Drabble Dump
House of M drabbles!
All of these came from playing drabble tag at tiptoe39’s journal, although I cleaned some of these up a bit. They’re all rated PG, although there might be a stray f-bomb dropped here or there. They are not in any way connected to each other.
There are 11 of them
Title: Revenge
Summary: Sylar does the unthinkable
Prompt: Re-punctuate: “...as though nuked hot water would taste...”
Word Count: 275
Matt stirred in the night and reached out with his mind to feel the comfortable feeling of Mohinder's dream-thoughts. He reached a little further, into Molly's room, but...
There was nothing there. No little mind dreaming about ponies or Zac Efron or even of the nightmare man. Just...nothing. Matt shot straight up in bed, threw off the covers, ran into her room. But the bed was empty. There was a note on the pillow, penned in black sharpie. Matt picked it up. Or once in his life, he saw the letters with perfect clarity, and for once in his life, he wished that he didn't.
I HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER, MOHINDER. SO MUCH FOR YOUR HAPPY NEW LIFE. -Z. (WELL, S. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.)
He could feel himself exploding inside as though nuked. Hot water would taste refreshing right now, even boiling water would be cool enough, as it coursed through his veins, to bring his body temperature down.
When Mohinder woke up, Matt was rummaging under the mattress for the key to the gun safe. He had already gotten the ammunition out of the bedroom closet. "What are you doing?" Mohinder asked.
Matt didn't answer, just went into the living room and came back with several guns in his hand. He loaded Mohinder's Strayer Voight and handed it to him. Their fingers brushed on the handle. "Matt?" Mohinder asked again, holding the gun gingerly. “What’s going on?”
Matt loaded his Glock and put it in the holster under his arm. Popped bullets into his little Chief’s Special. "Let's call everyone we know," Matt said, his voice dark. "We're killing a serial killer."
Title: Stand-off
Summary: Audrey comes over for dinner
Prompt: Re-punctuate: “...theory, Agent Hanson. If this guy even...”
Special Guest: FBI Agent Audrey Hanson
Word Count: 245
"Audrey, this is--"
"Doctor Mohinder Suresh," she finished, sounding out all of the syllables as if there were snakes in her mouth. "So good to see you again."
"Agent Hanson," Mohinder replied, his voice just as low and threatened.
Matt looked between them awkwardly. "Um. Right. I had no idea that you two knew each other."
"The doctor and I got a chance to know each other after Kirby Plaza, while you were in the hospital."
When you told me your old partner was coming over for dinner, I would have said no if I had known that you used to work with her! Mohinder shot at him, his eyes narrow.
I don't care that you're shacking up with a man, really, Matt. But this scumbag? Audrey thought.
And that was almost too much. "'Scumbag'?" Matt asked. "What the hell went on between you two?" They just glared at each other. "Do I have to treat you both like children?" Matt demanded.
"Agent Hanson here seems to believe that every brown man is a terrorist. Isn't that right?" Fucking imperialist bitch, punctuated the thought.
"Your little boyfriend here knows something about Sylar," Audrey said. "I just haven't proved it."
"Your theory, Agent Hanson, if this guy even is still alive, has nothing to do with me," Mohinder hissed.
God, if I had your power I would crack him open in an instant, Audrey thought.
Well, this dinner wasn't off to a very auspicious start.
Title: Molly’s Reasons
Summary: Claire babysits Molly
Prompt: “Being watched all the time? I can relate to that.”
Special Guest: Claire Bennet
Word Count: 243
"Are you sure it's safe?" Mohinder asked in a hushed tone.
"Are you kidding?" Matt replied. "Claire has the same powers as Wolverine. I think we'd be hard pressed to find another babysitter who could protect Molly any better."
"Wolverine?" Mohinder asked.
Matt sighed. "If you're going to be the leading expert on superheroes, we have got to get you some comic books. You'll be calling me Professor X in no time."
Mohinder stared at him blankly.
The next thing that Molly heard was through her ears and not her powers. "By the way, Molly?" It was funny to heard Matt's voice yelling from down the hall and not as though she were watching him in the same room. "You're making it really hard to have a private conversation!"
After they swept out of the apartment with kisses for Molly and a list of emergency numbers for Claire, the two girls popped in a movie.
