Chapter Text
Ch 1
By the time he reached the front door of his home, hand-in-hand with his sister, Hitoshi could tell he was slipping. Not far, only a few years. The feelings were similar to the first few weeks he’d spent here, getting used to his new parents. Maybe he was fifteen… That sounded right. Not so young that he couldn’t look after his sibling, but still too young to be entirely at ease doing so. It was lucky, really, that Eri had grown bored with the skate rink so quickly. This way, he could relax until it passed, safe in the knowledge that they were home with at least one of their fathers nearby, should Eri need anything.
The moment the door was unlocked, the younger of the pair immediately barrelled off to “go jump on Papa”, as she’d planned. When they had embarked on their outing, the older man had been snoring away on the couch in his office. Hitoshi had been the one to suggest that he and Eri go out, to let Papa sleep in on his day off. Eri, while slightly perturbed that she couldn’t go and wake their father immediately, had agreed on the condition that she would be allowed to do so the second they returned.
It was only 10 o’clock, but Yamada normally woke up closer to 4 am. Surely, he would be up already. As his excitable little sister ascended the stairs, Hitoshi engaged the security system and wandered into the living room before dropping heavily onto the sofa. He only needed to sit in silence for a while, clear his head. Nothing was even happening. No one was in danger, no one was upset, everything was fine . So, why was he slipping?
This was supposed to be something he grew out of. Shinsou hadn't regressed for months now. At first, even when he tried regressing alone in his free time, he’d found it hard to slip, which led him to the conclusion that the phase had finally ended. Hitoshi had regrettably let that theory turn into hope. He began pushing away any thoughts that might have led him to regress in the past, put away his little things, and overall tried to ignore them when the familiar feelings began rearing their ugly heads. He’d felt a bit in-between headspaces a few times this past week, having to work extra hard to keep it at bay.
During his most recent verbal shutdown, which had taken place on the morning of his birthday, he’d almost slipped. Feeling his dad hug him tightly, and watching his papa slowly signing to him… It all just started to creep up on Shinsou. They were late, and he couldn’t talk, and Papa was asking questions, the answers to which he couldn’t articulate. Eri was upset, but they were comforting him . He’d been fine. Nothing had been bothering him. He’d just woken up and… turned eighteen.
Aizawa and Yamada took Hitoshi in three years ago. At the time and ever since, the couple assured him that he would always have a place here, and that he didn't have to worry about being thrown out the moment he became a legal adult. There was always a part of Hitoshi that didn't believe them. They never gave him a reason not to believe them, but it was hard to shake.
When he was twelve, Shinsou overheard his case worker saying that most foster kids his age would go on to “age out” of the system, never being adopted and having to “self-acclimate” to adulthood virtually all on their own. Going through three placements after that crushing news didn't reassure him. The parents at the house he’d been in just before Dad and Pops started fostering him had been encouraging Shinsou to find part-time work; to start looking at places he’d like to live once he turned eighteen. It was obvious that he wouldn't be a permanent member of that family.
Shinsou didn't have to worry about work now; he had a spot lined up for him at his dad’s hero agency after graduation. The Erasure Hero constantly referred to Shinsou as his protege. He’d been mentoring the younger man since before he ever joined the hero course at school. Aiawa was patient and kind and loving, in his own way.
So too was his Pops, the Voice Hero Present Mic. He went to the trouble of helping Hitoshi become fluent in sign, which was a great help, and was always so patient if the younger man were ever having a bad day. The chattier of the couple had assured Shinsou time and time again that if the offer from Dad’s company ever fell through, he’d pull every string he could grab with his own agency.
Hitoshi always told them both that he would prefer to get any offers on his own merit, though. Luckily, his dad’s agency made him an offer without any input on Aizawa’s part.
His parents had even reassured him, without prompting, on his birthday, that they wanted him to stay until he was ready to go. Not until he was settled with his job, not until Eri was old enough to look after herself, but until he was ready .
