By Fabrisse
Pairing: Peter/Nathan
Rating: ADULT - Explicit
Word Count: ~1400
Category: Established relationship
Prompt: turn every scar into a dream
Kink: knife play
Requested by: sandersyager for rounds_of_kink
Spoilers: Through 2.11 Powerless
Summary: Nathan teaches Peter to control his healing
Warnings: Blood play
Notes: Sorry, gang. Unbetaed again.
"You think you're invincible, don't you, Pete."
Nathan stood in front of his brother.
"Physically."
"I think even that has its limitations." Nathan looked him in the eye knowing Peter could see the despair he'd felt.
"I wouldn't want to live without you."
Nathan nearly gave in and kissed him. Instead, he rubbed Peter's shoulders. "Look at what Adam tried to do." His voice was low. "Four hundred years. No death. And all he could think of was killing the whole world."
Peter looked at the floor. "I didn't know. He told me we were going to destroy the virus."
"You read minds." Nathan walked around his brother as he spoke.
"People can lie, even in their own heads. I don't know how to read beneath the surface, and his surface thoughts are in another language."
"Did you try, Peter?"
Nathan might not be able to read minds, but he could always tell when someone was lying to him. Peter never had and didn't start now. "Early on, when we were in adjoining cells, I tried. Once we got out... He cured you, Nathan. He gave me everything I needed in the world."
"Of course, you trusted him after that." Nathan's voice was gentle against his ear. "Do you have to heal? I know it's unconscious, but can you stop healing?"
"If I'm dead, no. It's automatic. The only scars I have are from before I absorbed regeneration."
"But if you're alive, can you control it?"
"I've never tried."
"Will you? For me?"
Peter said. "Anything."
Nathan pulled Peter back against his chest and turned his head for a kiss. Peter's tongue snaked out to explore all the tastes hidden in Nathan's mouth until Nathan stepped back panting. He said, "Strip. Anything still on your body in thirty seconds, I'll cut off you."
Peter raised an eyebrow, but began to peel off his clothes. The apartment was cool.
Peter braced himself in the doorframe.
"You need to remember how to bleed. I want you to prevent yourself from healing until I give you permission. If you don't flinch, the cuts will be superficial."
"Yes, Nathan."
"Relax. Here." Nathan handed him the knife.
He recognized it, of course, a standard issue Navy pilot's knife. He looked at the serrated side -- for cutting tree branches, he thought -- and looked a question at Nathan.
"I won't use that edge on you."
"You can. I might not feel the sharp side, if it's really sharp."
Nathan closed in for a kiss. "You understand why?"
"If I'm caught someplace, I might need to pass for human."
"God, Peter." Nathan stroked his cheek. "You're human. But healing instantly, that's a power people will envy."
"So I need to be able to bleed."
Nathan nodded, and Peter returned his knife.
The blade was sharp -- a whisper over his skin. Nathan locked eyes with him. "You're not concentrating. You're healing before I finish the cut."
Peter held his arm out.
Nathan drew a long stripe from Peter's elbow to his wrist.
Peter concentrated on keeping the sides of the cut open, on letting the blood flow. The healing came too quickly and the mark was gone.
Nathan took his other arm and made the same cut deeper.
Concentration furrowed Peter's face, but it worked. On an incision nearly a foot long, one inch stayed bloody, though it had healed so much it looked like a paper cut.
"Good. It's a start." Nathan placed his hand over the short wound. When he lifted it, the mark was gone.
Nathan moved behind his brother, kissed his neck, and trailed a cut from one side of Peter's ribcage to the other.
The ends came together quickly, but Peter could feel the trickle of blood from the center. He'd been able to leave the wound deeper. He could feel the air making it sting.
Once again, a slow touch from Nathan gave tacit permission to let his skin re-form.
Kneeling, Nathan started to work on his back. It was more difficult when he couldn't see the knife, didn't know the depth of the wound.
A cut to his calf, deep, made Peter hiss. Nathan's tongue, licking the wet blood distracted his nerve-endings from pain with the promise of pleasure. His cock was getting hard from the tickle of dripping blood, cutting knife, and teasing tongue.
Nathan moved his arm to one side and stepped in front of Peter. He took his brother's dripping erection in his hand. "I could circumcise you."
Peter smirked. "I don't think you will. You take care of your toys."
Nathan gave a half smile back and, eyes still fixed on Peter's, knelt. He used his lips to pull the foreskin over the head. He stretched it forward then let it retract and licked all the moisture pooled at Peter's slit.
Peter remained braced where he was and whimpered. "Suck it, please."
Instead Nathan made a series of small cuts on Peter's abdomen. The first two mended quickly, but Peter managed to hold the rest open. Nathan said, "I'm going to suck you slowly. When the last cut heals, I'll stop."
The sound from the back of Peter's throat was rough. His concentration was divided between Nathan's skillful mouth and the effort of controlling this ability.
Nathan took his cock deep and tongued the vein roughly. Then he moved back to sit on his heels letting Peter's erection slide out of his mouth. The last cut had repaired itself.
"I need to come. Please."
The serrated edge sliced Peter's hip. He gasped, but the cut remained open, blood flowing freely.
Nathan stood. He kissed and teased each of Peter's nipples in turn. The wound on Peter's hip still oozed blood.
"That's good, Peter." Nathan ran his finger along the rim of the gash. It was raw.
He put his fingers in his mouth to clean the blood off them. "So good." He kissed Peter gently, like a balm. One hand was behind Peter's head holding him in place while Nathan took his perfect kiss. The other touched the injury on Peter's hip, and felt the skin knit together.
Once again, Nathan stepped behind his brother. He wrapped Peter tightly in his arms, his hands stroking over the smooth skin.
When Peter leaned his head back and moaned, Nathan nibbled his neck and brought the knife straight down the middle of Peter's breastbone. Peter came hard.
Without looking, Peter held the cut open feeling the blood flow down his torso. The orgasm blocked any thought of pain.
It was Nathan who broke first. He pulled Peter into a crushing kiss and held his hand over the gash.
Peter focused on the kiss, the sensation of Nathan's lips and tongue teasing and soothing him as he allowed himself to heal into the warmth of Nathan's hand.
The small teases made him ache to reach for Nathan, but he followed his instructions and remained braced in the doorway.
When Nathan placed a reverent kiss over the unmarked skin, he said, "No scar."
"Claire can't scar. Neither can Adam. But I think I can."
Nathan looked at him. "How? If you have their abilities?"
"I also have Hiro's." Peter held his hand out, and Nathan placed the knife in it. Peter made a small X on his own bicep.
Nathan felt like he'd moved, but didn't know how.
Peter said, "Look," and held out his arm. There was a ropy, white X on Peter's bicep.
Nathan put his lips on the spot and licked a stripe to Peter's shoulder.
"You forgot yourself when you went with Adam."
"I forgot who I belonged to. I can no more be who I'm supposed to be without you than you can without me."
He used the knife in his hand to cut the buttons off Nathan's shirt. He tantalized Nathan's nipple with little flicks of his tongue. He raised his eyes to look at Nathan.
Nathan nodded and Peter used the knife to carve a P right over Nathan's heart. He caught some of the blood on his tongue and then licked over the mark he'd made.
"I'll stitch that later so you'll heal cleanly."
Nathan held out his hand. Peter shook his head.
"I know I'm yours." He took the knife and sliced into his own skin. Three quick strokes, deeper than any Nathan had given him, formed a perfect N right over his heart.
For Nathan, the room seemed to wobble again. Peter stood there marked with a thick, white scar. "Everyone will know I'm yours."