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Setsuka and Mikado knew something was up when Hajime, Emma, and Iroha started acting weird.
It wasn’t anything major, pre say. They were sneaking glances at themselves and Nikei, whispering among themselves. They seemed nervous.
What about, that was anyone’s guess.
The only reason Setsuka and Mikado could come up with that could explain VOID’s weird behavior was that they had both started dating Nikei, who was part of their group, and they cared a lot for, therefore it made sense they would be worried when he got into a relationship.
But they had known each other for a while now, and it was glaringly obvious that Setsuka and Mikado would never hurt Nikei.
So what were they concerned about?
The question lingered through their heads during the day, and only intensified when they were both approached by Emma, asking them to come to VOID’s ‘hideout’ later that day.
So now Mikado and Setsuka had arrived and pushed open the door. “Hey, guys!”
“Oh good, you both made it!” Emma said, a bit relieved. She, along with Iroha and Hajime, were waiting there. They seemed a bit restless.
“Of course we made it!” Setsuka said, a bit confused. “Now what’s up? You guys have been acting weird for the past few days!”
“It’s been worrying us for a while.” Mikado added. “What’s going on?”
Emma, Hajime, and Iroha exchanged glances, clearly silently debating about how to tell Setsuka and Hajime about whatever they needed to tell them.
“Have you two noticed anything…” Hajime stopped, searching for the right words, “Off about Nikei?”
Setsuka and Mikado glanced at him quizzically. “No, why? Is something wrong?” Mikado asked, starting to get concerned.
“Not exactly…” Iroha muttered, glancing down at her sketchpad. “Has Nikei done anything that could compare him to a child recently?”
That question confused Mikado and Setsuka even more. “What? No, we haven’t. Why would you ask that?” Setsuka asked.
Hajime, Emma, and Iroha shared another glance.
Finally, Emma spoke up. “Have either of you two heard of age regression before?”
Setsuka nodded. “Yeah, it’s a condition when the brain goes into a younger mindset to cope with something, usually trauma. Why?”
Mikado listened intently during Setsuka’s explanation, and Hajime began rummaging through his bag for something.
“Well, you see…” Iroha said, then trailed off, obviously unsure about how to put her thoughts into words.
“Nikei is an age regressor.” Emma finished it for her.
Setsuka and Mikado stared at her, then each other. “What do you mean by that?” Mikado asked, confused.
“Nikei goes into the mindset of a child, usually 2-5 years old, whenever he needs to cope with his trauma.” Emma explained. “So during that time, he’ll behave like a child would: talking more simply, crawling, playing with stuff, things like that.”
“We’d always have to take care of him back when we were living in the warehouse.” Iroha said. “It was difficult, since Nikei’s adventurous when he’s regressed, and a warehouse isn’t the best place for children.”
“Why did we not know this?” Setsuka questioned. “We’re his partners, we should know so we can help!”
“Well, Nikei’s extremely embarrassed about his regression, and terrified that it’ll get out to the world.” Hajime said, pausing going through his bag before resuming. “We only know because we were living together. He probably thought you’d make fun of him if you knew.”
“Of course we wouldn’t!” Mikado argued. “We’d help take care of him.”
“Nikei doesn’t know that.” Emma said. “That’s why he hasn’t told you yet. But we thought it would be good for you to know, in case he regresses around you guys.”
Setsuka nodded. “Thank you for telling us. It’s important we know these things.”
“Yeah. We should probably tell you what he’s like when he’s regressed though, so that you’re not caught off guard.” Iroha said.
“Or better yet, show you!” Emma exclaimed, before looking over to Hajime. “Hajime, my phone’s right here! Are you blind?”
“I might as well be.” Hajime sighed, and Emma went to unlock her phone while smiling.
“Wait, what do you mean by show?” Mikado asked. “Is our doll regressed right now? Is that what you mean?”
“No, but I once took a video of Nikei when he was regressed!” Emma said happily. “I can show you guys that to help you! Ah, here it is!”
She handed her phone to Setsuka and Mikado, who held it between them and pressed play.
At first the phone was pointed at the wall, and Emma’s giggling could be heard in the background. “Hajime.” She said, “What are you doing?”
