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[Kinda stupid to be riding a bike with her on the handlebars, so clearly-- that's why they're doing it. Mako hopped up there after he tried to convince her to get into the basket so he could peddle them along. She just smirks at him and says she's comfortable here and that is just daring him to see how far he can get them with her sitting like that.
He piloted a 200 story tall Jaeger, he can probably manage to do this. He's actually not doing too bad at it, he's a little wobbly at first and he can't see where he's going at all but the view's great.]
If you fall off, you better not divorce me.
Edited 2014-03-07 03:02 (UTC)
What a sweet husband, [ Mako's beaming at him happily, keeping perfect balance -- and even after so long, it's remarkable and delightful how they're still perfectly in sync. She's aware of the way he balances, shifts to work with him instinctively.
It's a lovely morning on the third day of their honeymoon, and with no one around for miles in the golden countryside, she leans over and kisses him on the nose instinctively. ]
already wishing that I'd fall off.
It's a lovely morning on the third day of their honeymoon, and with no one around for miles in the golden countryside, she leans over and kisses him on the nose instinctively. ]
already wishing that I'd fall off.
[Sometimes when the weather changes or he just sleeps on it wrong or it's just a bad day, his shoulder kills him. His right leg hurts too sometimes, is stiff in the mornings but it's not as bad as his left shoulder. Sure, he was on the side of the Jaeger that lost a limb in Pitfall too but he didn't lose a co-pilot, wasn't forced to carry the weight of the Jaeger by himself, and the damage wasn't as extensive because of it. He didn't walk away from it totally unscathed, sure, but it's nothing like the mountain he had to climb after Knifehead stole his brother. His body didn't want to recognize that it still had his left arm then.
Still doesn't, if you ask him. Raleigh feels older than he really is. He's twenty eight, not eighty, even if he guards his arm on days like today because if he moves it, it hurts more and he's really not a complainer. He doesn't sit around and bitch about how much his shoulder hurts, he just takes it in silence.
Still, it shouldn't even surprise him when Mako comes up behind him, because she always knows everything, tells him to lay down on the bed, she knows it hurts and she wants to help. When he does and she starts to dig her fingers into his shoulder, he can't help it, he groans and it's just pure relief.]
[ Mako knows, because she feels it too. It's the ghost of the aches that Mako feels, and she can't quite explain why. But she knows it's Raleigh's when he's favouring his shoulder, when he's quieter and more subdued than usual. Her lover bears pain in silence and solitude, and she understands it better than anyone else.
So she tells him to lie back and she gives him a good, proper massaging, kneading and easing out the knots of tension, rubbing over the aches with a gentle, but firm deliberation. She finds where it hurts and she soothes it out, mindful of the sensations she draws out of him. Her hands ease over sore muscles, tracing over the angry scars of his biceps, and her heart aches for him. She knows the story behind each and every one of them, and it's days like this where she shares his pensiveness. ]
Better?
So she tells him to lie back and she gives him a good, proper massaging, kneading and easing out the knots of tension, rubbing over the aches with a gentle, but firm deliberation. She finds where it hurts and she soothes it out, mindful of the sensations she draws out of him. Her hands ease over sore muscles, tracing over the angry scars of his biceps, and her heart aches for him. She knows the story behind each and every one of them, and it's days like this where she shares his pensiveness. ]
Better?
[Raleigh thinks that he's a pretty patient and fair guy, has a pretty high tolerance for anything that Mako does because he's hard pressed to name a single flaw of hers, much less find them irritating. Sure, she steals the blankets every night but he just worms his way back in there, whether she likes it or not. She is stubborn and has a shorter fuse than he does but when she devolves into rapid fire Japanese because English is too difficult when she's angry, he can't even pretend to be upset with her.
She is a workaholic and that's-- really his only sticking point. Mako frowns in a certain way when she's working on something, when there's a puzzle she can't solve right away and he likes that look too. But sometimes, he feels a little sidelined, not necessarily ignored because she couldn't ignore him if she tried, their connection is always there, that's not going anywhere.
Mako works long hours and that he's okay with but sometimes she still brings it home with her and moderation is a good thing sometimes. He gets it, that her work is super important to her and to thousands of people but this isn't rebuilding Gipsy. This isn't a project to throw herself into because she wants to prove to herself and because her mentor won't allow her to be a pilot. She's helping to rebuild the world, yes, but it's going faster than anyone anticipated under her control and she's not alone anymore.
She's got him. And Raleigh would be lying if he said he wasn't a little horny. That's really not all of it but in the interest of being honest.
Raleigh leans into her side, they're on the couch and he was watching TV while she has her papers in her lap but now he's focusing his attention on toying with the silver chain of her dog tags.]
You should take a break.
She is a workaholic and that's-- really his only sticking point. Mako frowns in a certain way when she's working on something, when there's a puzzle she can't solve right away and he likes that look too. But sometimes, he feels a little sidelined, not necessarily ignored because she couldn't ignore him if she tried, their connection is always there, that's not going anywhere.
Mako works long hours and that he's okay with but sometimes she still brings it home with her and moderation is a good thing sometimes. He gets it, that her work is super important to her and to thousands of people but this isn't rebuilding Gipsy. This isn't a project to throw herself into because she wants to prove to herself and because her mentor won't allow her to be a pilot. She's helping to rebuild the world, yes, but it's going faster than anyone anticipated under her control and she's not alone anymore.
She's got him. And Raleigh would be lying if he said he wasn't a little horny. That's really not all of it but in the interest of being honest.
Raleigh leans into her side, they're on the couch and he was watching TV while she has her papers in her lap but now he's focusing his attention on toying with the silver chain of her dog tags.]
You should take a break.
[ Raleigh is a pretty patient fair guy who lets Mako get away with a lot, and Mako loves him for it. She knows that she's not the easiest person to live with, but they've come together with an ease that's startled even her. It had been difficult to convince him that he's the one that she wants, that even after all of the confusion and the mess, she's still hopelessly, wonderfully in love with him.
But it had happened, and they'd moved from the Shatterdome together, out into the world on their own; Mako still works on the rebuilding efforts, but such things take her all over the world -- and Raleigh comes with her, taking up construction jobs even when money isn't needed, preferring to work with his hands and build instead of staying idle. They work seamlessly as a team still, even with the Drift behind them now -- she's got him, and he has her, forever and always. She's not alone because she has him; she's not alone because he's by her side every step of the way, and it's a sweet feeling to remind herself of that, that she's loved so deeply, so completely by him.
Tonight, however, she's far too preoccupied with her blueprints to pay much attention to him, even if his desire sparks in the back of her mind. She's making markings, barely looking up even when a part of her attention's caught at the way he's toying with her dog tags. ]
Mmmhmm, later. [ She's flipping the pages, before she glances at him. ] Pass me the highlighter?
But it had happened, and they'd moved from the Shatterdome together, out into the world on their own; Mako still works on the rebuilding efforts, but such things take her all over the world -- and Raleigh comes with her, taking up construction jobs even when money isn't needed, preferring to work with his hands and build instead of staying idle. They work seamlessly as a team still, even with the Drift behind them now -- she's got him, and he has her, forever and always. She's not alone because she has him; she's not alone because he's by her side every step of the way, and it's a sweet feeling to remind herself of that, that she's loved so deeply, so completely by him.
