Chapter Text
Haechan stared up at his ceiling in the darkness of his shared room with Johnny. Normally, he's be fast asleep like his hyung, dreaming of weird scenarios that involved his friends, but not tonight. Something felt off. It was a small sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The world felt like it was expanding around him, making him feel so small and afraid. He could only relate the feeling to a vague sense of anxiety.
Haechan fiddled with a loose thread on his duvet cover. He shuddered out a deep breath, trying to rid the strange feeling from his body, but it didn't work. The stress of constant promotions between Dream and 127 had just finished, so now was the time to relax, except the stress blocks had built a tower in Haechan's mind and he couldn't get them to go away.
This foreign feeling wasn't exactly new, but it had never gotten to point where he wanted to cry. Something was wrong and he was scared. Tears built in Haechan's eyes, rolling down the sides of his head. His eyes flicked over to Johnny, who was passed out like a dead body a few feet away. He would know how to fix it. He always knew how to solve problems.
Haechan rolled over, instinctively curling his legs close to his stomach. All he had to do was speak up. If only it was that easy. Johnny had to have the same stress castle in his own head and probably needed his sleep. This made Haechan more nervous and upset. Larger tears pooled in his eyes and he started chewing on his thumb pad. He trembled with a silent sob and sat up.
"H-Hyung..." He whimpered, feeling smaller and smaller, as he stared at his friends back. Johnny didn't budge.
"Hyung...Hyung wake up. Please-" Haechan broke off into a sob that he muffled with his pillow. If he was trying to wake Johnny up why did he quiet his cry?
Finally there was some movement on the other bed and a groggy Johnny rolled over. He seemed to doze off again for a second, but jolted back awake. Haechan watched him, still gnawing on his thumb.
"Hm? Hyuckie...what is it?" Johnny mumbled, doing his best to drag himself from his slumber.
Haechan was too overwhelmed and couldn't speak. How was he supposed to verbally explain the sinking feeling in his heart and stomach? It all sounded completely insane. He cried again, as an attempt to call for help without talking. Johnny needed to know something was wrong. And like a mother, he sat up and flicked on a small lamp at the sound of sobbing.
"Hyuckie, what's the matter?" He asked softly, climbing out of his bed and sitting next to Haechan. The maknae wrapped his arms around Johnny and cried.
"It's okay, talk to me. What's got you this upset at 3 something in the morning?" Johnny said, smiling sadly. Haechan usually told them what was bothering him before breaking down into tears. Something must've spilled the pot early.
"F-Feel weird." Haechan mumbled into his hyungs shirt, squeezing the fabric in his hand.
"Weird? Are you sick? Here, let me see." Johnny said, taking Haechan's face in his hands and gently pulling it away from his chest. He used his palms to feel Haechan's cheeks and forehead, wiping away a few tears while he was at it.
"Hmm...You don't feel warm." He concluded, taking in Haechan's sad expression. "Oh, hyuckie."
"Not sick. I feel...weird and small. I don't know!" Haechan attempted to explain, quickly becoming frustrated with himself and breaking off into more cries. Johnny held him securely and wrapped a blanket around Haechan when he noticed the goose bumps popping up on his skin.
"Okay, it's alright. I'll stay here with you until you feel back to normal." Johnny said, tucking Haechan's face into his shoulder. He assumed that maybe Haechan was having an anxiety attack combined with lack of sleep. The younger slowly started to calm down, as he got used to the odd small feeling, and looked over Johnny's shoulder at the wall.
Somewhere deep in his mind his subconscious told him to put something in his mouth, and the closest thing to him was Johnny's shirt. He grabbed the fabric with he teeth and started biting on it. The facial expression Johnny made were comical. How else was he supposed to react without making Haechan burst into tears. He was clearly in a fragile state and he didn't want to hurt him. If chewing on his shirt made Haechan feel better, so be it.
Haechan was lost deep in though, or lack there of. He was suddenly in a very calm state and worry free, but he wanted to listen to a story. He realized no one had a read him a story in years and that was not going to continue a minuet longer.