Hajime’s sigh was heard off-screen. “Nothing. I’m not doing anything.”
“Are you sure? What are you doing?” Emma asked again, with a hint of laughter in her voice.
Another sigh, harder than the last one was heard. “Fine.” Hajime said. “I’m being used as a human jungle gym.”
The camera turned now, and Hajime was now in frame. He was standing there with an exasperated smile on his face, and Nikei was clinging onto his back, giggling.
“You certainly are!” Emma laughed. “Are you having fun, Nikei?”
“Yeah!” Nikei exclaimed, clinging onto Hajime tighter. “‘Ajime is fun!
Iroha was heard laughing in the distance, and Emma cooed. “Well, Hajime’s having a fun time playing with you!”
“Yay!” Nikei exclaimed, and Hajime’s embarrassed smile grew. Nikei then reached over and grabbed Hajime’s sunglasses, taking them off his face.
“Hey! Nikei, I need those!” Hajime protested, and Nikei laughed, climbed off of Hajime’s back, and ran away, hiding behind a box that was near the wall.
The camera had started shaking a bit, as Emma had joined in with Iroha’s laughter. “Come on guys, help me get those back, I need those!” Hajime said, exasperated.
“Fine, fine!” Iroha giggled. “Nikeiii! Where are you?”
She called that out jokingly, as it was obvious that she knew where Nikei was. However, Nikei didn’t know that, and stuck his head out from behind the box, giggling.
“You’ve got to be somewhere!” Emma called out, still laughing a bit. “Where’s our baby? Where is he?”
Nikei started giggling even more, and he didn’t notice Hajime sneaking up on him until he lifted him up triumphantly. “We found you!”
“Noooo!” Nikei laughed. “Yu foun’ me! Yu foun’ me!”
“Yes we did!” Iroha said. “Now, can you give Hajime his sunglasses back, since we found you?”
“Fine, fine.” Nikei agreed, and Hajime put him down, reaching out his hand to take the sunglasses back. However, instead of handing them to him, Nikei reached up and tried to put the sunglasses back on Hajime’s face.
Emma burst out laughing as that happened, and Nikei stood back proudly. “I ‘ave them back!”
“You did.” Hajime said, wincing as he adjusted his sunglasses.
At that moment Emma tried to get closer but dropped her phone and ended the video.
Setsuka and Mikado couldn’t hold back their smiles and occasional laughter as they watched the video, their hearts nearly exploding from how cute the video was.
“Oh my god, this is adorable!” Setsuka squealed.
“This is really what Nikei acts like when he’s regressed?” Mikado asked. “It really is so cute!”
“I know, right?” Emma agreed. “Little Nikei is just the cutest little thing!”
Hajime smiled, remembering the events of that video, before turning a bit more serious again. “We’re just showing this for when Nikei inevitably regresses in front of you two. When that happens, text or call us, and we'll be over as soon as we can.”
“Got it, but I think we’ll be fine!” Setsuka said. “We can take care of Nikei, don’t you worry!”
“We don’t doubt it, but…” Iroha trailed off on her thought again.
“Little Nikei is extremely cautious of new people.” Emma said. “It took about thirty minutes for him to get used to us when he first regressed, and he kept asking heartbreaking questions.”
“What kind of ‘heartbreaking questions’?” Mikado asked.
“Things like ‘Are you gonna hurt me’?” Hajime sighed. “It’s terrible to hear, and the way he says it is even worse.”
“...How does he say it?” Mikado asked after a moment.
“He says it as if it’s normal. Like if he was asking how to do something.” Iroha answered. “It’s just horrible.”
“Oh god, that is terrible.” Setsuka said. “Thank you for the heads up, we’ll keep that in mind.”
“Okay, that’s good. Just remember to not go up all on him when he first regresses and to let him get used to you in his own time.” Emma said.
“Will do, thank you for telling us about this.” Mikado said.
“Of course, It’s better knowing that you know about this and are able to take care of him.” Hajime said. “Oh, and keep an eye on him when he’s in the kitchen. He has a sweet tooth and will ransack the place to find sweets."
“We learned that the hard way.” Emma sighed with an exhausted smile on her face, clearly remembering that day.
