Fic: Things We Do In Anger
Title: Things We Do In Anger
Rating: PG
Characters: Mohinder, Matt, Molly (you can see hints of Matthinder and/or Mylar, if you want to)
Words: 1675
Warnings: None, really.
Spoilers: Through the end of season 2
Disclaimer: Not my characters, not writing this for profit.
X-posted at
un_love_you and
heroes_mohinder
A/N: This is the most mean-spirited fic I’ve ever written, but it was done for the table I claimed at
un_love_you , prompt: “I want to hurt you”. That sounds like a prompt tailor-made for Mohinder and Sylar, but the relationship between Mohinder and Matt has always come across as very hostile to me - I feel that Matt’s latched onto Molly because he lost the baby he thought was his, and he views Mohinder as competition for Molly’s love. Also, it’s always bothered me that two men with spotty histories would be able to keep custody of a young child from another state. This fic came out of all that.
“They released the kids early, because of the storm.”
Mohinder glanced out the window and was mildly surprised to see how much snow had already piled up while he was working. “Yes? And? This was in the weather prediction last night, wasn’t it? I understand it’s not completely unheard of to get this kind of storm in April.”
“Molly’s not there.”
“What?” The world dropped out from under him.
“The other kids are almost all gone, except for a few whose parents haven’t made it to the school yet. She’s not with them. None of the teachers remember who she went off with, or even when she was last seen. I’ve called in a missing child report, but with the weather the way it is, and no one reporting anything suspicious or any disturbances, knowing where to start a search is going to be difficult…”
No disturbances. Of course, there wouldn’t be any, would there? No - if it were Sylar, he’d leave her body right there where it could be found as soon as possible, so that they’d know it was his handiwork. It was part of his game.
He tried not to think about how many men in this city would do far worse things to a little girl than what Sylar would.
Matt’s voice on the phone snapped him out of his nightmare. “I’m heading back to the apartment in case she walked home-”
“I’ll be right there.”
* * * * * * *
“Why didn’t you pick her up?”
“What?” He’d barely gotten the door closed behind him before Matt was in his face. “Why would I have picked her up?”
“You know I work all day on Wednesdays. Your schedule is a lot more flexible.”
“What - I’m supposed to read your mind and know that’s what you expected me to do?” Mohinder slung his satchel onto the desk chair. “If you wanted me to get her, the least you could have done was discuss the possibility of a school closing with me last night, instead of sitting there staring at the TV after she went to bed. No, wait - the least you could have done is give the school my cell phone number as the emergency contact, instead of yours, if this kind of situation is such a chore for you.”
Matt glared at him, obviously angry that this couldn’t all be blamed on Mohinder. “Just stay here, in case she comes back. I’m going to drive around the neighborhood-”
Mohinder interrupted him in frustration. “If she were walking, she would have made it back here long before I did. If someone’s taken her, driving aimlessly around crying her name out the window isn’t going to help any. Use your brain.” Before Matt could reply, he went on, “Have you checked with her friends’ parents? Maybe she went home with one of them.”
Matt’s startled expression told him that that thought never crossed his mind and, not for the first time, Mohinder wanted to punch him. Matt snatched up the phone, walked into the other room and dialed, his back to Mohinder.
On the third call, Mohinder heard relief flood into his voice. He edged over closer to the doorway and heard Matt say, “Are you sure? It’s no problem for me to come get her right now… Well, thanks, Mrs. Horvath. I really appreciate you watching out for her. Can I talk to her? ...Molly? God, honey, don't ever go off without telling someone where you are again-”
Mohinder sank down onto the couch and started breathing normally again.
* * * * * * *
“This obviously isn’t working out,” Matt said as he pulled on his coat to go pick up Molly.
Mohinder looked over the tops of the glasses he'd started wearing exasperatedly. Trust Matt to end the half-hour of stony silence between them with a snide comment. But he wasn’t prepared for what Matt said next.
“I think Molly and I need to move out.”
Matt crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “Don’t give me that shocked look. It’s obvious that you’re far more concerned with your job than you are with Molly. Someone could waltz in here and grab her right off the couch, and you wouldn’t even look up from that damned laptop.”
Mohinder stood up. “So says the man who couldn’t even be bothered to call ahead to warn us that his psychotic father might be coming to kill us all.”
