Kiribaku?

Chapter 6 (Drums)

Fiddling with the drumstick in his hand, Kirishima paced around his garage, waiting for Bakugo to arrive. A sudden knock on the metal garage door made him jump, and he pressed the button for the front to open. As it slowly raised up, Bakugo appeared on the other side, like a movie character, making Kirishima both chuckle and smile slightly.

"Hey, shitty hair." Bakugo muttered, walking into the dim garage as the door slid down behind him.

"Alright, you ready?" Kirishima said seriously, his eyes narrowed as he held out the drumsticks.

"Uh, yeah. I'm ready."

Bakugo took the drumsticks from the boy, plopping down on the stool in front of the drum set.

"Let me hear that solo again. I kinda forgot it." Bakugo said casually.

"I thought you remembered it!" Kirishima exclaimed, rolling his eyes as he passed his phone to the boy

"I'll remember, trust me." he said with a smirk.

After listening to the solo twice, the blonde haired boy began to play. His hands seemed to explode, rapidly beating the drumsticks against the instrument, his face remaining still. He played the solo flawlessly, his talent making Kirishima's jaw drop. The way he could make such a difficult and fast paced piece look so effortless and smooth was baffling, and Kirishima didn't know whether to be impressed or jealous.

He couldn't take his eyes off the other boy's face. Bakugo looked so oddly serene, a contrast from both his usual demeanor and the nature of the song he was playing. He was completely in the zone, the only sign of his exertion being the single bead of sweat that dribbled down his temple.

When he finished, Kirishima immediately burst into applause, his eyes wide as he grabbed Bakugo by the shoulders, a big grin plastered across his face.

"DUDE. How on Earth aren't you in a band?! You're crazy good! That was so manly. I almost cried."

Bakugo tried to look indifferent, but he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curling up softly. He placed his hands onto Kirishima's shoulders, matching his body language as he spoke, "I was never in a band because I was always too... competitive."

"You? Competitive? I could never imagine...." Kirishima remarked, laughing at his own joke, "But go on. Sorry."

"...Well, I was naturally good at the drums. It came pretty easy to me, and I could definitely get lost in the music. But I always wanted to be better. Better than myself, and better than anyone around me. I dunno, I never got into any band because I'm not really the best at... Working well with other people. One of the rare things I actually might suck at."

Listening to the blonde boy's words made Kirishima feel an odd empty sensation in his stomach. Bakugo was good at everything he did- his competitive spirit fueled him to be the best at practically everything, even though it was also responsible for his shortcomings. Kirishima on the other hand, spent his life trying to be better, but not out of a spirit for competition. It was more of a struggle to keep up, as if he was fighting to keep his head above the water as everyone paddled forward with ease.

Still, he felt sympathy for Bakugo. Like the saying goes, it's lonely at the top. Bakugo was always isolated, focused only on his ambition, not on collaboration or forming relationships. In fact, though Bakugo was popular, he hardly had any real friends besides Kirishima.

"Well," he replied, grabbing Bakugo's hand softly "I think we work well together. And no matter how good you are at something, seeing you be passionate about it is enough to make me happy. And I hope it's enough to make you happy, too."

The kind response was enough to make Bakugo's eyes widen. He'd never experienced this kind of validation and affection. He'd been showered with praise for his talents, but none of that had made him feel the way those words had.