Mohinder Suresh (
seekevolution) wrote2014-01-15 06:13 pm
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Quarantine
News had a way of spreading a little too quickly. The moment Nathan had fallen at the press conference, media began having it's field day. Mohinder paid little attention.
He arrived at Odessa fourteen hours after the incident, severely jet-lagged and with a computer pre-loaded with all of the information that the Company thought he'd need. Mohinder had been down this road before, though never with such dire circumstances. The Shanti Virus was a subject near and dear to his heart, though it was far less stressful when all he needed to cure it was a bit of blood. Even though it was his own blood, at least he felt as if he was doing something.
Knowing from experience that not everything was black and white anymore, Mohinder kept his laptop and medical kit close at hand and made his way to the quarantine line with a grim look in his redrimmed black eyes. "Mohinder Suresh," he said, forgetting his title again for just a moment. "Doctor. You need to let me through."
The National Guard service man looked wary before radioing it in through the barricade. It was tense. Mohinder's shoulder bag slipped twice and he nearly dropped his sample kit. "All right, cleared to go in. Good luck, doctor."
Mohinder nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. He'd gone from New York to India and back again in two days, bringing Molly to stay with his mother. After what Sylar did to her, again, he could not risk leaving her in anyone else's care. Not with Matt gone.
Seeing the man, however, after he'd just gone off on this quest to find his father at the expense of helping him with a child they both sort of promised to look out for, did not make Mohinder smile. If anything, it only made the lines on his face etch in more deeply. He stood in front of him, looking as tired as Mohinder felt, ill fitting clothing a bit more rumpled than usual. Never mind, of course, that Mohinder had done his fair share of leaving too on his attempts to bait the Company through lectures across the globe. "Do I have a lab yet?" Mohinder asked. No greetings. No necessities. That's what happens when you abandon people, Matt.
He arrived at Odessa fourteen hours after the incident, severely jet-lagged and with a computer pre-loaded with all of the information that the Company thought he'd need. Mohinder had been down this road before, though never with such dire circumstances. The Shanti Virus was a subject near and dear to his heart, though it was far less stressful when all he needed to cure it was a bit of blood. Even though it was his own blood, at least he felt as if he was doing something.
Knowing from experience that not everything was black and white anymore, Mohinder kept his laptop and medical kit close at hand and made his way to the quarantine line with a grim look in his redrimmed black eyes. "Mohinder Suresh," he said, forgetting his title again for just a moment. "Doctor. You need to let me through."
The National Guard service man looked wary before radioing it in through the barricade. It was tense. Mohinder's shoulder bag slipped twice and he nearly dropped his sample kit. "All right, cleared to go in. Good luck, doctor."
Mohinder nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. He'd gone from New York to India and back again in two days, bringing Molly to stay with his mother. After what Sylar did to her, again, he could not risk leaving her in anyone else's care. Not with Matt gone.
Seeing the man, however, after he'd just gone off on this quest to find his father at the expense of helping him with a child they both sort of promised to look out for, did not make Mohinder smile. If anything, it only made the lines on his face etch in more deeply. He stood in front of him, looking as tired as Mohinder felt, ill fitting clothing a bit more rumpled than usual. Never mind, of course, that Mohinder had done his fair share of leaving too on his attempts to bait the Company through lectures across the globe. "Do I have a lab yet?" Mohinder asked. No greetings. No necessities. That's what happens when you abandon people, Matt.
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At least his mind was centred on the girl and that made this a lot easier since his awful mental faux pas with ranging thoughts their last day at the old flat and on the airplane. Molly might not have been tired, but Matt was asleep as Mohinder's head hit the pillow and the Indian followed suit shortly after.
Early to bed meant early to rise for the little girl and she was up and out from between her two protectors the moment she smelled breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Grandma Suresh helped her to dress and did her hair for her while Mohinder moved first from Molly's left over warm spot to Matt's much more warm spot as he'd done each and every time they shared a bed.
His fingers curled lightly in the larger man's t-shirt, knees touching Matt's upper thighs as he rolled halfway at the waist so both of his own shoulders hit the bed. Mohinder really was a strange one and certainly lived up to being an octopus when he had space to spread out.
