Private spot on the beach, Friday evening
After the two Petrelli boys handwavily dropped Angela off back at the hotel, Peter led the way out to what was becoming his usual spot on the beach. It was private enough for him to safely practice his powers, so it was private enough for him to talk with his brother. "Okay. Here."
"Here?" Nathan looked around, skepticism shaping his face. "Out in the open?"
"We're fine," Peter assured him. "Unless you see any squirrels."
"I'm curious: why didn't we have you committed?"
"You know I'm not crazy," Peter said. "You know we have powers. Fandom's... Fandom. Look, just trust me."
"You need to be safe," Nathan said, folding his arms to show that he meant business. "You doing anything that's earning my trust with that?"
"I'm learning how to control my power," Peter said. "I've been practicing so I don't do things by accident again - "
"Again?"
"One time!" Peter hastily assured him. "It was fine! We controlled it. Look, I've got a handle on it now." Peter demonstrated this by aiming a quick blast of fire directly towards the water.
Nathan grabbed Peter's wrist. "What in the hell are you doing?"
"I'm fine!"
"My little brother being on fire is not fine!"
"I wasn't," Peter said. He wrestled out of Nathan's grip to show his hand, which was unharmed. "It's just one of the powers I have. I can control fire, astral project, manipulate molecules - oh! Healing! Any wound I get? I can make it go away."
Nathan was staring at him. "How many powers do you have now?"
"I don't know," Peter admitted. "I don't know why I copy the ones I do and why I can't copy the ones I don't. Sometimes I pick something up and don't realize it."
"That's not making me feel real confident, Peter," Nathan told him.
"It kind of freaks me out too." Peter raked a hand through his hair. "But that's why I need to practice! There's people here who can teach me how to keep this under control, keep me from hurting anybody."
"How about not hurting yourself?" Nathan said.
Peter grinned. "Self-healing. Pay attention."
"I don't like any plans that involve you getting hurt in the first place." Nathan reached over to grasp Peter's left shoulder. "Got that, Pete?"
"Yeah, yeah," Peter said, dismissing it. "Anyway, that's not why I brought you out here. I actually wanted to talk to you about... well, me."
Nathan gave Peter his full attention. "What's up?"
"I think I might be into guys."
There was a long pause before Nathan said, "Huh."
"That's it?" Peter asked. "I tell you I might be gay and all you've got is 'huh'?"
"You're at the age when you're going to pick up something Dad wouldn't approve of," Nathan replied. "Personally I had my money on a drug habit but gay works too. At least it's not illegal."
"We're in Virginia, Nathan, I'm pretty sure it is."
"You know what I meant," Nathan said, rolling his eyes at Peter. More seriously, he asked, "Are you okay?"
It was Nathan. Peter didn't mind dropping the appearance of confidence. "I don't know? It's not the concept that bugs me. It's how I found out."
"How?"
"I slept with Sam."
"Sam," Nathan repeated, trying to place the name. "Sam who was at our house this summer? Sam who had a girlfriend?"
"Sam who still has a girlfriend," Peter said. Hiding behind his hair felt like a good idea right about now.
Nathan snickered, not without sympathy. "Never take the easy way, do you?"
"Oh shut up," Peter said. "Like you're one to talk. Besides, I didn't know he had a girlfriend at the time. I lost my memory so - "
"You what?"
"It was a thing," Peter told him. "Some Fandom thing, happened over a weekend, some of us didn't know who we were, and - "
"- and this is the part where you tell me you're kidding because no way in hell would you be allowed to stay here if - "
"Is there someone in New York who can train me?" Peter demanded. "Because if there is line 'em up! But last I heard you and I were the only two back there with powers and since I'm the one who needs to figure out how to make sure he doesn't accidentally kill someone with his, I think I need to stay here! So stop being Dad and be my big brother who can give me some help with how I'm screwing up my personal life!"
Nathan came closer. He cupped Peter's cheek so that they were looking at each other eye to eye. "I am your big brother. Don't tell me to stop looking out for you because that is never going to happen."
"I'm safe here," Peter said. He leaned in, taking some strength from having Nathan around. "I wouldn't be asking to be so far away from you and Ma if it wasn't important."
"Okay," Nathan said. He pressed a kiss to the top of Peter's head then stepped back. "So. Personal life. Are you in love with him?"
"I thought I was," Peter said. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "'course then I got my memory back. Now I just don't wanna lose my best friend. I trust him like I trust you. There's not many people I'd say that about."
"He have feelings for you?" Nathan asked.
"Still with the girlfriend," Peter reminded him.
"Whatever happened to blondie?"
"In love with someone else."
"Nice little soap opera you've got going for yourself, Pete."
"Thanks," Peter drawled. "I've been working at it."