"You know what? I am trying as hard as I can. I am trying my best to make a safe home for my daughter--"
"She is not your daughter, Matthew!” Mohinder threw his glasses down on the desk. “She is someone else's daughter, someone who, may I remind you, is dead by Sylar's hand. You should be worrying about how to keep her from meeting the same fate, not fantasizing about playing house to replace the family that evaporated out from under you."
Matt reddened, and Mohinder waited to hear recriminations about his own family history, but apparently dead sisters were still off-limits for now. Instead, Matt replied, “You know, it’s funny…Sylar seems to have a habit of turning up where you are. Seems to me, that’s one more reason Molly would be better off far away from here.”
“She’s gotten away from him three times now. He doesn’t like failing. Do you really think you could hold him off, if he decided to rectify the situation?”
“It’s not like you’ve been able to stop him!”
“I’ve done better than you,” Mohinder retorted. “Do those bullet wounds still give you any trouble?”
Matt yelled, "You can't stop me from taking her! I'm the citizen here. You're not even in this country legally right now. If the authorities knew-”
“So, what? Are you going to report me? Get me deported? Or are you planning on just ordering me to leave? I hear you’ve gotten some practice in that. They say soon, you’ll be just as skilled as your father.”
Matt’s fists curled up and Mohinder stared him down, unafraid. Matt looked away before saying, “I’m taking her, and that’s that.”
* * * * * * *
He wasn't really sure what he thought about Molly as he hugged her tightly. Maybe he was only trying to make up for what he hadn’t been able to do for Shanti. Maybe he was more paternal than he’d thought, even though he didn’t consider himself much of a role model. The only thing he was sure of was that she was someone special, and not because she had an ability. She'd given him a real goal when all he'd had driving him forward was a vague desire to stop Sylar, and after that, she’d been his motivation for trying to take down the Company, to make the world a safer place.
He closed his eyes. Maybe it was time for him to let go, as well.
“I’ll still get to see you, won’t I?”
“Of course.” Mohinder smiled. “New Jersey is just a short drive away.”
“I’ll miss you,” Molly whispered.
“I’ll miss you, too,” Mohinder said. Over her shoulder, he could see Matt smirking at him. He held in the anger that shot through him - he could let it out later, after Molly was away.
Matt picked up a box. “I’ll take this down and get it loaded. Then we really need to get going, Molls.”
The door slammed loudly behind him, and Molly’s head drooped. “I miss having a family.”
Mohinder groped for something to say. “Well...your parents...”
“No, I mean…I miss all my family. This Christmas was the first time I haven’t gone to my Aunt Becky’s.”
Mohinder was startled, and an instant later, guilty. He remembered reading some notes in her file about her relatives, but he’d put aside any info that hadn’t related to his frantic search for a cure, and afterwards, he’d been so focused on his mission that he hadn’t thought to ask her...
He snapped his mind back in the middle of her reminiscing. “...and one time my cousin Rachel and I, we dressed her little brother Brian up in these big baby doll clothes that she had, and it was like having a real baby!”
“Molly,” he interrupted gently, “why haven’t you talked about your relatives before?”
Her face shut down. “Mr. Thompson said I shouldn’t talk about them any more. He said the Bogeyman might want to get them, too, and they would be safer if I stayed with the Company. And then Matt was so sick, and you were so busy, and-”
Mohinder suddenly wondered what her family had been told. Did they think she was still in protective custody? Did they think she was dead, too? Didn’t they have a right to have her in their lives, more of a right than him, or than Matt? “Molly, do you want to see your family again?”
“But-”
“You said your aunt was your mommy’s sister, didn’t you? Well, your abilities seem to have come from your father. So the other side of your family wouldn’t be in danger.”
Her face lit up as she threw her arms around his neck, and for an instant he felt dirty - he knew that part of his motivation was payback for Matt. But if Molly had blood relatives who she wanted to be with, and if they wanted to be with her...
“I’ll make some phone calls tomorrow, okay, sweetie?” he said as he brushed her hair back behind her ear. He faintly heard footsteps in the hall, and said hurriedly, “Let’s just keep this our secret for now, all right? We shouldn’t get Matt all excited too, until we know for sure that it’s safe for you to go back to them.”
Molly nodded agreement as Matt opened the door and told her it was time. She walked over and he put his arm around her shoulders possessively, and stared at Mohinder.
Mohinder smiled at Matt, open and easy, the same smile he’d used that afternoon months ago to keep Sylar quiet and unsuspecting. “Enjoy your time with her, Matt.”
