FIC: Imaging the Air (Heroes fic)

[heidi]

Title: Imaging the Air
Fandom: Heroes
Author: heidi8
Summary: Nathan spends an afternoon with Peter. Pre-series. Way pre-series.
Rating: G
Word count: 550-ish
Disclaimer: The characters belong to NBC/Universal. Thisusage is noncommerical. The park belongs to the town of Red Hook.

Thanks to copperbadge for the beta!

Author's note: I was driving through the Hudson River Valley yesterday - that's the area where the Petrelli "weekend" home is located - and I emailed hackthis while I was pseudo-waving at their place, and she said I was being mean to tease her, so I wrote her this fic to be nice.



There's this playground a few miles away, just far enough that the crowd doesn't include any of the kids from Peter's school, or their nannies or au pairs.

He doesn't mind the nannys so much, but he's worried that there's a standing bet among the au pairs about who'll be the first to kiss him, or the first to seduce him, and he's listened to his parents' lectures on not sleeping with staff enough in the last five years.

This park isn't as up to date as the one near the house - Nathan is pretty sure the equipment's just a bit dangerous, and the slide is definitely too high and there's no covers on the swing chains but the dozen kids running around look like they're having a wonderful time now that the snow's melting and the trees have a smattering of leaves.

Three months left of high school and an early action acceptance to Princeton has him lackadasical enough about his classes. He still wants those 4's and 5's in the AP classes, but today he cares more about finishing his portfolio for photography class.

He can't draw, doesn't like sculpting, and back in ninth grade lost an argument with the dean on whether debate class could fulfill the arts requirement, so he's been taking photography for one semester each year since eighth grade. It's not that he's got some innate talent - he's just lucky enough to have a fearless and photogenic baby brother, so Nathan's portfolio mostly features pictures of Peter, starting a few weeks after he started walking, and going through this spring of 1985. All black and white, all wide-eyed innocence and sweaters and wind-blown dark hair.

Changing the shutter speed turns Peter into a blur as he jumps off the swing when it's six feet off the ground and he looks like he's flying to the ground. When he's in the darkroom later, he'll play with the seconds he counts off when he burns the negative onto the paper for the shots he took of Peter standing perfectly balanced in the middle of the see-saw so he looks haloed by the light, or he'll enlarge the close-up on Peter's sand-covered hands and hair to showcase each grain.

Three little boys are racing to the top of the half-dome in a quest to be the King of the Mountain and Nathan's paces away, watching Peter through the zoom of his Konika and snapping photos over and over of Peter in profile, his cheeks a pink that won't show up in the monochromatic prints. With this lens, Peter looks like he's only an arm's reach away as he moves hand over hand, and his feet are scrabbling on the bars when he's nudged hard by one of the other climbers and he starts to tumble into the center of the dome.

Nathan drops the camera while he reaches out an arm to catch him, his brain seeing only the distance through the lens, and not the real fifteen feet that separates them. He falls forward and feels the air push around him as he tumbles to the ground, and somehow, Peter's in his arms, and Nathan doesn't understand how he got to his little brother so
fast.

---

lj-cut line from Filter's Take a Picture.

Comments

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Pre-series Nathan and Peter is my new addiction. Thank you for this!

I didn't see the ending coming, but...awwww. Nathan will always be there to catch Peter when he falls, won't he?

It's not that he's got some innate talent - he's just lucky enough to have a fearless and photogenic baby brother, so Nathan's portfolio mostly features pictures of Peter, starting a few weeks after he started walking, and going through this spring of 1985. All black and white, all wide-eyed innocence and sweaters and wind-blown dark hair.

This reminded me of slodwick's pictures of Mini-Peter and Nathan. AWWWW.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! And yes, I remmeber her photos - I actually started writing this because I was taking photos of my kids on the playground...

[sabaceanbabe.livejournal.com]

Very nicely done. I really like the descriptions of what Nathan will do later in the darkroom to the pictures he's taking now and the end is just perfect.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I did a bit of photography myself in high school, so I did the whole darkroom thing and I can see Nathan with one in his house so he can work to make everything just right (ie a lot more intense than I was...).

