[ Mako says quietly, because it's a tremendous moment, it's overwhelming, and it's a wonder she manages to stay so cool at all. But then again, Mako's had lots of training, keeping her emotions under lock and key even if Raleigh's here, and there's nothing more she wants to do than to hold him tight, to take him into her arms and to make up for lost time.
But the hurt stretches between them, an immeasurable chasm, and she's cautious, careful when she says: ] She'll be a year old, next month.
[ Because he should know, he should figure it out, because she doesn't want to say it, not when it'd only been Mako and Eleanor for so, so long. She still misses him, she thinks -- she misses him and she loves him and it's painful to see him here, when the joy and the hope and the months spent without him mixes together and keeps her tongue tied. ]
[Raleigh's always been pretty shitty at math but yeah. Yep. He can do that simple math and seriously, unless she was cheating on him-- that's his baby too. That's his little girl and oh God, what did he do.
He left. He left because he'd so sure that she was going to go through with it, that that was the end of their relationship as it stood and that he wasn't strong enough to stay there and sleep in the same bed as someone he hated. Someone he resented because he wanted that baby so much. He wanted to try to be a dad, try to make a family for themselves and she didn't and that's really just a big thing to disagree on.
Only, apparently they didn't disagree because she kept the baby, didn't even give her away for adoption either and just. How did he read her so wrong?
Her words hit him like a brick wall. She's my daughter, not our daughter, not yours but mine. Her kid, not his no because he walked and she changed her mind and somehow he's just like his dad that that sudden realization hits him hard too.]
Shit. [And he just swore in front of a baby, what is wrong with him.] I didn't-- I thought you made up your mind.
[ And it seems like the two years of coping, of struggling to get over him, to heal and to move on disappears in a flash. One day at a time, she used to tell herself so often. One day, and another day, but the hurt never goes away -- in this moment she's reminded, too, of how much she loves him.
She thinks of the calls she'd made, the dead silence on the other end, the absence -- but this is a mess they've both made for themselves. Eleanor giggles, bright and clear in the charged moment between the both of them. Mako doesn't quite understand it, why -- in all the months she'd wanted him here -- why she wouldn't say she's his, too. Because she is his, in all senses of the word, because Mako tells Eleanor about her father on so many nights to comfort her when she cries.
He wasn't there. The mind knows one thing, the heart knows another, and Mako is so, so tired, and Raleigh looks like he is, too. Something in her heart twists, and she doesn't look at him, her hand on her baby's back. ]
[That laugh nearly kills him. It's maybe the worst time for it but he can't stop the tears from welling up in the corners of his eyes or the wet sounding sigh that comes from him. Because he fucked up, he fucked really badly and he's so sorry, Mako. He should've known better because he knew her like the back of his own hand, better than his hand really, and he should have known.
Should've but he didn't and he walked and if she doesn't take him back, doesn't let him be a part of this, fuck. He'd understand but it still feels like a knife in his chest anyway.
Raleigh sniffs as subtly as he can and reaches up to wipe at his eyes.]
I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have-- I'm glad you changed your mind.
[ That's not subtle at all, Raleigh. At least, it's not, to her. She knows him so well that she knows what he's doing, and it hurts her to see him like this -- that even after all those months she still loves him too much.
He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and she remembers, so clearly, how it makes her want to protect him, to guard his heart with her own and look, look what they both did now. There's still so much to say, so much to work through, so many things to do to mend this, she knows rationally, and the thought of it makes her weary.
She's tired of being alone, she's tired of not having him right there with her, with the way he holds her, his nose buried in her hair, on sleepy mornings when she's tucked against him and she remembers what she's lost. Mako knows, too, how much it would mean for him to hold Eleanor, but she doesn't offer -- not yet, not now; and perhaps it's irrational, perhaps it's cruel, because if nothing else Eleanor deserves a complete, whole family.
She deserves her father. ]
...I'm glad I did, too. [ Quietly uttered, and she presses a kiss to her baby's head, reassuring herself of her little girl's presence, the weight in her arms. It makes her brave, makes her say: ] ...Maybe you'd like to come around and see her someday.