"Were you watching your dads the whole time?" Claire asked. "With your powers?"
"Yeah," Molly replied, not taking her eyes off of the screen.
"You know, you really should lighten on them," Claire said and folded her arms across her chest. "Being watched all of the time? I can relate to that and its not really all that great."
"But I love them," Molly said. "And worry about them. Besides, who else is going to keep them out of trouble?"
Claire sighed. "That's what my dad says, too."
Title: Pet Names
Summary: Matt uses a pet name for the first time.
Prompt: “You know that’s not the case.”
Word Count: 256
Reading dreams was borderline trippy for Matt. They were all bright colors and completely random images that made no sense when being received by an awake brain. But even still, one of the first things that Matt did every morning when he woke up was check to see if Mohinder was dreaming or awake.
And then, every morning just as Mohinder's dreams started to fade, Matt would tighten his grip around Mohinder's body, press his mouth up to the back of Mohinder' neck and whisper, "Good morning, baby."
The first time he did it, Mohinder's entire body went rigid. Dear God, Mohinder thought. He's never called me "baby." He must be dreaming and thinking that I'm Janice.
"You know that's not the case, Mohinder Suresh, D.Phil.," Matt murmured, a little sleepily himself. "Born May 18, 1972 in Madras, India, son of Chandra and Veenkamma Suresh. Amazing co-father and veritable sex god. Birthmark on his--"
"I get it, I get it!" Mohinder had protested. He rolled onto his other side so that he was facing Matt.
They lay that way for some time before Matt asked. "So, I mean, was that weird? Me calling you baby? Too gay or awkward or whatever? Are we not at the pet names stage yet?"
"For a mindreader, you sure are insecure," Mohinder said, and then caught Matt up in a positively spine-melting kiss that ended up with a little sleepy under-the-cover groping. And then, when Mohinder had his breath back, he whispered, "And good morning to you, too, honey."
Title: Bedside Manner
Summary: It’s Matt’s turn to play nurse
Prompt: “When you get better, you know what, you go right ahead.”
Word Count: 158
"Matt, could you pass a tissue?"
"Are you kidding?" Matt asked. "Hell, no. There is no way I am letting you blow your nose."
"I swear that this freezing numbness is giving me a cold!"
Matt was enjoying this way too much. "When you get better, you know what, you go right ahead. For now, though, you wouldn't want to strain yourself," he said smugly. "You wouldn't want to make your injury any worse," he said with an over-the-top affected British accent.
Mohinder scowled at Matt from beneath the ice pack. "I do not sound like that. And it's a broken nose, not four bullets to the chest."
Matt made the most innocent face that he could. "I just want to make sure that you heal well, Mohinder."
"You just want to pay me back for all of those times I wouldn't let you lift something, is what you want to do."
Matt shrugged. "Turnabout is fair play.”
Title: Threatening
Summary: Sometimes two fathers are worse than just one. Especially if they’re your girlfriend’s.
Prompt: “You’re not falling in love.”
Special guest: Micah Sanders
Word Count: 324
"What are your intentions with our daughter?" Dr. Suresh asked.
Micah looked between the two men nervously. As soon as Detective Parkman pulled out the Glock, Micah had kind of been hoping that they were going to be playing some good cop/bad cop game, but Dr. Suresh didn't look any less threatening, with his tightly drawn face and coiled muscles, like he was ready to jump on and disembowel Micah at any time.
"We're just going out to see a show and then for coffee," Micah answered. "I swear."
"For someone supposedly telling the truth, you're looking pretty nervous to me," Detective Parkman said, getting in Micah's face. God, it sucked to be questioned by a professional interrogator.
"That's because you put a gun on the table, Detective Parkman. Sir."
Detective Parkman pulled back and cocked his head at Micah. He squinted for a second. "Fine. I believe you. But let's just make one thing clear. Mohinder?"
"You are not going to do any funny business with Molly," Dr. Suresh said, picking up where the detective left off. "Tonight or possibly ever. In fact, you're not falling in love with her unless we say you can in the distant future. All you are doing tonight is taking her out, making her very happy, and bringing her home with all of her virtues intact. Every last one of them because you will not so much as even touch her. And if you do, we will know. Do you understand, young man?"
