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Today was good for Tubbo. He woke up before four in the afternoon, he streamed for a few hours too. Currently he was playing Minecraft with Ranboo, which made his day better. They were alone in the room, their desks next to each others.
"You know, I've seen this thing online... It's called something like age regression, they're in the mind of a little kid from what I saw. It reminded me of you." Ranboo asked absentmindedly as they mined, trying to make conversation. Tubbo gave them a questioning expression before it soured into a more offended expression, his eyebrows furrowed. "Oi, are you calling me dumb and a child?"
Ranboos eyes widened slightly before looking at Tubbo and quickly shaking their head and saving their hands, "no I didn't mean that! I don't think your dumb or anything. Just sometimes... You get different", they tried to say gently, "you get all soft and gentle, and you get fidgety and your voice goes up a bit. You're also more giggly. That doesn't make you dumb though, just thought you'd wanna know what age regression was if you didn't already"
Then just as sudden as the conversation came, it left, just like most conversations with friends. But the thought plagued Tubbo's mind and it would follow him throughout the week and eventually, he gave in and when he knew everyone was asleep he looked up age regression and what it was.
"Age regression is a psychological phenomenon where an individual, often to cope with stress or trauma, temporarily reverts to a younger, more childlike state of mind, behavior, or emotional state. It can be involuntary (a defense mechanism) or voluntary (a coping strategy), and may involve behaviors like baby talk, emotional outbursts, or using comforting objects."
He read through a few more articles and even watched a few videos before making up his mind, he wanted try it out. But how? And what would he even do if he did regress? So, he began to brainstorm. He went on a few trusted websites and bought a few things that caught his eye. He hoped no one would open the packages when they came to his house, especially not Ranboo.
After a few weeks on impatiently waiting, the packages finally arrived. Ranboo heard the ring of the bell and got them from the doorstep, only to be intercepted by Tubbo. He quickly snatched the boxes from their hands and ran into his room, leaving Ranboo confused but not pushing it as they closed the door and went back on with their day.
Meanwhile in Tubbo's room, he was opening the boxes and setting everything up on his bed in an organized fashion. On his bed was a pacifier decorated with black and yellow gems and a bee charm, it had a matching clip. There was also a dinosaur onesie, a sippy cup, and some coloring items.
His face heated up with embarrassment at what he had bought. In the moments leading up to this, it seemed like a good idea and he was somewhat excited. Yet as he started down at the childish and bright items that contrasted his room, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed and almost ashamed.
His brain was a mess, with negative thoughts clouding around him. Did he really even deserve to cope in such an innocent and relaxing way? Did he deserve to be cared for? What if someone found out, what would they say? Would they hate him, disown him as a friend?
After a few minutes of staring he packed everything back into their boxes and shoved them into his closet. He then laid down in his bed and decided to do what any totally healthy and definitely normal person does, he slept away his embarrassment and thoughts that flooded his brain. It wasn't like he could do anything else.
Unbeknownst to Tubbo, while he was asleep Ranboo came into his room. It was originally to just retrieve a stolen hoodie from the closet, but their curiosity was peeked when they saw the boxes. Now, usually they were good at minding their business but something in their head just had to know what was in them. They noticed that they were the same boxes from earlier in the day and they wanted to see what he was hiding.
They opened up one of the boxes before their expression softened, so that's what their friend had been hiding. They closed the box back up, grabbed their hoodie and tucked Tubbo in properly, and then slipped out of the room quietly.
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A few days later in the afternoon time, Ranboo decided to bring it up, hoping they wouldn't be met with defense or abrasion. "So...Tubs...i uh got my hoodie a few days ago. I came across a few boxes...wanna talk about it?". They began gently from where they sat on the couch, looking over at the shorter.
Tubbo's eyes widened as his face quickly flushed, glancing away sheepishly as he shifted in his seat. "Oh uh...that wasnt- i dont...i didn't use any if that" he tried to explain, his words stumbling over each other as he tried to brush off the topic.
"Hey, no dude it's ok. I'm not like- judging you or anything." Ranboo said as they quickly held their hands up to try and placate him. They then slowly lowered their hands until one of them was on his shoulder, rubbing it gently. "I just want to understand Tubbo, help me understand."
Their soft words seemed to make his body and mind relax a little as he untensed his muscles. "Um... I guess I just kinda wanted to try out that regression stuff after you mentioned it but um... Just haven't gotten around to it yet." He said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down.
"Aw there's nothing wrong with that. It's a really good coping mechanism dude. How about we try it out tonight, yea?" They asked as they smiled, continuing to rub his shoulder. Tubbo thought for a few moments before reluctantly nodding. "Fine... But just.. I dunno, don't be weird or mean or anything"
Ranboo rolled his eyes with a smile before standing up and stretched. "Wouldn't dream of it bud, now go get dressed into something comfy and I'll go make dinner. Bring your sippy down so I can fill it." They ruffled his hair before going into the kitchen.
Tubbo's face remained flushed as he walked into his room, the petname causing him to already feel fuzzy. He changed into the dinosaur onesie, finding comfort in the soft fabric and cute design. He grabbed the sippy cup from the closet as Ranboo had asked, not wanting to upset them for not listening since they were willing to help him with something like this.
He slowly made his way back to the kitchen, feeling a bit shy and vulnerable as he stepped into the room tentatively. He was met with the sight of ranboo playing chicken nuggets and cheesy mashed potatoes with sweet peas mixed in.
"Um.. ranboo? I got it for you" His voice was quiet as he carefully set the sippy cup onto the counter next to Ranboo, as if he was scared it'd blow up if he even just looked at the item for too long. "Good boy, thank you for bringing it to me, go sit down now" they said softly as they took the cup, filling it with apple juice.
Tubbo felt fuzzier at the words of praise, a small smile on his face as he quickly walked over and sat down, his legs kicking lightky under the table. Ranboo eventually came to the table, setting down the plates and a glass of juice for themselves, then the sippy cup for Tubbo.
Ranboo sat down and began to eat, glancing over as Tubbo l ate, slowly and in a clumsy manner. It was clear to them that he had regressed so they quickly finished their own meal before gently taking the fork from Tubbo, earning a small whine of complaint.
"Hey! Give it back, I can do it." He whined as he made grabby hands towards the fork with a frown, causing a chuckle from ranboo. "Relax buddy, I know you can but just let me help you, yea? I'll make sure the food doesn't run away from mister fork so you can be big and strong."
They scooped up some food before holding it towards Tubbo's mouth, when the little didn't open his mouth, they knew they had to get a bit more creative. Ranboo thought for a moment before they made a small buzzing sound, getting a curious and confused look from Tubbo.
Ranboo then also began to slowly move the fork, waving it a bit as it got closer to Tubbo's mouth, gasping for comedic and dramatic effect. "Oh my god, here comes a bee! It has pollen it needs to get for the queen! You need to open the beehives gates!"
Tubbo giggled before slowly opening his mouth for the food. This slow process continued for a little while, Ranboo patiently feeding him and making it as fun as he could. Afterwards Ranboo put all the dishes into the sink and offered Tubbo his hand.
"Hey little one, how about we go see what's on the tele!" They suggested as Tubbo nodded enthusiastically and took his hand. Ranboo grabbed the sippy cup with their free hand. They gently lifted him once in the living room and placed him in a pile of blankets before covering him in more.
Once they were satisfied that he was in a comfortable nest, they settled next to him and offered the sippy cup. Tubbo happily took it and drank it slowly while cuddling into their side, looking up at the television as Ranboo put on an old cartoon. All past embarrassment was lost as he settled into a content state of bliss. For tonight, everything was calm and everyone was coping.