**New Chapter Release - The Regression Academy**
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - Brothers and Boundaries
It was a rainy Wednesday lunch time when Charles asked Ethan to take Danny out for the afternoon. The soft drizzle tapped against the windows of the nursery, and Danny was curled on the floor in the middle of the toddler common room, colouring a picture of a lion in his oversized colouring book. He looked peaceful, a thick nappy clearly visible beneath the hem of his favourite soft lemon onesie, printed with honey pots and sleepy cartoon bees.
Charles knelt beside him, brushing a hand over Danny’s hair before speaking gently.
‘This afternoon you’ll be with Ethan, little man,’ Charles said softly, giving Danny’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. ‘I’ve got a few meetings to take care of, and I think a little one-on-one time with him will do you good. A special lesson, just the two of you.’
Danny looked up, blinking slowly. His lips curled into a sleepy smile.
‘Okay, Daddy,’ he murmured. ‘Are we going somewhere?’
Charles shook his head, then turned to Ethan, who had just stepped through the doorway. ‘You’ll stay in the faculty side room. Take some toys, some snacks. I just want you both to have some space, quietly. No distractions. See what grows.’
Ethan raised an eyebrow, but didn’t protest. ‘Sure. I can do that.’
Charles gave him a long, searching look. ‘Ethan. I trust you. Don’t try to perform. Just… be with him.’
Ethan nodded slowly, a flicker of nerves dancing behind his eyes. But he held out his hand all the same.
‘C’mon, cub,’ he said with a small smile.
Danny stood up, waddling slightly from the bulk between his legs, and took Ethan’s hand. Together, they walked slowly through the halls toward the quieter corner of the academy where visiting faculty often stayed. It was warm inside, and Ethan had already laid out some soft blankets, a beanbag, a basket of board books, and a plush dinosaur or two from the shared toy cupboard.
Danny looked around, then dropped onto the rug and tugged his lion teddy to his chest. He said nothing at first, but the way he curled his legs to one side, the way his thumb crept to the edge of his mouth, it spoke volumes.
Ethan crouched beside him, stretching his long legs out on the floor. For a while, neither of them spoke. Rain pattered against the windows. Somewhere distant, a bell chimed the change of periods.
Eventually, Ethan reached over and gently smoothed the collar of Danny’s onesie. ‘You really like this stuff, huh?’
Danny nodded.
‘It’s not just pretending for you?’
Danny blinked, then shrugged. ‘Sometimes I pretend. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I feel so little it’s not a choice. That’s when I need Daddy most.’
There was no defensiveness in his voice, just quiet truth.
Ethan leaned back on his palms, staring at the ceiling for a long moment. ‘I didn’t get it. For ages. You and Charles, it used to piss me off, honestly. You just… let go. Gave it all up. And he just… picked it up.’
‘That’s love,’ Danny whispered. ‘I don’t have to worry anymore. I just be me.’
Ethan turned his head to look at him.
‘You trust him that much?’
Danny nodded.
‘I didn’t used to trust anyone. But he made me feel safe. Even when I was scared. Even when I was gross.’
Ethan laughed under his breath. ‘Gross?’
Danny blushed, lowering his voice. ‘Like… when I’m messy. Or when I cry. Or have accidents in front of everyone. He never gets cross. He just changes me and cuddles me like I’m still good.’
There was a long pause. Ethan rubbed his hands together, a faraway look on his face.
‘You know I’ve been here a couple of years now, right?’ he said finally.
Danny looked up at him.
‘I used to think if I flirted enough or made people laugh or acted cool, Charles would notice me. But he didn’t. Not like that. Then you came along, all shy and leaking and clingy, and he couldn’t look away.’
Danny frowned, but said nothing.
‘I used to hate you for it,’ Ethan admitted. ‘But then… then I saw how he held you. And how you looked at him. And I realised it wasn’t about being good. It was about being honest.’
He shifted on the floor, adjusting his position to face Danny fully.
‘I don’t know what I am, Danny. I like looking after people, sometimes. Like, I liked feeding you cake at the party. But sometimes I get these… feelings. Like I want to be looked after, too. I don’t know what to do with that.’
Danny hugged his lion a little tighter.
