Sweet Shouchan

Bakugou Cares?

     Bakugou opened his laptop and started typing into google. He wasn't sure what to look up.
He typed in, "why is my friend acting like a child"
It lead him to weird answers but he saw a suggested question of "what is it called when someone acts like a child"
He found something called 'age regression'.
That sounded promising. He clicked the link.
He started reading,
"Age regression occurs when someone reverts to a younger state of mind. This may be only a few years younger than the person's physical age. It could also be much younger, into early childhood or even infancy."
Bakugou scuffed. That sounded like Todoroki today. He kept reading, he found out it could be involuntary or voluntary. He didn't think Todoroki would have been doing it on purpose today. Not if it was a secret. He learned it happens as a form of coping, sometimes, with stress, sadness, anger and frustrations. Sometimes, it's triggered by something.
Childhood trauma is a something that can contribute to age regression too, Bakugou already knew Todoroki had childhood trauma. He remembered what Todoroki said about the mom in Totoro being in the hospital because she was sick, he recalled Todoroki saying his mother was in a psych hospital once. That just torn Bakugou apart. The websites said it can be a way to live their childhood over again in a safe environment.
"Oh." Bakugou felt an understanding. It made him feel that weird warm feeling in his chest again. Todoroki just wants a normal childhood so badly his mind takes him there for him. Bakugou shook his head.
He started to type in "age regression" into the search bar and one of the suggested searches was "age regression caregiver" he clicked that one. He found out a caregiver is someone who takes care of the age regressor when they are regressed. He thought about that for a moment. So... kind of like a parent? Someone who wants to take care of the regressor? He thought... that's how he felt with Todoroki earlier. What the hell does that mean? Bakugou felt different toward IcyHot when he was small, that's all Bakugou really knew. He also found out "little" refers to the person who is an age regressor. They called regression "little space" Bakugou thought that was kind of cute.
He found himself smiling at some of the things he found.

Bakugou closed his laptop. He wasn't an expert, obviously, not after only an hour of searching online. He did think he understood enough for the moment. He looked at the time on his phone. He still didn't know why he felt like he was responsible for little Todoroki. Why he got that warm feeling at even the thought of taking care of him and making sure he's safe.