[storydivagirl.livejournal.com]

I loved this, that even when their age difference seems like a lot, they're still together.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thanks! And yeah, that's what I was trying to go for - that in a weird way, Nathan's relied on Peter for whatever he's able to do/give/be since he was little.

[dramawench.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. This is fantastic, Heidi! I love that Nathan lost a debate on debating too :D

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Heh, it's hard to win as a ninth grader when the administration is set against you.

[antheia.livejournal.com]

That was so absurdly sweet. N'aw!

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[marie-j-granger.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was awesome. Peter is my preferred brother, but I loved Nathan's point of view in this one.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thanks! So glad you liked it!

[dragongirl-g.livejournal.com]

Awwww. :-)

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

: blushes

thanks!

[cleverthylacine]

omg adorable.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

also? love your icon.

[cleverthylacine]

Thanks!!! I think it's one of my more popular ones. I just love those boys so.

[littlewings04.livejournal.com]

I meant to comment on this earlier, but I do love this. It's adorable, for starters, and I adore Nathan as a photographer, I really do. So sweet.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[lostandalone22.livejournal.com]

Aww! That's so sweet, and I love that Nathan spent that much time on Peter.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I appreciate it!

[eponis.livejournal.com]

This is such a delicate, beautiful snapshot of their childhood, if you'll excuse the pun! I love Nathan's relationship with photography: he doesn't really value it, but he's fascinated despite himself with the craft of it. And the way that his powers showed, so subtly, when they were needed was perfect.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! And yeah, I can't imagine the time in the car was the absolute first time it ever happened...

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

Sent over here by hackthis: FABULOUS short story! You managed to say so much in so few words.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

: blushes - thank you so much!

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

This is lovely.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[say-smile.livejournal.com]

Awwwww

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

: blushes - thank you!

[be-a-rebel.livejournal.com]

Beautiful.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Here through ninth_wonders

[darth-cabal.livejournal.com]

This is really quite sweet, and I love how it hints at their future dynamic. Nathan's interest in Peter seems somewhat self-serving, but beneath the surface most of his efforts are rooted in a desire to live up to expectations and help others (and particularly his family).

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you so much! And yes, that's exactly what I was thinking for Nathan in this!

[porntestpilot.livejournal.com]

Thank you-- I needed happy making things.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

You're welcome - and thank you so much!

[mandysbitch.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's adorable. You really are a wonder with the short and sweet fic. I envy your ability. It takes me at least 10 000 words to say something this profound. :)

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

: blinks
I can't tell you how much I appreciate this review and compliment. I wrote over 5000 words of an SPN fic this week for spn_summergen, which is the longest thing I've written in *years* and it's such a different mindset to do that, compared to these little blurblettes I've been writing over the last year and reading your comment just made me feel so omgsquee.

Thank you *so much*.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Whoa, niiice! Ah, Nathan: Catch him when (not if) he falls.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Or wait, let me use this icon. *g*

[yetanothermask.livejournal.com]

Ooo, I like the twist at the end. I've never believed that Nathan didn't manifest his powers until his thirties. He was just in denial.

P.S. Your Peter is adorable.

[iatethebunny.livejournal.com]

That was sharp in a very good way
Peace

[mellaithwen]

so cute and wonderful. Well written, and I adore the little details of the photography element and cute little Peter and then Nathan saving his little brother. N'aw, lovely!

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

Aww, the Petrelli boys at some gritty park where the kids are having *fun* is charming. And I loved the ending, of course.

[adinarj.livejournal.com]

That is just... I love the way that teenage!Nathan sees his baby brother, and I love that he's the subject of all the photos. I also love that Nathan didn't give a damn about anything except catching Peter from falling at the end because if nothing else, that is Nathan. Nothing matters but Peter. (Also loved that the flying manifested itself early but he didn't notice or remember later.)

I am trying to work my way through all of your fanfiction.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Squee, thanks for the lovely review! I'm beyond flattered!

Late nights early mornings

[(Anonymous)]

you've managed to worm your way into my heart with this fic. plus, i love photography. thanks!

Re: Late nights early mornings

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!