FIC: All I Want For Christmas Is You - 1/1, Pacific Rim, PG, Chuck/Raleigh
Title: All I Want For Christmas Is You
Author: Jo (jo@fadedink.com)
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Pairing: Chuck Hansen/Raleigh Becket
Rating: PG
Word count: 1245
Summary: Just a quiet Christmas at the Hansen household...
Disclaimer: Not my characters, I'm just playing with them for a while. Eternal love to Guillermo del Toro and Travis Beacham for creating this world.
Author's Notes: The 25th Day of Christmas for kripkeskumquat. (Yes, yes, I know there are a few days missing here, but between being sick, work insanity, and 2 deadline fics, something had to give. But they'll be up soon!)
"Your dad misses you. Max, too."
Chuck snorted. "Sure he does."
Raleigh smiled as Chuck rolled his eyes and grinned. It was a long standing joke between them, ever since Raleigh had figured out that the Hansens used Max as an emotional surrogate. Then Raleigh ducked his head and looked at Chuck's image in the Skype window. "I miss you, too," he said. "Wish you were here."
"Soon," Chuck replied, his grin fading. "Wing Commander says we're due to come home next month."
"Have you..." Raleigh stopped and pressed his fingertips to the desktop until they turned white. He wasn't going to ask again if Chuck had given more thought to getting out of the RAAF. After the Breach was sealed and the PPDC officially dissolved, he'd opted to transfer instead of becoming a civilian like Raleigh (who'd never wanted a military life) and Herc (who'd been in long enough). "You're gonna miss Christmas."
"So we'll celebrate again when I get home," Chuck told him with a smile. "Take a few days and go somewhere, just the two of us."
"I'd like that."
"Lieutenant Hansen, time to go," said a voice just out of Raleigh's line of sight. Chuck looked over his shoulder and nodded, then turned back to Raleigh and made a face. "I have -"
"I know, I heard." Raleigh tried to smile but wasn't sure he'd succeeded. "Be careful out there, okay?"
"Please," Chuck scoffed. "These bastards are nothing compared to the fucking kaiju." He kissed two fingers and pressed them to the screen. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Raleigh said, kissing his own fingers and touching his screen where Chuck's were. He held his smile until the image went dark, then he sighed.
*
The next morning, Raleigh stumbled down the stairs to the smell of bacon frying. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and managed to get into the kitchen and across to the coffee pot without falling on his face. Thankfully, Herc waited until he'd had his first sip before speaking.
"Mako called just a bit ago," he said, which explained what had woken Raleigh (he'd dreamed the phone was ringing and no one would answer it), "and they may or may not be here for dinner. Stacker's bit under the weather after his last chemo treatment, so it's a bit touch and go."
"That sucks," Raleigh grunted as he leaned against the counter and closed his eyes, inhaling the steam rising from his coffee. "Should take 'em something if they don't."
"We will," Herc said as he turned back to the bacon. "Tendo and Alison and the sprog'll be here. They landed last night, so there might be a bit of jet lag. And the Weis have blown up my phone with texts wanting to know what they can bring."
"Hope you told them no alcohol," Raleigh said, and they both smiled at the memory of last year and the drunken shenanigans that had ensued.
Herc just gave him a look. "I told them to leave the basketball at home. I did not, however, tell them that Sasha and Aleksis won't be in until tomorrow."
"Smart man." Raleigh finished his coffee and snagged a piece of bacon on his way back to the door. "I'm gonna shower, then I'll be down to help with the ham. Or whatever it is I'm doing this year. Oh, and Chuck said he'd call later if he got the chance."
*
The house echoed with the sound of mingled voices. Raleigh curled in the plush armchair, nursing his beer, as he watched all of their friends moving from one small group to the next. It was nothing like the Christmases he'd spent in Alaska - for one, it was much, much hotter - but he realized he liked it.
The only thing that would make it better would be for Chuck to hurry up and call.
Herc had just come out of the kitchen again to announce that the food would be ready in about twenty minutes when Max started barking and bouncing with excitement.
"What's got into him?"
"No clue." Raleigh shrugged, looking as perplexed as Herc when Max scrambled towards the front of the house, practically bowling Tendo over as he went. "Maybe he needs to go out?"
"Nah, I just took -" Herc stopped as they all clearly heard the sound of the front door closing.
"Oi, the fuck is my boyfriend?"
"Chuck?" Raleigh and Herc said at the same time. Then, with wide eyes, Raleigh scrambled out of the chair with no more dignity than Max had displayed seconds ago.
