His Drumming Heartbeat

Goodbyes

One week went by at an agonizingly slow pace for Bakugo. He and Kirishima haven't spoken to each other since he arrived back home (Bakugo in his apartment and Kirishima at his mom's), and both men thought over what they wanted to do. Bakugo wants to work things out with Kirishima and hopefully continue their relationship. He knows how he feels about him and doesn't want anything to get in their way again. He knows he screwed up, but he's willing to make it work even if it means cutting ties with anyone. What Kirishima wants to do is the thing that makes the ash-blond male's mind go in many directions, not knowing what the redhead will say.

He gets out of his daze once he hears a knock on the door. His heart rate picks up, knowing it's Kirishima on the other side. Before opening the door, the ash-blond male takes a deep breath and wipes the sweat off his palms, not wanting to show how nervous he is.

A/N: Play the song now.

"Hey," Bakugo greeted the redhead.

Kirishima looks at the ash-blond male with a solemn look and doesn't say a word, and all Bakugo's heart can do is sink to the pit of his stomach, for he knows where this will lead.

"We need to talk" is the first actual sentence Kirishima has said to Bakugo since the last time they saw each other.

Bakugo nods his head and lets the redhead inside, taking a deep breath as he closes the front door. The two of them take a seat on the couch and stare off into space for what feels like forever until someone breaks the silence.

"I can't do this anymore," Kirishima finally confessed.

"What?"

"Look," Kirishima huffs, choosing his words carefully. "At first, everything seemed fine. But with everything else going on, the timing wasn't right for both of us. We have so much ahead of us as we speak, especially you. Let's give us some time, and if our paths cross again, we can try then."

"Eijiro, you don't get it," Bakugo tries to reason with Kirishima, "I want to make things work between us. I don't care if I have to cut ties with whomever. I need you here with me. Even Blasty needs you here."

The two men look down at the cat, who rubs her head on the redhead's pantleg and purrs lovingly. Kirishima scratches her head before he continues, "you need to get things figured out more than I do, especially with whatever is going on between you and her," the redhead continues, referring to Lynnette. "You said nothing happened between the two of you, but that's not the case from what I've seen."

The ash-blond male feels defeated yet again, and he can't argue because Kirishima was right, and he feels like no matter what he wants to say, it won't get him to change his mind.

"You don't mind if I grab my stuff?" Kirishima asked Bakugo.

Bakugo waves Kirishima off so he can go through the apartment to take his stuff back, not wanting him to leave anything behind. The redhead wants the ash-blond male to say something to make him change his mind; they both feel defeated. Neither of them wants to say anything, nor do they have words to say now. Everything is said and done.

Time goes by, and Kirishima gathers all of his stuff at Bakugo's apartment in his arms: a few clothes, a toothbrush, a hairbrush, and a pair of tennis shoes he left here. He hates doing this, but he feels it'll be the best option. Before he goes, he stands in the entryway of the ash-blond male's bedroom and looks at him with a stone-cold expression, unable to read his mind.

"Three years, five months, twenty-four days," Bakugo mutters, "is how long I waited to have you back, and now you are saying goodbye for a second time."

"Kats?"

The ash-blond male looks up and stares at the redhead's ruby-red eyes with his own crimson red eyes. "I waited around for that long, hoping by some fucking miracle you would open that door and come back. I was hesitant because I didn't know if you planned on leaving me again. Now, you're going again, and yet again, I got attached because I love you enough to let you back in."