ⁱˡᵒᵐⁱˡᵒ

ᵃⁿᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ˡⁱᶠᵉ

A/N: sorry I'm late. Here's a short transitional chapter ✨

Katsuki's gone and ran off again. 

Yagi had been so confused, agonizing over what he'd done wrong. He thought that Katsuki would be happy to finally see his parents after all of these years. And as much as he absolutely despises Tenko Shimura, he thought that Katsuki would at least be happy to get some answers. To get some closure. 

But instead he just burst into tears and went sprinting out of the house. 

"You flunked sensitivity training, didn't you?" Touya accuses him and Toshinori tugs at his hair with a groan. "What did I do wrong?" 

"I dunno. Maybe it was how you just kind of...unloaded on him all at once as soon as you walked in?" Touya offers, a sympathetic smile curling at his lips as Toshinori's head falls from his hands to slam against the kitchen table. "I waited a week after the captain notified me before I made the decision to say anything today. I've been trying to think of the best way to do it but I couldn't think of anything so I figured I'd just rip it off like a band-aid." 

"Mhm. Might have worked for anyone else but you gotta remember that our Katsuki's a delicate boy. You have to handle him softly or he's bound to shatter." 

"Yes. I see that now." Toshinori says curtly, words muffled by the table. Inko pats him on the back as he sets a cup of coffee down on the table for him. "I'm sorry that your plan backfired, dear. But can someone go and retrieve our very easily distracted boy before he gets himself hurt, please?" 

"Don't worry, he hasn't gone far. I've been seeing him over at the park across the street. He followed a ladybug there once and now he can't stop going." Touya assures them but he does follow after him, not wanting Katsuki to be left alone while he's in such an emotional state. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he'd just left his cute little kitten to cry and be sad all by his lonesome? 

He steps out onto the porch and sure enough, he can see Katsuki from where he's standing. He's on the far end of the lot next to the playground, crouched down next to a bush with his tiny feet staining the pavement of the paved walkway with his footprints. He must have run through a puddle on his way out. 

Touya can see that he's cupping his hands together, staring at them in awe as he pulls his fingers apart to examine them---or rather whatever is on them. He's probably made some new, tiny little friend there. Katsuki seems to quite enjoy them. 

Touya steps down from the porch and crosses the yard, not bothering to look both ways before he makes his way across the street in quick strides. He approaches Katsuki quietly, a look of adoration in his eyes. He'll never get over how completely enamored Katsuki is with the tiny little critters that he finds out there. It's so in his nature to have love for all living creatures---a trait that Touya loves so much about him and hates all at the same time; it makes it so easy for others to take advantage of his baby's kind heart. 

The corners of his lips curl into a soft smile. 

"Hi, baby. What did you find?" He asks gently as he stands over him. There's a rather large yellow spider in his hand that seems to have made itself rather comfortable as it crawls from his knuckles to his palm. Katsuki sniffles, using his free hand to wipe at his tear-stained cheeks. "He is very friendly. I would like to name him Milo." He replies as Touya squats down next to him. "Yeah? How do you know that it's a boy?" He asks curiously and Katsuki shrugs. "I do not. It is an assumption. But I have already apologized to Milo in case I have misgendered them. I imagine it would not be a nice feeling." He says as Milo crawls up to his fingertips. It's then that the alpha notices another yellow spider resting on Katsuki's forearm, spindly legs tapping at his skin before it, too, scuttles up to Katsuki's hand.