AN: Reuploaded since there was a coding error last time. Enjoy!

The moments following the interaction were eerily quiet. Lucas' mind raced with different questions and concerns, while Claus thought about all of the answers. How the heck was he gonna explain Masky? The dude was a near mirror image of himself! Well, sort of, spare the missing arm and messed up eye. Actually, how was he going to explain the concept of a 'time warp' to his younger brother? How would Lucas even handle that type of news?

"Hey Claus?" Lucas' softer voice broke the silence. Claus locked eyes with his brother. He felt the pure happiness and relief practically radiating from Lucas, and his heart soared at seeing his siblings cheerful expression.

"Yeah Lucas?" Claus replied as they walked along the outside of the Chimera Labs. Lucas tossed an arm around Claus' shoulders and pulled him close.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" He peeped happily. He then buried his face into Claus' chest, and for once Claus felt at home. Despite the unusual outfit and the events that had just unfolded, he took comfort in Lucas' presence. He wrapped his arms around his head and laughed.

"I'm glad I'm okay too!" He chortled as he gave Lucas a shake which garnered a startled little squeak.

"Hey! Let go!" Lucas laughed as he struggled to escape Claus' grasp. The strange hold quick devolved into a playful little noogie before Claus released Lucas. Lucas stumbled back with a stupidly wide grin on his face as he pushed at Claus' shoulders. "You and your rough housing!"

"What? Am I not allowed to play with my brother?" Claus snorted.

"Well, yeah! But let me get a better look at you at least!" His hands then cupped his cheeks as he stared Claus straight in the eyes. Claus laughed and grabbed his wrists, but didn't pull them away.

"Why? This is so dumb!" He crowed as he stomped his feet in good fun.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" Lucas admitted, and Claus' little fluttering heart hung heavy. This had been a thought that ate away at the back of his mind, and it was something he didn't want to come to terms with.

"Ages? How long have I been gone?" Claus prodded. He snorted right after in hopes of keeping the light hearted mood.

"C-Claus!" Lucas' eyes widened as he pulled back and grabbed onto his shoulders. "You… You've been gone for years!" He exclaimed, "Three whole years!" His brows furrowed as his fingertips dug into his shoulders. He couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.

"T-Three years? Oh, that's a lot." A nervous chuckle slipped out from between his lips, but Lucas' now concerned expression almost forced him to stop.

"Is everything okay Claus?" Lucas' voice was down to a whisper as he pressed his palm to his forehead. It looked like he was feeling for a fever, and Claus didn't like that too much. Claus furrowed his brows and slowly pushed Lucas' hand away.

"I'm fine Lucas, I swear! I just missed you so much! It's been so long since I've seen you I just lost track of time!" He tried to play it off as just mistaken memory, but Lucas knew something was up. Yet, since Lucas couldn't put his finger on it, he sighed.

"I'm glad to have you back Claus… Maybe it was just that dumb helmet of yours that messed you up!" Lucas' bright smile showed through as his worried look disappeared. Claus felt unease ripple deep within him despite that smile.

Though, that was all interrupted by the sudden boom they both heard come from the lab. Claus knew exactly what that sound was and he lunged out at Lucas to protect him in the case that a certain someone flew too low. When everything stilled, Claus opened his eyes and gazed up at the sky. All he could see in that moment was dark smoke, and the shrinking black dot that was his doppelganger.

"Masky." Claus hissed as the moment he had with him flashed before his eyes. He then settled his eyes down onto Lucas, who was more than shocked at the fact that his sibling practically threw himself at him. The ginger boy laughed as he rolled off of him, stood, and held a hand out for him. "Sorry about that, I thought it was a bomb!"

"Claaaus!" Lucas whined as he took the hand and stood, "Be careful! What if I landed on a rock and bumped my head?"

"Oh come on, your hard head would still protect you!" Claus jabbed, getting quite the upset shove from Lucas.

"You're the one with the hard head! You stubborn little bum!" Lucas' once pouty expression turned into a cheerful one as Claus wrapped his arms around his shoulders and tried to wrestle him to the floor. Claus was just… Happy for once. He finally got his brother back after so long, but his happiness was hollow. He knew that this was not his brother, and he knew that Masky was the true Claus in this timeline.