The Heart Exchange (bnha agere)

Chapter 27: Blue, Pink & White

Cws: gender dysphoria, transphobia
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   Eijirou sighs. At the very least, it appears that Katsuki's room is more organised now. There's less mess, fewer miscellaneous items strewn about the room. Bakugo sits down on his bed, tugging out his baby blanket. It doesn't take long for Kirishima to spot the two dragons sitting on the end of his boyfriend's bed, and he scoops them up, passing them to Bakugo. As the little cuddles them, and mumbles gibberish, Kirishima places down the glass, still half full of milk, and the the remains of the cookie on the bedside table. It seemed the only things left to do tonight was 1: brush their teeth, 2: get Katsuki changed into pjs, and 3: get Katsuki to sleep and stay asleep.
    Kirishima opened a drawer and plucked out Bakugo's red pacifier, and sat beside them on the bed. "Say 'ah', lovebug." He chuckles, tilting his head, and watching Katsuki's attention settle on him. The blonde's jaw falls open, and they giggle.
   "Ah!" And that's when Eijirou pops the pacifier right into their mouth, with a smile. As hoped and wished, he noticed his own apathy towards the sight; Bakugo with a pacifier in their mouth no longer injected him with bucketfuls of embarrassment. Maybe he's truly a caregiver now?

    Although, as Katsuki sips his milk, and strokes his stuffies' heads, he fidgets. And the more he fidgets, the more concerned and perplexed Eijirou becomes. But at first he refrains from mentioning it. Bakugo doesn't look particularly irritated, or uncomfortable - they just continue to pinch at their… Shirt? At first, Kirishima struggles to decipher exactly what's happening, but soon enough, he watches the black shoulder of his boyfriend's binder slip into view when their shirt collar drifts. Hm.
    "Uhm, kiddo, is there something you need to tell me?" Eijirou prompts. Bakugo avoids his gaze, choosing instead to shake Sparky about, and act oblivious.
     "Nu-uh." They say through their paci. Reluctantly, Eijirou grabs his phone and searches up how long someone's able to safely wear a binder. He bites his lip to stop himself from groaning at the search result. Bakugo had definitely been wearing theirs too long.

   "Baby, you haven't taken your binder off, have you?" Kirishima says, providing the boy a final chance to own up. Instead, the little pouts, turning away from him. They squeeze Sparky to their chest.
    "Nu-uh, go away." Bakugo huffs back. It's admittedly funny when Katsuki gets attitude in littlespace, yet Eijirou is equally irritated. Bakugo is still his typical stubborn self, refusing to partake in self-care, which just means Kirishima has to force him.
    "Oh, dude, seriously." Eijirou sighs, taking Katsuki into his lap and ruffling his hair "I know you're lying, kiddo, I'm not that stupid." Bakugo crosses his arms, and glowers back. This may be unpleasantly difficult…

    "Don't wanna take my binder off!" Katsuki whines, wriggling in Eijirou's grasp.
    "You have to. You're going to harm your body, baby." He argues back. He's trying to be patient, but Katsuki only seems to be getting more aggravated. They kick, and shove Kiri's face back, their own face becoming rosy. Eijirou flinches, feeling Bakugo's elbow dig into his chest.
    "Don't wanna! Can't make me!" They snap, little voice heightening. All they understand about the situation is that Daddy wants them to take off one of the only things they can wear that makes them feel even a tiny bit better. Sure, it's starting to hurt a bit but…
   "Katsuki…" Kiri says, getting stern with his tone now. "Kiddo, you have to listen to me. Go take your binder off. Then we can cuddle. How does that sound?" This bribe fails to subdue Bakugo, and their lip wobbles, digging their nails into Sparky, and holding the dragon in front of them like a shield. They couldn't help but feel that Daddy's being awfully cruel about this; as if Kirishima's undermining their masculinity. It reminds them of every time they'd asked to wear boy's clothes, and their mother would roll her eyes and begrudgingly allow it, prefacing every outfit with a "Once you get out of this phase, the boys are going to love you", or "Well, I can already guess what bra size you'll be, you're going to look just like Mommy." A set of lines that nested forever in Katsuki's head like disgusting weeds. Because he's just not a girl. He was never a girl.

    "But if I take it off, I won't look like a boy anymore." Bakugo whimpers, balling their fists, and clumsily rubbing their eyes. This causes Kirishima to pause. He takes a deep breath. He doesn't understand what it must be like for Katsuki; Eijirou has never had to deal with being in a body that doesn't conform with what you feel you should truly look like. And it clearly means a lot to his boyfriend, but they can't wear it for such a long time…
    "Oh, that's actually what you think, dude?" His voice softens, and he takes one of Bakugo's bunched up fists, stroking it til the boy's hand unfurls, and he gently calms down. "Baby, you're still a boy even if you take your binder off." Kirishima runs his finger round their palm. Their eyes are poisoned with grief, and it really starts to sink in for Eijirou just how much pain his boyfriend feels about his body. And that hurts. It hurts to know someone he loves so much is hurting this badly. "Baby, I promise you, you're the most handsome, most manly, and cool boy I've ever met. Binder or no binder, flat chest, or no flat chest, you're always going to be my handsome, lovely, Katsuki." He says. "You're my baby boy, and my awesome boyfriend, and I know it must really suck being in a body that doesn't feel right." He keeps his voice low, and sweet, even as tears start dripping off Katsuki's face as they clamber into his lap, and bury their face into his neck.

   "Oh, baby, it's okay." Kiri hushes him, rubbing their back. They sniffle, and hiccup periodically, finally peering up at him through teary eyes.
    "I… I'll take it off now." They pull away, and Eijirou nods, turning around to give them some privacy. He picks up Katsuki's abandoned pacifier from the pillow and once the boy returns, Kirishima places it back in his mouth.
    "That's my good boy. Come on, Daddy wants another cuddle." Is enough to lure Bakugo back into Kiri's arms, allowing his hair to be played with, and forehead to be kissed. Daddy was good with words, and little Katsuki didn't know how, but it was impressive, and comforting. Bakugo sucks his pacifier, and sleepily rests against his boyfriend's chest, hearing the rhythm of his heartbeat.
    "I'm a boy…" They mumble, a small smile creeping onto their face. Eijirou's fingers weave through their blonde hair as he replies: "Yes, the best boy in the world."
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A/N: ah sorry this is a bit late, I completely lost track of time! Anyway more Trans Baku content since I thought it'd be appropriate :)