Family Emergency

Chapter 3

It was already bright outside when the nauseating smell of fried food awakened Peter, and his stomach began to twist before he was even fully conscious. Knowing that he'd throw up on the spot unless he moved, Peter stumbled out of bed, his coordination off, and did his best to stay on his feet despite the furious pounding of his heart combined with the usual dizziness that happened when one got up too quickly. He barely made it to the bathroom in time. Luckily the toilet lid was already up, or he would have thrown up all over it. Peter rested his hot, sweaty forehead against the cool porcelain of the toilet seat, silently wondering if life could suck more than this.

Nathan entered the bedroom carrying a tray - the best way to surprise Peter was by making him breakfast in bed - and was shocked to discover an empty bed. His brother wasn't there. His initial fear was that Peter had left the apartment altogether - flown out of the window, perhaps - but then he realized that Peter could not have gotten far, as he hadn't even bothered to get dressed. Half-choked, gagging sounds from the bathroom confirmed the hypothesis. Setting the tray with the fried eggs down, he followed his brother's trail and found Peter bent over the toilet seat, still naked and with traces of vomit stuck to his lower face. Sighing, the older man removed some toilet paper from its roll and tried to wipe off his brother's sweating, stained face, but Peter only swatted at him.

"I'm not a fucking kid... and get the god damn eggs AWAY FROM ME--ohhh god..." and he bent over again, gagging vehemently.

Annoyed at the lack of gratitude over his effort, Nathan emptied the plate into the trashcan in the kitchen and sat down, frowning. For the life of him, he could hardly remember anything from when Heidi was pregnant. However, when she was, he would usually hide until he was certain she was in a mood which did not end with him getting threatened.

"Nathan?" a voice run ragged from the sting of bile called out. "Can you make me some tea and toast?"

Eyebrows raised, the lawyer almost exclaimed, "of course!"

Approximately fifteen minutes later Nathan returned to the bedroom, this time bringing the requested tea and toast with him. Peter was lying on his back in the bed, eyes closed. Nathan's eyes were inevitably drawn to the developing roundness in the middle of his brother's supine, naked form. Peter's eyes snapped open all of a sudden and he stared at Nathan accusingly, having noticed his brother's lingering gaze.

"Quit staring at my belly..." he growled, snatching a pillow and placing it over the embarrassing bulge to hide the sight from Nathan.

The older brother cocked an eyebrow at the nurse's sensitivity. "Can't help it, man. It's like nothing I've ever seen. I mean, all your life, you've never even had a belly."

"Stop... reminding... me."

"There's the Peter I know and love," Nathan said, grinning as he placed the tray down on a bedside table. "Come on. Eat up, or else you'll feel awful all day."

Peter avoided looking at him and continued to hug to pillow close to his body. "I will when you leave the room."

"What the hell! That's unkind," Nathan could not help but exclaim. "What's the difference? It's not like I've never seen you eat before... slobby."

The punch to his shoulder took him by surprise and within seconds, Nathan realized that the blow was meant to be hard and that it really hurt.

"Just leave me the hell alone!"

"If that's what you want," he said coldly and stood up, intending to leave the room as well as Peter's living quarters. He barely made it to the door when a pillow hit the back of his head, followed shortly by Peter's voice.

"That's right, just go ahead and leave like nothing's ever happened! Who knows, I might come up with my own way to end this misery! Remember the fine set of kitchen knives you gave me last Christmas, Nathan? I might as well put them to good use now."

That was pushing it too far, and Peter realized it the moment his brother spun on his heels and stomped back to his bedside. Nathan grabbed his arms harshly and shook him. He had never hit Peter; not even when he was furious, but Peter actually feared it would happen this time.

"You stupid, spoiled, irresponsible brat!" the lawyer snarled, eyes glowing with anger. "Don't you dare threaten me like that, EVER! Do you hear me?!"

