![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[ Mako tells him to pack, the day before Valentine's day. She doesn't say much else, only to do it -- to Raleigh's credit, he doesn't ask too many questions. She brings a small backpack with her, and a camera, and they get on the next flight to Italy. It's purely a whim of the moment, because what better way to celebrate a lover's day than to see the world with him?
They've been going out for more than a year now, and Mako's never been one to succumb to conventionality, which is why there's a ring in her pocket with his name on it (figuratively speaking), but they're seeing the world first. The hotel she's booked in a quaint little thing in the heart of Rome, cosy and comfortable in the cool, crisp climate, and after a brief few hours of rest they go exploring.
The ancient city of myth and legend, where culture's infused into the very bones of the city; they're tourists in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and in the evening, when they are standing before the Coliseum, which is a shadow of the grandness it once was, Mako takes his hand. ]
I've always wanted to see this since I was a little girl.
Edited 2014-02-15 04:05 (UTC)
[Raleigh squeezes her hand, before slinging his arm around her shoulders, holding her in close. They're in Rome, on a spur of the moment trip and that's exactly what he loves about her. That she's really as free spirited as he is, even if she doesn't seem like it. She goes where she wants and she seems to have picked him up along the way and brought him along for the ride.]
You've really never been?
You've really never been?
[This is an awful game and he's surely going to lose. Raleigh's competitive and he has Ideas about what he can do if he wins, but she keeps doing this thing with her tongue and it's driving him crazy. They're sitting cross legged across from each other, his hands are firmly in his lap, covering up... stuff and she is cheating because she keeps doing the thing and Raleigh's too distracted by it right now to do anything except take it and moan.]
[Raleigh finally digs in his heels, threatens to walk entirely from Mako, the FBI, her plan, everything if she doesn't bring him to see his brother, because he would and he will. He doesn't believe her that he's alive. He needs proof and she needs him if she wants to get anything on her plan accomplished because they both know she wouldn't be talking to him, bothering with including him at all if she didn't.
Mako first suggests he come but stay fifty yards away and Raleigh counters with, he will cause a scene and run all fifty of those yards and she can't stop him so might as well bring him to do it face to face and be quieter about it.
She agrees and Raleigh hasn't calmed down since. He doesn't believe her but he wants to. So badly. He needs to believe that Yancy is still alive, that this woman is working with him undercover to bring down a terrorist group. Raleigh can't even stand still while they wait for Yancy to show up, they're there five minutes early and he hasn't been still for even five seconds of that. Shifting his weight, checking his watch, playing with his phone. All casual things, he is a trained agent but nervous tics, if you know what to look for.
Then it's time and Raleigh's about to turn on Mako for lying to him when there he is. Yancy. Holy shit. He really is alive. He's still alive and he looks pretty startled to see him too, even if it was brief, Raleigh knows his big brother like the back of his hand and holy shit.
He's not going to cry but it kind of feels like he might.]
Yance?
Mako first suggests he come but stay fifty yards away and Raleigh counters with, he will cause a scene and run all fifty of those yards and she can't stop him so might as well bring him to do it face to face and be quieter about it.
She agrees and Raleigh hasn't calmed down since. He doesn't believe her but he wants to. So badly. He needs to believe that Yancy is still alive, that this woman is working with him undercover to bring down a terrorist group. Raleigh can't even stand still while they wait for Yancy to show up, they're there five minutes early and he hasn't been still for even five seconds of that. Shifting his weight, checking his watch, playing with his phone. All casual things, he is a trained agent but nervous tics, if you know what to look for.
Then it's time and Raleigh's about to turn on Mako for lying to him when there he is. Yancy. Holy shit. He really is alive. He's still alive and he looks pretty startled to see him too, even if it was brief, Raleigh knows his big brother like the back of his hand and holy shit.
He's not going to cry but it kind of feels like he might.]
Yance?
[ So, Raleigh is down with a very bad bout of the flu, and school, for the better part of three days, is out of the question for him. Mako had called in at work to take care of him and Sophia both, cleaning up the house and cooking for them, while teaching Sophia to always put her toys away, lessons Raleigh had been patiently teaching her.
And so it is that when Mako is busy making soup, Sophia wanders in with a face mask (an edict issued by Mako whenever the little girl goes near her sick father, because the last thing any of them need is for Sophia to get the bug, too) and a little toy stethoscope around her shoulders. Toddling in, she climbs onto the bed where he is, and sits on his stomach expectantly.
Daddy! Are you dying? I can make you not-dead, I'm Doctor Sophia! ]
And so it is that when Mako is busy making soup, Sophia wanders in with a face mask (an edict issued by Mako whenever the little girl goes near her sick father, because the last thing any of them need is for Sophia to get the bug, too) and a little toy stethoscope around her shoulders. Toddling in, she climbs onto the bed where he is, and sits on his stomach expectantly.
Daddy! Are you dying? I can make you not-dead, I'm Doctor Sophia! ]
[Raleigh feels like he's dying but it's probably not true. He's congested and coughing and his left ear hasn't popped in about two days, which isn't helping him feel less congested and he's draining things that should not be that color when they come out of people.
The last thing Raleigh wants to do is get Sophia or Mako sick too, so as much as he might want to just curl up in bed and watch movies with both of his girls, he's kind of kept to himself as much as possible. This is the first time since yesterday that he's even seen Sophia, and he likes her enough to let her sit on him as much as she wants.]
Oh thank God Doctor Sophia is here. I'm feeling better already.
The last thing Raleigh wants to do is get Sophia or Mako sick too, so as much as he might want to just curl up in bed and watch movies with both of his girls, he's kind of kept to himself as much as possible. This is the first time since yesterday that he's even seen Sophia, and he likes her enough to let her sit on him as much as she wants.]
Oh thank God Doctor Sophia is here. I'm feeling better already.
