Heroes fic: Sweet Understanding
Title: Sweet Understanding
Series: Heroes
Pairing: Mylar
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Adult themes, oh my! Also, fluff.
Summary: Gabriel spends a quiet Halloween with Mohinder.
A/N: Another Halloween fic (belated, I know).
When October rolled around, Gabriel and Mohinder were treated to Chandra's rants on how Halloween in America was not a cultural festival celebrating the dead, but an excuse to sell loads of sugar to the masses, encouraging children to inhale loads of candy and perpetuate the U.S. obesity epidemic.
"At least our fat helps us sleep well?" Gabriel tried to joke, gaining only an unamused stare.
But Mohinder chuckled, so Gabriel didn't feel all that awkward.
It was just as well that on the thirty-first Chandra was going away with his Columbia colleague to a convention in Chicago. His sour demeanor was no good for dealing with excited little kids. They would definitely prefer Mohinder's smile. Gabriel certainly did, though he tried to keep that to himself. He usually failed.
"I hope you enjoy the brief solitude," Chandra said to Mohinder as he prepared to leave. Two packed bags sat at his feet as he pulled on his jacket.
"It will be nice," Mohinder agreed, "though Gabriel is keeping me company tonight."
"Ah," Chandra replied with an expression that likely looked neutral to Mohinder, but when his eyes fixed on Gabriel, Gabriel laughed nervously at the suspicious glint.
"I don't get many kids where I live," he said (and lied), "so it's no problem helping Mohinder handle them here."
"I see," Chandra muttered.
Mohinder pulled up Gabriel's wrist to check his watch. "Your friend should be here. Do you need help downstairs?"
"I'm not quite that old," Chandra said, lifting his bags. Gabriel had the vague sense he should insist on carrying them, but he was experiencing a brief short circuit from Mohinder's unexpected touch. He prayed his face wasn't red.
Mohinder opened the door. "Have a good trip," he said as Chandra passed through.
"I'll see you in a few days," Chandra replied.
Mohinder watched him move down the hall for only a moment before closing the door. He stretched his arms above his head, as if suddenly relaxed. "I think we've earned our own little vacation from research," he said to Gabriel.
"But Chandra left a list--"
"Don't you know anything about the art of procrastination?"
Gabriel quirked an eyebrow skeptically. "I have trouble believing you've ever put off work a day in your life."
"Well, I'd like to try it." Mohinder gestured to the phone. "How about you order a pizza, and I'll find a terrible movie on the television?"
It sounded like a date. But it probably wasn't one. Maybe. Gabriel still wasn't sure how Mohinder felt. He liked Gabriel as a research colleague and a friend, obviously, but he couldn't be oblivious to all of Gabriel's stares and fumblings, as frequent as they were. So he either just didn't mind, or maybe...
Gabriel didn't want to get his hopes up.
He ordered a vegetarian pizza, and by the time it arrived, Mohinder had settled on a badly-acted horror flick that looked like it had been made in the eighties. Already an innocent young babysitter crept warily through a dark house, calling her charges' names to see if they were the ones making the floor boards creak.
"Do you think she dies now, or later in the final showdown?" Mohinder asked.
"I give her three more minutes," Gabriel snorted.
"So certain!" Mohinder laughed as he stood. "Would you like a beer?"
"Sure," Gabriel said, shooting him a sidelong glance. Mohinder rarely drank. Of course, that didn't mean he never did. Everyone liked to relax, so obviously Mohinder just wanted to relax... with Gabriel.
Mohinder sat down again, and his knee pressed against Gabriel's. Gabriel intently chewed his pizza until it was a tomato-y slop in his mouth. The touch had to be intentional. It wasn't normal for friends to sit this close, right? Something cold pressed against the back of his hand, and he yelped.
"I suppose the movie isn't so ridiculous?" Mohinder teased, dangling a bottle in front of Gabriel.
Gabriel took it. "Just a little cold," he mumbled. He watched Mohinder drink out of the corner of his eye, blushing as he watched Mohinder's lips wrap around the mouth of the bottle. He took a sip from his own beer and wondered what a combination of Mohinder and alcohol tasted like.
