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Entry tags:
Drabble Meme: Nathan & Peter (Nathan POV), Heroes
Ttly stolen from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
burningvigor, who did a matching set from Peter's POV. <3 (Also planning to do a Sam & Dean set from Dean's POV once Court is ready to do a SAMMEH one. :D!)
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
NOTE: Kinda cheated and went back through and edited these so they weren't so bad. Generally, though, I stopped writing when the song ended, unless I had to finish a line. (Except for 9. Totally cheated on 9. D:) Also got an INORDINATE amount of OVERLY EMO/MELODRAMATIC songs so yeah, warning on that, and apologies for suck, since um, these were timed, more-or-less, and not meant to be really formal. D8
WARNING(S): 7 is one-sided gay-ish, but the rest are platonic/up to interpretation. Also, again, a lot of these are REALLY MELODRAMATIC and REALLY... not so good. XD;
---
1) U2 - Mysterious Ways
Nathan Petrelli remembered a recurring dream he'd had as a kid, a dream where he leapt out of his bedroom window and flew among the stars. Like a kid, he'd accepted it at face value, and when he jumped from the peak of a swing at the playground, he closed his eyes and tried to remember what it'd been like before he hit the sand.
Years went by and Nathan grew older. He had a little brother now, and he was the one who played on the swing set while Nathan studied for finals. He didn't have the dream as often anymore, but when he did, his brother was in it, tightly grasping his hand.
More years passed and the dream became nothing but a childhood memory, faint and embarrassing. Nathan had more important things to worry about now: He had a job and a family and a self-righteous brother who'd screw up his campaign if he wasn't careful. Peter was smug when he walked up to him and reminded him they could fly for real - that they could jet around the Statue of Liberty if they wanted, and that he was willing to do it. Nathan hated the threat because it hit him hard; he knew what he wanted, but he didn't know if it was right. He didn't know if he cared.
Nathan had the same dream that night, and this time he was the one falling, falling, clutching at Peter's hand.
---
2) Sneaker Pimps - Think Harder, Think Dumb
Nathan had spent three and half months in sheer pain, but burns and internal injuries and radiation poisoning were nothing compared to the loss that cut through him every day. He'd tried to save Peter and now he was dead. He'd tried to tell Heidi the truth and now she and his children had left him. He'd lost everything he loved, and he knew he deserved it; he knew he was now as much a monster on the outside as he was inwardly. God, all the people he'd almost murdered. He'd stupidly thought he could redeem himself and fix things, but it had been far too little, far too late. He'd killed Peter. He'd killed his brother.
When he woke up one morning as clean of injuries as the day he'd been born, his mother made sure the doctors chalked it up to a miracle, but he knew what it really was. He knew this was the ultimate punishment: To be the one who survived without consequence and to live every day with what he'd done. He threw away what was left of his life and drank so that he'd forget what he'd done, drank so that he could pretend to himself that Peter was coming back.
He still couldn't see past his own reflection, though now he knew what it really looked like.
---
3) Toquinho E Vinicius De Moraes - Aquarela Do Brasil (I wasn't able to find a translation, so uh, going by the song's mood here.)
The restaurant was the kind of cheesy paradise-emulating place that had a live band amongst the diners. Nathan arched an eyebrow at the singer and looked to Peter.
"You'd think they could afford someone to run their wires better. I can barely hear anything."
"That's because you're old, Nathan," Peter returned as he glanced over the menu. He scratched his head. "I know this is a dumb thing to ask, but is there any limit on our bill?"
"What?" Nathan asked incredulously, looking up from his margarita. It was a dumb question. "No, of course not. It's your birthday. And we're rich."
"I'm not," Peter shot back like a teenager.
"You're not paying," Nathan shot back like a dad.
---
4) Gorillaz - Every Planet We Reach is Dead
They'd been on the run from the Company for a while now, and in that time, they'd both died more often than they wanted to think about.
"You see anyone coming?" Nathan said through a grimace, holding his side as Peter pulled a syringe full of blood from his arm.