[Once, Raleigh thought of her as his life raft and when she says that-- he realizes that he still does. That one simple sentence from her feels like she's walked up and pulled the knife out and suddenly he can breathe again. Like he was just floating along again, waiting for the waves to take him, making do but never really living and how it is that he doesn't feel alive without Mako in his life, how does that work.
He nods, wiping at his eyes one last time before he drops his hands.]
I'd really love that. [And then:] When did you move to Boston?
[ (That's because he's half-French. Have you seen how much their soccer players cry. Like seriously.)
Mako's tempted to reach out, to instinctively comfort him, because he's gone through just as much, and from the way he looks at Eleanor the past two years had been difficult on him as well. She's sorry, she wants to say -- she's sorry she couldn't have made her mind up sooner. ]
Two months ago. They offered me a position here. [ She pauses, looking up at the construction site he'd just emerged from. ] And... you?
[The French do cry a lot. They're emotional creatures okay.]
My sister lives here. I've been staying with her since-- since I left.
[Might as well own it, right. It's not going to go away just because he never makes the words come out of his mouth. He left. He left her. He left their child.]
[ Especially Raleigh, precious baby boy. He has so much feelings.
Mako feels an odd sort of relief at that answer -- she never knew he had a sister, that's strange -- and she nods. She shares the sentiment; there's no point skirting what's happened, is there? ]
A robotics firm. I'm undergoing an apprenticeship of sorts. [ Eleanor is getting restless again, and Mako pauses only to soothe her in quiet Japanese. She settles, decides to fix her attention on Raleigh, as if taking his measure. Mako takes a few moments, and maybe, just maybe they could try again. Pick up the pieces, and -- ]
[No because Jazmine's not in his file. Because you can read all you want about his service with the Marines and his brother's death but his little sister isn't in any official record. Because she changed her name, back to their mother's maiden name, so you wouldn't even think that she was a Becket unless he was standing right next to her.
Someday he'll tell her all about Jazmine. Or better yet, introduce the two of them.
It's pretty obvious that Raleigh works construction now, given where he's at and what he's wearing so he doesn't say anything on that point. Just nods and fuck, is he crying again, he's such a girl, and gives her a tremulous smile.]
So good. Mako-- maybe I don't have any right to ask this, but can we talk sometime too?
[ Someday, Mako would like to meet his sister -- she's the only family he's left, isn't she? Someday, too, she'll ask why he keeps her hidden. When he looks like he's about to start crying again, Mako's heart softens, aches for him because she's never stopped loving him. All of the hurts and the damage and the longing aside, she could never stop loving him.
She sets Eleanor back into her stroller and straps her in, pulling a blanket over her as the baby gurgles happily. Mako takes a moment to let the enormity of that statement sink in, that he wants to be a part of their lives again and -- for a while, she had feared that he wouldn't have wanted to -- but he looks so hopeful, so teary that she could barely restrain the desire to step into his arms, to hold him and kiss him like she would have done nearly a lifetime ago. (Really, it should be official, Mako Mori is in lesbians with Raleigh Becket.)
But it's too soon, and Mako swallows a lump in her throat when she smiles and nods. ] Yes. Yes, of course. [ She gestures in the direction of her apartment. ]
I live five blocks down, in the red-bricked building. Unit 813. [ She pauses, thinks that this is a startlingly surreal turn of events. Would she wake up have it all be another dream? ] Maybe tomorrow? I'll make dinner.
[Mako, how can you ask him why he keeps Jazmine a secret. After everything they've done together, after what they had to do to get out of his club, after what she's seen him do in the name of that club, and the enemies they've made now. He couldn't be there for Jaz like she deserved when Mom died because of basic training and all that shit, so he protects her like this.
Obviously he's done a good job with it, if Mako had no idea. And he's not really what that says about their relationship, that he could lie that well to her but. Whatever.]
You sure? I could bring something.