"Sounds to me like you just get in there again," Nathan said with a shrug. "Find somebody else you like and ask them out. Keep going until you find somebody who works for you and who I approve of."
"Pretty sure that's an either/or," Peter said, grinning at him.
"Probably," Nathan admitted. He was actually smiling now. Well, smiling for Nathan, at any rate. "Point is stop being you about this and relax."
"Relax."
"Yes."
"This from the guy who's wearing a business suit for a walk on the beach."
"I'm just saying dating's not that serious right now," Nathan replied, not rising to the bait. "You're still in high school. Play around. Have some fun. Remember the condoms and you should be fine."
Peter wasn't 100% sure about that, but it was food for thought. "What about Sam? I don't want things to be weird between us."
"Then leave it alone," Nathan said. "It happened, it shouldn't have, move on. It'll only be a big deal if you make it into one."
"Hope you're right," Peter said. He stretched out his shoulders, trying to let some of his worry go. "Thanks, Nathan. I'm glad you're here. I miss talking to you."
"Good because you're going to fix that by calling every day," Nathan replied.
"Excuse me?"
"I wanna know you're okay," Nathan said. "I don't hear from you once a day, I'll know something's up."
"Aw jeez, Nathan - "
"You can call me or you can call Ma. Up to you."
Peter made a face. "Okay. Fine. I'll call you. But - are you going to tell Ma? About me?"
"You kidding?" Nathan snorted. "We're saving this up. Ma starts asking why we keep skulking around and keeping secrets? You being gay's the perfect distraction. Keep her off the part where we both have powers."
"Good point," Peter said. He looked at Nathan with concern. "Do you think - I mean, is she going to freak out? When we do tell her?"
"It's Ma," Nathan said, not looking worried about it. "She might bitch about grandkids but she'll be fine."
"And you?" Peter asked. "Are you freaked?"
"You're my brother," Nathan said. He pulled Peter into a one-armed hug. "It'd take a hell of a lot more than this to change that."
Peter might've made a snarky comment, but just then all he wanted to do was to hug back and say "Thanks."
"C'mon," Nathan said. "Let's get back before Ma hires someone to come after us. No point blowing a good secret before we have to."
"Hopefully she's still at the hotel," Peter said. "Not sure she could survive Fandom on her own."
"Or vice versa."
Peter snickered. "No kidding."
Arm in arm, the brothers walked back to town.
[ooc: Establishly only. That the brothers chatted is okay for broadcast, contents of the conversation not so much. Not for interaction. OOC welcome.]
"Here?" Nathan looked around, skepticism shaping his face. "Out in the open?"
"We're fine," Peter assured him. "Unless you see any squirrels."
"I'm curious: why didn't we have you committed?"
"You know I'm not crazy," Peter said. "You know we have powers. Fandom's... Fandom. Look, just trust me."
"You need to be safe," Nathan said, folding his arms to show that he meant business. "You doing anything that's earning my trust with that?"
"I'm learning how to control my power," Peter said. "I've been practicing so I don't do things by accident again - "
"Again?"
"One time!" Peter hastily assured him. "It was fine! We controlled it. Look, I've got a handle on it now." Peter demonstrated this by aiming a quick blast of fire directly towards the water.
Nathan grabbed Peter's wrist. "What in the hell are you doing?"
"I'm fine!"
"My little brother being on fire is not fine!"
"I wasn't," Peter said. He wrestled out of Nathan's grip to show his hand, which was unharmed. "It's just one of the powers I have. I can control fire, astral project, manipulate molecules - oh! Healing! Any wound I get? I can make it go away."
Nathan was staring at him. "How many powers do you have now?"
"I don't know," Peter admitted. "I don't know why I copy the ones I do and why I can't copy the ones I don't. Sometimes I pick something up and don't realize it."
"That's not making me feel real confident, Peter," Nathan told him.
"It kind of freaks me out too." Peter raked a hand through his hair. "But that's why I need to practice! There's people here who can teach me how to keep this under control, keep me from hurting anybody."
"How about not hurting yourself?" Nathan said.
Peter grinned. "Self-healing. Pay attention."
"I don't like any plans that involve you getting hurt in the first place." Nathan reached over to grasp Peter's left shoulder. "Got that, Pete?"
"Yeah, yeah," Peter said, dismissing it. "Anyway, that's not why I brought you out here. I actually wanted to talk to you about... well, me."
Nathan gave Peter his full attention. "What's up?"
"I think I might be into guys."
There was a long pause before Nathan said, "Huh."
"That's it?" Peter asked. "I tell you I might be gay and all you've got is 'huh'?"
"You're at the age when you're going to pick up something Dad wouldn't approve of," Nathan replied. "Personally I had my money on a drug habit but gay works too. At least it's not illegal."
