Fic - It's My Life - Peter, Nathan and the Parents
Character: Peter, Nathan and the parents.
Genre: Gen
Author: thewatchmaker
Fandom: Heroes
Word count: 1100
Rating: PG
Prompts:
033. The spider brings luck. for 100_fairytales 56/100
Second Chances - Shinedown - vol3.week18
For not_a_billain
“I’m eighteen, Dad. You can’t ground me or send me to my room. I’m an adult, and I’m entitled to do what I want with my life.” I bit on the inside back of my lip to keep from saying anything more. Dad was fuming. I knew where the expression came from because I swear I could see smoke curling out of his ears. He glared at me, his dark eyebrows shading his eyes as he scowled. Arthur Petrelli didn’t like dissention among the ranks, and he sure as shit didn’t want to catch it from me, especially today when Nathan was home from school and the Navy at last.
After so many years of Nathan being away at school it was weird to have him back at home. But it was a good weird. I missed him so much, but the look on his face as I took on dad was priceless. I’d learned to take care of myself while he was gone, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t a little worried about dad’s retribution. The hammer would come down. It always did. It was only a question of what he’d do.
“Peter,” Ma looked at me and pursed her lips. She laid her hand over dad’s sleeve and then patted the back of his hand. “Nathan’s first night at home isn’t the right time for this discussion.”
“I’m not the one who brought up the subject, ma,” I pointed out as I sank down into my seat. That was all Arthur trying to force me to tow the family line and go to the school he’d picked out for me, so I could be another lawyer. “Nathan’s a lawyer now. There’s no reason for me to be one too. Besides I already sent off my applications for nursing school.”
“Nursing school,” dad sputtered and dropped his spoon into his lentil soup. “For god’s sake, Peter, at least go to medical school. It’s not as I can’t afford to send you to a good medical school. It’s a bit late for you to apply now, but I can talk to people.”
“I don’t want you talking to anyone.” I pushed my chair back from the table and dropped my napkin next to my plate. “I am going to do this on my own, and if you don’t like my decision, that’s your prerogative. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve disturbed dinner enough. I’m going up to my room, by my choice, dad, not yours.”
They kept talking after I left the room. I could hear Nathan’s voice while he tried to be the reasonable one, doing his best to convince dad not to be a bastard where I was concerned. Good luck with that, Nathan, I thought as I reached the top of the stairs and headed for my room. Dad never likes what I do. He doesn’t even like me.
When I got to my room I left the door open. It’d save Nathan time when he got here, and I knew he’d be here soon. I figured I had about ten minutes tops before he came to make sure I was OK. Of course there was only a fifty, fifty chance of him being on my side instead of dad’s. I never knew what side he’d be on when it came to something like this.
Nathan was there in eight minutes, just in time to catch me with my toothbrush hanging out of my mouth while I waited for my computer to boot up. I made a funny face, giving him a good frothy toothy grin, and slipped into my bathroom to rinse out my mouth. He had his dad look on. Great. I didn’t want to see that one. I wanted the big brother we can do anything together look. Oh well.
“Decided to skip dessert, Nathan?” I dropped into the chair at my desk and propped my feet up on the end of my bed while he settled on the bed itself.
“So, your legs are finally long enough for that. Ma doesn’t know you put your feet on the bed, does she?” He said as he grabbed my foot and gave it a shake.
“Ma doesn’t know. She doesn’t know I look at porn on my computer either.” I hope although she probably does because she’s kind of creepy like that. She’s got to have eyes in the back of her head or something. “She thinks it’s all for school. Is he threatening to have me tossed out on my ass again?”
“I think ma and I got him calmed down. This wasn’t how I expected to spend my first night home. Couldn’t you wait until tomorrow night?”
“Right, tomorrow when you’ll have Heidi here for her part of the dog and pony show, I figured he’d be in such a good mood to have the Prodigal Son return that he’d let me slide.” I blew out a deep sigh. Then I reached into my desk drawer and tossed him a small package. “Sorry it’s not wrapped, but we both know I am not good with tape.”
He snickered, and I knew he was remembering the time I tried to Scotch tape ma’s favorite vase back together when I was little. “What’s this for?”
“It’s because you’re my favorite brother, Nathan. Do I need a reason to give you a present?” I tried to give him the puppy dog eyes, but all that got me was a pillow to the side of the head. It was so good to have him home. “I saw it, and it seemed like the perfect Petrelli accessory. It’s also supposed to bring you good luck.”
Nathan opened the plain brown paper bag and slid the little jewelry box into his hand. It was old and scuffed up, and he gave me a funny look when he saw what was inside. “A spider tie tack, that’s pretty cool.”
“I was trying to find Ma a spider pin, because you know she is the spider lady. But I saw that first, and I thought about you. Do you like it?”
“I like everything you give me, Peter.” That wasn’t a lie. He kept all of it too. I know. I’d seen the box in his closet of the junky stuff I made him when I was a kid. “So when are you going to tell the old man that you already got into nursing school?”
“That obvious, huh?” Nathan always knew when I was bullshitting my way through something.
“You’re not a bad liar, Pete, but you need some work.”
“Going to help me out with that now that you’re home?” It felt better that Nathan at least knew the truth. “He’s going to go ballistic, Nathan.”
“We’ll handle dad. I don’t get why you want to do it either, but it’s your choice not his. I’ll stand with you if you need me too.” I watched as Nathan pulled out the little spider and stuck it into the cuff of his shirt and admired it. It was a weird little thing, but I thought it was pretty. I didn’t know if he’d wear it, but I knew he’d keep it.
