Work Text:
The airport was Loud. Capital L. Loud.
There were people all over, doing all sorts of things!
There was a mother and two teens waiting at the baggage claim. One of the teens had already gotten their bag, and so had their mother. They were playing a guessing game, pointing at every bag that went past and waiting for the second teen to shake their head.
There was a business man in a suit and tie, with a briefcase in hand. He was surveying the line of formally dressed, important people holding small signs for other formally dressed, important people. Niki watched as he spotted a pretty lady in a nice purple dress. She brandished her sign, and he held up a hand in greeting. They met in the middle, and walked out of the airport.
Pity she couldn’t be in that position, she thought to herself. Instead, Niki was standing patiently near a pillar, close to the doors. She’d gotten her suitcase a while ago, and now she was waiting for Wilbur, Tommy, and Jack. They’d promised to meet her at the baggage claim, and Niki knew they kept their promises. (Also, they were all staying at Wilbur’s flat, and he didn’t want her to take the bus.) Niki had her noise-cancelling headphones on, and was rocking on her feet to keep grounded. She had a fidget tucked away in a pocket of her backpack if things got too much.
She was considering going outside and calling Wilbur, just to ask where he was and if he could maybe, pretty please, hurry a bit because the airport was getting louder and louder and people felt so close to her but so far away at the very same time and also her mask was suffocating her and her clothes were uncomfortable-
And then she saw them.
Jack was looking around, trying to point people out, only to shake his head, no, that’s not her. Wilbur, taller than the other two, was staring over the heads of the crowd, trying to make Niki out. Tommy- Niki had to giggle wetly at the sentiment, because by now she was crying just a little bit- had taken the liberty of making her a sign, like she was one of those important people in nice clothes. His was a bit more… pizzazz-ed than theirs, though. In bright, glittery paint, Tommy had neatly written and coloured in Niki’s name with swoopy, calligraphic letters (probably Wilbur’s doing; he was always good at things like that). Around her name he’d drawn little pink hearts in metallic paint.
Niki waited a few seconds before she went up to them. She stopped to ‘aww’ and snap a picture of the trio, laughing at how lost they looked. Taking a few deep breaths and pulling herself together, she stepped out into the crowd.
It was terrifying, to say the least. People on every side of her; some jostled and bumped, profusely apologizing and moving on, and others stepped aside for her. Apparently, she looked like she was on a mission.
Tommy was the first to spot her. He frantically waved his sign, and Niki waved back, pointing at herself. That’s me! Tommy nudged Wilbur, waving again at Niki. Wilbur’s face broke into a wide grin, and the two got Jack’s attention as she reached them.
“I don’t see-“ Jack was saying, looking the opposite direction as Niki finally made stood next to them. The boys felt like an island in the middle of a stormy sea. Like an island that was flooding fast, if she didn’t get out of this horrible place. “Oh!” Jack squawked as he turned to see her. “Niki! You’re here!”
She nodded enthusiastically, pulling him into a tight hug. It was immediately returned, and Niki felt herself sinking into a comfortable, warm, fuzziness. It was slow, and she wanted so badly to give in, but she couldn’t. She had to wait until they were at Wilbur’s flat, and then she had to ask if it was okay, because the day had been so stressful and she thought she might be a baby. So she tried to gently push her little space away, promising to come back later, before pulling out of the hug. Wilbur grabbed her suitcase, and Tommy had taken her bag from where it had fallen off of her arm. She hugged them both in thanks and greeting, and gave her hand to Jack before moving as one towards the door. His fingers were delightfully cold, and grounding against the anxious clamminess of her palms. His thumb kneaded reassuring circles into the top of Niki’s hand, helping her muster the energy to get out of the loud area and into Wilbur’s calm, quiet car.
Wilbur turned from the driver’s seat to look at Niki. They’d let her take the passenger’s seat, and shoved Jack in the back with Tommy. “Welcome to Brighton, Niki.” He said, smiling softly.