Rating: PG
Characters: Mohinder, Matt, Molly (you can see hints of Matthinder and/or Mylar, if you want to)
Words: 1675
Warnings: None, really.
Spoilers: Through the end of season 2
Disclaimer: Not my characters, not writing this for profit.
X-posted at
un_love_you and
heroes_mohinder
A/N: This is the most mean-spirited fic I’ve ever written, but it was done for the table I claimed at
un_love_you , prompt: “I want to hurt you”. That sounds like a prompt tailor-made for Mohinder and Sylar, but the relationship between Mohinder and Matt has always come across as very hostile to me - I feel that Matt’s latched onto Molly because he lost the baby he thought was his, and he views Mohinder as competition for Molly’s love. Also, it’s always bothered me that two men with spotty histories would be able to keep custody of a young child from another state. This fic came out of all that.
“They released the kids early, because of the storm.”
Mohinder glanced out the window and was mildly surprised to see how much snow had already piled up while he was working. “Yes? And? This was in the weather prediction last night, wasn’t it? I understand it’s not completely unheard of to get this kind of storm in April.”
“Molly’s not there.”
“What?” The world dropped out from under him.
“The other kids are almost all gone, except for a few whose parents haven’t made it to the school yet. She’s not with them. None of the teachers remember who she went off with, or even when she was last seen. I’ve called in a missing child report, but with the weather the way it is, and no one reporting anything suspicious or any disturbances, knowing where to start a search is going to be difficult…”
No disturbances. Of course, there wouldn’t be any, would there? No - if it were Sylar, he’d leave her body right there where it could be found as soon as possible, so that they’d know it was his handiwork. It was part of his game.
He tried not to think about how many men in this city would do far worse things to a little girl than what Sylar would.
Matt’s voice on the phone snapped him out of his nightmare. “I’m heading back to the apartment in case she walked home-”
“I’ll be right there.”
* * * * * * *
“Why didn’t you pick her up?”
“What?” He’d barely gotten the door closed behind him before Matt was in his face. “Why would I have picked her up?”
“You know I work all day on Wednesdays. Your schedule is a lot more flexible.”
“What - I’m supposed to read your mind and know that’s what you expected me to do?” Mohinder slung his satchel onto the desk chair. “If you wanted me to get her, the least you could have done was discuss the possibility of a school closing with me last night, instead of sitting there staring at the TV after she went to bed. No, wait - the least you could have done is give the school my cell phone number as the emergency contact, instead of yours, if this kind of situation is such a chore for you.”
Matt glared at him, obviously angry that this couldn’t all be blamed on Mohinder. “Just stay here, in case she comes back. I’m going to drive around the neighborhood-”
Mohinder interrupted him in frustration. “If she were walking, she would have made it back here long before I did. If someone’s taken her, driving aimlessly around crying her name out the window isn’t going to help any. Use your brain.” Before Matt could reply, he went on, “Have you checked with her friends’ parents? Maybe she went home with one of them.”
Matt’s startled expression told him that that thought never crossed his mind and, not for the first time, Mohinder wanted to punch him. Matt snatched up the phone, walked into the other room and dialed, his back to Mohinder.
On the third call, Mohinder heard relief flood into his voice. He edged over closer to the doorway and heard Matt say, “Are you sure? It’s no problem for me to come get her right now… Well, thanks, Mrs. Horvath. I really appreciate you watching out for her. Can I talk to her? ...Molly? God, honey, don't ever go off without telling someone where you are again-”
Mohinder sank down onto the couch and started breathing normally again.
* * * * * * *
“This obviously isn’t working out,” Matt said as he pulled on his coat to go pick up Molly.
Mohinder looked over the tops of the glasses he'd started wearing exasperatedly. Trust Matt to end the half-hour of stony silence between them with a snide comment. But he wasn’t prepared for what Matt said next.
“I think Molly and I need to move out.”
Matt crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “Don’t give me that shocked look. It’s obvious that you’re far more concerned with your job than you are with Molly. Someone could waltz in here and grab her right off the couch, and you wouldn’t even look up from that damned laptop.”
Mohinder stood up. “So says the man who couldn’t even be bothered to call ahead to warn us that his psychotic father might be coming to kill us all.”