Micah nodded wordlessly. Just then the bathroom door burst open. "Micah, I'm ready!" Matt reached for the gun and tried to hide it, but she saw it before it was entirely out of sight. "Daddy! Are you embarrassing me again?"
"Of course not," Matt said. "Would we ever do that? We're just having a nice easy conversation. Isn't that right, Micah?"
Micah gulped. "If I say, yes, Sirs, can Molly and I go now?"
Title: Birthday Cake
Summary: Matt needs a favor. Hiro grants it, but not for the reason he expects
Prompt: “Have some heart. I’m completely at your mercy here.”
Special Guest: Hiro Nakamura
Word Count: 385
"Hiro, look. I need a favor," Matt said as he laid his hands out on the table. "It would really mean a lot to me."
"What do you need?" Hiro asked.
"I need you to go back in time for me."
"I cannot promise this for you," Hiro replied. "My power is not to be abused."
"Have some heart. I'm completely at your mercy here. It's for my little girl. It's her first birthday since her parents died, and we can tell that she's getting a little bummed. I got it out of her that her mom used to always make her this special birthday cake, and Mohinder and I have searched everywhere but can't figure out what the exact recipe is."
"And how would my powers help you?"
"I just need you to steal it," Matt said, and the look on his face was so full of love. "I got the image out of her head that her mother used to keep it under a magnet on the fridge. If you could just go back in time to before all of the stuff in the house was sold...god, Hiro, we'd be so grateful."
"But what about space-time continuum?" Hiro felt his resolve weakening.
"What, because one scrap of paper doesn't go in the trash? I really want to make her happy, Hiro."
Hiro sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I will help you. Because in future I once saw, you were full of hate and violence. But that future will never happen now because you good man, Matt Parkman. You have something to love now. And if I can be grateful for nothing else, it is that you will never become man who hit me."
He left Matt in stunned silence, teleported back to the Walker household. He found the recipe easily, on the fridge, just like Matt said. He also saw what was under the magnet, a photo of a man and a woman holding a little girl. He took that, too.
He came back to his own time, where Matt Parkman still hadn't finished taking the same breath Hiro had left him on. "Give your girl Happy Birthday," Hiro said as he pressed the pieces of paper into Matt's hands. "And never stop loving her."
"I hadn’t planned on it."
Title: Before the Funeral
Summary: Having powers doesn’t mean you can save everyone
Prompt: “This isn’t what I asked for.”
Special Guest: Monica Dawson
Word Count: 292
Monica was just tying her Burger Bonanza apron on when she heard a voice say, "Excuse me, miss? This isn't what I asked for." She looked up to see a tall, dark man holding a tray. She recognized him immediately.
"Dr. Suresh!" she said warmly. "What are you doin' here? More testin'?"
"No, no," he said. "Your aunt and I used to work together. I came for the funeral. But I wanted to stop by and see how you were holding up."
"I'm doin' fine," she said. "But poor Micah. He's just been inconsolable. And we can't turn on the tv without seeing news reports about that senator who was shot. It's hard to mourn for someone when the entire country is mournin' for someone else."
"I understand," Mohinder said and nodded slowly. He remembered the panic he had felt when he had first seen the footage, the glimpse of Matt's face. He had wanted to shake the television and scream "But what about the policeman? Was anyone else caught in the crossfire?!?"
"And it's just..." Monica said and trailed off at the end.
"Yes?" Mohinder asked.
She lowered her voice. "It's just that when I first got my powers, I thought that I could do anything. But now I see that it isn't that easy, Dr. Suresh. They can't protect me from everything."
"I think that's an important lesson to learn," Mohinder replied. "My partner, he's one of you and--"
They were interrupted by Monica's boss. "Dawson! Get back to work!"
"I have to go," she said, her face screwed up in apology.
"How about this, I'll drive you home when you get off work," he said. "And we can talk more about this later, all right?"
"Thanks, Dr. Suresh."
Title: Things You Forget
Summary: Having a conversation with Peter is a little surreal.
Prompt: “Sometimes it hurts worse not to.”