[Two days ago, Raleigh lost a member of his team. The mission went wrong, there wasn't anything he could do. It's the risk they take, this black ops division. There's no backup, there's no exit strategy, there's no laws. It is what it is and they take chances and sometimes, sometimes it doesn't pay off.
It reminds him of when his brother died. It reminds him that he's got something else to lose now, a fiancee waiting at home who thinks he just went on a business trip for a new contract for a few days. Who doesn't know what he really does for a living. Who can't and won't ever know because it's safer that way.
Losing Yancy was hard enough to come back from. Raleigh doesn't think that he'd be able to ever recover from losing Mako too. Hell, the only reason that he ever did move on fully from Yancy is because of her so what's the chances that he'd ever find another woman like her? Non existent, that's what because she's Mako and that really says it all.
It's the middle of the night when Raleigh finally makes it home, dumping his suitcase and jacket by the front door, shedding his shoes and his tie along the way to their bedroom where Mako's fast asleep. He drops his dress shirt on the ground before sliding into the sheets with her, sliding an arm around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder.]
It reminds him of when his brother died. It reminds him that he's got something else to lose now, a fiancee waiting at home who thinks he just went on a business trip for a new contract for a few days. Who doesn't know what he really does for a living. Who can't and won't ever know because it's safer that way.
Losing Yancy was hard enough to come back from. Raleigh doesn't think that he'd be able to ever recover from losing Mako too. Hell, the only reason that he ever did move on fully from Yancy is because of her so what's the chances that he'd ever find another woman like her? Non existent, that's what because she's Mako and that really says it all.
It's the middle of the night when Raleigh finally makes it home, dumping his suitcase and jacket by the front door, shedding his shoes and his tie along the way to their bedroom where Mako's fast asleep. He drops his dress shirt on the ground before sliding into the sheets with her, sliding an arm around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder.]
[The same battle that makes her a queen costs him a brother and if anyone needs a reason why he's so fervently dedicated to this young queen, that's the answer they get. Because she's fighting against monsters and she can't possibly do it alone, no matter how strong she is and it's really no one's business his feelings for her.
It's between him and her what he feels for her, when they're allowed to just be Raleigh and Mako and not a knight and her majesty.
There's nothing very secretive or romantic about the reason he's headed to her now though. There's been another attack, on the borders, the monsters that people call kaiju because there's never been anything like them before. The creatures look like twisted cousins of the dragons the queen keeps and maybe they are. Who knows. Raleigh doesn't much care where they came from, but about killing them instead.
He knocks briefly before letting himself into her chambers, bowing at the waist to her like he always does.]
Your majesty.
It's between him and her what he feels for her, when they're allowed to just be Raleigh and Mako and not a knight and her majesty.
There's nothing very secretive or romantic about the reason he's headed to her now though. There's been another attack, on the borders, the monsters that people call kaiju because there's never been anything like them before. The creatures look like twisted cousins of the dragons the queen keeps and maybe they are. Who knows. Raleigh doesn't much care where they came from, but about killing them instead.
He knocks briefly before letting himself into her chambers, bowing at the waist to her like he always does.]
Your majesty.
[Really, it's Mako's fault because she said it was like having a dog in bed, because of how much he likes to snuggle and how it doesn't matter where he goes to sleep, he will end up with his arm around her somehow and his face pressed to her shoulder, arm, belly, boobs, anything really. So long as he's as close as he can get to her and it doesn't matter how hot it is outside, every morning, there he is.
She makes that comment and he's feeling kinda bratty this morning, because she brings out the old Raleigh, the cocky kid on top of the world, who smiles easily and gives affection freely. So he pins her down and starts going for her neck, biting and kissing and does that tickle, Mako? Oh let him go back to that spot and give it extra attention.]
She makes that comment and he's feeling kinda bratty this morning, because she brings out the old Raleigh, the cocky kid on top of the world, who smiles easily and gives affection freely. So he pins her down and starts going for her neck, biting and kissing and does that tickle, Mako? Oh let him go back to that spot and give it extra attention.]
[ So, Mako has a duke on her hands, a duke who used to be king, who had been banished from his kingdom because he wouldn't give her up, no matter how much she asked him to -- because his country needed him more.
They travel the world together, and while the media coverage is often terrible and suffocating (for her, of course -- they'd always liked to paint Raleigh as the innocent regent that had been caught in her scheming, manipulative ways), the world's rampant curiosity with every aspect of their life had been invasive, and in many ways demoralising, but Mako tries to make it work. It hits Raleigh very hard, the fact that even without the mantle of the king he doesn't have the freedom he's quite envisioned.
Jaz has assumed the role of the king now, with Raleigh swearing his allegiance to him; he is, after all, still a noble, and a citizen of his kingdom, and nothing can change that. There are rough times, times when the both of them feared an uncertain future, but today, they fly to Paris, because Mako wants them to remember why they fell in love, without the trappings of royalty and rules and the sneerings of those who were devastated when Raleigh abdicated.
She wants it to be simple again, without title and without rank, and here in the serene Parisian evening, no one pays them any heed. Mako revels in the anonymity, buttoned up in her coat and scarf as she takes his hand -- she's not sure what they will become, not sure what she will make of the overwhelming pressure on her, the way she's closed in on all sides; because theirs is a fairytale, right? The prince and his lady, happily ever after.
She takes his hand, and stops before the Eiffel Tower. ]
I remember you saying that you wanted to have a picnic here someday.
Edited 2014-03-01 01:34 (UTC)
[Really, Mako needs to stop paying attention to what's printed about them. Because really, it's stupid anyway and if she's so scheming and manipulative, she's done a rather shitty job of it since she didn't get a crown out of it, she just got him and he is paid enough by his brother's estate to live comfortably wherever he wants to but it's not the same as being king. He does wish that people would just leave them alone but is not really surprised that's not happening.
Still, a headline of 'Duke Punches Reporter' is much less shocking than 'King Assaults Man'.
