Fic : Knowing, Mylar, PG
Word count : 1330
Rating : PG
Pairing : Mylar
Characters : Samuel, Edgar, Lydia
Notes : For the mylar_fic bi weekly contest
"Kiss me and you'll know how important I am."
- Sylvia Plath
Gabriel blinked awake as Lydia's weight lifted from the bed and she pulled her dress about her without looking back. She never did show him any affection after the fact, always floating off like a falling leaf, carried on the breeze. Her duty to the carnival, to Samuel, was more important that her attachment to him. He rolled over and took the opportunity to stretch out across the bed, absently stroking the warmth where her body had been. He began to drift off again and when he next awoke, his bare shoulder was cold where it had become uncovered, and Samuel was staring at him. "Gabriel. We have a new guest we'd like you to meet."
**
Stepping into the sun, Gabriel shielded his eyes and made his way across the site to where Edgar was sat sharpening his knives. "Samuel wanted me to meet somebody?"
Edgar stared at him just long enough to make him uncomfortable before he went back to his knives. "You'd better hurry along then."
Walking gingerly towards the flapping folds of the tent curtain, Gabriel peered inside. Samuel was talking to a dark skinned man, gesturing wildly and touching him intermittently. The man looked apprehensive, and Gabriel wondered whether he would be the next to be taken into the family, baptised as one of their own.
"Ah Gabriel!" Samuel turned and beckoned him forth but the look on the dark skinned man's face held him still.
"Hello.....Gabriel." The man spoke, and put out his hand. "My name is Mohinder Suresh."
Reaching out, Gabriel took his hand. He jerked as a flood of images hit him all too fast to be understood. He dropped Mohinder's hand and stared at him. "Have we met before? My memory, it's....but I feel like we have."
Mohinder swallowed hard and Gabriel could see him trying to bite back a comment. Eventually, with Samuel's gaze upon him,Mohinder nodded. "We have. We've had...quite a history."
Gabriel nodded back. He was no fool. He had seen the images from his past. Did he remember a man with skin only a shade paler than Mohinder's? One with his head splitting against the door of a taxi? Or maybe he was jumping to conclusions. Maybe the girl on the beach was Mohinder's concern. Maybe one of the many others.
"You too have some catching up to do. Gabriel, Mohinder will have to bunk with you tonight while we make a place for him. You'll show him around." Samuel gave each of them once last look before he exited the tent, leaving behind him only silence and questions.
**
Gabriel busied himself making up a bed for Mohinder, looking anywhere but at his guest. He could feel the man's eyes boring into him and was torn between wanting to know why and begin sickened by what the answer might be. He smoothed down the comforter on the couch and reluctantly turned to face him. "Are you hungry? I could get you something."
Mohinder shook his head. "I'm fine. I don't really know what I'm doing here but...I had nowhere else to go. Not now."
Nodding, Gabriel sat on his own bed. "I had nothing, no memories, no identity. But these people...they took me in. Cared for me even when it became apparent that I wasn't worth it. They've given me a home, it's all I could hope for."
Tentatively, Mohinder joined him on the bed. "Your memories. Do you have any of me?"
Gabriel didn't even need to bother searching his memory. He had little before his arrival at the carnival which made any sense, just a few snatches which didn't correlate, that could have been movie clips for all he knew. "I don't remember you. I'm sorry."
"I remember you."
There was something in Mohinder's voice which made Gabriel shiver involuntarily. He dropped his head and twisted the hem of his shirt in his fingers. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I...did something wrong. I don't remember, but I've seen....some of the things....I've seen them, and they made me ill. Terrified. I don't know how I could do those things, they made no sense to me." He twitched as Mohinder placed his hand gently on his shoulder. He met the man's gaze and searched it for a clue, but Mohinder was unreadable.
"You didn't do anything to me. We were friends. That's all."
A smile started to spread across Gabriel's face. "Friends? Really?"
Smiling back, Mohinder nodded. "It's good to see you. Gabriel."
**
Gabriel watched as Mohinder swished the wine in his glass and tried to cover a yawn as one of the old men chewed his ear off about India. The new recruit had been the centre of attention for a while but now people were going back to their own conversations, their own little groups. He stared at Mohinder while his attention was elsewhere. The man was very handsome, his smile wide and white. Occasionally, when a smell hit him or he heard a certain word, Gabriel would have what he'd come to call a memory flash. With Mohinder there was nothing. They had been friends, he'd said. Why was there nothing to remind him of Mohinder?
"Gabriel?"
Gabriel realised that Mohinder was staring back at him and smiled coyly. "Sorry, I was...thinking. Are you tired?"
