Bricks in the Wall, Chapter 83: On Being Petrelli
Title: On Being Petrelli
Characters: Peter, Sylar
Words: 250
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Setting: The Wall
Summary: Sylar questions Peter's feelings about identity.
"It happened to you, too," Sylar said. "You aren't bothered by that." It was almost a question. More, he was daring Peter to deny it.
"Losing my memories?"
"Yes."
"No, losing the memories wasn't what bothered me. Not the same way it did you. What upset me was being stuck in that cargo container for so long and that is what's more similar between us. We were both abandoned, Sylar. Cast aside and gotten rid of. For you, it was taking your identity. For me, it was sending me off where I'd be out of the way forever. No one wanted me. That hurt."
"Rejection."
Peter nodded. "Not the memory loss itself. I was … happy, not knowing. I was curious of course, but I had a little bit there after Ricky put my identity in my hands that I didn't look. I thought about maybe never looking and leaving it all alone, but there were things going on - my abilities, the whole thing about me being in Ireland where I didn't have any background - I thought I needed to know, that it would be safer for the people I was with if I knew."
"You enjoyed being someone else."
Peter smiled faintly. "Yeah. For a little while, there, I wasn't a Petrelli." His smile deepened. "Oh man, is that why you're so angry? That they went and made you a Petrelli of all things? Damn. They could have made you an Anderson or a Jackson or a Hooper - anything but a Petrelli."
"Very funny," Sylar said drily.