Dennis who’s age regressing but doesn’t realize it’s regression. He just feels different sometimes, and it gets hard to talk and his head gets fuzzy and maybe his voice sounds a little weird, but it’s fine he just won’t talk to anyone when he’s like this.
Age regressor Whitaker who’s never felt safe enough to look into the warm fuzzy feeling he gets.
Dennis who growing up didn’t get to keep many toys beyond a certain age, he managed to sequester away a few objects, but the rest was shuttled away into the attic. He kept three of his wooden learning blocks, they had soft chipped paints at the edges and numbers on them, He saved number 2, 3, and 4. He also managed to keep hold of his cow(bull but Den liked to think of it as a cow)themed rattle, his father picked that one for him. He also had his baby blanket, each of his brothers had their own, their dad only let them because he had one too growing up, but his dad took it from him when he was eleven and burned it.
Mama told him that story, after Denny asked her why Papa let them keep blankets, but not toys. His dad had promised himself if he only let the boys have one thing, it would be their blankets. Each of Den’s siblings had their own blanket, all simple plain things, in different colors so not to be confused. Usually kept on their bed for safe keeping. His brothers all grew out of their attachment to theirs at normal ages, or at least they grew out of displaying it openly. The middle brothers grew out of it at 7-8 and his oldest brother was stubbornly attached to the thing until ten; Den didn’t tho, he was fully attached to his blanket well into middle school, tho he had long since learned to hide how attached he was. Had to keep his blankie in his bag at school when kids started getting a little too mean about it in second grade.
He thinks he’s just sensitive, this weird feeling is probably fine, nothing to worry about, he can deal with it. So he does. He deals with it all the way up to his med rotation, despite desperate prayers for it to have ended back when he was in high school; when he was long since too old to be acting so young and too mature to be acting so foolish.
He tried to convince himself in 11th grade that he didn’t need his stuffed lovie, a lamb his mother had gotten him when he was born. Had tried to put it up in the attic where the forgotten things go one night before bed, he didn’t even last an hour before he was bawling and blubbering apologies and climbing back into the attic with blurry vision and a fiercely aching guilt that lasted for months.
He had half convinced himself that his Lovie hated him & ended up getting even more attached to the animal, bringing it everywhere, school, church, farming, it was as always safely hidden in his bag under various other things, wrapped in his baby blanket to protect it. It was the thing that kept him sane throughout graduation, through schooling in general, despite the weird guilty feeling had about being so weird it generally helped him. It was with him on his way to collage. First for his Theology major and then when he switched to pre-med, it kept him warm even after his family stopped sending money.
And it was there when he got accepted to do his rotation in the PTMC. He likes to think he’s managed to get a handle on the weird fuzzy feeling he gets sometimes, but truth is it’s only gotten worse since his family stopped helping, sometimes he thinks the reminder of their love is more of a curse than a blessing, but he appreciates the small comfort nonetheless. He tries his best to ignore it but it’s usually lurking, waiting for him to slip up relax. He tries his best to keep it away for his first day in the Pitt, and he does well with that, he mentally comforts himself with the knowledge he has his lamb and blanket in his locker if he needs them, but he doesn’t end up needing them that day, instead he ends up helping Robby! Who seemed to be falling apart.
Dennis was surprised he didn’t immediately drown in the Pitt, but he manages and gets the hang of things, though he notices the same sad Robby makes the warm fuzzy nice feeling he gets so much worse, especially with the gentle hands and the kind words and the genuine direction, sometimes Dennis finds himself slipping before shifts even over.
It doesn’t impact his job performance too terribly, people notice he gets different though, less sure, more timid, quieter, less talkative with co workers, sticking strictly to a script when talking to patients, though he does work best with kids. They never really treat him as an adult though. It seems like a mutual understanding on their part that, Dennis doesn’t seem like the adultiest adult. He still catches codes & saves lives he just does it much much more quietly.
After he ends up on the street he keeps his bag close, comfort items safely inside, thankfully though he finds the eighth floor, he’s noticed whenever he’s experiencing big life stresses that the fuzzy feeling gets so much worse. He feels like the second he leaves the Pitt he’s falling into fuzzy oblivion, which isn’t good, he forgets to feed himself, & he doesn’t want to mention the one time he had a nightmare and an accident during a particularly bad fever. He had sobbed hard while cleaning that up.
People notice he’s weird. They always notice he’s weird. Usually they don’t care enough to figure out why, but Trinity was a curious person, so she followed him one night and found him crashing on the eighth floor, offers him a space. Den agrees without much arguing because he’s already way too fuzzy to think. Trinity who drags him home and craves out a space in her life for him. It’s an adjustment period, but eventually it smooths out. Dennis stays hiding the weirder parts of himself, but lets trinity know most of him.
Getting better at home means getting better at work, he finds himself less fuzzy and more bubbly at the end of work, still softer than normal, but in a more acceptable way. People also notice this. Robby even comments on it a few times.
“I like happier Whitaker, smiles suit you kiddo.”
The kiddo leaves him distracted for the rest of the day; he’s riding the high of it for the whole week. Then he gets his first night shift and meets Doctor Abbot. Dr. Abbot makes him feel nervous and squirmy in way that Dr. Robby never has. The man is more stern, but no less competent. He’s a phenomenal teacher with high expectations, but there isn’t a single shift that doesn’t end with Dennis staring at him like a lost puppy, almost fully regressed, hard time thinking, just able to trust the presence of Jack.
Jack who has heard of the little guy from Robby, who never quits talking about the sweet one with soft eyes. Jack who notices how eager Den is to listen and take guidance. Jack who brings this up to Robby. Robby who tells Jack about the odd behaviors of before Dennis lived with Trinity, Jack who puts the pieces together after a particularly difficult case involving a kid Den was caring for, Jack who also realizes that oh, this kid is just a baby, and he doesn’t even know it. Jack who cradles sobbing Dennis on the floor, Jack who calms him down enough to breathe and, Jack who takes his phone unlocks it with his face and sends a text to Trinity, a simple, ‘rough shift, kids a mess, gonna take him with me help him calm down. -Abbot.’
Jack who proceeds to text his husband that their darling student is coming home with him, explains that Den is having a hard time, asks robby to get a calm warming drink ready for Dennis, milk with honey or hot chocolate maybe. Jack also gathers Dens things and leads him to his car.
Dennis who throughout that whole thing is still sniffling and crying quietly brain not really processing anymore, just taking the comfort and letting himself be guided.
Robby is ready with warm blankets fresh from the dryer & a cup of warm chocolate milk. Dennis who immediately upon seeing Robby reaches for him while crying more. Robby cooing at Dennis and wrapping him in a hug, putting a warm blanket around him and guiding him to the couch.
Jack watching as Dennis just melts into the couch, swaddled in warm blankets, being helped to drink the cup of milk. Robby doesn’t let Den hold the cup and Den doesn’t even think to try.
Robby whispering to Den in his softest voice about how he was so brave today and how he did so so good, how he can rest now, Robby’s got him, he doesn’t need to worry.
Jack deciding right then that this is just their baby forever now.
(this is not the dub con obsession Dennis I have cooking up but I wanted to post it anyways, obsession Dennis is still on the way)
