her so-called life (Claire/Zach, PG13ish) by technosage
Title: her so-called life
Author: technosage
Characters/Pairing: Claire/Zach loosely implied
Rating/Warnings: PG13 for themes, just to be on the safe side
Word Count: 2012
Spoilers: through 1.16 "Unexpected" and speculation off the trailer for 1.17.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Claire and Zach do a little research about her father with predictable results. (I'm being deliberately vague here on the off chance that people scanning these headers haven't seen the relevant episodes.)
Technically, she's still grounded. But that's so not why she called Zach to come over here. No way she's leaving her mom alone after everything, and Lyle is worse than useless. Xander would've been more help in a hostage situation than Lyle, and her dad, god, her dad might as well be Mayor Wilkins.
Which maybe makes her Faith instead of Buffy, but she's done, so completely over trying to kill herself or get herself killed. Someone has to protect her family and if she somehow screws up and manages to make it stick, she totally doesn't trust her dad not to mindwipe Zach so he can't check up on them after she's gone.
So, yeah, she's stuck with this lie of a life at least until she can figure out what to do about Mom and Lyle and getting them away from Dad. And knowing what her options are is the best place to start. But, what if--
"Earth to Claire. Come in Claire." Zach peers at her, snapping his fingers like she's been spaced out for a long time.
"Hey. I kind of have a lot on mind, okay?" His hands go up, defensive when she snaps and she feels bad. "Sorry." She scrunches her face in apology. Of everyone, Zach deserves it least of all. He's like her only friend.
"We don't have to do this, Claire." He's calm, soothing. Like always. How is he so together? It probably helps not having a serial killer wanting to cut his head open, but still. "Or you could do this without me."
Sure, she could, how hard is it to type a few words in a search engine? But, god, she wants him here. Her dad could be one of those immigration freaks, or a racist or something, someone who'd want to lock her and her mom up. Not the sort of thing you want to find out on your own. "Are you crazy?"
His nose wrinkles as he tugs her laptop around in front of him. "You're the one who's cuckoo for cocoa puffs." He even twirls his finger next to his ear.
She frowns at him, squinting, but somehow the stupid joke makes her feel a little better. Elbowing him in the side, she pulls her frown into a pout. "Not funny. Really not."
"Sure it was." His fingers fly over the keyboard, opening her browser, pulling up Google. "You laughed." Pausing, he rolls his eyes up and left like he does when he's thinking. After a minute, he asks, "Nathan, right?"
Her stomach twists, but she nods. "Yeah. Pretty sure that's what she called him." Claire can't think of anything else that sounds like that, except Latham and there's just no way she's having a biodad named Latham on top of everything else. Forget it.
Zach doesn't meet her gaze, just types. "Nathan. New York. Politician. Anything else?"
Most of what she knows about him isn't going to help find him. Deadbeat, for example, she's pretty sure isn't going to turn up on a search, not even with Zach's Google-fu. "Money. He's rich, or something, because he tried to buy me off." Which totally isn't fair because he never even met her and, whatever, he's still a deadbeat.
A few more keystrokes, then his pinky hits the enter key and her stomach flips more times than the hourglass cursor before Zach gives a low whistle. He scrolls, scrolls more, finally clicks a link, and she can't stand it. "What?"
She reaches for the laptop, but he's already turning it toward her. On the screen, the front page of the New York Times proclaims:
Petrelli Gains in Polls
And underneath it, larger than life in front of a star-spangled banner, campaign smile so bright it hurts her eyes…
"It's him." No mistaking those squared shoulders, square jaw, ridiculous eyelashes. At least she knows where she got them from, she tells herself, as she works her jaw to keep from crying.
Quiet, Zach takes the laptop back. He's clicking links, tabbing things open - for her to look at when she's ready, and she knows he's screening out the stuff that doesn't matter, not hiding stuff that might hurt, because he's good like that; he'll help her face the truth but he won't help her run away from it - while she tries to deal with the fact that her father is running for Congress…
And…
"Oh god. Zach, does he have a relative, maybe a brother? Peter?" It can't be. What're the odds, right? There have to be at least two Petrelli families in New York, don't there?
Tap, tap, tap, and she's holding her breath.
Zach looks up. "Yeah. Says right here, Nathan missed a campaign event because his brother, Peter, was hospitalized after the second suicide attempt in as many months."