[Honestly though, he'd do whatever she'd want, just to make it up to her, just to try to earn her forgiveness even if he didn't deserve it, just to maybe, just maybe get a place back in her life.]
[ Of course she had to ask -- it hadn't appeared in his personnel files within the Marines either; or perhaps it had been a detail that had been removed, but still, let's move on. Mako doesn't like thinking about what they did, what she, or he had to do to keep the club thriving.
They say lies are never the foundation for a relationship, but then they're probably bullshitting anyway, so fuck them.
Mako shakes her head, briefly. He's trying hard, she thinks, she knows. He's been lonely and unhappy and he's trying so, so hard, and she wishes things would be simple between them again -- not that they ever were, when you come right down to it. ]
[He wants their kind of simple back too. The simple that's complicated and messy but the same kind that at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what shit has gone down because they've got each other's backs.
Raleigh's gaze slides back to Eleanor after like a minute, he can't help it. Can't stop looking at he, wants to ask if he can hold her but he realizes that they're not there yet, that he doesn't have any right to ask that, and he'll wait. He will, as long as she wants.]
[ Raleigh doesn't ask, and Mako doesn't offer. He's right; they're not there yet, and Mako is not ready to take that step. Maybe days, maybe weeks, maybe months from now -- she doesn't know. But Raleigh's looking her like a father would his daughter, and her fingers tighten briefly on the handle of the stroller.
They'd talk, one day. Talk about all this, all the unfinished business between them; and she finds that she's waiting for it to come. ]
Yes. [ She doesn't want to hold him up for too long, and she nods, glancing behind him. ] I'll see you soon.
[Raleigh goes back to work and has no fucking clue what he does for the rest of the afternoon, walking around more in a daze than anything. He honestly spends the next twenty four hours in a total daze because Mako's here in Boston, Mako changed her mind about their baby, she kept and is raising their baby, and he hasn't even held her yet but he thinks a part of his heart went with little Eleanor in her stroller when he and Mako parted ways the day before.
He's running a little late to her apartment because he decided to pop home real quick after work and take a shower, and that took a little longer than he anticipated. But he figures it's better than showing up covered in dirt and sweat and sure, Mako's seen him in worse state but you know.
Trying to make an impression or something.
And fuck, he's so nervous as he reaches up to knock. So nervous that he's starting to shake just a little bit.]
[ Mako's heart skips a beat when she sees him at the door, cleaned up and handsome as the day he'd left her. She feels something twist in her heart when she sets eyes on him, when she picks up on her nervousness so easily because it's a thing they have with each other, a preternatural ability to sense what the other is feeling without so much words.
To be fair, she is nervous too; she'd spent an hour beating out the same rug over and over, nerves settling into a tight ball in her stomach. A simple beef stew is boiling on a stove, and she'd settled for a simple accompanying fare of steamed rice and vegetables. Easy enough to make, and she'd had to mash up some of the vegetables to mix into Eleanor's porridge anyway.
Her daughter is crawling happily on her colourful patch of numbers, knocking her toys around, firmly suckling on her pacifier; she only looks up briefly when Mako answers the door, quite oblivious to the fact that her father stood on the other end side of it.
Mako, however, feels a lump catch in her throat, and her gaze lingers on him before she pulls open the door further. He's late, but it doesn't matter; the important thing is that he's here. ] Come in. [ Her apartment is small, but cozy; she'd brought none of the things they bought when they'd lived together, and in the few photoframes were only the photographs she had of Eleanor. No Raleigh -- not when the memory of him still rings bittersweet and painful. ]
Sorry for the mess. Eleanor's in a very good mood today.
[Do babies make messes when they're in a good mood? He has no idea. And really, the last thing that Mako has to apologize to him for is a messy apartment, but he offers a shrug anyway matched with a light smile.]
[ Babies make messes in whatever mood they're in, Raleigh. She nods, and closes the door behind him, feeling something ease in her chest when he smiles.
Maybe this would be easier than she'd thought. ]
Take a seat. Dinner will be ready soon.
