Prompt: Herc becomes aware of Raleigh's relationship with his son and sits him down for The Talk.

From: fyeahchaleigh on tumblr

pairing: Chuck/Raleigh

warnings: none

author's note: unbeta'd. all mistakes are my own.

It should have come as no surprise. Or rather, Raleigh should have at least seen it coming. The Breach had been closed for months. Life was starting to get back to normal for most folks. The Heroes of the World had been given a year's leave with the promise of massive pay increases were they to choose to return once the newly commissioned Jaegers were ready for pilots. Thank all that was holy the PPDC – still standing on its own and giving the UN the finger with massive private backing – had recognized that Mako Mori was no fool, that she was entirely right in worrying that, while Gipsy had to have done massive damage to what Newt and Hermann called the Anteverse and its Precursor inhabitants, there was no guarantee that the Kaiju's defeat was absolute.

She had volunteered to stay behind, acting as temporary Marshall of the Hong Kong Shatterdome. Raleigh had tried to convince her otherwise, but she had given him two very sound reasons for refusing to budge. One: Hercules Hansen had been fighting the good fight longer than either of them had been able to and the man deserved the break far more than she did. Two: She and one of Gipsy Danger's J-techs had struck up a little bit of a romantic thing shortly after Operation Pitfall, and she was eager to see the budding new relationship blossom. Raleigh really couldn't blame her. She and Naomi made an adorable couple.

Unfortunately, this left Raleigh at loose ends. The very idea of going back to Alaska made his skin crawl. He couldn't do it. Not yet. He wasn't ready to face Yancy's ghost again. He'd lived with his brother's ghost hovering over his shoulder for five years and it worried him that if he returned to Alaska alone, the Other Voice in his head would get stronger and louder again. It wasn't that he didn't want to hear Yancy's voice in his head any more. He just…didn't mind being alone with his thoughts as much as he had before Mako had patched up the whole in his soul as best as she could. He doubted anyone could entirely fill Yancy's Drift Imprint, but Mako had given it a pretty damn good shot.

So, it was with no small amount of relief and gratitude that Raleigh accepted the offer of accompanying Herc and Chuck Hansen to Australia. The newly minted Marshall had been uncannily understanding of Raleigh's dilemma without so much as a word from Raleigh himself. He didn't fuss or make a big deal of anything; just patted Raleigh's shoulder one day in the mess and settled his tray next to Raleigh's own taking the seat to the American's left.

"I reckon you've spent a bit too much time on your own before all this," Herc stated and shoveled a forkful of potatoes into his mouth. "Reckoned maybe you'd like to spend a little time with some people who understand what you've been through and don't give two shits that you're a little bit fucked up after everything. Lord knows you ain't alone in that."

"Herc?" Raleigh knew he'd sounded a little lost, and he was grateful when Herc simply smirked at him.

"How'd you fancy a trip to Australia while Chuck and I settle up our accounts?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude…"

"Nah, mate." Chuck was suddenly settling in across from them, tray piled high with potatoes, beans and a steak. Raleigh stared at him, unable to reconcile the young man before him with the young man he'd gone to war with in more ways than one. "We'd appreciate the buffer. Dad and I can get a little…well, more than we usually are if ya follow me."

And then Chuck had dropped his gaze to his tray and poked at his mashed potatoes with his fork. Every line of him screamed of tension and anticipation. He certainly wasn't the same man who'd gone into the ocean expecting to die that day. Raleigh had a very powerful suspicion that it had a lot to do with Raleigh's part in Chuck's survival. Mako had pulled Raleigh into another too tight hug after she'd freed him from his escape pod and as he'd rested his chin on her shoulder, something shiny had reflected sunlight, glinting in the distance. He didn't know what had possessed him, but he'd been in the water and swimming for all he'd been worth. The doctors had said afterwards that if Raleigh had gotten there any later, if he hadn't brutishly forced the escape pod open and initiated CPR immediately, Chuck would have been brain dead. As it stood, the Jaeger Academy prodigy had snapped back to life under Raleigh's hands, coughed up the water that had been filling his pod, and then clung tightly to Raleigh's shoulders, trembling and gasping. Raleigh had soothed him and held him tightly back unable to deny this fellow child of war the relief of comfort and empathy. Mako reached them after long minutes of paddling. It had taken some coaxing, but Chuck had eventually been able to release Raleigh long enough to transfer from the sinking escape pod to Raleigh's own with Mako. The rescue choppers had arrived to the sight of Raleigh Becket with Mako Mori tucked under his left arm and Chuck Hansen tucked under his right, the pair of them holding hands and resting their joined fingers on Raleigh's left thigh.

Chuck had become a part of their friendship in that instant. Gone was the brash asshole. Well, he still treated idiots with scorn, but Mako and Raleigh were treated with a quiet friendliness and deep respect. Raleigh was glad. He'd never liked making enemies anyway.

