He's such a little baby! Regresses to about 7 and younger.

Unlike when big, he gets really frustrated with clothes when small. It's a clear indicator on when he's regressing, because he'll be tugging to get all of his layers off. Usually just lays on his bed with some shorts on and nothing else.

Likes being read to. He finds it nice when he doesn't have any responsibilities and someone does something for him. He can just relax and think about nothing when someone else reads him a story.

Even though he's religious when big, he doesn't talk about it much when regressed. He only does what is in his daily routine. He says grace at dinner, and he says a prayer at night.

I think he would be very clingy in the sense that he wants to be in the same room as his carer when they are doing something. Karin is cooking some food? He'll be sitting down at the table, colouring something in. Gus is working on his car? Then Lars will be in a spare chair looking outside at the birds.

He usually does regress for a positive reason. He makes sure that he can do it safely for himself and others around him. But there are bad days. Especially during the first few weeks when Karin found out that she was pregnant. He would have bad nightmares about her being in labour, and her not making it. He would be so small and ask for his mama. It broke everyone's hearts.

Likes to watch cartoons when regressed. He didn't grow up on many, but he does revisit them and just sits on the couch comfortably. The majority of the time though, he puts on something new. He likes the feeling of being blind and unaware of what's already going to happen, kind of like when he watched these shows as a little kid.

I love him so much STAWP!!! I have some caregiver Lars stuff coming in but it might take a bit. He's such a button I want to give him everything in the whole entire world!

The outdoors speaks to him. He will either be inside and look out, or he will go sit on a bench outside. When little, he's scared to go out too far. It was instilled in him when he was younger that he can never go too far without someone there, but even them he refuses to leave out of sight of the house. The birds interest him most. But if Karin or Gus are there, he'll ask about the flowers and trees.

If there is an animal in his vicinity when little, he will absolutely fawn over it and ask if he can keep it. It could be a cat or a slug, he doesn't care. His eyes gleam with the same interest with any animal he sees outside. Though his favourite are dragonflies. He loves to see them around the lake when he goes on a walk with Gus.

Speaking about favourites, Lars' favourite place to be is by the fireplace. Even though he does get very warm, he likes the coziness of the lit fire, and the soft crackling of it. This pairs well with Karin laying down near him as they talk. Or maybe it's only her that talks.

I think there have been a handful of times where Lars had regressed in public. The most noticeable time was at church. After Mass, there was a youth group where little kids got to play around and some people volunteered to help. The thought of just being so small and irresponsible made him regress. Some people noticed after then.

He'll regress in the store, at gatherings. And more and more people copped on to what was happening. They'd make sure that at least one person was taking care of him when his main carers weren't around.

I think baby Lars can get frustrated that he can't be touched. I mean, he obviousky can, but it annoys him that it's painful. He does want to be cradled, and he does want to feel his hair being carded through, but he can't. Karin and Gus notice that it's happening because he'll be more pouty than usual. They try their best to console him about it.

You can't convince me that he isn't a crafty little guy when regressed! He likes to do a bit of everything. Some baking, knitting, weaving, reading, painting. If he finds something out, he will try to make it.

This is such a small detail, but I think that Lars always asks for a forehead kiss from Gus before bedtime. If Karin is there, he'll accept it, but Gus NEEDS to give him a kiss after he's all tucked in and safe.

I could see Grace regress to a pretty large age range. If I were to give that range, I would say 3- 13. It can be very difficult for Colt to figure it out on his own, so if he can, he makes his brother write it down or at least give him a vague understanding of how he feels.

Colt doesn't really find science fun, but he does try his best to be interested in whatever Ryland has to say about a certain star system, or asteroid, or a fun fact about a planet. He knows that it makes him happy, so why not follow along.

I think little Rylie uses his paci far more often than Colt does when regressed. He has a tendency to chew or scrape with his teeth on anything on his person. It was a really bad habit as a kid. He used to bite his nails, or t-shirt collar, his forearm, the inside of his cheek, his lip. The list goes on. Pacifiers help a ton in this house!

Instead of being active outside like Colt, Grace is active indoors. He loves to do stuff that works his brain. Puzzles, mindfulness colouring, brain teasers and worksheets are the most common. If he finds out a new riddle that he really likes, he'll run up to his older brother and force him to guess the answer.

This little guy loves to be in close proximity to his brother. He likes giving hugs and laying his head on Colt's shoulder. Especially when he's sleepy, he'll be a little more clingy than usual. That's the cue to pick up the little one and carry him to bed.

