The Heart Exchange (bnha agere)

Chapter 6: Tear-stained

Cws: involuntary regression, upset little
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Later, as the evening rolled in, Bakugo marched up to his room. The stuff Mr Aizawa had said, and the underwhelming interaction he'd received from Kirishima for the rest of the day, had formed a rock of despair in his stomach. And now, Katsuki couldn't help it.
They wanted to avoid everyone else, and assure nobody was going to see them sobbing like a pathetic little kid. They crashed into bed, tears welling up, and throat tightening sharply.
"F... Fuck." Katsuki breathed, tears starting to stream down their face. They hugged themselves. Their face got hotter by the second as the tsunami of emotions washed over them. Bakugo hated crying. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears catching in his eyelashes. Why couldn't he just be happy? Why was everything so damn difficult?

Kirishima downed his glass of water, and checked his phone. He couldn't help but reread his last few texts with his boyfriend, even though he'd already spent what felt like centuries analysing them. They weren't very... Katsuki. The messages were misspelt, and it didn't mirror Bakugo's previous language. Though, it did remind Kiri of a number of short, abnormal experiences he could remember Katsuki going through. Some, fairly weird, childish behavioural stints, that Eijirou wasn't entirely sure of how to deal with.
He supposed that it wasn't wholly out of chance for it to re-announce itself - especially considering how touchy Katsuki had been lately.

Eijirou decided he may as well give his boyfriend a friendly visit, and maybe they could watch a movie, or share some candy.
So, Kiri set down his glass, tucked his phone back into his pocket, and made his way up the stairs to Bakugo's room.
However, when he arrives outside of the boy's room, some sound catches in his ear. His fist hovers in front of the door, and instead, he places his ear against it. It sounds a lot like crying. Oh no. Eijirou takes a deep breath, and summons all of his courage and empathy. Then his hand slips around the handle, and he turns it.

There, hunched over on the messy bed sheets, is Bakugo. He's emitting that painful choking sound, and hanging his head. Kiri can see the tears dripping from his face onto his pillow. Eijirou tiptoes over, and settles on the bed beside him. It was immensely hard to recall a time when Katsuki cried this violently. "Hey, what's this about?" Kiri asks, voice low and soft. A sobbing Katsuki was a delicate matter.
The blonde furiously wiped at their cheeks, sniffling. "Fuck off, Kiri..." They croak, another bout of tears pushing through. Eijirou shakes his head, dragging his boyfriend into his chest.
"No, no. I'm not going to do that." Kiri replies. Bakugo weakly attempts to wiggle away, but Eijirou holds them still. "Get those tears out. I know how much you like to pretend you're all big and strong, but even the toughest people need to cry sometimes." He murmurs, stroking a hand across Bakugo's reddened face. Their forehead creases, and more tears spill down to their chin. Kirishima holds back his wince as they let out a gaspy, distraught cry, and bury their face into his shoulder.

Eijirou's shirt gets wet. He rubs their back, and listens. It's more heartbreaking than anything. When Katsuki's finally calmed, and the river of tears has hit drought, Kirishima kisses him on the head. "Oh, baby," He whispers. "Do you want a cuddle?"
To his surprise, Katsuki nods profusely, and mumbles back a "Hug." Still, Eijirou holds them in his arms, kissing their damp cheeks. Bakugo's eyelids hang, the exhaustion starting to hit them.
"Everything's going to be okay." He combs his hand through Katsuki's blonde hair. His boyfriend clearly needed some good loving, and Eijirou wanted to do his best to make him feel adored.

Bakugo brings the collar of Eijirou's shirt to his lips. Something has shifted inside of him - something he can't control. It makes him feel like hiding, but the best he can do is nestle his face into his boyfriend's neck. He starts to chew on the fabric, using it to calm himself down further. Kirishima showed up at the worst possible time. At the very least, it didn't appear like he knew what was going on yet. "What... Bakugo, what are you...?" Eijirou draws back, forcing his collar out of Katsuki's mouth, leaving the boy staring at him, guilt painted expression. Bakugo covers his face, the reality of it hitting him, he starts to cry again.
"Woah, hey, what's going on here?" Kiri doesn't sound mad, but it sends a rattling panic through Katsuki's thoughts. Eijirou was going to call him an idiot. He had to get away - he had to hide. "No, don't do that," Eijirou protests, as Katsuki attempts to escape his grasp. "Baby, come on, tell me what's going on right now. I'm nervous about this, and I want to help you. I'm just not sure what's... What's happening with you." Bakugo brushed away his tears with his sleeve. He didn't know either.

After a struggle, Bakugo manages to break away. He hunts around under his bed, and fishes out the thing he needs most at a time like this. Kirishima's eyes widen, and a half smile appears on his face.
"Oh, that's an awesome little blanket." He comments. Katsuki sits back on the bed, and holds it against his chest. Kirishima watches perplexed as the boy covers his face with it. This seemed to be a comfort item for them, yet Eijirou had no idea of its existence. It was a particularly small blanket. Was it a baby blanket? The idea of rough and tough Bakugo keeping their baby blanket was both amusing and adorable to Kiri. Besides that, Eijirou can't shake the thought that Katsuki was in less than a mature head space. But what did that mean? Had they really become that stressed out that they ended up in that odd little childlike state again?
Unsure of what to do, Eijirou wrapped his arms around Katsuki's waist. His boyfriend needed to feel secure, not vulnerable. Bakugo's face reappeared, and he had a corner of the blanket in his mouth, chewing on it. Maybe right now wasn't the time to ask for an elaboration on this behaviour. Kiri likely wouldn't get a very cohesive answer.
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A/N: rip Kirishima's shirt, gonna have to wash that...