"So snazzy glasses are gonna stop the kid blasting things with his eyes?"

Alex ignored the glare that Hank shot his way as he swung around on his chair. The pair of them were in the Infirmary, which was currently doubling as an extension of Hank's lab/office. Papers covered in illegible doctor scrawl covered every surface, surrounding the table that had been set up where the operating gurney usually was. On the centre of the table was some doohickey Alex couldn't hope to identify, two panes of red glass held up like overlarge glasses.

"It's a theory," Hank replied. "The properties of ruby quartz should work to refract the optic blasts. It may even be possible to adjust the lenses so that certain volumes of energy can pass through—"

Hank looked up from his notes to see the distant expression on Alex's face. He sighed heavily.

"Yes, Alex. Snazzy glasses will stop Scott blasting things," he agreed with a huff. "Although I would prefer to test that theory before raising his hopes, hence why I called you down here."

Hank stood and adjusted the array on the table as he explained. "Your powers are incredibly similar. You both absorb energy sources; heat, radiation, that sort of thing, and use that as fuel for your plasma blasts. The only difference between the two of you that I can discern is the obvious; you expel from your body, Scott from his eyes."

Alex shifted a little in discomfort, trying not to focus too much on just how similar the two of them were. It just made his head hurt even more than what was now the near-constant headache that thumped behind his eyes. The name thing was a weird enough coincidence as it was, who knew what having essentially the same powers could mean. "But I can turn it on and off," he pointed out. "Why can't he?"

Hank scratched the fur around his jaw. "I think he may have been able to, once."

"You found something in his file?" Alex asked.

"Personal details and history are scarce; he was only identified by a number for the year that his file dates back to," Hank said. Alex shuddered as the realisation that Scott had been in that place for so long sunk in. Hank pushed away from the table and picked up some papers from his desk, handing them over to Alex. "It's the same with Rahne's and Clarice's, however there's something odd about Scott's."

"Define odd." Alex flicked through the papers with his good hand, not understanding most of the words, though his heart stuttered a moment when he caught sight of the age and date of birth on Scott's file. A coincidence.

Another one.

"On all of the paperwork there are two sets of handwriting; both of which detail the same things. Standard tests and procedures; stats and results," Hank indicated the two different penmanship's, and then flipped one of the sheets that Alex was holding over. "But on Scott's, there's a third. Every time this third doctor writes a note on a file, at least two weeks' worth of data vanishes."

"Someone else had an interest in the kid beyond what Trask was after," Alex surmised. "But why does that make you think that he had control?"

Hank took the papers back. "Because none of the early notes mention anything about the mask that they had him wear. Not until this third doctor shows up three months in. After that, advisory notes are attached warning the first two doctors to use the blindfold."

"This third bastard messed the kid up," Alex winced. "Permanently?"

Hank shrugged. "I don't know. If it was psychological trauma perhaps Charles can help him through it and eventually Scott may regain control. If it's physical… well. He's had enough doctors poking around him to last a lifetime. I'd be inclined to leave him be for now and rely on the ruby quartz."

"Which may or may not work."

Hank side-eyed Alex. "I think that it will. I just need you to test it."

"Because our powers are similar."

Which was weird, and got weirder the more that Alex allowed himself to think about it. Everything about Scott was weird to be honest. His powers. His name. Now his birthday. The way that he trusted Alex so completely and yet still struggled to accept the others even a week after being rescued and reassured that they were friendly too.

And then there was Alex's reaction to him. Alex was not a big fan of people, and was definitely not a fan of being touched; but the constant contact that Scott sought from him didn't bother him. It was like there was some instinct telling him to look out for the kid, protect him—

Take care of Scott, Alex. You're a big brother now.

Alex shook his head violently, reminding himself forcefully that he didn't have a brother. His Scott didn't exist, so there was no one to compare this Scott to. He didn't understand why that was such a hard concept for his brain to hold onto. He was not an older brother, no matter what the excruciating voice in his head insisted. Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing through the flare of pain that came whenever he heard it.

Hank to looked at him in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Alex faked a smile, hoping his expression didn't betray the war inside his head. He nodded pointedly at the set-up on the table. "So what did you want me to do?"


Alex grinned as Scott stood there staring at the world around him, mouth wide open in awe. The new glasses that Hank had made for him looked a bit dorky and far too big for the kid's face, but Alex wasn't mean enough to tell him that. Not when Scott was now able to see for the first time in nearly a year.

"So, what do you think?" Hank asked, unable to completely hide the nervousness in his voice.

Scott turned and looked at him, squinting a little through the lenses and twisting the hem of his shirt shyly. Three weeks at the mansion and Scott was still a little hesitant around anyone other than Alex, but he had made good progress. "Hank, right?" he asked. "Alex told me you were blue, but everything looks red to me."

Alex watched Scott interact with Hank with something almost like pride bringing a smile to his lips. It quickly turned into a wince though as the stupid headache reminded him that it was there; practically a constant companion to him these days. He pressed his fingers to his temple automatically. He knew that it didn't do a damn thing to alleviate the pain, but he couldn't seem to be able to stop the unconscious action.