Tonight, however, she's far too preoccupied with her blueprints to pay much attention to him, even if his desire sparks in the back of her mind. She's making markings, barely looking up even when a part of her attention's caught at the way he's toying with her dog tags. ]
Mmmhmm, later. [ She's flipping the pages, before she glances at him. ] Pass me the highlighter?
[ Mako had left Nathan in Raleigh's care when she'd left for work -- she'd been confined to the home for nearly six months, recuperating and caring almost extensively for Nathan and Sophia together with Raleigh until she had to go back to work.
After staying so long with the children and her husband, it proved awful to separate herself from her baby boy; she'd been anxious, off-balance at work because he'd been with her almost constantly, and now... now she's back at her job and as much as she loves what she does, she can't help but miss Nathan's familiar weight, the softness of his eyes and the way he clings to her.
But he's safe with Raleigh -- Raleigh's a great house-husband, savvy at taking care of the kids when she isn't around, and so the day passes until she sets off for home, opening the door to a quiet house, save for the sounds of some video game or another, and Nathan curled up peacefully on his father's chest, an adorable little lump of white sleeping baby and she can't help but pause at the doorway and smile at the sight of the both of them together. ]
A father-son bonding moment?
After staying so long with the children and her husband, it proved awful to separate herself from her baby boy; she'd been anxious, off-balance at work because he'd been with her almost constantly, and now... now she's back at her job and as much as she loves what she does, she can't help but miss Nathan's familiar weight, the softness of his eyes and the way he clings to her.
But he's safe with Raleigh -- Raleigh's a great house-husband, savvy at taking care of the kids when she isn't around, and so the day passes until she sets off for home, opening the door to a quiet house, save for the sounds of some video game or another, and Nathan curled up peacefully on his father's chest, an adorable little lump of white sleeping baby and she can't help but pause at the doorway and smile at the sight of the both of them together. ]
A father-son bonding moment?
[ It isn't supposed to turn out this way.
Mako isn't supposed to be thinking of another man when she's sleeping in the same bed as the man she ought to want to spend her life with. She isn't supposed to think of golden blond hair and bright blue eyes, of strong arms and the curve of a generous mouth when it's her boyfriend's dark hair, dark eyes, and shy smile she should be thinking about.
He's sleeping beside her and Mako is restless, thinking of all the things that had come to form the fine, beautiful mess she finds herself in. She's deeply, hopelessly in love with Raleigh Becket, best friend and -- as of a whole year ago, ex-boyfriend, and she doesn't remember why it hadn't worked out, only that they'd mutually agreed to be friends, because neither one wanted to give up what they had.
Only... well, only things didn't die out, no matter how much they lied that it did; feelings die hard when it's the love of your life, your first, but they'd made a valiant effort out of it anyway, and Mako had introduced someone new to Raleigh in a bid to end what they had for good.
It doesn't work that way, not even when Mako found herself a boyfriend, a sweetly handsome, thoughtful young man that cannot be anymore different physically from Raleigh, from his hair to his swagger and to the way he smiles at her. Soon, she'd thought, soon she would stop pining. Mako had been wrong; six months on, and she had Raleigh had tumbled back into bed together, completely mindful of the fact that they were both dating different people, that they shouldn't, that they had their turn and it should be over, even if they stayed great friends after that.
They shouldn't, but they did, because the way Raleigh kisses her makes her melt and clutch him for more, the way she opens up and takes him back into her is intoxicating, and there's nothing that felt more right (and wrong) than this.
The first time, they'd decided, was a mistake. And so was the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth and sixth and tenth. The thing is, her current boyfriend is fine; he's funny where it counts, he's caring and loving where she needs him to be, and there really isn't a... push that would justify her texting Raleigh, thinking of Raleigh, yearning for Raleigh's hands on her body when her boyfriend kisses her. But she's thinking of him tonight, missing him, trying so hard to be faithful because two weeks ago -- two weeks ago should be the last time they'd gotten together, in the forbidden privacy of the back of his car, and then the hotel room. She sends the text before she can delete it, sparing her sleeping boyfriend a soft word of apology.
She loves her boyfriend, she thinks -- but Raleigh, Raleigh; he's so much more than that. ]
Not sleeping?
Mako isn't supposed to be thinking of another man when she's sleeping in the same bed as the man she ought to want to spend her life with. She isn't supposed to think of golden blond hair and bright blue eyes, of strong arms and the curve of a generous mouth when it's her boyfriend's dark hair, dark eyes, and shy smile she should be thinking about.
He's sleeping beside her and Mako is restless, thinking of all the things that had come to form the fine, beautiful mess she finds herself in. She's deeply, hopelessly in love with Raleigh Becket, best friend and -- as of a whole year ago, ex-boyfriend, and she doesn't remember why it hadn't worked out, only that they'd mutually agreed to be friends, because neither one wanted to give up what they had.
Only... well, only things didn't die out, no matter how much they lied that it did; feelings die hard when it's the love of your life, your first, but they'd made a valiant effort out of it anyway, and Mako had introduced someone new to Raleigh in a bid to end what they had for good.
It doesn't work that way, not even when Mako found herself a boyfriend, a sweetly handsome, thoughtful young man that cannot be anymore different physically from Raleigh, from his hair to his swagger and to the way he smiles at her. Soon, she'd thought, soon she would stop pining. Mako had been wrong; six months on, and she had Raleigh had tumbled back into bed together, completely mindful of the fact that they were both dating different people, that they shouldn't, that they had their turn and it should be over, even if they stayed great friends after that.
They shouldn't, but they did, because the way Raleigh kisses her makes her melt and clutch him for more, the way she opens up and takes him back into her is intoxicating, and there's nothing that felt more right (and wrong) than this.
The first time, they'd decided, was a mistake. And so was the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth and sixth and tenth. The thing is, her current boyfriend is fine; he's funny where it counts, he's caring and loving where she needs him to be, and there really isn't a... push that would justify her texting Raleigh, thinking of Raleigh, yearning for Raleigh's hands on her body when her boyfriend kisses her. But she's thinking of him tonight, missing him, trying so hard to be faithful because two weeks ago -- two weeks ago should be the last time they'd gotten together, in the forbidden privacy of the back of his car, and then the hotel room. She sends the text before she can delete it, sparing her sleeping boyfriend a soft word of apology.
She loves her boyfriend, she thinks -- but Raleigh, Raleigh; he's so much more than that. ]
Not sleeping?
[A rival MC tries to teach him a lesson, tries to make a statement and they pick the worst way possible to do it. Worst in that, they threaten his queen and his unborn daughter at the same time and that's a sure way to piss Raleigh off and make him burn your entire life to the ground. Because Raleigh doesn't always care very much about insults directed towards him, lets them roll off his shoulders but try to fuck with Mako? And his family?
All bets are off and he's not just riding the coattails of his predecessor. He didn't become President by accident and he's not something you want to cross.
Raleigh is faced with a tough choice once they find her and get her to the hospital. Mako's in bad shape, it's either operate now, an emergency c-section that doesn't have a very good outlook for the baby but if they don't do it, it's all but guaranteed that both will die. So do it, he tells them. He'll take that risk because if his choice is between losing their baby or losing both of them-- he's choosing the lesser of two evils.