Special Guest: Peter Petrelli
Word Count: 348
As they sat in the hospital restaurant, Matt quickly found out that he enjoyed hanging out with the younger Petrelli brother. Sure, Nathan was a good, reliable straight-shooter, but Matt enjoyed talking to the one person in the entire world that he couldn't read. Well, not counting his dad, but it's not like they were going to go out for drinks anytime soon.
But Peter? Well, Matt was relatively certain that he wasn't going to trap Molly in a nightmare and Matt had forgotten how much fun it was to actually pay attention to facial expressions.
"So you and Mohinder, huh?" Peter asked. Matt actually had to figure out from his inflection whether Peter was disgusted or surprised or jealous or merely making conversation. How cool was that?
While it would be more fun to think jealous, Matt was pretty sure it was more neutral as Peter hadn't put any special emphasis on "Mohinder," and that meant nothing special, right? Or did it mean surprised? God, how had Matt forgotten all of this? By the time that Matt ran through all of the options, Peter was staring at him.
"Does your silence mean that you're horribly offended by my intrusion into your personal life or that I've just caused you to remember something completely pornographic or that you are afraid I'm going to call you a fag or what?" Peter asked. "God, how did I get so bad at decoding what was actually coming out of people's mouths?"
Matt laughed. "That's just what I was thinking. I can't remember the last time I had a conversation that I didn't know exactly what the other person was trying to say."
"It's not like I mean to read their minds," Peter said, "All of the thoughts make my head hurt. But--"
"Sometimes it hurts worse not to." Matt finished.
Peter nodded. "Yeah. Damned if you do, damned if you don't is about right. Thanks a lot for infecting me with your headache-inducing power, jerk."
Matt was pretty sure that Peter was kidding, kind of. That's what smiling meant, right?
Title: Immunity
Summary: Matt wants Mohinder to play hooky
Prompt: “I’m immune to all forms of _____ disease.”
Word Count: 235
When the alarm went off, Mohinder rolled over to hit the snooze button. He settled back into bed for a few last moments of comfort before he crawled out of bed and began his day.
"Do you have to go to work today?" Matt asked, his voice muffled by the pillow his face was still pressed against. "I think you should stay here in bed all day with me."
"Not all of us have the day off," Mohinder chided.
"Don't you have sick days built up? Maybe you could tell them that you came down with something. Ooo, like the virus."
"No one would believe me," Mohinder replied. "I can't catch it."
Matt opened his eyes and rolled onto his back. "Even the very rare but highly transmittable M-A-two-T strain? The one that can only be cured with lots of bed rest?"
"I have special antibodies," Mohinder said, making his very best scientist face. "They make me immune to all forms of love disease."
He pulled his nightshirt over his head and Matt whistled. When Mohinder turned and removed his boxers in favor of a new pair, Matt was suddenly at his back, his mouth on Mohinder's neck, his arms around Mohinder's waist.
"You're making it hard for me to get ready," Mohinder protested.
"I know."
"I can't very well go to work if you won't let me get dressed."
"That's kind of the point."
Title: Search and Rescue
Summary: Molly is handy to have around
Prompt: ____ snored loudly but otherwise didn’t react.
Word Count: 214
Matt scrambled around the apartment frantically, throwing around piles of clothes and scattering Mohinder's stacks of paper.
"What are you doing?" Mohinder asked, a bite of waffle midway to his mouth.
"I can't find my keys!" Matt groaned. "I'm going to be late for work!"
"You really should be a little bit tidier," Mohinder said.
Matt stopped what he was doing and pointed a finger. "You know I love you, but you being a little bitch right now is not helping."
Mohinder shrugged and Matt went back to searching. Finally, he had to call in the cavalry or else he was going to miss his performance review, for real. He opened the door to Molly's room and touched her gently on the shoulder. "Molly, honey?"
Molly snored loudly but otherwise didn't react.
"Molly?" he asked a little louder. She stirred and opened her eyes.
"What?" she groaned.
"Where are my keys?"
She stretched a little, and squinted. "In the coat closet. In the lining of the coat you wore last night, just below the left pocket. I think there's a hole there that they must have fallen through."
Matt kissed her on the forehead. "Thanks, sweetie. You're a life-saver. Go back to bed."
She yawned and closed her eyes again. "I planned on it."
