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Grace had all the reasons to age regress but he still struggled with the idea of others knowing.
Freshly graduated from college he was pretty much stressed all the time, having spent the last four years constantly studying and worrying. He had secured an internship with a business called the COI, he was going to be starting that in a few months, but it scared him. The only reason why he has his current apartment was because his twin brother was paying for it with his stunt double money, and that scared him too.
He didn’t have many hobbies, graduating with a 3.8 GPA had made sure of that. He did enjoy knitting but often found it frustrating if he messed up. The only thing that truly helped him relax was age regression.
It was something he had stumbled upon by accident his sophomore year. He had been way too drunk, the kind of drunk where your friends don’t want to leave you alone out of fear that you’re going to choke on your own vomit. Grace’s friends had brought him back to his dorm and stayed with him.
One of them, she had always been seen as the mom of the group, had kind of babied Grace. She had found it a tad bit funny how drunk Grace was, and she always called people baby. Laying on his bed with her running her hand through his hair, calling him baby, it left him feeling fuzzy and soft in the head in a way no alcohol ever could.
The next day when he had sobered up he couldn’t get it out of his head. Knowing full well as an asexual he did not have a mommy kink he turned to the internet for more help, and discovered age regression. He researched it, planted the information in the back of his head, and continued on for another year.
When Colt started paying for his apartment halfway through junior year Grace took the time to research age regression again. Now that he was alone without roommates, or anyone else, around he was free to indulge a bit. A little indulgence turned to a lot, just because it truly did help him relax.
Grace owned pacifiers, bottles, sippy cups, stuffed animals, fun patterned blankets, onesies, matching pj sets, and just for the comfort aspect and not usage pull ups. Most items he kept tucked away in drawers in his room, or at the back of cupboards he doesn’t open in front of others. Not that people visited often, but just in case Colt stopped by unannounced.
He felt like he had it all under wraps, until Rocky and Adrian moved in across the hall.
Rocky and Adrian were a couple years older than him, both of them having been together since they were in high school. Rocky was an engineer while Adrian was an artist. They had moved in and immediately knocked on Grace’s door with a plate of fresh cookies.
They were very sweet to Grace, and Adrian’s slightly motherly presence didn’t help Grace’s mindset. They were just so sweet and kind, they cared for Grace in a way that made his mind fuzzy at the edges.
The three of them had become fast friends and Grace often found himself in the same position he was in now, over at their apartment for dinner and drinks. They had finished eating by now, and were now sitting around the living room.
“What’s on your mind Grace?” Rocky asked as he held his wine glass in his hand. Grace thought for a moment, having been stuck in these thoughts for most of the day, and decided to finally share.
“My therapist keeps asking if I feel like I need to up my current meds.” Grace admitted before he sighed. “I feel like maybe I should, I’m still feeling anxious all the time despite school now being over.”
“Well what do you do to relax?” Adrian asked, and the obvious answer crossed his mind, but it was not the answer he wanted to share. Instead he just shrugged.
“That might be a part of the problem Grace, your brain hasn’t had a chance to relax so it’s working overtime and making you anxious. Has your therapist had any suggestions on how to unwind?” Rocky asked.
Grace’s therapist had suggested many ways for him to relax, because they didn’t know about him age regressing. Things could be a whole lot simpler if he could just tell people the truth, but he couldn’t, so he shrugged again.
Both Adrian and Rocky could tell that Grace was holding something back. They may have been fast friends but they were great friends already, and could tell he was hesitating with something. Neither would push him if he wasn’t comfortable, but it didn’t stop them from worrying.
“Well if you ever need help, just let us know. I’m sure we could find something to help you relax, even a distraction could help.” Rocky offered and Grace smiled at him.
“Thanks Rock. I think I’m gonna call it a night.” Grace said as he stood up.
“Alright, get home safe.” Rocky joked and Grace gave him a smile.
“Thanks, and thanks for dinner.” Grace said as he slipped on his slippers to walk back across the hall.
“Anytime, door is always open for you.” Adrian reassured. With final good nights Grace walked back over to his apartment and closed the door behind him.
Within about twenty minutes Grace was curled up in his bed with a galaxy onesie, star pacifier, watching SpongeBob on the small tv that sat upon his dresser. He had his weighted Dino plush in his arms resting on his chest, offering a nice light pressure. He was so comfortable it wasn’t long before he dozed off.
In the morning Grace awoke to his phone ringing. Without checking the caller id he picked up, dropping his pacifier from onto the bed to the floor, he really needed to get pacifier clips.
“Hello?” Grace answered the phone with his eyes closed.
“Oh sorry love were you still sleeping? I was just wondering if you had any coffee creamer I could steal.” Adrian’s voice floated through the phone. Grace hummed lightly as he processed the request.
“Yeah, in my fridge, you’re welcome over to it. I’m going back to sleep.” Grace said and Adrian laughed.
“Alright, thank you so much sweetie.” They said and hung up the phone. Grace placed his phone back on the nightstand, pulled the blanket up over his shoulders and Dino plush and went back to sleep.
