Omg omg omg can you do reg! Court and Cg. Ryland Grace? I would absolutely adore you.
🪿 age regressor Courtland Gentry and caregiver Ryland Grace headcanons!
COLTLANDGENTRY SIBLINGS AU
⟢ The first time Court regresses is after all of his connections to the CIA are clean and he’s staying with Claire in Ryland’s apartment. It’s the first time he’s felt relaxed in… longer than he can remember. Maybe he’s never felt truly relaxed before, at least not like this. His brain feels like mush and for the first time in his life, he feels safe.
⟢ At first, he has no idea what is happening. Court never got a proper childhood. All of his formative years were spent trying desperately to protect Ryland and Colt - he was practically their parent, he stepped up because their father refused to. Court doesn’t know what it’s like to be a child in the first place, so he can’t place that he’s feeling like one.
⟢ It took him until Ryland found him curled up, half asleep and (completely subconsciously) sucking his thumb that he found out what was happening. Ryland was so gentle with him, pulling a soft blanket over him and rubbing his back, whispering “it’s okay, you’re okay,” until Court fell asleep. Ryland told him about it the next morning, and not-so subtly asked him if he had felt any younger. Court didn’t have an answer to that, and thought it over very deeply over the course of the day. Eventually he came to the conclusion that he doesn’t know enough about what it meant to be a child to know if he felt like one, but that the hypothesis made sense. He knows all about the effects of trauma on the brain - he’s had to unlearn these natural responses for so long, so a coping mechanism that allows his brain to reset to a state before he had to do that would be good for him. He can’t help but wonder if this could be his shot at reclaiming the childhood he never had. He brings it up with Ryland and he is very happy to help. They have a productive conversation about it and their boundaries - they both like rules and guidelines so it works out well for the both of them. I imagine they even make a list - Ryland asked if he could put it up on the fridge but Court didn’t want Claire to see it, so it’s kept in Ryland’s room.
⟢ Ryland advises Court not to force it, that if it was a product of deep relaxation, that thinking about it too hard could do the opposite effect, but he’ll definitely be there for him if he does regress again. Court agrees, and they continue with their normal lives until the next time Court unintentionally regresses, where he can recognise the tells this time and go to Ryland about it. Well, “go” is a bit of a strong word - more like “whine loudly until Ryland hears him”.
⟢ Court is a BABY baby. He’s always had to be the one constantly thinking and problem solving that his brain clings onto that no thoughts head empty state because… well, it’s what he needs. I imagine he’d start regressing in life stages, almost - he starts out being super little for the first few months before he starts to slowly age up, like he’s experiencing life all over again. But at least at the start, all he really does is sleep and cry. So many years of it being unsafe to express emotion that he’s just a weepy little thing.
⟢ Ryland is soooo gentle with him. Being a regressor himself and knowing how much stuff Court I has gone through (even if he hasn’t heard the extent of it), he knows to be very light with him, both mentally and physically. Court flinches at touches that are even a tiny bit too hard, or a raise of a hand that’s just a little too high. It will immediately pull him out of his regression and into fight or flight.
⟢ Tiny baby. Very little movement and no words. All he knows is lie on back and hug brother. He’s too little to play games and never pays attention to tv, so his time regressed is spent staring at Ryland as he pampers him. He’ll run his fingers through his hair, rub his back or his tummy, cradle him, hum to him (even if he’s not the best singer, Court doesn’t mind), and it lulls Court to sleep super quickly.
⟢ When Court isn’t crying, he’s very quiet. He doesn’t really giggle much, but I imagine that would start to change as the months go by. He starts to become more playful, responding more to toys and resisting sleep to stay regressed with his brother for longer. Ryland thinks it’s adorable but reminds him that it’s okay, he can sleep, and that he’ll be there when he wakes up. Court has a tendency to wake up repeatedly throughout the night just to check that Ryland is still beside him - or because of his nightmares. He gets a lot of those.
⟢ And if Ryland isn’t there one night? Ohh, Court is WAILING. He immediately thinks his brother is dead! Of course, Ryland is fine, he just needed to go to the bathroom, but ohhh boy. It was very hard to calm him down after that. In his adult headspace, Court is usually very good at keeping calm, but the whole reason why he continued to regress in the first place was because it was an emotional outlet, so all of that goes out the window when he’s little. He’s a very anxious kiddo overall - he needs lots of reassurance which Ryland is happy to provide.
⟢ Even after Court starts ranging a little older and starts making more noise, he still doesn’t speak. The most he’ll say is “Ry” and that’s about it. If he wants something, he’ll just point and look at Ryland with that big ‘ol toddler stare - you know the one.
⟢ He regresses quite frequently because by god does his body NEED IT. After all of that trauma, actual relaxation is such a relief on his poor heart. Plus, aside from taking care of Claire who Ryland is helping with and is already quite independent in and of herself, he doesn’t have the crazy responsibilities he used to have, so he has more spare time than he knows what to do with.
⟢ Ryland and Court both love feeding time, although it’s quite the ordeal trying to keep Court awake for long enough to finish his bottle. Ryland knows he’s hungry so he keeps having to gently pat him awake, “starlight, I know you’re very sleepy, but you’ve gotta finish your baba. C’mon, a few more sips? Theeere we go.”