The surgery goes well. The baby is in the NICU, they're doing everything for her that they can and they're cautiously hopeful about her survival. The doctors have more positive things to say about Mako, she'll recover, physically at least, there's no way to cushion the knowledge that she was abducted, beaten and that they might lose their baby because of it. It'll be a few hours before she wakes up and that's fine. That works perfectly, because he has something to take care of. Call him if anything changes but he'll be back in a few hours.
Raleigh gives Tyler to the prospect with harsh orders to protect that toddler with his life because so help him, if anything happens to Tyler on his watch and he's still living? Then he won't be in possession of his life for much longer.
He does come back like he told the docs he would, with a few bruises of his own added, one growing along the line of his jaw and another peeking out from behind the collar of his cutte and the faint smell of smoke clinging to him. Not cigarette smoke but smoke from a fire. Raleigh doesn't have to explain to any of the nursing staff what happened, it's pretty obvious.
But he can guarantee that a war isn't going to happen because there's not enough men on the opposing side to mount an offense.
Raleigh settles into the chair next to Mako's hospital bed, suddenly exhausted and hurting, like he's been refusing to let himself feel any of it until he was positive that she was safe. The hardest part hasn't even started yet, he still has to explain to her what happened. And they just have to wait to see what happens to their daughter.]
All bets are off and he's not just riding the coattails of his predecessor. He didn't become President by accident and he's not something you want to cross.
Raleigh is faced with a tough choice once they find her and get her to the hospital. Mako's in bad shape, it's either operate now, an emergency c-section that doesn't have a very good outlook for the baby but if they don't do it, it's all but guaranteed that both will die. So do it, he tells them. He'll take that risk because if his choice is between losing their baby or losing both of them-- he's choosing the lesser of two evils.
The surgery goes well. The baby is in the NICU, they're doing everything for her that they can and they're cautiously hopeful about her survival. The doctors have more positive things to say about Mako, she'll recover, physically at least, there's no way to cushion the knowledge that she was abducted, beaten and that they might lose their baby because of it. It'll be a few hours before she wakes up and that's fine. That works perfectly, because he has something to take care of. Call him if anything changes but he'll be back in a few hours.
Raleigh gives Tyler to the prospect with harsh orders to protect that toddler with his life because so help him, if anything happens to Tyler on his watch and he's still living? Then he won't be in possession of his life for much longer.
He does come back like he told the docs he would, with a few bruises of his own added, one growing along the line of his jaw and another peeking out from behind the collar of his cutte and the faint smell of smoke clinging to him. Not cigarette smoke but smoke from a fire. Raleigh doesn't have to explain to any of the nursing staff what happened, it's pretty obvious.
But he can guarantee that a war isn't going to happen because there's not enough men on the opposing side to mount an offense.
Raleigh settles into the chair next to Mako's hospital bed, suddenly exhausted and hurting, like he's been refusing to let himself feel any of it until he was positive that she was safe. The hardest part hasn't even started yet, he still has to explain to her what happened. And they just have to wait to see what happens to their daughter.]
[ Mako understands the kind of life that they lead -- she knows that it doesn't lend itself to security and any sort of lasting peace. Mako knows, and she knows that it would be foolish to hope otherwise. The tensions between the MC and the rival club are getting out of hand, with reprisals happening time and time again; this sort of blood feud doesn't end, and it all culminates in an abduction.
Mako is six months pregnant when they take her; she'd put up a bloody fight and had suffered for it; she'd endured a day of abuse, fully willing and able to protect her unborn child from the hate, defiant to the end with her only thought being of Raleigh -- and she'd been unconscious when Raleigh came for her, with blood in her mouth, on her head, and between her legs. It's an emergency C-section or else she loses her own life and the baby's, and Mako spends the next hours unconscious, recuperating.
Tyler doesn't understand what's going on, he's frightened, but quickly soothed by his father and the prospect -- who's pretty good with children anyway, and far too terrified of crossing a furious President. The MC rally together, a singular storm against their rivals, and when the storm dies, Mako wakes.
She wakes two hours into Raleigh's arrival, aching and fuzzy all over. The lights and the smell of disinfectant stings, and she's disoriented when she feels the soft pillows and blankets, and the more than welcome sight of Raleigh (why is he bruised?) sitting beside her. Lost, she asks, ]
Raleigh...? [ Is she dreaming? She's sure she's not supposed to be here. ]
Mako is six months pregnant when they take her; she'd put up a bloody fight and had suffered for it; she'd endured a day of abuse, fully willing and able to protect her unborn child from the hate, defiant to the end with her only thought being of Raleigh -- and she'd been unconscious when Raleigh came for her, with blood in her mouth, on her head, and between her legs. It's an emergency C-section or else she loses her own life and the baby's, and Mako spends the next hours unconscious, recuperating.
Tyler doesn't understand what's going on, he's frightened, but quickly soothed by his father and the prospect -- who's pretty good with children anyway, and far too terrified of crossing a furious President. The MC rally together, a singular storm against their rivals, and when the storm dies, Mako wakes.
She wakes two hours into Raleigh's arrival, aching and fuzzy all over. The lights and the smell of disinfectant stings, and she's disoriented when she feels the soft pillows and blankets, and the more than welcome sight of Raleigh (why is he bruised?) sitting beside her. Lost, she asks, ]
Raleigh...? [ Is she dreaming? She's sure she's not supposed to be here. ]
[Look, it's hard shit having a long distance relationship no matter what. But it is what it is, Raleigh can't leave his mom when she's sick and Mako needs to go to school in Boston because she's brilliant and she deserves it and she's going to make big things of herself and he's the last person to hold her back.
He trusts her. He really does. Raleigh just doesn't trust the boys she goes to school with because he knows what boys are like, he is one and he's one of the grossest and Mako is pretty and smart and can kick a lot of ass and that's a huge turn on, you know. He knows she won't do anything, that it won't even occur to her because she's a chronic workaholic and he loves that about her but he just wants to make sure that other guys know she's spoken for.
Which is why on her last night before her spring break ends (his mom flew her back again and Dominique Becket spoils them both rotten and Raleigh loves her so much for it) he's curled around her in his bed, their shirts are long gone and he's got a leg hooked over both of hers, and he's turning his attention to making the most spectacular hickey on the side of her neck. Because he can. Because he's not a saint, and he's usually pretty laid back but turns out he's pretty territorial when it comes to Mako Mori and people just need to be aware of that.]
Edited 2014-03-19 01:12 (UTC)
[ Mako knows it's hard, and she's sorry -- and while Mako adores and loves Dominique like she would her own mother, she knows, too, that the woman will not forgive her if she puts her studies on hold to come back. Dominique is the mother she's never had, and Mako does her best to help out wherever and whenever she can, sending back contacts to various specialists, helping out with the household and the cooking whenever she's back in the Becket household.
Raleigh's having a tough time, and so are his siblings, but he's always been strong and Mako knows it -- and besides, she's sure that he's dealing with another sort of problem: their long distance relationship. It's tough, and the statistics so far are disheartening, but Mako is Mako and Raleigh and Raleigh and they're more than determined to make it work, which means it's Skype during their breakfast and dinners, and Mako keeps to them religiously, no matter how much work she has.