The shock and fear in his brother's eyes were clear as the blue sky. Peter nodded as he shook in the older man's grasp and several seconds of silence went by before Nathan finally dropped him back onto the bed. Peter held back a whimper in time and bit his lip, feeling like the worst example of a human being on the face of the earth. His life was already complicated enough after he had discovered his and Nathan's abilities. Now he was pregnant, possibly to the point of killing him, and his relationship with his brother was falling apart right in front of him. He kept his face hidden in shame, not wanting to be seen so upset. God, being pregnant fucked up his emotions. He heard Nathan give a long, tired exhale and realized his brother felt badly about what he had done.

"You can go," the young man said. "I don't mind."

"Peter, I"--

"You have a busier life than I do. I have some things I need to think about alone anyway."

"You just threatened to kill yourself, Peter," Nathan said gravely. "How can you possibly think I could leave you alone now?"

"If I want to kill myself, I'll do it," Peter replied wearily. "You can't watch over me every second of your life. A few more hours won't matter."

"You're scaring me," Nathan admitted. He took a seat next to Peter on the bed and placed a hand on his brother's bare thigh. He was fully dressed while Peter was still in the nude; another reason for his brother to feel vulnerable and exposed.

"You're not the only one who's scared..." Peter muttered.

"I love you, little guy. It scares me when you talk like that."

"I won't... try anything, Nathan," Peter said, suddenly guilty about the childish suicide threats. It had been low, and he knew it. "I promise. I just said so because I was angry. You don't have to stay here just to watch over me. I'll be fine."

"I have to think of some way to hide this until the abortion anyway... God, what will they say at work?"

"You'll think of something. You always do," Nathan answered, trying to get his brother's mind off of seriously harming himself. "For now, maybe you could say it's something you ate."

"Like a fetus?"

Nathan could not help but laugh, but his brother's expression never changed from its glum appearance.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Peter nodded. "I'm sorry I said that."


"You didn't mean it," the lawyer replied gently, patting the dark locks of hair on his brother's head. "I have my phone with me, AND my pager."

"I know," Peter said, clearing his aching throat and sitting up. He lifted the mug of tea to his lips and sipped. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Peter."

***

Peter didn't see his brother for the upcoming five days; they spoke on the phone at least once every day, but Nathan's busy work schedule prevented him from spending much time elsewhere. Keeping his phone with him at all times, Peter was confident that he could get a hold of Nathan any time he wanted, should a crisis come up. He went back to work two days after being delivered the shocking news. Peter figured it wouldn't hurt to leave his apartment for a few hours, and it wasn't as if his job required any actual physical labor. He caught some work mates throwing furtive glances at his stomach area, despite the roomy shirt he wore. If only he could pack on some pounds on other places than the bulge. Then it wouldn't be so painfully obvious that something odd was going on.

Somehow, in her own mysteriously clever way, Angela Petrelli had managed to arrange an appointment of aborting the fetus for her son, and she called him up one day less than two weeks after the bizarre discovery to give him the news. Peter, of course, had to call Nathan afterwards concerning the date.

"Can you make it?" he asked, fiddling with the phone cord as they talked.

"Yeah, I can make time..." Nathan replied, eyes scanning over his schedule book. The silence on the other line was of great concern to him.

"You okay?"

"I guess so," Peter answered. "Nathan...?"

"Yeah, buddy."

"I'm afraid. I don't know if this is a good idea."

"I don't know either," Nathan replied. "Anything could happen. But consider the options. Either we take it out of you now, or it'll continue to grow inside you, until..." He let the sentence drift off, knowing that Peter knew what he was referring to. Saying the word "birth" seemed so odd when he had no real idea where the fetus would come out in the first place.

"Are you sure the doctor knows what he's dealing with?" Peter asked. "How did mom get him to agree to something like this? If she paid him, that means he's just doing it for the money."

"He is a renowned gynecologist," Nathan said. "This won't be his first abortion."

"The first one of this kind," Peter prompted. "I don't really need a gynecologist, anyway. More like an... andrologist, or something."

"Mom always knows what she's doing," Nathan reminded him. "We need to put our faith in her, okay?"

Peter was glad his brother did not have to look at his face now. "Okay. You'll pick me up then?"

