Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tim was everything the world wanted from him. Boy genius. Vigilante. Leader of a superhero team.

It didn't matter if he was just a little bit more right?

When Tim was a child, he hadn't been enough. Mother and Father had constantly left him home alone with nothing but a nanny, his schoolwork, and a pile of books for extra learning. He read every one of the books, wrote about them for his parents to see, and then took to the roofs to snap pictures of Robin.

Well now Tim was a child again. Sort of. He was still physically big. Now, instead of working through textbooks, he was sucking happily on his pacifier, wearing his star patterned onesie, and curled up under his softest blanket with his stuffed dragon and his friend. They were watching Bart's favorite movie tonight: Sonic the Hedgehog.

"Timmy?" Bart said.

"Wha?"

"I'm outta juice."

Tim looked at his friend's bottle. Bart's bottle was red and had the Flash's symbol on it. Bart always tended to spill so Tim got up, threw on some sweats and hoodie, took his pacifier out and went to go pour Bart a new bottle.

This was called age regression, and Tim was in love with it. The pleasant fog that settled over his mind as he was just a little baby once again. It was relaxing. It was perfect.

He had discovered it years ago, during a case with Batman. They were looking for a missing woman who happened to be a regressor. Bart had found out some time later, and ever since then they had been having movie nights and play dates when things got too stressful. He only regressed at Titan's tower or his own apartment in Gotham, never in front of his family.

At least, if he could avoid it.

On his way back to his room, his phone rang. Not his personal phone, his burner phone which was strictly for super hero business. He looked at the caller ID: "Big Brother 1." He put it to his ear.

"Yeah Nightwing?" Tim struggled to keep his voice normal, instead of the happy, bouncy, high pitched voice his regressed self used.

"Hey little Red," Dick said. His voice was soft although he sounded a bit tense too. Tim fought back the urge to giggle at the nickname. "We need you in Gotham."

"What's up?"

"Scarecrow created a new fear toxin and the Batcomputer is having trouble creating an antidote. He's dosed the water supply and by morning the whole city will be going nuts."

"And you think I can do what the computer can't?"

"A computer could never match up to that big, beautiful brain of your's little Red."

Tim smiled at the compliment and walked into his room. "Aw. Flattery will get you everywhere. Let me grab a bag and suit up. I'll be right there."

"See you soon."

The phone clicked and Tim turned to Bart, kneeling down next to him. "I gots to go."
Bart gave a loud whine and clung onto him. Tim hugged back. "I'm sorry."

Bart just sighed. They held onto each other for a moment. "Help pack a bag?"

Tim nodded. The speedster beamed and set about doing his task while Tim grabbed his Red Robin suit, put it on, and went to his boyfriend's door. The door opened before he even knocked.

"Hey Handsome," the super said as he leaned down and kissed his bird. Tim returned the kiss hesitantly. Affection when regressed was normal, at least from Bart, but he'd never been kissed on the lips before when regressed. It was new. When they pulled apart Kon spoke again. "Don't tell me we got a mission again today?"

"You don't. I do," he replied, "But it's an emergency so I am enlisting you to fly me to Gotham."

"Daddy bats calling?"

"Big brother actually but close enough. C'mon. Suit up. I'll be on the roof."

Tim received another peck on the cheek before Kon closed the door to change. Tim headed up to the roof and was soon joined by his speedster best friend, who was carrying a blue duffle bag, and his boyfriend.

Bart gave him a big hug. "Bye bye." Bart's voice was high pitched and practically dripping with innocence.

"I'll see you soon."

Bart gave a hug to Superboy before speeding away.

"Hey Tim?"

"Yeah Kon?"

"Your voice is kind of weird," he observed, "You okay?"

Tim tried to keep the blush off his cheeks. He wasn't sure if it worked or not. "Yeah. Yeah I'm just excited to be back in Gotham it's been a little while."

Kon might have guessed he wasn't being truthful, but Kon just nodded. He picked up Tim's bag and hooked it up over his shoulder before holding his lover close.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

As they soared through the sky, Tim closed his eyes and tried to swat the pleasant cotton candy fog of regression away from his mind. It was difficult. He wanted to go back to the tower and have his bottle and snuggle up with Bart. Next time he got to pick the movie, and he wanted to watch The Little Prince again. He certainly didn't want to be dealing with Scarecrows stupid antics.

Still, duty called, no matter how much he wanted to take the night off.

As Kon set him down behind the manor, Tim gave him a tight squeeze.

"Thanks for flying with me."

"The Superboy Express is always available for my pretty bird."

Tim couldn't stifle the appreciative giggle that left him that time, and Kon looked rather pleased having drawn the noise from him.

"I better head back to the tower," Kon said. Tim nodded and kissed his cheek.

"See you soon."

He watched his beloved fly away before taking a deep breath and steeling his resolve. Regular voice. Regular behavior. He was just a regular almost-adult. He could do this. The others didn't have to know.

He pushed open the door and walked in.

Chapter Text

Tim not only figured out why the computer couldn't create the antidote, he hoped on the computer and fixed it. As the antidote was being mixed, Tim tried to help his family.