[ Meanwhile, Eleanor pauses again and watches them curiously while gnawing on one of her building blocks-- evidently, they rarely ever have guests in their home. Mako, however, deftly steps over and chides gently, lovingly, taking the block away from her, and cleaning her mouth with a handkerchief. ]
No, Ellie, you can't do that. [ She glances at Raleigh, after a moment. ] Would you mind looking after her for awhile?
He's too busy staring at that little girl again, that his brain doesn't catch up with what she says for a few seconds and does he mind watching her? No, he doesn't mind but he just-- has no idea what to do with a little kid. Besides stare at them like a stalker.
It's Mako so she'd probably be able to read that anxiety in the way his shoulder tighten but he nods anyway because he can learn can't he and maybe someday he wants to graduate to actually holding her.]
[ Mako wonders, briefly, whether it's fortunate or unfortunate that she could still read him like a book after so long. She knows the anxiety, notices that he acquiesces anyway. It's what she's loved about him, she notes -- that he doesn't let anything get the better of him, no matter what it is.
Eleanor's probably too young to know about stalkers, so she's going about minding her own business, and valiantly attempting to crawl after her mother, quite put out that she's leaving again. Mako deftly distracts Eleanor with her favourite toy giraffe; and she knows what it means, when she asks him to look after her -- that he's keeping a respectful distance because she wanted it. She fights down a twinge of guilt, because the two years had not been kind of either one of them. ]
...Thank you. [ She disappears into the kitchen, taking a few moments to breathe, to gather her thoughts before it scatters, and she's moving again, setting the table. Plates, forks, steaming dishes and two plates of white rice for the both of them. ]
[No the two years have pretty much sucked but it's happened now and there's nothing he can do about that. Nothing but try to make amends and he does that by sitting down on the floor near his daughter. Just watching her play for a few minutes, his heart growing three sizes inside his chest literally because it hurts. It just just looking at her and when she finally seems to realize that someone is there, when she turns to look at him with wide eyes and after a moment she offers him the little toy giraffe-- he thinks his chest might break open.]
... thank you. [Raleigh says quietly as he takes the offered toy because there's no way she knows what that means but oh God, okay apparently that means they're friends now because she's crawling over to him and climbing on his lap and why the fuck is she so cute.]
[ Mako doesn't take her away from him even if a part of her wants to -- the overprotective part, the part that had raised Eleanor on her own for nearly a year, when she had been alone for almost two. She pauses at the dining table, and something clenches tight in her chest because that's her baby girl --
-- and that's Raleigh's, too.
She forces herself to remember that, to smooth over half-finished resentments, to remember the look on his face when he'd seen Eleanor, when it clicks and he understands. Mako sets the table in silence, watches how he is towards her, before she finally goes towards them and picks her up. ]
...Dinner's ready. [ Her words are quiet; deliberately neutral but not unkind. ]
[He almost stops her, from plucking Eleanor out of his lap because he doesn't want that moment to end. He could sit there all night and watch her play, just watching her because he has no idea what to do with a baby and she seems to be doing alright on her own, taking turns at showing him all of her toys.
But he lets Mako grab her because he gets the message loud and clear still. She's still Mako's daughter and not his, not yet if ever. The most he did was get her pregnant, he hasn't done shit for her since and he's just-- so sorry about that and prays that it isn't too late.]
[ She remembers it had been one of his favourites -- beef stew with carrots and potatoes, and she'd somehow learned it along the way. There is a small pot of stew, fragrant and still steaming, together with a plate of stir fried vegetables and rice.
Eleanor clings to her happily before Mako puts her into her cot not too far away. Taking a seat at the dining table, she's quietly relieved that he doesn't protest, that he doesn't push. Raleigh, ever-considerate, the man so used to putting others above himself. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
you're going to hate me more for this
[ Mako says quietly, because it's a tremendous moment, it's overwhelming, and it's a wonder she manages to stay so cool at all. But then again, Mako's had lots of training, keeping her emotions under lock and key even if Raleigh's here, and there's nothing more she wants to do than to hold him tight, to take him into her arms and to make up for lost time.