"You know what? I am trying as hard as I can. I am trying my best to make a safe home for my daughter--"
"She is not your daughter, Matthew!” Mohinder threw his glasses down on the desk. “She is someone else's daughter, someone who, may I remind you, is dead by Sylar's hand. You should be worrying about how to keep her from meeting the same fate, not fantasizing about playing house to replace the family that evaporated out from under you."
Matt reddened, and Mohinder waited to hear recriminations about his own family history, but apparently dead sisters were still off-limits for now. Instead, Matt replied, “You know, it’s funny…Sylar seems to have a habit of turning up where you are. Seems to me, that’s one more reason Molly would be better off far away from here.”
“She’s gotten away from him three times now. He doesn’t like failing. Do you really think you could hold him off, if he decided to rectify the situation?”
“It’s not like you’ve been able to stop him!”
“I’ve done better than you,” Mohinder retorted. “Do those bullet wounds still give you any trouble?”
Matt yelled, "You can't stop me from taking her! I'm the citizen here. You're not even in this country legally right now. If the authorities knew-”
“So, what? Are you going to report me? Get me deported? Or are you planning on just ordering me to leave? I hear you’ve gotten some practice in that. They say soon, you’ll be just as skilled as your father.”
Matt’s fists curled up and Mohinder stared him down, unafraid. Matt looked away before saying, “I’m taking her, and that’s that.”
* * * * * * *
He wasn't really sure what he thought about Molly as he hugged her tightly. Maybe he was only trying to make up for what he hadn’t been able to do for Shanti. Maybe he was more paternal than he’d thought, even though he didn’t consider himself much of a role model. The only thing he was sure of was that she was someone special, and not because she had an ability. She'd given him a real goal when all he'd had driving him forward was a vague desire to stop Sylar, and after that, she’d been his motivation for trying to take down the Company, to make the world a safer place.
He closed his eyes. Maybe it was time for him to let go, as well.
“I’ll still get to see you, won’t I?”
“Of course.” Mohinder smiled. “New Jersey is just a short drive away.”
“I’ll miss you,” Molly whispered.
“I’ll miss you, too,” Mohinder said. Over her shoulder, he could see Matt smirking at him. He held in the anger that shot through him - he could let it out later, after Molly was away.
Matt picked up a box. “I’ll take this down and get it loaded. Then we really need to get going, Molls.”
The door slammed loudly behind him, and Molly’s head drooped. “I miss having a family.”
Mohinder groped for something to say. “Well...your parents...”
“No, I mean…I miss all my family. This Christmas was the first time I haven’t gone to my Aunt Becky’s.”
Mohinder was startled, and an instant later, guilty. He remembered reading some notes in her file about her relatives, but he’d put aside any info that hadn’t related to his frantic search for a cure, and afterwards, he’d been so focused on his mission that he hadn’t thought to ask her...
He snapped his mind back in the middle of her reminiscing. “...and one time my cousin Rachel and I, we dressed her little brother Brian up in these big baby doll clothes that she had, and it was like having a real baby!”
“Molly,” he interrupted gently, “why haven’t you talked about your relatives before?”
Her face shut down. “Mr. Thompson said I shouldn’t talk about them any more. He said the Bogeyman might want to get them, too, and they would be safer if I stayed with the Company. And then Matt was so sick, and you were so busy, and-”
Mohinder suddenly wondered what her family had been told. Did they think she was still in protective custody? Did they think she was dead, too? Didn’t they have a right to have her in their lives, more of a right than him, or than Matt? “Molly, do you want to see your family again?”
“But-”
“You said your aunt was your mommy’s sister, didn’t you? Well, your abilities seem to have come from your father. So the other side of your family wouldn’t be in danger.”
Her face lit up as she threw her arms around his neck, and for an instant he felt dirty - he knew that part of his motivation was payback for Matt. But if Molly had blood relatives who she wanted to be with, and if they wanted to be with her...
“I’ll make some phone calls tomorrow, okay, sweetie?” he said as he brushed her hair back behind her ear. He faintly heard footsteps in the hall, and said hurriedly, “Let’s just keep this our secret for now, all right? We shouldn’t get Matt all excited too, until we know for sure that it’s safe for you to go back to them.”
Molly nodded agreement as Matt opened the door and told her it was time. She walked over and he put his arm around her shoulders possessively, and stared at Mohinder.
Mohinder smiled at Matt, open and easy, the same smile he’d used that afternoon months ago to keep Sylar quiet and unsuspecting. “Enjoy your time with her, Matt.”