“It’s a pleasure to be here,” Niki grinned. She’d curled in on herself in the seat, tucking her headphones away and trading them for the fidget. “I kind of hate your airport, though.”
“Yeah,” Wilbur grimaced. “I’ll take that. Let’s get home quick then. Is music alright?”
“Mhm,” Niki nodded. She could feel words slipping away from her. It was possible she wouldn’t be able to wait until they got to Wilbur’s. “Just… quiet.” She whispered ‘quiet’ and giggled childishly.
Wilbur and Jack exchanged a look, and Tommy’s face lit up. They’d agreed on at least one playdate over the visit, but hadn’t figured out a day. Tommy was very securely big, but he could probably slip if they coaxed him into it.
“Alright then, want a certain band?” Wilbur asked, handing Niki his phone. Spotify was pulled up, and she scrolled through a few playlists as Wilbur backed out of their parking space and got on the road. Eventually, she hit shuffle and turned the volume on the radio down low. Low strains of a Los Campesinos! song drifted through the car, and Wilbur couldn’t help but smile. “Good choice, darling.”
Niki hummed happily at the praise, settling contentedly into her seat and closing her eyes. She was tired… it was a long day, she felt little and just wanted a rest. A little nap would be okay… just for a bit.
A little nap ended up being the entire car ride. Niki was gently shaken awake by Jack, who had a soft look on his face. It was the one that he usually reserved for midnight calls and little space. The content one, the caring one, the loving one. It didn’t matter; it only meant that bubba was there and that things would be okay.
“Hey, princess,” he whispered. Niki blinked and rubbed her eyes. Her headspace washed over her like a warm ocean, soothing aches and hurts. Unfortunately, it meant she had a headache. Airports would do that to you, she guessed. When she whined and pointed at her head, as if to say this hurts, help! Jack cooed softly and reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt, pulling her into his arms. “I know, I know. We’ll go inside and get comfy, okay?”
Niki nodded, hiding her face in his neck as they walked. A door opened, and she heard Jack groan as they mounted a set of stairs. She was adjusted in his arms, and they were off. Niki processed almost none of the walk up to Wilbur’s flat. Her head was crowded with warmth and stuffed with cotton fuzz. Only two, and she just wanted her head to stop pounding. She just wanted to be held, and then it would all go away.
It felt like decades had passed by the time they reached Wilbur’s door. It was open, and they could hear the beeping of the microwave, and Wilbur carefully tuning his guitar. Jack pushed the door open, and Wilbur set the guitar on the bed to hold his arms out for Niki. He helped Jack set her down, and turned to smile at her as Jack went off to help Tommy.
“Hi, darling,” Wilbur whispered, holding Niki close in his lap. She tried her absolute hardest to say hello back, but it must have come out as some sort of noise, because she felt Wilbur laugh and then sigh, his chest rising, before bringing his hand around to rub her back. “Are you just a baby tonight?”
Niki nodded. Couldn’t he tell? Couldn’t Wilbur see that the airport had been no good and icky, and that it made her so small she was a little baby? Normally she would talk to him, her Wilbur, that she hadn’t had in-person for so long. But tonight she couldn’t, because she was little and tired and her head- her poor, aching head- hurt. She felt tears well up in her eyes at the reminder of her headache. Niki sniffled quietly, and then whined, her hands fisting weakly into Wilbur’s jumper.
“What’s wrong, little baby?” Wilbur asked softly. Niki whined again and rubbed her head into the crook of his neck. She felt her tears making the jumper cushioning her eyes damp and rough. “Oh, is it your head? Does it hurt?”
Niki heaved a breath, her quiet tears becoming sobs. She managed the tiniest “Yeah,” before another sob took hold.
