-Just some fluff inspired by my incredible and show stopping Older Brother :)-

Ages:

Damian - 28

Tim - 23

Jason - 19

Dick - 16

He hadn't planned on having an anxiety attack on the bridge. he'd gone to a gymnastics team meetup after school, but it turns out Monday meetups were at 7:30, not 4:30 like on Friday. He felt so stupid. He had told everyone he was going there after school, he was so dumb!

Things had really hit him on the walk back across the bridge to where his bike was parked. He had felt like he was dying. His phone was dead. He was far from home.

That was a couple hours ago now, Dick had been locked in his room ever since he'd gotten home, crying on and off. He tried to tell his instructor he couldn't make it tonight. He felt so bad. He hated being flakey. He was so unreliable! 

He did not want to leave his room, using all of his water bottle and bedside water with his emergency snack bars to save him from his hunger and thirst. 

He'd ignored Bruce when he knocked, and asked Alfred to leave him alone when he knocked. 

He'd been watching youtube on his phone, but it was getting harder to comprehend everything. The swearwords were upsetting. Still nuzzled up to Peanuts, he tried to find something better. He found that minecraft music gave everything he needed.

Funny, he didn't feel bored just listening to soft classical music and cuddling Peanuts. He was content to roll around in bed and stick his legs in to hair for comfort.

Oh.

He was regressing.

This happened sometimes when he was upset. It started as him involuntarily regressing due to the trauma of his parents—no— regressing to about three to five to cope, but it began to be something that just happened to protect him from anxiety and panic attacks and the like, not just triggering circumstances.

But see, he hadn't exactly told people about it; Alfred and Bruce knew, but he hadn't needed to explain the whole thing to his brothers yet. They had a rough idea that their youngest brother found comfort in childish things, but not the extent of it.

Dick clumsily dressed himself in the comfiest clothes he could find; a striped pyjama shirt and overalls. He felt a little younger than three, definitely somewhere between baby and young toddler. He was conscious of the fact that he was littler than usual, but he didn't have a teenage brain; he had trouble thinking of words, and the idea using a glass was so hard, he used his sports water bottle. It was more like a sippy cup, which meant less spills on his sheets.

Dick was hungry. Earlier when Alfred asked if he was okay before heading to the store, Dick had requested chicken nuggets ans smily potatoes. I guess that made sense now.

Dick thought hard about who to ask, and finally fumbled through his phone to contacts. Without his grown up brain to stop him, he texted the brother chat:

'I'm hungry'

'Guys I'm small right now. Something bad happened and my brain is gone little again'

'Can you help me make nuggies?'

Soon, he received a thumbs-up from Tim, and an invitation to come downstairs.

Thumb in his mouth (something he didn't even realize he was doing), Dick unlocked the door, and he and peanuts went downstairs. 

Tim was waiting, leaning against the table. "Hey Dickie."

Dick timidly removed his thumb and waved a little. "Hi."

"What's up?"

"Hungry."Dick muttered, hiding in Peanuts.

"Alright, let's get this started, you want Nuggets?"

Dick nodded. "And smily potatoes."

"Got it." Tim opened the freezer as Dick and Peanuts sat on the floor. "So, you're litte?"

"Uh huh."

"Because something bad happened?"

Dick nodded. "I had— was— I had a attack and now I'm small again. My brain goes little when I'm upset." He stammered.

"Hmm." Tim nodded. He pat Dick's head a little.  Dick held up peanuts hopefully. Tim Pat Peanuts home too. "I like the bow you put on Peanut's ear."

"It's his favorite colour." Dick explained, sitting criss-cross on the floor, watching intently as Tim preheated the oven.

Tim put out a plate for him and got them both some lime Lacroix. Dick was in shock at how spicy the carbonation was; he shook his head hard to dispel the feeling, Tim just smiled a little. "Do you regress like this a lot?"

Dick shrugged a little. "I'unno." He murmured.

"Does it happen when you're triggered, or when bad things happen?" Dick nodded, raising his tomb back to his mouth; it felt comfortable and safe. "Ah. Good to know, Dickie, good to know." He toyed with his younger brother's hair affectionately.

"I just saw his text." Jason remarked, entering at a jog. "What's up?"

"Dickie regresses when he's really upset, right?" Tim asked. Dick nodded, watching Jason closely.

"Regresses?"

"You know, childhood trauma and mental illness can cause his brain to go back to how it was when he was little-"

"I know what it means!"

"Jay!" Dick held Peanuts up to get his attention.

"Hey kiddo." Jason said, in the most child friendly voice he could. He wasn't this nice when Dick really was a child. "Nice overalls."

"Thnks!" Dick grinned.

"And nice bow, Peanuts."

"Thnkyew!" Dick bounced the Elephant and pulled him back into a hug. "Tim's making Nuggies."

"Nice! Can I have some?" Jason stopped his big brother before he could say anything. "Sharing is caring, Timmy!"

"You can have some! Timmy's making a lot." Dick said. "Can I show you my hot wheels? I have this many." He held up four fingers. "That's four. They're really cool! I have a spider-man one!"

"I would LOVE To play hot wheels with you!" Jason said, genuinely enthusiastic. He loved cars and racing. 

"Okay! I'll get them!" Dick rolled up and ambled up to his room.

"Is this normal?"

"In general: yes, With Dickie: Aparently."

"I wish I'd known." Jason admitted. "I've been wishing I could do a re-run and be a better big brother to him. You know- scare him less, swear less, make him cry less..."