Mohinder nodded as if he had been waiting for someone to ask him that very question. "God yes, I'm exhausted."
"Wanna go back to the caravan?"
"Please. I never should have drunk so much wine." Mohinder rose unsteadily and Gabriel took his arm. He glanced up and saw Lydia looking at him but looked away. He needed time alone.
When they made it inside the caravan Gabriel sat on the made up couch and waved towards his bed. "You take the bed Mohinder, you look like you need it more than me."
"No, no I couldn't..." He looked at the bed longingly and Gabriel laughed, starting to undress.
"I think you should, before you fall. You always were a ..."
The two men froze, realisation hitting them both simultaneously.
"I er... I don't..."
Mohinder gripped Gabriel's shoulder. "What? What were you about to say."
Swallowing, Gabriel met Mohinder's gaze. "I was going to say...You always were a bad sleeper."
Mohinder crouched in front of him, taking his hand. "You do remember."
Gabriel shook his head. "I don't...I don't know I..."
Mohinder's lips silenced him, firm and knowing. At his every touch Gabriel felt something. Not an image, it was as if a wire had come loose and he only had the feelings; anticipation, fear, passion, betrayal, exhileration, hope. These feelings alone were confusing, but when Mohinder kissed him, they seemed like connected dots on a graph, bubbles forming from a venn diagram. He was the common area, the thing which made all else make sense. He stood as Mohinder pulled him gently by the collar and backed towards the bed. As they both dropped down onto the sheets Gabriel ran his hand inside Mohinder's shirt and let the memories of the touch flow through him.
**
Staring up at the celing Mohinder stroked Gabriel's arm, still draped over him protectively. He had come here to kill him, but this wasn't Sylar. The deeds were done by his hand but not by his heart, his memory was patchy and Mohinder thanked his lucky stars that the recollections had been romantic and carnal and not dark and murderous. He had asked, pleaded, for Mohinder to reassure him when he thought he had been called a different name. "I'm Gabriel," he had said. "Please tell me you said that name. Was there another name?"
Mohinder had repeated his name over and over, not allowing 'Zane' to escape his lips. The name might trigger something, remind him. No, he would be Gabriel, and while he was Gabriel, he was safe. He would hold him, reassure him, make love to him, and if Sylar should emerge somehow, well...that, thought Mohinder, would be a very interesting day.
Rating : PG
Pairing : Mylar
Characters : Samuel, Edgar, Lydia
Notes : For the mylar_fic bi weekly contest
"Kiss me and you'll know how important I am."
- Sylvia Plath
Gabriel blinked awake as Lydia's weight lifted from the bed and she pulled her dress about her without looking back. She never did show him any affection after the fact, always floating off like a falling leaf, carried on the breeze. Her duty to the carnival, to Samuel, was more important that her attachment to him. He rolled over and took the opportunity to stretch out across the bed, absently stroking the warmth where her body had been. He began to drift off again and when he next awoke, his bare shoulder was cold where it had become uncovered, and Samuel was staring at him. "Gabriel. We have a new guest we'd like you to meet."
**
Stepping into the sun, Gabriel shielded his eyes and made his way across the site to where Edgar was sat sharpening his knives. "Samuel wanted me to meet somebody?"
Edgar stared at him just long enough to make him uncomfortable before he went back to his knives. "You'd better hurry along then."
Walking gingerly towards the flapping folds of the tent curtain, Gabriel peered inside. Samuel was talking to a dark skinned man, gesturing wildly and touching him intermittently. The man looked apprehensive, and Gabriel wondered whether he would be the next to be taken into the family, baptised as one of their own.
"Ah Gabriel!" Samuel turned and beckoned him forth but the look on the dark skinned man's face held him still.
"Hello.....Gabriel." The man spoke, and put out his hand. "My name is Mohinder Suresh."
Reaching out, Gabriel took his hand. He jerked as a flood of images hit him all too fast to be understood. He dropped Mohinder's hand and stared at him. "Have we met before? My memory, it's....but I feel like we have."
Mohinder swallowed hard and Gabriel could see him trying to bite back a comment. Eventually, with Samuel's gaze upon him,Mohinder nodded. "We have. We've had...quite a history."
Gabriel nodded back. He was no fool. He had seen the images from his past. Did he remember a man with skin only a shade paler than Mohinder's? One with his head splitting against the door of a taxi? Or maybe he was jumping to conclusions. Maybe the girl on the beach was Mohinder's concern. Maybe one of the many others.
"You too have some catching up to do. Gabriel, Mohinder will have to bunk with you tonight while we make a place for him. You'll show him around." Samuel gave each of them once last look before he exited the tent, leaving behind him only silence and questions.
