Title: Déjà Vu

Author: SG1SamFan

Character(s): Zach, Claire

Pairing: Clach

Word Count: 256

Spoilers: Up to episode 1.14 "Distractions".

Rating: K+

Summary: "I'm a geek. I read comics, listen to post rock, and make movies on my laptop. But somehow, I'm friends with Claire Bennet." Post-memory wipe, Zach reflects on his relationship with Claire. Zach POV. Clach.

Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or its characters and receive no profit from this story.

Archive: Please ask me first.

A/N: As I'm sure you've noticed if you're reading this, there is a severe shortage of Clach on the web. Hence, this vignette—and three connected fics coming soon! I thought about rewriting the rest of the series to include 1.17, "Company Man", but I decided to post them as-is and write a few new ones, as well.

I'm a geek. I read comics, listen to post rock, and make movies on my laptop. But somehow, I'm friends with Claire Bennet.

Yeah. Still trying to wrap my head around that part.

Claire says my memory's been erased, which sounds like something out of a Philip K. Dick novel. Except this is for real. I can't remember what's happened between us the last two weeks, but Claire's changed somehow from the bitchy, popular cheerleader I didn't care to know... and I can't help but wonder if I had something to do with that.

She's told me all the stories, yet I still feel like I'm missing something. Like, sometimes she'll smile at me, and our eyes, like, catch. And then my heart races with adrenaline, like I'm playing an amped-up guitar solo; and I have to look away to clamp off the surge. The feelings come from nowhere, and they scare me. Because even though everyone says we're best friends, I'm afraid Claire's gonna wake up tomorrow and realize that she's friends with me—and what the hell is she doing?—and she'll be gone.

So I try to treat her like I'd treat a friend. I try not to look at her for too long because every second I do, I feel a little more. But I'd do anything for her, because that's what friends are for, isn't it?

Yeah. Right.

I wish I knew what we were before. But for some reason, I don't think I knew quite what we were even then.

A/N 2.0: I will reply to all reviews, constructive criticism and praise alike. Even a few words—just a thumbs up or a thumbs down—would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!