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Flu season was coming around again and all the students had to get their shots. Kurt, Kitty, Bobby, and Peter were part of the last group. The students were called in four at a time and Hank would take them to another part of the infirmary to give them each their shots. Bobby went first, then Kitty, then Peter, then Kurt. After Kitty was done, she and Bobby left to do their own thing. Kurt was left for last because a small part of his fur had to be shaved so he could get a shot, and Hank didn't want to keep the other students waiting.
Kurt was supposed to go back alone, but he insisted on Peter staying with him. Hank had a personal rule that he wouldn't be in his Beast form when dealing with patients, for sanitary reasons. Kurt took one look at Hank holding the needle and he immediately teleported onto the wall behind Peter.
“No, Kurt, he's not going to hurt you,” Peter said to the scared boy.
Kurt shook his head, refusing to go back to Hank. “Humans are evil,” Kurt whispered. His voice was much softer than it usually was
“Kurt, it'll only hurt for a second,” Hank said. He hadn't uncapped the syringe yet, so he placed it back down on the table to appear less threatening.
“Humans? Hank's not a human,” Peter said.
“Dr. McCoy,” Hank corrected him.
“Dr. Hank’s not a human.” Hank resigned to that name, knowing it was the best he'd get from Peter.
Kurt shrank in on himself and wrapped his tail around his body. He held the spade at the end close to his face. “Prove it,” Kurt said, looking between Peter and Hank.
“I already got my shot, it's not that bad,” Peter said, lifting his sleeve to show Kurt the band-aid. The younger boy shook his head again. He started chewing on his tail. “No, no,” Peter said, coming up to him and covering his tail with his hand. “You don't do that,” he scolded.
Hank watched the interaction, wondering why Peter was treating Kurt like a child. “You can talk the whole time,” Hank said. That idea usually worked on Peter. “You won't even notice when I do it.”
Kurt's big yellow eyes started to glisten. “Oh, no, no, no,” Peter cupped Kurt's face. “Don't cry, it'll be alright. I can hold your hand, but you have to do this.”
The German shook his head, this time more aggressive than the last. “No! Daddy, do not make me,” He cried. “He vill hurt me.”
“No, he won't,” Peter said, stroking his hair. “Hank's not a bad guy.”
“All humans are,” Kurt sobbed.
Peter faintly heard threads and seams ripping behind him. “Kurt, please look at me,” Hank said, trying to be gentle. As much as he wanted to let Kurt take his time, he was supposed to meet with Charles soon. Raven and Erik were coming over that day to chat and drink with them.
Kurt slowly opened his eyes and looked at Hank. Instead of seeing a human, he saw someone who looked like him. He was big, and blue, and furry, and had yellow eyes. Kurt's eyes shot wide open. “Teddy?” He whispered.
Peter looked at Hank and he laughed. He was wearing a button-up shirt, sweater vest, and a red bowtie, nothing unusual, but it was exactly what Kurt's stuffed bear wore. Peter bought the bear for him because it was a fun color, blue with yellow eyes. It definitely resembled Hank at the moment, though.
“...Teddy?” Hank repeated.
Kurt wasn't scared of him anymore, at least. He teleported back into the chair and had his back to Peter, looking up at Hank. ‘Go with it,’ Peter mouthed to Hank over Kurt's shoulder. Hank nodded slightly and looked down at Kurt.
Kurt reached out and touched Hank’s coat. “Doctor Teddy,” he said.
“Can Doctor Teddy give you your shot, Kurt?” Peter asked, rubbing Kurt's back.
The younger boy nodded. “No humans, then yes,” he said.
“There are no humans. Just,” Peter swallowed what little pride he had in front of Hank for Kurt, “Daddy and Doctor Teddy,” he promised. “Now give him your left arm, baby.”
