fic: Welcome To Wherever You Are (The Brothers in Arms Remix) (X-Men: First Class)
Title: Welcome To Wherever You Are (The Brothers in Arms Remix)
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Rating: all ages
Character(s): Scott, Alex, Charles, Hank
Summary: Scott always knew that Alex would come to get him. Alex was his big brother, and he promised. 870 words.
Notes: Originally posted on AO3. Inspired by Dig For Fire by musesfool. I have a fondness for stories about sibling love, and a fondness for the Summers boys - even though (so far) I've only ever written about Alex. When I first read musesfool's story, I was haunted by the image of Scott with duct tape over his eyes, so when the opportunity to play with the story came up during Remix Madness 2012, I couldn't resist.
Scott always knew that Alex would come to get him. Alex was his big brother, and he promised.
Still, there’s something wholly unreal about Alex finding him after so long, and here of all places; in this cold, cramped, rain-battered holding cell. He doesn’t believe it, not even when Alex says his name in a voice that sounds like it’s about to break. Not even when Alex grabs the hand Scott lifted in warning, and pulls him out of the chair and into his arms.
It’s like flying and drowning at the same time. The floor seems to buckle beneath him, so he can’t put his feet down. Alex says his name over and over, strong arms holding him up and squeezing so tightly that it actually hurts. And Scott can’t breathe, maybe because his face is buried hard in his brother’s shoulder, maybe because of the sobs bubbling up in his throat, stopping the air from getting in.
If only he could see, Scott thinks. Then maybe he’d believe it.
But it all seems like a dream. Alex thumbing away the tears that slip from beneath the duct tape covering his eyes. The man who came here with Alex - an Englishman, judging by his accent - telling Scott that he has a school, and that there’s a place for him there.
Scott tenses at the offer, feeling punctured. He doesn’t have any money, he admits reluctantly.
But the Englishman assures him that he doesn’t need any, that they’ll come up with something. A scholarship maybe (For what? thinks Scott wildly) or as a condition of his release from this place.
“You would do that?” Scott asks. His fingers clench and unclench around a fold of Alex’s shirt.
“I would,” the Englishman says solemnly.
Scott looks questioningly up at Alex, who squeezes his shoulder and tells him in that cool, big brother voice that Scott has always somehow trusted, that it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.
*
“See?” says Alex. “I told you everything would be okay.”
Scott can’t see anything due to duct tape still covering his eyes, but he nods. Alex sounds confident, and Scott trusts Alex. He thinks he might be able to trust Charles Xavier too, though right now he’s hesitant to hope too much. He’s been promised a lot in a very short amount of time - a home, new clothes, food, the companionship of other mutants - and in his experience that’s usually a bad sign.
On top of everything, one of the other mutants, Hank, thinks he can come up with a device that will allow Scott to control the bursts of energy that emanate from his eyes. Like Alex and Xavier, he seems confident.
As if sensing his brother’s uncertainty, Alex sits down beside him on the edge of the bed, and jostles him playfully with his elbow. “Hey,” he says. “Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay. Promise. Hank’s a bozo, but he’s kind of a genius too. Wait’ll I show you what he made for me. It’s pretty cool. Everyone’s pretty cool here.”
Scott wants to say something in response, but it’s been a long day and he’s too exhausted and overwhelmed to do more than shrug weakly and lean against his brother. After a minute, Alex wraps an arm around him, holding him close.
There’s an open window somewhere to the right of them. Scott can hear the curtains fluttering, can feel warm sunlight on his neck and cheek. Something burns behind his eyes, and he doesn’t know if it’s his power or more tears.
He falls asleep before he can find out.
*
Alex is still there when he wakes up.
*
“Try these.” Hank slides the visor onto the bridge of Scott’s nose. The cool metal stings the skin left raw by the removal of the duct tape. Scott grimaces.
“Now,” Hank rumbles, stepping back, “open your eyes and tell me what you think.”
Scott balks.
“C’mon, Scotty,” Alex says encouragingly.
“You’re not going to hurt anyone, I assure you.” Xavier’s voice is full of confidence.
Scott gropes the air in front of him. “Is anybody-”
“We’re all off to the side,” Alex says. “All you can destroy is a dummy - and I don’t mean Sean.”
Xavier sighs. “Alex…” It’s all right, he adds for Scott alone. You can do this. I have utmost faith in Hank, and in you.
But it’s the levity in his brother’s tone that gives Scott the boost he needs. Very slowly, he opens one eye.
When the world doesn’t end, he opens the other one.
They’ve dimmed the lights in the bunker for him. Even so, Scott staggers because there’s so much to see. There’s the department store dummy, which he could destroy with one blast from his eyes if he wants to. There’s a red fire extinguisher, which is almost too bright to look at. There are padded mats on the floor. They’re blue, just like Hank’s fur - Alex wasn’t kidding! - and Scott hasn’t seen blue in such a long time. If his laughter sounds choked, nobody says anything.