Setsuka chuckled. “Okay, no kitchen without adult supervision. Got it. Really, we’ll be fine. Thank you for telling us.”
“No problem!” Iroha said, relieved and smiling. “It’s good knowing you can handle this!”
VOID quickly left after explaining the signs of Nikei regressing, but Setsuka and Mikado stayed to collect their thoughts for a moment before leaving.
Knowing their boyfriend was an age regressor was a lot to take in, but they could handle it. They knew they could.
Setsuka came into the living room and flopped onto the couch. The TV was already on, and Mikado was watching it while Nikei leaned on him, typing away at his laptop.
“Hey, Setsuka.” Nikei said, looking up. “Tired?”
“You bet.” Setsuka said. “But it’s the kind of exhaustion that goes on and off. I just need a rest, and I’ll be up again in a little bit.”
Mikado raised the arm that wasn’t wrapped around Nikei. “Come over here then, love.” He invited. “You look like you need it.”
“I do, thanks Kado.” Setsuka said gratefully, going onto Mikado’s other side and cuddling up to him. “What are you watching?”
“There’s nothing good on right now, so I’m just watching the news. It could help our doll with any articles that he has to write.” Mikado answered, tilting his head slightly.
“It is helping a bit.” Nikei said, still typing away. “Thanks, Mikado.”
“No need to thank me, doll. Just doing what I can to assist your wonderful articles and even more wonderful you.” Mikado teased.
Nikei flushed red at the praise and didn’t answer, opting to instead hang his head a bit and continue working.
Setsuka laughed, and the three of them stayed in silence for a little while, content with just being near each other. Then the news story came onto TV.
“This just in, a man in Tokyo has been arrested for multiple counts of essentially sexually assaulting children and is rumored to be apart of a trafficking scene. Reports say…”
Nikei froze up when he heard the report, and both Mikado and Setsuka lunged for the remote. Mikado grabbed it first and quickly turned the TV off, and heaved a sigh of relief.
“There. I’m sorry that had to come on, doll…” He started, then turned and actually saw Nikei’s state. “Wha-?”
Nikei lay against the couch limply, eyes slightly glazed over. Mikado grew worried and was about to go over and pick him up to make sure he was okay when Setsuka grabbed his arm.
“Kado, I think he’s regressing!” She said urgently. “Remember? These are signs that Mak explained to us!”
“Sh- shoot, you’re right!” Mikado said. “I’ll text VOID’s group chat, you wait for him to wake up!”
“Hang on, I’ve got a better idea! Text VOID, I’ll be right back!” At those words, Setsuka took off, leaving Mikado to wonder about what she was doing.
He wasn’t able to wonder for long, and he quickly grabbed his phone, opened the group chat, and started texting.
*The VOID Boys (And Girls)*
You’re a wizard, Harry: Nikei is regressing right now! So I’m letting you know, like we promised!
The baby: He is?? Oh no!
Health Mom: Okay, stay calm and introduce yourselves to him carefully. He’ll get used to you in his own time, remember.
Health Mom: Unfortunately, I don’t think any of us can come over right now, but we’ll be there as soon as we can!
Disney Puncess: That’s right! We know you and Setsuka can do it, Mikado!
You’re a wizard, Harry: Thank you all. I must go now and make sure Nikei’s okay. We’ll see you later, then!
The baby: Yep! You and Setsuka got this!
Mikado turned off his phone as Iroha sent her message, and Setsuka re-entered the room quickly. In her hands were Ember, Honey, Spire, Ruby, Camila, Star, and Light, Nikei’s plushies.
She set them down in front of Nikei on the floor, and at Mikado’s quizzical glance, she quickly began explaining. “Nik loves them so much when he’s himself, there’s no doubt he’ll love them when he’s regressed. And even if he doesn’t recognize them, he’ll have something new to play with!”
“Good idea, love!” Mikado said, and took a quick glance at Nikei. “I think he’s waking up!”
“Over here!” Setsuka grabbed both Nikei’s laptop and Mikado’s arm, and led him over to the wall, where they would only be visible if Nikei looked, and placed the laptop on a table. They could give him some time to adjust to the new place and things now.
They watched as Nikei slowly woke up, rubbing his eyes, before realizing that he was sitting on soft cushions and looked down, confused. Then he took in where he was and his eyes lit up in both surprise and confusion.