All of these came from playing drabble tag at tiptoe39’s journal, although I cleaned some of these up a bit. They’re all rated PG, although there might be a stray f-bomb dropped here or there. They are not in any way connected to each other.
There are 11 of them
Title: Revenge
Summary: Sylar does the unthinkable
Prompt: Re-punctuate: “...as though nuked hot water would taste...”
Word Count: 275
Matt stirred in the night and reached out with his mind to feel the comfortable feeling of Mohinder's dream-thoughts. He reached a little further, into Molly's room, but...
There was nothing there. No little mind dreaming about ponies or Zac Efron or even of the nightmare man. Just...nothing. Matt shot straight up in bed, threw off the covers, ran into her room. But the bed was empty. There was a note on the pillow, penned in black sharpie. Matt picked it up. Or once in his life, he saw the letters with perfect clarity, and for once in his life, he wished that he didn't.
I HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER, MOHINDER. SO MUCH FOR YOUR HAPPY NEW LIFE. -Z. (WELL, S. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.)
He could feel himself exploding inside as though nuked. Hot water would taste refreshing right now, even boiling water would be cool enough, as it coursed through his veins, to bring his body temperature down.
When Mohinder woke up, Matt was rummaging under the mattress for the key to the gun safe. He had already gotten the ammunition out of the bedroom closet. "What are you doing?" Mohinder asked.
Matt didn't answer, just went into the living room and came back with several guns in his hand. He loaded Mohinder's Strayer Voight and handed it to him. Their fingers brushed on the handle. "Matt?" Mohinder asked again, holding the gun gingerly. “What’s going on?”
Matt loaded his Glock and put it in the holster under his arm. Popped bullets into his little Chief’s Special. "Let's call everyone we know," Matt said, his voice dark. "We're killing a serial killer."
Title: Stand-off
Summary: Audrey comes over for dinner
Prompt: Re-punctuate: “...theory, Agent Hanson. If this guy even...”
Special Guest: FBI Agent Audrey Hanson
Word Count: 245
"Audrey, this is--"
"Doctor Mohinder Suresh," she finished, sounding out all of the syllables as if there were snakes in her mouth. "So good to see you again."
"Agent Hanson," Mohinder replied, his voice just as low and threatened.
Matt looked between them awkwardly. "Um. Right. I had no idea that you two knew each other."
"The doctor and I got a chance to know each other after Kirby Plaza, while you were in the hospital."
When you told me your old partner was coming over for dinner, I would have said no if I had known that you used to work with her! Mohinder shot at him, his eyes narrow.
I don't care that you're shacking up with a man, really, Matt. But this scumbag? Audrey thought.
And that was almost too much. "'Scumbag'?" Matt asked. "What the hell went on between you two?" They just glared at each other. "Do I have to treat you both like children?" Matt demanded.
"Agent Hanson here seems to believe that every brown man is a terrorist. Isn't that right?" Fucking imperialist bitch, punctuated the thought.
"Your little boyfriend here knows something about Sylar," Audrey said. "I just haven't proved it."
"Your theory, Agent Hanson, if this guy even is still alive, has nothing to do with me," Mohinder hissed.
God, if I had your power I would crack him open in an instant, Audrey thought.
Well, this dinner wasn't off to a very auspicious start.
Title: Molly’s Reasons
Summary: Claire babysits Molly
Prompt: “Being watched all the time? I can relate to that.”
Special Guest: Claire Bennet
Word Count: 243
"Are you sure it's safe?" Mohinder asked in a hushed tone.
"Are you kidding?" Matt replied. "Claire has the same powers as Wolverine. I think we'd be hard pressed to find another babysitter who could protect Molly any better."
"Wolverine?" Mohinder asked.
Matt sighed. "If you're going to be the leading expert on superheroes, we have got to get you some comic books. You'll be calling me Professor X in no time."
Mohinder stared at him blankly.
The next thing that Molly heard was through her ears and not her powers. "By the way, Molly?" It was funny to heard Matt's voice yelling from down the hall and not as though she were watching him in the same room. "You're making it really hard to have a private conversation!"
After they swept out of the apartment with kisses for Molly and a list of emergency numbers for Claire, the two girls popped in a movie.
