks a few times before forcing a smile, then patting Kasamatsu's shoulder a few times.

"It was just an off day. We're in the studio tomorrow, so I'm sure things will be better," Kise assures, and his smile grows warmer then.

Kasamatsu sighs and nods, then pulls the door open slowly. "Don't stay up too late. I want to get in and out of the studio as early and quick as possible. I have some exams approaching."

"I understand. I'll be up early."

"Good. See you tomorrow, kid."

Kise shuts and locks the door behind Kasamatsu, then sits down at his table and picks up where he last left off on his song for Aomine. It's not like Kasamatsu will know how much sleep he got, anyways.


Aomine is cooking when Momoi leans over the ledge of the cooking hole to hand him what he assumes to be another order. But when he glances down at the small sheet of paper, the only thing that reads is Drinks tonight? in Momoi's curly and neat handwriting.

He thinks about it for a few seconds, considering the pros and cons of hanging out with his coworker during their time off. They clicked instantly, which is odd for Aomine, he's not used to growing fond of people so quickly or so often. It's as though he can tell her anything. Even if he keeps the details vague, she listens and offers advice. As well as vice versa, except Aomine doesn't listen, he reads—and well, his advice is as good as nothing.

"Okay," Aomine says, crumbling the paper before throwing it aside. It's not like he has plans, anyways. Kise is out of town for the week for business, which means Aomine will be spending his time off of work by himself, in his room with his sketchbook to be more specific. Not that he's ever minded isolation before, but he's grown rather attached to Kise… so maybe he does mind isolation. Though he only seems to mind it when it comes to one person, and that one person is rarely able to give Aomine his time.

"But you're paying," he makes sure to add in. Because free food and drinks is the only way to reel him into doing anything that doesn't involve lazing around or sleeping.

When he looks up, Momoi is making a face that slightly resembles Kise's when he's humored but trying to seem unimpressed (and how he's managed to compare Momoi to Kise, he's not sure). She signs Okay, then mutters something under her breath that looks a lot like complaining, but it's not like Aomine can ever be too sure about such things. Looks can be deceiving, after all.

Kagami stumbles into the kitchen a few seconds later, bumping into Momoi on accident. Aomine rolls his eyes and scoffs as he watches Kagami turn beet red and begin spouting apologies, despite Momoi not seeming bothered by the casual collision. Eventually Aomine loses track of the conversation and turns his attention back to the meal he's supposed to be preparing, onion gratin soup… which also reminds him of Kise.

Even at work, he can't escape his constant thoughts of Kise. Which wouldn't be so bad if he weren't a hundred miles away, probably busy and unable to come to his phone.

Aomine texts him during his lunch break anyways, and isn't surprised when he doesn't get a response over the thirty minute period he has to eat and clock back in.

The first thing he does when his shift is over is check his phone, and he isn't surprised when he still hasn't received a response then, either.

But he is surprised when the sun has taken its rest—the time Kise usually wraps up for the night and floods Aomine's phone with futile texts about his day and pictures of his dinner and hotel room—and the only message he's received is from Momoi who is wondering if their plans for the night are still intact. Aomine considers sending Kise another text, but his pride and ego won't let him resort to doing such a thing. If Kise wants to talk, he'll text back, just as he usually does. And Aomine doesn't want to seem needy or bored or, god forbid, jealous, because then Kise will know just how much of an effect he has on him.

So when he meets Momoi later that night at a local bar, where she pays for their drinks, he doesn't bring Kise up once. Talking about Kise will make Aomine want to talk to Kise, and then that will lead to him letting his guard down and sending Kise multiple drunken texts that he will, without a doubt, regret the next morning.

Though, not talking about it doesn't make him forget. In fact, it does the opposite. As he watches Momoi scribble words down on a notebook she brought along, he can't help but wonder what Kise is doing at that exact moment. He sips his drink aggressively and quickly, his leg never ceasing to shake as he taps his foot on the ground. And eventually Momoi catches on to Aomine's odd behavior. Aomine has learned over time that she's fairly observant, more-so than Kuroko, and easily catches on to Aomine's habits and personality.

