My love letter to this fandom. Embrace it.

Imaginary Mansions

Aleksis was only partly interested in the poetry he had been reading after hearing his wife come out from the shower. He glanced away from the book in his hands to see her loosely holding a towel around her figure, affectively obscuring it—though in his mind's eye, everything was clear. Her mid length hair was wet and dripping, water droplets falling between her shoulder blades and further travelling down the contour of her spine.

Aleksis didn't watch her for long—now feeling her eyes intently on him—so he began reading his book again, knowing full well that she would look to see if his eyes were following a path or just staring at the page. He'd sensed that she'd been thinking long and hard about something all day, and still, she hadn't said a word about it. He wasn't completely concerned with her actions; Sasha was naturally this observing, it was her mood that struck him as odd. As she dressed, he could feel her uncertainty of something, but also her disapproval of her own uncertainty, as if she were mad at herself for thinking or feeling something. This didn't happen a lot with her, but it was definitely something Aleksis had come across during the course of their relationship.

When Sasha was dressed in a modest tank top and shorts, she retreated back to the bathroom to comb out her hair. Another glance away from his book and Aleksis could see that unmistakable look on her face; that look of complete concentration. These thoughts she'd been having must be eating away at her somehow, otherwise her shower wouldn't have taken as long as it did, and she wouldn't be taking this long to comb her hair.

Though he knew something was up, Aleksis waited patiently for her to speak up. He knew that if he inquired about anything outright, she would deny it, prolonging the inevitable act of him figuring out through the Drift, which rarely came to pass. They were very open with each other, especially after having gone through the Drift the first few times, but most thoughts were shared between them regardless. Aleksis wasn't a patient man, but he knew how Sasha ticked better than anyone, and if a little time was all she needed, he would give it to her.

In a time when he hardly felt like he had anything to give at all, time felt like a fine trade off. For now, at least.

He heard her soft footsteps coming towards him right up until she sat on the foot of their bed. He put the book aside then, looking at her with eyes that read that she had his full attention. After a moment of staring into each other's eyes—hers worn and his soft—she got back up onto her feet to take the few steps between them, eliminating most of the distance. With Sasha standing, she was a few inches taller than her seven foot husband for a change. Taking his face in her hands, she felt his arms wrap around her middle, palms warm on her chilled skin as she allowed herself to be lost in his eyes for a moment. She first moved her thumb across his cheek, then ran a finger down the bridge of his nose, across his lips, moving down the line of his jaw. It was like she was studying him, and soon a very familiar smile came across her face, setting Aleksis a little bit at ease.

Sasha sighed, an act not many had ever witnessed, however trivial and human. Her fingers made their way back to his lips, tracing them as she spoke. "Our children would have been beautiful."

Aleksis was secretly astounded not only by how calmly she'd been able to bring up such a sudden subject, but by how new this thought of hers was. If it were a lingering thought, he'd have seen it in the Drift a week ago when they'd killed their last Kaiju. Of course he'd had the thought himself—he still dreamed of a future for them—but ultimately, Sasha had never shared in his hopes. She was convinced they would die in Cherno Alpha, and in all honesty, so was he.

But in a world where human kind built giant robots to fight giant monsters that had come from a portal in the sea, and where two people can merge brains to pilot said robots as essentially one being, there was definitely room to dream of things such as living a long and peaceful life by the side of a loved one.

Aleksis raised a hand to take hold of the one still lingering by hips lips. He kissed her fingers, then her palm, only losing eye contact with her for a moment as he closed his eyes to think. He promptly pulled her down to kiss her lips lightly, lingering there for a moment, feeling her give into him in the subtlest and most familiar of ways. Pulling back slightly, Aleksis murmured his response against her lips. "And our house would have been a mansion."

"Or a shack." She said, her tone sounding low and playful, despite her contemplative mood.