Genre: Gen
Author: thewatchmaker
Fandom: Heroes
Word count: 1100
Rating: PG
Prompts:
033. The spider brings luck. for 100_fairytales 56/100
Second Chances - Shinedown - vol3.week18
For not_a_billain
“I’m eighteen, Dad. You can’t ground me or send me to my room. I’m an adult, and I’m entitled to do what I want with my life.” I bit on the inside back of my lip to keep from saying anything more. Dad was fuming. I knew where the expression came from because I swear I could see smoke curling out of his ears. He glared at me, his dark eyebrows shading his eyes as he scowled. Arthur Petrelli didn’t like dissention among the ranks, and he sure as shit didn’t want to catch it from me, especially today when Nathan was home from school and the Navy at last.
After so many years of Nathan being away at school it was weird to have him back at home. But it was a good weird. I missed him so much, but the look on his face as I took on dad was priceless. I’d learned to take care of myself while he was gone, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t a little worried about dad’s retribution. The hammer would come down. It always did. It was only a question of what he’d do.
“Peter,” Ma looked at me and pursed her lips. She laid her hand over dad’s sleeve and then patted the back of his hand. “Nathan’s first night at home isn’t the right time for this discussion.”
“I’m not the one who brought up the subject, ma,” I pointed out as I sank down into my seat. That was all Arthur trying to force me to tow the family line and go to the school he’d picked out for me, so I could be another lawyer. “Nathan’s a lawyer now. There’s no reason for me to be one too. Besides I already sent off my applications for nursing school.”
“Nursing school,” dad sputtered and dropped his spoon into his lentil soup. “For god’s sake, Peter, at least go to medical school. It’s not as I can’t afford to send you to a good medical school. It’s a bit late for you to apply now, but I can talk to people.”
“I don’t want you talking to anyone.” I pushed my chair back from the table and dropped my napkin next to my plate. “I am going to do this on my own, and if you don’t like my decision, that’s your prerogative. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve disturbed dinner enough. I’m going up to my room, by my choice, dad, not yours.”
They kept talking after I left the room. I could hear Nathan’s voice while he tried to be the reasonable one, doing his best to convince dad not to be a bastard where I was concerned. Good luck with that, Nathan, I thought as I reached the top of the stairs and headed for my room. Dad never likes what I do. He doesn’t even like me.
When I got to my room I left the door open. It’d save Nathan time when he got here, and I knew he’d be here soon. I figured I had about ten minutes tops before he came to make sure I was OK. Of course there was only a fifty, fifty chance of him being on my side instead of dad’s. I never knew what side he’d be on when it came to something like this.
Nathan was there in eight minutes, just in time to catch me with my toothbrush hanging out of my mouth while I waited for my computer to boot up. I made a funny face, giving him a good frothy toothy grin, and slipped into my bathroom to rinse out my mouth. He had his dad look on. Great. I didn’t want to see that one. I wanted the big brother we can do anything together look. Oh well.
“Decided to skip dessert, Nathan?” I dropped into the chair at my desk and propped my feet up on the end of my bed while he settled on the bed itself.
“So, your legs are finally long enough for that. Ma doesn’t know you put your feet on the bed, does she?” He said as he grabbed my foot and gave it a shake.
“Ma doesn’t know. She doesn’t know I look at porn on my computer either.” I hope although she probably does because she’s kind of creepy like that. She’s got to have eyes in the back of her head or something. “She thinks it’s all for school. Is he threatening to have me tossed out on my ass again?”
“I think ma and I got him calmed down. This wasn’t how I expected to spend my first night home. Couldn’t you wait until tomorrow night?”
“Right, tomorrow when you’ll have Heidi here for her part of the dog and pony show, I figured he’d be in such a good mood to have the Prodigal Son return that he’d let me slide.” I blew out a deep sigh. Then I reached into my desk drawer and tossed him a small package. “Sorry it’s not wrapped, but we both know I am not good with tape.”
He snickered, and I knew he was remembering the time I tried to Scotch tape ma’s favorite vase back together when I was little. “What’s this for?”
“It’s because you’re my favorite brother, Nathan. Do I need a reason to give you a present?” I tried to give him the puppy dog eyes, but all that got me was a pillow to the side of the head. It was so good to have him home. “I saw it, and it seemed like the perfect Petrelli accessory. It’s also supposed to bring you good luck.”
Nathan opened the plain brown paper bag and slid the little jewelry box into his hand. It was old and scuffed up, and he gave me a funny look when he saw what was inside. “A spider tie tack, that’s pretty cool.”
“I was trying to find Ma a spider pin, because you know she is the spider lady. But I saw that first, and I thought about you. Do you like it?”
“I like everything you give me, Peter.” That wasn’t a lie. He kept all of it too. I know. I’d seen the box in his closet of the junky stuff I made him when I was a kid. “So when are you going to tell the old man that you already got into nursing school?”
“That obvious, huh?” Nathan always knew when I was bullshitting my way through something.
“You’re not a bad liar, Pete, but you need some work.”
“Going to help me out with that now that you’re home?” It felt better that Nathan at least knew the truth. “He’s going to go ballistic, Nathan.”
“We’ll handle dad. I don’t get why you want to do it either, but it’s your choice not his. I’ll stand with you if you need me too.” I watched as Nathan pulled out the little spider and stuck it into the cuff of his shirt and admired it. It was a weird little thing, but I thought it was pretty. I didn’t know if he’d wear it, but I knew he’d keep it.