And still Mohinder's knee touched his, and when the babysitter met her demise at the hand of a masked, knife-wielding maniac-- complete with ridiculously squirting, bright red blood-- Mohinder bumped their shoulders and congratulated Gabriel on predicting her grisly death. He didn't pull away afterward.
Gabriel couldn't concentrate on the movie at all anymore. He kept thinking about how only mere layers of cotton separated their skin, and about the playful tone of Mohinder's voice as he commented on the obviously fake tears of the babysitter's friends as they learned her fate. Gabriel chuckled absentmindedly and reached for another slice of pizza just as Mohinder did, their hands brushing.
It was a stupid, poorly-timed impulse, but Gabriel seized it anyway, turning and leaning toward Mohinder-- and their foreheads smashed together.
Gabriel clutched at his head. "Ow! Sorry, sorry..."
Mohinder laughed, mirroring Gabriel's motions. "That was quite the impact," he said with a wince.
"Let's get you an ice pack," Gabriel said hastily, pulling Mohinder to his feet and dragging him into the kitchen.
"I'm fine, really," Mohinder protested as he stumbled. "We don't even have an ice pack."
Gabriel looked through the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen green beans. "Here," he said, smacking it against Mohinder's head. "I really am sorry!" he burst out again.
Mohinder tried to swat the bag away, but Gabriel held the back of his head insistently. "You worry far too much," Mohinder said.
"I'm such a klutz," Gabriel muttered.
"Well, I'm sure you didn't expect me to be coming from the other way," Mohinder said, averting his gaze.
"I guess n--" Gabriel felt his face turn red. Coming from the other way? So he'd been right? They really had been flirting all night?
Mohinder's gaze flicked nervously to Gabriel's face and back to the wall. "I'm sorry. Did you not... I thought you..."
"No, I did," Gabriel blurted out, barely knowing what he was talking about. "I definitely did."
Mohinder smiled. "That's good to know."
Gabriel felt that impulse twist in his gut again, and maybe with their aching heads it still wasn't a good time, but he tilted his head and leaned forward. Mohinder curled his hands in the front of Gabriel's shirt as their lips met, and Gabriel could have died right there if he wasn't trapped in the greatest moment of his life. He hadn't kissed anyone in years, but somehow he didn't feel nervous or unpracticed as he prodded Mohinder's tongue with his own. Letting the green beans hit the floor with a thwap, he slipped both hands into Mohinder's curls and stroked his thumbs behind the other man's ears. Mohinder made a small noise in the back of his throat and pressed closer.
Gabriel had no clue how long they stood there kissing; even if it had been hours, he still felt disappointment when Mohinder broke the seal of their mouths, although he didn't back away at all. But then Mohinder fiddled with Gabriel's collar, coyly glancing from his hands to Gabriel's face.
"So," he said lowly. "Should we fool around in the bedroom?"
"In your dad's bed?" Even as he spoke, Gabriel wondered if he was subconsciously into self-sabotage.
Mohinder was not. "He won't know," he replied, cheeks darkening, but with bright eagerness in his eyes.
Gabriel wouldn't feel right, knowing that it was beyond common courtesy to not mess around where someone else slept. But then, a bed would be very comfortable, much more than the couch. Gabriel had a sudden vision of Mohinder laid out underneath him, with plenty of room for Gabriel to pay his attentions wherever he wished, to discover all the ways to pull out every groan and breathy sigh. And from how Mohinder's fingers trailed down Gabriel's sweater vest, Mohinder certainly seemed to want to do the same. Just the thought of Mohinder debauching him made Gabriel's pants tighten. He felt a creeping embarrassment at his obvious enthusiasm until Mohinder rubbed his own groin against Gabriel's thigh.
The doorbell rang. Gabriel detached himself from Mohinder and grabbed the candy bowl. He opened the door, and before the chorus of "Trick or treat!" even finished, he chucked the bowl into the hallway and slammed the door shut again.