"No," his brother responded. Nathan's eyes narrowed at him; he had blood dripping down his face and chest even though all his injuries had already vanished.
"You should take a break, Pete."
"No," Peter repeated. Nathan grit his teeth for a reason other than pain as Peter handed him the syringe, and though he did jab it into his arm like he always did, it was with frustration and impatience.
"Dammit, Peter, you don't need to be a martyr all the time. I can tell you're stressed out."
"Yeah, well, so are you," Peter retorted, looking up. Nathan gasped as he felt his wounds closing, and once Peter's blood was done doing its work, he slumped against the wall of the old cabin.
They spent a few moments in tenuous silence. Finally, Nathan broke it.
"How the hell did we end up like this?" His voice was a grumble, and he was only half-joking. "I was supposed to be a corrupt politician - a comfortably corrupt politician."
"Guess not," Peter replied. He was smiling a little.
---
5) Yann Tiersen - La Boulange
Peter had always been into rock more than classical music, and Nathan was pretty much certain it was just to piss off their dad. That in and of itself made Nathan a little wary of talking to Peter about it - their dad could be a touchy subject, especially when Peter was the one stuck with them during the school year.
"Hey, Pete," Nathan said as he walked into the kid's room. He really was a teenager now, with band posters on the walls and on his t-shirt. He glanced around and then back to Peter. "You know, if you want to piss dad off, you could find a more productive way to do it."
"I am," Peter smirked. "I'm going to be a nurse."
---
6) Death Note - Low of Solipsism (oh jesus the PEN-FLAILING TRACK)
Nathan had come to five days ago, and in those five days, he'd learned what had happened, what Peter had said and done when he thought his brother had died.
Nathan was flying now, faster than he ever had, from New York to the Company facility in Odessa. He swallowed down fear when he saw the place smoldering; even the fire trucks nearby had been turned on their sides.
He landed and rushed into the wreckage, trying not to cough on the smoke. He finally saw him - standing amongst a group of bodies with flames in his hands, his head bowed.
"Peter!" Nathan yelled at the top of his lungs, struggling through the debris. He thought he saw him pause before he turned, and when he did, Nathan could see a look of loss in his eyes, of disbelief.
"Peter--" He gasped out, trying to reassure his brother that this was real, that he was alive--
It was the last thing he said.
---
7) The Living Desert - Buenas Noches
"I don't like camping," Nathan grumbled, leaning on his hiking stick. "It's why I enlisted to become a pilot, not a peon."
Peter laughed, turning to look at him. "Aw, c'mon! The campsite's just up ahead."
"Yeah, that's what you said an hour ago," Nathan muttered back, but he followed anyway. This time, Peter was right: He caught sight of their blue tent on the plateau that Peter had picked out for setting up their things.
"I still can't believe they're making you do this for school," Nathan continued with his ranting as he tossed down his pack and fell into a sitting position next to the cooler. He tugged a bottle of water out from the ice and chugged.
"It's a combination of, uh, science and P.E.," Peter said as he pulled out his own bottle with a little more grace. "Or something. They know our brand of parents can afford to waste money on it, anyway."
"Yeah, I figured," Nathan said when he was done drinking. He sniffed under his arm and winced. "The difference is they have showers in a gym."
Peter's subsequent laugh faded away as they both glanced up at the far-off horizon. The sun was setting over the desert in a brilliant gradient of orange, and as miserable as the day had been, Nathan couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate their surroundings.
"Why'd you want to camp all the way out here, anyway?" He finally asked, glancing up at Peter. "We could've checked out the Appalachians or something. No need to fly out to Arizona."
"Yeah, well..." Peter sighed, sitting down next to his brother. "I wanted to get away from it all, you know?"
Nathan arched an eyebrow, taking another swig as he looked over at him.
"With me?"
"Yeah, Nathan." Peter smiled in a way that gave his brother pause. "With you."
---
8) Portishead - Seven Months
It had been seven months since Kirby Plaza and three months since Nathan had been shot. He laid back in his bed, trying to calculate just how many days that was. Ninety. It didn't sound so bad, but it had been.