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When Mohinder eventually partially curled up against him he shifted in his sleep to accomodate for that, dipping his head to seek out the other man's shoulder, nose and mouth pressed lightly against the curve between shoulder blade and neck. It was a natural progression of sleeping with someone else in that proximity and being so relaxed, really. The hand that wound up somewhere near Mohinder's ribs was probably more about the underlying protectiveness Matt frequently embodied.
And that's how Molly found them when she bounced in. She paused for a moment but definitely not a long one before she climbed up on top of their legs.
"Come on, you guys! There's breakfast!"
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No more closeness. Perhaps that was for the best.
Molly climbed off of them and given that Mohinder had more room on his side, knelt at the curve of his side and leaned over them. "I saw your eyes open, Mohinder!" she called out, and poked Matt not so subtly on the cheek. "We have a lot to do today! Wake up!"
Mohinder's hand lingered against Matt's forearm, skin tones setting each other off nicely. He tried not to move otherwise and just enjoy the way this felt. "You'd think it was Christmas," he murmured. "Molly, what time is it?"
"Time. To. Wake. Up!"
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He could practically hear the way she wrinkled her nose in protest. "No you're not!"
He sighed dramatically. "Worth a shot", he muttered moreso to himself and Mohinder rather than Molly, who had resorted to pulling on the other man's arm.
"Come oooon", she whined, and then traded that tone in for a more mature one rather suddenly. "You always tell me to get more early so there's more time to do stuff."
Matt relented with that, lifting his head to look at the girl and then offered her a tired grin. "Alright, okay, we're coming. Just give us a minute."
"I'm coming back in here if you're not up!" she promised-slash-threatened them before she ran off again. Matt shook his head and raised himself up on his arms and sort of ... accidentally looked at Mohinder, really. But he couldn't immediately look away after the fact, only now realizing how closely they'd woken up, Mohinder's hair practically in his eyes, him more or less breathing his co-parent in.
He cleared his throat with an awkward little laugh and rubbed his eyes to break the spell. "Uh, morning", was the offered greeting when he sat up straight.
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Grousing was not going to help his cause, however, and Mohinder dragged himself awake slowly by staring at the wall between yawns. When he did manage to push himself up, it took a little bit of time to untangle himself from the sheets before he planted his feet firmly on the floor.
He looked unabashedly adorable when he finally looked at Matt from the doorway and ruffled up his curls back with one hand. "See you in a moment," he said simply enough and left.
The stubble would just have to stay and he was much too tired to bother with contacts, so he found his glasses instead. Zahra looked at him as he sat next to Molly and offered him a cup of strong coffee. "Difficult night?" she asked in that annoyingly knowing way of hers.
"Had to share a bed with a little monkey, so yes!" he replied and put a hand on Molly's shoulder when she looked ready to go back and find out what was taking Matt so long.
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So that would eat at him for the rest of the day - awesome.
But he didn't take too long and after making sure he felt at least mostly awake he put on his jeans and went into the kitchen, smiling politely in greeting at Zahra and ruffling Molly's hair when he sat down on the other side of hair, making her squirm and roll her eyes.
Mohinder was wearing glasses, the bastard. Since when did that actually matter? Oh, just this morning, probably. It made him look different, but not in a bad way. It was ... distinguished, Matt supposed. As opposed to the usual pretty. He didn't say anything to him but stole the occasional glance.
"So what's the plan for today?"
That dominated most of the talk around the table.
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Mohinder wasn't worried about that. He'd like to stay on here to ensure a good recommendation and perhaps be able to start teaching again. At this rate, he'd even take a high school, though a university would be best. He could teach Indian if they didn't need an evolutionary biologist or geneticist with a half decade of lab research experience under his belt. He had small thoughts of NYU in his head... A good school. A high paying one. And if he could attain tenure, Molly's future was set.
"After, you can come with me to the university where I worked or perhaps you and Matt could accompany my mother to the temple." Very no-nonsense here, folks.
He was vaguely uncomfortable with the way Matt stared at his plate, eating healthy amounts of the pancakes his mother had made (yes, Matt, they do pancakes in India!). He would have given anything to be a telepath this time around, if only to see how badly he'd chased Matt off.