But all the same, Raleigh is jealous and she knows it. Mako tells him that there's little he has to be jealous about; she doesn't return those attentions anyway, varied and many as it may be, but Raleigh, well...
Tonight, after dinner is done and the dish is cleared, Mako settles together with Raleigh for their last night together, feeling a sense of bittersweetness as she holds him and kisses him, basking in his affection before that talented mouth roams and she feels -- well. Mako jerks, startled, but doesn't push him away. ]
Raleigh! [ A light nudge to the shoulder anyway. ] What are you doing? People can see that!
Raleigh's having a tough time, and so are his siblings, but he's always been strong and Mako knows it -- and besides, she's sure that he's dealing with another sort of problem: their long distance relationship. It's tough, and the statistics so far are disheartening, but Mako is Mako and Raleigh and Raleigh and they're more than determined to make it work, which means it's Skype during their breakfast and dinners, and Mako keeps to them religiously, no matter how much work she has.
But all the same, Raleigh is jealous and she knows it. Mako tells him that there's little he has to be jealous about; she doesn't return those attentions anyway, varied and many as it may be, but Raleigh, well...
Tonight, after dinner is done and the dish is cleared, Mako settles together with Raleigh for their last night together, feeling a sense of bittersweetness as she holds him and kisses him, basking in his affection before that talented mouth roams and she feels -- well. Mako jerks, startled, but doesn't push him away. ]
Raleigh! [ A light nudge to the shoulder anyway. ] What are you doing? People can see that!
[Safe to say, Raleigh hits rock fucking bottom and then some after his brother's death, after he's dishonorably discharged (a fucking favor from Pentecost), after he stops giving a fuck about anything. He's not drinker, doesn't feel the appeal or drugs, falls into hooking because he's starving and some woman offers one night and apparently, even though he's a disgrace to the program, there are still people who adore him, the flies still stick to him and they'll pay a lot for the chance to say they slept with Raleigh Becket.
So that's what he does. That's how he survives and you would think that he would feel ashamed of himself, or guilty or like he's letting his brother's memory down-- but that would require that he feels anything at all.
She finds him one night, working his usual spot at the bar. Raleigh works purely on reputation alone, people find him, he doesn't go to them. It's like an unspoken secret up and down the Alaskan coast that if you want him and have the money, this is you need to go. She doesn't look or sound like a fly, she's dressed rather conservatively and she's quiet, with an obvious Japanese accent. She asks if he's Raleigh Becket, he confirms, she tells him that she has a proposition for him, he names his price and if she looks startled for a second, he passes it off as she didn't think he came that easily and doesn't think anything of it because she nods a moment later and they're off.
Raleigh can tell about four seconds into their "date" that she's never done this before, and that doesn't just mean pay someone for sex. She's clearly never done that before because she has never had sex before at all. She's nervous, tense, hesitant and that's just kissing, and even this new Raleigh, the cold and distant and numb one can't just brush that aside and pretend like he doesn't notice. Was she dared to do this? Did she lose a bet to her friends? Did she think it would be glamorous and exciting? He asks her if she's sure she wants to do this, tells her he'll give her a full refund, no hard feelings or anything.
But she surprises him again. She reaches for him, comes back at him with determination and resolve and like she's got something to prove and okay yeah, he is a fan of that but is she sure-- yes, yes she's sure, be quiet now Mister Becket.
Raleigh tries to feel guilty for it, even just a little bit for being her first. She seems like a bright young woman, she deserves better than her first time being in a crappy hotel room, but he can't because there's something else about her that's got his interest. He-- feels connected to her somehow, like he should know her but can't remember where he's met her before. But once she comes out of herself, the way they move together, the way she reaches for him, how she seems to search out what he likes as if she already knows what will happen-- it's different from the others he's been with.
It doesn't feel like just sex, it's a dialogue, an echo of the same pull that comes with Drift compatibility and just who are you, Mako.
Raleigh doesn't think she notices it, doesn't have any reason to think she's had ranger training, much less has ever been close to a Jaeger, and he has no idea how to bring up that conversation because how do you tell a girl who just paid you to sleep with her that you feel connected to her and that hasn't happened to you in five years and he's not a pilot anymore but he's going to be very sorry when she leaves. He wants to latch on to her, not to be his co-pilot but because he's so lonely and tired of being alone that she's like a shining star in the darkness.
Usually Raleigh leaves right after but he's lingering now, rolling off her just enough to shift his weight off her, trailing his fingers up her arm slowly.]
Thank you.
[ Raleigh is... not who Mako expects. Or, at least, the man that he is now, is the man she least expects him to be. It's a far cry from what she's seen of him through the countless videos -- that fearless, cocky ranger, so full of life and passion to save the world. The cockiness she could do without, but the fierce passion would be what would propelled him forward and make him shine.
Mako sees the former, and not the latter tonight; Raleigh is a fire gone cold, embers dying in the evening light when the cold sets in -- he's still devastatingly handsome, all-American bled into gold-blond hair and bright blue eyes (only now it's more of an imperceptible slate gray than anything) with a cold edge that she'd never seen before, not in any of the videos she'd so carefully watched.
But she's here on a mission and she will not fail Pentecost, even if the price he quotes up front throws her for a loop. She'd heard rumours, of course, that Raleigh Becket is hooking himself up and down the Alaskan coast, the light for all the jaegerflies looking to jockey the ex-jaeger pilot's dick for a great time and a certain fee. She'd heard a volley of it, from admiration to disgust to disappointment, but she hadn't believed it until now.
It had been on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but her curiosity outweighs her embarrassment and she pretty much bites off more than she can chew, when she accepts and they both go to a crappy hotel downtown. She buys him for the entire night, nervous but too proud to tell him that it's her first time, that she's never actually been with anyone before.
But then he finds out after the second, third kiss, and when he asks if they should stop, Mako surprises them both and takes the initiative, pulling him in against her and telling him to be quiet, instinctively reaching out and moving against him, and she knows, she knows that he's the one -- that he could be compatible with her, and they desperately need him back in the saddle again.
All thoughts of desperation, however, flow out when they have sex, when she seeks to please him instead of lying back and taking it all for herself -- no, it's a mutual arrangement, no matter the fact that the money's changed hands, and she hates for him to think that this is just another job, that he has to fuck her because she paid him to.
(Technically, she did, but she wants it to be more than that.)
Then it's over; she'd unraveled in his arms, under his lips and hands, her fingers tracing lightly over the impressive array of circuitry burns on his chest and bicep before she realised that he didn't like her touching that even if he didn't say as much. It's all right, she stops, and when she's basking in the post-coital afterglow, the sheer sensation of it takes her breath away.
This is different, this is new, this is incredible and it's almost like she's drifting with him, when they move as one without so much as a word to each other, and she instinctively knew where to touch, where to draw out the most pleasure -- he made her cry out more than once, leaves her a shuddering mess in his arms, and she takes a fierce sort of pride in drawing the same out of him. Twice. His strength thrills her in the most primitive of ways, and so does his finesse, the flicker of passion that ignites that she's sure he doesn't notice.
