Heroes: Incognito (6/12)
Sep. 26th, 2010 05:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lotus0kidRating: PG-13 (a little language, a little violence, a little sex)
Word Count: 917
Disclaimer: Heroes characters belong to Tim Kring.
A/N:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
heroes_bigboom fic. Thanks for the beta, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
visiblemarket!
Summary: Notorious-inspired AU set chronologically in S1, in which a past schism pits the Company against Primatech. To prevent Primatech from destroying New York City, Company agent Peter Petrelli enlists ex-agent Claude Rains.
Chapter Five
Should’ve... should’ve, should’ve, should’ve... Claude doesn’t finish the sentence before his better sense cuts it off with reminders of just how stupid it would’ve been to act on the ludicrous feelings he’s slapped on to Peter. This entire situation is bad enough without adding all that to it, he’s quite certain.
If ever there was a time for him to be a complete professional, this is it. Tailing his old boss, the man who ordered his death, through the bright streets of Costa Verde. How big an explosion is this supposed to be again?
One of the last helpful pieces of information Bennet was able to supply was Thompson’s fondness for getting coffee from a certain café most mornings, so Claude has a good place to begin his surveillance. Claude thinks Thompson must be getting lazy if he’s acquired a routine that leaves him so vulnerable. Lazy, or confident, he muses.
He can’t deny that an element of good old-fashioned curiosity motivates his actions. How on Earth could Primatech raze a city the size of New York, or any city for that matter? It’s enough to keep him following the other man, street after street, corner after corner.
Thompson turns off onto a less crowded street, and Claude tries to remember if they’re close to Primatech’s current address. He sees Thompson take out a cell phone and hold it to his ear.
“Hi, Claude, how ya been?” He freezes. Thompson walks a few more paces, but then stops as well, shifting his weight casually as he continues, “It’s been a long time. But not long enough for me to forget how it feels to be followed by an invisible man. It’s a singular experience- I’m a little hurt you’d think I wouldn’t remember. So? What are you doing in town?”
His tone is perfectly calm and friendly, as only Eric Thompson’s can be. Several options run through Claude’s head, but only one has the barest hope of keeping that bomb, or whatever it is, away from New York. “Heard you lot opened up shop out here. Needed t’get a little sun?”
Thompson shrugs. “Well, you’re British, I don’t expect you to understand. You know, it’s funny, Claude, but I really thought you were dead. So how’s that happen?”
“Got lucky. Thought I’d give us both a break, to think about what we’d done.”
Thompson’s smile never fades. But it widens now. “To see the error of our ways?”
“Yeah.”
“Well I think that’s just fantastic, Claude. And I know there are some people who would feel the same.”
“Let ‘em know for me then, eh?”
“I will, I will. And I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon, okay?”
“Fine.” Claude turns on his heel and leaves, his heart about to beat its way out of his ribcage. He has to get out of here. He has to find Peter.
Adrenaline carries him back through the city more than memory. He can hardly believe what he’s done. It’s almost impossible to imagine coming out of this alive. But if that’s the case, he decides there’s no reason to leave a “should’ve” behind.
He finds the hotel, and strides up to Peter’s room. The door opens before he even gets there, a dark head and puzzled expression leaning out, “Claude? What are you doing here? Is something wro-?”
That’s time enough for Claude to make it down the hallway, wrap his hands around Peter’s head, and kiss him. Cool relief trickles through panicked desire when hands come up to grip Claude’s shoulders and pull him into the room and closer to Peter, who arches against him and wraps strong arms around his neck.
They spend a long minute like that, squeezing each other tight as they trade kisses, until Peter separates them.
“O-okay,” he gasps, “That- this is... Okay, this is great, but what’s happening, Claude?”
The man badly wants to pull Peter to him again and see if he can’t forget everything for a little while. He heaves a deep sigh instead. “Thompson knew I was following him.”
“How?”
“By havin’ at least twenty years’ experience with Primatech and about ten of them with me. Stupid to think it’d be that easy.”
“Okay. Does he know why you’re here?”
“No. Managed to distract him with something else.”
“Which would be the reason you’re still alive right now.”
“Probably, yeah. I... indicated I might be amenable to going back to Primatech.”
Peter stares at him. “And he believed you?”
Claude shrugs uncomfortably, “It’s complicated, all right? In any case, there aren’t many secret organizations who wouldn’t want the world’s only invisible man on their side.”
Peter absorbs this while staring into the middle distance. Eventually he looks back up at Claude with a soft smile. “You could’ve run, when he spotted you.”
“I suppose. Would’ve had ‘em after me for sure, though.”
He shakes his head. “You know how to hide. There’s a good chance they wouldn’t have found you.”
“But what about the Company? I’d not have gotten far with a finder like you on my tail.”
Peter’s eyes are warm and bright as he sidles closer to Claude. “You’re so sure I’d come after you if the Company told me to?”
“Could just take you with me,” Claude says in a charged murmur. “Anywhere we wanted to go.”
“Anywhere?”
“Anywhere...” Peter closes the distance between them, his kisses slow but full of hunger, intoxicating. Claude sees no compelling reason whatsoever not to follow him to the bed.
Chapter Seven
Word Count: 917
Disclaimer: Heroes characters belong to Tim Kring.