Kurt held out his left arm. Hank was studying his and Peter's interaction while getting everything ready again for Kurt's shot. “I'm going to clean your arm now, alright?” He said to Kurt. The German nodded. Hank used an alcohol wipe to wipe the area he would inject the shot. He picked up the syringe and uncapped it. “Are you ready?” He asked.
Kurt nodded again, this time more hesitantly. Hank carefully gave him the shot and gave him the option of a regular band-aid or a Phineas and Ferb one. Kurt chose the Phineas and Ferb one. After Hank put the band-aid on him, he stood back up and started cleaning the area again.
“You're good to go,” he said. He was about to turn back into his human form when he felt something hit his side.
“What..?” He lifted his right arm to see Kurt hugging his side.
“No, baby, we gotta go back upstairs,” Peter said, trying to take Kurt's hand.
“No!” He whined. “I want Doctor Teddy.”
“Doctor Teddy has to work, darling.”
Hank shifted to the side and hugged Kurt back, albeit awkwardly and a bit uncomfortably. ‘What is happening?’ He mouthed to Peter.
Peter mouthed something back, but Hank didn't understand. In an instant, Peter was holding a paper in front of Hank's face. Hank grabbed the paper while still holding Kurt on his side and read it. ‘He thinks you're his stuffed animal, but alive.’
‘But, why?’ Hank mouthed.
‘I think he got scared and regressed,’ Peter wrote. ‘He’s thinking like a five year old.’
‘Am I just stuck like this now?’
Peter nodded. ‘Sorry,’ he mouthed.
Hank looked down and saw Kurt staring up at him. His tail was wagging happily behind him and his hold on Hank didn't let up. Hank patted Kurt's back a few times before resigning to his new job.
“So… What do you want to do?” Hank asked Kurt. He gave up on his plans with Charles, Raven, and Erik.
“He likes being picked up,” Peter, very unhelpfully, offered.
Kurt looked back at Peter and quickly whipped his head around to look at Hank. He had a big smile on his face and he let go of Hank's torso to raise his arms. Hank shot Peter a glare before lifting Kurt like a toddler. Kurt giggled and wrapped his arms around Hank's shoulders. His tail wagged happily in the air and he wrapped his legs around Hank's waist.
‘Hank,’ Charles said, using his telepathy to talk to Hank across the school, ‘are you coming up any time soon?’
‘Uh,’ he looked at Kurt in his arms, ‘probably not.’
‘Did something come up? Raven was hoping to see you.’
‘Yeah, a student needs me.’
‘Is anyone injured?’
‘No, but…’ Hank stopped for a moment. ‘Charles, you know psychology.’
‘Yes, Hank, I do. Go on.’
‘What do you do if a teenager is acting like he's five?’
Silence. ‘Pardon?’ Charles finally said.
‘I got a kid here, he's clinging to me and calling me “Doctor Teddy”. His…’ Hank trailed off. “Peter, what is your and Kurt's relationship?”
“Boyfriends.”
‘His boyfriend said he thinks he's five,’ Hank finished.
Another pause. ‘Can you bring him up here?’
‘I don't think he'd appreciate that when he's back to normal,’ Hank told him.
‘What do you mean?’
‘He asked me to pick him up. I don't think he'd want other students to see that,’ Hank clarified.
‘I’ll block their view, please bring him to me.’
“Peter, can you take us up to Charles’s office?” Hank asked. Powerful as Charles is, he didn't want to risk anyone, particularly Jean, seeing.
“Uh, sure,” Peter said. There was a blur and in a split second he was standing in Charles’s office. “Why?”
Hank shook his head quickly, getting used to the sudden speed. Kurt started giggling and kicking his feet.
“Kurt?” Charles said, sounding more surprised than he meant to.
Kurt stopped laughing and looked at Charles. His smile dropped and he held onto Hank tighter.
“He's afraid of people who look human. Other than Peter, apparently,” Hank explained.
Peter saw Raven and Erik sitting on the couch in the corner of the room and ran over to them, leaving Hank and Kurt with Charles. He sank into the couch next to Erik.