Raleigh pulls her in close when she stops, glancing at the tower for maybe half a second before he turns his eyes back to her. Paris is beautiful but it's nothing compared to her. It'd just another city without her there and he could be in any city and be miserable without her.]
Still do, someday.
Still, a headline of 'Duke Punches Reporter' is much less shocking than 'King Assaults Man'.
Raleigh pulls her in close when she stops, glancing at the tower for maybe half a second before he turns his eyes back to her. Paris is beautiful but it's nothing compared to her. It'd just another city without her there and he could be in any city and be miserable without her.]
Still do, someday.
[It's an open secret in his court, that for some reason none of his enemies ever seem to catch on to. Maybe it's because Mako rarely takes off her mask in public, and she keeps her hair short and that there's not a lot of people who cross her who live to tell the tale. But he knows for a fact that no one that comes after him, and his land and his wealth, who threaten his people and their safety, not a single one of them knows that his best knight and bodyguard-- is actually a woman.
Raleigh's known her father for years, ever since he was a young boy sent to foster at the Pentecost hearth. He grew up under his tutelage, learning everything he could before he was brought back to court when his brother assumed the throne. He'd heard that some time after that, Pentecost had adopted an orphaned girl, didn't think much of it until that girl showed up at court, swearing allegiance to him and the crown that he'd had for a few short hours at that point.
The only reason he agreed was because she mentioned her foster father's name and he figured that she wouldn't last long, or that she'd marry a nobleman within a few months and that would be that.
Only when she was the only one left standing of his personal guard, after an assassin's attempt to get rid of him, when his ten best men were dead on the ground and Mako was covered in blood that wasn't hers but still standing did he realize he was wrong about that. She's been at his side ever since. Literally, she even sleeps in his chambers every night, insistent and stubborn about it, that she was here to protect him, not wait outside, so Mako has her own little bed in the corner, she sleeps with her sword all the time and that's that, he supposes.
No one's said anything to his face but he's sure there's rumors about them. That even if people have seen her separate bed, there's the assumption that she's sharing his and it would be a lie to say that he hasn't considered it. Wondered what it'd be like. If she fights the same way that she gives pleasure, or if she's even known a man and if he was a betting man, he'd say no. No she hasn't.
If only because she'd probably castrate anyone who tried.
Winters are usually quiet, no wars or squabbles or border raids because it's too cold for that. Just tax reports from the harvest and petty complaints to be solved at his leisure and some of them, Raleigh considers just tossing into the fire burning behind him because they're so idiotic. And he still might but first he wants to share it with Mako, because she is his knight but he's come to rely on her advice as well. She can listen and sharpen her blade at the same time.]
This one is about chickens. Stolen chickens.
Raleigh's known her father for years, ever since he was a young boy sent to foster at the Pentecost hearth. He grew up under his tutelage, learning everything he could before he was brought back to court when his brother assumed the throne. He'd heard that some time after that, Pentecost had adopted an orphaned girl, didn't think much of it until that girl showed up at court, swearing allegiance to him and the crown that he'd had for a few short hours at that point.
The only reason he agreed was because she mentioned her foster father's name and he figured that she wouldn't last long, or that she'd marry a nobleman within a few months and that would be that.
Only when she was the only one left standing of his personal guard, after an assassin's attempt to get rid of him, when his ten best men were dead on the ground and Mako was covered in blood that wasn't hers but still standing did he realize he was wrong about that. She's been at his side ever since. Literally, she even sleeps in his chambers every night, insistent and stubborn about it, that she was here to protect him, not wait outside, so Mako has her own little bed in the corner, she sleeps with her sword all the time and that's that, he supposes.
No one's said anything to his face but he's sure there's rumors about them. That even if people have seen her separate bed, there's the assumption that she's sharing his and it would be a lie to say that he hasn't considered it. Wondered what it'd be like. If she fights the same way that she gives pleasure, or if she's even known a man and if he was a betting man, he'd say no. No she hasn't.
If only because she'd probably castrate anyone who tried.
Winters are usually quiet, no wars or squabbles or border raids because it's too cold for that. Just tax reports from the harvest and petty complaints to be solved at his leisure and some of them, Raleigh considers just tossing into the fire burning behind him because they're so idiotic. And he still might but first he wants to share it with Mako, because she is his knight but he's come to rely on her advice as well. She can listen and sharpen her blade at the same time.]
This one is about chickens. Stolen chickens.
[Sophia asked for a puppy in exchange for a little brother and so she got to pick out the one she wanted, which was an adorable little husky one and even though Raleigh warned her that the puppy wouldn't stay that small forever, that he was going to get very big, she insisted.
Look at his eyes, Daddy! He has blue eyes! I want him.
And Raleigh's a grade A sucker when it comes to her, he knows that and they come back from the store with a husky puppy and a few toys for it to play with. The puppy sits on Sophia's lap the entire ride home, alternating between licking her face and trying to get free and literally, the best sound Raleigh has ever heard is his little girl laughing.
When they get home, Raleigh hands her a tennis ball and tells her to start teaching the dog to play fetch. Neither dog nor child seems to get the idea of fetch, it turns into keep away and chase the ball with the dog and he supposes that's good enough.]
Look at his eyes, Daddy! He has blue eyes! I want him.
And Raleigh's a grade A sucker when it comes to her, he knows that and they come back from the store with a husky puppy and a few toys for it to play with. The puppy sits on Sophia's lap the entire ride home, alternating between licking her face and trying to get free and literally, the best sound Raleigh has ever heard is his little girl laughing.
When they get home, Raleigh hands her a tennis ball and tells her to start teaching the dog to play fetch. Neither dog nor child seems to get the idea of fetch, it turns into keep away and chase the ball with the dog and he supposes that's good enough.]
[ Mako's been poisoned, and no one is any the wiser as to who it is, only that it had been a fine morning on the courtyard grounds -- the King was holding a jousting contest with Mako standing guard by him, silent and loyal. His Queen, beautiful but untouched, sat beside him, jewels glittering in her hair as she kept up the illusion of matrimonial union.
