#agere inui ryou

[paper--moons]

Flip!Yamada and Regressor!Aizawa Headcanons

(with CG!Inui)

Before the war, things weren't perfect, but they had a handle on them. Shouta could regress as needed with Hizashi keeping an eye on him, or they could regress together on the rarer occasions that Hizashi also felt small with Nemuri dropping in to keep an eye on both boys. After the war though, when everything has gone to hell? Both are so broken; there's no way around it. There are so many pieces to pick up, perhaps even too many for them to do alone. They have lost the people closest to them and things are different not just on a personal level, but on an institutional scale as well as society itself rebuilds. Big changes are happening all around them, and in spite of having one another it is still difficult to move forwards with the pain that is still quite raw. New wounds and old wounds alike are equally tender, and neither Shouta nor Hizashi feel like they have enough time to pour into the other like they want. Of course this doesn't stop them from trying, but it doesn't halt the grief and loss that seems ever-present in the quiet chaos of the post-war world. There is also a noticeable shift in their regression dynamic as well, with Hizashi needing more time being smaller than he did before. His age seems to drop closer to Shouta's too, another difference that presents challenges when more often than not one's regression now triggers the other's. Though Hizashi is clearly fighting slipping so small—Shouta cannot help but remember how during the...could it even be called an altercation? with Kurogiri that Hizashi had cried, how he had denied he was crying because he was supposed to be a grown man. Shouta didn't realize to the full extent that Hizashi was hurting, but that moment sits with him heavily long after it happens. So heavily, in fact, that Shouta makes a big decision about something that neither of them necessarily like but almost definitely need.

It isn't exactly couple's therapy. Not in the traditional sense, since they aren't having difficulties in their romantic relationship, at least nothing outside of what is healthy. More like...joint counseling concerning their regression and past traumas made fresh again. Doing it together will hold them accountable enough that they actually have to go, or so Shouta had claimed with a sigh. Hizashi is annoyed by such a betrayal, but Shouta assures him he's just as annoyed with himself for not being able to help more. Neither of them are big fans of the concept of getting a third party involved (unless that third party is their big sis, but she isn't around anymore and neither of them want to acknowledge that yet). So they sit impatiently and wait outside of Hound Dog's office despite not wanting to be there, bickering like the children they so often feel like and kicking each other's feet as they argue (which Shouta says is no fair, until Hizashi kicks his metal foot by mistake and winces). It is about that time that Ryou comes to get them, looking utterly unimpressed with their "game" and ushering them into his office. He doesn't exactly specialize in adults, but he cares about their mental health (and it's clear enough that these two fall within his usual domain). The initial session is something that he is prepared for being slow-going based on the short talk he had with Shouta beforehand. It turns out that it's like pulling teeth though—Shouta isn't talkative at the best of times but seems to be trying, his responses coming out awkward yet blunt, whereas Hizashi who is well-known for his loud mouth is suddenly tight-lipped and pouting as he looks pointedly out the window. To call it hesitancy would be generous, as it is closer to outright stubbornness. It's only when Shouta starts struggling with his own answers that Hizashi interjects, making it clear that in order to get him to open up he needs to feel like he is helping someone other than himself.

They work through a few sessions just discussing their regression before Ryou asks if they might allow him to interact with their smaller sides. Not that there haven't been close encounters of the baby kind in the teacher's lounge and dorms before by accident, but for what they are asking of him he needs a more prolonged interaction. Which leads to them making arrangements for aiming to have a regression day in a week's time. A week should be long enough to get used to the idea, but talking about regression is one thing and doing it is another thing entirely. Not that they haven't been middlespacing around Ryou since day one, but this is different. It's difficult . Neither of them are too keen on the idea at first, despite knowing it is something they need to do. It's scary. Letting someone else into that private little world is always nerve-wracking. So maybe they do a bit of scheming. Only one of them will regress and test the waters. It's the perfect plan! Hizashi of course voluntells Shouta that he can be the one to slip all the way first since this whole situation was his idea to begin with. The "suggestion" is punctuated by him sticking his tongue out in a childish fit of pique; Shouta only rolls his eye at the display, but agrees nonetheless. And as planned, the next time they arrive at Ryou's office Shouta is noticeably small, hiding behind Hizashi shyly even as their hands remained clasped together. Like Hizashi, he finds it all too easy—too tempting—to slip small these days. Unlike Hizashi however, his regression itself seems largely unchanged. He still hovers somewhere around two, occupying a nebulous toddlerspace that often dips into babyspace. Like a little spark of electricity, a zap of baby hits them both at the same time. They can't help but notice how nice the space is set up just for them, how Ryou made sure to dress casually in anticipation for tiny tykes that might find his hero costume too much. And Hizashi feels his resolve waver as they enter the office.