Still, Hitoshi never got rid of those listings for apartments and addresses of cheap hostels he cut from newspapers or printed out at the library. None of them were still available, he was sure, but it made him feel better knowing that he had a starting point, just in case.
“Toshi! I can’t find Papa!”
Eri’s voice jolted Shinsou from his thoughts. He saw her a moment later, her eyes welling and her lower lip trembling. All of a sudden, Hitoshi felt smaller. Not by much, but enough to be concerning. Eri could be difficult to calm down these days. Shinsou had overheard their parents talking about separation anxiety some days ago. The younger man concluded at the time that they must have been talking about his sister. It made sense that she would be anxious without Dad and Pops around. It was scary to be without the only safe grown-ups you’ve ever known.
“Did you look everywhere?” Hitoshi leaned forward, holding out his arms to hug the nine-year-old.
Immediately, Eri took advantage of the offer, landing in her brother's lap with a soft, “oof”. After a few sniffles, she spoke up. “All over! I looked in their room, and the office, and my room, and your room, and the whole downstairs!”
Hitoshi patted her head, trying to focus on being big. He had to be. He was the only grown-up here, he had to be big. Steeling himself, Hitoshi reached into his pocket and fished out his phone. “Let's call Pops, okay? He probably went out for a bit, nothing to worry about.”
Eri's frantic nodding pushed him forward. Shinsou selected his father's contact and listened for a ring. Unfortunately, Yamada’s phone must have been off. The vivacious sound of his well-rehearsed voicemail message came through the speakers, drawing out a gut-wrenching sob from Eri. Hitoshi grimaced. That meant Pops was out on duty, or there was some kind of emergency, and Eri clearly knew that…
“Hey, it's okay.” Hitoshi soothed, “He probably just got called into work. You wanna call Dad?”
Another nod, this time tracking tears over Hitoshi’s shoulder. The poor kid. Shinsou drew in a long breath before tapping Aizawa’s picture. Worse yet, the dial tone droned on and on for what felt like hours before the generic voicemail message played, only “Aizawa Shota” in his dad’s voice. Eri's grip tightened on his shirt. Hitoshi felt too warm out of nowhere, and he swore he felt his heart skip a beat before it began pounding away in his chest.
“Dad doesn't like talking on the phone if he's driving…” Shinsou thought aloud, partially to soothe Eri and partially to convince himself. “He was taking one of my classmates to see a counselor today. He’s probably driving home right now.” Hitoshi felt Eri’s head shaking. This wasn’t good. He had to do something, and quickly. “Daddy and Papa will be home before you know it, okay? Do you want to read a book, or watch TV? If we’re doing something, time will go faster. You won’t even notice.”
Eri sniffled, trying a few times to speak before Shinsou stopped her, helping her through the same breathing exercises Dad would. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t help his quickening breaths, as well. Eventually, she was calm enough to speak again. “TV?” the younger requested, still hiccuping.
Hitoshi nodded straight away, smiling despite his nerves. He reached over to the end table, grabbed the remote control, and went about looking for something suitable. It wasn’t long before Eri piped up again. “What happens if they don’t come back?”
Because he could feel his sister’s eyes on him, Shinsou did his best to school his expression. He felt light-headed. “They will come back. They always do.” he reassured her. Luckily, his voice didn’t waver. If anything, Hitoshi thought belatedly, he sounded a bit too casual. Eri was still upset, after all.
“What happens if they don’t? ” Eri pressed. Her voice cracked once again, prompting her older brother to curse himself rather colorfully in his head.
Shinsou drew in a steadying breath. He rushed to reassure her, not even thinking about what he said, “I promise, they will come back. If they don’t, and they will , I’ll be right here, and I’ll never go away. Deal?” Hitoshi held up a pinky, with which his little sister hesitantly locked hers. She appeared to be relaxing, just a little. Shinsou took another deep breath before he continued, “Let’s make a plan, okay? First, we’ll sit here and watch some TV. Then, we’ll feed the cats. Then, I’ll make you lunch. After that, if Dad and Pops aren’t home yet, or we haven’t heard from them, we’ll call them again. That okay?”