And there he was, framed in the doorway, duffle bag slung over his shoulder, cap at a jaunty angle on his head, and a grin as bright as the sun displaying twin dimples. "There you are," he got out just before Raleigh slammed into him. "Reckon you're glad to see me."
"You asshole," Raleigh said as he hugged him tight. It had been seven months since they were both in the same place at the same time. "You didn't say a word!"
"And ruin your Christmas present? Not fucking likely," Chuck laughed. He rested his forehead against Raleigh's for a few seconds before looking around the room. "Close your mouth, old man."
"Don't call me that," Herc said weakly, still staring at Chuck in disbelief. "How...?"
"I'm out," Chuck said, and the room became so quiet that Raleigh could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears. "Flying a dinky little jet, well... Once you've been in a Jaeger, nothing compares. And I've already got a job lined up at the University of Sydney teaching engineering."
"You...you asshole," Raleigh said as he smacked Chuck hard in the center of the chest. "We talked and you -"
His words were cut off by Chuck's lips on his. When he pulled back, Chuck was still grinning.
"Oh, one more thing," he said as he patted the pockets of his uniform jacket. Finally, with a pleased sound, he pulled something from the right pocket. Then, before Raleigh could ask what it was, Chuck dropped to one knee. Alison's gasp was almost as loud as Tendo's whistle and the sound of Herc dropping into the closest chair.
"Oh my God, get up," Raleigh whispered, feeling his face get hot. He tugged at Chuck's shoulder, only to be rewarded with another grin.
"Raleigh James Becket," Chuck said as he caught Raleigh's hand, his grin fading a little and growing softer, "will you marry me and make an honest man out of me?"
Raleigh's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.
"There is not a goddamn thing in this world that'll make an honest man out of you," Herc said, giving Raleigh a near uncontrollable urge to laugh.
"Shut it," Chuck growled. He never broke eye contact with Raleigh. "I love you. Marry me."
"Will you get up off your knees if I say yes?" It slipped out, and Raleigh's face got hotter as the triplets laughed from somewhere behind him.
"Only until later tonight." Chuck winked and pretended not to hear Herc's groan. "Now, I'm not gonna ask you again, love, so I kinda need an answer."
"Fuck, you asshole," Raleigh said, but it was weak. "Yes, I'll fucking marry you."
"See," Chuck said as he surged to his feet and pulled Raleigh in for a tight hug. "We'll make a proper Australian of you yet."
"Fuck you," Raleigh replied, but he was laughing when Chuck kissed him again.
Author: Jo (jo@fadedink.com)
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Pairing: Chuck Hansen/Raleigh Becket
Rating: PG
Word count: 1245
Summary: Just a quiet Christmas at the Hansen household...
Disclaimer: Not my characters, I'm just playing with them for a while. Eternal love to Guillermo del Toro and Travis Beacham for creating this world.
Author's Notes: The 25th Day of Christmas for kripkeskumquat. (Yes, yes, I know there are a few days missing here, but between being sick, work insanity, and 2 deadline fics, something had to give. But they'll be up soon!)
"Your dad misses you. Max, too."
Chuck snorted. "Sure he does."
Raleigh smiled as Chuck rolled his eyes and grinned. It was a long standing joke between them, ever since Raleigh had figured out that the Hansens used Max as an emotional surrogate. Then Raleigh ducked his head and looked at Chuck's image in the Skype window. "I miss you, too," he said. "Wish you were here."
"Soon," Chuck replied, his grin fading. "Wing Commander says we're due to come home next month."
"Have you..." Raleigh stopped and pressed his fingertips to the desktop until they turned white. He wasn't going to ask again if Chuck had given more thought to getting out of the RAAF. After the Breach was sealed and the PPDC officially dissolved, he'd opted to transfer instead of becoming a civilian like Raleigh (who'd never wanted a military life) and Herc (who'd been in long enough). "You're gonna miss Christmas."
"So we'll celebrate again when I get home," Chuck told him with a smile. "Take a few days and go somewhere, just the two of us."
"I'd like that."
"Lieutenant Hansen, time to go," said a voice just out of Raleigh's line of sight. Chuck looked over his shoulder and nodded, then turned back to Raleigh and made a face. "I have -"
"I know, I heard." Raleigh tried to smile but wasn't sure he'd succeeded. "Be careful out there, okay?"
"Please," Chuck scoffed. "These bastards are nothing compared to the fucking kaiju." He kissed two fingers and pressed them to the screen. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Raleigh said, kissing his own fingers and touching his screen where Chuck's were. He held his smile until the image went dark, then he sighed.
*
The next morning, Raleigh stumbled down the stairs to the smell of bacon frying. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and managed to get into the kitchen and across to the coffee pot without falling on his face. Thankfully, Herc waited until he'd had his first sip before speaking.