Adrian soon crossed the hall moments later and with the key Grace had given them they unlocked the front door. They had a mug with them that wasn’t filled with coffee yet as it was just now brewing, but it was perfect to put some creamer in while they waited.
Crossing to Grace’s fridge Adrian popped it over and gave a general scan over the contents to look for the creamer. What they spotted before they found the creamer was a baby bottle, full of apple juice, just sitting there. It confused them gently, mostly because Grace didn’t have kids in his life, and therefore didn’t need a baby bottle full of juice in his fridge.
Adrian tried not to think about it too much as they grabbed the creamer and poured some into their mug. They put the container back in the fridge and closed it. Crossing back towards the front door they spotted Grace’s bedroom door was half open. Trying not to be creepy they only glanced through the door into the room.
It was enough to see the adult sized pacifier on the floor, and it suddenly made sense.
Adrian was quick to run back to their apartment quietly after locking Grace’s door behind them.
“Rocky, oh my god.” Adrian said as they walked inside. Rocky, who was only half awake drinking black coffee that was freshly brewed from the pot, looked up.
“What harmony?” Rocky asked between sips.
“I was right about Grace having a coping skill he didn’t want to share.” Adrian said and Rocky raised his eyebrows. “Age regression.”
“Nu uh.” Rocky said as he lowered his coffee mug from his mouth. When Grace had gone back to his apartment the night before they had debated the possibility of Grace having a hidden coping mechanism, but age regression wasn’t on the list.
“There was a baby bottle full of juice in the fridge and an adult sized pacifier on his floor right next to his bed like he was using it and it fell. It would make so much sense too, the times where he seems more soft and gentle could have been him starting to regress.” Adrian pointed out and Rocky had to agree.
“Alright, but even still if Grace wanted us to know he would have told us. Doesn’t it seem like overstepping to theorize about it so much?” Rocky asked and Adrian shrugged.
“He knew I was coming over and the baby bottle was just in the fridge, I barely glanced towards his room on my way out and I spotted the pacifier. I wasn’t trying to snoop or anything. Plus it’s not like we’re planning to confront him about it or anything.” Adrian replied and Rocky gave a small nod before taking another sip of his coffee.
“Yeah okay.” Rocky said as Adrian crossed to the coffee pot to finally put some coffee in their mug with the creamer.
“I do think it would be quite fun to baby him a bit extra to see what happens.” Adrian muses. Rocky raised an eyebrow and they laughed. “Come on, you can’t tell me that baby Grace wouldn’t be an adorable sight.”
“No comment.” Rocky replied but he had a small smile on his face.
It wasn’t an official plan they made, it wasn’t something they discussed or planned, it was just something that happened.
A few weeks later after the initial discovery Grace was back at their apartment. He had been vaguely teetering between headspaces all day but he couldn’t find it in him to say no when he got invited over for dinner. They had finished eating and were sitting around the living room.
Grace was sitting on the couch beside Rocky who had his arm around the back of the couch behind Grace. Adrian approached with a large blanket in their hands and smiled softly.
“Scooch.” Adrian said and Grace began to move towards the end of the couch so Adrian could sit next to Rocky when they shook their head. “No, other way.”
“What?” Grace asked, slightly confused.
“Other way.” Adrian repeated, and when Grace just stared in confusion Rocky took matters into his own hands. Gently he wrapped his hands around Grace’s waist and pulled him closer, nearly fully onto his lap, surprising and slightly scaring Grace.
“Oh, Rocky!” Grace exclaimed but he didn’t have too much time to complain as Adrian sat down on Grace’s other side and spread the blanket over the three of them. “Uh guys, what’s this?”
“Just getting cozy. Is that okay?” Adrian asked, still confused Grace nodded. “Great, how about a movie?”
“Oooo I’d love to rewatch Moana honestly.” Rocky said with a small smile, catching onto what Adrian was silently planning. Adrian nodded and after a moment so did Grace.
“Yeah, sounds good.” Grace agreed. Internally he was panicking slightly, Moana was a movie he often watched while regressed. That plus the close proximity, basically cuddling, he was doing with his friends made him already feel soft around the edges. Something about the way he was being cradled between them made him feel warm inside.
Rocky turned on Moana and they all settled as they watched the movie, well Grace watched the movie. The other two were semi frequently glancing at Grace then towards each other, waiting for a clear sign of regression. They were hoping Grace would feel comfortable enough to relax and regress around them.
Inside Grace’s mind he was fighting tooth and nail to stay big. He felt so safe and comfortable at the moment, typically he only felt that way alone in his home which usually meant he could regress, but he wasn’t in his home and he wasn’t alone. There was no way he could just stand up and run off to his apartment solely to regress, but there was no way he could stay here and big.
Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse Rocky’s hand came up and gently began to run through Grace’s hair while Adrian’s arms came to rest around his waist. Grace closed his eyes for just a second as he leaned into the touch, loving the affection, before he snapped them back open and stared at the tv.
“You okay?” Rocky asked, hand stilling in his hair. Grace at this point had decided all bets were off, he was going to let himself regress and just pretend like he was big, he could get away with it. Grace nodded, wanting Rocky to continue with what he was doing. “Is this okay?” Grace gave another nod. “Are you sure?”