"Hyungie!" He chirped abruptly, lifting himself up from Johnny's shoulder. A damp spot from where he had gnawed the fabric of his hyungs shirt remained.
"What is it?" Johnnny asked, noticing the light glaze and innocence in Haechan's eyes.
"I wan-, mm...never mind." Haechan trailed off, suddenly feeling embarrassed at the fact he wanted someone to read to him. He looked away and stared down at the bedding.
"You can tell me. Whatever it is, it won't be as bad as Jaehyun telling me the taste of his boogers." Johnny mused, tickling Haechan's sides. He giggled cutely and perked back up.
"I want a story book." Haechan mumbled insecurely.
"A story? We don't have any stories, hyuckie." Johnny said, catching on to the childish behavior Haechan was expressing. The crying, chewing and wanting a story.
Haechan jut out his lip and flopped back against Johnny's chest. All he wanted was a book with pretty pictures, was that too much to ask?
"When you said you felt small, did you mean younger?" Johnny asked cautiously, running his hand through Haechan's hair.
"I dunno..." Haechan whispered, realizing that Johnny was right. He did feel younger, hell he was just chewing on his hyungs shirt for comfort.
Haechan was suddenly flooded with an overwhelming anxiety and gripped Johnny's shoulders like a lifeline. He felt his muscles go tense and cold, as his mind started to spiral.
"H-Hyung-" He choked out, every molecule of oxygen leaving his lungs.
"Hey, I'm right here. Shhh, let's take a breath." Johnny instructed calmly, despite being startled. He helped Haechan sit up and held his hands while he helped guide him through a few breaths.
Haechan fought through the tightness in his chest and heaved in and out three breaths before exploding into sobs that shook his entire body.
"Somethings wrong with me!" He cried, the small feeling growing stronger, but scarier.
"No, nothing is wrong with you, honey. It's okay, we'll figure this out. Shhh, you're okay." Johnny soothed, rocking side to side with hyuck in his arms. He felt Haechan grab his shirt with his teeth again. It reminded him heavily of Taeyong one time, but before he could find out what was happening, Doyoung had whisked him away.
"Haechannie, I think Doyoung might know about this more than me. Want me to go get him?" Johnny asked. He wasn't going to drag someone Haechan didn't want around into the room and make him uncomfortable, but he really wanted to figure all of this out.
"Wan- I wanna watch Pooh Bear!" The maknae said through his persistent crying. The idea sprung from a childhood memory of how his mother used the cartoon to wind him down before bed.
"Okay, okay we can do that." Johnny said, wanting to go with whatever would make Haechan feel better.
He stood up with Haechan in his arms, the blanket sliding off his back, and made his way to the living room. He placed Hyuckie down on the couch with another blanket and grabbed a tissue to dab away the wetness on his cheeks. Haechan gazed up at Johnny, finally starting to calm down and relax in his new mindset. Johnny was taking good care of him and didn’t shoo him away after he woke him up.
While Johnny fiddled with different tv remotes to get to disney+, Haechan gently rocked back and forth with a pursed smile on his face. He was somewhat excited to watch winnie the pooh with his hyung. When the tv screen flashed the familiar disney logo, he let out a happy giggle and put his hands on his face. Johnny chuckled and sat next to him.
"Pooh! I wanna watch Pooh bear!" Haechan squealed happily, throwing himself over Johnny's lap and kicking his feet.
"I know you do, silly." Johnny smiled, tickling Haechan's stomach.
"Ah! Not my tummy!" Haechan screeched with laughter. He sat back up and held Johnny's arm in a hug.
"Okay, hyuckie. Look, it's on." Johnny said through a yawn, instantly gauging the other boys interest. The cutesy yellow bear appeared on the tv and the show started playing out.