"Yeah, that's good."

By the time Peter hung up the phone, he felt even more lost than he did before his mother had even called him. Sinking to the floor, he sat there contemplating the situation for a very long time.

***


"This looks like the right way," Nathan said, turning a corner and driving down the street. Damn it, these directions... you're awfully quiet today."

"Really?" Peter asked, sarcasm evident. "I can't imagine why." He continued to stare out the car window, refusing to look in the direction of his brother, until he felt a hand over his own.

"It'll be fine."

"I'm not so sure."

There was no one else at the clinic when they arrived. Once he thought about it, Peter did not find it all that odd. This whole thing was to be done "off the record", so to speak. Officially the doctor probably had a day off. Something Peter couldn't help but wonder was how much their mother had paid him. Ten grand? Twenty? How much was her younger son's life worth?

The gynecologist was in his sixties, tall and lanky with grey hair and large, gnarled hands. The thought of those hands prodding and digging inside of him made Peter's blood freeze in his veins. He was becoming more and more convinced that this was a very BAD idea.

"Nathan..." he pleaded, gripping his brother's forearm once they were alone in the waiting room. "Nathan, please, I don't wanna do this..."

The older man tried to be strong with his brother, tried to keep to the decision that this was the better choice. This was the safer one.

"No, it's too late. You have to."

"No, I don't..."

"Do you have any idea how much Mom paid for this? I don't know it myself, but I'm guessing she went a hell of a lot out of her way for you." Nathan's voice was quiet, but the tone still held a threat. He was losing his cool and he was just as afraid as Peter was. "I don't want to see my baby brother die because of a mistake we made. That I made..."

Hands running through his hair, Peter's breath picked up in pace. "I can't heal. I'm terrified out of my mind, Nathan, please!"

"Peter, calm down! Unless you calm down, things WILL go badly!" Nathan hoped that Peter would snap out of his budding hysteria before it had a chance to bloom. It didn't seem like he would, though. The younger man sank to his knees, holding his head while hyperventilating and sputtering out a mixture of pure nonsense and pleas directed at Nathan.

The lawyer knelt beside him, trying in vain to calm his brother. When shouting didn't help, he shook him. This had no effect, either, so Nathan reverted to the only other thing he knew one was supposed to do to a hysterical person - he slapped Peter.

Peter went deathly silent from the strike to his face, which was now hidden behind hands and hair. After a few minutes, his breath came out much slower, though it shook like the rest of him.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment of silence, "I'm so sorry... but I can't."

Nathan tenderly pulled the hands away from his brother's face and looked into Peter's eyes. They were red and overflowing with tears. Pushing aside a long piece of hair, the older brother saw a bruise already forming.

Christ, perhaps Peter was right.

Once Nathan had made his decision, he didn't stop to dwell on things. He pulled a still shaking Peter to his feet and half-dragged, half-carried him out on the street where his car was parked. Peter still hadn't said a word when Nathan lowered his mostly loose-limbed body onto the front seat and fastened his seatbelt. His eyes were completely hidden by his ridiculous long hair, and Nathan wished, not for the first time, that he'd had scissors at his disposal to cut it off with.

The drive back to Peter's apartment passed in silence. By the time they arrived there, the younger man had started breathing normally. Nathan still didn't trust him to walk unaided and kept a secure arm around Peter's waist as he walked them upstairs.

The young nurse was not sure of what would happen now. He could hear Nathan on the phone with the gynecologist, making arrangements due to the change of plans. Hopefully this could still be kept in the dark. Nathan had his own reputation to think of, after all... Selfish bastard.

A queasy feeling arose deep inside Peter and he curled up into a ball on the sofa as he waited for Nathan to end the phone conversation. He did not want to touch his stomach, though avoiding such was practically impossible, especially in the near future. He felt so guilty now. This child was going to be born to parents who did not want it, nor did they carry any love for it. Keeping it was out of the question anyway... Peter did not want to give the baby such a sheltered childhood. If they could find a couple who could care for it instead, the baby would have a better chance... but depending on how it might end up looking, who the hell would want to adopt it?