They just grin back at him - Xavier with pride, Hank with his pointed teeth sticking out, Alex like the sunlight - and Scott knows he’s home.
4/20/2012
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Rating: all ages
Character(s): Scott, Alex, Charles, Hank
Summary: Scott always knew that Alex would come to get him. Alex was his big brother, and he promised. 870 words.
Notes: Originally posted on AO3. Inspired by Dig For Fire by musesfool. I have a fondness for stories about sibling love, and a fondness for the Summers boys - even though (so far) I've only ever written about Alex. When I first read musesfool's story, I was haunted by the image of Scott with duct tape over his eyes, so when the opportunity to play with the story came up during Remix Madness 2012, I couldn't resist.
Scott always knew that Alex would come to get him. Alex was his big brother, and he promised.
Still, there’s something wholly unreal about Alex finding him after so long, and here of all places; in this cold, cramped, rain-battered holding cell. He doesn’t believe it, not even when Alex says his name in a voice that sounds like it’s about to break. Not even when Alex grabs the hand Scott lifted in warning, and pulls him out of the chair and into his arms.
It’s like flying and drowning at the same time. The floor seems to buckle beneath him, so he can’t put his feet down. Alex says his name over and over, strong arms holding him up and squeezing so tightly that it actually hurts. And Scott can’t breathe, maybe because his face is buried hard in his brother’s shoulder, maybe because of the sobs bubbling up in his throat, stopping the air from getting in.
If only he could see, Scott thinks. Then maybe he’d believe it.
But it all seems like a dream. Alex thumbing away the tears that slip from beneath the duct tape covering his eyes. The man who came here with Alex - an Englishman, judging by his accent - telling Scott that he has a school, and that there’s a place for him there.
Scott tenses at the offer, feeling punctured. He doesn’t have any money, he admits reluctantly.
But the Englishman assures him that he doesn’t need any, that they’ll come up with something. A scholarship maybe (For what? thinks Scott wildly) or as a condition of his release from this place.
“You would do that?” Scott asks. His fingers clench and unclench around a fold of Alex’s shirt.
“I would,” the Englishman says solemnly.
Scott looks questioningly up at Alex, who squeezes his shoulder and tells him in that cool, big brother voice that Scott has always somehow trusted, that it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.
*
“See?” says Alex. “I told you everything would be okay.”
Scott can’t see anything due to duct tape still covering his eyes, but he nods. Alex sounds confident, and Scott trusts Alex. He thinks he might be able to trust Charles Xavier too, though right now he’s hesitant to hope too much. He’s been promised a lot in a very short amount of time - a home, new clothes, food, the companionship of other mutants - and in his experience that’s usually a bad sign.
On top of everything, one of the other mutants, Hank, thinks he can come up with a device that will allow Scott to control the bursts of energy that emanate from his eyes. Like Alex and Xavier, he seems confident.
As if sensing his brother’s uncertainty, Alex sits down beside him on the edge of the bed, and jostles him playfully with his elbow. “Hey,” he says. “Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay. Promise. Hank’s a bozo, but he’s kind of a genius too. Wait’ll I show you what he made for me. It’s pretty cool. Everyone’s pretty cool here.”
Scott wants to say something in response, but it’s been a long day and he’s too exhausted and overwhelmed to do more than shrug weakly and lean against his brother. After a minute, Alex wraps an arm around him, holding him close.
There’s an open window somewhere to the right of them. Scott can hear the curtains fluttering, can feel warm sunlight on his neck and cheek. Something burns behind his eyes, and he doesn’t know if it’s his power or more tears.
He falls asleep before he can find out.
*
Alex is still there when he wakes up.
*
“Try these.” Hank slides the visor onto the bridge of Scott’s nose. The cool metal stings the skin left raw by the removal of the duct tape. Scott grimaces.
“Now,” Hank rumbles, stepping back, “open your eyes and tell me what you think.”
Scott balks.
“C’mon, Scotty,” Alex says encouragingly.
“You’re not going to hurt anyone, I assure you.” Xavier’s voice is full of confidence.
Scott gropes the air in front of him. “Is anybody-”
“We’re all off to the side,” Alex says. “All you can destroy is a dummy - and I don’t mean Sean.”
Xavier sighs. “Alex…” It’s all right, he adds for Scott alone. You can do this. I have utmost faith in Hank, and in you.
But it’s the levity in his brother’s tone that gives Scott the boost he needs. Very slowly, he opens one eye.
When the world doesn’t end, he opens the other one.
They’ve dimmed the lights in the bunker for him. Even so, Scott staggers because there’s so much to see. There’s the department store dummy, which he could destroy with one blast from his eyes if he wants to. There’s a red fire extinguisher, which is almost too bright to look at. There are padded mats on the floor. They’re blue, just like Hank’s fur - Alex wasn’t kidding! - and Scott hasn’t seen blue in such a long time. If his laughter sounds choked, nobody says anything.
They just grin back at him - Xavier with pride, Hank with his pointed teeth sticking out, Alex like the sunlight - and Scott knows he’s home.
4/20/2012