Most of them had gone out in the field, dealing with Scarecrow's henchmen or trying to corral citizens that were scared out of their minds.

Red Robin was helping a woman who had wandered out of her home, hallucinating from the toxin. Judging from the comms, Hood was somewhere nearby, handing out water bottles to the homeless kids in Crime Alley.

"Police just got a report about some thugs two streets over from you Red Robin," Oracle said through the comms.

"On it."

Tim hopped over some rooftops before spotting them. A group of men in gas masks moving together. There was only nine of them, so it wasn't something he couldn't handle.

Dropped down, he swiftly took one goon down before turning to another.

As Tim fought, his mind drifted. Bart would have finished watching Sonic the Hedgehog by now. Afterwards, they'd usually have warm milk and Tim would set up a mobile that played lullabies above his bed. They'd snuggle until they were both asleep. Snuggling up with Bart was so nice. He was like his own little heater and-

It was his lack of attention that got him sprayed in the face with fear toxin. He stumbled backward as the offending substance attacked his lungs. As his vision blurred, he felt concrete against his cheek. Had he fallen?

And then he heard yelling. Yelling at him specifically. It was Bruce, telling him he wasn't good enough and that he shouldn't even bother showing his face around Gotham. Jason was there too, and he looked angry. He was advancing toward Tim with a knife, calling him "Replacement" over and over again. Dick was nearby, and Tim tried to call out to him, asking him to stop Jason, but the man simply sneered at him like he was useless. Behind Dick there were three corpses. First there was Bart, who's legs were mangled and twisted. Then there was Damian. His body was so small, and it was covered with blood. Next there was Kon with a sharp piece of kyrptonite sticking out of his chest.

Tim wasn't aware he was screaming. This was just the beginning. The visions would only get worse from here.

….

Dick carried his struggling, crying little brother back to the cave. He laid Tim on a cot in med bay. His heart ached as he watched his brother cry. Dick quickly decided to give him a sedative, and almost breathed a sigh of relief as Tim finally quieted.

"He got hit?" A voice asked. Dick turned to see Jason taking his helmet off.

"Yeah. I didn't want him to hurt himself thrashing so I put him to sleep."

Jason nodded and walked over to the computer, standing next to Barbara in order to check the status of the antidote. Dick joined him soon, and Tim could be heard whimpering behind them.

The antidote would be ready soon. Satisfied that everything was running smoothly, he returned to Tim, only to find him laying in a puddle.

It wasn't uncommon for someone to wet themselves when infected with fear toxin. In truth, they'd all done it before. Fear toxin could bring out terrible physical symptoms. Some people even had seizures from the stress.

"Little Wing," Dick called, "Can you look in Tim's bag for a change of clothes?"

Jason glanced back at the scene behind him. He wasn't surprised. When he had been dosed with fear toxin the first time, he had thrown up all over himself and Batman. He went over to the bag and opened it. His eyebrow shot up at what he found.

"Um, Dick?" Jason removed what appeared to be a baby bottle with a nipple for an adult mouth, "what is this?"

The eldest brother stared for a moment. His mind flashed back to a case he had worked with Tim and Bruce years ago. A missing girl. She had had stuff like that in her apartment. He couldn't remember the term for what she was though.

"Right now let's focus on getting Tim into dry clothes okay?"

Jason nodded and continued to rummage through the bag. Dick started to peel his younger brother out of his costume. It might be weird for other siblings, but the batkids had to do things like tend to emergency injuries so modesty tended to be an afterthought. Once Tim was undressed, Dick took a wet washcloth to clean up where he had gotten wet. Leaving his skin wet could cause a rash, and what big brother would allow that?

"Here." Jason held out a pair of black pajama pants, a red sweater, and plaid boxers. Dick made quick work of Tim in fresh clothes, trying to ignore the way he whimpered and swatted at Dick's hands.

"Jaybird, did he have any other comfort items in there?"

Jason removed a pacifier too big for a baby and a stuffed dragon with stars on its belly. "These count?"

"Definitely." Dick took the pacifier and held it to Tim's lips. On instinct, the teenager opened his mouth and Dick popped it in. Tim's shoulders relaxed a little. Dick smiled as he handed him the stuffed animal and Tim proceeded to latch onto it.

"So he's a baby?" Jason asked.

"I guess so," Dick replied, "there are worse things to be. Besides, he's kind of cute like this don't you think?"

Jason shrugged. "Cute was never my area of expertise Dickie. It's not like I was a Hello Kitty fan or something."

Dick groaned. "Listen, I was 14 okay?"

"Most 14 year old boys don't deck their rooms out with Hello Kitty posters and stuffed animals," Jason teased.

"It was a phase!"

Their banter was interrupted by Oracle. "An injection of the antidote is ready."

Jason took the syringe from her and walked over to inject Tim. The boy whimpered a bit at the injection, but a few minutes later, his body had finally relaxed.

Chapter Text

Little blue eyes opened slowly. His head was groggy, but at least he recognized he was in the batcave. Something was in his mouth. He swiped over it with his tongue and felt his blood freeze in his veins when he realized it was his pacifier. He had his pacifier in his mouth, in the batcave? How? He would never keep anything like that on his suit, and he wouldn't pack it in his bag if he was going to the manor.

