The boy who can't drift with anyone & the boy who can drift with everyone
Based off the Marvel/Pacific Rim crossover gifset (post/118490167147/marvel-pacific-rim-crossover-requested-by)
matt murdock & foggy nelson | piloting Scarlet Justice
"Hey! Should you even be up there without a harness?"
A new voice called out to him from the gangway framing his father's newly retrofitted Jaeger. It was the fifth time this particular Jaeger was being upgraded and the second time it will be back under the control of a Murdock. Or so he hoped. No, he *will* be piloting this Jaeger. He'd trained too hard not to.
He ran along one shoulder and back flipped onto gangway, landing neatly in front of the voice.
"Woah. That's some cool ninja shit. I guess that means you don't need a harness? You should totally still use a harness though," the other man rambled on. Maybe he should have landed behind the guy so he could get to the exit door which was now conveniently blocked by the man thanks to his lack of forethought. He cleared his throat, bringing the other man's ramblings to an abrupt halt.
"Excuse me." He nodded towards the exit and made the man turn around, spotting the heavy metal door.
"Oh! Sorry! I'll just-um... Right... I'll just-" he waited for the man to stop trying to twist around and leave enough room on the narrow gangway for him to pass through. "Okay. That's not gonna work."
He gave a tiny grin as he followed the man to the exit.
...-...-...
He spent the next few days listening to the new voice flit around different cliques with a breezy ease. So intent on the new guy in the Shatterdome, he did not notice Clint sneaking up on him until Clint dropped his tray down beside him.
He swore under his breath. Clint sniggered.
"So. You're staring pretty hard at the new guy," Clint Barton, king of subtle opening lines.
"...Is it that obvious?"
"Well, no. But you should know by now that I see all that happens in my Shatterdome." Clint sounded so proud of himself. "Like how you still haven't found a drift partner even though you're practically living in the Kwoon lately."
Matt scowled. "I don't need you to tell me that."
He felt Clint raises both arms in the air in mock surrender. "Hey, just stating a fact. Although you might want to consider asking Foggy to spar with you."
"Foggy?"
"Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson. Piloted almost every Jaeger ever produced this side of the Pacific. Drifted with almost every Jaeger pilot on a semi-regular basis with a 90% success rate," That's some impressive stats. At Matt's raised eyebrows, Clint grin turned shark-like. "They call him Foggy because all his drift partners came away with such a high like you won't believe but he only ever got blurry memories from them."
Matt pursed his lips. "No sharing of memories? How could that be called drifting?"
"Hey, I'm not the science guy. But my console doesn't lie. He's scheduled for a practice drift later today if you're interested."
...-...-...
Clint was right. His console doesn't lie.
Matt sat in the back of the LOCCENT as Ranger after Ranger drifted with Foggy, all of whom initiated the neural handshake perfectly and ran through the usual drift control test without much hiccup.
What struck him most was how every Ranger came out of the drift lighter than when they went in. A few cried tears of happiness, some hugged Foggy, many thanked him profusely. What's going on inside that drift?!
"Phew... I could eat a horse!" Foggy announced to the entire LOCCENT as he entered. "Do you even serve horses? I bet they would ask for some of your finest apples."
Matt groaned.
"Oh hey! You're the safety code violating ninja! Sorry I blocked your way that day. You would think they'd make the walkways bigger than the width of one person but-"
Matt put up a hand, his palm so close to Foggy's face, he could feel the shaky breath the other man exhaling. "Meet me at the Kwoon at 1am."
"...What?"
...-...-...
He had already ran through his forms three times but nothing was easing his jumpy nerves. Stick would have smacked the back of his head and told him to suck it up.
This is just a normal spar. This has nothing to do with finding a suitable drift partner so he can finally pick up his father's mantle and proof to everyone that he can do it despite being-
The doors to the Kwoon creaked open gently to admit a hesitant Foggy.
"Um... Matt? Or do you prefer cool ninja with no regards for self-preservation? I hope you don't mind but I kinda asked Clint about you so that's how I know your name and your father and your um- accident?" Foggy cringed. "I can just call you cool ninja if you like."
Matt did his best to keep a straight face. "Do you know how to spar?"
"Sure I know how to spar. It's been a while though, because look at me man..." He heard the meaty smack of palm on forehead and he couldn't resist smirking. "Sorry. I kinda get my foot in my mouth often. It's got a proof of permanent residency and everything."
Matt chuckled and waved him off. "When was the last time you sparred in the Kwoon?"
"Back when I first joined? Before they realized I can pretty much drift with everybody." Foggy shrugged and caught the bo Matt flung at him easily. A few practice strikes to get used to the length and weight of the staff. He nodded and toed off his shoes and socks, leaving them haphazardly outside the padded area.