"Were you watching your dads the whole time?" Claire asked. "With your powers?"
"Yeah," Molly replied, not taking her eyes off of the screen.
"You know, you really should lighten on them," Claire said and folded her arms across her chest. "Being watched all of the time? I can relate to that and its not really all that great."
"But I love them," Molly said. "And worry about them. Besides, who else is going to keep them out of trouble?"
Claire sighed. "That's what my dad says, too."
Title: Pet Names
Summary: Matt uses a pet name for the first time.
Prompt: “You know that’s not the case.”
Word Count: 256
Reading dreams was borderline trippy for Matt. They were all bright colors and completely random images that made no sense when being received by an awake brain. But even still, one of the first things that Matt did every morning when he woke up was check to see if Mohinder was dreaming or awake.
And then, every morning just as Mohinder's dreams started to fade, Matt would tighten his grip around Mohinder's body, press his mouth up to the back of Mohinder' neck and whisper, "Good morning, baby."
The first time he did it, Mohinder's entire body went rigid. Dear God, Mohinder thought. He's never called me "baby." He must be dreaming and thinking that I'm Janice.
"You know that's not the case, Mohinder Suresh, D.Phil.," Matt murmured, a little sleepily himself. "Born May 18, 1972 in Madras, India, son of Chandra and Veenkamma Suresh. Amazing co-father and veritable sex god. Birthmark on his--"
"I get it, I get it!" Mohinder had protested. He rolled onto his other side so that he was facing Matt.
They lay that way for some time before Matt asked. "So, I mean, was that weird? Me calling you baby? Too gay or awkward or whatever? Are we not at the pet names stage yet?"
"For a mindreader, you sure are insecure," Mohinder said, and then caught Matt up in a positively spine-melting kiss that ended up with a little sleepy under-the-cover groping. And then, when Mohinder had his breath back, he whispered, "And good morning to you, too, honey."
Title: Bedside Manner
Summary: It’s Matt’s turn to play nurse
Prompt: “When you get better, you know what, you go right ahead.”
Word Count: 158
"Matt, could you pass a tissue?"
"Are you kidding?" Matt asked. "Hell, no. There is no way I am letting you blow your nose."
"I swear that this freezing numbness is giving me a cold!"
Matt was enjoying this way too much. "When you get better, you know what, you go right ahead. For now, though, you wouldn't want to strain yourself," he said smugly. "You wouldn't want to make your injury any worse," he said with an over-the-top affected British accent.
Mohinder scowled at Matt from beneath the ice pack. "I do not sound like that. And it's a broken nose, not four bullets to the chest."
Matt made the most innocent face that he could. "I just want to make sure that you heal well, Mohinder."
"You just want to pay me back for all of those times I wouldn't let you lift something, is what you want to do."
Matt shrugged. "Turnabout is fair play.”
Title: Threatening
Summary: Sometimes two fathers are worse than just one. Especially if they’re your girlfriend’s.
Prompt: “You’re not falling in love.”
Special guest: Micah Sanders
Word Count: 324
"What are your intentions with our daughter?" Dr. Suresh asked.
Micah looked between the two men nervously. As soon as Detective Parkman pulled out the Glock, Micah had kind of been hoping that they were going to be playing some good cop/bad cop game, but Dr. Suresh didn't look any less threatening, with his tightly drawn face and coiled muscles, like he was ready to jump on and disembowel Micah at any time.
"We're just going out to see a show and then for coffee," Micah answered. "I swear."
"For someone supposedly telling the truth, you're looking pretty nervous to me," Detective Parkman said, getting in Micah's face. God, it sucked to be questioned by a professional interrogator.
"That's because you put a gun on the table, Detective Parkman. Sir."
Detective Parkman pulled back and cocked his head at Micah. He squinted for a second. "Fine. I believe you. But let's just make one thing clear. Mohinder?"
"You are not going to do any funny business with Molly," Dr. Suresh said, picking up where the detective left off. "Tonight or possibly ever. In fact, you're not falling in love with her unless we say you can in the distant future. All you are doing tonight is taking her out, making her very happy, and bringing her home with all of her virtues intact. Every last one of them because you will not so much as even touch her. And if you do, we will know. Do you understand, young man?"