When he rolls off her once it's over, she's pleasantly surprised that he doesn't just up and leave. How strange, and how interesting -- it seems as if he doesn't want her to go, and she's actually... happy for it. Mako's skin tingles under his fingers, but she fights to blurt out the truth. No, such matters are best when they're being led up to, and Mako wants to understand him further. ]
Why?
Mako sees the former, and not the latter tonight; Raleigh is a fire gone cold, embers dying in the evening light when the cold sets in -- he's still devastatingly handsome, all-American bled into gold-blond hair and bright blue eyes (only now it's more of an imperceptible slate gray than anything) with a cold edge that she'd never seen before, not in any of the videos she'd so carefully watched.
But she's here on a mission and she will not fail Pentecost, even if the price he quotes up front throws her for a loop. She'd heard rumours, of course, that Raleigh Becket is hooking himself up and down the Alaskan coast, the light for all the jaegerflies looking to jockey the ex-jaeger pilot's dick for a great time and a certain fee. She'd heard a volley of it, from admiration to disgust to disappointment, but she hadn't believed it until now.
It had been on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but her curiosity outweighs her embarrassment and she pretty much bites off more than she can chew, when she accepts and they both go to a crappy hotel downtown. She buys him for the entire night, nervous but too proud to tell him that it's her first time, that she's never actually been with anyone before.
But then he finds out after the second, third kiss, and when he asks if they should stop, Mako surprises them both and takes the initiative, pulling him in against her and telling him to be quiet, instinctively reaching out and moving against him, and she knows, she knows that he's the one -- that he could be compatible with her, and they desperately need him back in the saddle again.
All thoughts of desperation, however, flow out when they have sex, when she seeks to please him instead of lying back and taking it all for herself -- no, it's a mutual arrangement, no matter the fact that the money's changed hands, and she hates for him to think that this is just another job, that he has to fuck her because she paid him to.
(Technically, she did, but she wants it to be more than that.)
Then it's over; she'd unraveled in his arms, under his lips and hands, her fingers tracing lightly over the impressive array of circuitry burns on his chest and bicep before she realised that he didn't like her touching that even if he didn't say as much. It's all right, she stops, and when she's basking in the post-coital afterglow, the sheer sensation of it takes her breath away.
This is different, this is new, this is incredible and it's almost like she's drifting with him, when they move as one without so much as a word to each other, and she instinctively knew where to touch, where to draw out the most pleasure -- he made her cry out more than once, leaves her a shuddering mess in his arms, and she takes a fierce sort of pride in drawing the same out of him. Twice. His strength thrills her in the most primitive of ways, and so does his finesse, the flicker of passion that ignites that she's sure he doesn't notice.
When he rolls off her once it's over, she's pleasantly surprised that he doesn't just up and leave. How strange, and how interesting -- it seems as if he doesn't want her to go, and she's actually... happy for it. Mako's skin tingles under his fingers, but she fights to blurt out the truth. No, such matters are best when they're being led up to, and Mako wants to understand him further. ]
Why?
[Mako absolutely refuses to ever come back to his frat house-- and that makes sense. He gets it. The guys were totally rude to her, because of that bet and apparently punching someone over it doesn't mean that the shit talking is going to stop, guys still ask him what it's like to fuck the dean's daughter and he's taken to ignoring it but yeah, it's probably in everyone's best interest that she steers clear.
That just means that he spends half his nights in her room. He's always over at her place and then he just gets lazy, and it's so much easier to stay the night there than head all the way across campus back to his own room and hers is much closer to his morning M/W/F class and then the weekends are for fun things like going out on dates and those usually end in sex and oops can't find his pants, he'd better just stay.
Alright, so maybe it's a little (a lot) more than half. Sue him.
He's pretty sure that Mako doesn't mind, since they wake up every morning to the sound of her alarm tangled in each other in some way. Trading turns as little and big spoon. His leg hooked around hers under the sheets. Her head on his shoulder. His arm over her waist. His face covered in her hair.
But maybe he should ask or something, right? It's a lazy Sunday morning for them, they got up and made coffee and brought it back to bed, and are attempting to play candy crush on the same phone and it's not going well, thanks to his fat fingers.]
Hey. Does it bug you that I'm here all the time?
That just means that he spends half his nights in her room. He's always over at her place and then he just gets lazy, and it's so much easier to stay the night there than head all the way across campus back to his own room and hers is much closer to his morning M/W/F class and then the weekends are for fun things like going out on dates and those usually end in sex and oops can't find his pants, he'd better just stay.
Alright, so maybe it's a little (a lot) more than half. Sue him.
He's pretty sure that Mako doesn't mind, since they wake up every morning to the sound of her alarm tangled in each other in some way. Trading turns as little and big spoon. His leg hooked around hers under the sheets. Her head on his shoulder. His arm over her waist. His face covered in her hair.
But maybe he should ask or something, right? It's a lazy Sunday morning for them, they got up and made coffee and brought it back to bed, and are attempting to play candy crush on the same phone and it's not going well, thanks to his fat fingers.]
Hey. Does it bug you that I'm here all the time?
[ Mako is, in short, in love with her French teacher. Many girls her age entertain fantasies of young, handsome male teachers and the like -- it's nothing new; they're young and naive and idealistic and it's so often harmless, because teachers would never return their affections, or perceived schoolgirl crushes.
Mako is different -- Mako is more driven, ambitious, more mature than the collective lot of them because she'd been forced to grow up far too young. Mako doesn't have crushes; she does, however, stumble into a full-fledged infatuation that's on the verge of becoming something else, something better, and even she is not immune to being attracted to something so taboo.
But the forbidden-ness of it is the last thing on her mind when Mr. Becket (the young French teacher and the subject of literally dozens of schoolgirl's fantasies) tutors her and the lingering looks in the classroom become something else entirely. There they were, in the corner of the empty school library on a weekend, with him working with Mako on her verbs and tenses -- there they were, close together, and Mako takes the initiative, recklessly leaning in to kiss him when he's still talking.
And maybe she's not so different from the schoolgirls after all, drawn in by this teacher's sense of humour, his gold blond hair and bright blue eyes; with a face that could possibly launch a thousand ships in his honour. She knows it's wrong, and fears, suddenly, that he would turn her away, or think that she's doing it for a better grade (which is ridiculous when she's already achieving As in this class on her own efforts).
But she does something reckless, tired of being careful and composed all the time, and oh, his mouth feels like what she'd always imagined it would -- full and silken and so ridiculously, effortlessly sensuous that she's almost jealous of it. ]
I think we're done with lessons for the afternoon, sir.
Mako is different -- Mako is more driven, ambitious, more mature than the collective lot of them because she'd been forced to grow up far too young. Mako doesn't have crushes; she does, however, stumble into a full-fledged infatuation that's on the verge of becoming something else, something better, and even she is not immune to being attracted to something so taboo.
But the forbidden-ness of it is the last thing on her mind when Mr. Becket (the young French teacher and the subject of literally dozens of schoolgirl's fantasies) tutors her and the lingering looks in the classroom become something else entirely. There they were, in the corner of the empty school library on a weekend, with him working with Mako on her verbs and tenses -- there they were, close together, and Mako takes the initiative, recklessly leaning in to kiss him when he's still talking.