She shoves her notebook in Aomine's face while he's staring off into space. Is something bothering you?!, reads clearly on the paper in big bolded words that are underlined belligerently, as though she'd shout the question if Aomine could hear.

Aomine sighs. He was hoping to steer away from the subject, but now that Momoi's asked, he can't help but feel the need to address it. Aomine glances off to the side to see a couple dancing to a song he can't hear, and he thinks dancing is such a silly concept without music.

"First, we drink," Aomine lifts his nearly empty glass to his lips, eyes shifting towards Momoi who seems to be observing him closely. "Then we talk about all the things that are bothering me."


Kise and Kasamatsu check into a hotel room later that night after a long day of working, and the first thing Kise does is flop onto the bed closest to the wall.

"Claiming this one," Kise mumbles with his head buried in a crisp white pillow.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. Don't get into trouble while I'm gone," Kasamatsu says.

Kise snorts, unmoving. "You never know with me, senpai. I wouldn't leave me alone in a hotel room if I were you."

"Shut up." Kasamatsu pulls his pajamas out of his travel bag. "I won't be long," he says then makes his way into the bathroom.

It's the first time Kise has been able to lie down and relax, and he knows the moment he closes his eyes he'll drift unconscious. He's hasn't changed into pajamas or brushed his teeth, but at that point, he's standing on a thin line of not caring. Moving seems like an impossible feat until his phone begins ringing in his pocket. He expects it to be his manager, so he takes his time grabbing his phone.

"What the hell?" Kise mutters to himself when he sees the caller identification says Aominecchi. He doesn't understand why Aomine would call him. And then he goes from being confused to being utterly horrified because it dawns on him that he hasn't contacted Aomine all day. He'd meant to text Aomine about the details of his day immediately after his concert, but he got caught up with a few fans.

He's sure Aomine would understand, though. And it's not like him to call, considering he can't hear. So maybe it's an emergency.

Kise swallows hard before answering the call, slowly bringing the phone up to his ear. "Hello?" The other line is silent, and just when Kise is about to hang up and text Aomine to tell him he accidentally called, he hears laughter that's definitely not Aomine's. He's with a girl, Kise thinks, and then his stomach flips three times before dropping to the floor.

"Did he answer?" Kise hears Aomine mutter, his voice slightly distant like he'd handed his phone to someone else, and then there's more laughter.

"Kise…" Aomine breathes, his voice closer to the receiver now. "Look, I know I can't hear you, and you probably think I'm losing my mind right now but… I really, really miss you. A lot."

Kise wishes he could respond, wishes he could say I miss you too, and maybe make fun of Aomine for being sentimental, because it's only been a little over a week since they've last seen each other—but he can't. Instead he keeps silent and smiles to himself.

"I want to be mad at you. But I'm not mad, because I like you so damn much. It's frustrating. And maybe I'm a little selfish for saying this—what?" Aomine is distracted from what he's saying and begins speaking to whoever is in the room with him. "I'm just telling him what's on my fucking mind, I can't keep it all pent up forever. Oh, fuck you. He can't hear you anyways, you're writing it down on paper, you dumbass."

Kise's brows pinch together, confused with what's going on.

"Okay, Kise, you still there? So according to Momoi, I'm really selfish for saying this, whatever. But you can't just go fucking missing in action and have me worrying all day like—I don't know—we're not in a relationship. I've been thinking about it all day, been trying to give you space and keep in mind that you're working and, whatever, you're busy. I understand that. But then I start wondering if it's always going to be like this; if I'm always going to be staring at my phone hoping that, by some miracle, you'll find some time out of your precious day to text me. How fucked up is that? I have to hope you'll contact me, like I'm one of your stupid fans and not your boyfriend."

"Aomine…" Kise mutters in a near whisper, despite his words falling on deaf ears.