Wilbur’s grip loosened and then tightened around her once more, adjusting the baby in his hold. “Oh, darling. That’s no good at all. I bet it was that icky airport, huh?” Niki nodded, and Wilbur continued. “Well, then. It’s gonna be all okay. I see bubba coming over here right now, he’s got you some medicine for your achy head and your paci, and he’s gonna make it all better.”
She could do nothing but nod and whine again, letting her tears and quiet sobs wet the collar of Wilbur’s jumper. Soon enough, she felt another pair of hands at her side, gently pulling her off Wilbur and into their arms. It was Jack, and he was talking quietly like Wilbur had, making sure he wasn’t loud enough to increase the pounding in her skull.
“Hi, princess,” Jack cooed softly. “Oh, you’re so little, aren’t you? That’s okay, sunshine; that’s okay.”
“Bu-bba,” Niki whimpered, holding onto Jack as tightly as she could. (Which wasn’t very tight at all, given her age, but Jack wasn’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon.)
“I know, little one. I’ve got something to make it all better, though! And then you can have your paci, does that sound good?” Jack asked, holding out a little cup of pink liquid. It was medicine, for her headache. Niki squinted at it suspiciously for a moment, but in the end, she decided that if Bubba said it made it all better, then it did, because he was always right. She nodded and opened her mouth, letting Jack hold the cup to her lips. “Thank you, princess. You’re very good, and I’m so proud of you for taking the medicine.” Niki swallowed, making a face as the strange taste set in, but smiled exhaustedly up at Jack nonetheless.
“You want your paci now, honey?” Jack held up a light pink pacifier, with little butterflies painted on it. Again, Niki nodded and opened her mouth, letting Jack give it to her before closing her mouth, and then her eyes. “Don’t fall asleep just yet, baby. Tommy’s got something for you.”
As if on cue, Tommy entered the living room with a bottle and the softest expression any of them had ever seen on the rambunctious boy’s face. He sat down between Wilbur and Jack, passing Jack the bottle of warm milk. “Hi, Niki!” He whispered, smiling at the little. Niki smiled back, or at least she tried. Tommy ‘awwed’, and his smile grew.
“Thanks, Tommy,” Jack said. He looked back down at Niki, who was just about passed out in his arms. “Tommy made you a bottle, princess. Do you want it, or are you too worn out?”
She reached up to try and grasp the bottle, but her fingers only brushed the edge of it. Jack nodded understandingly and brought it to her lips, holding it while she drank. It wasn’t much, but she drank a quarter of it before finally passing out.
The next time Niki opened her eyes, it was bright out. She was in someone’s bed, wrapped in blankets and surrounded by pillows. Sunlight was streaming through the windows on the left side of the room, barely restrained by a pair of hastily closed curtains.
The room itself was tidy, a little empty even. The bed was neatly made, with the exception of a Niki-sized outline in the center. The walls were white and devoid of decoration, and there was a dresser across from the bed. On either side of the bed there were little nightstands, and on one there was a used-looking lamp.
Rubbing her eyes, Niki groaned as she recalled the night before. She hadn’t meant to regress, at least not without warning, and certainly not so young. There was no use apologizing for regressing- the boys probably wouldn’t stand for it- but she could at least feel bad about not telling them she was probably going to drop before falling asleep.
Niki stretched and pulled the covers off of herself, sliding out of bed and shivering at the temperature change. The warmth of the blankets called to her… but so did the smell of breakfast wafting from the kitchen. So far, breakfast was winning.
She walked down the hall, blinking sleep out of her eyes and yawning as the flat opened up into Wilbur’s kitchen and living room. Tommy and Jack were on the couch watching what looked like one of Phil’s streams, and Niki could hear music coming from the kitchen, and Wilbur singing softly along to it. She smiled, waving to the boys on the couch as she moved toward Wil’.
“Good morning,” she said, yawning again. Wilbur was leaning over the counter, prodding some eggs with a spatula.
When he heard Niki, he set the spatula aside and turned to her with a soft smile. “Morning. Want eggs? Tommy was supposed to make pancakes, but…” he sighed, gesturing to where he was animatedly swearing at Jack on the couch, and picked up the spatula again.