The thought of giving birth to a hideously deformed child was enough to make him want to cry again. Peter remembered reading somewhere that babies born from an incestuous coupling had a fifty percent chance of turning out normal. The odds weren't supposedly that bad... but considering his luck lately, he'd probably produce a freak that could barely even be considered homo sapiens.

It was easy just laying all the blame on Nathan, but Peter knew that he was just as much responsible as his brother. It wasn't as if Nathan had forced him, and Peter was well aware that he was the one who'd insisted protection was not necessary.

"The doctor's agreed to keep things quiet," Nathan announced as he approached the sofa. "Granted he keeps the money mom gave him... but at least he can pretend he went through with it and not tell anyone else about you."

"I feel..." Peter began to say, but his statement was interrupted by the incentive before he could finish, and he found himself making a half blind run for the toilet. The first heave came up before he made it, but he clamped a hand over his mouth, letting only a few drops escape him. The feeling of the vomit in his mouth only made things worse, but by then he was finally in the bathroom.

Attempting to remain calm, Nathan only wandered back to the kitchen to remove some carpet cleaner in order to take care of the tiny offending stains. He looked up when the wretched sounds ceased from inside the bathroom and the toilet had been flushed. Peter stood in the doorway, his face unreadable.

"Can I get you anything?" his brother asked, standing up.

Peter shook his head. "Everything just makes me feel sick..." he sighed miserably. "I can't eat or drink half of the things I used to love."

"How about some tea? And maybe some crackers? You need to get something in you. It's not good for you or the... the little one if you starve yourself," Nathan insisted. He still couldn't believe he had agreed to let Peter keep the parasite. Logically thinking, an abortion, risky though it was, would have been the best choice. Now they were stuck hiding Peter's pregnancy for another six months, not to mention the birth... however that was to happen.

"Okay, sure..." Peter shrugged. "W-will you stay with me tonight?"

Instantly Nathan found himself saying yes without further consideration. So many times he felt could not say no to his brother, and he cursed himself for it. But Peter was hurting, and he could not be alone tonight after what had happened. I can't keep using that excuse, the older man thought.

That evening, Peter found himself too tired to stay up later than 8 pm. He wondered how long he would be able to stay awake during the day in a few months time. Lying on his side, he nibbled two more crackers, his back facing Nathan, who sat next to him on the mattress, reading a magazine. The young man would have preferred a cheeseburger over crackers right now, but his stomach would have severely disagreed.

"You need the light off?" he heard his older brother ask.

"I don't guess so," Peter muttered, sighing automatically.

A plastic bucket had been placed on the floor on his side of the bed, just in case he felt the need to throw up and wouldn't make it to the bathroom in time. The idea had been Nathan's. Supposedly the lawyer didn't like the idea of his brother throwing up all over the bed a second time, even though this bed wasn't his and did not have sheets worth hundreds of dollars.

After another while, Nathan put the magazine away - he couldn't concentrate on what he was reading anyway - and lay down next to Peter, spooning around the younger man and wrapping an arm around his waist. Peter tensed noticeably when Nathan's hand came in contact with his stomach area.

"You don't want me to hold you?" the older man asked, sensing Peter's hesitance. An uncomfortable silence followed his question, but Peter soon answered.

"Yeah... I do, I just..."

Nathan rested his head against that of his little brother in a gesture of comfort and affection. "Just what?"

"Could you not touch me there?" Peter finally asked. "I don't want to be reminded of what's in there."

"I didn't mean to do that," Nathan replied, nuzzling his brother's cheek. "It wasn't for the kid. It was for you." A large, warm hand caressed one of Peter's nipples, and the young nurse tried to ignore the way it made his entire body tingle. "This kid is not the one I hold at night. It's you and no one else. You're the one I make love to."

Peter winced under the other man's touch at the thought of those words. "Me... I'm hideous. And in time I'll be looking even worse."

"You're not hideous, Peter," Nathan said firmly in a voice that did not leave room for any arguments. "You're beautiful. You've always been beautiful, and you always will be. The thing inside you won't change that."

