Most of the first few weeks were difficult. The first few days were filled with lots of check ups and bandage replacements. Chuck's arms still needed quite a bit of time to heal entirely, but the blue poison was not stopping the healing process, which was what the doctors had been most concerned with.
A lot of the rest o their days and weeks were spent with recovery and therapy. Chuck had to learn how to live without his arms, but he didn't put much effort into it. Herc didn't know what to think because his boy had always been so independent, never wanting help. If Chuck didn't take these lessons seriously, then he would have to find a care-taker.
Chuck mostly too in his mind to realize Herc's concern, thought that he would always have his dad. If Herc wanted him to learn to live on his own, then that meant that Herc didn't want Chuck anymore. Well, Chuck thought realistically, Who would want a crippled lover or son? It's not like Chuck would be much use anymore. He understood if Herc wanted to leave, life his life without concern for his crippled son.
Herc tried being patient. He was doing the majority of the care-taking for Chuck because the nurses were fed up with him, and his artificial limbs were still coming (it was hard finding someone to do such an old-fashioned custom order). Chuck didn't look like he was making much progress, and Herc wondered if he was internalizing the information, or ignoring it all together. Chuck never said anything about leaving the dome, so Herc didn't make any move to take them out of what was familiar. While risks of attack had been terminated, it still seem like the governments of the world were intent upon keeping the Jaegers up and running for the time being. And so, while the press had stopped vulching there was work to be done, paper shuffling. Herc never thought about finding a new co-pilot. The program would probably just keep him on for appearances' sake. And Herc was fine with this.
What Herc wasn't fine with was Chuck. Again, Herc had tried to be patient. He just couldn't take it anymore. So one day he left.
"Chuck," he said, popping his head through the door leading to their quarters, "I'm going out for the night. I'll be back late." No response. He knew Chuck wasn't asleep this early with all his pent up energy. So, he left.
Herc had a great time. He hadn't gone out alone since he piloted with his brother. He had a couple of great nights with 2 guys and a girl, who luckily didn't recognize him. By the 3rd morning out, though, he felt ready to go back home and deal with his whiny brat of a son.
The security guards didn't give him any strange looks when he entered, and neither did anyone else he passed on his way to the room, so he was entirely unprepared for what he saw in the room.
The first thing he noticed was the smell, horrid, much like the camps for people whose homes were destroyed by the Kaiju. The second was that Chuck wasn't in the bed, which was where he normally was at this time in the morning. He entered their cramped quarters, first looking for the source of the smell, only to find Chuck on the floor on the other side of the bed. His clothes were stained from where he wet himself. Chuck didn't respond to his father coming into the room or calling his name. How did this happen, Herc though. Then Herc realized. No one was there looking out for his boy, except him. Not even Chuck was looking out for himself.
So feeling entirely responsible for the state of his lover Herc braced himself and got Chuck onto the bed. Chuck stirred a little. Herc went into the bathroom to fill a glass with water, slowly letting Chuck sip from it. Herc cringed realizing there was no way Chuck could have gotten a drink or food or anything by himself. What had he been thinking?! He went to the bathroom a few more times to refill the cup of water, making sure that Chuck wasn't drinking too fast.
Once Herc was satisfied with Chuck's hydration, he got to work getting Chuck into the bathroom. Herc sat Chuck on the toilet seat, helping Chuck out of his shirt, pants, and boxers, taking the offending garments to the hamper, and putting the hamper outside. He filled the bath, undressing as it filled, always keeping an eye on Chuck because that's what he should have done the first time. Once the tub was filled, Herc got a slightly more awake Chuck onto his feet and into the tub, settling him between his own legs, back against his chest. Herc was surprised that Chuck hadn't started yelling at him yet, but that would probably come once Chuck got his strength back.
So Herc began cleaning Chuck, sponges running along Chuck's upper body, slowly caressing his waking body.
Chuck came to awareness around the third glass of water his dad was helping him drink. Not much came to mind, mostly being comforted by the presence of his dad. Wait a second. Chuck realized slowly. His dad was helping him move into the bathroom. Why is he here? I though he left . . . for good.
Herc left for a moment, fear clenched his heart. What if he didn't come back? Before that line of thought went far, Herc was in the bathroom filling the tub and getting out of his own clothes. Chuck let himself bask in the presence he missed so much.
While letting Herc bathe him, Chuck tried not to think much about anything, his thoughts already proving to be destructive and inaccurate. But Chuck couldn't help but wonder why his dad came back when he had made it so clear that he didn't want to be there anymore.
"Penny for you thoughts," Herc murmured, chest rumbling behind Chuck's back.
"Just wondering why you came back," Chuck said before his mind could stop him, voice scratchy from lack of use. He and Herc never had had secrets since they first drifted. The sponge moving across his body hesitated before continuing, but Chuck felt the tension behind him, which didn't abate. Herc was silent, only their breaths filling the air around them.
"Kid . . ." Herc said after a few tense moments, stopping the sponge and setting it on the ledge next to him. He wrapped his arms around Chuck's torso, moving slowly so he didn't startle Chuck. "I was being an idiot, and I shouldn't have left in the first place." He dropped his head so his mouth rested on Chuck's shoulder. "I'll always come back," he murmured into the flesh below his lips. Chuck relaxed back against him.
They sat there for a few minutes, but the slowly chilling water urged them to get out. Herc helped Chuck stand up and step out of the tub. Chuck sat down on the towel covered toilet seat so Herc could towel him dry without risking Chuck falling. Carefully, they made their way back to their bed, and after changing the sheets and settling Chuck into the bed, Herc sprayed the room with disinfectant to mask the smell until they could properly clean the room.
Herc settled in next to Chuck, pulling Chuck into their customary sleeping arrangement: Chuck lying half on top of Herc with his head by Herc's heart. Chuck had missed the sound in his days without his dad.
Hey, just as a reminder, let me know what you want to see for the ending, cuz i think i'm ending this after this