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Matt was a little amused in turn but mostly listened to them as he ate - actually listened, not mind-listened. He caught Zahra giving him contemplating looks once or twice and that made him kind of uncomfortable given the conversation he'd overheard between her and Mohinder the day prior, and he stopped looking at Mohinder altogether as a result.
It made him want to reconsider spending time with her for the day, but he wouldn't back out on something like that and was curious enough to want to see the temple for himself. He'd just deal with any awkwardness as it came, he told himself. He was good at it. Usually.
And as everyone agreed on an approximate schedule and that they'd have lunch out and that they'd meet back at the Suresh home for dinner and socialization after their respective errands, breakfast was finished.
It was a warm day out and Molly was beyond excited to get to show them her favorite parts of the market, particularly to Matt, since it was all new to him.
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Rows upon rows of vendors sold all sorts of things from pottery and spices to fine fabrics and gold jewelry. Fortune tellers yelled at them in broken English to get their attention and Molly flitted around trying all of the free samples. Perhaps Mohinder indulged her a little too much but he did buy her a little too much...namely anything she looked remotely interested in.
"Gold to girls in India is sacred," he explained to her, clasping a wide necklace around her neck. "It's considered an investment, a bit like a bank account." When the women at the vendor applauded how fine Molly looked, he couldn't help but grin.
He'd never thought of sharing his culture this way with someone. Molly's nod was solemn. "I'll take good care of it." And she hugged him.
Bags of tea and fresh spice joined the stock pile to bring back to New York, Matt the unfortunate bag carrying victim. It would be time for temple services soon. It probably wasn't too late for Matt to back out and hit the university instead.
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"Don't spoil her too much", Matt teased, good-naturedly. But he knew he wouldn't have treated her any differently if their roles were reversed. As it was, he too had fun with all there was to look at and taste, although there was no hiding the mild caution and skepticism that came along with having gone half a lifetime without doing many new things.
India was loud, he decided, in a completely different way from the US. Less controlled, in a way, definitely more chaos, but there was a pattern to it he knew he couldn't see just because he wasn't used to it. All in all not a bad experience. It was great not having to look over your shoulder because it meant you could actually pay real attention to the things around you.
He didn't mind being a packing mule much either. And no, he had no plans on backing out, actually, despite feeling a bit nervous about the outing. It'd probably be better to spend some time away from Mohinder anyway, cause he still hadn't sorted out what the hell was going on or what he wanted to do about it. You didn't have a good perspective if you were too involved, he'd learnt that quickly on the force, even as a street cop. Don't get personal. Everybody knew that one even if most ignored it.
Molly, Mohinder, India. Such an unlikely turn of events.
Those were the things on Matt's mind when they eventually picked a spot for lunch.
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It also gave Mohinder a few hours to show Molly off and to get his ducks in a row for a job and, hopefully, extended work visa in New York. Several of his old students bumped into him as well. It made for a particularly lovely afternoon.
At least for Matt's sake, the service at the temple wasn't that bad either, though it was likely boring until it came time to give offerings and Zahra brought him up to the statue of Kannon, one of the deities of peace and love, to lay flowers and fruits at her feet.
It was only after the last sutra was read that she engaged Matt in anything other than pleasantries. "My son is very fond of you."
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On Matt's end of things, he hadn't minded the service too much. Boring in places and strange, absolutely, but an interesting experience and Mohinder's mother hadn't been anywhere near as intrusive as he'd anticipated. Not that he completely counted that one off, but he'd been fairly relaxed for the most part.
Of course, he felt a bit like jumping two feet in the air when she did drop that bomb on him. And what a bomb, too.
"I-I, uh- you think?" he managed after a second's worth of deer-in-the-headlights. He felt a bit like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It was downright bizarre.
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She didn't intend to let up, not this time, and not at this rate. Her motherly senses were tingling and her child's happiness and safety were certainly things she was interested in.
His engagement to Mira, arranged, had been the wrong move, she knew. They had a lot in common, but Mohinder was a dreamer. He needed someone more stable. Despite homosexuality being frowned upon in India, his mother never minded when he beat around the pronound bush from time to him.