A/N:
heroes_bigboom fic. Thanks for the beta, visiblemarket!Summary: Notorious-inspired AU set chronologically in S1, in which a past schism pits the Company against Primatech. To prevent Primatech from destroying New York City, Company agent Peter Petrelli enlists ex-agent Claude Rains.
Chapter Five
Should’ve... should’ve, should’ve, should’ve... Claude doesn’t finish the sentence before his better sense cuts it off with reminders of just how stupid it would’ve been to act on the ludicrous feelings he’s slapped on to Peter. This entire situation is bad enough without adding all that to it, he’s quite certain.
If ever there was a time for him to be a complete professional, this is it. Tailing his old boss, the man who ordered his death, through the bright streets of Costa Verde. How big an explosion is this supposed to be again?
One of the last helpful pieces of information Bennet was able to supply was Thompson’s fondness for getting coffee from a certain café most mornings, so Claude has a good place to begin his surveillance. Claude thinks Thompson must be getting lazy if he’s acquired a routine that leaves him so vulnerable. Lazy, or confident, he muses.
He can’t deny that an element of good old-fashioned curiosity motivates his actions. How on Earth could Primatech raze a city the size of New York, or any city for that matter? It’s enough to keep him following the other man, street after street, corner after corner.
Thompson turns off onto a less crowded street, and Claude tries to remember if they’re close to Primatech’s current address. He sees Thompson take out a cell phone and hold it to his ear.
“Hi, Claude, how ya been?” He freezes. Thompson walks a few more paces, but then stops as well, shifting his weight casually as he continues, “It’s been a long time. But not long enough for me to forget how it feels to be followed by an invisible man. It’s a singular experience- I’m a little hurt you’d think I wouldn’t remember. So? What are you doing in town?”
His tone is perfectly calm and friendly, as only Eric Thompson’s can be. Several options run through Claude’s head, but only one has the barest hope of keeping that bomb, or whatever it is, away from New York. “Heard you lot opened up shop out here. Needed t’get a little sun?”
Thompson shrugs. “Well, you’re British, I don’t expect you to understand. You know, it’s funny, Claude, but I really thought you were dead. So how’s that happen?”
“Got lucky. Thought I’d give us both a break, to think about what we’d done.”
Thompson’s smile never fades. But it widens now. “To see the error of our ways?”
“Yeah.”
“Well I think that’s just fantastic, Claude. And I know there are some people who would feel the same.”
“Let ‘em know for me then, eh?”
“I will, I will. And I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon, okay?”
“Fine.” Claude turns on his heel and leaves, his heart about to beat its way out of his ribcage. He has to get out of here. He has to find Peter.
Adrenaline carries him back through the city more than memory. He can hardly believe what he’s done. It’s almost impossible to imagine coming out of this alive. But if that’s the case, he decides there’s no reason to leave a “should’ve” behind.
He finds the hotel, and strides up to Peter’s room. The door opens before he even gets there, a dark head and puzzled expression leaning out, “Claude? What are you doing here? Is something wro-?”
That’s time enough for Claude to make it down the hallway, wrap his hands around Peter’s head, and kiss him. Cool relief trickles through panicked desire when hands come up to grip Claude’s shoulders and pull him into the room and closer to Peter, who arches against him and wraps strong arms around his neck.
They spend a long minute like that, squeezing each other tight as they trade kisses, until Peter separates them.
“O-okay,” he gasps, “That- this is... Okay, this is great, but what’s happening, Claude?”
The man badly wants to pull Peter to him again and see if he can’t forget everything for a little while. He heaves a deep sigh instead. “Thompson knew I was following him.”
“How?”
“By havin’ at least twenty years’ experience with Primatech and about ten of them with me. Stupid to think it’d be that easy.”
“Okay. Does he know why you’re here?”
“No. Managed to distract him with something else.”
“Which would be the reason you’re still alive right now.”
“Probably, yeah. I... indicated I might be amenable to going back to Primatech.”
Peter stares at him. “And he believed you?”
Claude shrugs uncomfortably, “It’s complicated, all right? In any case, there aren’t many secret organizations who wouldn’t want the world’s only invisible man on their side.”
Peter absorbs this while staring into the middle distance. Eventually he looks back up at Claude with a soft smile. “You could’ve run, when he spotted you.”
“I suppose. Would’ve had ‘em after me for sure, though.”
He shakes his head. “You know how to hide. There’s a good chance they wouldn’t have found you.”
“But what about the Company? I’d not have gotten far with a finder like you on my tail.”
Peter’s eyes are warm and bright as he sidles closer to Claude. “You’re so sure I’d come after you if the Company told me to?”
“Could just take you with me,” Claude says in a charged murmur. “Anywhere we wanted to go.”
“Anywhere?”
“Anywhere...” Peter closes the distance between them, his kisses slow but full of hunger, intoxicating. Claude sees no compelling reason whatsoever not to follow him to the bed.
Chapter Seven
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:13 am (UTC)Also, Sandra Bennet is on Grey's Anatomy right now! I'm so happy to see her I don't care that it is Grey's Anatomy.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:17 am (UTC)Neat! Not neat enough to make me watch Grey's Anatomy, but still!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:23 am (UTC)Heh, they better not kill her off. She's having surgery. Her husband is adorable and sweet.