It's Called Being a Hero

[chimeramimicry]

"It's Called Being a Hero"
Who: Peter, Peter, Nathan
When: After some weird selfcest.


The knock on the door made Peter blink as he tilted away from the open refrigerator door.  Who the hell came for a visit without calling first?  Delivery guys.  Huh.  Did his new Superman resin kit arrive already?  He didn't get the confirmation email or--  Well, whatever.  He's just glad that it came up to his door instead of being left at the mailboxes like usual.  Jeez, he had more stuff swiped that way.

"Hang on."  Slam goes the door.  Milk in hand, and wearing only his boxers, Peter and his rumpled hair go to answer the door.

He's not expecting Nathan.

The deer in headlights look gives that away.

Comments

[chimeramimic.livejournal.com]

If only Peter Parker had to deal with this sort of thing. The story is somewhat comparable, Peter thinks, as Nathan turns the doorknob. He learned the hard way that to be a super hero, you have to completely distance yourself from everyone you love, you have to drive them away. Peter's not some fictional character, though. He can't just follow along the lines of what a writer thinks should happen.

He's dealt with a big bad villain, saved a distressed scientist, stopped the world from imploding-- So why does he have to be alone simply because some not-him from a future where it's all right to fuck your brother tries to come back and fuck his brother?

And give him a bad haircut?

Peter swallows his tears and tries to salvage what's left of all of this.

"Yes, you're my brother. It's never going to happen again, none of it will ever happen again. I promise. Don't forgive me if you can't, but don't cut me out, either."

[law-anddisorder.livejournal.com]

Nathan stops before turning the doorknob, and turns back around to face his little brother. He really doesn't want to leave him here alone with his regret, and those tears that he can positively hear in Peter's voice.

His brother's honest, but not-quite-complete apology breaks through what's left of Nathan's indignant anger. However, the part that's mostly directed at himself, that's not going anywhere anytime soon. But Peter doesn't have to know about that.

He sighs and claps a hand on Peter's shoulder. He actually wants to give him a brotherly hug too, but he'll be damned if that happens for a long while.

"All right, Pete. You're my brother, and like I said, I owed you one. We wipe the slate clean like it never happened, and we never speak of this again."

[chimeramimic.livejournal.com]

Peter eagerly agrees, eyes brightening with more hope and less tears. Thank God. They can just move passed this and absolutely everything will be fine. Just fine.

They part ways without a problem and the pizza guy passes Nathan in the hallway. Peter's hungry, his appetite having returned. And yeah, that's a double order of cheese fries in that bag too. That amount has got to be abnormal.

Even for Peter Petrelli of the Hollow Legs!

A few days pass. Peter doesn't see his doppleganger. He doesn't bother his brother. He doesn't exactly have time. Not if his visions are going to come true. Not if Future Hiro had been right about what was going to happen to his brother in a new time line carved out, likely, by the messes he made with his future self.

He has no idea, however, that Nathan's also getting filled in on some news. And this time? It's about his baby brother's death. Surely that's a little worse than some road head.

[law-anddisorder.livejournal.com]

As it would turn out, Nathan's unconcern for the last week of his campaign made no difference at all. He won the election for Congress by a landslide. He suspects he knows who is behind it, now that he's discovered the master plan set in motion by "The Company" in which he and his younger brother star as two measly pawns.

Nathan's not going to stand by and watch his brother die. He'll die before that happens. He could care less about power and status and ruling his little corner of the world if the cost is this high.

He tries calling Peter, but his cell phone keeps going straight to voicemail. He has to find him. To warn him. Peter's spongelike power is dangerous, and if he can stop him from actually coming across the radioactive man...

And how is Nathan supposed to pick him out of eight million people in the city of New York? All he's good for is pulling cats out of trees!

Back to Peter's apartment he goes, hammering his finger on the intercom.

"Pete, it's me. It's Nathan. Open the door!"

[chimeramimic.livejournal.com]

And elderly man gives Nathan his break to get up the stairs and to Peter's apartment. The shitty lock and a good, strong, military trained shoulder are all that Nathan needs to get inside the apartment. It's no secret whatsoever that Peter had found the paintings that Nathan tried his best to get rid of, box up, and destroy. He just likely isn't expecting to find a bad computer print out of the image of the exploding man in front of what is obviously the installation at Kirby Plaza.

Too late, Nathan. You've won the election.

Peter's met the radioactive man. He's rushed off to be a hero. And he's not going to be stopping the man he things will explode. He'll become him.

It's already happening when Nathan arrives. Peter's starting to flash, looking horrified. He's going to kill these people. These poor people.

He's the villain. He's the one they should have been stopping. And when he sees Nathan striding for him, he panics. "Stay away!"

[law-anddisorder.livejournal.com]

Nathan is absolutely not ready for any of what he's seeing. His brother is glowing as bright as the sun, and the heat is intense, even from ten feet away. He shields his eyes; Peter is glowing so brightly it actually hurts to look at him.

Why isn't he actually burning? What little hair he has should have burned off of him. He should be screaming. Burning. Dying. But he's not.

And then he realizes it. His dirty little secret that goes by the name of Claire Bennet. She's indestructible, and Peter met her. He can't die!

But had Claire ever tested her ability against a nuclear explosion?

Well, in about five minutes, it's not going to matter for Nathan anymore. These eight million people won't die if only one does.

"No, I won't," Nathan says, stepping closer. Each step and the air around him exponentially increases in temperature. When he's close enough to touch him, Nathan begins to feel ill. But he's smiling anyway.

"I'm not going to let all these people die, Peter."

[chimeramimic.livejournal.com]

It's the first time that he's had his brother's arms around him in quite a long time. Peter's eyes well up with tears that evaporate the moment they hit his eyelashes.

This isn't how the other Peter said that Nathan died. It's something else. The outcome, however, is the same. Peter stops being able to breath as they break the sound barrier. He can't even cling to his brother any further.

Nathan's burning up, literally, and Peter's helpless to save him. "Let me go," he whines. Maybe, just maybe Nathan can get away in time.

And he does, but just barely.

Peter explodes, discharging energy, and immediately swoops down to find Nathan. He catches him in mid air, adrenaline flashing through his system as he takes him to a hospital.

His old hospital.

Peter won't leave his side. He can't. Even when Nathan's admitted into the burn ward, his case almost surely hopeless.

[fallen-empath.livejournal.com]

Continued here (http://fallen-empath.livejournal.com/7438.html).