Tries not to cry way more than his sibbie when regressed. Ryland himself doesn't even know why. Both of them were cry babies growing up, and both of them manned up around the same time in their early teens. There is nothing for him to be scared of if he does cry. They're both trying to make it easier, but it's taking some time.

Little Grace is really particular with his food. He can only stomach certain foods, which mostly consists of stuff that is put in the oven. This works GREAT for Colt, because that's all he's able to make. Rylie is content with having some potato waffles or lasagna for his lunch and dinner. Though he is convinced to have some more healthier stuff too.

There are two different sides to caregiver Ryland, and that's teacher and brother. Unfortunately, he has to lean more towards brother. He is so used to being an educator and showing kids how something works, but it doesn't suit Colt at all. He's prefers to just do stuff practically than theoretically.

I think that Colt's favourite subject in school is PE, so I think Ryland would take advantage of that and try to do a bit of sports science with his brother. Doing up experiments by going into the garden.

Little Colt LOVES to torment his brother. He knows he's being cheeky. Luckily for Grace, he knows all of the tricks in the book. He has seen it all growing up, and knows how to avoid the stuff. It never gets on his nerves, especially when he gets to see his sibbie all smiley and giggly.

Colt is such a happy kiddo around his brother. Ryland could do anything as small as dropping something on accident, and Colt will be rolling on the floor laughing. It takes him a few minutes to calm down. His laugh is contagious, and makes Grace laugh as well.

When the little guy does regress, he likes to have his caregivers there physically. Their houses are about a ten minute drive apart. (Ignore canon with me they live in the same town). And since Ryland goes by bike, it takes longer to get there. But he always makes the time.

"Rylie" is what Colt refers to his brother. Thats what he called him when he was a little kid, and that's what he'll call him now. It's super endearing, and if he says it a certain way he will get out of trouble no matter the severity. Grace just calls him by his name, but if he's trying to coax him to do something he'll call him a baby. (Works great at bedtime).

I personally think that Colt would have one really raggedy stuffie that he has had since he was a baby. He does not leave that thing's side. It has had so many boo boos that his brother needed to sew back together.

One thing that they both love doing together is playing board games. Both have their preferences, but snakes and ladders is a favourite. Also guess who.

After the third takeout dinner in a row, both Colt and Ryland had decided that it was time to do the grocery shopping.

Both of them were busy. One was trying to get through a rough accident that had caused his collar bone to need surgery, and the other is swarmed with work and planning up to the hips. There was just no time for browsing around a store.

But the greasy food has started to feel revolting to the both of them. Pizza sounded like a nightmare, and Chinese would linger in the house for days with how strong the scent is. It's more efficient if they both just went to the supermarket and got what they needed as fast as possible.

Colt has a hold of the shopping cart, while Ryland has his hands and eyes ready to grab what items are on the shopping list they curated before the trip.

"Fist off, we need apples, watermelon, berries, and lettuce."

Grace goes to the shelves stocked with crates off fruits and vegetables, and puts them into the cart. This was repeated for the meat, dairy, bakery, and snacks aisles. With some other little back tracks here and there.

Untill the very end. Colt couldn't move the trolley anymore because his injury was starting to act up. The other had to take it, and was wheeling it around until they skimmed across an aisle. The toys.

They were trying to navigate the store to get to the check-out, when on the way the cart moved down bright coloured play sets and soft stuffed animals. It's usually completely harmless. Grace finds himself here pretty often for his classroom and for charity stuff.

It could've been due to the stress of the past few weeks, or with how exhausted he felt, but something in his mind switches. All of a sudden his eyes soften, and he's looking down at the floor more than what is around him.

This doesn't go unnoticed by Colt. There's a small, concerned smile on his face as he looks at his little brother. He's seen him enough to know what going on in that smart brain of his.

"Do you wanna pick something out?"

That makes Ryland stop dead in his tracks, looking over at him, then at the shelves. Colt moves a bit closer, just in case something happens.

"I don' need anything."

"That's not what I said. I said if you want something, you can look around here and get it. You don't have to. I'm only offering."

That left them staring at each other for a while. The sound of the intercom and shuffling of feet filled their silence. Then there is a little squeak from Ryland, before the trolley moves back to see something earlier on down the aisle.