“Peter, don't leave me,” Hank hissed. He cradled Kurt's head in his left hand while he supported the boy’s weight with his right.
Kurt saw Peter run off and his lip quivered. “I vant Daddy,” he whispered, doing grabby hands in Peter's direction.
“You want…” Hank started to say, “You want Peter?” Kurt hummed in agreement. “Peter, Kurt wants you,” Hank said, looking triumphantly at Peter.
Peter ran over again. He was happy that Kurt wanted him. He was Kurt's caregiver, but right now Kurt doesn't care at all about Peter since he thinks his favorite toy has come to life to protect him.
“Hi, baby,” Peter said, taking Kurt's hand. Kurt giggled happily. “Do you want to go back upstairs now?”
“Nuh uh,” Kurt said, nuzzling into Hank again. Hank sighed, but kept holding Kurt.
“Doctor Teddy’s busy, love,” Peter tried convincing him.
“Peter, if I may,” Charles spoke up, “Kurt is invited to stay with us. I spoke to Raven, Erik, and Hank and they're all fine with the boy sitting with us. It's no different than having a small child in the room while their mother is with her friends, right?”
“Mother?” Hank asked. Raven laughed.
“Wait–” Peter said.
Kurt happily nodded. “I vant Doctor Teddy,” he said, holding onto Hank tighter.
“But–” Peter started again.
“Is the boy staying with us, then?” Erik asked.
Hank looked down at the mutant in his arms. “Sure,” he said, pushing hair out of Kurt's face.
“Fine. Call me if you don't know how to handle him, then,” Peter said angrily before he ran off to his room. He quickly reappeared to kiss Kurt on the forehead and say, “See you later, darling.”
“Bye-bye Daddy,” Kurt said. Peter smiled and ran off again.
Charles wheeled himself over to where Raven and Erik were sitting. Erik got up to sit in the chair beside Charles, across from the couch. Hank carried Kurt to the couch and sat down next to Raven with Kurt sitting sideways on his lap. Kurt shifted back a bit, moving as far away from Raven as he could. He also sank into Hank, occasionally glancing at Erik sitting across from him. Hank pulled his head close to his chest, accepting his new role to Kurt.
Kurt kept staring at Raven. He nuzzled his face into Hank's chest and neck, but his eyes didn't drift away from Raven. Raven was looking at Erik while talking to him, choosing to ignore Kurt's stare. His giant yellow eyes bore into Raven, but no one brought it up.
It wasn't until Raven offered Hank a drink and accidentally made eye contact with Kurt that someone said something. Hank took the glass from Raven and noticed her eyes flicking between Hank's and Kurt's. The doctor looked down and saw Kurt staring at Raven.
“Everything alright, Kurt?” Charles asked. Kurt didn't look at him.
“He seems fine,” Erik said before continuing the conversation they were having before they noticed Kurt.
Hank looked down at Kurt and back to Raven. “This sounds weird, but can you not use your power?” Hank asked her.
“You're right, that does sound weird. Why?” She asked.
“Kurt's afraid of people who look human, and you're the closest person to him right now,” Hank explained.
Raven looked at Charles, wondering what to do. She ended up dropping the disguise and her natural form showed. Kurt's eyes blew wider and he softly gasped. His tail wrapped around him and he started chewing on it.
“Thanks,” Hank said to Raven, not noticing Kurt’s reaction.
“Your kid's biting himself,” Raven pointed to Kurt.
Hank looked down. “Hey, no, don't do that,” he said, gently taking Kurt's tail. Kurt whined and started sucking on his tail instead of biting. “I…” Hank looked at Raven, “I think that's acceptable? I'm not sure.”
“At least he's not biting,” Raven said, she looked sadly at Kurt. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her drink. Kurt dropped his tail and reached out his hands. “No, this is alcohol,” she said.
“Mama,” Kurt said, still having his arms outstretched.