"Yeah, you were kind of a jerk, but that's only because you were a kid too!" Tim reminded, messing up Jason's hair. "You'll always be my little brother too, Jay."

"Get off." He said, but really, Jason liked the affection— he could hardly hide it.

Tim's phone rang, he picked up. 

"Is Richard alright? He must be age regressing, probably due to childhood tr—"

"We know, Damian." Tim replied. "We're making him nuggets right now."

"I'm on my way." Damian hung up before Tim could reply.

"Here they are." Dick laid out his cars and began telling his brothers all about each car.

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Tim and his little brother (and very little brother) were sat in a circle on the kitchen floor, the younger two attacking the snacks while Dick told Jason all about everything going on in his life. He noticeably spoke like a toddler, even when he tried to use 'big words', he struggled and had to restart his sentences.

Several rooms over, the main door unlocked and opened. Then it slammed closed —grabbing Dick's full attention— and fast footsteps leading to them.

"DAMI!" Dick stood up and hugged his big brother, bouncing. "LOOK!" He grabbed Peanuts off the floor and showed him to Damian. 

"Very cool, Richard."

"Were havin nuggies and me-and Jase and me are playing hot wheels." He explained proudly.

"Nice. Can I sit too?"

Dick nodded hard and sat down, his brothers shifted to make room for Damian. 

"Hey there."

"Hello Drake." Damian was trying very hard to be nice and child-friendly for his baby brother. "How old is he?"

"I don't know." Tim replied. "Dickie, how old are you?"

Dick took a bite of Smily potato. "Im- well- but normally i'm big. When I'm big I'm fifteen— sixteen. I'm sixteen."

"But how old do you feel right now?" Jason asked, shoving two whole nuggests in his mouth to make Dick laugh. 

"I'm I think I'm two or smaller, but I'm still remember all of my grown up stuff." Dick told them. "Do three next!"

Jason grabber three nuggets and followed his request.

"You're disgusting." Damian said, rolling his eyes as good-naturedly as Damian could. He loved Jason, even if he was a total dolt sometimes. As tough as Damian was, he still loved the loner peacekeeper, the knucklehead brat, and the giddy suger-pack, more than he loved anything else in the world.

"Let's play." Dick proclaimed, full of snacks and excitement to see his brothers all at once. "Hide 'n' seek?" He asked. "Hide 'n' seek?" He pressed against Tim's chest, eyes like saucers.

"It's too late for hide and seek, Richard. How would you like a movie?"

Dick nodded, getting up and running out. He returned immediately for Peanuts and jogged to the cinema room.

"I guess that's a yes." Tim grunted, getting up off the floor and finishing the last couple potatoes.

"Dibs on making popcorn!" The nineteen-year-old called, springing to the brothers not-so hidden stash of microwave popcorn.

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"Which one, Dickie?" Tim asked, lining their large fold-out sofa of choice with blankets. And pillows.

"Uhhh." Dick stared between two boxes. "I want Ghoul school, but also Barbie Musketeers."

"Which one do you REALLY WANT the most?"

Dick thought for a second. "School-Doo; Ghoul School!"

"Of course." Tim muttered. Dick used to watch that everyday when he was little.

"Come on Drake, I can be more fun than that!" Damian exclaimed. "Richard, do you want to make a fort on the sofa?"

"YEAH!" He jumped up, bouncing excitedly. 

"Do you want to have juice with your popcorn?"

"YEEAAHH!!" Dick jumped eagerly. 

"Alright. Drake, juice. We'll make the fort." He ordered. "And in something with a nozzle, we don't want a spill."

"Fine, I'll grab his sports bottle..."

Damian helped Dick string a sheet up to make the ceiling. "Richard,  do you have everything you need?" Dick nodded, though unsurely. "Do you want to draw in Todd's notebook?" A nod. "Do you need to use the toilet before the movie?" A thought, and a nod. Damian was the oldest of four (Even more if you count informal adoptions), he knew how to read a kid like a book. "Go to the toilet and I'll get you drawing supplies."

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By the time the movie was over, there was popcorn everywhere from the little scare that Jason couldn't resist, luckily it just made Dick shriek and giggle. The blankets were strewn around everywhere under the fort, though most were wrapped around Dick, who was sucking his thumb, with Peanuts against his chest, fast asleep.

"Do we clean up?" Tim whispered, as Jason (who was wrapped around Dick protectively) was also asleep. 

"It depends." Damian said, stroking Dick's hair. "Do you want this to be over?"

"No." Tim admitted, looking around himself. "But you have a house— a city, and we all have things to do tomorrow, we'll have to clean up in the morning anyways..."

"I can't belive I'm saying this." Damian muttered. "Just forget about tomorrow and enjoy this while you can."

"Okay." Tim replied. They sleepily watched the younger two for a few minutes. "He's so grown up now."

"Which one?"

"Both."

Damian shook his head. "They— you— you can all get older as much as you want to, but you're still my younger brothers. You'll never outgrow being my little brother. I dare you to try."

Tim snorted, reaching over and booping Dickie's nose. He smiled at Damian, something rarely ever done. "Let's not think about the whole growing up thing. Let's just enjoy this while we have it."

-So yeah, this story involves involuntary Age Regression, This is something I experience, and I'll answer any questions in the comments. 

In general: don't get it confused with any k*nks, because it's a completely SFW non-s*xual way to cope. In fact, being around anything really s*xual can be REALLY distressing while regressed.-