But the hurt stretches between them, an immeasurable chasm, and she's cautious, careful when she says: ] She'll be a year old, next month.
[ Because he should know, he should figure it out, because she doesn't want to say it, not when it'd only been Mako and Eleanor for so, so long. She still misses him, she thinks -- she misses him and she loves him and it's painful to see him here, when the joy and the hope and the months spent without him mixes together and keeps her tongue tied. ]
She's my daughter.
yep you're dead to me
He left. He left because he'd so sure that she was going to go through with it, that that was the end of their relationship as it stood and that he wasn't strong enough to stay there and sleep in the same bed as someone he hated. Someone he resented because he wanted that baby so much. He wanted to try to be a dad, try to make a family for themselves and she didn't and that's really just a big thing to disagree on.
Only, apparently they didn't disagree because she kept the baby, didn't even give her away for adoption either and just. How did he read her so wrong?
Her words hit him like a brick wall. She's my daughter, not our daughter, not yours but mine. Her kid, not his no because he walked and she changed her mind and somehow he's just like his dad that that sudden realization hits him hard too.]
Shit. [And he just swore in front of a baby, what is wrong with him.] I didn't-- I thought you made up your mind.
....no YOU are dead to me what is this
[ And it seems like the two years of coping, of struggling to get over him, to heal and to move on disappears in a flash. One day at a time, she used to tell herself so often. One day, and another day, but the hurt never goes away -- in this moment she's reminded, too, of how much she loves him.
She thinks of the calls she'd made, the dead silence on the other end, the absence -- but this is a mess they've both made for themselves. Eleanor giggles, bright and clear in the charged moment between the both of them. Mako doesn't quite understand it, why -- in all the months she'd wanted him here -- why she wouldn't say she's his, too. Because she is his, in all senses of the word, because Mako tells Eleanor about her father on so many nights to comfort her when she cries.
He wasn't there. The mind knows one thing, the heart knows another, and Mako is so, so tired, and Raleigh looks like he is, too. Something in her heart twists, and she doesn't look at him, her hand on her baby's back. ]
I wanted to tell you.
pain :c
Should've but he didn't and he walked and if she doesn't take him back, doesn't let him be a part of this, fuck. He'd understand but it still feels like a knife in his chest anyway.
Raleigh sniffs as subtly as he can and reaches up to wipe at his eyes.]
I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have-- I'm glad you changed your mind.
...i hate you so much right now. like so much.
He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and she remembers, so clearly, how it makes her want to protect him, to guard his heart with her own and look, look what they both did now. There's still so much to say, so much to work through, so many things to do to mend this, she knows rationally, and the thought of it makes her weary.
She's tired of being alone, she's tired of not having him right there with her, with the way he holds her, his nose buried in her hair, on sleepy mornings when she's tucked against him and she remembers what she's lost. Mako knows, too, how much it would mean for him to hold Eleanor, but she doesn't offer -- not yet, not now; and perhaps it's irrational, perhaps it's cruel, because if nothing else Eleanor deserves a complete, whole family.
She deserves her father. ]
...I'm glad I did, too. [ Quietly uttered, and she presses a kiss to her baby's head, reassuring herself of her little girl's presence, the weight in her arms. It makes her brave, makes her say: ] ...Maybe you'd like to come around and see her someday.
i hate you more
He nods, wiping at his eyes one last time before he drops his hands.]
I'd really love that. [And then:] When did you move to Boston?
NO U
Mako's tempted to reach out, to instinctively comfort him, because he's gone through just as much, and from the way he looks at Eleanor the past two years had been difficult on him as well. She's sorry, she wants to say -- she's sorry she couldn't have made her mind up sooner. ]
Two months ago. They offered me a position here. [ She pauses, looking up at the construction site he'd just emerged from. ] And... you?
[ ...Is there someone else, now? ]
no subject
My sister lives here. I've been staying with her since-- since I left.
[Might as well own it, right. It's not going to go away just because he never makes the words come out of his mouth. He left. He left her. He left their child.]
