ATEEZ Little Space

Oh Sannie, Baby (Part 2)

It had taken a few days, but San was finally ready to talk to the rest of the group about what they had seen. He wanted to come out about his age regression. He knew that the group wouldn't judge him and even if they didn't want to participate in his age regression, he knew they'd all be supportive.

They decided to hold the family meeting after a pretty relaxing day of practice. Everyone was still awake and the group had just had dinner. Hongjoong had announced the meeting right after dinner, telling everyone to come back into the lounge room in half an hours time. San took the time to prepare himself mentally in his room with Yunho.

"It'll be fine, San." Yunho comforted. San was pacing the length of the room.

"I know, I'm kinda just sorting out everything I want them to know." San confessed. Yunho nodded and let the boy continue his fierce thinking session.

Seonghwa came to collect the two when the time was up, stating that everyone was already gathered and seemed to have figured out that the meeting was about what happened with San. San nodded in acceptance and the three headed to the living room.

All eyes were on San when he entered. He offered a small, nervous smile as he sat down on the couch between Seonghwa and Yunho. The group had amassed five of the kitchen chairs in the lounge, San, Seonghwa and Yunho the only ones on the couch. Once the three were settled, the meeting began.

The announcement that San was a little went over quite well. No one was disgusted and as it is in the age of the internet, almost the whole group had heard of littles and age regression before, save for Jongho. Hongjoong had done some thorough research on the topic since that night, including reading some very /interesting/ ATINY fanfics, and was quite well versed in the little world now.

The group then gave San some room to talk. All seven members had expressed wishes to be included in San's regression, even if they weren't completely sure what they were getting themselves into, so San knew he had to give them as much information as possible.

He started with his age range, "I usually regress around 3 or 4 years old, or at least that's what it feels like based on research I've done. Sometimes when I'm really stressed though, I'll regress down to baby age and it's basically just me cuddling Shiber and not thinking about anything at all."

"What do you mean not thinking?" Hongjoong asked.

"I haven't been able to leave my room when like that so I didn't really have anything to stimulate me. And I didn't have anyone to interact with so I just ended up lying in my bed not thinking about anything. It's really peaceful." San smiled, looking down at his hands.

After a few more questions about his age range San moved on to caregivers, or rather, his lack thereof, "I've never had a caregiver. I don't think Sannie will be used to having you all around."

"Wait, never?" Seonghwa sounded worried.

"No. I've always been my own caregiver." San shrugged, used to not having one.

"How'd you take care of yourself?" Yunho asked.

"I'd always write notes for little me and put them in my little things box. He learnt to trust the notes and knows that what the notes say he has to do." He went to continue, but was interrupted by Yeosang.

"Sorry to but in, but you're referring to your little space as if you don't remember being, well, you when you're little."

"I don't. Sannie is basically a child who has no real connection to my personality. I remember everything he does, but it's extremely rare that he remembers anything that I had been doing before I regressed." San explained, "He basically has his own memories and none of mine. But that's what makes it relaxing, he doesn't remember anything about what made me regress in the first place."

"That does sound really nice," Jongho surprised the group by speaking up, having been silent most of the meeting, "Forgetting everything for a few hours. Not having to worry about tomorrow."

"It is, yeah." San smiled at the boy. "It's a little lonely, or it was, being in my room alone like that. Children want to play, and not having anyone to play with left me very lonely."

"You won't be lonely anymore, San. Promise." Seonghwa offered.

"Thanks, hyung." San decided it was time to move onto the next subject, who Sannie was and how he behaved. "Sannie's pretty quiet, like, he'd talk to himself, but the loudest he's every been was the other day when he was crying with Hongjoong-hyung."

"He would be, having to hide and all." Mingi agreed, "None of us have ever noticed him before, so he's gotta be pretty good at hiding."

Wooyoung hummed, "How did you manage to hide him?"

"As I said before, he reads my notes. I wrote so many rules for him, he basically lives by them."

"What kind of rules?" Seonghwa asked.

"Things like, stay in the room, don't make noise, if someone knocks on the door; be big, those type of things. There were always new ones, correcting little things that he'd done that scared me." Hongjoong looked a little shocked at the boy's confession.

"You had no freedom. San, you should have come to us before! We would've helped you, you didn't have to be scared." Hongjoong sounded almost angry.

"I wasn't scared of you, I just didn't want you to be worried about me. Didn't want you to think I was a..."

"If you're about to say burden, don't bother. You never have been and with never be a burden to any of us. Don't you /dare/ think that way, okay San?" Seonghwa burst. San laughed softly and nodded, a wide smile on his face.

"Thanks hyung." There were another hour of discussions before the group finally came to the topic of when they could see Sannie.

"I think I want to wait til we've got a whole day free." San offered.

"Yeah, I think that'll be good. I think ones coming up in about a two weeks." Hongjoong recalled.

"What do you wanna do, San? Anything in particular?" Yunho asked the boy.

"Not really, I've never been able to play with other people. I think Sannie will be scared if there's too many people around, so maybe only a few in any room at any one time?"

"That sounds fair. I don't think any of us want to see you or Sannie scared of us." Yunho smiled. The rest of the group nod in agreement. It was settled, they'd be seeing little Sannie in no time at all.