Series: Heroes
Pairing: Mylar
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Adult themes, oh my! Also, fluff.
Summary: Gabriel spends a quiet Halloween with Mohinder.
A/N: Another Halloween fic (belated, I know).
When October rolled around, Gabriel and Mohinder were treated to Chandra's rants on how Halloween in America was not a cultural festival celebrating the dead, but an excuse to sell loads of sugar to the masses, encouraging children to inhale loads of candy and perpetuate the U.S. obesity epidemic.
"At least our fat helps us sleep well?" Gabriel tried to joke, gaining only an unamused stare.
But Mohinder chuckled, so Gabriel didn't feel all that awkward.
It was just as well that on the thirty-first Chandra was going away with his Columbia colleague to a convention in Chicago. His sour demeanor was no good for dealing with excited little kids. They would definitely prefer Mohinder's smile. Gabriel certainly did, though he tried to keep that to himself. He usually failed.
"I hope you enjoy the brief solitude," Chandra said to Mohinder as he prepared to leave. Two packed bags sat at his feet as he pulled on his jacket.
"It will be nice," Mohinder agreed, "though Gabriel is keeping me company tonight."
"Ah," Chandra replied with an expression that likely looked neutral to Mohinder, but when his eyes fixed on Gabriel, Gabriel laughed nervously at the suspicious glint.
"I don't get many kids where I live," he said (and lied), "so it's no problem helping Mohinder handle them here."
"I see," Chandra muttered.
Mohinder pulled up Gabriel's wrist to check his watch. "Your friend should be here. Do you need help downstairs?"
"I'm not quite that old," Chandra said, lifting his bags. Gabriel had the vague sense he should insist on carrying them, but he was experiencing a brief short circuit from Mohinder's unexpected touch. He prayed his face wasn't red.
Mohinder opened the door. "Have a good trip," he said as Chandra passed through.
"I'll see you in a few days," Chandra replied.
Mohinder watched him move down the hall for only a moment before closing the door. He stretched his arms above his head, as if suddenly relaxed. "I think we've earned our own little vacation from research," he said to Gabriel.
"But Chandra left a list--"
"Don't you know anything about the art of procrastination?"
Gabriel quirked an eyebrow skeptically. "I have trouble believing you've ever put off work a day in your life."
"Well, I'd like to try it." Mohinder gestured to the phone. "How about you order a pizza, and I'll find a terrible movie on the television?"
It sounded like a date. But it probably wasn't one. Maybe. Gabriel still wasn't sure how Mohinder felt. He liked Gabriel as a research colleague and a friend, obviously, but he couldn't be oblivious to all of Gabriel's stares and fumblings, as frequent as they were. So he either just didn't mind, or maybe...
Gabriel didn't want to get his hopes up.
He ordered a vegetarian pizza, and by the time it arrived, Mohinder had settled on a badly-acted horror flick that looked like it had been made in the eighties. Already an innocent young babysitter crept warily through a dark house, calling her charges' names to see if they were the ones making the floor boards creak.
"Do you think she dies now, or later in the final showdown?" Mohinder asked.
"I give her three more minutes," Gabriel snorted.
"So certain!" Mohinder laughed as he stood. "Would you like a beer?"
"Sure," Gabriel said, shooting him a sidelong glance. Mohinder rarely drank. Of course, that didn't mean he never did. Everyone liked to relax, so obviously Mohinder just wanted to relax... with Gabriel.
Mohinder sat down again, and his knee pressed against Gabriel's. Gabriel intently chewed his pizza until it was a tomato-y slop in his mouth. The touch had to be intentional. It wasn't normal for friends to sit this close, right? Something cold pressed against the back of his hand, and he yelped.
"I suppose the movie isn't so ridiculous?" Mohinder teased, dangling a bottle in front of Gabriel.
Gabriel took it. "Just a little cold," he mumbled. He watched Mohinder drink out of the corner of his eye, blushing as he watched Mohinder's lips wrap around the mouth of the bottle. He took a sip from his own beer and wondered what a combination of Mohinder and alcohol tasted like.