Who's they?
[are you back with the FBI now?]
no subject
Mako feels an odd sort of relief at that answer -- she never knew he had a sister, that's strange -- and she nods. She shares the sentiment; there's no point skirting what's happened, is there? ]
A robotics firm. I'm undergoing an apprenticeship of sorts. [ Eleanor is getting restless again, and Mako pauses only to soothe her in quiet Japanese. She settles, decides to fix her attention on Raleigh, as if taking his measure. Mako takes a few moments, and maybe, just maybe they could try again. Pick up the pieces, and -- ]
It's... good to see you again.
no subject
Someday he'll tell her all about Jazmine. Or better yet, introduce the two of them.
It's pretty obvious that Raleigh works construction now, given where he's at and what he's wearing so he doesn't say anything on that point. Just nods and fuck, is he crying again, he's such a girl, and gives her a tremulous smile.]
So good. Mako-- maybe I don't have any right to ask this, but can we talk sometime too?
no subject
She sets Eleanor back into her stroller and straps her in, pulling a blanket over her as the baby gurgles happily. Mako takes a moment to let the enormity of that statement sink in, that he wants to be a part of their lives again and -- for a while, she had feared that he wouldn't have wanted to -- but he looks so hopeful, so teary that she could barely restrain the desire to step into his arms, to hold him and kiss him like she would have done nearly a lifetime ago. (Really, it should be official, Mako Mori is in lesbians with Raleigh Becket.)
But it's too soon, and Mako swallows a lump in her throat when she smiles and nods. ] Yes. Yes, of course. [ She gestures in the direction of her apartment. ]
I live five blocks down, in the red-bricked building. Unit 813. [ She pauses, thinks that this is a startlingly surreal turn of events. Would she wake up have it all be another dream? ] Maybe tomorrow? I'll make dinner.
no subject
Obviously he's done a good job with it, if Mako had no idea. And he's not really what that says about their relationship, that he could lie that well to her but. Whatever.]
You sure? I could bring something.
[Honestly though, he'd do whatever she'd want, just to make it up to her, just to try to earn her forgiveness even if he didn't deserve it, just to maybe, just maybe get a place back in her life.]
no subject
They say lies are never the foundation for a relationship, but then they're probably bullshitting anyway, so fuck them.
Mako shakes her head, briefly. He's trying hard, she thinks, she knows. He's been lonely and unhappy and he's trying so, so hard, and she wishes things would be simple between them again -- not that they ever were, when you come right down to it. ]
It's fine. I could use the practice.
no subject
Raleigh's gaze slides back to Eleanor after like a minute, he can't help it. Can't stop looking at he, wants to ask if he can hold her but he realizes that they're not there yet, that he doesn't have any right to ask that, and he'll wait. He will, as long as she wants.]
Okay. I should probably get back to work now.
TIMESKIP NEXT TAG, MEL BB?
They'd talk, one day. Talk about all this, all the unfinished business between them; and she finds that she's waiting for it to come. ]
Yes. [ She doesn't want to hold him up for too long, and she nods, glancing behind him. ] I'll see you soon.
your wish is my command
He's running a little late to her apartment because he decided to pop home real quick after work and take a shower, and that took a little longer than he anticipated. But he figures it's better than showing up covered in dirt and sweat and sure, Mako's seen him in worse state but you know.
Trying to make an impression or something.
And fuck, he's so nervous as he reaches up to knock. So nervous that he's starting to shake just a little bit.]
bby ure perfect u///u
To be fair, she is nervous too; she'd spent an hour beating out the same rug over and over, nerves settling into a tight ball in her stomach. A simple beef stew is boiling on a stove, and she'd settled for a simple accompanying fare of steamed rice and vegetables. Easy enough to make, and she'd had to mash up some of the vegetables to mix into Eleanor's porridge anyway.
Her daughter is crawling happily on her colourful patch of numbers, knocking her toys around, firmly suckling on her pacifier; she only looks up briefly when Mako answers the door, quite oblivious to the fact that her father stood on the other end side of it.