It took a few minutes of browsing before they found what he was looking for. Some putty. There was a long time pondering on what colour, but Grace chose a nice yellow colour that changes into orange when heated up. It was put in the cart and that was the end of it.

Colt did the rest of the stuff. Small-talked with the cashier, put all of the groceries into bags, and brought the trolley back when his brother had lifted them up into the car boot. The putty was taken from the bag and opened, which lay in Colt's lap for safe keeping.

Grace drove them home and brought everything in. They both unpacked as fast as they could, but left some ingredients out. Mac and Cheese was in order.

Colt put the pot to boil, his free hand flipping though a script that was handed to him by Jody to read in his spare time. He's not going to be touching a film set for a long long while, but it's nice to read them for fun.

"Rylie! Do you wanna come over and help me?"

He calls out so he can be heard from the kitchen. He didn't know where his little guy went off to.

A few seconds later he can hear the familiar pads of footsteps. Looking around, he sees Grace with his blankie wrapped around his shoulders, only wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

The older man opens the pot and swishes it around with a wooden spoon before opening the fresh bag of pasta, dumping some in. He puts the lid back on the pot, turning the heat down slightly.

"Do you wanna pull a chair over here and play with your new putty? Wanna keep me company bud?"

That gets a nod of approval. Ryland takes the closest chair to him and moves it to be in front of the counter. He also takes the putty that was left on the desk and opens it up.

It takes a few more minutes before the fish is done and played. Colt uses a gentle tone and helps set up the table alongside his sibling the best he can. They both enjoy their food, talking about their day and what they want to do for the rest of the day. Colt insisted that they are both done with work.

Very very sleepy. Doesn't get much sleep when he's big. He usually stays up working. So when he drops, he needs a long night's rest along with at least one nap (usually two) throughout the day.

Doesn't really play with many toys. He does have a few, but they're more of the 'build it yourself' type of things. He likes to take them apart and put them back together.

I would say fairly young. Three being his oldest age. But heavily leans to the younger side. Maybe one of the youngest regressors on my list?

Nonverbal. Can't speak even if he tried. Doesn't necessarily babble, but does mumble nonsensical words quietly.

Comfort item is a dog stuffie. He always holds it's paw when sleeping. I think the dog breed would be a beagle. Whatever he's doing, it's there with him. It doesn't have a name because he couldn't decide on one. And it makes him just like him!

Yawning! He yawns so much when he's awake. Constantly cries from his eyes being squeezed so often. Sleepy tears.

Doesn't use a paci or teether. Doesn't have a big oral fixation when regressed. He's tried it many times, and it's just not for him. There might be very rare occasions where he does want a paci. Usually when he's super tiny, and can't fall asleep.

(Nevermind!)

Needs to have a paci in his mouth at all times. He gets pretty upset when he doesn't have a pacifier in his mouth. Hell just be really grumpy and fussy. If he can't find a solution, he'll start to cry until something happens

The loud bell rings over Grover Cleavland middle, erupting the whole school suddenly. Every students is shuffling around: pushing in chairs, zipping up bags, and running towards the nearest exit to get away from the building.

When they all clamber out of each and every classroom, taking about ten minutes before the whole school becomes completely silent. Most teachers leave their rooms straight away, being as hurried as the kids are to get to their own homes. The majority leave their classrooms in a wreck, relying on the cleaners to tidy it all up.

Ryland Grace is currently bending down on his hands and knees, trying to scrape up another dried up piece of gum under a table with a random rewards card he found in his wallet. He makes sure to be careful where the lump lands when freed. It falls straight into the paper towel he strategically put on the floor, making a small think next to the other balls accumulated with it.

He could've been cycling to his apartment right this second if he had rushed over to his bike straight after school and cycled steadily. This is what the other teachers do anyways. They run away from the place as if the bell was a warning for a bomb to fall down from the sky and hit them. But Mr. Grace never really minded staying the extra while to keep his room spotless. Which translates to his colleagues that he loves his work so much to the point that he stays half an hour behind just to do a job that's not his.

After scraping the last remnants of any weird substances under the tables, he gets up and gags a few times while holding the paper towel as far away from his person as physically possible, before putting it in the bin. A quick hand wash in his sink at his desk with some extra soap, and he's almost done his checklist of what needs to be done on his own accord.

Ryland turns around to start wiping down the whiteboard. It's his favourite part to do, so he saves the best till last.