Hank laughed, “No, Kurt, that's not–”
“Yes,” Raven answered Kurt.
“…What?” Hank asked.
“Yes, Mama’s here,” Raven said, putting down her glass and sitting right next to Hank and Kurt.
“Are you just going along with it? Like how he calls me Doctor Teddy?”
Raven patted her lap. “Come here, come to Mama,” she cooed. Kurt climbed into her lap and she wrapped her arms around him. She held the back of his neck and kissed his forehead. “Mama's here. Mama's finally here,” Raven said, kissing his forehead again and closing her eyes. “Mama's got you,” she said. Raven kept repeating the name ‘Mama’ when talking to Kurt.
Hank looked at the two of them and over to Charles and Erik, hoping one of them could explain what was happening. Erik looked just as confused as he was, but Charles looked deep in thought.
“Raven,” Charles said, “are you Kurt's mother?”
“I don't deserve to be called that,” she said, holding Kurt close like someone might take him from her at any moment. “I couldn't take care of him, so I left. I wanted my baby,” she kissed Kurt's forehead again, “but he grew up before I could ever find him again.”
“And now you have a chance to have a relationship with him while he's a child?” Charles said. It was mostly to help himself understand her thought process, but it helped Erik and Hank follow along as well.
“Mama?” Kurt got Raven's attention, looking up at her.
“Ja, Süße? [Yes, sweetie?]” Raven said, stroking Kurt's hair.
“Hast du Papa kennengelernt? [Have you met Daddy?]” Kurt asked, biting his tail again.
“Beißen Sie nicht. [Don't bite],” she scolded him. “Hank, who's ‘Daddy’?” she whispered to Hank.
“Peter,” Hank said.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Ja, ich habe Peter getroffen. [Yes, I have met Peter],” Raven told Kurt.
Kurt snuggled into her. “Magst du ihn? [Do you like him?]”
Raven thought for a moment. “Ich denke, er ist ein netter Junge, auch wenn er ein bisschen viel sein kann. [I think he's a nice boy, even if he can be a bit much.]”
Kurt nodded and closed his eyes, letting himself be held. He continued sucking on his tail while the adults talked. At some point, Kurt reached his hand out to hold Hank's. Hank smiled and wrapped his arms around Raven's shoulders while holding Kurt's hand with his other hand. Raven looked up and kissed Hank while continuing to stroke Kurt's hair until he fell asleep. The group talked for a few more hours after Kurt fell asleep, but quieted down whenever the boy stirred, hoping to not wake him.
When Kurt finally opened his eyes, he looked at the tail in his mouth and dropped it, wiping the spade off on his pants. While doing that, he noticed it was much later than the last time he remembered doing anything, so he pieced together that he probably regressed to the point he didn't remember it. That's happened a few times before, but not often. Then, he realized he wasn't holding Teddy like he always was when he was little, he wasn't in his bedroom, and the person holding him wasn't Peter. That's when Kurt panicked. He quickly teleported off of whoever's lap he was sitting on, he didn't care to look while he was still in that vulnerable position, and he ended up by the wall looking out at everyone in the room.
“Schatz? Was ist los? [Sweetheart? What is wrong?]” Raven asked.
Kurt stared at each individual person in the room like a deer in headlights. Charles slowly raised his hand and touched his temple, and Kurt saw Peter suddenly standing next to him.
“Tell me vhat happened,” Kurt whispered to him, “right now.”
“Wanna go upstairs first?” Peter asked. Kurt nodded. He teleported the two of them upstairs.
Raven curled her legs up to her chest and leaned on Hank's shoulder. “‘Finally free of him’, huh?” Hank said in a joking tone. He was just a little disappointed, since he was finally getting comfortable with Kurt being that clingy. It was honestly quite cute seeing Raven be so happy to have another chance at being Kurt’s mother. It broke her heart when Kurt teleported away from her, looking terrified.