heroes: moving (7/7)
Title: "Remember"
Author: kel_fish
Fandom: Heroes
Characters: Nathan/Peter
Rating: PG
Disclaimers: Heroes is owned by NBC, Kring, and others who aren't I.
Author's note: Written for the mission_insane prompt, "Maple Syrup." This is the seventh and last part of the Moving series. Lots of thank yous to thepansythug for making sure I wrote 100 words every other day, or I probably wouldn't have gotten over my writer's block.
Summary: Peter orders breakfast the following morning.
Previous Parts:
Fear Of the Future
Breakaway
One Step Closer
Empty Walls
Control
Found My Heart Somewhere With My Rhythm
Sun shone against Peter’s eyelids, bringing him back from his dreams. He opened his eyes slowly, his gaze settling on unfamiliar surroundings. He frowned at the opposite wall, feeling disoriented, until he remembered that he was in his new apartment. He smiled and stretched his arms, rolling onto his back. His gaze settled on memories beyond the ceiling as he recalled events from the day before, and he smirked in lazy satisfaction, thinking of Nathan’s expression when he’d been pinned against the wall; Peter relished the look of surprise that registered in his older brother’s eyes every time he challenged his superiority. Beneath Nathan’s annoyance every time his authority was questioned, Peter could sense a thrill run through him when he had to fight for dominance.
Peter rolled out of bed and ambled out to the living room, drawing the blinds so he could look out the window at the city below. He watched people live out their busy lives, knowing that Nathan would soon be among them, pushing his way through the crowd importantly so he could visit his little brother for a few hours before he had to go to his office. Peter scratched his stomach absently, thinking of his brother and breakfast, knowing that the older Petrelli had probably planned to have Lisa order in for them; Nathan didn’t have time to spare in a restaurant, and Peter didn’t have the ingredients or supplies to cook anything himself. In fact, he had just enough cash to live off of fast food until his first paycheck came in, even though he expected Nathan to insist on stocking his kitchen with groceries before then.
He opened one of the cupboards and sighed into the empty space behind the door, willing food to magically appear. While he didn’t mind Nathan helping out, Peter still wanted to establish at least a little independence from his family. As soon as he could, he intended to pay Nathan back, if only for what he’d spent on him so far; not just because he didn’t want to be indebted to his big brother yet again, but to prove to his family-especially his father-that he was capable of taking care of himself. Also, he wanted to see that spark ignite in Nathan’s eyes again when he told him that he could actually manage without him.
Peter ran his tongue over his teeth as he grinned in smug satisfaction, closing the cupboard door again before going back out into the living room, stopping in the middle of the room so he could survey all of the boxes stacked up against two of the walls. He contemplated opening some of them in order to search for a change of clothes, then decided against it since he wasn’t likely to be leaving the apartment anyway. He yawned and half-turned, lazily stretching out his spine. His gaze caught on the marks he’d made in the paint on one of the walls, and he felt a small tremor of lust whip through him, halting his breath for a moment. He stared at the crescents in the plaster, seeing Nathan’s eyes again just has he had that first night he dug in with his fingernails. In his mind’s eye, Nathan looked him over coolly, silently challenging him with his natural authority.
Feeling that rush of rebellion that was becoming less and less unusual to him, Peter raised an eyebrow and sneered in quiet defiance, unknowingly emulating their mother as he stared down the shadow of his brother, which was trying yet again to take over the apartment. He pursed his lips when Nathan’s presence, tangible even when he wasn’t actually there, continued to grow, spreading across the floor to press against him until breathing was just a little bit harder than it had been a moment ago.
Needing to reclaim his home, Peter went back to his bedroom and picked his rumpled sweatshirt up off the floor, feeling into the front pocket for his cell phone. His fingers wrapped around cool metal and plastic, and he pulled it out, flipping it open and quickly scanning through his saved numbers until he found the one that reached Nathan’s assistant. He slipped into his sweatshirt while he waited for the line to be picked up, worrying for a moment that Nathan was either already on his way over or had given Lisa the day off.
When Lisa answered, Peter expelled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Hi, Lisa, it’s Peter. Is Nathan there?”
“He’s with a client. Do you want me to tell him you called?”