Niki couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. Wilbur, spatula in hand, look to all the world like a dismayed father watching his oblivious children. She smiled up at Wilbur before taking the cooking utensil and scraping the eggs off onto four plates he’d stacked next to the stove. “Go ask them if they want French toast, please, Wil’.”
“Oh, you’re a life saver, Niki.” Wilbur grinned, pulling her into a hug. “I’ll make it up to you, promise.” Niki laughed at him again as he was walking away. She turned back to the counter, pushing the plates to the side while scanning Wilbur’s cabinets, trying to determine which one was most likely to have bread. She could hear Wilbur talking quietly with Jack and Tommy, and Phil on the TV thanking subs in the background. It was the noisy ambiance of a flat she’d grown to love.
Eventually Niki had to ask Wilbur where he kept the bread, and then Tommy came in to help her cook. He was enthusiastic, and far better in the kitchen than Niki had come to expect from the mischievous teen. In the end, they sat down to a breakfast of eggs, French toast, and strawberries that Tommy had by all means sprinted to the store to buy. All thoughts of apology for the night before were forgotten in light of such laughter-fueled happiness.
Until… “When d’you guys want to have your playdate?” Wilbur asked through a mouthful of syrupy toast. “We don’t have to plan it; this is our time, not content creation’s. Just wondering if you had anything specific to add about it.”
Niki sighed while Tommy brightened up. She’d forgotten all about that. Now was probably a good time to apologize, right? “Hey, um-“ Niki started, before being promptly cut off by a very knowing Jack.
“Niki, you don’t have to apologize for dropping.” He said. “And you don’t have to apologize for not warning us. It happens, and we’re prepared to take care of you.” Niki could do nothing but nod, looking down at the table and fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Her plate was half-finished and discarded in front of her. There was a choice to be made, she knew. But she didn’t want to bring it up herself.
Luckily, Jack seemed to catch on. “D’you want to regress today? It can be a chill day, to get used to the place again before we do things tomorrow. I trust both of you not to get too rowdy,” at this, Jack shot Tommy a look, and Tommy smiled innocently back at him. “And if you want to regress again some other day, we can do that, too. Wilbur’s right; this visit is for us as friends, not us as streamers.”
“That,” Niki considered her next words carefully. “That would be nice. I’d like that, but only if Tommy’s okay with regressing today. Also, I want to ease into it. I don’t want to drop again.” The last part was mostly directed at Jack, and it was a little whiney, a little fearful. Most of the time when Niki dropped, she dropped hard and fast, and it was usually stressful for both sides. Niki really didn’t want to do it again, both for her comfort and for Jack and Wilbur’s.
“I’m always up for regressing,” Tommy admitted, smiling toothily at her. She smiled back, a little smaller than his gleeful grin, but a happy smile nonetheless.
“Well I guess that settles it,” Wilbur said, gathering up plates and moving towards the sink. “I’ll clean these, and you all can get everything set if you like? Toms, I trust you to go to Jack for anything that isn’t an immediate emergency while I clean up, okay?”
Tommy nodded quickly before he was out of his chair and bounding down the hall to Wilbur’s room. It was where they kept his little gear when he was away. Niki looked to Jack, who smiled reassuringly and stood, taking her hand.
“Come on, princess,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s get your little frown turned upside down, huh? I know you’re excited to play with Tommy.” Niki had to nod at that. She was getting a playdate, after she’d waited so long!
Already she could feel her headspace setting in. As Jack led them down the hall, Niki felt the comfortable fog of little space clouding her mind. She only slipped further as Jack found her a clean pair of pyjamas, and helped braid and tie her hair back. It only really set in, though, when Jack handed her a plush rabbit. It was soft and fluffy, with white fur and a little pink bow around its neck, to match the pink of its nose.
