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[ Mako is blissfully unaware of all that's transpired outside of her movie-watching "date" with Yancy; yes, she'd been feeling slightly under the weather, and Yancy had insisted on watching Thomas and Friends and Mako had only been too happy to indulge him -- it was a good... family day, and a woman could get quite used to that.

Things with Raleigh are less smooth; there are still plenty of things they don't talk about, and the distance between them seems to be an unbreachable thing. Yes, she sometimes wakes up to having him cuddle her, and it's days like these where she starts to hope. It's something, but he still keeps her at arms length for the majority of the time and maybe Mako has to revise that opinion after all.

They still sleep in the same room because of Yancy, because sometimes he asks why they sleep in different bedrooms, and while he's too young to understand, one day he would - and Mako would come to dread that day because she wants to make it all up to him, have him grow up normally, with loving parents and a good home.

(But sometimes she wonders if that's all there is? Just to fulfill their roles as parents? She misses Raleigh, she loves him -- but he hasn't forgiven her and she doesn't begrudge him for it, even if it keeps her quietly frustrated.)

Today had been a nice day until Raleigh went to answer the door, Mako looks up with Yancy when he comes back into the bedroom, curious. But then she sees the look on his face and gently pats their son, tells him she's paused their movie. Yancy nods and scuttles off the bed obediently, slipping out the room.

When they're alone, she asks: ]

Is something wrong?

[Raleigh takes a moment to close the door, because he doesn't want Yancy to come back in just yet.]

You said you weren't going to leave again, right? [He asks carefully.] Then why is some guy showing up at our front door looking to ask you out?

[ Mako blinks, confused for a moment. ] What guy? [ Which -- oh. Realisation dawns on her belatedly; it's most likely Michael, then, one of the partners at work. They'd gotten along very well, two very similar overachievers in the office, but she'd suspected that he had more of an interest in her that they don't... really talk about. She just hadn't thought that he'd turn up here. ]

Michael? [ She frowns when the rest of the sentence catches up to her. ] Raleigh, he's just a colleague. [ ...Wait. ] Why didn't you call for me?

[Was that his name? Raleigh didn't even ask. Michael seemed pretty surprised to learn that Mako had both a son and a live in... boyfriend, which wasn't really the truth and Raleigh never expressly said that but he implied it and did he mention he'd kill this fucker if he came back.

Just a colleague. That's coming to bring her soup and clearly wants to ask her out. Yeah, right.]

He didn't seem very interested in staying around.

[ Mako narrows her eyes at him because he's never been a good liar and with the line of questioning, she's sure that Raleigh had a key part to play in the lack of Michael-staying-around scenario. ]

What did you say to him?

I said you weren't interested because you were spending time with our son.

[She can't have both. He's not okay with that. He's not okay with her being in their lives and dating someone else and yeah, it's taken him this long to realize but he's always had shitty timing.]

Unless you wanted him to stick around?

[ ...Okay, this is where Mako really doesn't understand you, Raleigh. She has no problem spending time with their son; she loves spending as much time as she can with Yancy, but she's not just a mother -- he'd made it clear enough he wasn't interested in her beyond what she can offer as penance and as a mother to their child, right?

And now he's behaving like this and Mako's had enough. She's had enough of him having her on the ropes. She's sorry, she's sorry and she's fucked up but she's making up for things now, right? ]

What is wrong with you, Raleigh? Do you like making sure I stay miserable? Is that it? That was a colleague of mine you just threatened, I work with him!

Do you want to go out with him or not?

[He's not really sure he wants to know the answer to that, because he absolutely doesn't want her to answer with yes. Raleigh's been a stubborn idiot since she came back and he realizes that now and he's sorry. He's sorry that it took something like this to make him realize it.]

It's a simple question.

[ No, Mako wants to say. No, because she's so in love with Raleigh that it's painful and she could never make it up enough to him and they both know it. No, because she's never cared for anyone as deeply and had never been hurt just as deeply by the same person.

But she's angry with him and Mako has a temper and the pride she'd swallowed for far too long and it makes her snap. ]

What is it to you? What can it possibly be to you when you've never cared before?

[That's like a slap to the face that he totally deserves. It's not a no either and what if he waited too long to realize it. What if she was moving on to someone else, and he knows what she promised but she's right. He's just been working at making her miserable this whole time and not on actually fixing anything.]

Because I do care. It should be me and you, not you and him.

[ Mako stares at him for a long, long moment before it finally sinks in, just what he's saying. Raleigh and Mako -- did that mean that it had been Raleigh's jealousy talking, and not just him working at making her miserable?

For the moment, her anger takes a backseat as she tries to make sense of his admission. That's what she wanted, right? That he would take her back again, and not just because of Yancy. But it's so unexpected that she just needs a bit (read: a good amount) of time to process it.

She shakes her head, mildly disbelieving. ]

Don't lie to me. If you are, just -- don't.

[To be honest, he probably needs a few moments to process it completely too but it's Raleigh and he's crazily impulsive and he knows for sure that he wants her back.]

I'm not. Mako, I-- wanted to punch that guy for even thinking he had a shot with you.

