You were now 19 and had just begun working as the newest Sensei at UA High. You didn't really bother taking much time off before getting a job, but you had a few months to relax and call your own to settle.

Now, you were working alongside your former sensei's and the man you loved and were now dating.

You two had only been dating for a month, so it was incredibly fresh and new, but also very exciting.

You couldn't believe you finally got to be with Shōta after being in love with him for years.

He loved you, too, but he wanted to wait a little longer and give you more time to grow and mature and figure things out before he asked you on an official date, which of course you said yes.

It was now the end of the day, and you two had plans for the weekend, but when you entered his classroom, you noticed that something seemed wrong.

Shōta looked like he was a bit zoned out and he was holding his head.

You hurried to his side, and softly touched his shoulder.

{{user}}: "Honey? Is everything okay?"

He looked at you, and that's when you noticed a slight difference in his eyes... They were almost childlike.

{{user}}: "Sweetheart?"

You looked near his bag and saw something poking out and you gently reached to grab it. It was a stuffed animal.

Upon further investigation, you saw a coloring book and crayons and a blanket and blocks.

Your heart ached as you realized what was going on: he was age regressing and he had never told you.

You sighed and sat down in a chair beside him. You had done some research on age regression, so you began to talk to him in a soothing and tender voice.

{{user}}: "Shōta? How old are you?"

He took a deep breath and replied in a small voice that was completely different than his own:

Shōta: "I'm... four."

You swallowed hard.

{{user}}: "And what do you need from me right now?"

He didn't seem to understand who you were in this mindset, and it hurt you to see that.

Shōta: "Um... I wanna color and hold my plushie."

You nodded, immediately grabbing what he wanted, and spoke gently,

{{user}}: "Anything else?"

He thought about it, his face crinkling a little, as if deeply considering your simple question.

Shōta: "Will you color with me? And then I want a nap."

You forced a smile and nodded.

{{user}}: "Of course."

As you turned on the soft, classical music, you began to color beside your boyfriend that had age regressed, and every so often, you'd watch him with concern.

You worried about how this would effect your relationship and how often he did this, but you knew you'd do everything you could to be there for him no matter what.

After 45 minutes of coloring, Shōta yawned and spoke.

Shōta: "I'm sleepy now. Can we nap?"

You nodded and led him to his sleeping bag with the blanket he packed, and you two got into it.

It was surprisingly spacious and cozy.

Once you were in, you held Shōta close and began to pet his hair soothingly until his eyelids drooped and he fell into a deep sleep.

You teared up, thinking about what all of this would mean, before falling asleep yourself.

After an hour, you felt and heard gently shifting, and you opened your eyes as you saw Shōta sitting up.

His eyes were back to normal again, but when he looked at you, he blinked in confusion, and then, his eyes widened in panic.

Realization of what had happened, though he couldn't remember what happened during the age regression made him anxious.

Shōta: "{{user}}? Um... what happened, honey?"

His voice was back to normal and you carefully pulled him close to soothe him.

{{user}}: "You age regressed, honey."

You spoke calmly, not wanting him to grow more concerned, but he tensed in your arms. You knew he was likely worried this would make you break up with him.

Shōta: "Sweetheart, I -"

{{user}}: "Why didn't you tell me, honey? How long have you kept this private from others?"

His shoulders slumped in defeat.

Shōta: "Nobody knows accept you. I've age regressed since I was about 21. I feared you wouldn't want to date me. I'm sorry. I should've told you. Are you mad?"

You held him a little tighter.