She buries her face in her hands, not sure she even wants to see his face, when something else occurs to her. "Does it say the date of the 'suicide attempt'?" As if. Zach arches an eyebrow at the total disbelief in her voice.
He rattles it off like it has no meaning to him. Like he didn't campaign to make her homecoming queen, or throw rocks at her window to sneak her out, or convince her that maybe she was someone worth being friends with. Because no matter how many times she tells him, it's just a story.
He doesn't remember, but her heart is pounding. "Homecoming." The word squeezes past her lips and through her fingers, barely a whisper.
"What?"
Closing her eyes (and trying to ignore the way her eyelashes feel wet against the skin), she takes a deep breath then pulls her hands away from her face. "Remember I told you about the guy who jumped off the stadium to save my life?"
Zach nods. "Yeah. Peter some-" His eyes go wide.
"Petrelli." Her eyes close again as she shakes her head in disbelief. Really, this could only happen to her. "It was him. My dad's brother."
"Damn, Claire. That's…"
It's like that moment in any episode of Buffy or Supernatural -- the oh shit when everyone realizes that they're really dealing with what they thought they were dealing with. And Zach, he'd always believed her, but this…this takes weird to a whole new level.
"Yeah. I know."
They sit quiet for a minute, Claire hoping that maybe Zach won't remember the way she'd blushed when she'd talked about Peter. But then it doesn't really matter, because what's one more notch on the weird-o-meter? It's not like it changes anything really.
She inhales again, trying not to sniffle or sound totally pathetic, and shrugs her shoulders. "God. What am I going to do, Zach?"
At first, his face has that soft look, like he's going to say something sympathetic, or maybe try to hug her. She really hopes he doesn't, because she'll lose it. Completely. But then the corner of his mouth twitches up, and he grins. "Well, I'd say you're either going to have the father figure kink from hell, or turn out to be a lesbian."
She's stunned. Speechless. Then suddenly she's laughing so hard her sides hurt. She punches him in the shoulder before she leans her head against it.
Because, god, he's probably even right.
Notes: written for heroes_flashfic prompt: daddy issues and heroes50 #15. Child.
Mad props to clex_monkie89 for stepping up to beta. *smishes*
Author: technosage
Characters/Pairing: Claire/Zach loosely implied
Rating/Warnings: PG13 for themes, just to be on the safe side
Word Count: 2012
Spoilers: through 1.16 "Unexpected" and speculation off the trailer for 1.17.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Claire and Zach do a little research about her father with predictable results. (I'm being deliberately vague here on the off chance that people scanning these headers haven't seen the relevant episodes.)
Technically, she's still grounded. But that's so not why she called Zach to come over here. No way she's leaving her mom alone after everything, and Lyle is worse than useless. Xander would've been more help in a hostage situation than Lyle, and her dad, god, her dad might as well be Mayor Wilkins.
Which maybe makes her Faith instead of Buffy, but she's done, so completely over trying to kill herself or get herself killed. Someone has to protect her family and if she somehow screws up and manages to make it stick, she totally doesn't trust her dad not to mindwipe Zach so he can't check up on them after she's gone.
So, yeah, she's stuck with this lie of a life at least until she can figure out what to do about Mom and Lyle and getting them away from Dad. And knowing what her options are is the best place to start. But, what if--
"Earth to Claire. Come in Claire." Zach peers at her, snapping his fingers like she's been spaced out for a long time.
"Hey. I kind of have a lot on mind, okay?" His hands go up, defensive when she snaps and she feels bad. "Sorry." She scrunches her face in apology. Of everyone, Zach deserves it least of all. He's like her only friend.
"We don't have to do this, Claire." He's calm, soothing. Like always. How is he so together? It probably helps not having a serial killer wanting to cut his head open, but still. "Or you could do this without me."
Sure, she could, how hard is it to type a few words in a search engine? But, god, she wants him here. Her dad could be one of those immigration freaks, or a racist or something, someone who'd want to lock her and her mom up. Not the sort of thing you want to find out on your own. "Are you crazy?"
His nose wrinkles as he tugs her laptop around in front of him. "You're the one who's cuckoo for cocoa puffs." He even twirls his finger next to his ear.
She frowns at him, squinting, but somehow the stupid joke makes her feel a little better. Elbowing him in the side, she pulls her frown into a pout. "Not funny. Really not."