“Just-” Grace said and he let out a soft whine. It was too many words to ask Rocky to go back to what he was doing, at least too many words for his little brain. Adrian however could see the frustration on the little’s face.
“I think the little one enjoyed you running your hand through his hair.” Adrian said and Grace nodded before he caught onto what Adrian called him. Horrified Grace turned towards Adrian with a panicked look on his face, his heart rate picking up as he realized he wasn’t as secretive as he thought. Both of them could see the panic.
“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay.” Rocky reassured at once. Grace squirmed between the two, suddenly feeling trapped. He had to go, he had to leave, they could tell he was little and that wouldn’t end well.
“No, noooooo.” Grace whined as he tried to wiggle his way away from them but couldn’t, mostly due to Adrian’s loose grip around his waist.
“Grace, you’re okay hun. It’s okay if you’re feeling little. We got you.” Adrian attempted to help calm him down, neither of them expecting the panic.
“Can’t, can’t be little. Gots to be big.” Grace said as he shook his head. He was terrified of them knowing because he didn’t want to lose them as friends, couldn’t they see that? As hard as he tried, Grace couldn’t rip himself out of his headspace like he wanted to.
“No you don’t love. If you wanna be little that’s completely okay. We got you, you’re safe.” Adrian told him and for a moment Grace stopped squirming. He let himself think very, very, very briefly about the idea of letting them take care of him, of letting someone see him like this. He wanted to melt into their touch again but he was scared.
“We aren’t judging you, we don’t think of you any different, we are completely fine with you age regressing. You are okay to just cuddle up and relax okay?” Rocky explained. Grace looked at Rocky for a moment before glancing over to Adrian, who nodded in return.
“That’s right, we are more than prepared to baby you as much as you want.” Adrian giggled softly and Grace bit his lip slightly before speaking.
“How’d you know?” He asked softly, curious on how they knew what to do to start to bring his headspace down, because there was no way this was an accident.
“When I came to get creamer you had a bottle of juice in the fridge, and when passing your room I spotted a pacifier on the floor. It didn’t take much to put it together.” Adrian explained, and Grace felt a little silly, not only for his mistakes of leaving those items were they could be seen but for not realizing they knew for weeks.
“And I’m not weird or gross?” Grace asked softly, and both of them softened their faces.
“No, no, of course not. Has someone said that to you before?” Rocky asked but Grace shook his head.
“I just worry.” Grace admitted and Rocky gave a small nod.
“That’s understandable, but you don’t have to worry with us. We definitely have to talk more when you’re feeling bigger but it’s okay to be little around us. We don’t mind taking care of you.” Rocky offered but Grace shook his head again.
“No, I’m too much.” Grace mumbled as he looked down at his hands.
“No you are not, you are our Grace, and our Grace is never too much.” Adrian countered. Grace just gave a small shrug. “Well again, we’ll talk more when you’re bigger. For now how about we watch the movie, you can be as little as you want, and we’ll go from there yeah?” Adrian suggested and Grace nodded.
Grace leaned back into Rocky’s side after a moment, and Rocky returned his hand to Grace’s hair. Adrian kept their hands around Grace’s waist as they leaned into him and they returned to watching the movie. By the end of it Grace was yawning and ready for bed. Adrian was the first to stand up, followed quickly by Rocky.
Before Grace could stand up Rocky scooped him up, making Grace panic squeal as he grabbed onto Rocky’s neck. Rocky adjusted Grace in his arms so he could properly carry him back across the hall to his apartment. Grace giggled softly as Rocky set him down on his bed, Adrian in Grace’s kitchen.
“Where do you keep your pjs bud?” Rocky asked as he glanced around. Grace’s face flushed slightly before he pointed towards the closet. Rocky walked over and slid the door open, revealing the stash of little gear.
Rocky grabbed a onesie, a pacifier, and Grace’s Dino plush before he closed the door. He handed the Dino over and set the pacifier on the nightstand before he started the task of helping Grace change into pjs. Grace was more than helpful with changing clothes, not wanting to seem bratty when being taken care of for the first time, and gave a small thank you when Rocky was done.
Adrian returned to the room with a small bottle of milk in their hands, having found a baby bottle at the back of the cupboard.
“Oh Grace, look what I got for you.” Adrian smiled softly. Grace saw the bottle and instead of being nervous or scared about it, he smiled softly. “Want me to feed it to you?” Adrian offered and Grace nodded.
Rocky and Adrian spent a moment getting Grace all settled, slightly propped up, and comfortable on the bed. They knew there was no way all of them could comfortably fit on the bed so they settled for Grace being extremely comfortable while they sat on the edges next to him. Adrian held the bottle as Grace slowly drank, his eyes getting heavier and heavier the more he had.
“Oh look at you.” Adrian mumbled softly as Grace seemed to fall asleep. Adrian took out the bottle and quickly replaced it with the pacifier that was still on the nightstand. Grace took the pacifier and remained still with his eyes closed.
“Okay maybe you were right, baby Grace is cute.” Rocky admitted with a small sigh.
“I’m always right.” Adrian teased lightly.