I did this one for a Secret Santa Heroes thing on LJ. The prompt for that was the song "Let it Snow" and the pairing of Mylar.
ac-the-brain-supreme does not own Heroes. Or Christmas. Cause if she did, she would have totally opened a can of whoop-ass on teh GRINCH!
Mohinder had seen snow before, once. It was when he was a little kid, visiting his mother's family. They lived in the mountains in the northern part of India. He could remember it so vividly: when he first ran out into the soft white fluff, he fell face-first. He was expecting it to be as soft as it looked, instead of the icy top layer that he first had to fall through to get to the soft stuff. Mohinder and instantly gotten up, face red with embarrassment and cold, and ran strat back to his mother's legs, saying how he didn't like the snow and he never wanted to see it ever, ever again.
The family member had died within the next year, so Mohinder was well on his way to never seeing snow again.
Than he grew up and decided to follow in his father's footsteps. That lead him to New York, which lead to Virginia Beach and him. Even before Mohinder knew that Zane wasn't Zane, he would think, "If it hadn't been for Zane, I wouldn't be going all the way across the country to find this woman."
(----------)
Mohinder remembered the upset feeling he had when he saw snow in Montana. He knew he was going to trip and fall again and break something. He just knew he was going to slip and fall on his face again, breaking his two front teeth and make him look absolutely stupid. And Sylar-Zane would laugh at him in that geekily cute laugh of his and Mohinder would feel even more stupid than he already would.
Mohinder did eventually trip on some black ice. It was the night after they met Dale. They were in the parking lot of the motel and Mohinder was getting his computer bag, which he had accidentally left in the car. Mohinder hadn't seen or expected the black ice, so when his shoe slipped and he was falling backwards, everything seemed to slow down; time, Mohinder's thought process, his comprehension.
Which is why it took almost a minute for Mohinder to notice that Sylar-Zane had caught him.
"Are you okay?" Sylar-Zane asked.
Mohinder felt his face heat up. He righted himself and nodded, curtly answering "Yes" and thanking his companion before getting the bag.
(----------)
Mohinder had gone walking outside the next night. The night after finding Dale's dead body.
He had needed something to clear his mind and alcohol was not readily availiable where he was. So walking, taking in the clean, cold air that almost froze his lungs was the next best thing. Mohinder had lost track of time while he was out there. He didn't check his watch. He didn't want to. Everytime he did, he would think of how many hours it had been since that afternoon.
Mohinder stopped pacing after a while, clutching his coat close. He was beginning to feel numb in mind and body. This Sylar thing, the finding of special people, it was all too much for him to go after all by himself. He just wouldn't be able to do it alone. If he did, he knew, it would kill him.
An extra layer of pre-heated cloth was layed on Mohinder's shoulders. Mohinder didn't react visibly. He only thought of how strong Zane's--Sylar's actually but he didn't know this yet--hands were.
"Penny for your thoughts."
Mohinder closed his eyes. "Than you're keeping that penny."
Sylar-Zane took a step closer. Now he was right behind Mohinder. "Is that because you just aren't or because you're trying not to."
Mohinder bowed his head. "I don't know."
Sylar-Zane wrapped his arms around Mohinder, sitting his chin on the Indian's left shoulder. "I'm always here if you need to talk to someone."
Mohinder felt tears spring forward. "For how long, though?"
Sylar-Zane's lips brushed against the back of Mohinder's ear. "For as long as you need me."
(----------)
Mohinder saw snow one more time before he saw Sylar again. Mohinder remembered recieving that phone call. He was so scared, but also so excited. Anxious is probably the emotion he felt or should have felt. But Mohinder had felt anxious before and what he felt wasn't anxiety. It was...or at least it could have been relief. Relief that Sylar was still alive. Relief, and maybe hope. Hope that Sylar would become like Zane again.
Unfortunately, that was not so. Sylar was there on a mission: to save himself and than to take the abilities of a poor young woman. Mohinder had seen the way Maya looked at Sylar. First, he felt a little jealous. Sylar was manipulative, so what had he done to so completely obtain this woman's trust and affection. Was it the same thing that Sylar did to obtain Mohinder's? Than Mohinder saw how little Sylar thought of Maya and began to hope again.
Maya spoke to him a little afterwards. She explained how she met Sylar, how he gained her trust and helped her to control her sickness, how her brother had tried to get Maya out of Sylar's control but she had ignored him, and how she had loved him.
Maya had used Mohinder's shoulder to cry on. Mohinder wanted nothing more than to beat Maya senseless. He hated the fact that this woman, who had been so naive as to pick up and instantly trust someone she had found face-down on the ground in the middle of nowhere, had gotten the privilage to kiss Sylar, the one man who gave Mohinder a real sense of purpose.
But he didn't do anything. Just sit there, letting Maya use his shoulder as a Kleenex to wipe away her tears.
(----------)
The next time it snowed was the next time Mohinder saw Sylar. Mohinder had gone out, wanting to be by himself. He didn't know where he was going, only that his feet were moving and that they were taking him someplace. At one point, Mohinder just stopped walking. He stood and waited, not sure what he was waiting for but know that he had come to the place that he had been sent to go.
He felt those arms wrap around him again.
"Penny for your thoughts."
Mohinder leaned into Sylar. "It's so cold outside."
Sylar didn't answer right away. Instead, he held Mohinder even tighter. Mohinder closed his eyes. "But...if you hold me tight...I know that I'll be able to stay warm."
Sylar bent his head down and kissed Mohinder's neck. "I know a place you can stay. Just for tonight."
Mohinder let himself be lead, knowing that he should say "no".Sylar tugged Mohinder into him. Sylar's arms sat on the small of Mohinder's back. He let his lips slide against Mohinder's, and Mohinder thouroughly enjoyed it. Mohinder leaned into Sylar. He nodded lazily. Sylar wrapped his arm around Mohinder's shoulders and lead him down the sidewalk.