Ryou shouldn't really be surprised that they went with a split approach in spite of what they discussed, though he does wish that they had just told him ahead of time. Still, he doesn't give up hope that Hizashi will ease into it. So he is sure to remain patient, and instead encourages Shouta to show him the little backpack of stuff he brought while they give Hizashi a chance to settle in. The contents are about what he expected: a couple of pacifiers, some coloring books, a box of jumbo crayons, and the boy's favorite stuffie. It doesn't go past his notice how Hizashi reacts when something of his is pulled out; apparently Shouta had packed Pompompurin so Chococat wouldn't get lonely, but the hopeful look he gives Hizashi as he passes the stuffie to him tells of a motive beyond that. It's subtle, but there's a crack in the wall he has thrown up when he takes the toy with a tentative smile. Hizashi takes longer to slip down, having committed to staying big that day. But it's a slippery slope from I'm a grown man to I'm a big boy, especially when he's got his playmate waiting on him. The problem isn't in the slipping, it's in the intensity; Hizashi is used to landing somewhere around five on the regression scale, only now he finds himself on Shouta's level and it feels weird. Feels like he should still be big enough to keep an eye on him, not be just as tiny and in need of a watchful eye. In need of help too, as he isn't used to the little things about being littler—like the way he spills juice all down his front because suddenly he is too small for a big kid cup. His frustration that Ryou was cautioned about becomes clear rather quickly as he scrubs at his eyes and fusses over what is really a mild inconvenience. Ryou knows what it is like to get frustrated, to have outbursts—so he recognizes when Hizashi's emotions start to get too big, that these new bouts of frustration are spawned from the worry that those feelings are too much for other people, and those feelings are only piling up.

The session concludes somewhat uneventfully all things considered. Hizashi had a few minor tantrums that were accounted for and carefully de-escalated, and Shouta only tried to chew on a crayon one time until he was successfully distracted by his paci. Though he was more withdrawn than he used to be based on their self-reports (self-reports that they did for each other because they are little shits who would have downplayed or outright lied on their own), which is saying something. Ryou had picked up on the way he would look up at him when he thought he wasn’t paying attention, eye wide and innocent with something akin to want. Not to mention there was the obvious separation anxiety between the two. During the entirety of the session there wasn't once where they were more than three feet apart while they were regressed, and even after they started to come back up that closeness was maintained. Ryou certainly has his work cut out for him, given that neither of the boys have ever really gone through counseling like they should have—the pair having gone to a combined grand total of five sessions since their second year at UA. But with all the other responsibilities they all have to try to fix society after the war, it is nice getting to work with cute tots like them. If nothing else it reminds him that things can get better for them all, as long as they are given the proper support. And support they shall have! Because until they can settle on a babysitter, Ryou has put the rest of the UA staff on baby alert. Meaning that he sends out a sort of blanket email to everyone advising that if they come across any of their fellow staff members while they are regressed to move forward accordingly, or find someone else who may be better suited to help out. Names weren't given, but giving names wasn't necessary. Shouta and Hizashi are, naturally, grumpy about it being broadcasted that they need a babysitter. Perhaps Hizashi moreso, as he whines about how they all don't needta know, says it isn't their business! Only it is their business whether or not him and Shouta are safe—they are heroes too, after all, and that means protecting each other.

While there are a couple potential candidates to act as a caregiver for the boys, it quickly becomes apparent that Ryou is starting to fill that spot. At first, they had considered Taishiro—Shouta's pick, though complications arose around the fact that he isn't a staff member and works out of Osaka. Then they considered Toshinori—Hizashi's pick, and more than just one of convenience. It's hard not to be enamored with the man himself, and the figure of All Might was a big part of their own childhoods as well, which adds to that sense of nostalgia that Hizashi craves. Not to mention Toshinori has wound up keeping an eye on both of them before; the issue with him acting as their primary caregiver essentially boils down to time. He may not be an active hero anymore, but he's playing a major role in overseeing the reconstruction of hero society. Which leaves the boys kind of in the wind for awhile. Try as he might, Hizashi leans more regressor than caregiver these days and Shouta almost always regresses when he does—just another way that they constantly seem to orbit aspects of each other, a part of the universe saying they are inseparable. So while the staff has agreed to take turns and work on establishing some sort of rotation, in the meantime it is left to whoever happens across the tiny heroes. And somehow, nine times out of ten it's Ryou that finds them. Shouta and Hizashi can't decide how it is he knows when they are small and have simply come to accept that he must be some sort of wizard (as is their baby conspiracy discussed in whispers from behind their plushies). In truth, it's because of his senses that are enhanced by his quirk. Most often he knows because he can quite literally smell it on them in the form of baby powder. Or his keen hearing picks up on the sounds of them giggling as they trade back and forth playing with a space helmet and cowboy hat that they've "borrowed".

Somehow it gets to the point where they seek out Ryou for help throughout the day without even thinking about the fact. Never for themselves though! It is either Shouta worrying about Hizashi ignoring the need to be small, or Hizashi worrying about Shouta not taking care of himself—clearly middlespacing as they try to keep it together. They still push themselves, albeit less so as they both begin to allow their new support system to ease into their lives with some hesitancy, afraid that it and the people they care about may be snatched away once again. Unsurprisingly they drop as soon as Ryou reassures them that it's safe to, that they did the right thing coming and finding him. Which means Ryou will have one of the boys toddling behind him while he has to go and toss the other over his shoulder and enforce some much needed small time. It becomes a common sight to see him wrangling the two in such a manner, but it is far from the only common sight this new dynamic brings. Shouta squeezes himself into some small space and camps out somewhere in his sleeping bag? Ryou scoops him up and takes him off to be put in the dorms until he's done with his nap so that his joints won't hurt later. Hizashi has a bad day and gets overwhelmed trying to manage his emotions and starts having a meltdown? Ryou is there to listen, help calm him back down, and remind him that it's okay to cry when he needs to. Before anybody knows it they've got a protective doggy daddy wrapped around their little fingers. Things may not be the same as before and can never be that way again, but that doesn't mean things have to be bad.