Taking out a microfiber cloth he keeps in his drawer, he takes an all-purpose cleaning spray and generously coats the board with it. His nostrils flare at the scent of it. He can smell the chemicals through the citrus smell. No mater what cleaner one buys, it will always be a citrus smell. Why don't manufacturers make different scents? Like vanilla, or forest wood, or other frui-

Mid wipe, Ryland's head whips around to see who is ringing his phone. The cleaner starts to drip to the bottom of the floor, the cloth slipping from his hand and landing all bunched up on the floor. It might be a co-worker wanting him to do them a favour, or his water company asking if he needs an upgrade on his boiler. But it's most likely a scam call.

He peers over to his desk, and instantly answers the phone when he sees who it is. He puts the device to his ear, his voice trying to sound all cheery despite being exhausted by being bugged by students for the past six hours.

"Heya Colt!" He says, picking up the previously forgotten cloth and resuming wiping down his board, making sure to get the corners and dripping edges. He doesn't dare miss a spot.

On the other end of the line, Ryland can hear a lot of rustling. Then a weird sound. Almost like a drawn out whine and-

Oh.

Crying.

The teacher's brow creases as he listens to the undecipherable mumbling broken up by sniffles. He can clearly recognise that that is Colt's voice. He just doesn't know whats wrong. What he does know though, is that his brother is regressed, and needs some help.

After Colt is done with his spiel, Ryland puts his cloth away and sits down at his chair. His heart strains against his ribs, knowing that he can't help him by being there physically.

"Colt. I can't hear what you're saying. I need you to give me a few deep breaths, okay?"

Another cry can be heard from the phone, before an attempt at following the instructions. He gives up a few times, but Ryland insists that he gives another go at it.

When his breathing isn't the only thing he can hear through the phone, he tells his brother to explain what's wrong. His face contorts as he hears the story, and nods along.

"Okay. That's alright. I know. That must've been so hard. But it's okay now, yeah? You're okay?"

"Mhm."

"That's good. Are you home? I don't hear anything else."

Another agreement.

"I want you to go and get your blankie, yeah? You're gonna get your blankie, and get nice and comfortable. If there's something uncomfy, you get it away."

Ryland can hear more rustling around. To pass the time, he checks around his classroom to see if he has missed anything. Then he checks his bag. When that's done he stares outside. It was raining a few minutes ago, so the concrete is slightly wet.

"Can' find my binky."

He perks up at the voice, getting lost in space for a second.

"Is it not in your nightstand? Not in your case?" He asks, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He knew that Colt wasn't that organised of a person, but he knew that he always kept his regression stuff in their designated places. He could close his eyes and walk to each item easily. He knew his house like the back of his hand.

"Nu uh."

This was worrying. If his big brother (not by much) was looking for his binky, then he must need it. It could be in the bathroom, or in a bag, or misplaced somewhere else.

"Do you have a spare anywhere?" He offers, pulling at straws to try and keep Colt from bursting out into tears again. That would truly break him.

"Bathroom."

"Alright. Can you walk over to the bathroom and get a nice fresh binky? Make sure to clean it first, and then you can slip back into bed with your blankie and relax."

The line goes silent again, and this time Ryland turns around to take a whiteboard marker out and starts to doodle whatever. He draws a star. Then puts a face onto it. Gives him a friend. And limbs. And a pet meteorite.

"'m back!" He hears that familiar voice again, and Ryland sighs out of relief.

He can hear the bed creaking, along with some loud, rythmic suckles. His sibling clearly needed this. He can picture him right now, curled up in his bed, his nose buried in his blanket. He loved that thing to death.

"Good job Colt! Do you want me to stay on the line with you while you relax? I'm still in school, but I'm gonna be cycling home."

Colt let's out a huff, before mumbling around his pacifier.

"Come home?"

Ryland smiles softly, wiping his doodles off quickly before slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Yeah. Yeah I can come home."

Friday night.

Finally.

It's about time since Ryland got a break, and pedaling along a Greenway through luscious trees is how he gets it.

Getting off for a week for spring break is one of the best times of year. It looks beautiful, the weather is starting to pick back up, and it's not as dark as it was in November. The only weight on Grace's shoulders was a couple of tests to correct, but that was always the case.

Having his bags packed, he takes a turn to a familiar housing estate. He's promised his brother that he would come and stay over for the week while he's off. Colt had plenty of free time between his films, and insisted that whenever he got the time that he should come and stay over. Weekends just weren't enough.