Mako, however, feels a lump catch in her throat, and her gaze lingers on him before she pulls open the door further. He's late, but it doesn't matter; the important thing is that he's here. ] Come in. [ Her apartment is small, but cozy; she'd brought none of the things they bought when they'd lived together, and in the few photoframes were only the photographs she had of Eleanor. No Raleigh -- not when the memory of him still rings bittersweet and painful. ]
Sorry for the mess. Eleanor's in a very good mood today.
no you are
It's okay. Sorry I'm late.
NO U
[ Babies make messes in whatever mood they're in, Raleigh. She nods, and closes the door behind him, feeling something ease in her chest when he smiles.
Maybe this would be easier than she'd thought. ]
Take a seat. Dinner will be ready soon.
[ Meanwhile, Eleanor pauses again and watches them curiously while gnawing on one of her building blocks-- evidently, they rarely ever have guests in their home. Mako, however, deftly steps over and chides gently, lovingly, taking the block away from her, and cleaning her mouth with a handkerchief. ]
No, Ellie, you can't do that. [ She glances at Raleigh, after a moment. ] Would you mind looking after her for awhile?
no subject
He's too busy staring at that little girl again, that his brain doesn't catch up with what she says for a few seconds and does he mind watching her? No, he doesn't mind but he just-- has no idea what to do with a little kid. Besides stare at them like a stalker.
It's Mako so she'd probably be able to read that anxiety in the way his shoulder tighten but he nods anyway because he can learn can't he and maybe someday he wants to graduate to actually holding her.]
Yeah, I think we'll be okay.
no subject
Eleanor's probably too young to know about stalkers, so she's going about minding her own business, and valiantly attempting to crawl after her mother, quite put out that she's leaving again. Mako deftly distracts Eleanor with her favourite toy giraffe; and she knows what it means, when she asks him to look after her -- that he's keeping a respectful distance because she wanted it. She fights down a twinge of guilt, because the two years had not been kind of either one of them. ]
...Thank you. [ She disappears into the kitchen, taking a few moments to breathe, to gather her thoughts before it scatters, and she's moving again, setting the table. Plates, forks, steaming dishes and two plates of white rice for the both of them. ]
cry motherfucker
... thank you. [Raleigh says quietly as he takes the offered toy because there's no way she knows what that means but oh God, okay apparently that means they're friends now because she's crawling over to him and climbing on his lap and why the fuck is she so cute.]
NEVER
-- and that's Raleigh's, too.
She forces herself to remember that, to smooth over half-finished resentments, to remember the look on his face when he'd seen Eleanor, when it clicks and he understands. Mako sets the table in silence, watches how he is towards her, before she finally goes towards them and picks her up. ]
...Dinner's ready. [ Her words are quiet; deliberately neutral but not unkind. ]
maybe i was talking to raleigh you dont know
But he lets Mako grab her because he gets the message loud and clear still. She's still Mako's daughter and not his, not yet if ever. The most he did was get her pregnant, he hasn't done shit for her since and he's just-- so sorry about that and prays that it isn't too late.]
What'd you make?
WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO HIM
[ She remembers it had been one of his favourites -- beef stew with carrots and potatoes, and she'd somehow learned it along the way. There is a small pot of stew, fragrant and still steaming, together with a plate of stir fried vegetables and rice.
Eleanor clings to her happily before Mako puts her into her cot not too far away. Taking a seat at the dining table, she's quietly relieved that he doesn't protest, that he doesn't push. Raleigh, ever-considerate, the man so used to putting others above himself. ]
BECAUSE I DO THAT SOMETIMES DONT BE A HATER
NO I LOVE YOU ANYWAY IT'S ADORABLE
akjsdfa
sobs
big stupid babies
kajshdkasjh GIANT STUPID BABIES no
can they kiss and make up now :c
:< very soon
aksbdfka now :c
shhh baby enjoy the ride c:
this ride hurts i want off
too late you're strapped in
c r i e s
DON'T CRY