A/N: Haven't posted here for a while (everything's on my AO3 right now) but I figured I might as well transition back here. Also I watched the movie again and the part in the beginning with Raleigh banging on his brother's bed actually choked me up. And damn if one of my first thoughts wasn't wondering how the hell Mako would react seeing her co-pilot so freaking immature. Then my thoughts went to how younger!Raleigh would react seeing Mako and things just sorta...happened?

Tandem Repeats

Summary: Raleigh wasn't sure how this lady had gotten into his quarters, but damn if he wasn't totally on board with helping her find this missing co-pilot of hers. And maybe scoring a date. Plus, the blue highlights? Hot.

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"Sorry, Sir."

"Won't happen again, Sir."

Quickly dismissed, Raleigh made his way out the door while stepping in tandem with his brother. Each boot pressed down at the exact same time, shoved off seconds later, and continued as if absolutely nothing was wrong.

He could feel Yancy's anxiety from beside him. He took another step. There was a sigh. Yancy stopped suddenly and turned to him. "Look, Rals, I didn't mean to get you all riled up like that. Fine. I shouldn't have messed with her, okay?"

Raleigh took another step, leaving his brother standing alone in the hallway. There was a bitter smoke still building in his chest and the thought of doing something as productive as talking about it rankled.

Another step. Yancy knew enough not to follow, although his fists were clenched white from the effort of not. He couldn't help crying out—

"Christ, will you just look at me!"

When he was nearly at the end of the hall, Raleigh called back to his brother, "I do that, Yance, and you'll get matching eyes. Just fuck off!"

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They technically shared their quarters, but Raleigh knew from the moment he stripped his uniform off and plopped himself down that his brother was smart enough to know that he needed to be left alone. He rolled over onto his stomach and tried to bury his face in his pillow. Suffocation would be nice. Preferable, even. The air around him was dry and there seemed to be a low buzzing sound that he thought he'd gotten used to in the first week.

Everything around them was military regulation, stiff and unforgiving, from the doors to the uniforms. Even the beds felt more like something that had been raided from a trash-man's cellar, something that it made it very hard to explain to dates that wanted nothing more than to find a private place fast. That was probably why Yancy had used Naomi's car.

Raleigh forced his eyes shut, trying to force away dark images and the smell of sweat and shampoo and gasped praises that weren't fucking his.

Hell, he hadn't even liked Naomi that much. She was hot, sure, but women like her were the standard fare of Jaeger pilot-chasers. A dime a dozen at the bar. But Yancy had slept with her and Raleigh knew, knew from drift shadows and whatever hint of a brotherly bond they had that he'd done it primarily to fuck with him. Show little brother what he can't have. Like he didn't know already. That asshole.

Yancy had never known when he was taking things too far—that was his problem.

And here little brother was, fuming 'bout it in his room. Alone. Like a loser. Raleigh let loose a muted groan that was muffled by the hard pillow. What was he doing? It was like he was twelve or something again, hiding cause older brother asked out the girl he liked and she said yes.

The smart, mature thing to do was to get right up and forgive the idiot. Something dark and petty rose up in him again and Raleigh mused aloud, "Well, on the list of things people have never accused me of…"

Maybe he needed a walk around, to stretch his legs. He shot up from the bed and immediately began twisting around for a moment between the sheets that had tangled around his legs. Oh, c'mon. They fell away suddenly and Raleigh found himself falling to the side with a loud, "Fuck—"

He narrowly missed hitting his head on the floor. Narrowly.

"Ladies and gents, the cream of the Jeager pilot crop," he sighed dejectedly, ignoring his bruised elbow. Now hadn't that just blown the air outta him. It was a little hard to breathe now really, though he'd never admit it. And crap, he thought with a groan as he massaged his head, the quick rush had given him a headache on top of it.

Raleigh began to stand, shaking his aching arm out and hoping that—

There was a woman in the room.

He froze.

She stared.

He stared right back.

And then—

"Uh, that little fall back there? Yea, totally pilot training for um…high risk situations. Getting out of uniform and such to save civilians. Child civilians. Trapped. In burning buildings."

Raleigh winced at his own words, but kept an eye open. Was she buying it? Maybe?

She blinked, once.

Crap.

He frowned suddenly. Wait a minute here, why was he explaining himself to her? She was the one that had barged into his quarters, withoutknocking. And here he'd been sure he'd locked the damn door after him. She had to have had the key, meaning she was some kind of supervisor or—

Raleigh's eyes went hard and he said coolly, "If this is about Yancy, then there's nothing to talk about. We'll sort this all out, one way or another."

The woman just continued looking unblinkingly at him with something a little like shock. She was pretty, in a small way, the blue highlights framing her heart-shape face and giving an air that wasn't nothing less than delicate. The obviously lean and hard-earned muscles of her exposed arms said different, though.

For a moment, Raleigh took them in appreciatively. She looked like if might be able to kick his ass and damn if the thought wasn't really fuckinghot. And with that tank and sweat pants, it was unlikely was a supervisor, although she was currently proving herself to be the quietest woman he'd ever had in his room.