Micah nodded wordlessly. Just then the bathroom door burst open. "Micah, I'm ready!" Matt reached for the gun and tried to hide it, but she saw it before it was entirely out of sight. "Daddy! Are you embarrassing me again?"
"Of course not," Matt said. "Would we ever do that? We're just having a nice easy conversation. Isn't that right, Micah?"
Micah gulped. "If I say, yes, Sirs, can Molly and I go now?"
Title: Birthday Cake
Summary: Matt needs a favor. Hiro grants it, but not for the reason he expects
Prompt: “Have some heart. I’m completely at your mercy here.”
Special Guest: Hiro Nakamura
Word Count: 385
"Hiro, look. I need a favor," Matt said as he laid his hands out on the table. "It would really mean a lot to me."
"What do you need?" Hiro asked.
"I need you to go back in time for me."
"I cannot promise this for you," Hiro replied. "My power is not to be abused."
"Have some heart. I'm completely at your mercy here. It's for my little girl. It's her first birthday since her parents died, and we can tell that she's getting a little bummed. I got it out of her that her mom used to always make her this special birthday cake, and Mohinder and I have searched everywhere but can't figure out what the exact recipe is."
"And how would my powers help you?"
"I just need you to steal it," Matt said, and the look on his face was so full of love. "I got the image out of her head that her mother used to keep it under a magnet on the fridge. If you could just go back in time to before all of the stuff in the house was sold...god, Hiro, we'd be so grateful."
"But what about space-time continuum?" Hiro felt his resolve weakening.
"What, because one scrap of paper doesn't go in the trash? I really want to make her happy, Hiro."
Hiro sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I will help you. Because in future I once saw, you were full of hate and violence. But that future will never happen now because you good man, Matt Parkman. You have something to love now. And if I can be grateful for nothing else, it is that you will never become man who hit me."
He left Matt in stunned silence, teleported back to the Walker household. He found the recipe easily, on the fridge, just like Matt said. He also saw what was under the magnet, a photo of a man and a woman holding a little girl. He took that, too.
He came back to his own time, where Matt Parkman still hadn't finished taking the same breath Hiro had left him on. "Give your girl Happy Birthday," Hiro said as he pressed the pieces of paper into Matt's hands. "And never stop loving her."
"I hadn’t planned on it."
Title: Before the Funeral
Summary: Having powers doesn’t mean you can save everyone
Prompt: “This isn’t what I asked for.”
Special Guest: Monica Dawson
Word Count: 292
Monica was just tying her Burger Bonanza apron on when she heard a voice say, "Excuse me, miss? This isn't what I asked for." She looked up to see a tall, dark man holding a tray. She recognized him immediately.
"Dr. Suresh!" she said warmly. "What are you doin' here? More testin'?"
"No, no," he said. "Your aunt and I used to work together. I came for the funeral. But I wanted to stop by and see how you were holding up."
"I'm doin' fine," she said. "But poor Micah. He's just been inconsolable. And we can't turn on the tv without seeing news reports about that senator who was shot. It's hard to mourn for someone when the entire country is mournin' for someone else."
"I understand," Mohinder said and nodded slowly. He remembered the panic he had felt when he had first seen the footage, the glimpse of Matt's face. He had wanted to shake the television and scream "But what about the policeman? Was anyone else caught in the crossfire?!?"
"And it's just..." Monica said and trailed off at the end.
"Yes?" Mohinder asked.
She lowered her voice. "It's just that when I first got my powers, I thought that I could do anything. But now I see that it isn't that easy, Dr. Suresh. They can't protect me from everything."
"I think that's an important lesson to learn," Mohinder replied. "My partner, he's one of you and--"
They were interrupted by Monica's boss. "Dawson! Get back to work!"
"I have to go," she said, her face screwed up in apology.
"How about this, I'll drive you home when you get off work," he said. "And we can talk more about this later, all right?"
"Thanks, Dr. Suresh."
Title: Things You Forget
Summary: Having a conversation with Peter is a little surreal.
Prompt: “Sometimes it hurts worse not to.”