When he blinked his eyes back open, he found Charles looking at him with clear concern. Alex forced his hand back down to rest against his sling in the approximation of crossing his arms, but the look didn't waver. Alex tried to bury his annoyance. He was fine. He could handle the headaches on his own, just like he had always been able to handle everything else. He didn't need anyone worrying about him.

He just hoped that the telepath hadn't caught on to his nightmares too.

"I'm afraid that there's nothing I can do about the colour blindness at the moment," Hank admitted ruefully, as if upset that giving Scott his sight back wasn't enough.

"That's okay," Scott smiled. He looked briefly to Alex for reassurance, and then offered a hand to shake. "It's nice to meet you."

Hank inclined his head. "And you too, Scott." He gestured to the other side of the library at the professor, who reintroduced himself with a welcoming nod, and then pointed to Sean who was leaning against a bookshelf next to Alex.

"The friend that screams?" Scott confirmed, once again looking to Alex.

Sean rolled his eyes. "Yep, that's me."

Scott accepted a hair ruffle from Sean with only a slightly wrinkled nose of discomfort and then immediately retreated to Alex's side. He tugged on the sleeve of Alex's shirt and pushed the heavy glasses back up his nose compulsively. "Can I go outside please? I know everything is gonna look weird in red, but at least it looks like something now."

"Sure thing, kiddo," Alex said. He watched Scott scarper from the library, and then looked up to find Hank, Sean and the professor all looking at him sceptically. "What?"

Sean raised an eyebrow. "Not one comment on the dorky glasses? That's some mighty self-control you've developed."

Alex scowled. "The kid just got his eyesight back, you really think I was going to say something mean? Jeez, Sean, I'm not heartless."

"You don't mean it as cruel," Charles allowed, holding a hand out placatingly when Alex turned his glare on him. "But you do have a tendency to say inappropriate things to lighten a situation. Take Hank's codename for example."

"What, Beast? But that's badass," Alex frowned, offended that his friends seemed to think that he was that much of a jackass. Sure, when he had first met them all he had been a little abrasive, but he'd just been in solitary confinement for six months, and the foster system before that. That was enough to make anyone a little rough round the edges. "It suits him."

Hank cleared his throat. "I think what they're trying to say, is that you seem different since Scott came along. You've gotten quite… attached."

Alex felt his hackles raise defensively. "Yeah, well, you be the only person a kid trusts and see what that does to you."

"We're not saying it's a bad thing," Sean put his hands up when Alex glared at him. "Just different."

The professor wheeled forwards, that damn look of concern back on his face. "Alex, you have done a brilliant job, being there for Scott, and I'm proud of you for stepping up like you have. But that is a lot of responsibility to take on at your age and—"

"And you don't think I can handle it," Alex finished. It stung that Charles didn't think that he was good enough to watch out for the kid, but Alex figured that he was right. It was always a bad idea to leave Alex responsible for anything; it guaranteed disaster for the poor soul left in his care. "I'm a bad influence anyway, right?"

"That's not…" Charles sighed, sounding frustrated and worried at the same time, but all Alex could hear was the disappointment. "I'm trying to think of what is best for everyone. With the X-Men and school, that is enough for anyone to take on, Alex. Perhaps now that Scott has his sight back it's time to step back a little. Take a break. Scott needs to learn to trust other people and make friends on his own. He needs to heal and move on too."

Alex nodded. "Sure, okay. Whatever."

With that, Alex left the library, trying not to think too hard on the sudden sense of loss that he felt. He knew that Scott wasn't going anywhere, and that Charles wasn't going to stop Alex from seeing him or anything drastic like that, but it still felt as if something fundamental had been taken away from him. He was just getting used to having Scott hanging around; like something he didn't even know was missing was suddenly back. And now it was gone again.

You're a big brother now.

But Alex had never been a big brother, not really. The fact that Scott had attached himself to Alex much like he would imagine a younger sibling would, it didn't mean that Alex had magically become one. And now that Scott could see and didn't really need him anymore didn't mean that he was any less of a friend either. It shouldn't matter that much.

It shouldn't hurt this much.

"Are you okay?" Sean asked, materialising seemingly from nowhere. He must have followed Alex outside but he couldn't say that he had noticed. Sean dropped next to Alex on the school's front steps. "We didn't mean it as a criticism you know."

"Yeah, I know," Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever's best for the kid, right?"

"It's what's best for both of you," Sean reiterated emphatically. He reached out and grasped Alex's arm lightly. "It's just that you look so tired lately and the professor figured that it might be the pressure that Scott's been putting on you, however unintentionally. He's worried about you just as much as he's worried about Scott."

Alex huffed and gestured at the front lawn. Scott had managed to find Rahne and some of the other kids, the beginnings of what looked like a game of tag taking place. "Nothing to worry about now then. The kid's doing just fine on his own."

Sean sighed heavily as if Alex was totally missing the point, and then climbed to his feet. He had just reached the front door when he paused and turned back.

"Hey Alex, why don't you ever call him Scott?"


