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Nathan wakes up in a hospital bed. He remembers the bomb. He remembers Peter. He remembers flying, but not much else. He feels stiff, but not sore. He looks out the window and realizes that he has no idea how long he's been in this room.
The nurse bustles in, excited that he has woken up. He doesn't ask what day it is, how long he's been there, or if his family is around. He wants to. She removes the IV and tells him that there will be no need for him to stay in the hospital after tonight, "as long as things go well."
"Your brother has been in and out every day," she informs him with a distracted smile. "He was here this morning, actually. He might still be around."
Nathan gives her a smile and nods, but says nothing.
He waits for her to shut the door behind her. She turned off the overhead lights, so that only the faint light of the setting sun fills the room. "Peter?" he asks the air hesitantly. The air melts away to reveal Peter, standing beside his bed.
The first thing Nathan notices is his expression. The only word he can think to describe it is relief. The smile lights up Peter's face and instantly raises Nathan's spirits. He wonders briefly if Peter picked up the ability to make his feelings contagious while he was out.
When Peter reaches up to touch Nathan's face, his fingers are rough, but the touch is gentle. "Nathan," Peter whispers into the space between them reverently. Peter looks different, though Nathan can't put his finger on exactly how he has changed. He seems worn around the edges, like some of his innocence has been scraped away, but he still remains the same Peter.
"You've been here every day," Nathan points out, letting his tone imply the accusation.
Peter gives him that crooked smile. "They tried to tell me you might not wake up, as if that would get rid of me. I knew you would wake up, and I knew it would be soon."
"Shouldn't you have been out, saving the world?"
Peter lays a hand over Nathan's arm. "We already saved the world, Nathan," he states, looking suddenly serious.
"Maybe," Nathan admits, avoiding Peter's intense gaze, "but if I learned anything from those comics as a kid, it's that if you leave it long enough, it's going to need saving again."
Peter is smiling at him again. Nathan thinks that he has lived most of his life for that smile. "The nurse is coming," Peter informs him quietly. Nathan doesn't ask how he knows. "When she leaves, get dressed. We're going out."
******
Nathan blinks as he steps out of the hospital entrance. Every feeling seems enhanced, as if he hasn't felt much of anything for a long, long time.
As soon as Nathan had changed, Peter had wrapped a hand around his wrist and led him out of the room. Nathan had felt the change; he didn't have to ask to know that Peter had made him invisible. It was an odd sensation, but he didn't comment. He let Peter lead him out of the building.
Now, he looks at his brother and waits for the next move. He doesn't ask why they came outside. Peter leads them out of the main flow of traffic into the hospital, then pulls him into a bone-crushing hug. He seems to mold into Nathan's body as he lowers his head into the space between Nathan's neck and shoulder. It has always been this way. Peter had always liked to say they were connected. In times like this, Nathan feels like Peter's trying to prove it.
He can feel the anguish evaporating away from Peter. He is not crying, but Nathan rubs his back and whispers, "It's okay."
Peter turns his head, and his lips slide across Nathan's neck in a kind of gentle caress. Nathan pretends the shivers that go down his spine are a result of the chill in the air. "Nathan." Peter's lips press the name into his skin. "Let's fly."
Nathan pulls away from Peter enough to make eye contact. "What?" He isn't actually surprised, but still contradictory.
"Come on, Nathan," Peter says. "I know you want to do it. You'll make excuses for the next ten years, waiting for someone to tell you to leave the ground. You pretend to live by your own rules, but you just do what everyone expects of you." Nathan realizes suddenly - this is what's different about Peter. This air of confidence, it's usually Nathan's to wield against Peter. "No one will see us," Peter insists, spreading a hand on Nathan's chest. Nathan can feel the energy flowing out from every point of contact between the two of them.
He wants to argue, but he can already foresee every counterpoint Peter will make. "You're a lot stronger," he says instead, covering Peter's hand with his own.
Peter smiles. "I've had some training," he states, and there's a spark in his eye.
"Then there's no danger of you exploding mid-flight."
"None whatsoever," Peter promises, sensing that things are shifting in his favor.
"I don't know, Pete..." He mentally runs through his arguments, trying to decide which one is least weak.
Peter pulls away, breaking contact everywhere but their two hands, still entwined. He hovers off the ground, just barely. "I will leave without you." He pulls just slightly on Nathan's hand. Nathan is reminded of a much younger version of the man before him, tugging on his sleeve and begging him to come outside and play catch.
"Fine," Nathan consents. "But we can't be gone long."
******
New York is breathtaking from above. Peter was right; he had always wanted to do this. His main reason for refraining was fear of being seen, but Peter had taken care of that.
Every few minutes, Nathan glances over at Peter. Judging by the serene smile on his face, Peter is enjoying this as much as Nathan.
They come to a stop above Kirby Plaza, both staring down and lost in their own thoughts. Nathan turns to speak to Peter, but is immediately cut off as Peter wraps him up in another hug. This one is no different from the first in its force, but their shifting weight causes them to tumble helplessly through the air for a few seconds before they find the right equilibrium.
Peter clings to Nathan for several desperate seconds before Nathan breathes, "Hey." Peter pulls his head back to look at him, and Nathan slides a hand around Peter's neck, resting his fingers in his brother's hair. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
They stay just like that for a while. Nathan waits for Peter to react, to look away, to say something. Finally, Peter leans toward Nathan, never breaking eye contact until his eyes slide closed and their lips meet.
There are no fireworks. No cymbals clashing. No intense soundtrack to remind anyone that this is happening. It's just a moment in time, flowing from the last moment and flowing into the next. The kiss is not urgent; it can only be described as gentle. Peter kisses him slowly and intently, giving Nathan the impression that Peter feels more will attention will be given to this later.
They pull away and say nothing as they fly back toward the hospital. Nathan knows this will not last. This carefree, peaceful feeling. The demands of life will pull him back as soon as he is checked out of the hospital. This is just a moment pulled away from the stronghold of time. But for now, he has it, and no one can take it away from him. No one can take Peter from him.
Darkness has fallen around them by the time they reach the hospital doors. Nathan does not ask what will happen to them after this. He knows Peter's look of longing will be etched into his memory forever. He kisses Peter goodbye without a word, then walks back to his room.
He saves the questions for tomorrow.
THE END