A Moment of Weakness

I followed Mohinder into the small apartment. I had him wrapped around my little finger. One more flash of my Winning Smile and he was all mine to do whatever I wished with. It's strange, being face to face with someone who wants nothing more than to kill you. Strangely...exhilarating, being in his presence. He's like the first sip of black coffee, bitter at first, but leaves a delicious aftertaste that keeps you sipping again and again until you're enjoying the coffee and not just using it for it's caffeine. Lame metaphor, but what can I say? He renders me speechless with his brilliance, his feminine blushes. The way he bites his lip while trying to make sense of a country hick's shotty directions, the way he-

Mohinder thrust a cup of tea into my hand. I'm not one much for tea, but I surely couldn't say so, it'd be...rude. Not that being less-than-pristine ever bothered me before, but being within eyeshot of this, this...royally immaculate man... It was screwing with my head.

I tried to drown these alien notions with the warm tea. Not bad, actually. Suddenly, I felt my pulse in my head, my eyes beginning to roll backwards into my head. My knees became weak, my legs like noodles. As I fell to the floor, I heard a single word issue from the melodic heaven that was Mohinder's voice box.

"...Sylar." And everything went fuzzy.

I knew it was later when I woke up. I had no idea how much later it was, but I knew it was later. Before I was even able to open my eyes, that single word echoed through my mind like a Super Bouncy Ball. I wrenched open my eyes, using all my strength, and saw Mohinder looking back at me.

God, how could I have been so blind? If there's one thing that action movies have taught me it's to never drink first... But life's not a movie. All the muscular heroes never have to deal with emotions so potent as mine. They also don't eat brains. How could I have done this? I let myself slip into a moment of weakness, a moment without guard. How did he do this to me? That smile, those lush blushes, our conversations in the car...Had they all been to get me into this unguarded state? To further lure me away from my ultimate goal?

"So, Zane, how long have you known about your abilities?" Mohinder blinked once before taking a sip of his soda. Boy, did he have long eyelashes. I felt a little bit of heat rise in my cheeks. How nice, he wanted to know about me! It was so...flattering.

"A few weeks, but that really doesn't matter, does it? Tell me more about you, please." Use that beautiful voice, please... His cheeks flushed adorably as I felt the urge to be obnoxious, to call him out.

"Aww, the doc's blushing!" I blurted. Oh, God am I immature.

"R-really it's just the sympathetic nervous sy-system which responds to-" I'd either pissed him off or he was honestly embarrassed. Either way, I'd screwed up.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Dr.Suresh." I hoped that this would be apology enough.

"Mohinder." Huh?

"Pardon?" An unusually quaint term for me, but whatever. He simply brings out the best in me, I guess.

"You can call me Mohinder." He smiled.

I opened my eyes again. He was still there. I stared at him for half a second, enjoying the last glimpse of my friend before the first glimpse of my enemy.