Bakugou realized he was bouncing his leg. He grabbed his knee and stopped his incessant nervous tic. He stood up, he had to go check on Todoroki. He made his way up to the other boys room. He went to knock but then thought, he didn't want to wake him if he was still asleep. He opened the door slowly, he's glad he left it open. He peeked inside and the bed was empty. He walked in and said quietly, "Shou?"
Todoroki looked around his closet door.
"Bakugou?" Todoroki took a step away from his closet and closed the doors.
Bakugou saw a shade of pink over Todoroki's cheeks and he found himself smirking.
"Oh...uh...I just wanted to...check on you?" Bakugou admitted, he wanted to bring it up and talk to him about it anyway.
Todoroki scratch the back of his head.
"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Thank you." Todoroki woke up and seemed to be back to his true age.
"We gotta talk about it, IcyHot." Bakugou shrugged and closed the door behind him.
"I suppose you're right." He sat down on his bed. Bakugou sat down in a chair Todoroki had in his room.
"Who should begin?" Todoroki asked, hoping he could answer questions rather than explain.
"Ah... fuck it, I'll be honest with ya, Icyhot. It sort of freaked me out a little seeing you that way." He paused and Todoroki nodded. "I can imagine, I can explain." Todoroki looked up to make eye contact.
"No, it's okay Shou." Bakugou interrupted with a soft voice. "Listen, after I put you down for your nap..." Saying it that way made Todoroki blush. Bakugou noticed but didn't say anything. "I went to my room and looked stuff up. I now know what age regression is and caregivers. I know some reasons people do it. I know it's a coping thing and shit. I don't know everything but I was curious. I wanted to understand." Bakugou felt weird saying all of that but he had to. He wanted to be honest and clear.
"Oh...wow." Todoroki blushed, "I guess there isn't much left to it." He looked down at his comforter and picked at a loose thread.
Bakugou was picking up that Todoroki felt awkward.
"When did you start? Do you do it on purpose or does it just happen?" Bakugou had so many questions.
"Oh...well..." Todoroki's eyes widened staring off into nothing. He paused for a bit but Bakugou gave him time. "It started shortly after the sports fest. I don't do it on purpose...I do sometimes when I'm alone, I'll kind of trigger it, to get an escape. At first I was unable to control it at all. Now I can to an extent, I can't always stop it from happening though." He shifted in his seated position and brought his feet on the bed and tucked them under himself, crossing his legs. Bakugou noticed he did something similar earlier on the couch. He kept an eye out for other signs after that. He didn't think about the conversation itself may cause Todoroki to regress.
Bakugou nodded, "That makes sense. No doubt it's that damn shitty nerds fault." Bakugou scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"No, no... Midoriya helped me. Yes, I may age regress now. It's immensely better than how I was before, I was angry and rebellious. I was looking for revenge. Who knows how I would have ended up later down the line with those goals." Todoroki cringed, he knew exactly how he would have ended up. Probably as a villain with hero knowledge, bad mix. Bakugou again nodded, like he understood. "I'm guessing you see it has living your childhood again, in a nice way. I know enough about your childhood to make that assumption." Bakugou knew that part might be harder to talk about for Todoroki but Bakugou was surprised when he went right into an answer without hesitation.
"Yes, that's definitely a big part of it." Todoroki was definitely surprised by how much Bakugou knew by just a short time researching online. "I was never allowed to be a real child. I've been in extremely intense quirk and combat training since I was 4-5 years old. He had me combat training at 4 but I got my quirk right before I turned 5, that's when it got worse. He even stopped training my older brother to train me." Todoroki felt like he was in a safe bubble sitting in his room with Bakugou looking at him with an unfamiliar caring expression in his sharp, ruby red eyes. Todoroki even had courage to mention his brother, his family even refuses to mention him.
"That makes sense." Bakugou paused before asking another question, "I read that age regressors regress to different ages. Do you... know how old you feel when you regress?" Bakugou couldn't hold back his curiosity. Todoroki thought for a moment.
"I never thought about this before...but I guess 4-5 usually but sometimes a little younger or maybe slightly older." Todoroki admitted, and smirked even though he knew the conversation didn't call for it.
"The same age training started then, that makes a lot of sense." Bakugou said out loud on accident. He froze and looked at Todoroki who looked like he was deep in thought.
"That's a fair point. I hadn't thought of that either." He closed his eyes and smiled.
"I think only one more question, if it's okay?" Bakugou asked.
Todoroki was taken back by this Bakugou in front of him. He had never seen him so careful and gentle with anyone before. Not even Kirishima. Todoroki nodded and waited for the question.
"Do you...I read that..." Bakugou was having a hard time with this question. Because if the follow up question he would ask afterwards. "Eh...y-you probably have a caregiver right? I'm guessing stupid Deku." Bakugou scoffed and crossed his arms on his chest. He was trying to act like it didn't bother him, mostly because he didn't really know why it did bother him so much. Todoroki looked confused, "Uh...no...I don't have a caregiver. No one knows about this. Besides you now. I really messed up in front of you. I didn't know you'd be coming out of your room, you usually don't. When I thought to watch Totoro I had already accidentally regressed because of a cute tv show I flipped to while looking for something to distract me." Todoroki blushed, sort of embarrassed after saying it out loud.
"You just...what then? Take care of yourself?" Why did that make Bakugou so sad? Todoroki was just as confused by Bakugou's tone, he just nodded in response.