He doesn't.

[ Mako says finally. He doesn't have a shot because Mako only has eyes for Raleigh, that maybe yeah, there were times when she'd been thinking about it, of finding someone else just to get over Raleigh and make things easier for the both of them -- but she can't.

It's not that easy, and a part of her really hates that. ] ...I love you. I just -- don't think I can do this anymore if things stay the way they are.

[ There's something between them that's broken, and Mako fears it's irretrievable. ]

[Raleigh lets out something like a sigh of relief when she says that. Good, fuck that guy anyway. She has a good point, they really can't keep going like they are. It has to change.

So--]

Let's have dinner then.

[ ...Well, that was unexpected. Mako had been expecting -- well, anything but this, and she pauses. Does he mean he's willing to have them start all over again? ]

...I'd like that. [ She musters a brief, fleeting smile. It's hope, just a glimmer of it; maybe they really can stick it through, after all. ] Just you and me?

[He's really just winging it here. Raleigh finally moves away from the door, approaching her where she's still at on the bed. He gives it maybe another five minutes at the most before Yancy's knocking at the door, asking if they will play with him so he has to make this point pretty clear, pretty fast.]

Yeah. I've been so stupid and stubborn, Mako and I'm sorry for that. There's no one that even compares to you, I don't know what I was trying to prove.

[ He's apologising and she's surprised by it -- she wasn't looking for that, not really, because she understands his pain and his anger; but it's welcome, and... she's going to work at this, Raleigh. She's never going to let him down again -- she'd promised, and she would stick by that promise always.

Mindful of time, she's quiet for a moment. ] You were angry and hurt. I wasn't blameless in all of this. [ But this? This is nice -- this is them finally talking about it, and hopefully working to move on from it rather than to let it fester. Her fingers twist in the sheets, a habit. ]

I said once that I would make things right, by Yancy and by you. I still mean it.

[Raleigh's just finally coming to realize that she actually means it, that she's not a teenage girl on the back of his bike making promises to last a lifetime and then realizing that's not what she actually meant when the timeline got moved up a few years. Or maybe she did it mean it back then but she needed a few years to realize that and he needed several months to trust she meant it. It's odd for him, since he usually is trusting.]

I believe you. [He sits on the bed and moves to cover her hand with his.]

We're going to figure it out.

[ It's the first time in a long while Raleigh's conscious and actually touching her, and Mako is so relieved, so heartened by it that she almost wants to cry. She'd come so, so near to giving up on him, on them, had resigned herself to caring for Yancy and keeping up an act whenever their little boy was around -- she doesn't blame him; most of what happened was her fault, after all.

She was the one who up and left them, and she doesn't blame him for not believing in her until now. It's not much, right now, but it's something. She shifts so that her hand clasps his, and she squeezes. He wants to try to make this work again, and that's all that matters.

Mako pauses briefly, then: ]

I was never interested in anyone else.

[And he's just holding her hand. Raleigh tightens his fingers around hers for a moment, silently reassuring her again. She messed up and so did he and maybe it's just time to finally move on from all of the shit. Together.]

Glad to hear it. I've gotten a little rusty at hiding bodies.

[ He's squeezing her hand in assurance and she can't help but crack a wider smile at that -- well, he's in a good enough mood to be joking about it, and without thinking, she moves and leans her head against his shoulder.

Talks of murder aside, she's missed him; she's missed him so much. ]

I'm still handy with a shovel.

[Just as Raleigh moves to put his arm around her and pull her in for a proper hug, there's a tiny, quiet knock at the door, almost right on time for when he figured that Yancy would get bored and curious and wander back. At least he's consistent.]

I'll keep that in mind. [Then he's up to let their son back in, swinging him up into his arms easily. Can we finish watching the movie?]

Yeah, bud. Mind if I join you guys?

[ Yeah! Yancy laughs cheerfully, laughing when he's being swung up. He's wrapping his arms around Raleigh's neck, curling up to his father with a genuine warmth before pointing to his spot beside Mako. I wanna see what happens at the end. If Yancy's curious at Raleigh's question, he doesn't give voice to it.

Mako only smiles, hope and warmth anew in her eyes. It's a good start, right? ]

I didn't know you were a big fan of trains.

[Raleigh dutifully goes to where Yancy points, settling in next to Mako with their son on his lap for a few moments before Yancy decides that he wants to squirm off and actually go back to laying on mom's shoulder and there was a time that would have really irritated him, because Yancy's his, his son, he raised him.

But she is his mother, and she's done really well with him since she came back to them and Raleigh wants to be a family with her again.]

Yeah, figured I'd start now.

[ She knows. She knows that there was a time when Raleigh would be displeased that Yancy liked her, that he sometimes went to her -- and she understands. Raleigh had been there for him longer, in all matters he should be the one his son deferred to. But then he doesn't seem offended now, and Mako can't help realise that things really are changing.

They're going to be a family again, together. ]

Careful, you might be roped him to watch more than just one movie about these guys.

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raleighs - 2014-03-02 20:21 (UTC) - Expand

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fissions - 2014-03-05 13:11 (UTC) - Expand