“Actually, I was hoping you could do me a little favor,” Peter said hastily. “I need to order in breakfast for Nathan and me, to celebrate my new apartment. Could you help me out?”
“Oh, sure. Do you want me to just get the usual?”
Peter bit back a snort, knowing his brother’s “usual” down to the last bite after years of repetition. He didn’t want to make too drastic of a change, because then Nathan would notice before he even got to the apartment and call in to correct the order. Besides, a small difference was more noticeable than ordering a completely different meal for them. An idea came to him and he grinned triumphantly against the phone. “Yeah, but make it maple syrup instead of blackberry, okay?”
“Will do. Congratulations on the new apartment. I’ll have to get you a plant for the windowsill.”
Peter laughed. “Thanks, but you might as well just kill it. I’m having enough trouble taking care of myself.” He winced at the truth behind the joke. “Anyway, thanks for handling breakfast. I’ll bring you a coffee next time I’m at the office.”
“It’s no problem. But make sure whatever you bring me has caramel in it. Have a nice day, Peter.” The call disconnected quickly, and Peter snapped his phone shut, picking idly at a piece of lint on his pants as he anticipated Nathan’s reaction to his interference with breakfast. Nathan might prefer blackberry syrup, but now the taste of maple syrup might remind him of kissing his younger brother when he was caught up in work or his family; after all, whenever Peter smelled blackberry syrup, he thought of Nathan.
Slipping on his sweatshirt, Peter went to the kitchen to peer into the refrigerator, where he’d put the remnants of Nathan’s gift basket. The rest of the champagne was on the bottom shelf, and Peter pulled out the bottle and placed it on the kitchen counter-he didn’t have a table yet. Soon Nathan would be standing here with him, looking at a counter top covered with food, but Peter knew that his older brother’s eyes would be drawn to a half-empty bottle of champagne that he didn’t get to open, and a dispenser of maple syrup.
Peter brushed his hair out of his eyes, feeling Nathan’s shadow eyes watching him from the wall again; their relationship would always be a struggle for the upper hand, but Peter didn’t mind as long as Nathan continued to remember that he existed.
Author: kel_fish
Fandom: Heroes
Characters: Nathan/Peter
Rating: PG
Disclaimers: Heroes is owned by NBC, Kring, and others who aren't I.
Author's note: Written for the mission_insane prompt, "Maple Syrup." This is the seventh and last part of the Moving series. Lots of thank yous to thepansythug for making sure I wrote 100 words every other day, or I probably wouldn't have gotten over my writer's block.
Summary: Peter orders breakfast the following morning.
Previous Parts:
Fear Of the Future
Breakaway
One Step Closer
Empty Walls
Control
Found My Heart Somewhere With My Rhythm
Sun shone against Peter’s eyelids, bringing him back from his dreams. He opened his eyes slowly, his gaze settling on unfamiliar surroundings. He frowned at the opposite wall, feeling disoriented, until he remembered that he was in his new apartment. He smiled and stretched his arms, rolling onto his back. His gaze settled on memories beyond the ceiling as he recalled events from the day before, and he smirked in lazy satisfaction, thinking of Nathan’s expression when he’d been pinned against the wall; Peter relished the look of surprise that registered in his older brother’s eyes every time he challenged his superiority. Beneath Nathan’s annoyance every time his authority was questioned, Peter could sense a thrill run through him when he had to fight for dominance.
Peter rolled out of bed and ambled out to the living room, drawing the blinds so he could look out the window at the city below. He watched people live out their busy lives, knowing that Nathan would soon be among them, pushing his way through the crowd importantly so he could visit his little brother for a few hours before he had to go to his office. Peter scratched his stomach absently, thinking of his brother and breakfast, knowing that the older Petrelli had probably planned to have Lisa order in for them; Nathan didn’t have time to spare in a restaurant, and Peter didn’t have the ingredients or supplies to cook anything himself. In fact, he had just enough cash to live off of fast food until his first paycheck came in, even though he expected Nathan to insist on stocking his kitchen with groceries before then.