They tended to relieve each other of stress fairly easily; the closer they were to each other, the easier it was to function. Maybe it was the Drift and its lasting effects on them, making them addicted to sharing a mind. Maybe in a world where they could die at any moment, they clung to each other in order to feel as if they were living to their fullest potential, reaffirming their love with effortless intimacy gained by years of marriage. Maybe they felt outnumbered, surrounded by people who would never understand just how taxing it was to be this kind of hero; this kind of soldier, and needed each other to get through the day. Maybe it was because they were best friends, happily married, and the only two in the Shatterdome that spoke Russian and listened to Ukrainian hard house.

Whatever the reason, they completed each other in indisputable ways. Aleksis kissed her again before speaking again. "If we are together, then a shack would feel like a mansion."

Sasha smirked, honestly amused by how romantic he could be in private. Neither had ever experienced the type of love they shared with each other with anyone else, not even close. Neither had ever considered themselves romantic; or even slightly sentimental in Sasha's case—not until the Kaiju first attacked and they met in boot camp. At first, Sasha thought her falling in love with him was anything but natural because of all the end of the world crap going around, so her resistance was quite strong. Aleksis, surprisingly the more tender of the two, would have none of her excuses. With his persistence, they grew to trust each other like no other, became quite an inseparable and cohesive team, and were married before they could even be tested for Drift compatibility. It was obvious how much of a match they were; they completed each other in so many ways. Sasha's calm composure could balance out and even tame Aleksis' passionate fury. Aleksis was able to bring the peace to Sasha's raging past, enabling her to focus on the future.

Within two years of their first meeting, they had not only gotten married and become decorated Jaeger pilots; they had also become secret romantics. Those with a trained eye could tell that every gesture they made to each other, every link of the eyes and brush of the hand meant something to both of them. But no one has even seen what happens between them behind closed doors or even in the Drift. Tender exchanges between partners; slow and passionate between lovers.

Sasha made a gesture towards the rest of the room. "What about this? What does this room feel like?"

Aleksis took no time to answer. "Ours."

Sasha took a moment, deciding that she'd much rather be sitting on his lap. "And what does Cherno feel like?" She asked, bringing her legs up to curl around his.

He leaned in and spoke softly by her ear. "Us."

Soft kisses turned into deep ones as naked skin slid across naked skin. They made love twice, once with her back against the wall, and once with his back against the mattress.

Later, the two were wrapped up in each other's arms, listening to the sounds of the other's breathing.

Sasha had her face buried in the crook of her husband's neck, hands beginning to caress his sides as she did after every . She knew every inch of him like she knew her own body, but at time like this could never get enough of exploring. She supposed that this act was the first physically romantic thing she had ever felt the need to do; a gesture that drew her to realize how freeing a love like theirs could be.

Even without looking into her eyes, Aleksis had her loving stare burned into his memory. Suddenly, a thought came to him and burned to be said. He let it sit in his mind for a few moments before speaking, later saying the words in a soft and low tone as to break the silence gently. "Our children would have had your eyes."

A slow smirk spread Sasha's lips as an additional thought crossed her mind. She raised her head to look at her husband. "And they would've had your height." They both smiled and laughed at the remark, knowing it to be true. "We'd have been a family of giants!"

"Living in a mansion."

"With Cherno in our back yard."

Their laughter was quiet, yet full. A meaningful look from Aleksis and Sasha already knew what he was about to say. An "I love you" escaped his lips, meaning more than those few words could describe. She knew exactly what he meant. He loved her; even her less desirable traits could not stop him from loving all of what made her who she is. He loved their life together, even in a time of war and suffering and small dormitories and generic food. He mourned for their future, but loved their present. He hoped to live a long life with her by his side, but would settle for a few happily married years. As long as they were together.

Sasha remembered the first time she'd heard those words from him—how it felt like her heart would give out it was beating so hard. After seeing his memories of that day in the Drift—how he'd been just as anxious and just as in love—she had been awe struck. She would never forget how the rhythm of their hearts had been the same in that moment, proof that their connection was even stronger then they'd originally believed. In that moment, their hearts were one, sinking them into a rhythm that they both believed would carry them through the rest of their lives.

She leaned in to kiss him once more that night, letting her actions speak the same words he'd said aloud and the same thoughts he hadn't. They quickly gave into sleep, knowing how time was always against them.

That night he dreamed of a little boy with her eyes, and she dreamed of mansions.