And maybe she's not so different from the schoolgirls after all, drawn in by this teacher's sense of humour, his gold blond hair and bright blue eyes; with a face that could possibly launch a thousand ships in his honour. She knows it's wrong, and fears, suddenly, that he would turn her away, or think that she's doing it for a better grade (which is ridiculous when she's already achieving As in this class on her own efforts).
But she does something reckless, tired of being careful and composed all the time, and oh, his mouth feels like what she'd always imagined it would -- full and silken and so ridiculously, effortlessly sensuous that she's almost jealous of it. ]
I think we're done with lessons for the afternoon, sir.
[ Mako wears his shirt the morning after, pleasantly aching in so many, many places she never knew existed until now; they'd opted for a little roleplay to spice up their bedroom the night before, and Raleigh's response had been more than enthusiastic (not that he normally isn't when it comes to Mako and sex), and it took quite a bit of effort to get him to pipe down so that he doesn't disturb Sophia and baby Nathan.
Mako remembers how it had been, when she'd pretty much tied him up and dominated him, dressing up in incredibly high heels and fitting shirts and a tight, tight pencil skirt to fulfill his librarian fantasy (and then some), and oh, the fun they had with each other last night. Mako delights in the way he's still fast asleep beside her -- she'd put him through his paces last night, drawn out a near record of three and a half times out of him before he's completely exhausted and Mako finally decides to have mercy on poor little Raleigh.
Today, the children are still asleep, and she pulls on his shirt. Slapping his ass lightly to get him to wake up too, she pads sleepily into the kitchen, still too drowsy to realise that she hasn't put any pants on before she starts brewing the coffee and puttering around for breakfast. Yawning, she reaches in the fridge for two, three grapefruits. ]
Mako remembers how it had been, when she'd pretty much tied him up and dominated him, dressing up in incredibly high heels and fitting shirts and a tight, tight pencil skirt to fulfill his librarian fantasy (and then some), and oh, the fun they had with each other last night. Mako delights in the way he's still fast asleep beside her -- she'd put him through his paces last night, drawn out a near record of three and a half times out of him before he's completely exhausted and Mako finally decides to have mercy on poor little Raleigh.
Today, the children are still asleep, and she pulls on his shirt. Slapping his ass lightly to get him to wake up too, she pads sleepily into the kitchen, still too drowsy to realise that she hasn't put any pants on before she starts brewing the coffee and puttering around for breakfast. Yawning, she reaches in the fridge for two, three grapefruits. ]
[It's fairly obvious that Ben has no idea that Raleigh is a slave about ten minutes after he starts talking to Raleigh. He's trying, for Mako's sake really to be civil to her coworker, since they do spend a lot of time together and they're not sleeping together and so he tries. He tries until Ben says something derogatory about sex slaves, about how they deserve their lot in life, after all you don't get that low if you don't do something to get there and they're all just a bunch of greedy sluts who like it anyway--
-- and Raleigh just socks him for it.
That's not a new opinion to him, he's been told something along those lines before, more than once, from previous owners and strangers on the street and merchants selling him off and he reigned in his temper every time before. But not now. Not with this guy, who Raleigh already dislikes because of how much time he spends with Mako, even if that is irrational. Not after living with Mako for so long, someone he loves, who gives him as much freedom as she can, who cares about him in return.
Some habits die hard but others fade rather quickly it would seem in favor of older, deeper ones. Like the one that made Raleigh a good mercenary in the first place. He fights, and he doesn't take shit and he's got a mean right hook.
Once he starts, he doesn't stop until Mako's voice cuts through, ordering him to stop, Raleigh stop right now. Ben has a bloody nose, and his knuckles are raw, and he doesn't give a shit about Ben at all, but he does care about how Mako is looking at him, like she can't believe what just happened, and she's pissed at what she does see, and how dare she be mad at him for that, after what Ben said.
He leaves a moment later, without a word, just gives her the most mutinous nod ever, yes master, and then he's gone. Technically, she didn't say that he could leave but fuck that, he can't be near either of them right now. Ben for saying what he did, and he's firmly in the hate column for Raleigh now, and Mako for defending him, even if Raleigh was going overboard with it, even if she didn't actually hear what was said.
That last thought doesn't occur to him until he's halfway back to their room, but he's still too pissed off to feel that bad for glaring at her.]
Edited 2014-03-26 02:50 (UTC)
[ Mako doesn't regret the order she barked at him until after he leaves, and Ben turns to her, his face purple with bruising and incensed anger and he asks her why she'd have such a disobedient slave, and why hadn't she gotten him Disciplined by the guild for such appalling behaviour -- the callousness with which he said it made her own hackles rise too, because she could imagine the provocation that he'd wrought from her lover when she hadn't been around.
Yes, Raleigh isn't the most patient man around, and his violent streak isn't as deeply buried as she'd like, but he's largely tolerant of most things. To get him to lash out in public would take grave and extreme provocation -- but even so, punching the lights out of a citizen in sight of all the other citizens could potentially bring about disastrous consequences for Raleigh if it gets reported to the guild, and at that time, not even Mako could possibly save him from the Discipline, a brutal regime employed to keep slave obedient. She'd heard countless horror stories of it, and it's her anger at his recklessness that propels her to go to him after.
She's still coldly angry when she enters their room, upset with Raleigh for acting with such impunity and disregard for his own safety. Shutting the door behind her, she asks. ]
What did he say to you?
Yes, Raleigh isn't the most patient man around, and his violent streak isn't as deeply buried as she'd like, but he's largely tolerant of most things. To get him to lash out in public would take grave and extreme provocation -- but even so, punching the lights out of a citizen in sight of all the other citizens could potentially bring about disastrous consequences for Raleigh if it gets reported to the guild, and at that time, not even Mako could possibly save him from the Discipline, a brutal regime employed to keep slave obedient. She'd heard countless horror stories of it, and it's her anger at his recklessness that propels her to go to him after.
She's still coldly angry when she enters their room, upset with Raleigh for acting with such impunity and disregard for his own safety. Shutting the door behind her, she asks. ]
What did he say to you?
[They emerge as the saviors of the world, co-pilots and virtual strangers who have only known each other for three days, have been inside each other's heads three times and Raleigh knows that he is inexplicably attached to her afterwards, even if he knows nothing else. He loves her but is that as a friend? A lover? He really doesn't know, he can't pull it apart in his head, separate Mako the woman from Mako in the Drift and he knows that she's just as confused and lost about it too.
So he suggests they just be friends. Because he's tired of being alone and he doesn't think she wants to be on her own completely either and they have that victory press tour to think about, so what if it's just them against the world and they'll figure it all out later.
A year later and Raleigh doesn't fall into his answer, he gets slapped in the face with it. She's undeniably his best friend, they travel the world together, answer questions and let people take their pictures. They slip away to hole in the wall restaurants almost every night and eat off each other's plates. He tells dirty jokes in Japanese that make her burst out laughing at the worst times. She comes up behind him and rubs his shoulder whenever it's bothering him without ever being asked.
