Claude was swearing loudly in Peter's bathroom. Peter sighed and went to check on the older man, though it wasn't like Claude swearing was a novel thing.

Correction: Claude was bleeding profusely in Peter's bathroom.

"Shit, what happened?" Peter demanded, getting a washcloth.

"Cut myself," Claude snapped. Peter glanced in the mirror, looking for more cuts, and started in surprise. "I'm not inept," Claude growled. "I've shaved without mirrors before."

"You – can't turn it off?"

Claude slumped. "I can make animals and people see me. Just can't see my own reflection."

"That doesn't sound physically possible," Peter observed as he treated the small wound.

"Well, never said it made sense, did I?" he retorted as he picked up the razor again.

"Let me do it," insisted Peter, taking it from the older man. "You don't even know where the cut is," he explained at the glare. "Besides, I shave patients all the time."

Claude muttered angrily, but held still. Peter scraped the stubble off briskly, but began to slow the strokes of the razor when he reached Claude's neck and chin, well aware that a move in the wrong direction could cut the carotid or the jugular – or if Claude was lucky, just provide a hole for a very unnecessary tracheotomy.

Peter didn't see Claude's eyes soften as his anger faded, or the small smile – barely more than a single corner of his mouth quirking upward for an instant – when it registered subconsciously that someone was noticing him, even pampering him. Peter was concentrating very severely on shaving Claude's jaw. So when he put down the razor and wiped the remnants of cream from the invisible man's face, Claude's kiss came out of nowhere.

Though he would deny it later, Peter made a highly undignified squeak as the older man's lips landed on his own, and very nearly whimpered when he was brusquely shoved up against the sink. When Claude turned his devouring maw to Peter's skin, pulling off the smaller man's clothes as he went, Peter gasped desperately for air, clutching involuntarily at Claude's shirt-collar, hips thrusting upward without permission.

"You want me to stop, pretty boy, you had best say something now," Claude whispered huskily in Peter's ear, pressing his whole body against the smaller mutant.

Peter moaned.

"Let me rephrase, since you appear too far gone for words," continued the Brit hoarsely. "Nod for continuing. Shake your head for quitting."

Peter nodded fervently.

"That's fantastic," Claude beamed.

-

To the unaware: Christopher Eccleston, who plays Claude "Rains" on Heroes also played the ninth Doctor of Doctor Who. The Doctors tend to have their own quirks, Number Nine liked to say, "Fantastic," and "That's fantastic!" when pleased.