With one final sniff, and an adorably determined nod, Eri replied, “TV, then feed the kitties, then lunch, then we call Daddy and Papa.” she summarized.
“Sounds like a plan.” Hitoshi wiped away the straggling tears from his sister’s face with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He quickly changed the subject, lest Eri start thinking of more ‘what happens if’ questions. “How about we watch this one? It’s about a family of dogs.”
***
Kirishima made it back to the dorms in record time, only to be slightly disappointed by the absence of his boyfriend. A text message later, and the redhead learned that Katsuki was out in the field to the east of the school, training. He would be back in a few hours, or once he perfected this new move, whichever came first. Kiri was glad he hadn’t just been waiting around all morning. Bakugou had a habit of ruminating, which often only led to stress and upset on the blond’s part.
Now armed with an unforeseen amount of free time, Kirishima found himself still craving company. He could go and find Mina; she and the girls weren’t far from the dormitory. However, it was a bit too big a group for how he was feeling. Maybe Kaminari was free, or Sero? Kiri hadn’t had the time to talk to either of the night-owls before he left this morning. The redhead opened his phone and created a group thread with himself and the pair, leaning on his boyfriend’s door as he did so.
YOU: hey guys i just got back to campus
YOU: either of you wanna hang out?
Denki: YES
Hanta: Dude were hav u been??
Kirishima snorted a laugh as the two messages came through, virtually at the same time. Dorks. Had they really missed him that much? The redhead couldn’t imagine either of his companions had even been awake for very long.
YOU: i had an appointment early today so i missed breakfast
YOU: im at the dorms now
Denki: We’re in the TV room, Deku let us borrow one of his All Might card games. It’ll be way more fun with three people!
Hanta: Ok ouch
Hanta: Wat more can i giv u denks??
YOU: lol okay
YOU: ill be there in a sec
In no time at all, Kirishima found his way to the TV room where he was greeted by the smiling faces of his bros. Both of them were holding cards, Denki with a significantly higher number than Hanta.
Hanta was the first to speak. “Hey dude! You okay? Bakugou just told me to mind my business when I asked where you were. We thought you disappeared.”
Kirishima nodded, taking a seat on the floor near them, which formed a neat circle around the deck of cards. “I’m good, just had to wake up super early this morning. I thought you guys would still be in bed by the time I got back.”
“What kind of appointment was it? Something with Fat Gum?” Denki asked as he dealt cards from the deck to Kiri.
Eijiro paused. He’d briefly considered keeping it a secret that he was attending therapy, but had quickly determined that he didn’t want another secret to carry around. The redhead shrugged, attempting a casual tone as he replied. “I’m doing therapy now; it was my first session today.”
A beat of silence went by before Sero blinked, then spoke up. “Oh, good for you man.” Hanta’s smile was… not strained, but he looked surprised at the news. He appeared to be carefully considering what to say next when Denki interrupted, gracefully.
“Are you doing okay?” The blond asked, seemingly having entirely missed Sero’s congratulations. That would happen, from time to time. If Denki got caught up thinking, he would lag behind an ongoing conversation, leading to backtracking or the occasional faux pas, this moment being a shining example. It was almost funny, the juxtaposition of Hanta slightly awkwardly mirroring Kirishima’s attitude and Denki’s outright worry and befuddlement.
With a nervous chuckle, Kirishima replied, “No, yeah, I’m doing fine. It’s funny you mentioned Fat Gum, actually. He’s always told me and Amajiki that it’s important to talk to professionals when you’re a Pro Hero. Just to keep everything in check, with y’know, the nature of the job. My moms thought it was a good idea, too.” The redhead almost wanted to pat himself on the back for how skillfully he danced around the whole truth.
Denki let out a very relieved-sounding sigh, his shoulders dropping as he exhaled. “Good, I’m glad you’re okay. You know you can talk to us, too, if anything’s ever bothering you.”
