Heroes: Incognito (12/12)
Sep. 26th, 2010 06:14 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: 433
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 Eleven
The doctors have to shave Claude’s head to treat his burn. They say his eardrum and retina will heal on their own, that he’ll be fine in a couple of months. After their debriefing, Peter finds him sitting out on the stone bench in Kirby Plaza.
“Well that was fun,” Peter says, sitting beside him.
Claude cracks a smile. “Yeah. You’d think the words were poison, them saying we did good.”
“Yeah...” Peter thinks back to Nathan’s face, the respect lurking below the surface. He didn’t seem all that surprised to find out that in a month he’ll be telling Hiro the information that saves Peter and Claude’s assignment, as well as New York City. “So, what now?”
Claude is silent for a beat, then sighs deeply. “Well, I’ve a bad eye and ear to see to now. And Primatech knows I’m alive again. Not just alive- but a bloody great nuisance as well.”
A pit opens in Peter’s stomach. He swallows, waits for the inevitable.
“So, I’m thinking we’ll need some time off before the next job, yeah?”
Peter meets Claude’s look of gentle inquiry with wide-eyed shock. “What?”
“The next job,” Claude repeats. “Or was I not there when you found out what happened to Haram?”
“Uh, no- no, I still don’t know...”
“Right, well, I’d like to get back in good health, maybe let Primatech’s memory grow a little long. And I’m certainly not having my partner run off without me. If Primatech’s not pleased with me, they’re furious with you, mate. That’s a fact.”
“But- you’re staying?” Peter blurts out. “I thought- I mean, you got captured. You almost got sent to Research Division.”
“Didn’t though, and whose fault is that?” Claude’s smiling, and Peter has to look away to try to get the absurd heat to leave his cheeks. “But I would’ve, if you didn’t know I’d been caught.”
“I didn’t.”
“No?”
Peter’s gaze returns to Claude’s face. Indulges in skimming over his features. “René didn’t see you get captured. He just saw you run. But when you didn’t come back to the park or the hotel, I thought Primatech might’ve got you. Because I’m your partner, and I didn’t believe you would run. Because,” he falters, “because...”
Claude takes pity on him with a small smile and a hand on his cheek guiding their mouths together for a long soft moment. A warm peace fills Peter’s heart.
“So,” he says after they separate and he rediscovers language, “This break you mentioned. Any specific ideas about where we should take it?”
“Anywhere we want.”
Peter grins, “Anywhere?”
“Anywhere.”
Word Count: 433
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 Eleven
The doctors have to shave Claude’s head to treat his burn. They say his eardrum and retina will heal on their own, that he’ll be fine in a couple of months. After their debriefing, Peter finds him sitting out on the stone bench in Kirby Plaza.
“Well that was fun,” Peter says, sitting beside him.
Claude cracks a smile. “Yeah. You’d think the words were poison, them saying we did good.”
“Yeah...” Peter thinks back to Nathan’s face, the respect lurking below the surface. He didn’t seem all that surprised to find out that in a month he’ll be telling Hiro the information that saves Peter and Claude’s assignment, as well as New York City. “So, what now?”
Claude is silent for a beat, then sighs deeply. “Well, I’ve a bad eye and ear to see to now. And Primatech knows I’m alive again. Not just alive- but a bloody great nuisance as well.”
A pit opens in Peter’s stomach. He swallows, waits for the inevitable.
“So, I’m thinking we’ll need some time off before the next job, yeah?”
Peter meets Claude’s look of gentle inquiry with wide-eyed shock. “What?”
“The next job,” Claude repeats. “Or was I not there when you found out what happened to Haram?”
“Uh, no- no, I still don’t know...”
“Right, well, I’d like to get back in good health, maybe let Primatech’s memory grow a little long. And I’m certainly not having my partner run off without me. If Primatech’s not pleased with me, they’re furious with you, mate. That’s a fact.”
“But- you’re staying?” Peter blurts out. “I thought- I mean, you got captured. You almost got sent to Research Division.”
“Didn’t though, and whose fault is that?” Claude’s smiling, and Peter has to look away to try to get the absurd heat to leave his cheeks. “But I would’ve, if you didn’t know I’d been caught.”
“I didn’t.”
“No?”
Peter’s gaze returns to Claude’s face. Indulges in skimming over his features. “René didn’t see you get captured. He just saw you run. But when you didn’t come back to the park or the hotel, I thought Primatech might’ve got you. Because I’m your partner, and I didn’t believe you would run. Because,” he falters, “because...”
Claude takes pity on him with a small smile and a hand on his cheek guiding their mouths together for a long soft moment. A warm peace fills Peter’s heart.
“So,” he says after they separate and he rediscovers language, “This break you mentioned. Any specific ideas about where we should take it?”
“Anywhere we want.”
Peter grins, “Anywhere?”
“Anywhere.”
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no subject
Date: 2010-09-28 04:42 pm (UTC)The plot points you brought in from canon worked very well here (especially with the blending of differing seasons. That had the potential to be confusing but instead was natural. Every element flowed and this felt like its own arc within the show itself); and the relationship between Peter and Claude was sweetly hesitant--a pleasure to read.
I can see the Notorious inspirations within this but you tailored them appropriately, and the result is excellent as always. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-09-28 10:55 pm (UTC)Thanks very much! I love cherry-picking bits of canon to work into an AU. It was most fun in Bad Reputation, but this managed to include more than I thought it would.
Notorious is such a cool story, I really was helpless when I first saw it. Glad it worked for you!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-29 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-29 11:21 am (UTC)plagiarizingdrawing inspiration from another, way more awesome story. You have a complete framework and you can just plug in what you need.no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 04:13 pm (UTC)Anyway, yay! I loved this whole thing! The way that you weaved bits of canon from all the seasons together worked perfectly. I'm really intrigued by the whole AU you created here-- especially Peter's training with Haram and what exactly it is he learned about Claude, Peter's capture by Primatech, and then what exactly it is that caused Haram's death. So you know, if you wanted to write a prequel/sequel involving any of those things... ;)
I found your Peter here especially endearing. He's just so earnest and wants to do good, but he still gets crap from his family. That initial telephone exchange between Nathan and Peter was perfect:
“Affirmative,” Peter smirks.
“Grow up.” The line clicks off.
Hee. I also loved his little bit of a crush and hero worship on Claude that had built up from all of Haram's stories. And Claude is appropriately prickly and surly, but he's can't resist Peter.
Anyway, this whole story was wonderful, and I'm so excited it's finally posted! :D
no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 05:17 pm (UTC)The way that you weaved bits of canon from all the seasons together worked perfectly.
That's one of the really cool things about AUs- not so much coming up with something completely new but using pre-existing canon in a different way.
So you know, if you wanted to write a prequel/sequel involving any of those things...
Heh, well, I can't say I've given a whole ton of thought to those things, TBH, but I was a little disappointed the plot wouldn't let me work in the mystery of Haram's death.
That initial telephone exchange between Nathan and Peter was perfect
XDDD Eeee thanks for noticing! That bit at the end was one of the things I really liked. Anyway it's so rare that I write Nathan it's definitely encouraging to know I got him, and his relationship with Peter, right.