It had been six months since the closure of the Breach.
Six months since Chuck Hansen had made it back alive, against all odds.
Six months since the world had started to breathe again, since the rebuilding had begun.
Six months since Raleigh Becket had allowed himself to pursue an emotional connection to another human being, one outside friendship, one that had gone past the impenetrable shields around his soul.
Bond had smirked when he had noticed the softer expressions in Chuck's eyes throughout the weeks of rehab, therapy and rebuilding what had been lost. He had tried not to laugh at the way Chuck's lips curled into a tiny smile as he watched Raleigh.
The Kwoon Room sessions came when the therapist gave a green light. Slow, steady, had been the advice. Well, an order, really.
As Herc's second, James had gotten the file and the training schedule set up by the therapist. Chuck would adhere to it as religiously as he would to the whole rehab so far.
Raleigh would make sure of it.
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"Any changes?" Q asked, stealing a crisp from Newton's bag.
The K-scientist retaliated by spearing a tomato off his salad. "Depends. I'm not thinking I'm a three thousand ton monster from another dimension. Not sure about Hermann, though." He grinned. "But seriously, we get along. It's… settling."
Q raised an eyebrow. A faint blush appeared on Newton's face and he chewed on a piece of burger.
"The dreams are still… uh… shared. And we kinda… hang out a lot."
The former quartermaster waited.
"It's not bad. I'm not saying that. It's just… I know it annoys him."
"Because you were in his head."
"He likes his privacy, okay? He likes to work and think and turn that big brain to his numbers. He loves numbers."
"But he doesn't push you away."
"No." He took another big bite.
"And he agreed to the living arrangements. Still does."
"Yeah."
"Does it bother you?"
Newton's head came up and his mouth opened, then closed with a snap. "No! No, I don't mind. I mean, we live in each other's lab space. Have done so for a while. And we managed. We haven't killed each other in months."
"Which is good."
Newt snorted. "Yeah. I guess. I keep thinking what if, though."
Q was silent.
"What if he wants a new assignment? What he get reassigned? What if they want him teaching somewhere? I bet they would hate his guts. He's a bore. Dry to the bone and dusty. Really, really dusty. Or he goes into research somewhere else. He'd be really good at that. Assistants to pester and drive insane, Nobel papers to write."
"What if this chance would be offered to you, Newt?" Q asked pointedly.
"Huh, what?"
"You are the foremost expert on Kaiju biology, aside from maybe some black market dealers."
"Nah, I'm not their kind of favorite guy for that. Too high maintenance." He grinned, but it was a rather insecure one.
Q knew the man was a genius, though he was rather unconventional. He held six doctorates, he knew everything there was about Kaijus, and he was an expert on Drift technology.
"I think Herc will want to keep you here as long as you guys don't want to leave."
"Huh."
"And maybe, just as a suggestion, you might want to talk this through with Dr. Gottlieb. He is part of your brain, as you already said. Drifting is a two-way bridge and he knows you as well as you do him. You simply might need to talk about a few aspects."
"Like you and Bond?"
Q nodded. "We still talk. A lot."
"Getting into each other's pants helps, too," Newton laughed.
Q wisely didn't comment on that. He grabbed some crisps again and just smiled.
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It took five weeks for Chuck to be in any kind of shape and condition to actually attempt more than a few easy moves. Frustration was high, the anger rising, and Bond watched it all with sharp eyes and an even sharper remark here or there when Hansen got out of line.
Mako would join them sometimes, sharp eyes taking in the training.
"He is pushing," she said softly as Chuck attacked, did just that, push until Raleigh stopped him. "He is fighting against Raleigh instead of fighting with him. The thought of competition is still there, the need to prove himself."
Then the twist of frustration was on his lips.
"It is," Bond agreed.
It was an up and down, every week, every day. Chuck was trying, but he fell back in his usual defense: his big mouth, taunting, hitting Raleigh where it hurt him, and more mouthing off.
"He still has a long way to go, to accept that in this fight they are equals, that he cannot beat Raleigh. He has to be in synch with him to achieve what he wants."
James gave her a small smile. "You think he wants it?"
Mako raised her brows, face carefully neutral at the double-entendre.
Bond grinned.
In the Kwoon, Raleigh stepped away and Chuck faltered, looking too flushed, too out of breath, to be called back in shape just yet. A new wave of fury hit him and the curse was tell-tale.
"That's it for today," Raleigh announced.