And still Mohinder's knee touched his, and when the babysitter met her demise at the hand of a masked, knife-wielding maniac-- complete with ridiculously squirting, bright red blood-- Mohinder bumped their shoulders and congratulated Gabriel on predicting her grisly death. He didn't pull away afterward.
Gabriel couldn't concentrate on the movie at all anymore. He kept thinking about how only mere layers of cotton separated their skin, and about the playful tone of Mohinder's voice as he commented on the obviously fake tears of the babysitter's friends as they learned her fate. Gabriel chuckled absentmindedly and reached for another slice of pizza just as Mohinder did, their hands brushing.
It was a stupid, poorly-timed impulse, but Gabriel seized it anyway, turning and leaning toward Mohinder-- and their foreheads smashed together.
Gabriel clutched at his head. "Ow! Sorry, sorry..."
Mohinder laughed, mirroring Gabriel's motions. "That was quite the impact," he said with a wince.
"Let's get you an ice pack," Gabriel said hastily, pulling Mohinder to his feet and dragging him into the kitchen.
"I'm fine, really," Mohinder protested as he stumbled. "We don't even have an ice pack."
Gabriel looked through the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen green beans. "Here," he said, smacking it against Mohinder's head. "I really am sorry!" he burst out again.
Mohinder tried to swat the bag away, but Gabriel held the back of his head insistently. "You worry far too much," Mohinder said.
"I'm such a klutz," Gabriel muttered.
"Well, I'm sure you didn't expect me to be coming from the other way," Mohinder said, averting his gaze.
"I guess n--" Gabriel felt his face turn red. Coming from the other way? So he'd been right? They really had been flirting all night?
Mohinder's gaze flicked nervously to Gabriel's face and back to the wall. "I'm sorry. Did you not... I thought you..."
"No, I did," Gabriel blurted out, barely knowing what he was talking about. "I definitely did."
Mohinder smiled. "That's good to know."
Gabriel felt that impulse twist in his gut again, and maybe with their aching heads it still wasn't a good time, but he tilted his head and leaned forward. Mohinder curled his hands in the front of Gabriel's shirt as their lips met, and Gabriel could have died right there if he wasn't trapped in the greatest moment of his life. He hadn't kissed anyone in years, but somehow he didn't feel nervous or unpracticed as he prodded Mohinder's tongue with his own. Letting the green beans hit the floor with a thwap, he slipped both hands into Mohinder's curls and stroked his thumbs behind the other man's ears. Mohinder made a small noise in the back of his throat and pressed closer.
Gabriel had no clue how long they stood there kissing; even if it had been hours, he still felt disappointment when Mohinder broke the seal of their mouths, although he didn't back away at all. But then Mohinder fiddled with Gabriel's collar, coyly glancing from his hands to Gabriel's face.
"So," he said lowly. "Should we fool around in the bedroom?"
"In your dad's bed?" Even as he spoke, Gabriel wondered if he was subconsciously into self-sabotage.
Mohinder was not. "He won't know," he replied, cheeks darkening, but with bright eagerness in his eyes.
Gabriel wouldn't feel right, knowing that it was beyond common courtesy to not mess around where someone else slept. But then, a bed would be very comfortable, much more than the couch. Gabriel had a sudden vision of Mohinder laid out underneath him, with plenty of room for Gabriel to pay his attentions wherever he wished, to discover all the ways to pull out every groan and breathy sigh. And from how Mohinder's fingers trailed down Gabriel's sweater vest, Mohinder certainly seemed to want to do the same. Just the thought of Mohinder debauching him made Gabriel's pants tighten. He felt a creeping embarrassment at his obvious enthusiasm until Mohinder rubbed his own groin against Gabriel's thigh.
The doorbell rang. Gabriel detached himself from Mohinder and grabbed the candy bowl. He opened the door, and before the chorus of "Trick or treat!" even finished, he chucked the bowl into the hallway and slammed the door shut again.