Hanta, who appeared to have been mulling over Kirishima’s explanation, piped up at that. “Yeah dude, totally. Obviously, like, still go to therapy, but we’re here for you.”
“Thanks guys,” Kirishima grinned, doing his best to hide his lingering discomfort. He knew he could talk to his friends if anything was ever bothering him; he knew they were there for him. There were some things he could and would talk to them about. Just not the thing he was actually seeing his therapist for…
Evidently having realized the shift in the room’s energy, Denki quickly went on to explain their card game to Kirishima. It was a go-fish style game, with the pairs being All Might’s signature SMASH! moves, each one named after a state in the US.
The trio got through several rounds, interlaced with conversation about school and work. Hanta mentioned furthering his education while working at his hero agency part-time after graduation. Denki agreed enthusiastically, citing that rent near Musutafu University would be cheaper if some members of the squad could move in together. Kirishima shrugged off the idea of university. He’d rather learn a trade in his spare time, as a fallback. Probably something wherein he could still help the general public. Kirishima couldn’t imagine doing anything other than being a Hero, but one should always have a backup plan.
About an hour and a half in, the men had already cobbled together a semi-healthy lunch and continued with an increasingly competitive round of the unfortunately named “Go-Smash”. Hanta and Denki were neck and neck, with Kirishima trailing quite a bit behind. The redhead had longsince made peace with his inevitable defeat and had just been enjoying his friends’ lighthearted trash-talk.
“Dude, you’re so gonna lose this round. I can feel it in my bones .”
“Yeah, yeah. You said that the last three rounds, too.”
“That was different, this time I know for a fact that--”
The sound of Denki’s phone ringing cut him off. The blond looked at the screen and immediately picked up with a wide grin. “Hey, you. What’s up, I thought you and your sister were going to the skate rink today?”
Kirishima shared a sly look with Sero, the pair of them preparing to tease Kaminari about his boyfriend calling him. Hanta’s lips were already puckered and his hands clasped dramatically by the time either of them noticed Denki’s expression changing. First surprise, then concern, then, after a pause, a fond smile.
As these changes came about, Kiri and Hanta abandoned their previous objective. Luckily, the pair didn’t have to sit in silence for very long. “Yeah, totally, I don’t mind at all. I’m just hanging out at the dorms today. Should I plan for a sleepover?”
Hanta looked at Kirishima, who answered the question in his eyes with a short shrug. Denki wasn’t looking at them. His eyes darted around, like they did when he was trying to work something out in his head.
A moment later, he spoke again, with more cheer in his voice. “Okay, give me twenty minutes-- er, better make it half an hour. I’m gonna walk it this time, the train to your place is rerouted… Really, don’t worry about it. I’m excited to see you and the munchkin… Okay. I love you. Bye.”
The second he hung the phone up, Denki laid his cards face-up on the floor. “Sero wins. I gotta go.” The blond was up and heading towards the door when Kirishima interrupted him.
“Hey, wait. Is he alright dude?” Kiri asked. Hanta nodded as if to second the question. As much as Kirishima knew Denki loved Shinsou, the blond’s urgency seemed just the smallest bit misplaced. Had something happened? If anything had happened, it was probably none of Kiri or Sero’s business, but if it were serious enough, neither of them would have a problem with it becoming their business.
“He’s good.” Denki reassured quickly; only then did he seem to notice his bag still lying on the couch. He jogged over to grab it while explaining. “He’s watching his sister today while his parents are out. She’s got pretty bad separation anxiety. She knows me pretty well by now, and Toshi wants someone else around so she feels safer. Plus, y’know, he’s totally into me and wants me to sleep over at his house, no big deal.”
“ Aww ,” Hanta crooned, his tone jeering but his face showing slight relief.
“Let us know how it goes.” Kirishima teased. He was certain that his face was much louder than Sero’s, mirroring the other man’s sentiment.
“Totally. And when I get back, I want a rematch!” Denki snickered.