But then she'd coughed up blood, her insides creating an agony that she fights to endure when she collapses amidst the horrified court. Mako doesn't remember the rest when the world goes black, but she remembers Raleigh's voice, and it's night when she wakes in a feverish daze, in soft linen bedclothes and fresh towels and the sharp sweetness of herbs.
The candle burns by her bedside, and it hurts to open her eyes, but she does anyway, and her first, immediate concern is for Raleigh. Is he hurt? Had it been a diversion? Her lips are chapped, and it hurt to speak, but she tries anyway. ]
His Majesty --
Shhh.
[He's at her bedside, has been since his physicians said they've done all they could. That she has to fight it off and she's strong, he knows she is, and she's young and she's got a good chance of it. Raleigh has been sitting there, watching her sleep fitfully for hours, replaying what happened and making a (rather short) list of suspects.
It would make the most sense, wouldn't it? That whoever poisoned her was also trying to poison him since wherever he goes, she goes but it's fairly obvious that when five, ten, fifteen minutes later, Raleigh was okay and it's fairly obvious that it wasn't an accident. She's not a casualty, she's the target.
And there's really only one person in the whole court that dislikes Mako enough to actually want to kill her. He can't prove it, could and probably would start a war by trying to, but he's sure he knows who was responsible. Perhaps it's paranoid but his queen has been different ever since she walked in on him and Mako and he told her the next morning that she was only to come to his chambers if he invited her. A little colder, a little more quiet and he regrets that edict now if it's led to this.
Not because he's offended his queen but because Mako got caught in the crossfire and maybe he will have to revisit his priorities but not right now. Now he's reaching for her hand, holding it tight, and has no intention of letting go.]
You need to rest. I'm alright.
[He's at her bedside, has been since his physicians said they've done all they could. That she has to fight it off and she's strong, he knows she is, and she's young and she's got a good chance of it. Raleigh has been sitting there, watching her sleep fitfully for hours, replaying what happened and making a (rather short) list of suspects.
It would make the most sense, wouldn't it? That whoever poisoned her was also trying to poison him since wherever he goes, she goes but it's fairly obvious that when five, ten, fifteen minutes later, Raleigh was okay and it's fairly obvious that it wasn't an accident. She's not a casualty, she's the target.
And there's really only one person in the whole court that dislikes Mako enough to actually want to kill her. He can't prove it, could and probably would start a war by trying to, but he's sure he knows who was responsible. Perhaps it's paranoid but his queen has been different ever since she walked in on him and Mako and he told her the next morning that she was only to come to his chambers if he invited her. A little colder, a little more quiet and he regrets that edict now if it's led to this.
Not because he's offended his queen but because Mako got caught in the crossfire and maybe he will have to revisit his priorities but not right now. Now he's reaching for her hand, holding it tight, and has no intention of letting go.]
You need to rest. I'm alright.
[ Mako hadn't slept the entire night, curled alone in Raleigh's massive, satin bed. It's an unfamiliar, unwelcome feeling, to be on her own with only the stone walls for company, to know that in the other wing, tens of rooms away, her lover is consummating his marriage to a woman he doesn't love, but has to marry because of political reasons. Mako, much to her chagrin, had been the one to encourage him to fulfill his duties to his new queen, because more than them both, the kingdom and its people mattered -- fighting the kaiju mattered.
With the two kingdoms aligned, they would be a formidable enemy to the monsters, and Mako knows this -- of course she knows; but knowing is different from feeling, and no matter how hard she tries, the thought of Raleigh with another woman makes her ill to her stomach, it makes her sick with jealousy and heartache.
But see, she should know better; she was the one who asked him to do it in the first place -- after all, the woman is his Queen, and for the sake of both countries, she should not be shamed on her wedding night. Still, Mako can't sleep, especially not when her head is on his pillow and she's breathing in his scent, longing to have him with her but knowing it's impossible; she'd endured a week's worth of activities, of the declaration of the king and queen and thousands of wishes for their happy union. She endured the knowledge that this is something she could never have with Raleigh, that she would be his mistress, the lover in the shadows, always.
She doesn't mind it so much -- it allows her to protect him better; but sometimes... sometimes, it stings.
Morning comes, and she hears the not so distant sound of bells, of the triumphant proof that the king and queen were now truly husband and wife. Blood on the sheets, she thinks. He's taken her maidenhead as a lawfully wedded husband, and Mako's not sure what to feel at that. Would he waver, she wonders? Will Raleigh prefer his wife now?
But she rises, and she dresses. Today is another day, and she has to do her duty. ]
[Raleigh did what he was supposed to do, what he had to do to seal this alliance and make this an actual marriage. But he didn't enjoy it that much, not really at all, because in the end, she's not Mako and she doesn't know what he likes and it was just-- different. Not even trying to pretend it was Mako really worked for very long. Mako had been nervous and shy too their first time together and he gets that, but Mako also eased away from that, reached out for what she wanted and wasn't too shy to ask for it for very long and Naomi more or less deferred to him all night, because he's the king and that's-- not what he wants.
He wants to be challenged, he wants a partnership, he wants Mako, he wants Naomi to be pregnant from this one night purely because he doesn't care much about trying to make an heir with a woman he doesn't love or even desire. Then again, he and Mako have been lovers for years and there's been no child there, and there's really no way to know if that's him or her and maybe they will be looking to his sister's young son as his heir.
Raleigh leaves to go back to his room as soon as he can, because he needs to bathe and change and get ready for this day. Just because he's married, doesn't mean the entire kingdom has stopped. He isn't sure if he expects Mako to be there or not, until he walks in and is completely unsurprised to find her there, getting dressed for the day and it's stupid, silly but Raleigh feels a flash of guilt for coming in the way he is.