Except he didn't pack his bag. Bart did. Bart, who was regressed at the time he did it.

"Drake is up," the voice of a child called. He lifted his head to see Damian standing nearby. The boy soon left his view and was replaced by Dick.

"Hey there little Red," he said gently, brushing his hand through Tim's hair, "You feeling okay?"

Apparently, Tim looked like a deer in the headlights because Dick frowned and his brow creased in concern. "Hey it's okay Timmy. Everything is okay. Would you like a hug?"

The teenager hesitated. He should be running. He should be hiding his shame under layers of blankets. He should be being reprimanded.

Instead, two arms pulled him up into a sitting position and wrapped around him. "Jason is upstairs making you a bottle of warm milk," Dick whispered, "And Alfred is making cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Doesn't that sound good?"

Tim did love cinnamon rolls. He nodded against his brother's chest. He tensed slightly as he felt a hand that was too big to be Dick's on his back, but when he turned and saw that it was just Bruce rubbing his back, he relaxed again.

That familiar, pleasant haze was settling over his mind like a blanket.

Too soon, he was released from Dick's embrace and he let out a whine of protest.

"I brought you some milk Kid."

Tim looked toward the voice. It was Jason, who had a soft smile on his face and Tim's blue baby bottle in his hand. The teenager reached out trembling hands and took the warm drink. His pacifier was removed and set in his lap.

Tim's hands were shaky as he held his bottle, so it was only a moment before Bruce took to holding it for him. Bruce's other arm wrapped around Tim and held him against his chest.

Jason's hand was pushing through his hair as Tim drank. It was almost enough to put him right back to sleep. Fear toxin was exhausting to experience after all.

"It's almost breakfast time," Bruce said as the empty bottle was removed from Tim's lips with a little pop. Dick quickly replaced it with the pacifier so the boy didn't get fussy. Tim was scooped up into Bruce's arms, and he could help the happy hum that left him at the feeling of being carried.

The teenager was soon deposited at the breakfast table, sitting between Jason and Dick. He held his stuffed dragon on his lap. Alfred set a plate with a cinnamon roll on it in front of him. Jason pulled the plate a little closer to him, and cut a piece of the cinnamon roll off and stabbed it with a fork before holding it in front of Tim. Dick removed Tim's pacifier so he could eat.

Tim squealed in delight as his big brothers took turns feeding him. Dick would even make little airplane sounds, and Jason would tell him he was good for every bite he took. He was bouncing in his seat by the time they were on his second cinnamon roll. He kept saying "t'ank 'ou Dickie" and "t'ank you Jayjay" after every bite.

"Having fun Timmy?" Dick asked. Tim nodded enthusiastically as he chewed the bite Jason had just fed him. Dick smiled in return.

"Does this mean I'm not the baby of the family anymore?" Damian piped.

"I guess so," Dick replied with a chuckle, "open up Timmy! Here comes the rocket ship!"

Tim took the bite from Dick happily. Damian looked smug that he was no longer the baby.

After two warm cinnamon rolls and another warm bottle of milk, Tim's eyelids were getting heavy again. It had been a long night and he hadn't really had restful sleep.

"Our little baby looks tuckered out," Dick cooed, kissing Tim's forehead as he did.

"We're all tired," Bruce answered as he stood. He grabbed Tim's pacifier then picked the boy up out of his chair. "Come on Tim. You'll come to bed with me."

Tim waved goodbye to Dickie and Jayjay as he was carried from the room.

Bruce set Tim down in front of the bathroom connected to the man's bedroom. "Go potty before bed okay?"

"Okay!"

The man chuckled to himself as he went to change into his own pajamas. He wouldn't trade his kids for the world, but he had always wondered what it would be like to have a younger child to care for. Now he was lucky enough to experience both.

Tim emerged from the bathroom and Bruce smiled at him. "Did you go potty?"

"Yeah."

"Did you wash your hands?"

"Mhm!"

"Okay then. Come get in bed."

"Yes Papa." Tim scurried forward and found his way under the covers.

As Bruce laid down, he could have sworn his heart was going to burst from being called 'Papa.' His child cuddled into his chest, clinging to him.

Papa slipped his pacifier in between his lips and Tim swore he was in heaven. Papa was warm and his arms were heavy and protective around him. He was safe and accepted and loved. Who could ask for more?

"How long have you been doing this?" Papa inquired.

Tim took his binky out to answer. "Few 'ears."

"Okay. I want you to know we all still love you. You're our little baby, and you don't have to be afraid okay?"

Tim nodded as he slipped his pacifier back in. He nuzzled Papa's chest as a show of appreciation. Papa chuckled in response.

They lay in silence for a while, just cuddling. Tim was almost asleep when Bruce spoke again.

"How about tonight we go and get some ice cream with your brothers, and then we'll watch whatever movie you want?"

In response, the boy let out a high pitched squeal and began to excitedly babble. Ice cream and a movie? Just for him?! His eyes were bright and wide and he was starting to make a little bouncing motion with his leg.

Great. Now how was Bruce ever going to get him to sleep?