‘Maybe you don’t have to know. Maybe you can just… be with me, and figure it out later.’
Ethan looked startled, then smiled.
‘You’re weird, kiddo.’
‘I know.’
They sat in silence for a while. Then Danny shifted, fidgeting. Ethan glanced over and raised an eyebrow.
‘You okay?’
‘I think I need a change,’ Danny mumbled, pink cheeked.
Ethan swallowed. ‘Charles said… I didn’t have to. But I could, if I wanted.’
Danny just looked at him, wide-eyed.
Ethan reached out slowly, resting a hand on Danny’s leg.
‘I’ll check you, yeah?’
Danny nodded.
Ethan gently undid the poppers on Danny’s onesie, revealing the thick, swollen nappy beneath. He ran a hand across the plastic, felt the telltale squish and sag, and caught the scent of something more than wetness.
‘Yeah,’ he said softly. ‘Messy too.’
He glanced at Danny, who looked nervous again. But Ethan didn’t flinch. He just stood up.
‘Let’s get Miss Thompson to change you, cub. Then maybe you can help me understand what it means to be a big brother.’
Danny smiled up at him, and for the first time, Ethan didn’t feel like he had to prove anything.
He just had to show up.
Later that afternoon, Ethan and Danny were in the nursery common room, kneeling beside a basket of soft blocks, trying to build a tower that refused to stay upright. His dungarees had slipped slightly as he bent forward, revealing the top of his nappy where the snaps of his onesie strained to contain the bulge beneath. Ethan’s eyes caught on it, not with mockery or even discomfort, but something else. A kind of empathy. Maybe even envy.
‘Need a hand?’ Ethan offered, crouching beside him.
Danny looked up with a grin. ‘It keeps falling.’
‘I can help with that,’ Ethan said, settling beside him on the padded floor. He reached into the basket and began handing Danny one block at a time, watching carefully as the tower slowly grew.
They worked in silence for a few minutes, the soft clink of plastic and Danny’s occasional hum filling the space. Then Ethan spoke, his voice low.
‘I don’t know how you do it.’
Danny blinked at him. ‘Do what?’
‘Let go. Be this open. Vulnerable.’ Ethan’s expression was unreadable. ‘When I first got here, I thought the whole thing was just… a game. Roleplay. But you… you really live it. And people take care of you because of it.’
Danny paused, placing a block slowly. ‘Maybe. But it’s not easy. It’s not pretended either. Sometimes I wish I didn’t need it so much.’
Ethan gave a quiet chuckle. ‘Same.’
Danny tilted his head. ‘You wish you didn’t need to be little?’
Ethan shrugged, noncommittal. ‘I don’t know if I do. I mean, I like looking after you. I like when you curl up next to me or let me help. But… there are days I wake up and wish someone else would tell me what to do. What to wear. That I didn’t have to be so in charge all the time.’
Danny smiled gently. ‘Maybe you don’t have to be. Not always.’
They built another layer in silence, and then Ethan said, ‘Do you think it’s weird I like nappies? I mean, not on you. I mean for me.’
Danny looked at him seriously. ‘No. I think… it’s brave to say it out loud. And it’s not weird. It’s just what helps you feel safe.’
Ethan didn’t respond right away. He just reached for another block.
Eventually, when the tower collapsed again, this time from Danny’s playful swipe, they both laughed, and Danny leaned into Ethan’s side with a soft sigh. Ethan instinctively put his arm around him.
A little while later, Charles entered the room, smiling when he saw the two of them cuddled on the padded floor, Danny half-asleep and Ethan looking surprisingly settled.
Charles crouched beside them and whispered to Ethan, ‘He’s due for a change.’
Ethan blinked, then looked down at Danny, noticing the slight sag in the nappy beneath the fabric of his clothes.
‘You want me to—’
‘You don’t have to,’ Charles said gently. ‘But if you want to try… I think he’d let you.’
Danny stirred slightly and mumbled, ‘I don’t mind if Ethan does it.’
That made Ethan’s chest tighten in an unfamiliar way. Not dread. Not embarrassment. Just… tenderness.