He opened one of the cupboards and sighed into the empty space behind the door, willing food to magically appear. While he didn’t mind Nathan helping out, Peter still wanted to establish at least a little independence from his family. As soon as he could, he intended to pay Nathan back, if only for what he’d spent on him so far; not just because he didn’t want to be indebted to his big brother yet again, but to prove to his family-especially his father-that he was capable of taking care of himself. Also, he wanted to see that spark ignite in Nathan’s eyes again when he told him that he could actually manage without him.
Peter ran his tongue over his teeth as he grinned in smug satisfaction, closing the cupboard door again before going back out into the living room, stopping in the middle of the room so he could survey all of the boxes stacked up against two of the walls. He contemplated opening some of them in order to search for a change of clothes, then decided against it since he wasn’t likely to be leaving the apartment anyway. He yawned and half-turned, lazily stretching out his spine. His gaze caught on the marks he’d made in the paint on one of the walls, and he felt a small tremor of lust whip through him, halting his breath for a moment. He stared at the crescents in the plaster, seeing Nathan’s eyes again just has he had that first night he dug in with his fingernails. In his mind’s eye, Nathan looked him over coolly, silently challenging him with his natural authority.
Feeling that rush of rebellion that was becoming less and less unusual to him, Peter raised an eyebrow and sneered in quiet defiance, unknowingly emulating their mother as he stared down the shadow of his brother, which was trying yet again to take over the apartment. He pursed his lips when Nathan’s presence, tangible even when he wasn’t actually there, continued to grow, spreading across the floor to press against him until breathing was just a little bit harder than it had been a moment ago.
Needing to reclaim his home, Peter went back to his bedroom and picked his rumpled sweatshirt up off the floor, feeling into the front pocket for his cell phone. His fingers wrapped around cool metal and plastic, and he pulled it out, flipping it open and quickly scanning through his saved numbers until he found the one that reached Nathan’s assistant. He slipped into his sweatshirt while he waited for the line to be picked up, worrying for a moment that Nathan was either already on his way over or had given Lisa the day off.
When Lisa answered, Peter expelled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Hi, Lisa, it’s Peter. Is Nathan there?”
“He’s with a client. Do you want me to tell him you called?”
“Actually, I was hoping you could do me a little favor,” Peter said hastily. “I need to order in breakfast for Nathan and me, to celebrate my new apartment. Could you help me out?”
“Oh, sure. Do you want me to just get the usual?”
Peter bit back a snort, knowing his brother’s “usual” down to the last bite after years of repetition. He didn’t want to make too drastic of a change, because then Nathan would notice before he even got to the apartment and call in to correct the order. Besides, a small difference was more noticeable than ordering a completely different meal for them. An idea came to him and he grinned triumphantly against the phone. “Yeah, but make it maple syrup instead of blackberry, okay?”
“Will do. Congratulations on the new apartment. I’ll have to get you a plant for the windowsill.”
Peter laughed. “Thanks, but you might as well just kill it. I’m having enough trouble taking care of myself.” He winced at the truth behind the joke. “Anyway, thanks for handling breakfast. I’ll bring you a coffee next time I’m at the office.”
“It’s no problem. But make sure whatever you bring me has caramel in it. Have a nice day, Peter.” The call disconnected quickly, and Peter snapped his phone shut, picking idly at a piece of lint on his pants as he anticipated Nathan’s reaction to his interference with breakfast. Nathan might prefer blackberry syrup, but now the taste of maple syrup might remind him of kissing his younger brother when he was caught up in work or his family; after all, whenever Peter smelled blackberry syrup, he thought of Nathan.
Slipping on his sweatshirt, Peter went to the kitchen to peer into the refrigerator, where he’d put the remnants of Nathan’s gift basket. The rest of the champagne was on the bottom shelf, and Peter pulled out the bottle and placed it on the kitchen counter-he didn’t have a table yet. Soon Nathan would be standing here with him, looking at a counter top covered with food, but Peter knew that his older brother’s eyes would be drawn to a half-empty bottle of champagne that he didn’t get to open, and a dispenser of maple syrup.
Peter brushed his hair out of his eyes, feeling Nathan’s shadow eyes watching him from the wall again; their relationship would always be a struggle for the upper hand, but Peter didn’t mind as long as Nathan continued to remember that he existed.