He looked around a bit, searching for something. “‘Ajime? Em’a? ‘Roha?”
Of course no one answered, and Nikei carefully got down off of the couch and onto his knees, intending to look for them. His thumb had nearly made its way to his mouth, but stopped when Nikei laid eyes on the plushies.
Nikei’s eyes lit up happily, and he let out a squeal of delight, grabbing the plushies and holding them close. “Em’er! Honey! S’ire! Ru’y! Ca’ila! Star! Ligh'!”
Mikado and Setsuka exchanged an affectionate, amused, and also slightly confused look. “How does he know all their names?” Mikado whispered.
“Not sure, I think it’s just something that stayed from his adult mindset.” Setsuka whispered back.
Their attention turned back to Nikei, who was happily cuddling his plushies while smiling excitedly. He looked around the room in a new light, realizing how friendly everything was.
Inevitably, his eyes strayed to where Setsuka and Mikado were, and he froze up, a confused and slightly fearful look on his eyes. He hugged the plushies closer as he watched them cautiously.
Carefully, Setsuka and Mikado made their way over to Nikei, and Setsuka dropped down to eye level. “Hello, Nikei. Do you know who we are?”
Nikei thought for a moment. “Nuh.”
Setsuka nodded, not put out at all, although Mikado looked a bit disappointed. “That’s fine. My name is Setsuka.”
“And I’m Mikado.” Mikado introduced himself, crouching down next to Setsuka. “We’re going to take care of you, okay?”
Nikei looked up at them, still looking confused and fearful. “Where are ‘Ajime, Ema, ‘nd ‘Roha?”
“They’ll be here soon, don’t worry. You’ll see them again.” Setsuka reassured him. “But you’re going to stay with us, alright?"
Nikei tilted his head to one side. “Are yu gonna hurt me, ‘ike Mommy and Daddy?”
That question was like a huge punch to the gut for Setsuka and Mikado. Just like VOID had said, the question was asked completely normally, like it wasn’t so fucked up. And they were confused at the ‘Mommy and Daddy’ part for a second, before realizing that Nikei was talking about his birth parents.
“Of course not, sweetie.” Setsuka said soothingly. “We could never hurt you. We love you, and we're going to take care of you.”
“If anyone tries to hurt you, we’ll protect you.” Mikado said, trying his best to reassure Nikei. “But we can promise you that we wouldn’t even dream of hurting you.”
Nikei looked at them for a moment, then smiled. And that smile shone brighter than the sun. “Otay! I twust yu!”
He reached over and grabbed both of their hands, hugging them close. Setsuka and Mikado were caught off guard for a second, and then their hearts melted and they hugged Nikei back.
“Aw, you’re so cute!” Setsuka cooed. “You’re our baby now! That’s okay with you, right Nik?”
“Yeah!” Nikei said happily. “Me, ‘nd plushies! All of us!”
“Alright then, we can include the plushies as well.” Mikado chuckled. “Are you hungry? We can get you something to eat.”
“Hungy!” Nikei whined, then took a good look at Mikado’s face and clambered up onto his lap, a curious expression on his face.
“Huh? Nikei, what are you- Ow!” Mikado yelped as Nikei suddenly grabbed his cheek and mask and stretched them apart.
“Smwile!” Nikei said. “Yu look sad!”
Mikado winced, and allowed himself to smile with his real face, just long enough for Nikei to be satisfied.
He saw Setsuka laughing and blushing next to him while Nikei nodded with a pleased smile and climbed off his lap. “Now Mika’o happy!”
“Yes, I’m happy.” Mikado said, rubbing his cheek a bit. “Now, what was that about food?”
Nikei perked up. “Food! Le’s go, le’s go!”
He stood up and began pulling Setsuka and Mikado towards the kitchen, and while they were heading there Setsuka turned towards Mikado. “You look so beautiful with your real emotions.”
“Ah, well I would be glad to show more once our baby’s back to our doll.” Mikado answered, a bit flustered from Setsuka’s comment.
Setsuka smiled at that answer, and they arrived at the kitchen. Mikado immediately got to work, and Setsuka picked Nikei up.
