Fic Duel, but only if cyanwitch gets hers done.
Unless she tells me otherwise. Or maybe we just won't worry about scores or anything. I know I don't know what it is. I know we were tied the last time I asked. Which was months ago.
But I need sleep soon, so here goes:
Title: Rockband
Fandom: Heroes (go figure, right?)
Characters: Matt/Mohinder, M3
Rating: G, slash no longer gets PG-13 because society is changing, and everyone can just deal.
Summary: Matt brings home a game, and communication through music occurs.
Challenge: Band!AU! (So this isn't really AU, but we can pretend it is. We know that in any AU, Mohinder's still smart, scientist type, Matt would always be the just, cop type, and Molly is just cute regardless of all else.) Oh, and 1500 word count. (17-something is what I ended up with. Minus lyrics. :P)
It had been a blessedly short day at the office, and Mohinder was glad to be home at a reasonable time, tonight at least. Though the first thing he noticed upon nearing his apartment was not exactly what he had previously expected.
Lookin’ down the barrel of a hot metal .45
Just another way to survive.
California rest in peace…
“What?” Mohinder asked, opening the door to the apartment that he shared with Matt and Molly. He set down his briefcase and keys, confusion flickering across his face.
Molly flashed a smile back over her shoulder for a moment before returning her eyes to the screen. “Hi, Mohinder! Look what Matt brought home!”
Mohinder glanced to the side of the T.V. to see a pile of boxes, the largest of which proclaimed in a bold font, “ROCKBAND”. He looked at Matt, wishing for a moment that he could borrow his ability. “What is this?”
California rest in peace,
Simultaneous release,
California show your teeth,
She’s my priestess, I’m her priest. Yeah, yeah!
Matt glanced up at him, playing the chorus of the song’s drum part from memory - they must have been at it since he got home, Mohinder thought - and grinned. “It’s Rockband!” He said, as if that explained it all, in and of itself. When Mohinder’s expression told him that that was not a good explanation, he winced a little and looked back to the screen. “It’s a game. I saw it at the store… picked it up after work… thought it’d be a fun treat. For Molly, you know?”
Molly leaned back to look at Mohinder and smiled. “It’s a ton of fun! And we can play it all together!” She nodded towards a mic that lay on the floor, apparently only used temporarily, as Molly seemed quite fond of the guitar, and Matt had obviously played the drums before. Mohinder looked down at the little black item on the floor, and then back at Molly and Matt. “Come on, Mohinder, please?” She asked, turning to him as the song came to an end.
Mohinder felt himself caving in, and at Matt’s imploring look, reached for the mic. Molly and Matt shared identical grins - too much influence on each other, Mohinder thought - and Molly jumped up to grab the controller and add Mohinder to their little band. Within moments, they were ready to go, and the opening chords to a song labeled “Dirty Little Secret” began to play.
Let me know that I’ve done wrong,
When I’ve known this all along.
I go around a time or two,
Just to waste my time with you.
Mohinder felt himself blushing at the lyrics. He glanced over at the other two, who were happily jamming along to their respective parts of the song. Matt’s eyes flicked over to him, and he gave an encouraging smile.
I’ll keep you my dirty little secret,
Don’t tell me one night you’ll be just another regret.
My dirty little secret.
Who has to know?
Mohinder found himself beginning to get into the song as it progressed, and, by the end, was moving a bit with the music, much to Molly’s amusement. As soon as the song ended, he tackled her for a quick tickle session, which threw all of them into fits of laughter. They resumed their playing, mostly letting Molly pick songs - though most were ones that she had never heard of. Matt insisted on playing Bon Jovi’s Wanted Dead or Alive, and Mohinder picked The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars, as the band name intrigued him. (“Where did they get that name? Mars is a lot farther than thirty seconds away, or it would be much more understood.”) They even tried out some songs that were unfamiliar, and had fun both impressing themselves and screwing up but miraculously passing.
Eventually Mohinder begged for a break, shouting - not very loudly or effectively, as his voice was rather worn - that he must have a glass of water before singing another song or they would be dealing with a very angry scientist in their midst that could poison them in a near-untraceable fashion at breakfast. Matt and Molly found this hilarious, but agreed to a break - both were looking about the apartment blinking oddly, Mohinder noticed, probably due to the set up of the cues for the guitar and drums, he realized.
“It’s all moving!” Molly exclaimed, blinking and staring at a single spot on the cabinets. Mohinder laughed, and Matt patted her on the head. “It’s like everything’s tilting!”
“We’ve been playing too long, I think.” Matt said, smiling and rubbing his eyes. “Maybe it’s time for a bit of rotation?”
Molly grinned, and Mohinder knew that something was going to go up… or down.
***
An hour later, Mohinder was sure that if there was some kind of pre-birth line for talent in things, he had surely avoided the drum-talent line like the plague.