Niki cooed and ran her fingers over its fur experimentally, squealing at the sensation. She held it close to her chest and scooped Jack into a hug. “’Fank you, bubba!” She didn’t try to hide the smile in her voice, giving him an enthusiastic peck on the cheek before pulling away.
“You’re welcome, sunshine,” Jack smiled. He opened his arms again, letting her hook her legs around his waist, hands immediately coming around to support her lower back as they left the guest bedroom. Already, they could hear Tommy babbling excitedly to Wilbur in the kitchen, well into his headspace. As they entered the room, they began to hear Wilbur’s soft replies; in his “caregiver voice” they liked to call it.
“Wilby!” Niki cheered as Jack let her down. She ran up to the man, who had Tommy on the counter as he finished drying his hands. “Wilby, look what bubba go’ me!”
“Wow!” Wilbur smiled, setting his towel down and hugging her. “Did you say thank you for such a pretty gift?”
“Yes!” Niki smiled, turning to the boy on the counter. Tommy was in sweatpants and one of Wilbur’s jumpers, with a chew necklace shaped like a Lego brick around his neck. He was watching her hopefully, and brightened up the moment she looked at him.
“Tommy!” Niki squealed, but it sounded more like “Tummy” in her regressed state. She held the plush out for him to take. “Y’wanna hold?”
Tommy held his hands out hesitantly, and Niki pushed the rabbit eagerly into his arms. She stood by excitedly as he inspected the toy, giving its ears a few pets. He hugged it close and tight before hopping off of the counter and returning it.
“S’soft,” he said. Then, he turned to Wilbur. “Wilby, c’n we go get mine? If y’wan’.” The last part was to Niki, who nodded shyly.
“Go ahead,” Wilbur smiled. “Just come back to play in the living room, okay?”
Tommy nodded and took Niki’s hand, grinning widely. Niki, suddenly swept up in the idea of a friend, for the first time, a friend who knew how she felt when she was little, smiled back. It was a bright smile, one that would have lit up a thousand rooms if it was capable; a smile that had Jack and Wilbur exchanging smiles of their own around the oblivious littles.
Together they scurried down the hall, Tommy using his foot to nudge open Wilbur’s door. The room they entered was a bit cluttered, but Tommy seemed to know exactly where to go. He pulled a box out from under Wilbur’s bed, lifting the lid to reveal a collection of little gear. There was a little box of what looked like pacifiers, and another box of chew necklaces. Mixed in were plushies and sensory toys; ones with funny textures and ones that made noise, and others that were like little puzzles, with buttons to push and switches to flip.
Niki watched as Tommy went through the box. He grabbed a few things before reattaching the lid and sliding it back into the darkness under the bed. When he stood again, he had a plush moth and two fidget cubes. One- a red one with white fidgets- he stuck in his pocket. The other- a blue one, similar to his red one, but with yellow fidgets- he passed to Niki, smiling as he held out the offering. Niki took it, thanking him, and silently resolved that when he visited, she was going to share all her toys.
“Th’s ’s Clem’,” Tommy said, running his fingers over the moth’s fluffy head, before holding the plush out to Niki. “’S short for Clem-en-tine.” He said the moth’s name slowly, with great concentration, as if it was crucial that he pronounced it correctly.
Niki took the moth, petting it and giving it an experimental squeeze. She was delighted to discover how squishy the plush was, hugging it close before giving it back to Tommy. “I like Clem’.” She told him, smiling.
“Wha’s your’s name?” Tommy asked, leading her out of the room and down the hall once more.
“Mmm…” Niki trilled her lips, trying to come up with a name on the spot. “I dunno! Can’t think ‘f a name.”
Tommy seemed to brush past this. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he turned to Niki. “Niki, I go’ an idea.”
“Wha’s the idea?” Niki asked curiously.
“Otay,” Tommy said seriously, as if planning out a battle strategy. “We’ gon- na go out real- ly sneaky and we’ gon’ scare Wilby an’ Un’le Jack.”