Coming back from another woman's bed, even if it's his wife's because Mako has his heart. He feels like he broke a promise to her somehow, like he's betrayed her. He wants to reach for her but feels too dirty to actually do it.]
Morning.
He wants to be challenged, he wants a partnership, he wants Mako, he wants Naomi to be pregnant from this one night purely because he doesn't care much about trying to make an heir with a woman he doesn't love or even desire. Then again, he and Mako have been lovers for years and there's been no child there, and there's really no way to know if that's him or her and maybe they will be looking to his sister's young son as his heir.
Raleigh leaves to go back to his room as soon as he can, because he needs to bathe and change and get ready for this day. Just because he's married, doesn't mean the entire kingdom has stopped. He isn't sure if he expects Mako to be there or not, until he walks in and is completely unsurprised to find her there, getting dressed for the day and it's stupid, silly but Raleigh feels a flash of guilt for coming in the way he is.
Coming back from another woman's bed, even if it's his wife's because Mako has his heart. He feels like he broke a promise to her somehow, like he's betrayed her. He wants to reach for her but feels too dirty to actually do it.]
Morning.
[ Raleigh, the King of the Golden Hall, rides to war today with Mako, his shieldmaiden, by his side, a fierce warrior against the monstrosities that walked on land and consumed men, women, and children -- creatures of the deep who leave ash and bones and blood in their path. They had been ready for this for the longest time, when the kaiju rise to come at them as nightmares and demons. They have dominated the sea, had come from a hellish cavern leagues deep, but they were not invincible.
Together, they've repelled the forces -- their army's lost many men, but they've killed so much more of the kaiju, and tonight, when the battle dies down and they finally set up camp for the night, Mako waits until Raleigh's advisors leave, a silent shadow by his side as she stares down at the scores and scores of maps laid out before them. She sees the places that are lost to them, and the places they have won but slowly and surely they are losing more ground to the kaiju. The men in their army were all brave men, stalwart men, but fear cuts deeper than any sword and poisons the soul, and now that they've seen the carnage of the kaiju, the effortless way they tore men from limb to limb, she has to wonder at the men's morale.
Reinforcements will come from the castle by the morning; and together with reinforcements will come the cannons that Mako had helped to manufacture -- all they have to do is to last this night. Her hand rests lightly on the hilt of her sword; Mako is fully capable of being a one-woman army if she puts her mind to it, the fires of her hatred and her vengeance makes her deadly, and to date she has slaughtered more kaiju than any other man alive, and counting.
Coming beside Raleigh, her words are quiet -- her King has not slept well since this entire campaign began, and more than her hatred and her vengeance, she cares for him; he's become so much a part of what she fights for. ]
You should rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.
[Raleigh is shaking his head, before she even starts talking because he knows what she's going to say. And he's not going to do that. He can't sleep. He doesn't have that luxury, he's their leader, he has to be aware all the time of what's going on, to make decisions. They're not safe, not by a long shot, not until morning comes and even then, that's not safe.
They'll have reinforcements but that doesn't mean they'll win.
He is tired. He's lost so many men today and he knows that he's going to lose more and that doesn't sit well with him.]
I'll be alright. You can rest if you want.
They'll have reinforcements but that doesn't mean they'll win.
He is tired. He's lost so many men today and he knows that he's going to lose more and that doesn't sit well with him.]
I'll be alright. You can rest if you want.
[ The days draw closer when Raleigh needs to make a decision, and Mako is torn between keeping him by his side and advising him on what is best for the kingdom. They're in bed together, but it's more subdued today -- Mako's distracted, thinking about the day when another woman would know the softness of his skin, the pleasure that he is capable of bringing to a woman, any woman, and the thought of it still sits ill in her chest, sticks in between her ribs.
She can never be his queen, and not once has she sought a position like that -- Mako is happy being his mistress and lover in secret, because her place is by his side as his sword and his shield, his defender and his advisor and his attack dog if necessary. When it's over, she doesn't leave his arms, pressing kisses on his shoulder as her touch drifts over his bare skin, tracing over the faint beads of sweat and admiring the strength of his hold, the way her body presses against his, and the way they fit against each other.
She thinks of the woman Raleigh is to marry, an expected condition of the successful coming together of two kingdoms, and Mako finally says, her lips against the hollow of his shoulder. ]
...You should marry her.
[He's noticed, that something was on her mind. It's hard not to, when he knows Mako better than he knows anyone, maybe even including himself, he can tell her moods just by looking at her. Can tell that she's distracted by something, and it's not until she says it, that he fully realizes that the same thing weighing on him is hanging around her too.
His country needs the alliance, it's really that simple. But the last thing he wants to do is marry someone else. He doesn't want to marry anyone that's not Mako and she's probably one of the last people he would ever be allowed to marry. She might've been raised by a lord but she's not one of his children.]
There has to be another way. [He says after a moment, shifting so he can look at her, really look her in the eyes. Don't tell him to marry someone else, Mako, please.]
I've never even met her.
His country needs the alliance, it's really that simple. But the last thing he wants to do is marry someone else. He doesn't want to marry anyone that's not Mako and she's probably one of the last people he would ever be allowed to marry. She might've been raised by a lord but she's not one of his children.]
There has to be another way. [He says after a moment, shifting so he can look at her, really look her in the eyes. Don't tell him to marry someone else, Mako, please.]
I've never even met her.
[Raleigh is a compulsive snuggler in his sleep. You wouldn't think it, looking at him and knowing that he generally dislikes 96% of the people on the planet just because they other people but put him on the same bed as someone else and guaranteed he'll wake up curled around them in some form or another. That really goes for anyone, it's not a romantic thing always, when Yancy was alive, Raleigh would spend a couple nights in the same bed with him after Drifts, and he'd aggressively snuggle his brother too and zero shame was felt about it.