"And I know that it must be difficult, trying to balance things now that you're signed with a record deal and shit. But… talk to me. Don't put on a smile and make me think things are fine if you don't even know how your future is going to work out, or if we're going to work out. I don't want to be strung along. What makes it even worse is knowing that Kasamatsu gets to spend more time with you than I do. I know he doesn't like me, I know it. Is he there right now? Tell him to go shove that guitar of his straight up his—"

The other person on Aomine's side of the line interrupts, "—Alright, that's enough. Give me the phone!"

And then the call ends.

Kasamatsu comes out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. "Who's that on the phone?"

It takes a few seconds for Kise to process what just happened. He pulls his phone away from his ear and stares down at the screen, confused. He wants to call back and ask what exactly just happened, but it's useless. Aomine will answer, and then what? It's not as though Kise's words will be heard, and it's not as though Aomine is even in the right state of mind. Instead, Kise turns his phone on silent and sets it on the nightstand. He decides that it's something they can discuss in the morning, when he isn't so tired and Aomine isn't so distracted…

Kise is not one to get jealous easy, nor does he think Aomine is unfaithful, but Aomine has never mentioned anyone named Momoi in the past. Then again, it's not as though Aomine knows every single one of Kise's friends. Maybe he's over thinking things. It's not unusual for Aomine to go out and have fun when Kise isn't there. They usually spend every second they can together when Kise is in town, so Kise is sure Aomine is bored out of his mind when he's away.

It's good for him, Kise decides as he sprawls out on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Kuroko made it clear when they first started hanging out that Aomine didn't get out enough. In fact, everyone seemed surprised that Kise was able to get Aomine to do anything that wasn't sitting in his room looking through gravure magazines.

"Hey, are you alright?" Kasamatsu asks.

"Yeah, just… a personal call," Kise mutters.

Kasamatsu doesn't look convinced, but it's obvious Kise doesn't want to talk about it. "Okay, well I'm done with the bathroom."

Kise stays still. "Thanks."

"You sure you're alright?" Kasamatsu sounds concerned.

"Yeah, just tired. We had a long day," Kise says.

"One more day of this and we get to rest," Kasamatsu says.

Kise nods, then turns his head so he can look at Kasamatsu. "Can I ask you a question?"

The bed creaks softly when Kasamatsu sits on the edge. "Of course."

"Do you like Aomine?"

Kasamatsu's eyes widen a margin like he's been caught off guard, though he keeps his gaze on his knees. He clears his throat and looks up. "It's not that I don't like him… I just want the best for you. Singing is your passion, and you've always talked about wanting to date someone that could appreciate your music. And.. Aomine can't do that."

"He doesn't have to hear it to appreciate it. You of all people should know that. Aomine knows how much singing means to me."

"Does he really? Because I've never seen him at a concert."

Kasamatsu brings up a valid point that renders Kise speechless. Kise has never really thought anything of it because Aomine can't hear and he's never been fond of big crowds or public outings. Kise didn't want to pressure him into doing anything that'd pull him out of his comfort zone, but from the sounds of the call he just received from Aomine, Aomine's comfort zone is a lot more flexible than Kise assumed.

It's not as though Aomine wouldn't come to his concerts if he didn't have a reason, right?

"You should get to know him before you judge," Kise mutters.

"I'm not judging, Kise. I have nothing against him, I'm sure he's a great person. But again, I just want the best for you. I'm ending this conversation now, I'm tired." Kasamatsu climbs under his blankets and reaches over to turn off the lamp. "Good night."

The room goes pitch black before Kise's eyes adjust and begin making out the shadows. And sometime during his musing and worrying, his heavy blinking comes to a halt and he unwillingly slips unconscious.


The next morning is a fresh reminder to why Aomine doesn't drink. His head dully throbs as he sits up, realizing he slept on some random couch in some random apartment. Aomine's first instinct is to shout, "Hello!?" as if he'd actually be able to hear if someone shouted back.

After a few seconds of staring into space, he realizes that he's staring at an open notebook with a sheet covered in questions resting on the coffee table. It's Momoi's handwriting, that's for sure. And Aomine isn't usually one for being nosy or getting into things that don't involve him, but he sees Kise's name scribbled on the corner of the paper, so he's suddenly inclined to grab the paper and read. They're all questions about Kise and mostly Aomine, questions she probably asked Aomine over the course of his drunken state, questions he doesn't remember. And he wonders if he answered them all, if he actually opened up to Momoi.

