Chapter Text
Scott hung over the crib excitedly, his fingers twitching as he gripped the bars of the small bed his newborn son was occupying.
“Aw, ain’t he sweet, mon ami?” Remy whispered, waving softly at the curious child, who looked very relaxed for someone who had been born mere hours ago.
Scott didn’t answer, still staring into his child’s eyes.
Remy waved in front of Scott’s face, trying to catch his attention.
“Scott.exe has crashed,” he whispered to Nathan. “Have a rest, kiddo. If you are anything like your sister, you’re gon’ have him wrapped round your finger in no time.”
Remy gracefully slipped out of the room, as quiet as he could, to avoid waking any of the sleeping children in the nursery.
Scott just kept staring. He had wondered if maybe the wonder of a new life would wear off after his and Jean’s first child, Rachel, was born five years ago. It hadn’t. Subconsciously, his hands inched towards his son, hoping to pick him up. He stopped just as his finger almost grazed Nathan’s skin.
He was just too scared. He knew logically that there was nothing to be afraid of. Nathan was a healthy baby boy, and being held by a parent is good for them. But he was just afraid to. The fear had been there with Rachel, too, but not to this extent. Not so bad he couldn’t hold her long enough to breathe normally again.
Most parents probably go through this.
But he wasn’t most parents. He was the leader of the X-Men. He had to be perfect, all the time. If he slipped for even a second, everything would come tumbling down. And he had slipped plenty of times.
A baby wasn’t something he could afford to let slip.
Silently, Scott began to feel a crushing weight on his chest. It didn’t help that he couldn’t even look at his son properly. When Jean had said Nathan had his eyes, Scott’s initial reaction was to duck for cover. He really hoped that if Nathan did manifest the x-gene, it would be his mother’s powers, like Rachel.
He wanted Nathan to be able to see his own family in more than red.
As he kept watching Nathan squirming happily in his crib, he realized the infant was trying to reach up. Up at Scott.
“You like me?” Scott asked, a smile finally breaking on his face.
Nathan opened and closed his mouth, pointing his outstretched hand right between Scott’s eyes.
“You like this?” Scott whispered, pointing at his glasses. Nathan’s smile turned into a full-on grin.
“Y-you want a closer look?” Scott asked breathlessly.
Nathan only cooed in response.
Taking a deep breath, Scott slid his hands around Nathan gently the way the doctor had shown him. With a heave, he pulled Nathan against his chest, standing up straight. Nathan giggled, still reaching for his dad’s glasses.
“I guess you’ve already chosen a favorite color, huh?” Scott asked. “You better get used to it.”
And for the rest of the day, Nathan Summers didn’t leave his father’s arms.