This is inspired by this tumblr post:

"You know those videos of the dads that are like far away or asleep or whatever and their kid starts falling and the dad just suddenly moves and catches them before they get hurt? Scott definitely did that for Alan and probably Gordon, too."

To which Flyboy replied:

'OKAY BUT JUST IMAGINE HOW INSANE SCOTT'S DAD!REFLEXES WOULD BE IN BETWEEN LOOKING AFTER ALAN, GORDON AND EVEN JOHN BECAUSE I BET THAT BOY SPENDS HIS ENTIRE TIME ON EARTH LOOKING UP AT THE STARS AND DAMN IT JOHN YOU GOTTA LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE YOU CROSS THE ROAD THERE ARE MORE CARS DOWN HERE THAN STARS IN THE SKY

And in the meantime he's got Gordon who wants to go find mermaids in whatever body of water he can see even if it's just a big puddle and lil Alan can't even walk in a straight line yet because he gravitates from one big brother to the next even when there's other people in the way and he thinks everything is a technological marvel like at home not realising that he's actually about to get flattened by a flying scooter.

And then they get to the park and Virg wants ice cream but Gordon's heading for the pond and Alan's determined to conquer the big slide this time and he doesn't even know where John's gone maybe he's already fallen in the pond because he wasn't looking where he was going. And by the time he's like, eighteen, Scott Tracy can multitask like a king and has the reflexes of a ninja and can catch a stray baseball with his eyes closed and also he's going grey already."

I couldn't help but agree…

It should be Dad doing this, but Scott understands why he can't. It had always been Mom's job – the first day of school – Dad's never been around for this important milestone.

And this is Alan's first day at kindergarten. None of them had ever gone to school before five, but circumstances necessitate that two-year-old Alan is left in the company of strangers during the time his brothers are at their own schools.

Not Scott, though. He might only be seventeen, but he has finished school, the product of being a year above his age. It had only been three months before he should have left for college. But after the accident, after being home and off for the first month, it had become abundantly clear to Scott that his father wasn't going to manage without him yet.

He'd quit school – or rather, he had switched to online learning and exams for the last two months. He'd delayed his college entry for a year so that he could be here until his Dad got back on his feet, until he remembered that he actually still had five sons at home. He understood. He did. Really, he did.

Grandma had tried to help out where she could, but she was also grieving, and Jeff had made it clear that he didn't really want help, even if he needed it. Scott sometimes wondered if his Dad even was aware of, well, of anything that was remotely about home life. Grandma had tried, but Dad had worn her out.

Now, school had come around again, and Grandma had suggested and Dad agreed that Alan should go to kindergarten and free Scott up. Although Scott thought that his Dad still believed Scott was going to school. He wasn't happy at sending Alan anywhere, but he knew it wasn't his choice.

John and Virgil had taken Gordon to his first day. He'd moved up to their school so it made sense for them to be the big brother, and Scott had sat down with an excited nine-year-old Gordon and extracted his promise to listen to John and Virgil and not jump in any puddles left behind from the rain over night looking for mermaids. The most active of his brothers nodded his head vigorously and held his three fingers up in a scout's salute as he had seen all his three older brothers do, causing a chuckle to erupt from Scott. Gordon would never be a scout – couldn't sit still enough.

So. Here he was, standing in front of a sweet little school, holding Alan on his hip. His brother had his head on Scott's shoulder, and his thumb in his mouth, quietly waiting. He didn't really understand why he was here, but Scott had said it was a big day for him.

A woman was striding over. Scott couldn't help but smile. Virgil would like her outfit; it was his favourite greens. Dark green pant suit with the palest green blouse. She came straight up to them, large smile on her face and hand outstretched.

'Scott Tracy, I presume?' Scott slightly shifted Alan and held out his free hand. It was a good firm handshake; one his Dad would have been proud of. She then held her hand out to Alan, who snuggled closer to Scott while still being the polite little boy all Tracy's learnt to be at an early age and taking her hand. She didn't shake it, merely squeezed gently and let go.

'I'm Maddie Carter. I'll be Alan's teacher.' She turned, and Scott followed her into the school, Alan still clutching on tightly. The sounds of other children washed over them both, and they were shown into a large airy room with about 20 other children. They were playing, a few looking up to see who was with their teacher, only to look away and continue with whatever they were doing.

'Does Alan want to go and see what the other children are up to?' Scott recognised it for the command it was, and he set Alan down. His brother hesitated for a moment, then toddled off to find something to do.

Scott watched him go, weaving from side to side, until he found a box full of cars. Immediately, Alan grabbed a red car and a blue one, sat down and made the most realistic car engine sounds a two-year-old could.

Miss Carter laughed and Scott turned back to her. There was paperwork to sign and things to discuss. He cast frequent glances at Alan, who had been joined by three other children and was content playing.

'Does he always walk like that.' It startled Scott, who hadn't realised that he had stopped paying attention to the conversation and had been just watching Alan.

'Er…like what, Miss Carter?'

'Wobblily, like he can't walk in a straight line.'

Scott frowned. He'd never really thought about it, but Alan had weaved all over the floor. Huh. He'd never noticed before, but he guessed that that was because Alan was always walking to someone. Brothers didn't stand in a straight line for Alan to walk to and he had used legs as a means to walk around his entire life.

'I hadn't really thought about it.' She smiled at him and patted his leg.

'It's not unusual for children from large families who use older siblings to learn to walk.'

Scott smiled and stood. It was time for him to leave. He gave Alan a hug and left, trying his damnedest not to turn around.

That day was one of the worst days of his life.

When he returned to pick Alan up the youngster was quiet and withdrawn. Miss Carter had said that he had been quiet for a while after Scott had gone, but he had eventually began playing and making friends.

It didn't take Alan long to return to the bubbly child he was, and eventually he told Scott, and later Gordon and Virgil, about the three children he'd played cars with.

By the end of the week Alan was looking forward to going every day, and Scott smiled. One more milestone his brother had achieved. And, whether it was his place or not, Scott couldn't be prouder.