In no time, Ryland eases into the driveway with his bike at his hip, fiddling for the keys to the garage. Obviously he was given a spare in case of an accident or emergency. As the gate slowly ascended, he leans his bike against the wall, dismounting his two backpacks. Closing the garage door just as slowly, he takes the shortcut into the main house to be greeted with the sight of the kitchen.

Odd. Even if the car was in the garage, Colt isn't in the sitting room. Usually he hangs around on the couch. Or even in the kitchen making something in the oven. Maybe he's in the bathroom?

Grace does a double take around his proximity before going to set his bags down in the bedroom. There was only one bedroom, which he didn't mind. Colt's room was spacious enough to wiggle around in, and it's not like he didn't grow up sleeping in the same bed as him.

He steps quietly down the hall towards the door at the very end, opening it up gently to be met with an alarming surprise. His pupils blow wide and his eyebrows crease in concern.

There, lying flat out on the floor near the foot of the bed, was his big brother. Splayed out like a starfish, unmoving of the new presence in the room.

After a second of processing, Ryland throws the bags down wherever and practically falls to his knees onto the floor. His breathing is starting to get laboured, having no idea what's going on.

Peering over to see Colt's face smashed into the hardwood floor, he sees his skin all wet and eyes slightly open. He looks like he's barely awake. This spikes Ryland's worries even more, feeling the light sheen of sweat start to form on his brow.

"Colt! Colt are you okay? Are you awake?"

There is a drawn out moan in response, his eyes fluttering shut. There's definitely a lot of pain going on.

"What hurts buddy? Can you tell me?"

Nope. Not at all. Instead, tears magically start pouring out of his brother's eyes, slipping to the cold floor. His sobs start out as ugly, and raise up to come out even worse. There was so much pent up in there.

Ryland is quick on his feet, trying to gently scoop up the sad blob on the floor and into his arms. There is a louder wail that claws out from the bottom of Colt's throat, eppurpting out into his sibling's shoulder. He bites down hard, making Grace wince with pain.

It takes a while for him to figure out what the issue was. Sure, there have been times where the spine was acting up, and others where his brother was bed bound, but this looks unbearable. His breathing is shallow and raspy, which only causes him to hunch over even more and cry from the pain.

Trying to be as delicate as possible, Grace holds onto Colt's hips and lifts him up onto the bed, instantly taking his shirt off. He lays him down on his stomach so that there's no pressure on his back.

Quickly, he goes to the bathroom to find what he needs. Painkillers and an anti-inflammatory gel. He also grabs some toilet paper if anything happens.

There's always some water beside Colt's bed, which Ryland is ever so grateful for right now.

"Colt? Baby. I'm right here. Would you like something to help with the pain?"

There isn't a response, only continuous wailing.

A plan. Finally, Ryland thinks of a plan.

He bolts to the kitchen with the pill in hand and takes out a bottle from the cupboard. Next, grabbing some milk, he pours some in and sticks it in the microwave. While that warms up, he uses a small knife to cut up the pill into a powder. Taking the milk out and pouring the powder into the milk, he seals the top off and shakes it around a bit so that it all mixes together.

Perfect.

Coming back into the room, Colt is reaching out for his sibbie. And Grace will make sure that he delivers.

"I have a bottle for you Baba. You want a warm bottle?"

That lessens the crying. It's like he knew. There has been so much distress over his back that there was a suspicion of him regressing. Which is completely okay.

To that reaction, Ryland ever so gently scoops up Colt so that he's sitting up slightly. Then the nipple slips into his mouth, and there is finally peace.

Little coos and whines flood the space. There are still some tears, but way less than before.

"There we are Colt. Such a good baby. Oh so small. I think we're feeling extra small tonight, hmm?"

Replying with a whimper, his eyes close. It takes a few minutes before he finishes the bottle. After that and he's out like a light.

Settling him down, Grace puts the empty bottle on the nightstand and opens up the gel. Taking a very generous amount with his index and pointer finger, he spreads it around his spine. Taking care of the tender area, he rubs it in but by bit.

"You did such a good job Baba. Rylie's so so proud of ya'."

He mumbles to the now sleeping baby, already starting to drool onto his pillow. He plants a quick kiss on his head, and tries his very best to stay quiet as he cleans up.

Waaa I'm sorry this took longer! I'm not the best with writing long-ish stuff so I had to think about it a bit more. Hope it's okay!