Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes. I have no witty comments to make that fact any less sad.
A/N: I loved writing this fic. It's one of the first Heroes fics I'm really really proud of. Written for the heroes15 prompt Rain. And there is Paire. If you don't like it please don't tell me about it.
Water was everywhere in rivers, streams, ponds, and human bodies. Rain was her favorite kind of water, though. The smooth, rhythmical falling could lull her to sleep and she always loved to stay awake and watch thunderstorms.
Back in Texas, she liked to stand out in the rain, breathing in the clean smell, feeling each small drop hit her and trail down her face. Rain was quiet, peaceful. It didn't care about petty human problems. In Texas rain held a sort of innocence she couldn't feel anymore; it had disappeared with time and died a little when she tried to kill herself over and over. Her life was like that. Things died and she moved on. Things disappeared and she moved on.
New York rain was an entirely different experience. Each drop burned her skin and it fell harshly, dousing the few brave souls who were still outside. The sound was different, angrier. Claire guessed even the burning was better than nothing. Burning reminded her of helping Ted. It was kind of nice. Maybe the burning could wash away her guilt. If only she could re-grow hopes and dreams, the same but completely different, like body parts.
"You know that the rain here isn't good for you."
Peter didn't leave her alone much anymore. It was almost like he was afraid if she sat in silence for too long she'd slip back into the habit of trying to kill herself. Silly boy, she had everything she wanted and nothing at all. Besides, it wasn't like any of her previous attempts had succeeded.
"New York is almost completely polluted; it's not like it used to be."
He sounded apologetic. So like Peter to apologize for something that he couldn't help.
"It's different. The rain here burns."
There was no need to mention what she heard. In some way Peter understood. He'd been in Odessa for rain too.
"It's highly acidic. At times I can understand why people go green."
She remembered learning about the pH scale in school.
Claire laughed. Funny how Peter could make her think of everything she'd learned.
"It's not like it can hurt us."
His laughter joined hers and she marveled for a second at how nice they sounded together. For the first time in a long while the rain was the same.