With the wider space, Foggy twirled the bo more, sweeping it in an arc with a flourish. Matt was impressed.
"Shall we?" Matt raised his bo in the resting position. Foggy mirrored his stance, lightly tapping on his bo once he was ready.
And off they went. Strike after strike was blocked or twisted out of the way without making contact. Foggy was on the defensive side, rarely initiating attacks so Matt pushed on. He was surprisingly limber too, dodging a tricky swipe at his feet.
"Hey no fair! If you wanted me to dance with you, you gotta buy me a drink first!" That startled a laugh out of Matt and he made more attempts at the other man's ankles, calves and the back of his thigh.
...-...-...
That was why they spent the next night on the gangway they first met splitting a bottle of moonshine Dr Banner and technically-Dr-but-no-one-calls-him-that Stark had brewed in their lab.
...-...-...
"Initiating neural handshake in 3. 2. 1." The calm soothing voice of Karen counted them down.
This was it. His future as a Jaeger pilot hinges on this drift test. Clint pulled some strings and they were using his father's Jaeger as their Conn-Pod.
The first pull of the neural handshake was weird. Like someone was nudging at his brain until something broke and he was flooded with light. Light and laughter and warmth. He watched flashes of different birthday parties and picnics in the park and frolicking on the beach. He watched his many cousins play catch and his many girlfriends/boyfriends kiss him good morning and his many Ranger drift partners thank him.
His heart skipped a beat. The lights dimmed. Distantly, he heard a gasp.
He watched his school close down, dashing his lifelong dream of being a lawyer. He watched his parents lay broken in his childhood home. He watched his Ranger drift partners find more permanent Jaeger pilot partners.
*beep*beep*beep*
He wandered the streets of Hell's Kitchen, dragging his luggage full of clothes and law books that will be useless within the year. He was hoping to cry heartily into his mother's bosom and let himself believe it when she said it'll be alright. At least for today.
He couldn't get his parents out of their living room before the building collapsed with them in it. He should've been in there with them instead of helping their neighbors out while they gather their things to leave. They found his unpacked luggage a day later as he huddles inside a crowded hospital with a punctured lung.
*beep*beep*beep*beep*beep*
Did you hear? He's such a slut. I heard he can drift with anybody.
I heard he cannot drift properly.
I heard he's a good drift-if you get what I mean.
/Stop./
He's nice if you wanna get the high of a drift but none of the RABIT.
Like, does that mean he has no bad experiences in his life?
He must have it easy.
/Foggy. Stop./
I'm glad he can't see all the fucked up things I did. Sunshine and lollipops will be so scandalized.
.
.
He turned around to see Foggy duck back round the corner.
He followed the man, watching as Foggy hunched into himself, growing physically shorter and fatter than he actually was (at least from what Matt had sensed during their sparring session).
They entered the newly converted Shatterdome and into what looks suspiciously like the classroom for Torts in Columbia. Foggy was hugging his knees to his chest while sitting with his back against the lecturer's podium.
"Foggy..." Matt hovered awkwardly over his sparring partner/friend. "Foggy, it'll be alright."
He wasn't expecting his future drift mate to pull him down and sob so tragically into his bosom. So he did what his father had done when he first woke up after his accident.
He returned the hug like he was Foggy's only lifeline.
*beep*
...-...-...
"Sorry you had to see that. I swear I'm usually a better drift-if you know what I mean," Even though he said the words in jest, Matt could still hear the mockery of the faceless person who uttered those words in Foggy's voice.
"Don't-" Matt sighed. "Don't do that to yourself. At least not today."
"Sorry..." Foggy shifted, hugging his knees to his chest. "I saw your dad. He was a good dad." He said quietly.
"Yes he was."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that alone though. At least I was mostly grown by the time shit hits the fan. I do have a pretty charmed life."
"Foggy." Matt snapped a little more harshly than intended. He heard Foggy wince & muttered another apology.
"Well at least now I know what a real drift is! Do you think they'll let us try again? Not tomorrow though. I don't think this batch of Stark-Banner brew will survive the night and I don't think I want to do anything other than try not to puke tomorrow."
"...I'll grab the bin."
...-...-...
"Good morning one and all! It is my pleasure to introduce your new Jaeger! The Murdock-Nelson-"
"Nelson-Murdock," Matt hissed in Clint's ear.
"The Nelson-Murdock piloted, Scarlet Justice!"
Thunderous applause and so many whistles. He felt Foggy squeeze his hand before dabbing discreetly at his eye.
"In case you can't tell, I'm beaming at you right now. Everyone looks so happy for us! I can't believe it!"
"I can."
.
.
End.