They share an apartment but they sleep in separate rooms, minus the peppering of nightmares, once or twice a month when one of them shows up at the other's room and just doesn't want to be alone that night. They start to lead different lives, Mako is recruited for the restoration projects and Raleigh kind of floats around, working odd jobs. Some nights he doesn't come home until long after she's asleep. Other nights he has a pizza and a movie waiting for her because she's a workaholic and she stayed too late again.
Raleigh doesn't think any further on what they are and what she means to him, because this is enough, this is comfortable until he knocks on her bedroom door, hey Mako let's go get some sushi and catch a movie--
--Not tonight, Raleigh, I have a date.
Those four words stun him completely. She has a date. And why shouldn't Mako have a date, she's young, beautiful, smart, accomplished. Any guy would be lucky to have a shot with her. Raleigh just realizes it too late, after her date arrives and she runs out with a bye Raleigh thrown over her shoulder-- that he doesn't want her to go on a date. She's his, his best friend, his co-pilot, that guy will never know her like he does and he's jealous but of what?
That Mako is forging a connection with someone else? Or that she's not going on a date with him?
He won't have an answer to that, by the time she comes home. Raleigh is more or less waiting up for her, like a faithful guard dog, with a rented movie playing on the TV, sushi he ordered in because he really wanted it but not enough to brave the world by himself, sitting on the cough with his knitting. And seriously trying to solve this Mako problem.]
So he suggests they just be friends. Because he's tired of being alone and he doesn't think she wants to be on her own completely either and they have that victory press tour to think about, so what if it's just them against the world and they'll figure it all out later.
A year later and Raleigh doesn't fall into his answer, he gets slapped in the face with it. She's undeniably his best friend, they travel the world together, answer questions and let people take their pictures. They slip away to hole in the wall restaurants almost every night and eat off each other's plates. He tells dirty jokes in Japanese that make her burst out laughing at the worst times. She comes up behind him and rubs his shoulder whenever it's bothering him without ever being asked.
They share an apartment but they sleep in separate rooms, minus the peppering of nightmares, once or twice a month when one of them shows up at the other's room and just doesn't want to be alone that night. They start to lead different lives, Mako is recruited for the restoration projects and Raleigh kind of floats around, working odd jobs. Some nights he doesn't come home until long after she's asleep. Other nights he has a pizza and a movie waiting for her because she's a workaholic and she stayed too late again.
Raleigh doesn't think any further on what they are and what she means to him, because this is enough, this is comfortable until he knocks on her bedroom door, hey Mako let's go get some sushi and catch a movie--
--Not tonight, Raleigh, I have a date.
Those four words stun him completely. She has a date. And why shouldn't Mako have a date, she's young, beautiful, smart, accomplished. Any guy would be lucky to have a shot with her. Raleigh just realizes it too late, after her date arrives and she runs out with a bye Raleigh thrown over her shoulder-- that he doesn't want her to go on a date. She's his, his best friend, his co-pilot, that guy will never know her like he does and he's jealous but of what?
That Mako is forging a connection with someone else? Or that she's not going on a date with him?
He won't have an answer to that, by the time she comes home. Raleigh is more or less waiting up for her, like a faithful guard dog, with a rented movie playing on the TV, sushi he ordered in because he really wanted it but not enough to brave the world by himself, sitting on the cough with his knitting. And seriously trying to solve this Mako problem.]
[The dress that Mako's wearing tonight is something a designer lent her, it's fancy and beautiful and worth more than either of them got paid to save the world (which wasn't really much, all things considered) and-- it has a corset.
And Raleigh can't take his eyes off her. It's a really formal event for a summit with all the world leaders to get together and figure out what's next and Raleigh is entirely fixated on how that dress looks on her, mostly on what it does to her boobs and the little flashes of skin it shows off but he can't stop thinking about how badly he wants to grab the little delicate bow at the small of her back and pull on it.
Or maybe he won't. Maybe he'll leave it and push her skirt up instead and-- maybe he needs another drink of water now.
They keep getting pulled away from each other all night long, by this person or that person, and it's really kinda by accident that Raleigh ends up next to her. But he's not complaining because it makes it so much easier to lean over and say in her ear:]
You look really hot in that dress, you know.
Edited 2014-04-03 03:36 (UTC)
[ He's going to need more than a drink of water, the way he's going. Mako's not immune to the fact that Raleigh's (and a few others, but she's only interested in Raleigh) gaze had never moved far from her general chest area -- it makes her feel self-conscious, because the dress is gorgeous, white lace and revealing, glittering with diamonds and lace and satin.
She feels more like a peacock than a ranger, a doll put on display to highlight the assets of the PPDC, and she's never felt more like going back into the jaeger and getting into another round or two with Slattern.
At least with them, she knows what she's doing. All evening, she'd been tugged in all directions, only managing to trade lingering glances with Raleigh now and then -- Raleigh, who is so stunningly handsome in his tuxedo. It had been cut for his frame, elevating him to perfection, with those broad shoulders and that slim waist, and perhaps she's guilty of staring at him far more than she ought -- her, and most of the women at the gala.
So when he comes up beside her and whispers in her ear, she blushes, feeling something warm coiling in the pit of stomach. Dryly, she comments, ]
Was that why you haven't looked me in the eye all evening?
She feels more like a peacock than a ranger, a doll put on display to highlight the assets of the PPDC, and she's never felt more like going back into the jaeger and getting into another round or two with Slattern.
At least with them, she knows what she's doing. All evening, she'd been tugged in all directions, only managing to trade lingering glances with Raleigh now and then -- Raleigh, who is so stunningly handsome in his tuxedo. It had been cut for his frame, elevating him to perfection, with those broad shoulders and that slim waist, and perhaps she's guilty of staring at him far more than she ought -- her, and most of the women at the gala.
So when he comes up beside her and whispers in her ear, she blushes, feeling something warm coiling in the pit of stomach. Dryly, she comments, ]
Was that why you haven't looked me in the eye all evening?
Mako.
Mako.
[Poke. Prod. Oh my god, how is she even able to sleep right now, it's dark and something definitely creaked out in the hallway and it could've been Yancy stumbling his tired half asleep drunk way to the bathroom.
Or it could be the devil coming for his soul. There's really no way to tell.
So Raleigh is nudging/shoving at Mako. It's 3:15 in the morning too, fuck didn't that mean something special? Is something burning? Is he going to die half a virgin?]
Mako, wake up.
Mako.
[Poke. Prod. Oh my god, how is she even able to sleep right now, it's dark and something definitely creaked out in the hallway and it could've been Yancy stumbling his tired half asleep drunk way to the bathroom.
Or it could be the devil coming for his soul. There's really no way to tell.
So Raleigh is nudging/shoving at Mako. It's 3:15 in the morning too, fuck didn't that mean something special? Is something burning? Is he going to die half a virgin?]
Mako, wake up.
[ HE'S NOT GOING TO DIE HALF A VIRGIN BECAUSE HE LOST HIS VIRGINITY TO HER NINETY THREE DAYS AGO. At most, he's just going to die.
Mako's sleeping because sleep and because she's not obnoxiously blond boys who have a thing for horror movies but can't sleep for the days after that. Because Raleigh should never have nice things if it means waking her up in the middle of the night.