“‘E’suka, wha’s Mika’o doing?” Nikei asked.
“He’s cooking food.” Setsuka answered. “Delicious food that you’ll really enjoy.”
Nikei tilted his head. “I though food came i’ bags. Or put on th’ floor.”
Setsuka felt a pain in her chest at those words, realizing that he was referencing the food he probably ate while in the warehouse with VOID when talking about food in bags, and food on the floor was probably a distant memory of his parents.
“Well, some food comes in bags, but food can also be cooked and made more tasty.” Setsuka explained. “And we don’t eat on the floor, we eat at the table. Do you want me to give you a place there?”
Nikei smiled, swinging his legs slightly. “Yeah! Yeah!”
Chuckling a bit, Setsuka carried Nikei over to the table and set him down in a chair, placing the plushies in another next to him. Nikei looked around at everything in wonder, kicking his legs.
“We eat here?” He asked, reaching out a hand to touch the tablecloth.
“Yep! Kado's gonna bring over some food, and we'll eat it here!” Setsuka said, pulling up another chair and sitting next to Nikei as she played with his hair. Nikei leaned into the touch, giggling a bit.
A few minutes later, Mikado came over to the table carrying three plates of food, placing one in front of Setsuka, Nikei, and himself, and sat down. “Eat up!”
Setsuka and Mikado began eating, but Nikei just stared at the food, looking confused.
“Nikei, aren’t you going to eat?” Mikado asked. “It’s good food, don’t worry!”
Nikei looked at the food and back up at Setsuka and Mikado. “Am I allo’ed to ea’ this?” He asked, pointing at his plate.
“Of course you are! Eat up!” Mikado said, placing a bit onto Nikei’s fork and offering it to him. Nikei took it, but still seemed a bit hesitant.
Setsuka looked over Nikei with concern. “Why did you ask if you’re allowed to eat or not, Nik?”
“Mommy and Daddy say I don’ dese’ve good food.” Nikei answered, and again he said it as if it was normal.
Mikado and Setsuka shared a worried glance. “Nik, if we put something on your plate, that means you can eat it. Everything’s good, and you don’t need to worry about not being allowed to eat something. We made this for you, remember?” Setsuka said reassuringly.
“Setsuka is right, you don’t need to ask permission to eat.” Mikado soothingly said. “Now go on and take a bite, you’ll like it, I promise!”
Nikei didn’t need to be told twice, and eagerly took a bite of the food. His eyes lit up at the taste, and he eagerly took a second bite.
“I presume you like it?” Mikado asked, his mask forming into a ^o^ expression.
“Mmmmhmmm! I’s yummy!” Nikei said, his mouth half full.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Nik.” Setsuka gently chastised. “But we’re so happy you like the food!”
Nikei nodded and continued eating, eventually trying to feed Setsuka when he noticed that she and Mikado weren’t eating and were instead watching him smiling. They both tucked in after that, and finished eating soon after.
“Everyone liked the food, I can tell!” Mikado said happily. “Here, I’ll take everyone’s plates to clean.”
He grabbed his and Setsuka’s plates, but Nikei took his own plate and hopped off his chair. “I’m gonna put my own pla’e away!” He said proudly, and dashed off.
“Nikei, don’t run!” Setsuka called out, standing up.
Her warning came too late. Nikei tripped over nothing and fell, the plate shattering when it hit the ground.
“Nikei! Are you okay?!” Mikado called out as he quickly put the plates down and hurried over, Setsuka hot on his heels.
Nikei sat up, realized what had happened, and began crying.
“Oh, don’t cry, baby…” Mikado said soothingly, picking Nikei up and holding him close. “We’re not mad, don’t worry. Are you hurt?”
“Y-Y-Yu’re no’ m-mad?” Nikei asked feebly, tears still pouring down his cheeks. “Y-Yu won’ hur’ me?”
“Of course not, baby.” Setsuka said comfortingly. “We could never hurt you, ever. And what happened with the plate was a complete accident. We couldn’t be mad at you for an accident."
Nikei was silent for a moment, then continued crying, though Mikado and Setsuka could sense it was more out of relief than despair. Mikado sat down and Setsuka settled beside him, both of them cuddling Nikei as he calmed down.