Charles showed him where the changing supplies were, and a few moments later, Ethan was kneeling by the mat, guiding Danny onto it with surprising ease. He peeled back the dungarees and unsnapped the onesie, revealing the soaked nappy beneath.
‘I… wow,’ Ethan whispered. ‘You really were due.’
Danny giggled sleepily.
Ethan tried to focus. Gloves on. Wipes. Powder. Fresh padding. Charles had laid everything out.
He took his time, not because he didn’t know what to do, but because he didn’t want to get it wrong. But when it was done, and Danny was snug and clean and cooing softly at the ceiling, Ethan felt something settle in his chest. Pride. Connection.
And maybe something else too, something still unnamed.
He helped redress Danny, smoothing the soft onesie over the crinkly new nappy and re-fastening the dungarees with care. When they were finished, Ethan sat back on the floor and looked at Charles, who had watched from a respectful distance.
‘Not bad for a first time,’ Charles said with a smile.
Ethan nodded, almost dazed. ‘It felt… good. Like I was doing something that mattered.’
Charles’ eyes softened. ‘It does matter.’
Danny crawled back into Ethan’s lap like it was the most natural thing in the world, resting his head there with a sigh.
‘Big brother,’ he mumbled happily.
Ethan looked down at him, his hand brushing gently over Danny’s hair. He didn’t correct him.
Charles watched the pair for a moment, warmth tugging at his chest. This was what he’d hoped for, not just tolerance, but connection. ‘You know,’ he said after a pause, his tone quiet but deliberate, ‘why don’t you come to the cottage tonight, Ethan? Just the three of us. A proper family evening. No lessons, no pressure, just time to bond. I think Danny would like that.’
Danny’s eyes lit up instantly, his head lifting from Ethan’s lap. ‘Please?’ he asked softly, looking between them with a hopeful smile.
Ethan glanced at Charles, then at Danny, and gave a small, genuine nod. ‘Yeah,’ he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. ‘I’d like that too.’
That evening, after dinner and bath time, the academy had begun to quiet down. Most of the students had been guided to their common rooms, and the faculty had retired to their respective quarters. But Ethan found himself lingering in Charles’ cottage, curled up on the sofa while Danny snoozed on a blanket nearby, his lion plush tucked under one arm.
Charles sat across from him, sipping tea, his gaze steady but soft. The fire crackled gently between them, filling the space with warmth and shadow.
‘You did well today,’ Charles said quietly. ‘With him. And with yourself.’
Ethan exhaled. ‘I feel… weirdly calm. Tired too, but not in a bad way. Just… stretched a bit. Like I’ve been holding something in for too long, and now it’s starting to let go.’
Charles nodded slowly. ‘That’s a good way to describe it.’
There was a pause. Then Ethan leaned forward slightly, his voice low.
‘Do you think it’s possible to be both? A big brother, I mean. Someone he can lean on… but also… someone who might need looking after too?’
Charles didn’t smile or speak right away. He took his time, letting the question hang in the air like steam above the tea.
‘Yes,’ he said finally. ‘I think that’s exactly what you are.’
Ethan frowned, puzzled. ‘You do?’
‘You’ve always had this need to be seen, to be affirmed. It came out in the wrong ways, at first, the sarcasm, the needling, the constant flirting, but underneath it all, I think you just wanted to be held. To be understood.’
Ethan’s lips parted slightly, but he didn’t interrupt.
‘And now,’ Charles continued, ‘you’re offering comfort instead of chasing it. You’re showing up for someone else. That doesn’t mean you’ve stopped needing it for yourself. It just means you’re ready to receive it in a different way.’
The words settled in Ethan’s chest like a balm.
‘I used to think that being little meant giving something up. Power. Identity. Respect. But watching Danny… and now feeling it myself… I think it’s more about remembering what we needed when we were younger. And giving it to ourselves now. Or letting someone else give it to us.’
Charles set his mug down and stood, walking over to the sleeping form of Danny. He knelt and gently lifted him into his arms. Danny stirred only slightly, resting his head on Charles’ shoulder, his thumb slipping into his mouth.
Charles looked at Ethan as he cradled Danny. ‘He’s yours now too, in a way. Not the same as he is mine. But you matter to him. He’s already looking to you.’