Aomine sees something move in his peripheral, and he instantly turns his head to see Momoi approaching him with a tall glass of water and a look of exhaustion. She's still in pajamas and it looks as though she just woke up not too long ago, and Aomine silently hopes he didn't wake her up. Momoi occupies the vacant spot next to Aomine and hands him the glass, then opens her other hand to reveal two pills resting on her palm. It takes Aomine a brief moment to realize the pills are for him, and he mutters "Thanks," under his breath before taking them and slipping them into his mouth. Momoi nods, then takes the notebook from Aomine and reaches for the pen on the coffee table.

How do you feel? She writes, then looks up at Aomine with a sincerely worried expression.

"Good. Just have a headache," Aomine answers simply.

You were a mess last night. Momoi's shoulders shake like she's laughing.

"Well, I don't get drunk often."

I could tell. You passed out cold after you called Kise. I thought you flat lined for a few seconds.

Aomine breaks into a short coughing fit after swallowing his water the wrong way. "Wait… what?" He manages once he manages to catch his breath, knuckles turning white from the strong grip he has on his glass.

Momoi underlines You passed out cold multiple times, then writes beneath it, You were really drunk.

"I know, I can read, Momoi. But… I called Kise?"

The way Momoi presses her lips into a straight line, like she's holding her breath and unwilling to say anymore, tells Aomine that whatever he said to Kise last night must've been bad. Aomine grunts and presses the heel of his palm against his forehead. "I fucked up," he says.

Aomine feels Momoi pat his shoulder once, and then her weight alleviates from the cushion next to him.

What did he say to Kise? He hopes not too much regarding his frustration with the lack of communication, the last thing he wants is to worry Kise while he's out on the job. It wasn't as though Aomine was hoping to keep it a secret and act passive aggressively, but he thought it'd be better to discuss such things in person.

Something taps the side of Aomine's head, and he looks up to see Momoi standing in front of him with her phone in his hand. Here, Aomine sees her say while extending his phone out to him, and he reluctantly reaches up to grab it. He's expecting confused messages from Kise when he turns it on, but the screen only shows unread messages from Kuroko who wants to be sure Aomine doesn't forget that it's his turn to take Nigou out on a walk today.

Nothing from Kise.

"Why did you have my phone?" Aomine asks, slipping it into his pocket before taking another sip of water.

Momoi sits back down and picks up her pen and notebook. Saving you from embarrassing yourself any further. I had to snatch it away from you because you started going off on a jealous boyfriend rampage.

"Fuck," is all Aomine can manage.

Talk to him about it. You were drunk and you said some harsh things, but you also said some meaningful things. I can tell you really like him, and I'm sure he really likes you, you two are just having some major communication problems.

"Right. Communication problems," Aomine reiterates like he's processing it all. "Do you think it has to do with the fact that I'm deaf? You know, I've never minded the whole not being to hear thing until Kise, and it's really starting to piss me off. He talks and laughs and sings all the fucking time, he doesn't know how to shut up. And he looks so carefree and happy doing it, like he's meant to talk people's ears off, and I'll never get to know what that's like. To have Kise talk my ear off."

Momoi frowns before jotting her thoughts onto paper. Have you talked to him about it?

"No," Aomine admits. "How am I supposed to say 'stop laughing because it looks like it sounds really fucking attractive'? I can't. I won't. Not so he can start feeling guilty about being himself around me, so he can start treating me like I'm crippled."

I say talk to him about it. Communication is key.

"… I didn't agree to hang out with you so you could give me relationship advice," Aomine narrows his eyes.

I'm just being a good friend. And you could use some relationship advice.

They stare at each other solemnly before a smile cracks through Momoi's attempt of a straight face, and Aomine nudges her playfully.

"Asshole," he snorts. "I'll talk to him about it, alright? And you're such a horrible hostess. I'm starving my ass off."