Peter could clearly remember how it all started; when leaving to serve in the navy, Nathan had left behind an awkward, gangly fourteen-year-old and returned two and half years later only to find out that Peter had grown into a breathtakingly beautiful young man. In Nathan's own words, "one day you're a little runt and the next you're an erection-inducing sex god". Meanwhile, Peter had had a crush on his big brother ever since he hit puberty, but he only dared acting on his feelings after finding out that Nathan felt the same way about him. This had happened when Nathan accidentally - or so he still claimed - walked in on Peter jacking off and sported an erection of his own in a matter of seconds.

"Just..." Peter's face went bright red. "Don't pay so much attention to my stomach okay?"

"You sure?" Nathan asked slyly, lifting an eyebrow. "Maybe you might end up looking sexy with a belly."

"Knock it off," Peter snapped, about to push his brother away until Nathan removed his hands and instead placed them on a naked chest.

"Alright, I'm sorry." A tongue drifted over hardening nipples, feeling goose bumps lift over the damp skin, and Peter shivered in pleasure from the sensation.

"I'm... ohh... I'm still mad at you," the younger brother objected in his pleasure.

"Alright," Nathan grinned, his tongue exploring the detail of his brother's neck.

Peter couldn't believe that Nathan wanted to have sex now. He looked downright repulsive with the growing lump in his middle, and not to mention the fact that his stomach could no longer be trusted the slightest. Yet Peter could clearly feel his brother's erection through the thin pajama pants Nathan was wearing, and he knew that a hard-on could not be faked. Maybe his brother really still found him attractive.

The thought was enough to boost Peter's fading self-confidence just a bit, and he kissed Nathan back, nuzzling the very distinct jawline that he loved so much. The older man's hand traveled down the nurse's body and stopped to cup his half-hard cock.

Due to his hesitation to sit back and enjoy the ride, Peter was only half erect, and so Nathan decided to try an old trick of his which he always did to fully put his brother in the mood. With most of his hand wrapped around the shaft, Nathan extended his first finger and let it trace the underside of the phallus, right down the middle. The very moment that finger gently reached the scrotum and gently pressed, Peter could not help but give a sharp moan of immaculate pleasure. His parted lips were soon invaded by Nathan's tongue, and this time the young man eagerly kissed back, eyes closed in satisfaction.

Fingers sifted through his long hair as Nathan straddled his brother's groin and kissed every part of the pretty face beneath his lips. Occasionally he even gave a small lick.

"Could you... could you suck me, Nathan?" Peter asked, breathless from the wonders his brother had already worked on his body.

"Hmmm..." Nathan murmured between the kisses. "I think not. I want you to come while I'm inside you..."

Nathan wanted to fuck him? Peter couldn't help but being reminded of what had planted the fetus inside him in the first place. "W-we shouldn't..." he said shakily. "We don't know how this... bitch of a power works. What if you add a second baby to the first, or..."

He was interrupted by Nathan bursting out in laughter. "Oh, Peter... you actually believe that yourself? And either way, we're going to use protection from now on. You do have condoms, don't you?"

Peter's face went red again, and he averted his eyes from his brother. Nathan chuckled again until his brother's face suddenly became hopeful.

"I do! The staff was given free family planning folders, and I just took one without thinking. I thought about throwing it away, because at the time..." he did not need to finish the sentence and instead muttered. "I think it's under some books on the coffee table."

"Thank god for that," Nathan replied as he bounded off for the living room. When he came back, tearing open the condom's wrapper, he still sported an impressive hard-on. Even in the dim light, Peter could spot a tiny stain of pre-come on the peak of the tented pajamas.

Once the condom was rolled on, Nathan readied himself between a pair of shapely, beautifully spread legs. Peter had already removed a tube of lubricant from the nightstand and handed it to Nathan, who spread it over his fingers, smirking.

It had been while since they’d done this, and the first two fingers entering his body, slicking him up and stretching him felt mildly uncomfortable. Peter did his best to relax, focusing on breathing in slow and deep. Nathan soon brushed against his prostate, and Peter's cock twitched, leaving a wet trail on the slightly protruding belly it was resting against.