Ethan stood and stepped closer, uncertain. ‘But what does that mean, really? Being his big brother? What do you expect of me?’
Charles’ tone stayed calm, but became a touch firmer. ‘It means being there. Not just when it’s easy or fun. But when he’s scared. When he wets through at the cinema. When he won’t stop crying because he’s had a hard regression day. When he gets cheeky and pushes limits. You’ll be his anchor when I’m not there, someone who sees him and accepts him completely.’
Ethan looked down at Danny, who was starting to stir. ‘And what about me? Do I still get to… explore what I need?’
‘Absolutely,’ Charles said. ‘In fact, I expect you to. But you’ll need to do it honestly. No more pretending. No more hiding behind jokes. If you need nappies, you say so. If you want story time, we’ll read to you. If you just need a cuddle and someone to stroke your hair, then you ask. We’ll work out the structure together. But it starts with being honest.’
Danny murmured sleepily and lifted his head from Charles’ shoulder. His eyes blinked open and found Ethan standing nearby.
‘Hi, bruvver,’ he mumbled, voice thick with sleep and affection.
Ethan’s heart twisted in the best way.
‘Hey, munchkin,’ he replied, stepping forward. Without needing to ask, he reached out, and Charles carefully passed Danny into his arms.
Danny curled in without hesitation, head against Ethan’s chest, thumb still in his mouth.
‘I trust you,’ Charles said. ‘I wouldn’t be offering you this if I didn’t.’
Ethan looked down at the boy in his arms, at the faint crinkle of his nappy beneath his sleeper, and then back to Charles. ‘I think… I want to try. Being his big brother. Being part of this. I don’t know yet what my little side looks like. But I know I want to be here.’
Charles stepped forward, placing a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. ‘Then you are. We’ll take it slow. But you’re not alone anymore.’
They stood there for a long moment in quiet understanding, the three of them together, a strange and beautiful triangle of care, belonging, and becoming.
Eventually, Charles took Danny back to settle him in the crib in the adjoining nursery room, dimming the lights and humming softly. Ethan watched from the doorway, something shifting inside him that he couldn’t yet name.
Later, as Charles returned to the sitting room, Ethan was still there, now curled up on the couch, knees drawn up under a soft blanket.
Charles raised an eyebrow. ‘Spending the night?’
Ethan hesitated, then nodded. ‘If that’s alright.’
‘It is. I’ll get you some spare clothes for tomorrow.’
Ethan hesitated at the doorway to the guest bedroom, his fingers brushing the hem of his shirt.
‘I guess I’ll just sleep in my boxers,’ he mumbled, offering a faint, half-hearted smile.
Charles stepped in behind him, his tone calm but resolute. ‘No, Ethan. You won’t. If you’re staying here, you’ll follow my rules. Tonight, that means wearing a nappy.’
Ethan turned slightly, his brows lifting. ‘Seriously?’
Charles nodded. ‘Yes. Not because I’m trying to embarrass you, but because I think it’s what you need. You’ve been exploring this space with Danny, trying to understand it, and I think part of you is curious about what it’s like to let go. To be looked after. This is a first step. Nothing more.’
There was a long pause. Ethan didn’t argue. He didn’t agree, either. But he didn’t leave.
Charles stepped closer, holding the soft white nappy in one hand. ‘Lie down,’ he said gently, not unkindly. ‘Let’s get you ready for bed.’
Still silent, Ethan obeyed. The bed was firm and smelled faintly of lavender. He lay back, heart thudding in his chest. Charles worked with quiet efficiency, lifting his legs with care, sliding the thick padding beneath him, then folding it up and around his waist. The tapes fastened with soft clicks, and Ethan felt the snug pressure wrap around him, strange and secure all at once.
Charles then helped him into a plain white vest, snug and stretchy, before tucking the duvet up around his chest. Ethan looked smaller somehow.
Charles didn’t say much. He simply reached out, and whispered, ‘Goodnight, little one.’
Then he switched off the lamp, left the door slightly ajar, and walked quietly away, leaving Ethan alone with the soft crinkle and the warmth of being gently, completely cared for.
🏫 Class doesn’t have to end here — the full story is waiting for you on Amazon:
The Regression Academy eBook : Ganymede, Baby: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