"Mako called just a bit ago," he said, which explained what had woken Raleigh (he'd dreamed the phone was ringing and no one would answer it), "and they may or may not be here for dinner. Stacker's bit under the weather after his last chemo treatment, so it's a bit touch and go."
"That sucks," Raleigh grunted as he leaned against the counter and closed his eyes, inhaling the steam rising from his coffee. "Should take 'em something if they don't."
"We will," Herc said as he turned back to the bacon. "Tendo and Alison and the sprog'll be here. They landed last night, so there might be a bit of jet lag. And the Weis have blown up my phone with texts wanting to know what they can bring."
"Hope you told them no alcohol," Raleigh said, and they both smiled at the memory of last year and the drunken shenanigans that had ensued.
Herc just gave him a look. "I told them to leave the basketball at home. I did not, however, tell them that Sasha and Aleksis won't be in until tomorrow."
"Smart man." Raleigh finished his coffee and snagged a piece of bacon on his way back to the door. "I'm gonna shower, then I'll be down to help with the ham. Or whatever it is I'm doing this year. Oh, and Chuck said he'd call later if he got the chance."
*
The house echoed with the sound of mingled voices. Raleigh curled in the plush armchair, nursing his beer, as he watched all of their friends moving from one small group to the next. It was nothing like the Christmases he'd spent in Alaska - for one, it was much, much hotter - but he realized he liked it.
The only thing that would make it better would be for Chuck to hurry up and call.
Herc had just come out of the kitchen again to announce that the food would be ready in about twenty minutes when Max started barking and bouncing with excitement.
"What's got into him?"
"No clue." Raleigh shrugged, looking as perplexed as Herc when Max scrambled towards the front of the house, practically bowling Tendo over as he went. "Maybe he needs to go out?"
"Nah, I just took -" Herc stopped as they all clearly heard the sound of the front door closing.
"Oi, the fuck is my boyfriend?"
"Chuck?" Raleigh and Herc said at the same time. Then, with wide eyes, Raleigh scrambled out of the chair with no more dignity than Max had displayed seconds ago.
And there he was, framed in the doorway, duffle bag slung over his shoulder, cap at a jaunty angle on his head, and a grin as bright as the sun displaying twin dimples. "There you are," he got out just before Raleigh slammed into him. "Reckon you're glad to see me."
"You asshole," Raleigh said as he hugged him tight. It had been seven months since they were both in the same place at the same time. "You didn't say a word!"
"And ruin your Christmas present? Not fucking likely," Chuck laughed. He rested his forehead against Raleigh's for a few seconds before looking around the room. "Close your mouth, old man."
"Don't call me that," Herc said weakly, still staring at Chuck in disbelief. "How...?"
"I'm out," Chuck said, and the room became so quiet that Raleigh could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears. "Flying a dinky little jet, well... Once you've been in a Jaeger, nothing compares. And I've already got a job lined up at the University of Sydney teaching engineering."
"You...you asshole," Raleigh said as he smacked Chuck hard in the center of the chest. "We talked and you -"
His words were cut off by Chuck's lips on his. When he pulled back, Chuck was still grinning.
"Oh, one more thing," he said as he patted the pockets of his uniform jacket. Finally, with a pleased sound, he pulled something from the right pocket. Then, before Raleigh could ask what it was, Chuck dropped to one knee. Alison's gasp was almost as loud as Tendo's whistle and the sound of Herc dropping into the closest chair.
"Oh my God, get up," Raleigh whispered, feeling his face get hot. He tugged at Chuck's shoulder, only to be rewarded with another grin.
"Raleigh James Becket," Chuck said as he caught Raleigh's hand, his grin fading a little and growing softer, "will you marry me and make an honest man out of me?"
Raleigh's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.
"There is not a goddamn thing in this world that'll make an honest man out of you," Herc said, giving Raleigh a near uncontrollable urge to laugh.
"Shut it," Chuck growled. He never broke eye contact with Raleigh. "I love you. Marry me."
"Will you get up off your knees if I say yes?" It slipped out, and Raleigh's face got hotter as the triplets laughed from somewhere behind him.
"Only until later tonight." Chuck winked and pretended not to hear Herc's groan. "Now, I'm not gonna ask you again, love, so I kinda need an answer."
"Fuck, you asshole," Raleigh said, but it was weak. "Yes, I'll fucking marry you."
"See," Chuck said as he surged to his feet and pulled Raleigh in for a tight hug. "We'll make a proper Australian of you yet."
"Fuck you," Raleigh replied, but he was laughing when Chuck kissed him again.