"Feel good, baby?" Nathan asked, scissoring his fingers in order to make his brother loosen up.

"Hmmm-mmm..." Peter murmured, encouraging Nathan by rubbing his feet against the older man's hips and thighs. A strong hand wrapped around his erection and gave it a few quick, firm strokes. Then Nathan lifted his legs up and positioned himself to enter Peter.

"Ready, little buddy?" he asked coyly.

Peter bit his lip and nodded, in a state of bliss which he could barely be shaken from now.

After so long, the movement of Nathan inside him felt as though he was being penetrated for the first time in his life. However, there was less pain than his first time, which had been when he was nineteen, and after much pleading and begging to Nathan.

"I'm ready," Peter found himself murmuring in remembrance of that past night.

Nathan, smiling at the look on his brother's face, proceeded to push into Peter, gently at first, then quicker and harder until the younger man was giving quick, piercing moans with every thrust. Baring his teeth, Nathan felt himself ready to come and he pumped harder, giving in to the lust. He had no idea how the penetration would affect the fetus and quite frankly he didn't care, either. No one had asked for it to grow inside his brother's precious body; if it couldn't take this, it only had itself to blame.

The absurdity of his reasoning made Nathan giggle out loud, and the strange noise drew Peter from his lust-induced haze.

"W-what's so... so funny?" he asked accusingly, his initial suspicion that Nathan was laughing at his physique – or his belly, to be more precise.

"Nothing," the older man panted out, the grin already gone from his face. He thrust almost savagely into Peter, hearing his balls slap against the nurse's ass on each impact. Nathan was very well-endowed - hung like a horse, according to both Peter and his wife - and he realized he was well on his way up into Peter's colon.

"Feels... so strange..." Nathan said with each thrust to make up for his brother's suspicion. "Because... haven't done this... for so long..."

Peter might have added that it did not feel so strange after a while, but he was too busy crying out in tremendous pleasure with each surge into his snug channel. He would have touched his own straining cock if he did not have the chance of touching his stomach in the process. Almost as though reading his brother's mind, Nathan took the hard organ in his fingers and stroked.

They came almost in unison, just as Nathan had promised. Peter's come shot out in thick jets, staining Nathan's furiously pumping fist, Peter's stomach and the sheets beneath them. The younger man writhed in the throes of his orgasm, not realizing that his brother was finished as well before Nathan practically collapsed onto him, body trembling from the aftershocks of his powerful climax.

"Jeeze..." Peter sighed. "What was with you...? Heidi been having a headache, or what...?"

Still breathing as though having run a marathon, Nathan nuzzled against his brother's jaw.

"Damn, that felt great. I haven't had it that good in a while." His clean hand reached up to pat his brother's hair. "I guess I've been stressed out. Been worried."

Peter wrapped his arms around the older man. "About me?" After a nod from the lawyer, Peter shrugged. "I don't see why. I'm fine now."

"Yeah, but... first you're sick, then you're dying... then you’re not dying because you're pregnant. Pregnant and going through with it."

"Yeah... unless I miscarry, or something," Peter murmured, his voice almost... yearning? Nathan wasn't sure. He did know that Peter was in no way enthusiastic about carrying the child to full-term; he'd made the decision in a moment of weakness without much thought on the consequences. Nathan, however, did think. The infant, if born viable, would not be able to remain in the Petrelli family, not unlike his firstborn, the indestructible Claire. This was a much worse situation than the one with Meredith in Texas sixteen years ago. Nathan Petrelli had made his own brother pregnant this time, and should the media find out about THAT... Nathan was beginning to hope for a miscarriage as well, despite the risks one came with.

Meanwhile, Peter had fallen asleep, nestled to his side. The dark mop of brown hair rested placidly on Nathan's chest, falling and rising in rhythm with his breaths. Peter was a little brat, but Nathan loved him. Had he loved his brother any less, he might even have considered provoking the younger man to miscarry.

.
TBC