His time in Atlantis was precious - most of all because Chuck was there, but it had given Herc more than that. The job change fulfilled him in the same way being a ranger had, and he felt energized, like he was twenty some years younger.
And there was Helen, too.
He didn’t want Atlantis to be simply a repeat of the past, however, and Herc wasn’t entirely sure how to go about finding a happier medium. Neither he nor Chuck had been in a good place as co-pilots. Atlantis could be different for both of them. It was a second chance neither of them ever thought they’d have.
Sparring together had always been fraught with emotion, but it’d been one of the only times (that, and when they were in a jaeger) when they were completely in sync with one another. Herc was grateful that Chuck had said yes, and even more grateful to find out that they could fall back into step like they used to. He took a step back on the mat and lowered his staff. “Not bad, considering we’re out of practice.”
Chuck didn’t want to let on like he was winded at all, but the truth was he wasn’t in the best shape. Living, walking dogs and eating whatever he pleased didn’t show much on him. But when his father hit him with the staff the first time he wheezed.
But he found he remembered all the steps to their little dance. Even without the quiet static of the drift, he could do his duty. After a free shallow breaths, he managed a smile.
“Yeah.” Then, something Chuck immediately swore he’d never say again: “Thanks for taking it easy on me.”
That drew a laugh out of Herc. “Here I thought I’d been working you hard,” he commented, though he knew as well as Chuck that he hadn’t been pushing as hard as he could have. That hadn’t been the point, not really. What was more important to Herc was spending time together, trying to find a way back to each other through the weeds.
“Thanks for coming,” Herc added. “I, ah. Missed this.”
Chuck gave his dad a smirk. “No reason to train afterward?” It seemed easier to be snarky about his imminent demise; that way, he could cut it down to the right less-than-hulking size. “I know I was the best.”
After a moment he paused, face softening slightly.
“We can do it more often if you want.”
It was true that Herc had no reason to train like this after -- not just because Chuck was gone, but even if the program had continued, Herc knew he wouldn’t have set foot in a jaeger again. No one else would have been as compatible with him, not with all of the trauma he carried in his mind. His hold on the drift was worsening, anyway; he’d seen his medical files, even if he didn’t want to admit it out loud.
But he missed it for more than that, and looking at Chuck now, he was pretty sure Chuck understood. “I’d like that. We, ah. We were never good at talking to each other. We don’t have the jaegers here, so this,” he inclined his head a little, “feels like home.”
“You wanna make it a thing?” Herc seemed wistful and honestly, Chuck was too. Even if they left one day (good things like this never lasted forever), they’d always have this time. So it seemed right to pursue it.
“Unless you’re busy with your new job and all.”
“I’m not too busy,” Herc said quickly, a tiny frown crossing his face. He never wanted Chuck to feel like his father was too busy, not anymore. He knew they’d already spent most of Chuck’s life that way. Atlantis was a second chance. He had to do better. “I’m never too busy. We can make it a regular thing.”
A brief, crooked smile surged across Chuck’s face. He had to try here. He knew that he’d never have another chance to say all the things he wanted to say; things that couldn’t ever be explored outside of the Drift. He also wanted those stupid moments that were so everyday; moments they never got in the PPDC because they were training, enraged, or repressed.
“Well ya don’t have to beg.” Pause. “You’re a Trainer now. I have to keep my dad in shape.”
The sight of his son’s smile unlocked something deep inside Herc’s chest that he thought was tucked away for good, something that he never thought he’d feel again. He wasn’t sure he could find his voice after that, but he smiled back at Chuck and forced himself to try. “You’ll have me running in circles in no time, I’m sure,” he joked. “Just like you used to do before.” Before everything had changed and Chuck had been forced to grow up too quickly, before they’d lost everything. More seriously, he added, “don’t know if I can do it without you, mate.”
Herc’s words went straight to Chuck’s heart and managed to thaw something that not even death had touched. Their time together had always been characterized by contention; but in the Drift, or when face to face with Kaiju, they had an enemy that wasn’t each other. Here? Here Herc was suggesting he needed Chuck. He took in a sharp breath. But instead of letting that emotive, positive moment hang in the air, Chuck took up his fighting stance.
“All right, all right. Let’s go.”
Herc mirrored his son’s pose and arched his brow at him. It felt as natural as breathing, to be standing across from his son like this. The big difference this time was that Herc no longer felt like he was drowning every time he interacted with his son. He felt hopeful for the first time since Angela had died.
“Give me your worst,” he challenged. Their lives hadn’t turned out at all how he and Angela had planned, but he hoped she was proud, wherever she was.