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Scott’s full-on crying by the time he reaches home. He can endure the cruel, mocking calls of “Princess” as he speed-walked through Bayville’s halls, the pitying looks of students lined up at lockers to look at him like some kind of bizarre circus exhibition, the cold statements of “Oh,” and “I’ll pray for you,” from people he thought were his friends. He can hide the pain he feels at being so deeply betrayed, the helplessness of having his carefully built world crumble around him. But he can’t hold it in for long.
Sobs rack his body as he stumbles up the stairs to his room, pushing past Logan and Hank on the way. Hank’s about to say something, but Logan puts a hand on his chest - a warning. “Slim’s not in a good place right now,” it says, and as much as Scott wants someone to yell at, to scream and fight with, he appreciates that silent gesture.
The first thing he does when he reaches his room is turn on his computer - a bulky, nonfunctional old thing, halfway broken from years of consecutive use - and pull up Alex’s video chat address with shaking hands. The call fails the first time; after a few consecutive tries, Alex finally picks up.
“Hey, big bro, what’s -” Alex stops in his tracks at the sight of his older brother. “What happened?”
“I - I - I… I got outed at school,” Scott says through tears. “Everyone knows I’m trans now. Everything’s gone to shit, Alex. I’ve lost all my friends. I’ve already been dragged through the mud today. I don’t think I can go back… It’s too much. I had everything worked out… And now, it’s all gone and I don’t know what to do…”
“Hey, Scott, it’s gonna be okay,” Alex replies softly, brushing his chunky blond hair out of his eyes - blue, bluer than Scott’s were when he was little - and holding his hand up to the monitor. It’s the same gesture they used to use when they weren’t separated by both time zones and trauma: his fingers splayed, his palm pressed to the screen. They can’t touch each other, true, but somehow, it feels like they’re together in time. Scott places his trembling hand on Alex’s and looks up at his younger brother.
“Listen to me, Scotty. It’s gonna be okay. You may have lost some people today. But that means they weren’t worth it, okay? You’ve got the people who count. You’ve got me. You’ve got Jean and everybody else at the Institute. We’re all here for you. You have a bigger safety net than you think.”
“I know, I just…” Scott says, frustrated. “I wish I didn’t feel so…so vulnerable right now.”
“I know. But you gotta believe me. It’s gonna work out.” Alex presses his hand further into the screen, creating a wavering patch with the pressure. “I’ll always love you. No matter what. I promise you that.”