"Sure it was." His fingers fly over the keyboard, opening her browser, pulling up Google. "You laughed." Pausing, he rolls his eyes up and left like he does when he's thinking. After a minute, he asks, "Nathan, right?"
Her stomach twists, but she nods. "Yeah. Pretty sure that's what she called him." Claire can't think of anything else that sounds like that, except Latham and there's just no way she's having a biodad named Latham on top of everything else. Forget it.
Zach doesn't meet her gaze, just types. "Nathan. New York. Politician. Anything else?"
Most of what she knows about him isn't going to help find him. Deadbeat, for example, she's pretty sure isn't going to turn up on a search, not even with Zach's Google-fu. "Money. He's rich, or something, because he tried to buy me off." Which totally isn't fair because he never even met her and, whatever, he's still a deadbeat.
A few more keystrokes, then his pinky hits the enter key and her stomach flips more times than the hourglass cursor before Zach gives a low whistle. He scrolls, scrolls more, finally clicks a link, and she can't stand it. "What?"
She reaches for the laptop, but he's already turning it toward her. On the screen, the front page of the New York Times proclaims:
Petrelli Gains in Polls
And underneath it, larger than life in front of a star-spangled banner, campaign smile so bright it hurts her eyes…
"It's him." No mistaking those squared shoulders, square jaw, ridiculous eyelashes. At least she knows where she got them from, she tells herself, as she works her jaw to keep from crying.
Quiet, Zach takes the laptop back. He's clicking links, tabbing things open - for her to look at when she's ready, and she knows he's screening out the stuff that doesn't matter, not hiding stuff that might hurt, because he's good like that; he'll help her face the truth but he won't help her run away from it - while she tries to deal with the fact that her father is running for Congress…
And…
"Oh god. Zach, does he have a relative, maybe a brother? Peter?" It can't be. What're the odds, right? There have to be at least two Petrelli families in New York, don't there?
Tap, tap, tap, and she's holding her breath.
Zach looks up. "Yeah. Says right here, Nathan missed a campaign event because his brother, Peter, was hospitalized after the second suicide attempt in as many months."
She buries her face in her hands, not sure she even wants to see his face, when something else occurs to her. "Does it say the date of the 'suicide attempt'?" As if. Zach arches an eyebrow at the total disbelief in her voice.
He rattles it off like it has no meaning to him. Like he didn't campaign to make her homecoming queen, or throw rocks at her window to sneak her out, or convince her that maybe she was someone worth being friends with. Because no matter how many times she tells him, it's just a story.
He doesn't remember, but her heart is pounding. "Homecoming." The word squeezes past her lips and through her fingers, barely a whisper.
"What?"
Closing her eyes (and trying to ignore the way her eyelashes feel wet against the skin), she takes a deep breath then pulls her hands away from her face. "Remember I told you about the guy who jumped off the stadium to save my life?"
Zach nods. "Yeah. Peter some-" His eyes go wide.
"Petrelli." Her eyes close again as she shakes her head in disbelief. Really, this could only happen to her. "It was him. My dad's brother."
"Damn, Claire. That's…"
It's like that moment in any episode of Buffy or Supernatural -- the oh shit when everyone realizes that they're really dealing with what they thought they were dealing with. And Zach, he'd always believed her, but this…this takes weird to a whole new level.
"Yeah. I know."
They sit quiet for a minute, Claire hoping that maybe Zach won't remember the way she'd blushed when she'd talked about Peter. But then it doesn't really matter, because what's one more notch on the weird-o-meter? It's not like it changes anything really.
She inhales again, trying not to sniffle or sound totally pathetic, and shrugs her shoulders. "God. What am I going to do, Zach?"
At first, his face has that soft look, like he's going to say something sympathetic, or maybe try to hug her. She really hopes he doesn't, because she'll lose it. Completely. But then the corner of his mouth twitches up, and he grins. "Well, I'd say you're either going to have the father figure kink from hell, or turn out to be a lesbian."
She's stunned. Speechless. Then suddenly she's laughing so hard her sides hurt. She punches him in the shoulder before she leans her head against it.
Because, god, he's probably even right.
Notes: written for heroes_flashfic prompt: daddy issues and heroes50 #15. Child.
Mad props to clex_monkie89 for stepping up to beta. *smishes*