**
Gabriel busied himself making up a bed for Mohinder, looking anywhere but at his guest. He could feel the man's eyes boring into him and was torn between wanting to know why and begin sickened by what the answer might be. He smoothed down the comforter on the couch and reluctantly turned to face him. "Are you hungry? I could get you something."
Mohinder shook his head. "I'm fine. I don't really know what I'm doing here but...I had nowhere else to go. Not now."
Nodding, Gabriel sat on his own bed. "I had nothing, no memories, no identity. But these people...they took me in. Cared for me even when it became apparent that I wasn't worth it. They've given me a home, it's all I could hope for."
Tentatively, Mohinder joined him on the bed. "Your memories. Do you have any of me?"
Gabriel didn't even need to bother searching his memory. He had little before his arrival at the carnival which made any sense, just a few snatches which didn't correlate, that could have been movie clips for all he knew. "I don't remember you. I'm sorry."
"I remember you."
There was something in Mohinder's voice which made Gabriel shiver involuntarily. He dropped his head and twisted the hem of his shirt in his fingers. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I...did something wrong. I don't remember, but I've seen....some of the things....I've seen them, and they made me ill. Terrified. I don't know how I could do those things, they made no sense to me." He twitched as Mohinder placed his hand gently on his shoulder. He met the man's gaze and searched it for a clue, but Mohinder was unreadable.
"You didn't do anything to me. We were friends. That's all."
A smile started to spread across Gabriel's face. "Friends? Really?"
Smiling back, Mohinder nodded. "It's good to see you. Gabriel."
**
Gabriel watched as Mohinder swished the wine in his glass and tried to cover a yawn as one of the old men chewed his ear off about India. The new recruit had been the centre of attention for a while but now people were going back to their own conversations, their own little groups. He stared at Mohinder while his attention was elsewhere. The man was very handsome, his smile wide and white. Occasionally, when a smell hit him or he heard a certain word, Gabriel would have what he'd come to call a memory flash. With Mohinder there was nothing. They had been friends, he'd said. Why was there nothing to remind him of Mohinder?
"Gabriel?"
Gabriel realised that Mohinder was staring back at him and smiled coyly. "Sorry, I was...thinking. Are you tired?"
Mohinder nodded as if he had been waiting for someone to ask him that very question. "God yes, I'm exhausted."
"Wanna go back to the caravan?"
"Please. I never should have drunk so much wine." Mohinder rose unsteadily and Gabriel took his arm. He glanced up and saw Lydia looking at him but looked away. He needed time alone.
When they made it inside the caravan Gabriel sat on the made up couch and waved towards his bed. "You take the bed Mohinder, you look like you need it more than me."
"No, no I couldn't..." He looked at the bed longingly and Gabriel laughed, starting to undress.
"I think you should, before you fall. You always were a ..."
The two men froze, realisation hitting them both simultaneously.
"I er... I don't..."
Mohinder gripped Gabriel's shoulder. "What? What were you about to say."
Swallowing, Gabriel met Mohinder's gaze. "I was going to say...You always were a bad sleeper."
Mohinder crouched in front of him, taking his hand. "You do remember."
Gabriel shook his head. "I don't...I don't know I..."
Mohinder's lips silenced him, firm and knowing. At his every touch Gabriel felt something. Not an image, it was as if a wire had come loose and he only had the feelings; anticipation, fear, passion, betrayal, exhileration, hope. These feelings alone were confusing, but when Mohinder kissed him, they seemed like connected dots on a graph, bubbles forming from a venn diagram. He was the common area, the thing which made all else make sense. He stood as Mohinder pulled him gently by the collar and backed towards the bed. As they both dropped down onto the sheets Gabriel ran his hand inside Mohinder's shirt and let the memories of the touch flow through him.
**
Staring up at the celing Mohinder stroked Gabriel's arm, still draped over him protectively. He had come here to kill him, but this wasn't Sylar. The deeds were done by his hand but not by his heart, his memory was patchy and Mohinder thanked his lucky stars that the recollections had been romantic and carnal and not dark and murderous. He had asked, pleaded, for Mohinder to reassure him when he thought he had been called a different name. "I'm Gabriel," he had said. "Please tell me you said that name. Was there another name?"
Mohinder had repeated his name over and over, not allowing 'Zane' to escape his lips. The name might trigger something, remind him. No, he would be Gabriel, and while he was Gabriel, he was safe. He would hold him, reassure him, make love to him, and if Sylar should emerge somehow, well...that, thought Mohinder, would be a very interesting day.