The Heart Exchange (bnha agere)

Chapter 9: Lunch

Cws: parent issues, involuntary regression, upset little, slight mentions of transphobia
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  "Mina, don't you dare." Kaminari growls, eyes half closed, and a hand hovering around his chicken nuggets protectively. Ashido rolls her eyes, her hand slipping away from the blessed nuggies. The gang went out to get food, so now Katsuki is sitting next to Denki, nibbling on fries. Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido sit opposite. Him and Kirishima are playing footsie under the table.
  After yesterday's talk, Katsuki's feeling just a little bit better. Knowing that Kirishima is willing to try… It helps. Yet, it's all still scary. There's still so much their boyfriend doesn't know or understand about them. And falling asleep in the quiet room was mildly embarrassing.

  Katsuki sips from his milkshake. His eyes wander to the other customers milling around the room. There's a family of five at a table - the three children are all dressed in dinosaur onsies. The parents - whilst tired - appear happy. And it hurts a lot. Because Katsuki never had a particularly close relationship with either of their parents. Emotional neglect is something he's familiar with, but none of his friends know. Eijirou doesn't either. Because everybody else has such kind, supportive, and loving parents. How shameful, how mortifying it would be for everyone to find out Katsuki's parents didn't seem to give a fuck about their child. Having a dysfunctional family was something he'd accepted as normal until he found out that some people actually do have wonderful parents. Parents that actually care was previously a foriegn concept - they didn't even care when he came out, and they couldn't care to use his proper pronouns either.
  Maybe if they hated him for it, that would have been better, because then at least he would feel noticed like every other time he'd been yelled at for something or other, despite if it was actually his fault or not.

  "Bakugo?" Katsuki peers up from their milkshake. They'd been chewing on it mindlessly. Eijirou is staring right at them, and Bakugo can feel his converse against his leg, under the table. "You here? Looked like you were spacing out a bit." Kirishima smiles slightly, reaching a hand across the table and brushing his fingers against his boyfriend's. Mina and Sero are debating about movies, and Kaminari is taking his garbage to the bin. Katsuki notices how loud it's getting in here. They tilt their head.
  "I wanna leave. I'm tired as shit." He comments. Kirishima stands up, taking both his and Katsuki's garbage to the bin. Denki plonks down next to Bakugo, and nudges him in the shoulder.
  "When aren't you tired?" He chimes in. "I swear your battery is so low, you got the stamina of a five year old." He teases. Katsuki grits his teeth. If only Kami knew. Eijirou walks around the back of Bakugo's chair, and rests his hands on their shoulders in a weirdly comforting, paternal type of way that makes the blonde's cheeks blush.

  "Shut up, Kaminari. I could fuckin' deck you with my pinky finger." Bakugo grumbles back. He looks up at Eijirou hovering over him. Their eyes meet, and Kirishima taps him on the nose. Katsuki stifles a giggle. Oh, does Kiri know what he's doing? He's playing a dangerous game here.
"You're sleepy are you?" Kirishima asks. He really likes that dumb word, sleepy, doesn't he? Katsuki swings their legs, and reaches up to try and tap Eijirou's nose. Grinning, Kiri grabs their wrist and places their hand back in their lap. "Come on, we can go back to the dorms and nap, yeah?" He proposes. Bakugo yawns, staggering up out of his seat. Sero nods at them.
  "Me and Mina want to check out a café. What about you, Kaminari?" He says. Denki shrugs, eyes flitting between Kirishima and Sero.
  "I'll come with you guys if that's alright." He replies, shuffling round to sit next to Mina. Kirishima nods, vaguely relieved, before linking hands with Katsuki.

  "Do you need to use the restroom before we go?" Kiri asks in a hushed tone, leaning in. Bakugo's head was getting a little… Messy.
  "No… I'm not a little kid, Kiri. Can make my own fuckin' decisions." He mumbled back. Eijirou pulled them in closer, and pecked them on the cheek.
  "I'm not too sure about that. And besides, I was only asking." He answered. What? Bakugo's stomach twists. What does he mean he's "not too sure"? Eijirou thinks he's regressing, huh? What's his deal? Does he want Katsuki to have an accidental slip? Because no, he's definitely not age regressing. He's definitely not a teeny bit jealous of the dinosaur onsies, and he's definitely not feeling a lot smaller than what tends to be regular for him. Katsuki strides forward, deciding to lead their way out of the fast food joint to imply some sort of independence and control.
  "Kiri, I'm not…" He hisses, the two breaking out into the street. Eijirou's hand squeezes his.
  "Not what?"
  "You know."

  "You can't even say it." Eijirou states. Katsuki avoids the eye contact that his boyfriend is desperately trying to induce.
  "Yes, I can. Of course, I can." They argue. Except their stomach feels funny and their emotions seem to be unhitching again…
  Kirishima blinks at them expectantly. The pair weave through a crowd, making it onto a calmer, emptier street. The sky is extremely, beautifully blue today.
  "I'm not… I'm not li…" Bakugo's face gets hot. This is stupid. "Listen, I'm…" Eijirou raises his eyebrows, nodding gently - like he's taking pity on them. Like they can't manage.
  "It's alright." Eijirou says, spotting the growing discomfort and panic on his boyfriend's face.
  "No, it's… Not alright." Bakugo growls, tearing his hand away, and wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. Why can't he just say it? Kirishima pauses, gesturing for them to hold his hand once more.
  "Hey, now. Let's just go back to the dorms; we're almost there. I'm sorry if I've done something wrong." He sounds genuinely guilty, and it sends a rushing sadness through Katsuki's heart, intensifying their feelings. They shake their head, and reject his hand.

  "No… I'm… You didn't do," Words are impossible, and stupid, and Katsuki kind of wants to cry. "I'm not little!" They finally snap, forcing the sentence out even though it feels wrong. He immediately regrets speaking, shoving his fingers in his mouth, eyes prickling with tears. Eijirou curses under his breath, and his arm reaches round their waist.
  "Oh, dear." He sighs. Katsuki tries to shove their boyfriend's hand away, but tears start escaping. He fiercely wipes them off. No crying, he's supposed to be big. Supposed to be. Yet, speaking is way too hard. Kirishima holds their face, dabbing at the tears.
  "Oopsies," He mutters. He draws Bakugo into him and hugs them. "Someone's just gotten a little upset, haven't they?" His tone is sympathy-filled and soft, and helps Katsuki calm down. The blonde sniffles back the rest of his overtired tears, and holds Kiri's hand again.
  "Mm." He mumbles gesturing up the street. Kirishima nods, and watches them rub their eye. He needs to take this little one home so they can nap. Things have obviously escalated a bit out of Katsuki's control, and Eijirou can't help but feel somewhat guilty; like he'd influenced it.
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A/N: I hope this fic is enjoyable, I don't really read fanfics myself, I'm more of a writer, so I hope this junk I'm writing is interesting to someone other than me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