Haechan was completely absorbed into the twenty minute episode, laying silently on the couch while he used Johnny's thighs as a pillow. He giggled occasionally and smiled at the cartoon characters he adored. He was completely unaware that his hyung was texting Doyoung instead of watching with him.
dy 🐰
jh: pls be awake
dy: unfortunately i am
dy: what is it?
jh: haechan is acting like a kid
just like taeyong that one time
dy: you remember that? yikes
jh: yeah and you never explained it
jh: i need to know what this is so
i can help him. he was a mess.
dy: ok i'll be out in a min
Johnny tucked his phone away and pet haechan's hair for a couple minutes. He heard Doyoung's door click open and raised his eyebrows when he saw him enter the living room. Haechan sat up and whimpered, he didn't want anyone else around to see him when he felt like a little kid. He crawled on top of Johnny and hid his face in his shoulder like he had not too long ago.
"No go 'way." Haechan whispered, clenching his jaw. Johnny started rubbing back, trying to prevent another meltdown.
"It's okay, hyuckie. Remember how I said Doyoung knows about how you're feeling? He's gonna help us." Johnny explained. He felt Haechan wiggle and lift himself upright.
Haechan turned around and climbed off Johnny's lap, making a scamper towards Doyoung. The older opened his arms in time for Haechan to crash into his body. Johnny was surprised. He expected Haechan to stay hidden away like a scared bunny, but right in front of his eyes, Haechan was sobbing in Doyoungs arms.
"Hyunggg- Why do I feel like kid?!" Haechan sobbed, begging for answers.
"Oh sweetheart, shhh, it's alright. Let's take a minute to calm down." Doyoung said gently, combing his fingers through Hyuck's hair.
It took about five minutes and a sip of water for Haechan to stop crying, but once he did he was moved back to the sofa and sat up between Doyoung and Johnny.
"Okay, hyuckie. I think what is happening for you right now is that you're age regressing. Taeyong experiences the same thing, and uses it to cope with his stress. It's not common, but it's not weird either." Doyoung tried to explain in way Haechan would understand through the hazy feeling Taeyong used to describe feeling little.
"With age regression you might want to play with toys, watch kids shows or use kid utensils for food. There are sooo many different things you can do to have fun and feel safe while regressed. It's doesn't make you crazy or anything like that, it's just a way to cope with the hard things in life." Doyoung concluded, giving Haechan's cheek a little pinch. He giggled and snuggled into Johnny's arm.
"Have stwess tower in head." Haechan mumbled, pouting to prove his point. He understood that he was probably feeling like kid because he couldn't relax and wanted his hyungs to know.
"You do? Is feeling little knocking it down at all?" Doyoung asked. Johnny stayed quiet, since he was still reviewing what age regression was in his head.
"I think so, but now sleepy." Haechan said, followed by a cute yawn. Johnny chuckled and lifted Haechan into his arms and gave him a strong snuggle.
"Oh, then we better get this cutie to sleep." He said, standing up with the boy in his arms. Johnny had never heard of age regression before, but he figured it just meant hyuckie needed some extra parental-like care.
The trio walked back to Johnny and Haechan's room, a talkative Haechan mumbling to himself. Doyoung readjusted the bedding and got it ready for the little while Johnny gently bounced Haechan in his arms.
"Okay, Haechannie! Your beds ready." Doyoung smiled, taking Haechan from Johnny and laying him down softly. He pulled up the blankets and tucked Haechan in.
"Goodnight, hyuckie. Hyungs going to bed now, too." Doyoung said, kissing Haechan's head.
"Ni' Night!" Haechan called, as Doyoung left the room. He quickly switched his attention to Johnny and made grabby hands. "Hug?"
"Of course, hyuckie." Johnny cooed, leaning down and giving him a hug. When he stood back up Haechan had quite a thoughtful look on his face.
"Hyungie, I don't have stuffie to hug." He pouted, rolling to his side with a little huff.
"I'm sorry, we can get you one tomorrow morning." Johnny said, rubbing Haechan's back. Haechan nodded and shut his eyes, a heavy drowsiness overcoming him.
"Night Night." Haechan whispered, falling into a long awaited sleep. Johnny sighed lightly and laid down in his own bed.
The term 'age regression' floated around his head. He had never heard of anything like it before, but it clearly wasn't anything terrible. He wondered how long Haechan would be in a child's mindset and what would happen if he was stuck like that. Surely, that didn't happen if Taeyong did it too. Eventually, Johnny also fell asleep, thinking about how cute Haechan had been the last hour.