Ever since Todoroki found out what was happening to him when he regressed, he had wanted a caregiver. He found out some littles have someone to help take care of them when they are little but he didn't have anyone like that. He wouldn't ask Midoriya, not because he didn't trust him but he thought Midoriya would feel guilty for "causing" this. Todoroki was lost in thoughts with of his need to feel loved and supported during his regression. He knew how he felt when he was little and it even seeped into feeling needy while he was his normal age. Todoroki felt his eyes and cheeks start to heat up. Then his vision started to blur with tears.
"Shou?" Bakugou asked looking at the boy on the verge of tears. Bakugou stood up and sat next to Todoroki on his bed. Bakugou was hesitant at first but then started rubbing Todoroki's back.
"It's okay to be sad. Do you want to tell me why?" Bakugou slipped into his own headspace, he was asking in a very gentle tone.
"I wan'a have one." Todoroki got out before he really started crying. Bakugou had to make an assumption since the little wasn't able to talk much right now.
"You want a caregiver?" Bakugou asked softly. He bent his neck to try to catch the eyes of Todoroki who was looking down into his lap. Todoroki just nodded and his breathing hitched with his sobs.
"Shou...I was going to ask...can I..." Todoroki's head popped up, he was still crying but his dark gray and turquoise eyes locked with Bakugou's. Bakugou looked away and blushed slightly.
"Can I take care of you?" Bakugou grumbled.
"You...y-you want to?" Todoroki's tears had stopped but his voice was still shaking.
Bakugou nodded and smirked. Bakugou wiped todoroki's tears from his pink cheeks and eyes. Bakugou chuckled at the temperature difference between the two cheeks. The right was pink from being too cold and the other pink from being too warm.
"No, what's funny??" Todoroki covered his face with his hands that were engulfed in his over sized sweatshirt sleeves.
"Nothing, nothing. I think your cheeks being cold and hot is adorable. That's all!" Bakugou didn't want to embarrass the little one.
"Oh..yes that happens." Todoroki smiled a little bit putting his hands in his lap.
"You're a cute kid Shouchan." Bakugou smiled and stood up. "How old are you right now?" Bakugou asked him.
"Hmm..." Shouchan thought for a moment and then held up 3 fingers, "3!" He smiled big showing his straight teeth.
"You're so small, Shouchan! Did you have a good nap?" Bakugou asked sitting on the floor to make his little feel less scared.
"Mhm. I cuddled with ToraTora! He's my favorite. I had him for...since I was a real baby." Shouchan grabbed the stuffed tiger from the blankets and hugged it.
"He must be special to you then." Bakugou nodded.
"Yes, special to me." Todoroki responded kind of echoing Bakugou. He really did sound like a little kid.
"What do you wanna do Shouchan?" Bakugou asked, he looked at the closet and then back to Shouchan.
"You call me Shouchan?" The little Todoroki asked and blushed.
"Is that okay? You are Shouto and you are little and cute." Bakugou blushed himself now. He didn't feel weird about anything he said until it came out of his mouth.
"Yes, I-I like it." Shouchan stood up and went to his closet. He opened the door and got 3 boxes out now. "You were hiding. A box from me??" Bakugou pretended to be offended.
"Noooo!!!" Shouchan drug out the word and then laughed innocently.
He opened the box Bakugou hadn't seen yet. Shouchan pulled out a light blue sippy cup, it had snowflakes on it. "Can you make me juice?" Shouchan gave Bakugou sad puppy dog eyes.
"You have to ask nicely." He remembered he read to encourage good manners with your little.
"Pretty please Pa-....can I call you Papa?..."Shouchan looked sad again. The question made Bakugou's heart glow again though and he smiled.
"Yes Shouchan, of course, you can call me Papa." Bakugou held out his hand to take the cup. "I think we have juice. Let me go see what I can find for my little Shouchan." He smiled again. Actually he hadn't stopped since Shouchan called him Papa.
Shouchan handed him the cup. "Thank you Papa." He said and continued to dig through his boxes for toys and whatever else he had buried in them. Bakugou smiled. "You're welcome Shouchan, I'll be right back."

A/N: I know where my "plot" is kind of going but if there are any little activities or scenarios you'd like to see included, you can message me or comment on the story. I can always use more relatable situations lol. This is mostly all based on my regression and I don't want it to be too specific if that makes sense.

Hope you all are enjoying it so far. 🤗