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He knows, they know, everyone knows, it's a fact that's stuck around in their brains from the first moment that George slipped in front of them.
It had been a miserable afternoon for all of them, constant thunderstorms kept them inside with racing hearts. George could feel his clouded headspace creeping up in the back of his mind with every piece of ringing thunder, jumping out of his skin at its boisterous rumble. A million thoughts pounded his head, all filling in scarier gaps than the rest.
He hadn't meant to, he hadn't, but the scary sounds outside clouded his head and he couldn't hold on any longer.
Hot tears streamed down his face as his lip jutted out, trying to keep himself from sobbing. It only worked for a moment to keep himself from sobbing. He bit the side of his cheek, hard enough that the tang of metal flooded his mouth and he cried harder. Loudly sobbing into his microphone forgetting he was every in a voice call with the others.
Their worried tones filled his hot ears, scared to death that something horrible happened to cause George to sob.
George uttered how scared he was, both boys doing everything to calm him down. They talked, but George masked over the words with his sobbing. Finally, in a last attempt to calm him down from afar, they began playing lullabies. Which when they look back on that moment in retrospect, wasn't the smartest idea, because George slipped younger. His sobbing stopped as he babbled along with the cheery tunes, but he was stuck in his chair with unmovable legs and no one there to help.
They stayed all on the call together, far longer than the raging storm lasted outside, or the sleep that came and went, but until George was old enough to walk again. Helping to guide him over to his bed to lie down.
When George woke back up in the morning, he was big again. His heart raced at the thought of his best friends witnessing him in such a state. The second he connected into their group call he was blabbering apologizes. The boys were quick to reassure him that it was perfectly okay, that they did research and read up on any source that looked credible. Offering to help him if he ever needed it.
So, they know. Of course, they know. Everyone is perfectly content with knowing, even going as far as hoping to see little George again. Dream loved it the most of out all of them, even though his only experience was terrifying because he couldn't be in the same room as the other, but he loved taking care of the little. He definitely hoped to meet the little again.
Sapnap, however, wasn't the biggest into caring for the little, not thinking he could be successful in any of it, and far too afraid of fucking something up. He did, however, soak up every bit of information imaginable, asking George near bombarding questions about his personal experience trying to learn everything.
Even as much as Dream wanted to meet the little again, and Sapnap wanted to learn more by purely observing, that was the only time he slipped in front of them. It hadn't been a thing of bitten back embarrassment either, as the stress in his life dissipated so did his need to regress. Any time after that when he did slip, he wasn't going quite as young as he had before, and most definitely nowhere near as young when he slipped in front of them.
So a couple of years passed by without any more slipping, or extremely rare cases that occurred during a small bout of time where everything felt out of control around him and he needed the support his headspace offered, but other than that, it was impossible for him to slip again on his own.
So, it's been a few years without anything.
That's fine though, as long as he doesn't fall into the same bad habits he had before, then staying big would be alright.
No matter how good he felt and knew he didn't need to slip, it was bound to happen, and his move was just the thing to aid him. Moving in with Dream and Sapnap had been extremely stressful for him; moving across the world is not an easy task for anyone.
His need to be small hung heavy in the back of his mind, but never in his grasp.
He shouldn't force himself; he won't force himself, that wouldn't be helpful to using it as a healthy coping mechanism. So, most days he feels small, but never regressed... until it happens.
He's on Dream's bed, sitting down besides his ankles as he scrolls endlessly through his phone, watching random things and reading others on twitter, boredom biting the back of his mind. Dream's laying on his back, knees up in the air and shifting back and front as he scrolls through his own phone. Neither turn up in attention as Sapnap pads into the room, stumbling across towards Dream.
"Dream?" he questioned, holding something in his hand.
"Yeah?" he asked, still lazily scrolling through his phone.
"I found this while cleaning, is it important or can I trash it?" He rocked back and front on his feet, fidgeting as Dream finally turned to look at the item.
Dream grabbed ahold of it, examining the packaging, before rolling it between his fingers and handing it back.
"Not mine, could've been a part of a gag gift for Tommy or something, but I'm not too sure."
Curiosity struck the best of him, his attention turning up to meet the other.
His fingers tremble, eyes widen, phone drops, his mind becomes clouded.
"Mine," he whispered trying to grab it from between Dream's legs. He's caged back by his legs, but still tries to reach through them to grab it, failing.
At the weird action, their eyes snapped to him, noticing how different he looks. His eyes are glossy, grown twice the size they'd normally be, his voice is higher pitched and whiney. He looks like a kid, while also looking like himself.
He's regressed.
"Mine," he repeated again, trying to grab the package.
The package, the thing that finally caused his clouded mindset to take over after years: a pacifier. One that isn't his; he's never owned a pacifier before, too afraid of owning one, but his mind claimed that one Sapnap is holding. Forming grabby hands wanting to just be given it, needing to be given it.
From where he's sitting, he can tell it's a soft blue color with a teddy bear on its back, and he wants it.
Why won't they just give it to him?
He wants it.
"I think a little bean on your bed might want this," Sapnap laughed sarcastically, not that George caught on, waving it through the air just outside of his reach teasing him.
Frustration bubbled inside him, whining as he reached farther forward trying to grab it, whining pitifully.
"George?" the voice soft and calm pulling at his attention.
His lip wobbled as he gave up, turning to look at Dream.
"How old sweetheart?" his words a sweet melody on his head. Dream begins shifting them, both sitting up on the bed together.
He looked at his fingers for a long time, trying to remember before holding up three and smiling happily at Dream, bouncing in his spot next to the man happy he remembered.
"What a happy little smile, you're so cute." He laughed, turning away, and whispering to Sapnap, then landing his full attention back on George.
Stomping followed the other out of the room, but George was distracted by Dream cooing at him, over him. His large hand ran through his hair, soothing him farther. He squealed at every mention of a sweet nickname, clapping from the attention.
The hand rubbed against his face, booping his nose, and pulling out even more cheery giggles.
Dream asked him many questions, most of which weren't answered with anything other than happy babble.
His loud squealing filled the air as Sapnap returned, George eyes catching the item right away and making grabby hands.
"Okay, here bean." He teased again as he pressed the pacifier into the others lips.
Bean?
He likes that.
He likes that a lot.
He's Bean.
His mind clouded thicker, eyes drooping with tiredness as he suckled contently. He rubbed his left fist into his eye as he yawned behind his pacifier, stretching out.
"Alright, I think it's time for a nap, right George?"
His tired eyes fluttered open meeting Dream's, shaking his head.
"George..."
He pulled out his paci with a loud whine, eyes teary again.
He's too little to be George, that's not his name.
Why isn't Dreamie calling him by his name?
"No, I Bean." He whined, frustrated tears building up in his eyes, bouncing unhappily.
"Okay, I'm sorry, Bean then." George nodded his head, paci back between his lips as he leant forward into Dream.
A comforting hand rubbed against his back, another wiping away any fallen tears. The baby engrossed in the comfort from the other.
"Bean, are you ready for a nap?"
"Stay?" his word muffled but Dream clearly understood, nodding his head and agreeing.
Softly and Slowly, Dream pulled them both down into a lying position. He adjusted the cover from under them, pulling it over them to snuggle up under it's warmth, rubbing against the baby's back and humming a soft tune to loll him off to sleep.
His own exhaustion washed over him; both their eyes closed drowsy with sleep. He kept himself awake until George's breathing was shallow, his sucking slowing down until it was nothing. Comfortably, he let himself sleep too.
So, George slipped, and it's okay, he's safe, he's happy, but most importantly, he's Bean.