Special Guest: Peter Petrelli
Word Count: 348
As they sat in the hospital restaurant, Matt quickly found out that he enjoyed hanging out with the younger Petrelli brother. Sure, Nathan was a good, reliable straight-shooter, but Matt enjoyed talking to the one person in the entire world that he couldn't read. Well, not counting his dad, but it's not like they were going to go out for drinks anytime soon.
But Peter? Well, Matt was relatively certain that he wasn't going to trap Molly in a nightmare and Matt had forgotten how much fun it was to actually pay attention to facial expressions.
"So you and Mohinder, huh?" Peter asked. Matt actually had to figure out from his inflection whether Peter was disgusted or surprised or jealous or merely making conversation. How cool was that?
While it would be more fun to think jealous, Matt was pretty sure it was more neutral as Peter hadn't put any special emphasis on "Mohinder," and that meant nothing special, right? Or did it mean surprised? God, how had Matt forgotten all of this? By the time that Matt ran through all of the options, Peter was staring at him.
"Does your silence mean that you're horribly offended by my intrusion into your personal life or that I've just caused you to remember something completely pornographic or that you are afraid I'm going to call you a fag or what?" Peter asked. "God, how did I get so bad at decoding what was actually coming out of people's mouths?"
Matt laughed. "That's just what I was thinking. I can't remember the last time I had a conversation that I didn't know exactly what the other person was trying to say."
"It's not like I mean to read their minds," Peter said, "All of the thoughts make my head hurt. But--"
"Sometimes it hurts worse not to." Matt finished.
Peter nodded. "Yeah. Damned if you do, damned if you don't is about right. Thanks a lot for infecting me with your headache-inducing power, jerk."
Matt was pretty sure that Peter was kidding, kind of. That's what smiling meant, right?
Title: Immunity
Summary: Matt wants Mohinder to play hooky
Prompt: “I’m immune to all forms of _____ disease.”
Word Count: 235
When the alarm went off, Mohinder rolled over to hit the snooze button. He settled back into bed for a few last moments of comfort before he crawled out of bed and began his day.
"Do you have to go to work today?" Matt asked, his voice muffled by the pillow his face was still pressed against. "I think you should stay here in bed all day with me."
"Not all of us have the day off," Mohinder chided.
"Don't you have sick days built up? Maybe you could tell them that you came down with something. Ooo, like the virus."
"No one would believe me," Mohinder replied. "I can't catch it."
Matt opened his eyes and rolled onto his back. "Even the very rare but highly transmittable M-A-two-T strain? The one that can only be cured with lots of bed rest?"
"I have special antibodies," Mohinder said, making his very best scientist face. "They make me immune to all forms of love disease."
He pulled his nightshirt over his head and Matt whistled. When Mohinder turned and removed his boxers in favor of a new pair, Matt was suddenly at his back, his mouth on Mohinder's neck, his arms around Mohinder's waist.
"You're making it hard for me to get ready," Mohinder protested.
"I know."
"I can't very well go to work if you won't let me get dressed."
"That's kind of the point."
Title: Search and Rescue
Summary: Molly is handy to have around
Prompt: ____ snored loudly but otherwise didn’t react.
Word Count: 214
Matt scrambled around the apartment frantically, throwing around piles of clothes and scattering Mohinder's stacks of paper.
"What are you doing?" Mohinder asked, a bite of waffle midway to his mouth.
"I can't find my keys!" Matt groaned. "I'm going to be late for work!"
"You really should be a little bit tidier," Mohinder said.
Matt stopped what he was doing and pointed a finger. "You know I love you, but you being a little bitch right now is not helping."
Mohinder shrugged and Matt went back to searching. Finally, he had to call in the cavalry or else he was going to miss his performance review, for real. He opened the door to Molly's room and touched her gently on the shoulder. "Molly, honey?"
Molly snored loudly but otherwise didn't react.
"Molly?" he asked a little louder. She stirred and opened her eyes.
"What?" she groaned.
"Where are my keys?"
She stretched a little, and squinted. "In the coat closet. In the lining of the coat you wore last night, just below the left pocket. I think there's a hole there that they must have fallen through."
Matt kissed her on the forehead. "Thanks, sweetie. You're a life-saver. Go back to bed."
She yawned and closed her eyes again. "I planned on it."