Weakness
Title: Weakness
Fandom: Heroes
Characters/Pairings: Sylar/Noah Bennet (platonic, not sexual)
Rating: PG
Summary: In order to kill the man who calls himself Sylar, Noah first needs to find his weakness.
Spoilers: Up to and including Heroes 3x03
Author's notes: For _usakeh_
Noah Bennet was a man who was sure of his intentions, and would not be swayed in his desire to carry said intentions out. The death of Gabriel Gray - the man who called himself Sylar - had been something he had aspired to for a long time, since that night at his Claire's old school. Before, even.
And now he had him. Fate had finally given him his chance, offered him the devil dressed in Prada. Unfortunately, the man was strong, stronger than him, so he had to be careful. Careful not to jump the gun, not to let blood lust override common sense. As he had explained to the Haitian, he needed to find the killer's weakness first. Therein would lie his downfall.
Said weakness had been easy to find, in the end. All humans had weaknesses, it was the defining point of humanity, and Sylar was only human. He might deny it, but it was still the truth. Different, yes. Special, maybe. But still, when it came down to matters of flesh and blood, human.
Some subtle questioning, combined with a ready-formed hunch, led him to his answer. Sylar would do near anything to be made to feel important. Cared-for. Special.
So that was what Noah did. He praised every little thing his new partner did, when they were out on their assignments. Played up his triumphs, and pointedly ignored his failures... and it worked. A little over a week later, and Sylar was opening up to him like he never had before... or, at least, that was what Noah suspected. As they drove from place to place, or sat up late in the Company looking through files and making plans, the killer would tell him all sorts. About the parents he grew up with, about his past kills, about Chandra Suresh and his son, about Angela Petrelli. And more than just telling him the facts, Noah found himself privy to this man's most private emotions. His hopes and fears, his insatiable hunger discussed for once without that manic gleam in his eyes.
The problem was, his plan had worked too well. He was trusted now, by Sylar. A confidante. He had been let in on emotions so raw he began to feel them himself, began to feel sympathy for this monstrosity sat five metres away from him. Now that he had the killer's trust, and with it the ability to end his life in a heartbeat, he found he couldn't. Sympathy stayed the hand that should be, right now, raising a gun and blasting away that insane brain. The killing touch became a squeeze of comfort to a tired shoulder, and biting words became condolences.
Maybe that had been Sylar's plan all along. He was clever, after all, maybe even just clever enough to realise he was being played, and so played his own game in turn. Or maybe not. Maybe, for once, he really was just being honest, clinging onto an offered lifeline.
Either way, and yet again, Noah Bennet found himself outsmarted.
Fandom: Heroes
Characters/Pairings: Sylar/Noah Bennet (platonic, not sexual)
Rating: PG
Summary: In order to kill the man who calls himself Sylar, Noah first needs to find his weakness.
Spoilers: Up to and including Heroes 3x03
Author's notes: For _usakeh_
Noah Bennet was a man who was sure of his intentions, and would not be swayed in his desire to carry said intentions out. The death of Gabriel Gray - the man who called himself Sylar - had been something he had aspired to for a long time, since that night at his Claire's old school. Before, even.
And now he had him. Fate had finally given him his chance, offered him the devil dressed in Prada. Unfortunately, the man was strong, stronger than him, so he had to be careful. Careful not to jump the gun, not to let blood lust override common sense. As he had explained to the Haitian, he needed to find the killer's weakness first. Therein would lie his downfall.
Said weakness had been easy to find, in the end. All humans had weaknesses, it was the defining point of humanity, and Sylar was only human. He might deny it, but it was still the truth. Different, yes. Special, maybe. But still, when it came down to matters of flesh and blood, human.
Some subtle questioning, combined with a ready-formed hunch, led him to his answer. Sylar would do near anything to be made to feel important. Cared-for. Special.
So that was what Noah did. He praised every little thing his new partner did, when they were out on their assignments. Played up his triumphs, and pointedly ignored his failures... and it worked. A little over a week later, and Sylar was opening up to him like he never had before... or, at least, that was what Noah suspected. As they drove from place to place, or sat up late in the Company looking through files and making plans, the killer would tell him all sorts. About the parents he grew up with, about his past kills, about Chandra Suresh and his son, about Angela Petrelli. And more than just telling him the facts, Noah found himself privy to this man's most private emotions. His hopes and fears, his insatiable hunger discussed for once without that manic gleam in his eyes.
The problem was, his plan had worked too well. He was trusted now, by Sylar. A confidante. He had been let in on emotions so raw he began to feel them himself, began to feel sympathy for this monstrosity sat five metres away from him. Now that he had the killer's trust, and with it the ability to end his life in a heartbeat, he found he couldn't. Sympathy stayed the hand that should be, right now, raising a gun and blasting away that insane brain. The killing touch became a squeeze of comfort to a tired shoulder, and biting words became condolences.
Maybe that had been Sylar's plan all along. He was clever, after all, maybe even just clever enough to realise he was being played, and so played his own game in turn. Or maybe not. Maybe, for once, he really was just being honest, clinging onto an offered lifeline.
Either way, and yet again, Noah Bennet found himself outsmarted.