"Take care of Scott, Alex," his mother said firmly through the tears that she was barely holding back. "You're a big brother now, and that means you have to watch out for him."

Alex nodded. He must have heard his mom say that a thousand times since she and his dad had returned from the hospital years ago with a screaming, red-faced baby, but they had never had such weight before. And there hadn't been flames all around them and the high-pitched whine of a failing engine trying to drown them out either.

He could hear his dad shouting from the cockpit, crying mayday on the radio with the desperation of someone who knew that help was too far away to do anything. Scott was whimpering on the seat beside him, clinging on to Alex's arm as their mother checked the straps on the parachute that she had thrown on his shoulders.

The air was thick with smoke and the oppressive heat of the flames that engulfed nearly half the small aircraft, but there something even heavier that settled hard on Alex's chest and made it difficult to breathe. He was terrified, yes. It made his whole body shake as violently as the plane around them, but that wasn't it. Scott looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I promise I'll look after him," Alex replied. His mother gave him a watery smile and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead.

"I know you will," she said, almost too quietly to be heard above the groaning of warped metal falling from the sky. "Because you're my brave little soldier."

She leaned back and called for their father, and then lifted Scott onto Alec's lap. He felt so small in Alex's arms; fragile and precious in a way that he hadn't really thought of before. As light as a two-year-old could be, but still just as heavy as the parachute on his back and his mother's words in his ears.

His dad was telling him what to do, but Alex had a hard time hearing him above the sound of his heart pounding in his chest. His ears had popped from the changing pressure of the dropping plane and the smoke was choking him with every breath. But when their parents hugged them tight for the last time, Alex heard their last words as clear as anything.

"We love you boys, so much. Stay together. Stay safe. Be happy."

And then Alex was falling, twisting and tumbling through the air with Scott screaming from where he was tied to his chest. The sky swapped with the ground over and over as the burning plane grew smaller above them. Alex scrabbled for the pull chord and yanked it hard

And suddenly it was silent.

The parachute opened and jolted Alex back as his descent was abruptly slowed, but all he cared about was the weight missing from his chest.

Scott was gone.

The breath stilled in Alex's throat as he stared down at the harness wrapped around him. There was no sign his little brother had ever been there. He was just gone. Vanished. Nothing but silence as Alex glided toward the earth.

The moment of shocked loss stretched for what felt like an infinity until the plane exploded above him. Flaming debris rained from the sky, tearing holes through the chute and striking Alex hard across the back and shoulder. Agony ripped through him—

And he woke up, gasping for breath and grasping anxiously for something to tether him. Sheets tangled around his legs as he fought to free himself from his bedcovers, ignoring the burning pain in his shoulder and side. Clambering to his feet, Alex staggered to the window and threw it open, trying to draw as much fresh air into his oxygen starved lungs as possible.

It was just a nightmare.

Alex pressed his face against the cool glass of the window to try and alleviate that damn headache that still pounded behind his eyes. Pain stabbed through his brain as he tried to calm his breathing and racing heart. It was just another nightmare. A distant memory that couldn't hurt him anymore. He was safe at the school. He wasn't alone anymore. Just a nightmare.

He didn't know how long it took him to finally get himself back under control, but when he glanced at the clocked by his bed it read as quarter past two in the morning. There was no way that he was ever getting back to sleep now, so he resigned himself to another long night of insomnia. No wonder the others thought that he looked so tired. If only they knew that it wasn't really Scott that was keeping him awake.

Not that he could ever tell them. They would think he was crazy.

He knew what had really happened that day on the plane. The stupid painful dreams were just lies. Fantasies that a traumatised child had created following the loss of his parents. The reason that Scott was never with him when he pulled the chord on the chute was simple. Scott had never existed. Only Alex had jumped from the plane. Alone. And alone is how he had stayed.

You're an older brother now.

Alex cried out and pressed his free hand against his temple, the pain worsening by the second. Brokenly, he crawled back to his bed and curled up on his side. He was crying, but he couldn't bring himself to care about that. It all just hurt so bad

Take care of Scott

Scott didn't exist.

You're an older brother now.

No. He wasn't. And the voice needed to stop telling him that before his skull split open from the pressure building in his brain. Why wouldn't it go away? Ever since he had found Scott the pain and the nightmares had just been getting worse and worse, every night. He couldn't take much more.

Maybe he should tell someone?

No, they already thought that he was a heartless jackass that couldn't watch out for a scared kid. No need to tell them that he was cracking apart too. He had been okay when he was alone. Before Charles had found him and dragged him out of solitary. Before Hank and Sean had somehow become his friends. Before Scott. Alone was better.

He had always been alone.

Alex reached up to grab his pillow, intent on burying his tear-soaked face into it until it was finally morning, but his fingers caught on something. Carefully, he retrieved the crumpled photograph from its hiding place, studying it in the darkness. It was a picture of a blonde kid staring down in equal parts confusion and wonder at a tiny new born baby.

Take care of Scott, Alex. You're a big brother now, and that means you have to watch out for him.

Alex squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. Scott didn't exist, he knew that.

But then who was in the picture?