"Yeah. You know, I think Australia sounds…nice. Never been." Chuck didn't lift his gaze at Raleigh's words, but Raleigh couldn't have missed the smile. Chuck's dimples were too obvious these days. Both Hansens resumed eating, Raleigh went back to his own meal and that was that. Raleigh boarded an early morning flight to Australia with them three days later.

A month after that, Chuck kissed him for the first time.

They were sitting on the front porch of the Hansen family home. Herc was inside passed out in an arm chair with a rugby game still running on the television. The porch swing rocked them gently, Raleigh and Chuck flexing their knees in perfect sync as they stared sedately out into the quiet suburban night. Almost as if someone were directing them, they'd turned to look at each other. Raleigh remembered thinking about not noticing how close they were, shoulder to shoulder on a swing meant for less built individuals, but the weight of Chuck's gaze and the sudden heavy sensation in Raleigh's stomach distracted him long enough for Chuck to take him by surprise, leaning in and brushing a soft kiss to Raleigh's mouth. He'd tasted of the beer he'd just finished a moment ago and without thought or hesitation, Raleigh had chased that flavor all over Chuck's invitingly open mouth with a deft tongue. They'd made out like horny teenagers, pulling apart only when they heard the creak of the recliner's mechanisms as Herc awoke and got up. They'd all said good night and gone to their separate rooms.

Things with Chuck progressed from there. Raleigh more than happily let it. Chuck admitted in a moment of nervous weakness a month and a half into their new relationship that he'd never even had a girlfriend because he'd been too focused on being the best Jaeger pilot he could have possibly been. Raleigh didn't ask him to say any more than that and took care to make sure that Chuck was ready for anything Raleigh offered him. It annoyed the guy sometimes, but Raleigh was a firm believer in communication these days.

So, again, it should have come as no surprise that Hercules Hansen swooped in on him like a striking hawk, pinning him in a chair in the kitchen the moment Chuck had gone out to run a few errands.

"That's my boy," he'd began, needing no more preamble than that given his tone was doing a good deal of the talking for him. Raleigh swallowed and nodded, choosing to hold his tongue for the moment and let the man speak. The look on his face said 'protective father' all too clearly. Raleigh could respect the man's need to give Raleigh the Shovel Talk. "My only son. And he's a son of a bitch. Hardheaded. Stubborn. He's an ass on the best of days. But he's still my boy. He's been through a lot. More than any other kid his age. More than he ever should have had to go through. That's not to say you haven't been to hell and back yourself, but Chuck is a special kind of person. If you get close to him…he gives you everything. His uncle fucked me sure, but it killed Chuck ten times over when Scott abandoned the PPDC and us. If you're just fucking with him, Becket, I will end you and feed your sorry carcass to the crocs. Hero or not."

And Raleigh…honestly believed him. Taking in a slow, deep breath, Raleigh nodded and said, "I understand, Herc. I've got a good thing going with Chuck. Better than anything I've had with anyone but Yancy." Herc opened his mouth but Raleigh cut him off without a care as to the consequences. "He isn't going to be living in Yancy's shadow. He's too vibrant a person for that. In fact, the more time I spend with him, the less I hear from Yancy's imprint. I'd like to think it's the result of two things: Yancy approves of me an' Chuck, and Chuck is helping me to finally heal. I think, given what we've both been through, Chuck and I just…fit."

Herc glowered at him for a long moment before uncrossing his arms and planting his palms on the table top, looming over Raleigh. "Accidents happen in the Outback all the time. People just…disappear."

"Dad!"

Herc didn't so much as flinch. Raleigh met him stare for stare, undaunted. Chuck came up to Raleigh's side and reached forward, giving Herc's good shoulder a firm shove. "Back the fuck off. Raleigh's not doing a damn thing I don't ask him to. You don't have to protect my fucking virtue. Jesus fuck!"

Staring contest broken, Herc straightened. He gave his son a quick once over, eyes stopping at the hand that Chuck had settled on Raleigh's left shoulder. Then he grinned. "Right. Surf and turf on the barby for dinner?"

"Sounds great," Raleigh responded, smiling softly, but his eyes were on Chuck now. Herc stared them down lightly for a moment more before he turned to the fridge in the corner. Raleigh ignored the scrutiny in favor of reaching up to hook his fingers in Chuck's belt loops. "You weren't gone very long."

Chuck's cheeks flushed faintly and he leaned down to press his forehead to Raleigh's. The blond rubbed the tip of his nose against Chuck's and closed his eyes. "I forgot my wallet. Caught the tail end of it. Thought I'd come to your rescue. Old man's a little bungers these days."

"Son. I can hear you."

"Don't care, old man."

Raleigh chuckled and met his lover's, his partner's eyes.

'Raleigh,' a voice whispered in the back of his mind. 'You have to listen to me! You have to…'

'Live. Thanks, Yance.'

Fin