"Hey," Peter said, poking his head in after a knock at the door. Nathan glanced up from the journal in his hands, staring blankly.
"If you came to check - yeah," Nathan gave something of a bitter smile, "I'm still crazy."
"You can get that attitude when you aren't avoiding mirrors like the plague." Peter frowned, stepping into the room. Nathan looked away, trying not to come off as terrible as he felt.
"Two deaths aren't good for someone's health."
"Stop deflecting," Peter said sternly, and Nathan went quiet. Roles had been reversed these past months: Peter was the one who was trying to fix Nathan, and that didn't make sense. Nathan was the older one, but then again, it seemed like whenever he tried to do something good, he only made things worse.
"I don't know, Peter," he finally muttered, looking away. "I'm not sure if want to get out of here."
"Well, I do," Peter said, sitting down on the chair next to his bed. "And I'm damn sure."
---
9) Chrono Cross - Dream of the Shore of Another World (piano remix by gutzaplus) (cheated really bad on this one, but oh well)
"Hey, hey, Dan," Nathan Petrelli smirked, one arm draped over a bikini-clad girl as he sat on a private Maui beach, "what does Marone think I am, some cheap hooker? Tell him he's gotta pay more to buy me."
He clicked off his cell phone and turned back to the girl draped over him. What was her name? Veronica? It wouldn't matter after tonight, anyway.
"Mr. Petrerri?"
Nathan pulled down his sunglasses to see the man approaching him - he was short, young, and Asian.
"What do you want?" he asked, trying to figure out who the hell the guy was and where he'd come from. He thought of people who could've had it out for him but didn't come up with much; Heidi didn't know about the girls he was seeing and the D.A. office didn't know about the bills he was running on their tab. Linderman knew about both, but he thought they'd already settled that blackmail.
"Neesan Petrerri," the man repeated, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The sword on his back fit his ridiculous accent. "I have something very important to ask--"
"Make it quick," Nathan interjected dryly. "I'm an important man."
Veronica-girl giggled vapidly as the guy paused. There was a weird look in his eyes, as if he was somewhere between shocked and sad. Finally, he asked in a strangely somber tone:
"Do you have... a brother?"
Nathan's eyes narrowed, and he wondered if this was one of Linderman's cronies sent to intimidate him. He leaned back in his chair and reached for the November issue of Newsweek beside him in an effort to keep his cool.
"I did. Died of freak complications the day he was born. Why do you care?"
But when he turned back around, the man was gone.
---
10) Arctic Monkeys - When the Sun Goes Down
Nathan froze when he walked through the front door at three in the morning to see Peter sitting on the stairs in front of the entryway. A sudden wave of self-consciousness swept over him and he fiddled with the key in his hands.
"Hey, Pete," he said hesitantly. Peter gazed up, expression unreadable.
"Where were you?"
"Late party," Nathan put on a grin, trying to seem nonchalant. "Adult stuff, you know."
"Yeah, I'm sure it was adult," Peter said coldly, and it was then that Nathan knew he wasn't getting away from an explanation. He sighed and scratched the back of his head, closing his eyes.
"Listen, I needed--"
"Needed what?" Peter demanded, standing to his feet and balling his fists. "Cheap sex?"
Nathan didn't really know how to respond. His wrinkled clothes were pretty telling, and Peter wasn't as naive and trusting as he used to be. Both revelations made Nathan angrier than they made him feel guilty, and his shocked expression turned into a scowl as he walked towards his brother and pushed past him.
"It's none of your business, Peter. I'm all grown up; I can make decisions on my own."
"No, you can't!" Peter followed him up the stairs, his tone wavering between furious and imploring. "You can't, Nathan! You're not supposed to do things like that! You're..."
Nathan stopped in his tracks as Peter's voice broke.
"You're... you're my big brother."
Without thinking, Nathan turned around and pulled Peter into a hug.
He didn't know what he'd do without him.