She just liked to vet his potential mates.
"Though he does not believe it to be in the same fashion. Have you spoken about this? Raising a child together will try your relationship at times and you must be on the same page, no matter what that relationship is."
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He was struggling a little with what to say though but Zahra didn't seem to actually expect an answer from him at that little observation. Which was probably a good thing, because Matt wasn't sure how to say yes, I care about your son because we're a team and Molly would break if anything happened to him or yes, I care about your son because despite his fuck-ups he's really not bad at all to be around, or yes, I suddenly care a whole lot that your son wears glasses.
So instead he just kind of swallowed, and listened, and when there was a question, he felt kind of helpless.
"Um", he started, and for a while, that was that. Focus, Parkman. Your power is a mind power. Come on, be smooth. "Maybe not as much as we could have, ma'am", he wound up with, congratulating himeslf on his steady tone. "But we know we're on the same page as far as Molly is concerned."
And that's really the most important thing, is what went unsaid.
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She lifted the hem of her burnt orange sari to step down from the curb and climbed into the car. Matt wasn't at the end of the conversation, however.
"I have often worried that Mohinder would never see the potential of finding someone that might understand him... He has sold himself short on so many occasions that I did not believe myself to ever be a grandmother. I want you to know that my home is always open to you and yours, Mr. Parkman. In return, I would ask only that you protect Mohinder and that beautiful girl. And be gentle with my son's heart. He means well, but often oversteps himself. Shall we see if they're ready to return home?"
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It meant that they were doing the right thing. That was really all that mattered.
It was also clear that she wanted him to do right by her son, and that was a topic that was a little more blurry. Matt nodded, though, listening despite his own embarrassment and slight desire to run away from the topic altogether. He recalled it at Odessa, the way he'd actually wound up telling Mohinder that power or not, he still made a difference. Was that what she meant, selling himself short? It wasn't unlikely.
He hadn't really thought about Mohinder that way, either. But then, new ways to think about the man seemed to be cropping up a bit all over the place today.
Biting the inside of his cheek lightly, he gave her a thoughtful look, but he nodded. What else could he say other than "Yeah, sure"?
The drive back was mostly in silence and Matt found that he was thinking a whole lot more than he really wanted to, but when they arrived at the university and Molly and Mohinder were both waiting for them, he found himself grinning all the same.
"He-heey! How was school?"
That one was for Molly when she practically ran up to them.
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"Mohinder!" Molly laughed as she took Matt by the hand. Having either of them leave again, for the next few weeks, was going to be difficult. Even if it was only for a little while. "It did make me miss school a little bit though. They don't have arts and crafts at the university though." Allow the girl to chatter away while Mohinder crossed the plaza at a more leisurely pace, eyes on Matt the whole way, at least until he realised he'd been made out again.
Hopefully this wouldn't become a massive problem, though holding all of these feelings in was starting to tear at him.
His own fault and he knew it.
Climbing into the backseat with Molly, they were whisked back home and Mohinder spent the time before dinner trying to pack Molly up and get the things he'd bought safely into his own luggage. At least playing Tetris with tea and spices kept his mind from Matt--
Oh, who was he kidding? Of course it didn't. Not when he could hear Matt talking to Molly across the hall.
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They left Mohinder alone for the most part but after Molly had told him most of what she had on her mind and went to see if Zahra wanted any help with making dinner, Matt found himself leaning on the door frame to the room Mohinder was in and watching him as he finished up packing.
It was when he looked up that Matt colored slightly and lifted his eyes towards the ceiling. Not an eyeroll, but personal exasperation. What had he just been doing? Come on.
He cleared his throat.
"So, probably a stupid question", he said, voice caught between uncertainty and feigned nonchalance. "What's with the glasses, anyway?"
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A glance over his glasses at the asked question, however, gave him pause. "I hadn't felt like putting in my contacts," he said, eyebrow arching. "After a few days in Odessa having to spit into them to keep them from drying out and sleeping in them so I wouldn't lose them, I thought I'd give my eyes a break from little bits of plastic shoved against them."
Mohinder pulled off his glasses in a move that was unintentionally sexy and turned his massive brown eyes in Matt's direction.
