Raleigh Becket (jaegerbecket) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2013-11-22 14:53:00 |
|
|||
Mako woke up very early on Saturday. She arranged for paperwork from SHIELD to prove that both she and Raleigh were refugees. That they both had a place to live, and Mako herself had a steady income. She woke Raleigh up by knocking on his door in the most obnoxious way. She insisted he dress nice, even though he was probably going to do so anyway. They got to the rescue center and spent time with dogs. Mako herself was in heaven. With her best friend and visiting several dogs. One of the dogs was a shiba inu mixed with some other breeds-- she had huge paws and one floppy ear. Her name was Kimi. Mako immediately told Raleigh that Kimi was the one! She hissed at him, Kimi means noble! It was a long day after that, they had to buy Kimi essentials. And in order to take Kimi on the subway, she had to be in a container. Mako researched ways to get around this rule. In the end, they wrapped her in a jacket and Raleigh held her on his lap. They were in her apartment then, as Mako divided up the doubles of items for the dog. Being employed by a service provided by the Tower itself had it’s perks. She wondered if there was a way for her to do more-- maybe work for Mr. Stark. Then she could move out of the Tower, take Raleigh and Kimi with her. Maybe even get Newt a little hammock in the attic. Mako motioned to a blue dog bed and a pink one. “I think the pink one should be in your apartment.” Raleigh adjusted quickly to the world here, quicker than he expected. He was always good at moving on his feet with whatever came at him, but this was definitely the weirdest thing that ever happened to him. Since it didn't involve death and devastation, he figured it was better than what he was used to. It was interesting to see a world without kaijus, and one where people could come back from the dead. He couldn't help thinking about Yancy. It was the first thing that crossed his mind when Chuck and Stacker showed up. Yancy could be next. He would get a job eventually and figure out the rest, but for now he was glad to have Mako's dog idea as a distraction. It was always good to be with her. They were drift compatible, he knew it from the first moment they met, and the connection was so fast. She could ask him to do just about anything, and he'd jump on board. Plus he loved dogs. He quickly fell on the floor when he met the dogs and rolled around with them. Raleigh was something of a dog himself, in terms of bright personality and energy. He grinned at Mako when she picked Kimi, and teased her that Kimi was apparently drift compatible with them too. It seemed like an instant connection there too. He held the dog carefully on the subway, not wanting the jolts and strange people around to alarm her, but she was calm and friendly. Raleigh chatted amiably with people; he was comfortable with just about anyone. He laughed when she mentioned the beds and shrugged. "Sure. Pink is definitely my color, wouldn't you say?" He was on the floor again, letting Kimi sniff and snuggle with him. "This is a lot different from the bunks we were used to, huh? I can't argue with getting out of the barracks, or my hovel at the wall site." Mako stood with her hands on her hips and watched Raleigh roll around with the dog. That was what she wanted. When he told her he didn’t think about the future before her-- she had no idea what that was. That they would succeed? That he would ask her to marry him or something equally crazy? No, it would be that on the floor-- her best friend sharing a dog with her. She grinned and moved the pink bed into the pile she designated Raleigh’s. When he mentioned the wall site, Mako frowned slightly. He was so dirty when he first arrived. And even if there was a spark when they laid eyes on each other, she could tell he wasn’t the happiest fellow. After a change of clothes and a hot meal, he was at puppy-status. Like when they sparred in the kwoon. “They are a lot nicer, no bunk beds and there aren’t any alarms going off at odd hours...” She was a little lonely sometimes, but Herc and Raleigh were so close! And there was a dog involved now! “Kimi, come.” The dog looked at her like she was crazy. Okay, they’d have to work on that one. It was true, Raleigh stopped thinking about the future once his brother was ripped out of his life and his head. He had a general sort of mind numbing depression for a long time, assuming there was nothing really left for him. Stacker started to shake him out of his complacency by forcing him back into the system, but finding a partner again really woke him up. There was no explanation for how profound a connection was after being drift compatible. Raleigh didn't care what his future entailed, as long as it involved Mako Mori. It was that simple. "I don't know, usually drift partners live together after it's over, but I'm not sure you'd want to put up with it." Raleigh smiled and