"We're in Virginia, Nathan, I'm pretty sure it is."
"You know what I meant," Nathan said, rolling his eyes at Peter. More seriously, he asked, "Are you okay?"
It was Nathan. Peter didn't mind dropping the appearance of confidence. "I don't know? It's not the concept that bugs me. It's how I found out."
"How?"
"I slept with Sam."
"Sam," Nathan repeated, trying to place the name. "Sam who was at our house this summer? Sam who had a girlfriend?"
"Sam who still has a girlfriend," Peter said. Hiding behind his hair felt like a good idea right about now.
Nathan snickered, not without sympathy. "Never take the easy way, do you?"
"Oh shut up," Peter said. "Like you're one to talk. Besides, I didn't know he had a girlfriend at the time. I lost my memory so - "
"You what?"
"It was a thing," Peter told him. "Some Fandom thing, happened over a weekend, some of us didn't know who we were, and - "
"- and this is the part where you tell me you're kidding because no way in hell would you be allowed to stay here if - "
"Is there someone in New York who can train me?" Peter demanded. "Because if there is line 'em up! But last I heard you and I were the only two back there with powers and since I'm the one who needs to figure out how to make sure he doesn't accidentally kill someone with his, I think I need to stay here! So stop being Dad and be my big brother who can give me some help with how I'm screwing up my personal life!"
Nathan came closer. He cupped Peter's cheek so that they were looking at each other eye to eye. "I am your big brother. Don't tell me to stop looking out for you because that is never going to happen."
"I'm safe here," Peter said. He leaned in, taking some strength from having Nathan around. "I wouldn't be asking to be so far away from you and Ma if it wasn't important."
"Okay," Nathan said. He pressed a kiss to the top of Peter's head then stepped back. "So. Personal life. Are you in love with him?"
"I thought I was," Peter said. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "'course then I got my memory back. Now I just don't wanna lose my best friend. I trust him like I trust you. There's not many people I'd say that about."
"He have feelings for you?" Nathan asked.
"Still with the girlfriend," Peter reminded him.
"Whatever happened to blondie?"
"In love with someone else."
"Nice little soap opera you've got going for yourself, Pete."
"Thanks," Peter drawled. "I've been working at it."
"Sounds to me like you just get in there again," Nathan said with a shrug. "Find somebody else you like and ask them out. Keep going until you find somebody who works for you and who I approve of."
"Pretty sure that's an either/or," Peter said, grinning at him.
"Probably," Nathan admitted. He was actually smiling now. Well, smiling for Nathan, at any rate. "Point is stop being you about this and relax."
"Relax."
"Yes."
"This from the guy who's wearing a business suit for a walk on the beach."
"I'm just saying dating's not that serious right now," Nathan replied, not rising to the bait. "You're still in high school. Play around. Have some fun. Remember the condoms and you should be fine."
Peter wasn't 100% sure about that, but it was food for thought. "What about Sam? I don't want things to be weird between us."
"Then leave it alone," Nathan said. "It happened, it shouldn't have, move on. It'll only be a big deal if you make it into one."
"Hope you're right," Peter said. He stretched out his shoulders, trying to let some of his worry go. "Thanks, Nathan. I'm glad you're here. I miss talking to you."
"Good because you're going to fix that by calling every day," Nathan replied.
"Excuse me?"
"I wanna know you're okay," Nathan said. "I don't hear from you once a day, I'll know something's up."
"Aw jeez, Nathan - "
"You can call me or you can call Ma. Up to you."
Peter made a face. "Okay. Fine. I'll call you. But - are you going to tell Ma? About me?"
"You kidding?" Nathan snorted. "We're saving this up. Ma starts asking why we keep skulking around and keeping secrets? You being gay's the perfect distraction. Keep her off the part where we both have powers."
"Good point," Peter said. He looked at Nathan with concern. "Do you think - I mean, is she going to freak out? When we do tell her?"
"It's Ma," Nathan said, not looking worried about it. "She might bitch about grandkids but she'll be fine."
"And you?" Peter asked. "Are you freaked?"
"You're my brother," Nathan said. He pulled Peter into a one-armed hug. "It'd take a hell of a lot more than this to change that."
Peter might've made a snarky comment, but just then all he wanted to do was to hug back and say "Thanks."
"C'mon," Nathan said. "Let's get back before Ma hires someone to come after us. No point blowing a good secret before we have to."
"Hopefully she's still at the hotel," Peter said. "Not sure she could survive Fandom on her own."
"Or vice versa."
Peter snickered. "No kidding."
Arm in arm, the brothers walked back to town.
[ooc: Establishly only. That the brothers chatted is okay for broadcast, contents of the conversation not so much. Not for interaction. OOC welcome.]