"This lady came to my school today," Molly said as she plonked herself down on the couch beside Matt "She was in our RS lesson and made us do different work instead."

Mohinder looked over from his chair, folding up the newspaper he had been reading to pay attention to his daughter.

"A substitute teacher?"

"No! Miss Willoughby was there as well, but she just sat at the back and didn't teach. I was kind of glad, 'cause I don't like her very much. The other lady was nicer."

"Probably a student teacher," Matt nodded

"We had to fill in a sheet about our families."

Matt and Mohinder exchanged worried looks. Molly's family had been murdered by Sylar. Would she have written about them? Mohinder couldn't help feeling that the school could be more tactful, especially since they knew how recently her parents had been killed. Molly still had nightmares a lot of the time, and no child could go through such an ordeal without any mental scarring.

"Hmmm?" Matt asked tentatively, but Molly seemed perfectly fine.

She was rummaging around in her school bag, and eventually pulled out a neatly folded sheet.

"Here."

Matt unfolded it, and looked dazedly at the jumble of words on the page. He could however understand the picture in a box at the very top, which showed a smiling Molly holding hands with both Matt and Mohinder. Matt smiled; Molly had crayoned him wearing the clothes he generally slobbed around the house in, while Mohinder was dressed in a neat blue shirt and trousers.

"This bit is supposed to be about my mom, and this is supposed to be about my dad," Molly said, deliberately avoiding the fact that she didn't have her own mom and dad anymore.

"Yeah?" Matt asked, looking at the 'mom' box. It had been filled in...

"I wasn't sure which one to be the mom, but I decided it could be Mohinder because he has the girliest hair."

Mohinder coughed indignantly while Matt snorted with laughter.

"Thank you Molly," Mohinder said, pretending to glare at her

She giggled, sticking out her tongue. Mohinder got to his feet, perching on the arm of the couch so he could see the piece of paper.

My Mom is called Mohinder. He is a doctor and is very smart. He uses a lot of long words and helps me with my homework. He is also good at cooking and is teaching me how to make spicy food.

He read the ode to his character with a smile, turning to Matt so he could read that box out loud.

My Dad is called Matt. He is funny and kind and very brave. He watches cartoons with me and his favourite is Batman.

"Aw." Matt said, almost blushing.

"Hmmm..."

Mohinder was reading the next part of the sheet. There was a series of questions or statements, to which Molly had to put a ring around whether they were true or false.

My Mom goes out to work: True

My Dad goes out to work: True

My Mom does most housework: True

My Mom cooks the meals: True

My parents live together: True

My parents are married: True

Wait, what?

"We're married?" the Indian man asked in mingled confusion and amusement

"Oh!" Molly exclaimed, snatching the sheet back "I was so used to circling 'true' for the others that I did it for that one as well..."

Mohinder explained to a bewildered Matt while Molly searched for a pen to correct her mistake. The telepath laughed with more enthusiasm than the situation deserved, and Mohinder smiled faintly at how hilarious the idea apparently was.

"But you are practically married..." Molly said after Matt had calmed down "We're a family."

"I think there's a little more to it than that." Mohinder replied "We're a family, but Matt and I don't love each other. I mean, not in the way that people do when they get married."

"Oh..." she said thoughtfully, tapping her nose "But..."

"Hey, did you decide to colour in your hands instead of the paper? Why don't you go up and wash your hands before dinner?" Matt interuppted, pointing at Molly's paint-spattered fingers

She frowned, then nodded, grabbing her bag and leaving the room. Mohinder turned to Matt with a small grin.

"So we're married now?"

"It seems so," Matt agreed "Odd sort of marriage."

"Well, maybe it's some kind of arranged marriage where we're getting to know each other before consumating our vows?"

"Or even having a first kiss," Matt reminded him with a laugh.

It felt good to be able to joke around with Mohinder like this. He guessed that the situation had forced them to become friends of a sort.

"Maybe I can remedy that," Mohinder murmured, leaning across to peck Matt on the lips teasingly.

Matt's eyes bulged in shock as their mouths met. It was a quick playful kiss that lasted barely a second, but it flipped Matt's stomach and flooded heat through his body. He felt almost sick, not nauseous because he had just been kissed by a man but sick with sudden confusion and overwhelming longing. That had barely even counted as a kiss, but it made him feel more alive than the hundreds of kisses he'd gotten off Janice over the years, and that did scare him. He was straight for God's sake, he wasn't supposed to get turned on by men, no matter how pretty they were.

Mohinder was looking at him, a curious and slightly baffled look on his face. Matt meant to laugh, to carry on the joke, to make some inane wisecrack about Mohinder kissing like a girl, but he found that all he could do was grab the front of the man's shirt and pull him close. Their lips smashed against each other, and Mohinder opened his mouth immediately to give Matt access. The telepath wrapped his arms around Mohinder's waist, crushing their bodies together as he kissed his friend properly. This was incredible, it was insane, it was wonderful. It was like kissing Elle- not literally, that would be gross beyond words- but because electricity seemed to be humming in the air and leaping between their battling mouths.

Matt pulled away reluctantly, his lips still buzzing and Mohinder's sweet taste still lingering on his tongue.

"Molly'll be down any minute."

"Right you are," Mohinder agreed, shifting away and settling himself at the other end of the sofa.

"Mohinder..." Matt began, not even sure what he was trying to say.

The Indian man looked up sharply, looking a little afraid.

"... can we carry on later?" Matt asked shyly, avoiding Mohinder's eyes.

Mohinder beamed, barely able to stop himself from diving at Matt right there and then.

"Yes, I would like that very much."