scratched Kimi behind the ears, snapping at her and pointing over to Mako. "Go, shoo." He nudged her that way. Training would take some time, but he was confident it'd work out. "I'm apparently very irritating to live with, I wonder if Herc's going to toss me out eventually. I'm chipper in the mornings and eat everything in sight." Yancy used to pick up after him and mother a little bit, but he'd done that ever since their parents died. Mako watched him quietly. She kind of wanted to shout SHUT UP OF COURSE I DO, but just nodded. When Kimi eventually came to her, Mako patted her head and got down on the floor. “If he kicks you out, you can have my couch.” She wondered if Herc would just switch her apartments. Then again, maybe Raleigh didn’t want to live with her. That and her impromptu sleepovers with Newt were probably not his thing. Mako decided to make up for all those years of training by being a bit of a mess. “I wake up pretty early, too. Maybe we can jog together?” While Raleigh seemed like he didn’t care who knew what he thought of Mako, Mako seemed to be a little on edge. What if he thought she wanted him? What if other people thought she wanted him? Maybe she should stop caring? "Or we could skip that part and just room together. I mean … I don't want to take over your space, if you want your space. And living across the hall is good by me." Raleigh was going to pop over and cheerfully greet her every day he could regardless. "I don't have any belongings yet, so you know, food for thought." Personally he was confused about why Herc wasn't rooming with Chuck. Sure, there was a time when kids didn't want to live with their parents, but this was a unique situation. Chuck was dead. They needed to spend all their time together while they could, right? Still, Raleigh wouldn't put his foot in where it didn't belong. If someone tried to stomp all over his issues as if they knew better, it would irritate him too. Outside of Mako. She was allowed to do that. "That's a great idea. I know we don't have anything to pilot here, but I don't want to get out of the practice of keeping active, you know?" Even when he quit for five years, he was still in shape and ready to fight when Stacker brought him back. Raleigh gave up on saving the world, but he wasn't an idiot; he knew then the world was a harsh place and had to survive it. He didn't want to lose that edge. "It's strange to be out in the city here, and everything seems so peaceful. Chaotic in that big city way. But peaceful." Compared to what they were used to! Mako gnawed on her lip. She wanted to live with Raleigh. But she also wondered if maybe she should distance herself from him. Shouldn’t she want to be independant? Then a small voice kept saying but we could stay up all night and watch movies and make pancakes and read to each other. A small smile appeared and she said, “I’ll see what Herc thinks of switching with me…” After all, he had a girlfriend now. That thought made her smile grow wider. Hee hee. “I like it. I like to be surrounded by people and just to watch them. We should take Kimi to the park and see people walking to work or fighting on their phones with their parents.” She crossed her legs and hugged the dog close. "Good idea, I don't want him to feel forced." Herc was a good guy, and Raleigh liked him. Mostly, he didn't want to be a bother, but there was no harm in asking. Especially not if end result it was them living together. It didn't occur to him that they should be independent from each other. They could just be independent together, right? That made sense. He rolled with things as they came at him, and as long as Mako was fine, so was he. Simplistic, yes, but it worked. "Oh yeah it's not like I'd want him to go if it makes him uncomfortable. I think he won't mind. He knows how pilots are." They all did. "It's great, isn't it? No one's constantly worrying about a wall or the ocean. Just going about their lives." Raleigh did wonder what a future was going to be like without kaijus, and if this was what that sort of world felt like, he was good with it. Much better than all the destroyed cities and homes and refuges. "People watching I could get behind. I think they have dog parks here too. She'd probably love to play with other dogs." He figured Mako was a good companion for sitting on a bench and joking about the people who walked by. Or theorizing on what they were talking about. It sounded like a slice of heaven. Mako was quiet. No words between them needed to be said. It was quiet, except for the dog’s panting and she let the silence envelope them. She wasn’t sure what they would have been doing back home, in a world without kaiju. But this was the best reward for saving the world. Her co-pilot, a fuzzy friend, and everyone was alive (mostly everyone-- it wasn’t good to think of the things you didn’t have). “I’m happy you’re here with me.” Her co-pilot smiled at her, and murmured: "Me too." But then again, she already knew that. |