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Gakupo watches, quietly, as Kaito bounces around with the Kagamines happily, the trio joking around and laughing. He seemed so happy, but something about that doesn’t really line up to Gakupo.
Kaito’s been abnormally quiet these past few days. He talks and jokes with Gakupo mostly as normal, but there’s something very off. He’s quieter, more shy. Hasn’t regressed in a while. Plus, he seems a little more low energy than the usual Kaito that he knows so well.
It only takes so long for Gakupo to get sick of Kaito ever so delicately skirting around him, evading questions and hiding behind that smile that seems fake in such a subtle way that it’s almost invisible.
“Hey, Kaito!” Gakupo calls, walking over to Kaito once everyone is at home and once again having their post-tour party at the Vocaloid mansion. The bright grin that Kaito gives the samurai is the most real one Gakupo’s seen on his face in quite a while, if he’s honest. And something about that fact makes him upset.
“Hi, Gakupo!” Kaito greets, giggling along as Meiko wheezes something into his shoulder, shaking with laughter. He moves his hand to pat her back softly, reassuring her as she recovers from her laughing fit.
“Can you come with me for a moment? I want to talk to you about something.” The samurai says, so sweetly innocent with that warm smile on his face, and Kaito falls right into the trap.
“Oh, sure! See you later, Mei.” Kaito chirps, and he gets up, walking after Gakupo with a warm, happy expression lingering on his face as he follows.
Gakupo led them to Kaito’s room, holding the door open for Kaito and shutting it behind them. Kaito takes up a seat on the bed, and Gakupo does the same, sitting at Kaito’s side.
“Kaito… is everything okay? You’ve been acting really off as of late.” Gakupo said after a moment of hesitant silence.
Blinking, Kaito turns to look at Gakupo. He looks so innocent, so confused, but Gakupo knows he’s right. He knows something is up.
“What do you mean?” Kaito asks, and Gakupo gives him an unimpressed look.
“Do you just not want to talk about it?” He prods gently, and Kaito just keeps looking confused, though one of his legs is starting to bounce, a sign of anxiety.
“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kaito lightly argues back, though he breaks eye contact, turning to look around his room, making his leg still. That alone isn’t much to go off of, though. Kaito hates eye contact.
Gakupo gently slipped his hand over Kaito’s, tangling their fingers together, as he pressed more.
“Kaito, I’m really worried about you. I want to know what’s going on.” He insisted firmly, earning himself a light glare as Kaito turned his head ever so slightly.
“I’m fine, Gakupo,” Kaito said, a mild edge to his voice at this point. “Please, you’re digging into this too much. I’m okay.”
“No you aren’t,” Gakupo murmured, and lifted Kaito’s knuckles to his mouth, kissing them softly, watching his face intently, a small frown curving his mouth as he sees surprise flicker across Kaito’s face.
“Say I’m not, then,” Kaito sighs, rolling his eyes a little. “What are you seeing that makes you think something is wrong?”
“You’re avoiding regressing.” Gakupo replies. Kaito’s hand twitches in his grasp, and his leg is slowly starting to bounce again. But the samurai keeps going. “You’re more low energy. You’re starting to slouch again. Your smiles don’t seem to reach your eyes anymore. Something is very much wrong.”
By the time Gakupo has listed all that off, Kaito’s leg is bouncing furiously, he’s gripping Gakupo’s hand tightly, and his head is bowed.
“You’re right.” Kaito whispers, voice cracking. “Something’s wrong.”
“Talk to me, baby.” Gakupo murmurs worriedly, wrapping an arm around Kaito and pulling him close, relieved that Kaito allows himself to relax.
“I… feel like I’ve been regressing too much. And I didn’t want to burden anyone since we were on tour. And I didn’t want to regress ‘cause I know I’m just too needy and annoying when I regress, so I didn’t wanna. I know you’re gonna say ‘m not too needy or annoying or a burden but I don’t wanna be right and have you think that stuff about me, ‘cause- ‘cause-.” Kaito poured out, voice slowly changing as he started to regress while venting, before his voice broke and he started to cry softly, hiccuping.
Gakupo shushed him gently, gathering Kaito closer, starting to rock him slowly.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” He reassured quietly. “You’re not too much. You’re not too much. You’re perfect as you are.”
Kaito let out a low, half-muffled wail into Gakupo’s chest, clinging to him as he sobbed himself out. The poor thing must have had a lot pent up, because the blue haired singer cried for a good three minutes straight before his cries started tapering off. But that didn’t matter to Gakupo, who just kept holding him.
“All cried out, little one?” Gakupo asked once Kaito stopped sobbing and was left with slow, occasionally stuttering breaths.
Kaito nodded, mumbling a weak little “uh huh” into Gakupo’s shoulder as he cuddled closer to the samurai.
“Okay. Let’s get changed, and then cuddle, yeah?” Gakupo murmured, and gently stood Kaito up to help him change out of the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing. Kaito couldn’t possibly be comfortable in that while regressed.
With Kaito changed into a pair of pajama pants and a soft long sleeve, and Gakupo wearing sweats and a tee, they crawled into bed together, Gakupo holding his arms open for Kaito to slot himself into. And Kaito, being, well, Kaito, gladly snuggled into Gakupo’s arms, curling close and burying his face into the samurai’s shirt, draping an arm over his side.
“Good?” Gakupo asked quietly. And once Kaito nodded against him, Gakupo smiled, and started to sing his boy to sleep. Safe and warm, happy and little, once again.