***
Denki jogged most of his journey. Partially for the sake of reaching his destination quicker, and partially to burn off a bit of his excitement. To an outsider, Kaminari’s giddy attitude might have looked strange. After all, his boyfriend had just called him in for help babysitting his distraught kid sister because their Pro Hero parents were late coming home, and both of their phones were off. That would make anyone feel a bit anxious, right? However, to the blond’s mind, there was nothing that could be a better sign.
Eraserhead and Present Mic were known to dip off for a date or run errands together every now and again, something Hitoshi was well aware of. He had told Denki about their occasional rendezvous, which normally resulted in Hitoshi babysitting. With those occasions, and the usually hectic schedule the couple kept, a few hours without being able to get in touch with them was nothing to worry about, in Hitoshi’s own words. It was normally something Shinsou handled easily, filling the role of the dependable older brother perfectly while his parents were out.
Today, though, it was sort of getting to him. Eri was crying again after Shinsou tried calling their parents, to no response. He’d called Denki in a fit of desperation, his voice cracking with the effort of speaking, and asked him if he would be able to come over for a while. That wasn’t the good part; that part made Denki’s chest ache. The good part came towards the end of Hitoshi’s explanation.
He’d lowered his voice, as if Eri could hear him talking in his bedroom from downstairs, and admitted, “I’m kind of… small, right now. Not by a lot, but I’m worried that if Eri gets upset again, I won’t be able to handle it by myself. I don’t want to scare her more.”
In the three years since they’d become friends, and moreover, the last few months they’d been together officially, Shinsou had only regressed in front of Kaminari twice .
The first time, Shinsou avoided the blond at any cost for weeks following the incident. When the awkward period ended, Denki got a thorough explanation, complete with a PowerPoint presentation that Toshi said his pops had made. He’d begged Denki not to tell anyone, and assured him they’d never have to talk again if he didn’t want to. It was heartwrenching. Since then, Kaminari had made it his mission to reassure Shinsou at every turn. He studied age regression with more fervor than he ever did trying to pass trigonometry, dropped what he hoped were subtle positive comments, and gave Hitoshi gifts that were just “little” enough to be fun, but still “big” enough to avoid embarrassing the regressor.
The second time was much better. It was about six months ago, just a few weeks before the day Kaminari declared his feelings for the other man, very suavely, in the second-floor men’s room at the mall.
The pair had been alone in Hitoshi’s home, talking about their internships. He’d seemed on edge the entire day prior. Denki had begun noticing a shift in Toshi’s behavior, a sort of glazed-over look in his eyes. It was a similar expression to the one he wore that first time. When the blond drew attention to it, Shinsou lost his voice entirely. Again, not the good part. Instead, the good part was watching Toshi’s face light up as Denki suggested they read a book together.
He was nervous, at first. Kaminari was good with kids, having babysat his smaller cousins since he was old enough to hold them, but he wasn’t sure if that skill would translate. It did, though, beautifully. The blond had never heard his boyfriend giggle so brightly, never seen him so relaxed and content.
Denki had recently found himself wishing it would happen again. Hitoshi had become a bit more relaxed regarding the topic since the positive experience, though he still insisted it was something he didn’t do very often. Denki wasn’t sure if he didn’t believe his boyfriend or just hoped he was only being shy. Toshi held a lot of shame over regressing, Denki could tell, so it wouldn’t surprise the blond if he were just regressing on his own and not talking about it.
He’d told Denki once that his fathers knew about it, that he was in therapy, and he had it under control. Kaminari had started to think Shinsou might just be one of those littles who like to be alone-- which was fine! Denki just wished, perhaps a bit selfishly, that he could take care of little Toshi more often.
Today was his
chance
. Better yet, Hitoshi felt safe enough to admit, out loud, to Denki, that he was feeling small.
Small
. Damn, was that ever precious. Usually, the taller man preferred to use the word “regressed” if he spoke of it at all, which happened very rarely. Maybe he was feeling smaller than he’d let on… Denki sped up his pace unconsciously at the thought.