"Keigo, please let me go."
"I can't do that! You know I can't!"
"Everything will be ok."
The last conversation plays in his head over and over again. It hurt.
"I love you so much."
He took another sip of his drink that burned his throat. Ex-pro hero Hawks sat alone in the dark in his home. The home they both shared. Ever since they'd passed, everything that seemed bright had now turned bleak. Keigo gave up being a hero. "If I can't save the person I love, how can I save anyone?" He thought.
Thinking back on that day, he threw the glass bottle across the room, shattering as it hit the wall. He was angry with himself. Angry? No, that's an understatement. He was furious!
"If I had been faster, if I had gotten there just one second earlier...!"
He stood up and dragged himself to the kitchen for another beer or something stronger. Glass bottles clicked against one another as he shuffled through the river of empty beer.
His mind drifted to older memories he had with them, replaying how he first met them and how their relationship started.
"Pfft! You seem like a play boy to me."
"Quit asking me out!"
"Just one date, ok? Just one!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Wait! I'm scared of heights!"
"Who are you calling baby bird?"
"Baby! Come over!"
"Oh, fuck~! Keigo! Ahh~!"
"I love you."
"Yes, oh my gosh, yes! Of course I'll marry you!"
He didn't even have the chance to marry them like he wanted. Or start a family with them like he so badly wanted. It pained him so much thinking about it, but at the same time it made him happy. The more he thought about it, the more real it felt. Maybe, just maybe, he'd open his eyes and they 'd be right there in his arms sleeping on his chest. But every time he opened his eyes reality hit him hard and they weren't there.
Keigo can't even seem to muster up the energy to lift his drink to his lips. Breathing even seemed like such a difficult task.
"What do I do, kid?" He sobbed. "I don't see how I can go on if you're not here." He stared at a picture of them that sat on the small table in front of him.
"Please, tell me what to do."
Silence.
"Baby bird. Love. Kid, answer me, please! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"
He was met with more silence. At this point, he was starting to give up.
His head hung low as he continued to cry.
One of the worst parts about this was that he couldn't face their family. They trusted him to protect their child and he failed them. How the hell was he supposed to face them?! They probably hate him anyway. No point in going to visit.
"I just want you back, kid."
Rage enveloped him and all he could do to let it out was scream and wreck the place. Eventually he passed out and dreamt of them. The sun seemed to shine so brightly behind them, Keigo could barely make out their features but he could recognize their silhouette without a doubt.
"Kid?" A single tear rolled down his cheek as he called out to them. "Is that really you?"
They nodded and smiled. "Keigo? What's wrong?" They asked when they saw he was crying.
"I missed you, kid." He reached out for them. They cupped his cheek and wiped away his tears. Keigo pressed his cheek further into their palm.
"I know, baby, I know."
"I love you, baby bird. I love you so much."
"I love you too, Keigo." They leaned in and kissed him softly. Of course Keigo kissed them back, missing the feeling of their lips pressed against his. How soft they were. How they tasted.
"You kiss me like that and I'm never gonna wanna leave." He joked half-heartedly. They smiled and let him go. The last thing they said gave Keigo some hope.
When he woke up, his head was pounding. The room was so bright and everything was spinning. Keigo found himself in his living room surrounded by empty bottles. He slowly sat up and tried to make the room stop spinning. He spent the rest of the day treating his hangover. The next day, he showered, shaved, and started cleaning.
"They'd kick my ass if they saw this place was wrecked." He mumbled to himself.
Whatever that was last night seemed too real to be a dream. And what they said just before he woke up... "I'm coming home."
They never said when, but he would wait as long as it took. Even if it took years, Keigo would wait.
Two months later
Keigo was flying around running errands when he spotted someone. They seemed so familiar.
He flew down and couldn't believe who he saw!
Keigo called their name, trying to get their attention. When they turned around and saw him, they smiled. The same smile he had missed. It was really them!
Keigo dropped everything to hold them. The feeling he got when he held them reminded him it was real. He wasn't dreaming. This was real.
"Take me on a date first, why don't you?" They joked.
"I don't understand how but I don't care. Please just let me hold you."
"I'm real." They reassured him as they petted his hair. When holding them in his arms didn't seem enough, he wrapped his wings around them too.
"Let's go home."