So really, it's not that surprising him to him, when they're cleared from medical after Pitfall and allowed to return to their lives but neither of them really want to be alone, so he takes her by the hand and pulls her into his room after him. Doesn't ask but knows that he doesn't have to, because she's hurting and grieving and tired too and he just-- doesn't think he can be alone right now and she's the only person in the world (literally) that gets it.
But anyway, in the morning, Raleigh wakes up and the first thing he notices is the smell of standard issue shampoo, and the feel of her hair sticking to his face and after a moment of thinking about it, he realizes that he's got his arm firmly around her waist and her back flush against his chest and maybe it should be weird, awkward, he's just met her three days ago and he's seven years older than her and yet the only thing he's thinking that he's got his entire world in his arms for the first time in years.]
So really, it's not that surprising him to him, when they're cleared from medical after Pitfall and allowed to return to their lives but neither of them really want to be alone, so he takes her by the hand and pulls her into his room after him. Doesn't ask but knows that he doesn't have to, because she's hurting and grieving and tired too and he just-- doesn't think he can be alone right now and she's the only person in the world (literally) that gets it.
But anyway, in the morning, Raleigh wakes up and the first thing he notices is the smell of standard issue shampoo, and the feel of her hair sticking to his face and after a moment of thinking about it, he realizes that he's got his arm firmly around her waist and her back flush against his chest and maybe it should be weird, awkward, he's just met her three days ago and he's seven years older than her and yet the only thing he's thinking that he's got his entire world in his arms for the first time in years.]
[ Mako is busy these days -- even with Stacker's discovery that his previously prized mercenary is now essentially a sex slave (he's much more than that) living in Mako's quarters, things go back to something resembling normal. She plunges herself into work because there is more to be done and restored, and new machinery to work on, inventions to champion and lead. While the Marshal is traveling, Mako is steadily and surely growing into herself.
But she ends up neglecting Raleigh whenever she comes back and he's around -- too tired and exhausted to do more than kiss and cuddle (and sometimes she just tumbles into bed, boots and overalls and all and just sleeps). She feels bad for it, in the quieter times when she's able to get her thoughts together; Raleigh's allowed his own space, his own work and his hobbies, and lately he's taken to construction, and she loves that he's making something of himself, the collar expertly hidden inside his shirt.
He deserves more than what she's giving him right now, he deserves her attention and her focus, but these are things she can't give him, not when work is ramping up and the appearance of a new colleague, Benjamin, a young man newly transferred from one of the other Shatterdomes had recently been partnered with her. He's older than her and brilliant, he's bright and smart in all the ways that count, and their mutual interest makes him easy to work with.
Mako takes to burning the midnight oil with him, inspired by the ideas he has and running with them, to the point where she'd pull all-nighters just so they'd get the project phase completed on time. He's focused, and Mako learns from him without hesitation, even speaks of him to Raleigh whenever they get a chance to have dinner together. Mako's interest in him doesn't go beyond the professional, and tonight is another late night when she returns, tired and rubbing at her eyes. She'd fallen asleep at her desk, her collar crooked and her hair disheveled, and he'd woken her up to tell her to go home; had even seen her back to her doorstep before he leaves.
Mako enters, and it's 2:45am in the morning when she does, stifling a yawn and looking forward to a good night's sleep when she realises that the lights are still on. Is Raleigh still awake? ]
Raleigh?
Edited 2014-03-17 13:03 (UTC)
[It really doesn't help that Stacker Pentecost found him before he left, kind of cornered him and told him that in no uncertain terms, he did not approve of the relationship between Mako and Raleigh, didn't say it directly but made it pretty obvious that he thought she could do better, that he was never going to approve of a relationship between his adoptive daughter and a sex slave.
Raleigh never tells Mako about that, because he's sure that she's either had the same talk with Pentecost or that she just knows he doesn't approve and doesn't need to be told. And maybe he should have because maybe they could have aired this all out or something because it would be better than someone else stealing her away.
Mako is a workaholic and he's known that about her from the start. But even she has to admit that the hours that she's been putting in lately go above and beyond that and that she's spending most of those hours with Ben doesn't do wonders for Raleigh and his self esteem. She's tired and distracted around him and Raleigh is fighting that knee jerk reaction built into him over the years, to bow his head and let it happen, let her do whatever she wants because she's his owner and she has the final say in everything.
He's jealous and he knows it. Jealous enough that it makes his insomnia worse, and he's lonely anyway, trying to sleep in the bed they share without her is nearly impossible so yeah. He's still awake when she comes back, actually trying to distract himself with his knitting but it's not going very well because he keeps making snags because he's not paying attention and it's frustrating.]
I didn't think you were coming back tonight.
Raleigh never tells Mako about that, because he's sure that she's either had the same talk with Pentecost or that she just knows he doesn't approve and doesn't need to be told. And maybe he should have because maybe they could have aired this all out or something because it would be better than someone else stealing her away.
Mako is a workaholic and he's known that about her from the start. But even she has to admit that the hours that she's been putting in lately go above and beyond that and that she's spending most of those hours with Ben doesn't do wonders for Raleigh and his self esteem. She's tired and distracted around him and Raleigh is fighting that knee jerk reaction built into him over the years, to bow his head and let it happen, let her do whatever she wants because she's his owner and she has the final say in everything.
He's jealous and he knows it. Jealous enough that it makes his insomnia worse, and he's lonely anyway, trying to sleep in the bed they share without her is nearly impossible so yeah. He's still awake when she comes back, actually trying to distract himself with his knitting but it's not going very well because he keeps making snags because he's not paying attention and it's frustrating.]
I didn't think you were coming back tonight.
[ someone leaves the child in front of sam's doorstep and no one can figure out where it came from or what to do with it. raleigh refuses to hand it over to child services, though, and so sam flynn, millionaire, and raleigh becket, savior of the world, adopt a child.
when raleigh comes home, he'll find sam and little adela on the couch, fast asleep, the victory music of mario kart playing on a loop in the background and the controller fallen from sam's hands. ]
[Damn right, Raleigh's not just handing a kid over to child services, even if he has no idea who she really is or where she came from or who left her on Sam's door. It doesn't matter, the system sucks and he's too much of a bleeding heart and impulsive and it's not until he's faced with changing his first diaper on his own that he realizes what he actually asked (pleaded, begged, wheedled) Sam into.
