A Hard Lesson

Peter looked down at his older brother, reduced to this, crying and shaking, so fragile, so breakable, and he felt that hard shell around his heart crack just a little. “Oh, Nate,” he breathed. Peter helped his brother sit up and he put his arms around him, pulling him in so that Nathan’s head rested on his chest. Nathan did not resist. Peter stroked Nathan’s hair, wiped the rest of the blood and tears from his bruised face. He knew Nathan was not finished, though.

“It’s over now. It’s over, Nate, go ahead and cry. I love you still, Nate.”

Peter wouldn’t hurt him anymore, Nathan knew, as he felt his brother’s come leaking out of his most sensitive place, now stretched and bruised and torn. His head and nose ached, and his burns were agonizing. Nathan felt violated and betrayed, but above all, repentant.

This was how Peter had felt all those times he had done it to him, before his body healed. Nathan wasn’t going to heal for a while, however, and Nathan supposed he deserved every bit of it. He pressed his face into his brother’s chest and cried, barely able to breathe.

“I’m so sorry, Peter,” Nathan moaned, a fresh batch of tears spilling down his face. He felt dizzy, sick, and weak, the adrenaline rush leveling off, his fear dying down, and all he wanted to do was fall asleep right here. “I know I said it to you so many times, Peter, but I mean it this time. I’m sorry. I never wanted to take away the most beautiful thing you have. I never meant to break your heart. I’m so sorry.”

“Make sure you tell me that when you see me again,” Peter said. He knew he had done it…he had the ability to look forward, into his own present, and just knew that his future was changing.

“When you feel well enough, I’m going to take you home, Nate, and you’re going to go to sleep for a while. You’re not seriously hurt, you don’t need to go to the hospital or anything. No one will remember seeing me, and I’ll make anyone who matters think you went home sick.”

“I was…I was afraid you’d leave me like this,” Nathan said, his voice becoming very drowsy.

“No, I’d never do that. You want to sleep now, go ahead. I have to clean this place up. I know you keep extra clothes here, Nathan. I’ll get you some.” Peter lifted his brother in his arms, no small feat considering Nathan had three inches in height and at least thirty more pounds on him. He set him gingerly on the leather couch.

Nathan rested his head on his arms and cried silently, and within minutes, he fell asleep.

Peter was still crying too, and he could barely see what he was doing as he neatened up his brother’s office, covering up the evidence of the struggle that had just transpired.

It felt wonderful to cry, and he smiled through the tears. The shell of pain, the vise of hatred that had enclosed his heart for so long was now gone, and he hadn’t felt this way, so free, so full of emotion for a long time.

He pulled out a shirt and a pair of khakis from Nathan’s small closet, and he went back over to his brother, sat down next to him, and watched him sleep. He played with his brother’s hair, twirling the curled ends around his fingers, and he kissed him all over his face, avoiding his bruises.

I’m sorry too, Nathan. I’m sorry I had to do this. I love you so much. I can’t wait to see you when I go back to my time. You’re going to be there, and everything is going to be how it’s supposed to be. Everything will be different. Wake up, Nate, it’s time to take you home.

Nathan’s eyes fluttered open, and he was shivering slightly with cold. Peter helped him sit up, and gave him his clothes. “Here, put these on.”

Nathan dressed, and said, “Take me to your apartment, Peter. I want to see you--him--when he gets home from work. I’ll tell him I got in a fight or something. He’ll believe me, and anyway, he doesn’t read my thoughts anymore because he says it’s not fair to me.”

“All right, Nate.” Peter handed Nathan his coat, and he shrugged into it. “Are you okay to walk?” Peter asked, supporting his brother while he took a few steps.

Nathan answered, “Yes, I can walk. Take me home, Peter.”

Peter rendered them both invisible, reinforced his earlier suggestion to the office staff, adding that Nathan had felt ill and had left early, and they went up to the roof of the office building, so that Nathan could get a little fresh air before they left.

“Okay, Nate. Hold on tight.” The brothers clasped their arms around each other, and Peter teleported them to his apartment building.

***


Nathan unlocked the door to his brother’s apartment, stumbled through the living room, right into his brother’s bedroom, and collapsed onto the unmade bed. Peter brought him ice for his face, and while Nathan held it there, Peter took his brother’s shoes and his coat off him.

“Christ, this place is a mess,” Peter observed.

Nathan teased weakly, “What, in the future you finally learn how to pick up after yourself?”

Peter smiled and shook his head. “A little. Come here, let me see your face.”

Peter took the ice away from Nathan’s nose and looked closely at it. There was some minor swelling, and both Nathan’s eyes were blackened underneath, but it didn’t look broken. Nathan’s lip was swollen too, but that didn’t even hurt compared to his nose, the side of his head, and the blisters on his neck.

“Nate, I’m really sorry I hurt you so much. I’m so fucked up. I haven’t seen you in ten years, and the minute I do I beat the living hell out of you.”

Nathan said, “No. Don’t apologize. I fucking deserved every bit of it. I swear to God I’ll never lay my hands on my brother ever again.”

“Not even to make love to him?” Peter asked.

Nathan raised an eyebrow, and winced, instantly regretting it. “Is that what you call it, now?”

Peter smiled enigmatically. “I don’t know. It is what it is. Lie down now, and go to sleep. I have to get back to my own time. You’re there waiting for me, of that I’m sure.” Peter pulled the covers over the past incarnation of his older brother, and Nathan was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Peter Petrelli had done what he had set out to do, and he felt the pull of his own time urging him home. Peter leaned down and kissed his brother’s lips, brushing them ever so gently as not to wake him, and then blinked out of this time and back into his own.