"Are you looking for someone?" he prompted, hoping it wasn't Yancy. That bastard was just the type to jump on a woman that his little brothermight be totally interested in later. "Cause, if you're lost or something, I can help with that."

Raleigh folded his arms in a way he hoped looked cool and shot her his best flirty smile, one that had scored him a look from a gorgeous Russian blonde a couple days back. Sure, her brawler boyfriend had tried to kill him when he'd ordered the lady a drink, but he was all for letting bygones be bygones. The woman standing before him didn't seem like she was attached, at least not the way she was indiscreetly staring wide-eyed at the bulging muscles of his arms and chest.

Sweet. Score one for past-Raleigh for deciding that sleeping shirtless was the only real option. Screw the cold. Women loved a man in uniform that looked equally fucking good outta uniform.

At his slowly growing smirk, she seemed to shake herself out of the thrall. Lips pursed in thought, she looked to the side and said quietly, "Sorry. I am looking for…my co-pilot."

Raleigh felt his mouth go dry as his mind struggled to process the information. "Get outta here."

"Why?" She looked adorably confused. But screw cute, this lady had just been upgraded from hot to perfect because damn—

"I'm a Jaeger pilot too!" Raleigh said excitedly, unfolding his arms to gesture wildly. "I didn't know they had enlisted someone new, much less someone like," he waved over her small form, "you."

Finally, she reacted. Taking a step forward, the strange woman narrowed and eyes and said plainly, "What do you mean, 'like you'?"

Oh, crap. Raleigh winced again, mentally beating himself up for stuffing his foot in his mouth in front of a woman he was already planning wedding invitations about. Well, that was a bit much, but screw if she didn't seem worth it. Here was another Jeager pilot, a cute Jeager pilot. One that could probably kick his ass and not look sorry about it. Excuses if he had a little trouble containing himself.

"I just meant," he tried to remedy, stammering, "That this wasn't really what I expected, you barging into my quarters and…well, scaring the shit outta me before I realized how pretty you were. It's just really, really not what I expected coming out of a day like this."

Something strange passed over her face and for the first time, the woman's eyes softened. Her voice was soft. "Better or worse?"

She'd said it in Japanese, but Raleigh just happened to have minored in the language. Grinning like an idiot and finding it hard to stop, he shot back what he hoped was, "Better than I could have dreamed."

Judging by the small snort she tried to hide, he needed to brush up on the language. Aw, screw it. He laughed with her, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as he pretended he wasn't staring at the quick flash of dimples he was almost positive weren't in his imagination.

The words tumbled out of his mouth before Raleigh could think to shove them back in, "So, if you need any help searching for you co-pilot, I'm sure I could lend a hand." He flashed her a winsome grin, puffing his chest out. "I know this shatterdome like the back of my hand. Hell, I'll even risk asking Marshall Pentecost for you." And those were words he actually meant, despite how freaking terrified that man made him. He shivered just thinking 'bout how to word a request on information about this strange woman and her mysterious co-pilot.

She was quiet, looking like she was on the verge of contemplative and terrified. And then, a simple, "I don't think you can do that."

"Who? Pentecost?" Raleigh huffed, rolling his eyes. "I can handle him."

He couldn't handle him. He really couldn't handle him. He was currently praying under his breath that she didn't call his bluff because he was rather sure if he had to stand up to Marshall Pentecost and demand info on the hot new Jeager pilot tears would be spilled. Maybe blood too. Preferably blood.

Probably tears.

Turning her face away from him, she wrapped her arms around herself. She looked so small again, although there was something flashing in corner of her eyes that sent an unfamiliar ache coursing through him. Crap. At that point, Raleigh knew then that he was completely, stupidly lost. He felt like he was being twisted through a clamp just looking at her all upset. Hell, if it would make her smile again he'd mess up a thousand stupid conjunctions.

As if she heard his thoughts—

"Fine then."

He stared at her, confused, as she suddenly looked straight at him, her eyes drilling into his skull. "Show me around."

It almost sounded like an order. Raleigh grinned and threw an arm around her shoulder as they walked to the door, careful of the way she started at his touch. No need to scare her, she would probably punch him for daring. He had to refrain from sighing in happiness. She was his type, through and through, huh?

As the door swung open, she suddenly stopped right in her tracks. He looked down at her, confused. She didn't seem to be able to meet his eyes.

"You should put something more on," she said haltingly, a tell-tale redness rising in her cheeks. For his part, Raleigh looked the same. He pulled his arm away from her shoulder like it had burned him.

"Oh crap sorry I'll just, uh, I'll just—"

He ran back into the room and started digging through the pile of wearable clothes he'd started. Finding one that smelled good enough, he pulled it on as fast as he could. "Uh, just a minute, darling, I'll make myself presentable!"

"It's Mako, actually."

Stopping with only half a shirt tugged on, Raleigh shot his no longer nameless dream-girl a grin. "Now that's much better."