They're parents. This little girl is relying on them entirely not to fuck up and that's terrifying and thrilling at the same time, a challenge that is like and totally unlike saving the world. And they make it work, as best they know how.
Like they split working, one goes, the other stays home every other day, they have enough flexibility in what they do and enough pull, being a big bad hero and having a shit ton of money that it works out. Could hire a nanny but it's surprisingly hard to find a trustworthy person who isn't dazzled either by Raleigh or by Sam and his money.
Plus, Raleigh's kind of a sap and he likes coming home to Sam and their girl taking a nap together, the asshole beat his high score on Mario Kart it looks like as Raleigh comes around to the back of the couch, running his fingers through Sam's hair to wake him up but hopefully not scare the shit out of him.]
They're parents. This little girl is relying on them entirely not to fuck up and that's terrifying and thrilling at the same time, a challenge that is like and totally unlike saving the world. And they make it work, as best they know how.
Like they split working, one goes, the other stays home every other day, they have enough flexibility in what they do and enough pull, being a big bad hero and having a shit ton of money that it works out. Could hire a nanny but it's surprisingly hard to find a trustworthy person who isn't dazzled either by Raleigh or by Sam and his money.
Plus, Raleigh's kind of a sap and he likes coming home to Sam and their girl taking a nap together, the asshole beat his high score on Mario Kart it looks like as Raleigh comes around to the back of the couch, running his fingers through Sam's hair to wake him up but hopefully not scare the shit out of him.]
[He's Secret Service and she's in the French equivalent of it-- he thinks. They call themselves the Musketeers, they protect their president but he knows that's not all they do, and every time he asks her about it, she just shrugs and says president's business like her leader is a mob boss or a king that demands her full loyalty and silence.
The French are odd people sometimes. His mother was French and he can still say that.
He meets Aramis and her partners (friends?) at a state dinner, all of them are working, protecting their country's respective elected leaders from any threats. Well, that's what he's doing. She's rating the guests on levels of hotness. She's doing it in French, like that makes it any better, like she expects no one around her to understand what she's saying. When he walks by, she gives him a seven and he stops long enough to ask her if he should be insulted by that-- in fluent, well accented French by the way.
That starts-- something. It comes to Aramis coming to stand along side him while her president is giving a speech and remarking that she thinks she judged a little low.]
Is that an apology? Or a pick up line?
The French are odd people sometimes. His mother was French and he can still say that.
He meets Aramis and her partners (friends?) at a state dinner, all of them are working, protecting their country's respective elected leaders from any threats. Well, that's what he's doing. She's rating the guests on levels of hotness. She's doing it in French, like that makes it any better, like she expects no one around her to understand what she's saying. When he walks by, she gives him a seven and he stops long enough to ask her if he should be insulted by that-- in fluent, well accented French by the way.
That starts-- something. It comes to Aramis coming to stand along side him while her president is giving a speech and remarking that she thinks she judged a little low.]
Is that an apology? Or a pick up line?
[The downfall to being a horny, excited nineteen year old Jaeger pilot with dozens of women throwing themselves at him is when he's a twenty eight year old married man and one of those flies is married to someone important now and she apparently doesn't have two brain cells to rub together or any sense of tact because they're at a gala for something or other (Raleigh pays attention, he does, just not about things like that) and she gets it in her head that she should start telling Mako all about the weekend in Cabo where she and Raleigh didn't even make it to the beach once despite it being less than twenty feet from the hotel room. She's tall and redheaded and those boobs are real, believe it or not, and beautiful and apparently, still super proud about this feat of rocking Raleigh's world.
Yeah, that's-- not okay, it's awful and embarrassing and Raleigh's mostly sorry that he didn't catch on and put an end to that over share earlier. He's a little sorry that it happened at all but it was also nine years ago, he was entirely different person, and obviously he doesn't care about that girl now because he's so utterly and disgusting happy with Mako. Maybe he and Mako have never really talked about his past and his sexual conquests but he also always assumed that she kind of-- knew about it and didn't care.
Perhaps that was a mistake, given the way she's staring at him and how she doesn't say another word to him the rest of the evening. Not even once they get to the car, she's silent and staring straight ahead and he keeps sneaking glances at her, even though he's driving.
Raleigh lasts about four minutes before apologies start tumbling out of him. Amanda means nothing to him, he hasn't thought about her since that weekend actually, he loves Mako, she's everything he wants and he gets it if she's pissed but let him make it up to her, please please please, Mako.]
Yeah, that's-- not okay, it's awful and embarrassing and Raleigh's mostly sorry that he didn't catch on and put an end to that over share earlier. He's a little sorry that it happened at all but it was also nine years ago, he was entirely different person, and obviously he doesn't care about that girl now because he's so utterly and disgusting happy with Mako. Maybe he and Mako have never really talked about his past and his sexual conquests but he also always assumed that she kind of-- knew about it and didn't care.
Perhaps that was a mistake, given the way she's staring at him and how she doesn't say another word to him the rest of the evening. Not even once they get to the car, she's silent and staring straight ahead and he keeps sneaking glances at her, even though he's driving.
Raleigh lasts about four minutes before apologies start tumbling out of him. Amanda means nothing to him, he hasn't thought about her since that weekend actually, he loves Mako, she's everything he wants and he gets it if she's pissed but let him make it up to her, please please please, Mako.]
[The Beckets as a family weren't really big on traditions. They didn't have to decorate the tree the same way every year or watch a certain movie together or have a picnic or go around the table giving thanks for whatever they were thankful for. Kinda hard to establish that kind of stuff when they were moving all the time, following Dad to his work sites and living in countries that didn't celebrate Thanksgiving or Fourth of July.