---
Funny story: I screwed up my numbering so much that I did two extra ones, so I just pulled out two that were personal-RP-based/super-short in the end. AHA. XD;;; Also, finally going to do those![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
damned posts I owe everyone. WOOO.
burningvigor, who did a matching set from Peter's POV. <3 (Also planning to do a Sam & Dean set from Dean's POV once Court is ready to do a SAMMEH one. :D!)1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
NOTE: Kinda cheated and went back through and edited these so they weren't so bad. Generally, though, I stopped writing when the song ended, unless I had to finish a line. (Except for 9. Totally cheated on 9. D:) Also got an INORDINATE amount of OVERLY EMO/MELODRAMATIC songs so yeah, warning on that, and apologies for suck, since um, these were timed, more-or-less, and not meant to be really formal. D8
WARNING(S): 7 is one-sided gay-ish, but the rest are platonic/up to interpretation. Also, again, a lot of these are REALLY MELODRAMATIC and REALLY... not so good. XD;
---
1) U2 - Mysterious Ways
Nathan Petrelli remembered a recurring dream he'd had as a kid, a dream where he leapt out of his bedroom window and flew among the stars. Like a kid, he'd accepted it at face value, and when he jumped from the peak of a swing at the playground, he closed his eyes and tried to remember what it'd been like before he hit the sand.
Years went by and Nathan grew older. He had a little brother now, and he was the one who played on the swing set while Nathan studied for finals. He didn't have the dream as often anymore, but when he did, his brother was in it, tightly grasping his hand.
More years passed and the dream became nothing but a childhood memory, faint and embarrassing. Nathan had more important things to worry about now: He had a job and a family and a self-righteous brother who'd screw up his campaign if he wasn't careful. Peter was smug when he walked up to him and reminded him they could fly for real - that they could jet around the Statue of Liberty if they wanted, and that he was willing to do it. Nathan hated the threat because it hit him hard; he knew what he wanted, but he didn't know if it was right. He didn't know if he cared.
Nathan had the same dream that night, and this time he was the one falling, falling, clutching at Peter's hand.
---
2) Sneaker Pimps - Think Harder, Think Dumb
Nathan had spent three and half months in sheer pain, but burns and internal injuries and radiation poisoning were nothing compared to the loss that cut through him every day. He'd tried to save Peter and now he was dead. He'd tried to tell Heidi the truth and now she and his children had left him. He'd lost everything he loved, and he knew he deserved it; he knew he was now as much a monster on the outside as he was inwardly. God, all the people he'd almost murdered. He'd stupidly thought he could redeem himself and fix things, but it had been far too little, far too late. He'd killed Peter. He'd killed his brother.
When he woke up one morning as clean of injuries as the day he'd been born, his mother made sure the doctors chalked it up to a miracle, but he knew what it really was. He knew this was the ultimate punishment: To be the one who survived without consequence and to live every day with what he'd done. He threw away what was left of his life and drank so that he'd forget what he'd done, drank so that he could pretend to himself that Peter was coming back.
He still couldn't see past his own reflection, though now he knew what it really looked like.
---
3) Toquinho E Vinicius De Moraes - Aquarela Do Brasil (I wasn't able to find a translation, so uh, going by the song's mood here.)
The restaurant was the kind of cheesy paradise-emulating place that had a live band amongst the diners. Nathan arched an eyebrow at the singer and looked to Peter.
"You'd think they could afford someone to run their wires better. I can barely hear anything."
"That's because you're old, Nathan," Peter returned as he glanced over the menu. He scratched his head. "I know this is a dumb thing to ask, but is there any limit on our bill?"
"What?" Nathan asked incredulously, looking up from his margarita. It was a dumb question. "No, of course not. It's your birthday. And we're rich."
"I'm not," Peter shot back like a teenager.
"You're not paying," Nathan shot back like a dad.
---
4) Gorillaz - Every Planet We Reach is Dead
They'd been on the run from the Company for a while now, and in that time, they'd both died more often than they wanted to think about.
"You see anyone coming?" Nathan said through a grimace, holding his side as Peter pulled a syringe full of blood from his arm.
"No," his brother responded. Nathan's eyes narrowed at him; he had blood dripping down his face and chest even though all his injuries had already vanished.
