Edited and revised on 6/9/14, and cross-posted to Ao3 under the penname AgentDown.

A short fill I wrote ages ago for this prompt on the Pacific Rim Kink Meme: Raleigh seemed completely unaware of the bigass sword that had been installed in his jaeger. What other additions have been made? (Perhaps something seemingly innocuous like a coffee maker…)

Setting: Post movie AU, in which the attack on the breach failed. Also, everyone's alive, 'cause I can.

Disclaimer: FloatyDucky does not own Pacific Rim. If she did, everyone would had lived, and there'd be a nice little animated series based on their happy Shatterdome shenanigans.


Gipsy Danger: Upgraded

All four Jaegers are out. They're eight miles off shore, waiting in the restless sea beneath heavy dark clouds, with three Category 5 Kaiju heading their way. Rain is pouring, the wind is harsh, and it's dark where there should be morning light. They haven't taken on three Kaiju at once sine the failed attack on the breach, and they've never dealt with more than one Category 5 before. Though each pilot is determined to stop the beasts in their oversized tracks, there's no telling how this encounter will go.

Raleigh wonders if he should be saying something over the comm system. He doesn't know if he should give a short speech to raise their spirits, because that's more of a Pentecost thing, or if he should just express how great it's been to fight alongside the best Rangers he's ever met, because there's really no telling how this battle will go…

Fuck it, he thinks, and reaches up to open the comms and just say whatever the hell comes to mind. He's never been one to plan things anyway, and in situations like this, spontaneous declarations of Fuck yeah, let's do this! are always pretty awesome and kind of his thing and-

As soon as his finger hits the switch, his stomach lets loose an irritated rumble that's loud enough to rival the roar of a Category 1 Kaiju and echoes through the comms.

He freezes with his arm raised above his head. Just passed his shoulder he can see Mako stifle a chuckle, and the silence of the comms is spattered with startled laughter and snorts.

"Uh," he blurts, grabbing the armor of his abdomen and feeling the previously ignored pangs of hunger, "Heh-"

"You did not eat breakfast this morning," Mako says, watching him with knowing eyes over his still raised elbow.

Raleigh snorts and drops his arm. "Yeah, well, we were in a bit of a rush."

"Everyone else managed to eat something," she counters. Before he can reply, she raises a hand and smiles. "Not to worry, we came prepared."

Raleigh arches an eyebrow. "We did?"

Through the Drift, he's able to predict that she's going to reach over to pluck at a blue switch on the control panel before she does it, but he's still shocked at what happens next.

Out of the panel right beneath Gipsy's visor rises something pristine and white, with smooth edges and a steel handle. It emits a steady hum as it rises, and Raleigh wonders if they'd managed to install some new weapon that he didn't know about-

It's a mini fridge.

It emerges completely and rises on a mechanical pedestal until it's at their chest level, and as Mako reaches over to open it, Raleigh doesn't know whether to laugh or groan. There's even little colorful magnets stuck to its sides.

"What would you like?" Mako asks. She rummages around in the compact appliance, absolutely intent on the contents within, as if they're not about to get into the battle of their lives. "There are cinnamon rolls, mini donuts, donut holes, ham sandwiches cut into little triangles, see? Please remember to eat breakfast as soon as you wake up, so you are not caught unprepared again… I also have chocolate chip muffins, large and bite sized…"

Raleigh isn't sure which thought to concentrate on: the fact that he should have known that Mako had a hell of a sweet tooth, the fact that the others are going to tease him forever about hearing his stomach growl over the comm system, or the fact that he still doesn't know about every upgrade that has been given to his girl.

Whose idea was it to add a mini fridge to Gipsy, anyway?

He ignores Chuck's surly "When are we going to get one of those installed?" from over the comm and interrupts Mako.

"Mako, why is there a refrigerator in Gipsy-" Something catches his eye. He pauses. "Is that chocolate milk?"

Mako pulls out the plastic container and hands it to him. It's perfectly chilled, lactose free, and it's a classic American brand from his childhood. He can almost imagine Yancy tossing him the same thing over the kitchen table, but he's not about to chase that rabbit down the hole.

He removes his helmet, pops the top off the bottle, and takes the sandwich that Mako hands him. He sips first, savoring the smooth, cool treat on his tongue, as Mako takes a bottle of soda and a chocolate muffin for herself and closes the door. She flicks the blue switch, and the fridge sinks back into the panel.

Raleigh drains the rest of the chocolate milk and chows down on the sandwich, sharing a smile with Mako who already has crumbs on her cheeks.

"Kaiju ETA to your position, guys, ten minutes," Tando announces over the comm system.

Gipsy and the Jaegers of the last Shatterdome on Earth are as ready as they'll ever be, no matter what comes. And inside Gipsy Danger's Conn Pod, where there's a little mini fridge and who knows what else, her two pilots are munching away as if the battle might actually end just fine.