"Better?" Matt was a bit of a multi-coloured blob at the moment, so it was hard to know the answer.
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Matt laughed a little and sort of ducked his head. "Nah, I meant more like ... are you near-sighted, or what?" He hadn't figured Mohinder to be the kind with vision problems when he first met him and he'd sort of dismissed the glasses when they made their appearance as reading glasses at first. Usually since they hadn't made many appearances at all. But he had noticed the act of taking in and out contacts after several months of living with Mohinder - he'd just never bothered to ask why before.
"And I guess I'm wondering it's a vanity thing or a practicality thing." A gesture. "Bothering with contacts, I mean."
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Focused now on the problem of fitting a tin of tamarind into his bag, Mohinder still couldn't help but grin at Matt's second question.
Practicality or vanity? Do I come off vain? All the product is to keep my hair from being a bird's nest. His thoughts spun off, but they were all incredibly good-natured.
"I'll go with practicality. No worry about them sliding off of your face when you're reading, getting scratched, or constantly having to wipe them free of smudges. Maintenance is mostly concentrated to just before bed on most occasions."
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Which might have been kind of thoughtless, actually. So it was maybe just as well.
He crossed his arms loosely over his chest, a small hum as he considered that. "Yeah, but you're still putting things into your eyes every day." Matt didn't think he'd have managed that, to be honest, so the short of it was that he was pretty happy for having perfect vision. That, and he wouldn't have gotten to be a cop otherwise, anyway.
"I can take a few things with me, if you can't fit them", he added, nodding towards the packing. It wouldn't be a problem - Matt hadn't picked up anything new.
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If only he could remember how to be back to the Mohinder that had taken in the poor shot cop, back when his thoughts were pure and he was never put in a situation to want, more than anything, to wake up as he had that very morning, Molly poking at him and Matt's strong arms keeping him safe--
Enough of that, he told himself awkwardly as he tossed Matt the tin.
"Thank God, I wasn't sure if I was going to set off alarms at the airport for smuggling in curry powder and chai."
It could be easy again. Once they settled down, things would go back to normal.
"After dinner, I was going to book return tickets for you and Molly. I'll follow in about week. Is that all right with you?"
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Matt had to fight with the notion for a second. Did he really need a whole week to ... but then, this was his home, and Matt could understand the hassle that paperwork meant. He seemed a little troubled still, though, even if he nodded.
"Uh ... sure, yeah. But you'll have to tell her that one yourself."
Molly would no doubt be disappointed, but they both knew it wouldn't be to a degree that'd cross into sadness. She'd been through a lot and was resilient, but she'd miss Mohinder something fierce until he got back.
It'd be strange for Matt too, at this point, to not have him around. But maybe it was for the better, the side of him he'd like to call rational spoke up again. Clear his head a bit. It was probably all the damn proximity that was getting to him.
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Cab drivers worked when they wanted to. Or had to. Mohinder hoped that they'd be finished with that a little bit of adventure soon, too. A regular job, working for a reputable company? That was all he wanted.
Molly allowed them all to sleep in heir own beds, which Mohinder did with a little regret. Having had someone next to him for over a week, being alone was a little depressing. He sighed, looking up at the ceiling, steadying his thoughts so he could actually get some sleep.
Sleep, however, was not kind to him.
Though his nightmares did not involved Matt having his head ripped off, Sylar did come back to haunt him. Matt told him that Sylar's thoughts had revolved around causing him pain, that he liked the sounds the Indian made while he was being broken.
His dreams modeled themselves on that twisted fantasy, his mind already over-active and perhaps whatever latent desire he'd had for 'Zane,' constructed a nightmare both horrific and sensual. With Mohinder tied to a chair, Sylar bent over him, lips close to the Indian's mouth. He demanded a kiss, to which Mohinder refused immediately. Sylar gestured and Mohinder's finger was bent back and broken at the knuckle. He cried out and Sylar repeated the request. On the third broken finger, Mohinder finally complied, kissing the mad man passionately as tears rolled down his face.
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<3 Missed you!!!
missed you more! welcome back <3
It's so good to be back.
I imagine, it sounded like such a hassle. /pets
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