Bricks in the Wall, Chapter 75: No One Knows Better
Title: No One Knows Better
Characters: Peter, Sylar
Words: 300
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Setting: The Wall
Summary: Peter hurts himself. Sylar shows concern as only a serial killer can.
Peter hissed in pain, side-stepping clumsily away from the chair he'd accidentally bumped his nearly-healed, but still tender, broken hand against. "Ow. Fuck," he muttered and grimaced, cradling it as the ache went literally bone-deep, the back of his hand throbbing near the knuckle of the ring finger. The break was called a boxer's fracture and he'd gotten it with a particularly ill-timed punch to Sylar's skull some weeks ago. They were still a long way from being best buds, but Peter's noise had brought Sylar out of his seat. He captured Peter's hand now, quickly enough that Peter couldn't yank it away without endangering himself even worse. "Careful! Hey!"
Sylar's formidable brows twitched, but he didn't let go. Deft fingers traced the bones and tendons in Peter's hand, examining him with the same intensity Sylar might have directed towards one of his clocks. "Peter," Sylar said condescendingly, "no one knows better how fragile people truly are than a killer."
Peter snorted, rejecting Sylar's self-identification. "And no one knows better how people need to be comforted than a nurse." He didn't need Sylar grabbing and pawing him - it was almost as upsetting as hitting his hand in the first place.
Sylar hesitated, looking up at him piercingly and meeting Peter's steady, irritated gaze. Sylar looked down at the hand he'd seized and was currently holding hostage. He petted it awkwardly. "There, there?" he said in mock hopefulness.
Peter huffed out a single laugh at that and managed to extract his hand. "Your bedside manner could use some work."
Sylar tilted his head and shrugged. "But your hand doesn't. Just be more careful."
Peter shot him a searching look, not for the first time wondering how and why Sylar considered it in his interest to keep Peter intact. He would have thought Sylar knew better, but the belief that Sylar was looking out for him, no matter how tenuous, meant Peter had started seriously pulling his punches. So maybe Sylar did know better after all.