But Raleigh's gathered a few of his own, over the years. Just one in particular that's really stuck-- the anniversary of his brother's death he gets utterly plastered. Like cheers to you, Yance, for dying and leaving him to stumble through life on his own. Like he has to drink to keep himself from crying, which he always ends up doing anyway. Like any other day he can say no to the shitty beer and use his ration cards on shitty food like a good boy but this day, this one day, he throws the rulebook out the window and becomes a little more like the Raleigh that died that night.
He doesn't see how saving the world means that he should do any different this year. If anything, he think he needs something a little stronger than just beer, because he's been answering questions all day, about how he feels now that it's done, about Mako, about the future of the Jaeger program, about everything and do they not get what today is? Does it not register to the rest of them because it's March 1st and not February 29th?
It must not because no one asks him a single question about his brother and that's such a double edged sword right now he's not sure if he wants to laugh or cry.
(don't get cocky)
He ducks out early, on purpose, leaves Mako there high and dry and doesn't feel guilty about that until it's hours later and he's lost in the city, missing a shoe and nursing a bruised and battered face. That's the other tradition, that he has to pick a fight with someone, has to beat the shit out of some name and faceless person because he's still so mad at everything that the only thing that makes sense is to solve it with his fists.
(yancy yancy yancy)
It doesn't fix anything. He's starting to sober up and he's not at all sure where the hotel is and that silly little realization is actually what breaks him this year, brings tears to the corner of his eyes. And it's just a slippery slope from there, really, to where he can't be bothered to walk on anymore, he's going to sit down right here on the curb and press the heels of his hands against his eyes.]
But Raleigh's gathered a few of his own, over the years. Just one in particular that's really stuck-- the anniversary of his brother's death he gets utterly plastered. Like cheers to you, Yance, for dying and leaving him to stumble through life on his own. Like he has to drink to keep himself from crying, which he always ends up doing anyway. Like any other day he can say no to the shitty beer and use his ration cards on shitty food like a good boy but this day, this one day, he throws the rulebook out the window and becomes a little more like the Raleigh that died that night.
He doesn't see how saving the world means that he should do any different this year. If anything, he think he needs something a little stronger than just beer, because he's been answering questions all day, about how he feels now that it's done, about Mako, about the future of the Jaeger program, about everything and do they not get what today is? Does it not register to the rest of them because it's March 1st and not February 29th?
It must not because no one asks him a single question about his brother and that's such a double edged sword right now he's not sure if he wants to laugh or cry.
(don't get cocky)
He ducks out early, on purpose, leaves Mako there high and dry and doesn't feel guilty about that until it's hours later and he's lost in the city, missing a shoe and nursing a bruised and battered face. That's the other tradition, that he has to pick a fight with someone, has to beat the shit out of some name and faceless person because he's still so mad at everything that the only thing that makes sense is to solve it with his fists.
(yancy yancy yancy)
It doesn't fix anything. He's starting to sober up and he's not at all sure where the hotel is and that silly little realization is actually what breaks him this year, brings tears to the corner of his eyes. And it's just a slippery slope from there, really, to where he can't be bothered to walk on anymore, he's going to sit down right here on the curb and press the heels of his hands against his eyes.]
[ Mako comes to him a third time, three days later, the bruises on her light skin faded, so did the pleasurable aches that she'd taken away from their previous heated encounter -- she comes to him because she knows now that he hadn't faked it, that their connection burned strong between them. It was all there in the way he moved with her, in the way she joined him and they came together as one, a seamless, perfect unit that could hold up against just about anything.
The memory of it burns in her mind the same way his kiss is branded against her lips, and from time to time, she hadn't been able to resist brushing her fingers over her mouth, where he'd kissed so bruisingly -- Raleigh is aggressive when pushed, and in him she'd seen his former self, the passion that had been buried so deep that she feared it had been extinguished forever.
But it hadn't, it won't, and they both know it. So she discovers his address and decides to come to him before he leaves his apartment for the evening -- Mako is pulling out the stops tonight, deliberately chooses to show up at his apartment instead of waiting for him because this adds to the intimacy, forges a stronger bond.
Hookers don't bring their johns to where they live, and Mako is exceptionally clear on the fact that she's not like all those other women he fucks for ration cards, or cash, or a combination of the two. She's never going to be one of them, and this is the message she sends when she knocks on his door.
Third time's the charm, right? Third time; she will not leave without him, and she knows exactly how to make him come with her, to render them inseparable, because see, now she knows how he feels for her. ]
Edited 2014-03-24 14:35 (UTC)
[Should've figured it was her because no one comes to his apartment. Not even his neighbors stop by to say hi or borrow anything from him. And Raleigh likes it that way, it's quiet and calm and he doesn't have to think, doesn't have to do anything if he doesn't feel like it and most of the time he doesn't.
The past three nights, he's barely been able to sit still. Working out like there's demons chasing him, and maybe there are, he hasn't felt so uncomfortable in his own skin since he set off on his own, where something's wrong and he can't fix it. Not on his own, his heart's screaming for someone else, to be close to her again, to burrow into her and not come back out.
Raleigh leans against the door frame after he opens the door, his pulse picking up, just at the sight of her, and that's pathetic. He doesn't have to ask what she's doing here-- they're that connected already.]
This is stalking, I'm pretty sure.
The past three nights, he's barely been able to sit still. Working out like there's demons chasing him, and maybe there are, he hasn't felt so uncomfortable in his own skin since he set off on his own, where something's wrong and he can't fix it. Not on his own, his heart's screaming for someone else, to be close to her again, to burrow into her and not come back out.
Raleigh leans against the door frame after he opens the door, his pulse picking up, just at the sight of her, and that's pathetic. He doesn't have to ask what she's doing here-- they're that connected already.]
This is stalking, I'm pretty sure.
Page 5 of 7