“I just can’t get it,” he said, hitting the foot pedal and forgetting about where his hands were. “I can’t think of both things at the same time!”
Molly was sympathetic, confessing that she couldn’t get it either, and just disregarded the foot pedal in favor of the other parts, but it was Matt who took it hardest.
“Neither of you can play the drums? Seriously? This makes no sense! It’s not really that complicated,” he began, yet again.
Mohinder raised one eyebrow and inserted in his two cents, “Like genetics isn’t really that complicated?”
“Or finding people?” Molly piped up, earning a grin from Mohinder, and rolled eyes from Matt.
“Okay, fine, I give in,” Matt shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. He took a swig of water from his cup - all had opted to keep water on hand, as even things that did not involve singing tended to wear on people - and sat down behind the drum set. “I’ll stick to my instrument. You two can switch back and forth with the other two.”
At this, Molly pouted. Matt asked her what the problem was, and she answered, “But it’s your song! You have to sing it!” The opening of Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl was playing in the background, and Matt grinned.
“Fine. But you have to play the drums this time. Then we’ll switch, and I’ll stick with the drums.” His eyes met Mohinder’s, and he added, “Plus, the two of you have much better singing voices than I do.” Mohinder blushed a little - thanking his heritage for darker skin that hides it better - and wonders if Matt’s really trying to compliment him, or if it’s just a general statement - though not factual at all, as Matt has a lovely singing voice, though his range doesn’t quite agree with the most of the songs available.
Matt took the mic from Molly, giving her a grin and a bow, smiling at Mohinder as instruments and seats were traded for the new arrangement. Mohinder - now on the guitar - selected the song, and the opening began to play.
“One, two, three, take my hand and come with me, / because you look so fine that I really wanna make you mine.” Matt grinned at Molly, leaning over to sing dramatically to her. “I said you look so fine that I really wanna make you mine!” Mohinder was amused by his dramatics, and for a moment their eyes connected. Mohinder turned his focus back to the screen as the next phrase came up. “Four, five, six, come on and get your kicks! / Now you don’t need any money when you look like that, do ya’ honey?”
The song continued, Matt enjoying dramatizing every part of it, throwing Molly and Mohinder into bouts of laughter every time, resulting in them just managing to pass the song.
It wasn’t much longer that Matt decided that it was time to call it quits. He claimed that any damage to his eyesight would make it that much harder to read, but Mohinder could tell that he was really just pulling a responsible adult move and claiming weakness in order to get a child to sleep.
The tactic worked brilliantly, and, within the hour, Molly had changed and gotten into bed, and had recently turned off her light to call it a night. Matt and Mohinder smiled at each other as they lounged about in the living room, enjoying the blissful silence after the afternoon and evening of “rocking out”, as other, younger people would have said.
Mohinder was the first to break the silence - other than the sounds of existing and drinking, as they were still rehydrating themselves - and it was something Matt was surprised to hear.
“That was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.” Matt looked over at him in surprise, and grinned when he saw that Mohinder couldn’t look him in the eye. “I was seriously wondering what you were thinking when you got that game, but now I’m glad you did.” He took a breath and glanced over at Matt, smiling at the other man. “It really was enjoyable.”
Matt smiled back, “I’m glad you had fun. I wanted us to be together, and do something…” he trailed off, but Mohinder understood the unsaid like a family even without telepathic abilities. He nodded encouragingly. “I think Molly really enjoyed it.” Yes, Molly. A safe topic. And about as far from what Mohinder wanted to talk about as possible - excepting certain psychopathic killers.
“Yes, she did.” Internally, Mohinder sighed. The thoughts flickered through his mind rapidly, one barely finishing before the next appeared, and he hoped that it was fast enough that Matt wouldn’t catch it.
That’s not what I wanted to talk about… Did you pick those songs for a reason? Did any of that mean anything? Am I trying to force something to happen? Why can’t things stay normal? Nothing’s normal with us anymore. Did I mean any of what I sang? Did those songs get picked intentionally…
Matt laughed, and Mohinder frowned at him. “What?”
“This,” Matt said, tapping his head and still chuckling a little.
Oh, shit.
Matt grinned and pointedly ignoring the last thought that Mohinder knew he must have heard, he responded to the previous questions. “Yes, I picked them for a reason. Both your songs and mine. I was hoping…” Now Matt sighed. “I don’t know what I was hoping for.”
Mohinder knew that this was up to him. Everything he could imagine was in front of him, if only he could get up the courage to step up and take it. He took a breath, and took a leap.
“Thank you,” he said, reaching for Matt’s hands and weaving their fingers together. “For everything.” With that, he leaned over and touched his lips to the cop’s cheek. Matt blushed, and both smiled at each other.
That night, Mohinder and Matt would return to their separate rooms, and more would not happen immediately, but it would happen, eventually.