For Thea and her lovely prompt to have Raleigh serenading Mako and being awful at it. This is supposed to occur after "I Still I Run Right into You". This was really fun to write. Enjoy and please let me know what you think!
"My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you/ I've been running round in circles in my mind/And it always seems that I'm following you, girl/'Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find" -REO Speedwagon, "Can't Fight This Feeling".
It has been about three months since he and Mako closed the Breach and she kissed him. Raleigh thought that meant that they were going somewhere, but even though they were interviewed together, took pictures together, and even got apartments in the same building together-Mako never gave him any signals that she wanted to be together.
You'd think that after you've Drifted with a woman and saved the planet with her-that telling her you're absolutely smitten with her wouldn't be a problem, right? Wrong. Because he had Drifted with her and seen her darkest days as she had seen his-because they saved the world together and were being praised as a dynamic duo by every magazine under the sun-all of it made it that much harder to tell her. Even though Raleigh wants to eventually get back to Alaska, the place that has always been there for him through everything, everyone but Mako seems to know why he's hanging around.
They're walking with Newt to a new karaoke bar because apparently as the world rebuilds, the need for alcohol and poor singing is a top priority. Newt uses his fame as a rockstar scientist who helped close the Breach as a way to get free drinks. Once Mako and Raleigh walk in behind him, Raleigh knows they won't have to run a tab. He smiles and tries to thank as many people as possible, but after the first hour, he kind of wants to hide under the table and never come back up. The only one who looks more uncomfortable than Raleigh is, of course, Hermann who regrets going out at all. Mako deals with it much better, which is no surprise. She looks every person in the eye, repeats their name, and thanks them. She really is a class act. Raleigh just downs his beer as he watches her. The way the lights shine off her dark hair, the way her dimples show when Newt makes her laugh really hard. That's when he hears it. He may not know Cantonese or Mandarin, but he knows that REO Speedwagon song anywhere.
Before his mom died, she told him and Yancy how she met their dad at an REO Speedwagon concert. Maybe it's the rush of feelings from thinking about his mom and Yancy combined his self-torture over Mako, but he immediately orders more beer. He's finishing up on what he thinks is his fifth, when Newt wants to take the stage for Metallica "Enter Sandman" and Mako decides she's gonna turn in.
"Goodnight, Raleigh," she smiles, giving him her usual hug, before walking out.
At that moment, probably due to the alcohol, Raleigh puts his hand on Newt's shoulder. He spins around, a little too fluidly and for a second, Raleigh's worried he's going to throw up.
"What's up, man?"
"How much bragging would you have to do to get that karaoke CD and can I borrow your boom box?"
"My new boom box? I just got that at the pawn shop. It was practically free, man."
"Newt, please."
"Fine. But don't wreck her."
"What do you think I'm gonna do with it? It's me. If you're not cool with it, I'll ask Tendo," he had retro everything and Raleigh just wanted something that would play a CD.
"No, don't call Tendo. I'll do it."
About thirty minutes later, Raleigh walks back to the apartment building armed with a boom box and liquid courage running through his veins. He picks up a pebble and throws it against her window. It takes another for her light to turn on and come to the window.
"Raleigh?"
He hits play on the boom box because he knows there's a bit of an instrumental intro.
"Look, Mako, I have something to tell you."
He's never been much of a singer. His voice is cracking. He's running out of breath. But he's singing from the heart with the power of REO Speedwagon on his lips. He's on the second verse when he kinda wishes he'd picked a shorter song. Damn you, 1980's rock love ballads. When he knows the song is coming to an end, he throws his hands out.
"Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore, I've forgotten what I started fighting for. And if I have to crawl upon the floor, come crushing through your door. Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore."
Raleigh doesn't even take his eyes off her to shut the boom box off. Mako is silent for far too long. She just stares at him. Oh, no. Why did he do this? She turns off her light and shuts her window. Great. Now they won't even be friends because he's made this so awkward. He kicks the ground and shuts off the boom box. He grips his blond hair and turns his back. He should never try to do something romantic under the sway of REO Speedwagon and beer. He picks it up, dreading the walk past her apartment when there's a tap on his shoulder. He turns around and sees Mako.
"I'm sorry-"
She shakes her head and jumps up, planting a kiss on his lips. It takes him a moment, but soon, he's pulling her thin frame into his chest as his mouth covers hers completely.
"If I knew it was going to take this long, I would've done it myself," she says as she pulls back.
"What?" he stares at her.
"Did you think I just kissed you because we saved the world?" she laughs.
"I was starting to think that, because you didn't give me any signals," he raises his eyebrows.
"I kissed you...after you were in my mind...after we saved the world together..."
"When you put it like that, it sounds pretty bad," that wasn't even a signal, that was practically a flashing strobe light.
His hands settle on her hips, pulling her closer.
"This was very sweet though. The song is nice, but maybe you shouldn't sing anymore," she chuckles, dimples showing.
"I can do that," he leans down and presses his mouth against hers. Thank you, REO.