"Fuck, no!" was the hissed reply.
"You're not going to ruin Frank's work because you're too stubborn to know when to stop," Becket replied evenly.
"Fuck you, Becket! I'm not a cripple! I can go another round!"
Chuck clearly had to lock his knees not to stumble. He took one step – and promptly fumbled for support.
"Idiot!" Raleigh whispered as he caught him.
For just a moment, Chuck was clutching at his arms to keep himself from collapsing in a graceless heap. He was fast approaching a complete shut-down.
Then he pushed back, face flushed more, embarrassed and angry.
"I'm fine, Rah-leigh!" he snapped. "Get off me!"
"Cut the act, Chuck! You're not fine!"
"Since when are you my doctor?!"
"I'm not!" Raleigh snapped. "I thought I was your friend. I thought we were…" He stopped.
Their eyes met, Chuck's reflecting all he felt, everything wide open. There was shock there. There was hope that he quickly squashed, something softer that he didn't want anyone to see, and pain.
"Maybe you thought wrong!"
At Bond's side, Mako tensed, a soft word in her mother language leaving her lips.
Raleigh's face closed up, eyes only showing hurt. He appeared drawn between biting back once again and just stepping back.
In the end he stepped back.
Chuck glared at him, daring him to say something. When he didn't, Hansen stomped away, though the exit was diminished by the slight limp and the way he unconsciously held a protective arm in front of his ribs.
James shook his head and met the turmoiled eyes of Becket. Raleigh was visibly trying to fight back a more violent reaction.
Finally he blew out a breath, shoulders sagging.
"Not sure what's going to happen first: I'll kill that asshole or he kills himself."
"He is in pain," Mako only said. "He knows he was better once. It needs to settle in. His body is limited in so many ways now, his brain needs to work through that."
And he wanted to be the best again. He wanted to show everyone that he wasn't a cripple. Bond understood, but he also knew this wasn't the way to go about it.
Oh well, Herc and Raleigh had their work laid out for them.
"Go after him," Mako advised.
"Not a good idea," her Drift partner argued. "He's angry."
"Not at you. He will want you there."
"I think he just said he didn't."
"Did this ever stop you?"
Raleigh tilted his head, eyes going from the silently watching Bond to Mako. "You got a degree in psychology now, Miss Mori?"
She smiled. "I might just know you, Mr. Becket."
He laughed, a few lines easing. "Yes, you do."
Bond accompanied Mako as she left the Kwoon. "This will take time," he murmured.
"A lot," she agreed.
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There was no explosion.
The Shatterdome was still standing even three hours later.
By the next morning, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. There had been no reports on shouting matches or brawls. The Kwoon had been silent, as had been the general gym and rehab.
Bond raised an eyebrow at Herc as he sat down across from him for breakfast. It was just past sunrise. Herc was on his, probably third, cup of coffee, digging into a mountain of food James really didn't want to identify. His own consisted mostly of coffee and toast.
"Silent night," the Double-Oh said causally.
Herc simply gave him a long-suffering sigh. "I know that boy. He blows up in your face, then settles down again."
"With no apology?"
Another sigh. "You know we never had the best relationship. Raleigh's different."
"You two Drifted. Nothing closer than that."
"Sometimes too close."
Especially between parents and children.
"Maybe they should get into a Drift before they beat each other's head in, but I doubt Raleigh needs it to get a handle on my boy."
Herc laughed. "One can only hope."
Mako was next to find them at their usual table. Her breakfast plate contained only healthy items. Hong Kong was still the place where everything seemed available.
"Seen your partner yet?" Herc asked.
"I have. Briefly."
He shot her a quizzical look and a fine smile appeared on her smooth features.
"He and your son seem to have… made up."
Herc guffawed, shaking his head. "Knew it."
Bond exchanged a knowing look with Mako.
She had been right.
Six months, he mused. Six months of an open and stormy relationship, marked by banter, fighting, yelling, feeling… feeling a lot, in Chuck's case. Heart on his sleeve. Raleigh was more private, but there was no doubt he was invested in this, in Chuck.
But somehow they had worked it out together. Somehow they had turned the fighting into cooperation. Somehow they had turned from reluctant enemies to tentative, almost careful friends and finally to… this.
This' was a connection between two head-strong men who were making compromises each and every day, but whose emotions about the matter of their relationship were very strong.
They fit, despite all their differences.
tbc...