Niki thought about it. Would Jack be mad? They were just supposed to be getting Tommy’s toys. But… but it was their playdate, and they were just playing! “Okay, otay. We shou’ do i’!”
Tommy grinned. The smile was childishly evil, filled with plans and future victories. Niki decided- her second concrete decision of the night, what a record- that if that was Tommy’s happy smile, she would do anything to see it again.
And so, his plan was put into action. Together they creeped around the corner, brandishing plushies, innocent smiles queued up onto their faces lest they face punishment for their fun.
They found Jack and Wilbur in the kitchen. Wilbur was washing plates and handing them to Jack, who dried them and set them on the rack. Tommy and Niki waited until neither of them was holding a dish- breaking one would definitely get them into trouble, and neither of them wanted to hear the crash it made anyhow- before they pounced.
Tommy launched himself onto Wilbur’s shoulders, howling as he did, and Niki wrapped her arms around Jack’s waist, squeezing him in a hug for a few seconds before stepping away and giggling to herself. Jack, not easily scared, yelped at the contact and began to laugh when he realized what had happened. He too stepped back, pulling Niki into a proper hug as they watched chaos in the form of Tommy and Wilbur unfold.
Wilbur, tall, easily startled, and just the tiniest bit clumsy, had immediately fallen down when Tommy had jumped on him. He’d let out what could only be described as a shriek when Tommy’s mop of blonde hair popped into his line of view. Tommy let out a burst of joyful laughter, sending everyone in the kitchen into a laughing fit.
What followed was pure, unadulterated fun. It was kiddy, childish, baby-like, whatever you wanted to call it, but that was just how it was supposed to be. Over the course of the day, they made sugar cookies, which were decorated brightly in frosting and sprinkles, and had enough sweet, probably artificial, sugar to give even the healthiest person a small heart attack; they watched shows; they played with toys and they played make-believe. (One game resulted in Tommy and Niki running through the apartment with Jack and Wilbur on their heels. Niki, childishly frightened, had actually screamed in what Tommy had correctly identified as real terror. He, childishly heroic, had urged Niki onward under the premise that he was going to attack the two caregivers and save the day. It was what Jack and Wilbur expected, but they got a stern talking-to about scaring three-year-old Niki- who Tommy had come to see as something of a little sister- from a rightfully pissed-off five-year-old with a strong lisp and even stronger feelings.)
And now it was just after dinner, Niki and Tommy had officially spent the whole day regressed, and they were settling in to watch a movie before bed. Tommy, in a surprising display of nothing but fondness for Niki, had let the younger-regressed of the two choose the movie, instead of begging to watch Up like usual. Niki had chosen Tommy’s second-favourite movie, Moana, and now they were curled up together on the couch.
Tommy had an orange sippy cup of water in his lap and his fidget cube in his hands. He was quietly pressing the buttons on it so as not to disturb Niki, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. She had been offered a sippy cup before the movie started, but chose a bottle instead; she’d regressed even younger as the day drew to a close, and was about two at the time. She didn’t end up drinking much, instead quickly falling asleep with her pacifier snug in her mouth.
Tommy’s eyes were drooping closed now, and his hands had slowed and eventually stopped on the cube. He was obviously on the verge of sleeping, a fact that had not gone unnoticed by either of the caregivers, each sat in two chairs across from each other. Tommy shifted, moving so he rested his head on the arm of the couch, Niki draped on top of him like a second blanket. Jack and Wilbur watched as he blinked once… twice… yawned….
And- finally- fell asleep.
The two caregivers looked at each other, smiling as they did. Their expressions were identical: two faces full of love and warmth for their little ones. It had been a long day, a long one indeed. But everyday could be as long as this one- longer, even- and it still wouldn’t change the feeling at the end of the day, the start of the night, when their littles slept. That feeling, that ferocious, unchanging love, was worth it all.