She grunts, rolling over as she groans groggily. ]
Uuuuuugh. Do whatever you want to me, as long as you don't wake me up.
Mako's sleeping because sleep and because she's not obnoxiously blond boys who have a thing for horror movies but can't sleep for the days after that. Because Raleigh should never have nice things if it means waking her up in the middle of the night.
She grunts, rolling over as she groans groggily. ]
Uuuuuugh. Do whatever you want to me, as long as you don't wake me up.
[Mako Mori is a living legend and a cautionary tale all wrapped into one. She and her dad were basically the best pilot team ever, if you asked Raleigh, not really because of their kill number which was high but because of the way they fought. The way it wasn't about the fame and money and shit like that. It wasn't about them, it was about saving lives. It was about protecting people.
Raleigh lost his whole family to a kaiju, the same one that crawled out of the Pacific and took Angela Hansen from her son and husband actually. The Beckets were in Sydney, arrived a week before the attack because Richard got a new position there. Then just seven days later, everything changed, everyone he ever knew was dead and he was dirty, scared, crying at the foot of Coyote Tango. Stacker Pentecost took him in after that, didn't drop him off with the American authorities for reasons that Raleigh still actually doesn't know. Hasn't asked because it never occurred to him, not until years later when the Marshal puts his foot down about Raleigh getting into a Jaeger and by then, he's more irritated with that then concerned about asking why didn't you just leave me somewhere.
Stacker has reasons too, which makes it that much more annoying. He's too impulsive, rash, risky. He's more focused on getting revenge for his family than he is about saving lives. He's stubborn and insubordinate and literally everyone who's ever tested with him hasn't been able to even remotely reign him in, so how can he expect to work well with them in the cockpit of a Jaeger if he can't even match them in the kwoon.
That effectively shuts Raleigh up. For a while anyway, maybe a couple of years but he wouldn't be Raleigh if he didn't circle back around to the idea. If he didn't get bored with just helping Jaegers be built and start itching to get into one. He can fight, he can do this. He just needs the chance to prove it. And maybe a large part of him wants to make Chuck shut the fuck up too, the annoying Australian prick. He's like the little brother that Raleigh never had and never wanted, and a thousand times more irritating since he is a pilot and he really doesn't ever hesitate in reminding Raleigh of that every chance he gets, when they're in the same Shatterdome, via text at four in the fucking morning.
Raleigh starts pouring through academy records, every single cadet that's come through Kodiak's doors, he reads up on, comparing their fighting styles and sim scores to his. And the Marshal is right, most of them don't really match up. There's maybe a handful but most of those he's already proven don't work, surprise surprise but there is one-- getting her to agree to a trial might be tricky but since when has he backed down from a challenge.
Fuck it. Here goes nothing. Worst that can happen is that she'll say no-- actually, no that's not true. The worst that could happen is that she'll inform Pentecost of this conversation, after he expressly ordered Raleigh to drop it, several times, and made it pretty clear that he wasn't going to tolerate the question anymore.
You're not getting into a Jaeger, Mister Becket, that's final.
With all due respect, sir-- it's not yet. Mako might really be his last shot at it and that's if she even agrees to trial with him, which is a long shot, but at least he'll be able to say that he gave it his all. And then he can take the frustration out on Chuck's face the next time he sees him. Yeah, good plan.
It's a month before Raleigh is able to overlap his duties with Mako's, where they're in the same Shatterdome at the same time. He's fairly certain she has no idea who he is, despite his status as the Marshal's adopted son because that's not really an advertised fact around the PPDC but oh, he knows exactly who she is. He and Chuck used to stay up watching news feeds about her and her dad and Gipsy Danger. The old girl's almost completely restored now, Raleigh's been working on the project for years like it's his baby, pretty much ever since she was wrecked off the coast of Alaska, and that's kind of how he intends to get Mako to agree.
It's her Jaeger, she should be in it. And why not with him?
He follows her back to her office after lunch, shifting his weight as he knocks on the door. Here goes nothing.] Miss Mori?
Raleigh lost his whole family to a kaiju, the same one that crawled out of the Pacific and took Angela Hansen from her son and husband actually. The Beckets were in Sydney, arrived a week before the attack because Richard got a new position there. Then just seven days later, everything changed, everyone he ever knew was dead and he was dirty, scared, crying at the foot of Coyote Tango. Stacker Pentecost took him in after that, didn't drop him off with the American authorities for reasons that Raleigh still actually doesn't know. Hasn't asked because it never occurred to him, not until years later when the Marshal puts his foot down about Raleigh getting into a Jaeger and by then, he's more irritated with that then concerned about asking why didn't you just leave me somewhere.
Stacker has reasons too, which makes it that much more annoying. He's too impulsive, rash, risky. He's more focused on getting revenge for his family than he is about saving lives. He's stubborn and insubordinate and literally everyone who's ever tested with him hasn't been able to even remotely reign him in, so how can he expect to work well with them in the cockpit of a Jaeger if he can't even match them in the kwoon.
That effectively shuts Raleigh up. For a while anyway, maybe a couple of years but he wouldn't be Raleigh if he didn't circle back around to the idea. If he didn't get bored with just helping Jaegers be built and start itching to get into one. He can fight, he can do this. He just needs the chance to prove it. And maybe a large part of him wants to make Chuck shut the fuck up too, the annoying Australian prick. He's like the little brother that Raleigh never had and never wanted, and a thousand times more irritating since he is a pilot and he really doesn't ever hesitate in reminding Raleigh of that every chance he gets, when they're in the same Shatterdome, via text at four in the fucking morning.
Raleigh starts pouring through academy records, every single cadet that's come through Kodiak's doors, he reads up on, comparing their fighting styles and sim scores to his. And the Marshal is right, most of them don't really match up. There's maybe a handful but most of those he's already proven don't work, surprise surprise but there is one-- getting her to agree to a trial might be tricky but since when has he backed down from a challenge.
Fuck it. Here goes nothing. Worst that can happen is that she'll say no-- actually, no that's not true. The worst that could happen is that she'll inform Pentecost of this conversation, after he expressly ordered Raleigh to drop it, several times, and made it pretty clear that he wasn't going to tolerate the question anymore.
You're not getting into a Jaeger, Mister Becket, that's final.
With all due respect, sir-- it's not yet. Mako might really be his last shot at it and that's if she even agrees to trial with him, which is a long shot, but at least he'll be able to say that he gave it his all. And then he can take the frustration out on Chuck's face the next time he sees him. Yeah, good plan.
It's a month before Raleigh is able to overlap his duties with Mako's, where they're in the same Shatterdome at the same time. He's fairly certain she has no idea who he is, despite his status as the Marshal's adopted son because that's not really an advertised fact around the PPDC but oh, he knows exactly who she is. He and Chuck used to stay up watching news feeds about her and her dad and Gipsy Danger. The old girl's almost completely restored now, Raleigh's been working on the project for years like it's his baby, pretty much ever since she was wrecked off the coast of Alaska, and that's kind of how he intends to get Mako to agree.
It's her Jaeger, she should be in it. And why not with him?
He follows her back to her office after lunch, shifting his weight as he knocks on the door. Here goes nothing.] Miss Mori?
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