After Hank had finished Rogue’s inhibitor bracelet, he eventually made one for Scott too.

Not something permanent. Just a temporary override that would let him remove his visor for short periods without everything turning into a dangerous blur of red.

Scott hadn’t expected much from it. Maybe slightly improved control. Maybe a marginal break from the constant strain.

But when he finally stood in front of the mirror and unclasped his visor, hesitating for only a second before setting it aside, the change hit him immediately.

Color. Real color.

Not the filtered red world he’d learned to live with. Not the narrowed, controlled version of reality he was used to.

Everything was suddenly sharp in a way he’d almost forgotten.

And the first thing he saw clearly was you.

It wasn’t just detail. It was presence. Your expression, the exact shade of your eyes, the way your hair framed your face, the subtle tones in your skin he’d never been able to fully appreciate before. It made him pause in a way he didn’t expect, like his brain was trying to catch up with something it had been missing for too long.

You, on the other hand, were just as affected.

Because for the first time, you could actually see his eyes.

Milk chocolate brown. Warm in a way that didn’t match the reputation he carried around. Long lashes that you immediately decided were unfairly perfect. There was something disarming about it, like the visor had been doing more than just protecting people from his powers. It had been hiding him, too.

You thought that would be the end of it. A few hours of clarity, then back to normal.

It wasn’t.

You noticed it within minutes.

Scott’s eyes followed you.

Not in an obvious, unsettling way at first. Just small glances that always seemed to land on you again a second later. When you spoke, his attention shifted fully to your mouth for a brief moment before returning to your face. When you moved, his gaze tracked you like it was instinct rather than choice.

And when he wasn’t actively reading, he was watching you.

It became harder to ignore the longer it went on.

Now, later that same day, you were stretched out on the couch in the living room, half-watching something on TV, completely relaxed in that way people only are when they feel safe.

Scott was on the other side, reading.

Or at least, he had been.

At some point, the book had become more of a prop than anything. His eyes kept flicking up, lingering just a second too long before dropping back down like he was pretending he hadn’t done it.

You finally broke the silence.

“You’re staring again.”

Scott didn’t even look up right away this time. Just turned a page slowly, like he had all the time in the world.

“I’m not staring,” he said.

A beat.

Then another glance in your direction.

You raised an eyebrow.

He exhaled lightly, finally lowering the book a little. “I guess I forgot how noticeable my eyes were without the visor making it harder to see what I was looking at.”

That made you pause.

“Is that your excuse?”

His mouth twitched slightly, almost a smile.

“No. That’s the explanation.”

And his eyes drifted back to you again anyway.