Finally, Nikei stopped crying and only soft breathing could be heard from him, and Setsuka took the chance to pick him up out of Mikado’s lap. “How about we grab your plushies and then we read a story? Does that sound good?”
Mikado got up as Nikei nodded, and motioned for Setsuka to turn Nikei around. She got the hint and carried him over to the table to grab the plushies, and Mikado quickly used his magic to clean up the remains of the plate.
It wasn’t like he didn’t trust Nikei when he was regressed, everyone knew he had magic. He just would rather not be hounded by lots of questions about it.
He finished as Setsuka was leading Nikei to the couch, with the plushies clutched tightly in Nikei’s hands. Mikado quickly teleported a few short books that he thought Nikei would enjoy over, and sat down with Nikei and Setsuka.
Nikei seemed to have recovered from his fall, much to Setsuka and Mikado’s relief. He eagerly chattered away, asking about what story they would read and about what might happen in it and other things like that.
Amused at Nikei’s enthusiasm, Setsuka and Mikado wasted no time in beginning to read the story to Nikei. His reactions to everything were adorable, he’d clutch the plushies tightly whenever something suspenseful or bad happened and cheer quietly whenever something good happened.
Setsuka and Mikado’s minds and hearts were about to explode from the cuteness, and made sure to shower him with affection throughout the stories.
All three of them were immersed in everything. Maybe a bit too immersed, as they were caught off guard with the doorbell ringing.
“I’ll get it!” Setsuka said, standing up. Nikei whined a bit at Setsuka leaving, but Mikado simply pulled him onto his lap and he stopped quickly.
Setsuka opened the door, smiling when she saw who was there. “Hey, guys!”
“Setsuka! How’s everything going? We came to help if you needed it!” Emma said, gesturing to herself, Hajime, and Iroha.
“I actually don’t think we need any help, we’re handling him great!” Setsuka said proudly.
“Really? That’s great!” Iroha said. “I knew you and Mikado could do it!”
“And we did indeed!” Setsuka affirmed. “Actually, why don’t you three come inside? I’m sure Nikei would love to see you!”
“Of course, we’d love to see him too!” Hajime said. “And by the way, has he had anything to eat?”
Setsuka chuckled. “He did, as a matter of fact, and we made sure it was healthy. No need to worry.”
Hajime breathed a sigh of relief, and Setsuka stood aside to let him, Emma, and Iroha through, then walked back into the living room. “We’ve got visitors!”
Nikei looked up and smiled widely. “‘Ajime! Em’a! ‘Roha!”
“There’s our baby!” Emma cooed, and Nikei scrambled off Mikado’s lap and ran towards them, excited. Hajime easily scooped him up in a carrying position.
Nikei giggled, causing everyone there to smile. “We told you we could take care of him.” Mikado said proudly, standing up off the couch.
“Never doubted you for a second. Great job, and thank you.” Hajime said, booping Nikei on the nose and causing him to laugh.
“Have you been having fun here, Nikei?” Iroha asked.
“Mmmmhmm! I been having ‘ots of fun wi’ Mama and Papa!” Nikei said happily.
Everyone in the room froze at those words, and Nikei kept hanging onto Hajime, oblivious to anything. Emma, Iroha, and Hajime glanced towards Setsuka and Mikado, who looked shocked, but smiles were starting to form on their faces.
Suddenly, Mikado grabbed Nikei out of Hajime’s arms, making him squeak, and spun him around. “Aww! You think of me and Setsuka as your mama and papa? That’s so adorable!”
He stopped his spinning to hug a giggling Nikei, and Setsuka quickly joined in the hug. “We promise to be the best Mama and Papa ever! Count on it!”
“Mama!” Nikei exclaimed, still laughing. “Papa!”
The hug lasted for a while, with Hajime, Emma, and Iroha watching on the sidelines, smiling. Once the hug ended, Emma stepped forward.
“Well, I don’t know how you two did it.” She said, “But he’s happy with you, and that’s all that matters!”
“Actually, I think I might know why Nikei is fine with Setsuka and Mikado, and why it took a bit longer for him to get used to us.” Hajime said.
