Two
He decided to take some time off work. He more than earned it after picking up all those double and triple shifts. Peter knew that such a request was better done in person but he could barely handle a normal New York street; a trip to Mercy was out of the question. In the end he was glad of the choice since it spared him the look on Hesam's face.
Peter left it up to Sylar on what they would do with the free time. When Sylar expressed his interest in visiting his old watch repair shop, Peter was hit by a mixture of surprise and pleasure. It was a willing step out into the world to an unexpected destination. Then he remembered that Sylar had the shop back in their world. It was probably one of the few places that would be the same here.
They took a taxi to minimize their interactions with other people. Of course the taxi reminded them both of Mohinder and they exchanged amused smiles during the drive. They got off right in front of the building. It was still owned by Gabriel Gray but the numerous business cards stuck inside the door suggested an effort to change that. Sylar opened the door to release the cards to the wind.
Inside was thick in dust and cobwebs. There were no broken clocks, but the place held the same dark loneliness. Without a word Peter started opening windows to let in some fresh air. They would need some cleaning supplies for the rest. Peter turned to Sylar and saw the man fishing out a ladder from storage.
"What's that for?"
"I'm checking for security cameras," the other responded. Peter hadn't even thought of that but it made sense: the Company was just the type to keep tabs on people. Peter did his own sweep of the shop. Between the two of them they found a number of cameras strategically placed throughout the building. They took great pleasure in crushing each one.
With the shop now free from prying eyes, they spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon cleaning it up. Peter doubted that his companion intended to use the place again. It was more for the sake of a project. They were aching and tired when they finished, but they were also left with a sense of accomplishment. Peter rewarded their hard work with fast food, a guilty pleasure he'd missed back in their world.
"A nurse should know to eat healthier," Sylar teased him.
"I should," Peter agreed as he crunched down on another French fry. "But these are just too good." That got a laugh out of his companion, and just to show his maturity Sylar flicked his ketchup packet in Peter's direction. Peter responded with a mustard packet. Speaking of mustard, he needed to stop at the grocery store.
"Be careful, Peter Pan. They're going to take away one of your merit badges if they catch you littering." Peter loved how easy it was for them to exchange playful banter. It was natural, an assuring consistency from their time in that world.
Next order of business was a grocery run. After years of never worrying where their food came from, going into the supermarket was surreal. Peter picked out a few things with Sylar adding to the basket now and then. He was debating between coffee brands when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Sylar holding the newspaper. Claire's face was on the front page under the simple heading "Miracle Girl".
"Just because she exposed herself doesn't mean we have to," he said, though it felt like he was just saying that to comfort himself. He wanted to believe it was going to be different from the future he saw.
"If you say so." Sylar clearly wasn't convinced. Peter persisted in keeping the day as normal as possible. He paid for the groceries and got them a taxi back home to put them all away. After that it was to the furniture store for chairs. Sylar tagged along even though he thought the whole thing was pointless.
That was what Peter liked about him: he never tried to talk the empath out of his stubbornness. He simply went along with it, picking up a sledgehammer or comparing prices on armchairs. Sylar was there, and Peter was actually glad for it.