"You should take a break, Pete."
"No," Peter repeated. Nathan grit his teeth for a reason other than pain as Peter handed him the syringe, and though he did jab it into his arm like he always did, it was with frustration and impatience.
"Dammit, Peter, you don't need to be a martyr all the time. I can tell you're stressed out."
"Yeah, well, so are you," Peter retorted, looking up. Nathan gasped as he felt his wounds closing, and once Peter's blood was done doing its work, he slumped against the wall of the old cabin.
They spent a few moments in tenuous silence. Finally, Nathan broke it.
"How the hell did we end up like this?" His voice was a grumble, and he was only half-joking. "I was supposed to be a corrupt politician - a comfortably corrupt politician."
"Guess not," Peter replied. He was smiling a little.
---
5) Yann Tiersen - La Boulange
Peter had always been into rock more than classical music, and Nathan was pretty much certain it was just to piss off their dad. That in and of itself made Nathan a little wary of talking to Peter about it - their dad could be a touchy subject, especially when Peter was the one stuck with them during the school year.
"Hey, Pete," Nathan said as he walked into the kid's room. He really was a teenager now, with band posters on the walls and on his t-shirt. He glanced around and then back to Peter. "You know, if you want to piss dad off, you could find a more productive way to do it."
"I am," Peter smirked. "I'm going to be a nurse."
---
6) Death Note - Low of Solipsism (oh jesus the PEN-FLAILING TRACK)
Nathan had come to five days ago, and in those five days, he'd learned what had happened, what Peter had said and done when he thought his brother had died.
Nathan was flying now, faster than he ever had, from New York to the Company facility in Odessa. He swallowed down fear when he saw the place smoldering; even the fire trucks nearby had been turned on their sides.
He landed and rushed into the wreckage, trying not to cough on the smoke. He finally saw him - standing amongst a group of bodies with flames in his hands, his head bowed.
"Peter!" Nathan yelled at the top of his lungs, struggling through the debris. He thought he saw him pause before he turned, and when he did, Nathan could see a look of loss in his eyes, of disbelief.
"Peter--" He gasped out, trying to reassure his brother that this was real, that he was alive--
It was the last thing he said.
---
7) The Living Desert - Buenas Noches
"I don't like camping," Nathan grumbled, leaning on his hiking stick. "It's why I enlisted to become a pilot, not a peon."
Peter laughed, turning to look at him. "Aw, c'mon! The campsite's just up ahead."
"Yeah, that's what you said an hour ago," Nathan muttered back, but he followed anyway. This time, Peter was right: He caught sight of their blue tent on the plateau that Peter had picked out for setting up their things.
"I still can't believe they're making you do this for school," Nathan continued with his ranting as he tossed down his pack and fell into a sitting position next to the cooler. He tugged a bottle of water out from the ice and chugged.
"It's a combination of, uh, science and P.E.," Peter said as he pulled out his own bottle with a little more grace. "Or something. They know our brand of parents can afford to waste money on it, anyway."
"Yeah, I figured," Nathan said when he was done drinking. He sniffed under his arm and winced. "The difference is they have showers in a gym."
Peter's subsequent laugh faded away as they both glanced up at the far-off horizon. The sun was setting over the desert in a brilliant gradient of orange, and as miserable as the day had been, Nathan couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate their surroundings.
"Why'd you want to camp all the way out here, anyway?" He finally asked, glancing up at Peter. "We could've checked out the Appalachians or something. No need to fly out to Arizona."
"Yeah, well..." Peter sighed, sitting down next to his brother. "I wanted to get away from it all, you know?"
Nathan arched an eyebrow, taking another swig as he looked over at him.
"With me?"
"Yeah, Nathan." Peter smiled in a way that gave his brother pause. "With you."
---
8) Portishead - Seven Months
It had been seven months since Kirby Plaza and three months since Nathan had been shot. He laid back in his bed, trying to calculate just how many days that was. Ninety. It didn't sound so bad, but it had been.
"Hey," Peter said, poking his head in after a knock at the door. Nathan glanced up from the journal in his hands, staring blankly.