Everyone looked towards him, silently asking him to continue, and Hajime obliged. “We found out about Nikei’s regression about a week after we first started living together, and since his adult self didn’t trust us, it took a while for his regressed self to trust us as well. But you three are literally dating, and Nikei trusts you a lot. That, combined with the fact that Nikei must feel that you two can take care of him no matter what, made his regressed self trust you easily, enough to call you two his parents.”
The room was silent for a moment, then Setsuka and Mikado hugged Nikei tighter, who was listening with a confused expression on his face.
“That’s just so cute!” Setsuka gushed. “Remind us to give Nikei lots of cuddles when he’s back in his adult mindset!”
“And that does explain some things!” Mikado pointed out. “It explains why he knew the names of his plushies! Since they were special to him, it makes sense that they would be special to his regressed self as well!”
“Yeah, just like that!” Hajime said.
Nikei, having had enough of the constant hug, squeezed out of it and went to the couch, grabbing his plushies and holding them up for everyone to see. “Pway! Pway!”
“Of course we’ll play with you!” Emma said, dropping down to Nikei’s level. “Come on everyone!”
All five of them began playing with Nikei, who was happy to have so much attention on him. They played together for a while, and before long Nikei’s eyes started to droop.
Mikado picked him up. “Aw, are you tired? Do you need a nap?”
“Nuh, no’ sleepy…” Nikei muttered, before giving a small yawn.
“Well, it looks like you need a good sleep. You can continue playing when you wake up, okay?” Setsuka said, stroking Nikei’s hair and earning a small murmur from him.
“Well, we best get out of your hair now.” Hajime said, standing up. “And just to let you know, Nikei tends to go back to his adult mindset after a nap, so be prepared for that, alright?”
“Got it, thanks Mak.” Setsuka said.
“Well, this was fun! Bye guys!” Iroha said, waving.
The six of them said goodbye, and VOID left the dorm. Afterwards, Mikado carried Nikei to the bedroom and Setsuka grabbed the plushies, which she gave to Nikei once Mikado placed him on the bed, and tucked him in.
Nikei snuggled up to his plushies with a trusting and comforting murmur and fell asleep soon after. For a moment, Setsuka and Mikado just stared at him, smiles on their faces and their hearts nearly exploding from how cute this was.
They had to force themselves to leave the room and let Nikei sleep in peace, and resigned themselves to silently fangirling outside their door.
To distract themselves, Mikado went to go cook dinner for everyone and Setsuka read a book, but neither of them could get smiles off their faces.
Once dinner was ready, Mikado quickly got Setsuka, and they both went to see if Nikei was awake yet.
And found a lump of blankets in the middle of the bed.
“Nikei? Are you okay, doll?” Mikado asked, going next to him and lifting the blankets off of Nikei.
His face was completely red, and he looked terrified. “I-I’m sorry.” He muttered. “I-I know I shouldn’t do that, but I can’t help it-”
“Nik, what on earth are you apologizing for?” Setsuka asked, sitting down next to Nikei as well.
“My regression!” Nikei burst out. “It’s embarrassing, and it was bad enough that Hajime, Emma, and Iroha had to help me, but now you two have to as well, and I shouldn’t be doing it in the first place, I’m sorry-”
“Doll, don’t apologize or feel ashamed about your regression.” Mikado said sternly. “It’s not your fault, and you can’t control it. It’s a coping mechanism, which means that it helps you. And we don’t mind looking after you when you’re regressed, we’re your partners, after all.”
“Kado’s right, we could never judge your regression. We love you so much, and you don’t need to worry about anything. We’ll take care of you for as long as you need.” Setsuka joined in.
Nikei was silent for a moment, processing everything that he was just told. Once it got through, he wiped his eyes with his hand and smiled. “Thank you…”
“Don’t thank us either! We love you, Nik!” Setsuka said as both her and Mikado wrapped Nikei in a hug, with Nikei going red from the attention.
Once they separated, Mikado took Nikei by the hand and helped him up. “Now let’s go, dinner’s ready and I’m sure you’re hungry.”
“Y-Yeah, I admit, I kind of am.” Nikei said, still a bit embarrassed from everything.
Setsuka and Mikado shared another affectionate glance and led their boyfriend out of the room, happy about how everything turned out.