"If you came to check - yeah," Nathan gave something of a bitter smile, "I'm still crazy."
"You can get that attitude when you aren't avoiding mirrors like the plague." Peter frowned, stepping into the room. Nathan looked away, trying not to come off as terrible as he felt.
"Two deaths aren't good for someone's health."
"Stop deflecting," Peter said sternly, and Nathan went quiet. Roles had been reversed these past months: Peter was the one who was trying to fix Nathan, and that didn't make sense. Nathan was the older one, but then again, it seemed like whenever he tried to do something good, he only made things worse.
"I don't know, Peter," he finally muttered, looking away. "I'm not sure if want to get out of here."
"Well, I do," Peter said, sitting down on the chair next to his bed. "And I'm damn sure."
---
9) Chrono Cross - Dream of the Shore of Another World (piano remix by gutzaplus) (cheated really bad on this one, but oh well)
"Hey, hey, Dan," Nathan Petrelli smirked, one arm draped over a bikini-clad girl as he sat on a private Maui beach, "what does Marone think I am, some cheap hooker? Tell him he's gotta pay more to buy me."
He clicked off his cell phone and turned back to the girl draped over him. What was her name? Veronica? It wouldn't matter after tonight, anyway.
"Mr. Petrerri?"
Nathan pulled down his sunglasses to see the man approaching him - he was short, young, and Asian.
"What do you want?" he asked, trying to figure out who the hell the guy was and where he'd come from. He thought of people who could've had it out for him but didn't come up with much; Heidi didn't know about the girls he was seeing and the D.A. office didn't know about the bills he was running on their tab. Linderman knew about both, but he thought they'd already settled that blackmail.
"Neesan Petrerri," the man repeated, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The sword on his back fit his ridiculous accent. "I have something very important to ask--"
"Make it quick," Nathan interjected dryly. "I'm an important man."
Veronica-girl giggled vapidly as the guy paused. There was a weird look in his eyes, as if he was somewhere between shocked and sad. Finally, he asked in a strangely somber tone:
"Do you have... a brother?"
Nathan's eyes narrowed, and he wondered if this was one of Linderman's cronies sent to intimidate him. He leaned back in his chair and reached for the November issue of Newsweek beside him in an effort to keep his cool.
"I did. Died of freak complications the day he was born. Why do you care?"
But when he turned back around, the man was gone.
---
10) Arctic Monkeys - When the Sun Goes Down
Nathan froze when he walked through the front door at three in the morning to see Peter sitting on the stairs in front of the entryway. A sudden wave of self-consciousness swept over him and he fiddled with the key in his hands.
"Hey, Pete," he said hesitantly. Peter gazed up, expression unreadable.
"Where were you?"
"Late party," Nathan put on a grin, trying to seem nonchalant. "Adult stuff, you know."
"Yeah, I'm sure it was adult," Peter said coldly, and it was then that Nathan knew he wasn't getting away from an explanation. He sighed and scratched the back of his head, closing his eyes.
"Listen, I needed--"
"Needed what?" Peter demanded, standing to his feet and balling his fists. "Cheap sex?"
Nathan didn't really know how to respond. His wrinkled clothes were pretty telling, and Peter wasn't as naive and trusting as he used to be. Both revelations made Nathan angrier than they made him feel guilty, and his shocked expression turned into a scowl as he walked towards his brother and pushed past him.
"It's none of your business, Peter. I'm all grown up; I can make decisions on my own."
"No, you can't!" Peter followed him up the stairs, his tone wavering between furious and imploring. "You can't, Nathan! You're not supposed to do things like that! You're..."
Nathan stopped in his tracks as Peter's voice broke.
"You're... you're my big brother."
Without thinking, Nathan turned around and pulled Peter into a hug.
He didn't know what he'd do without him.
---
Funny story: I screwed up my numbering so much that I did two extra ones, so I just pulled out two that were personal-RP-based/super-short in the end. AHA. XD;;; Also, finally going to do those
damned posts I owe everyone. WOOO.