[canon is pacific rim]

[ahansen]

So, you know two things about me: 1) I have a nine year old son and 2) I'm married to a pilot. That's it. Yet, you still decide to make me your so called 'muse'.

Good luck, sweetheart. You're going to need it. Hope that imagination of yours is as good as you say it is.

Comments

[oldmanstriker]

...I hope so, too.

[Because you're treading on dangerous ground, here, mun.]

[ahansen]

[Angela raises an eyebrow.]

No faith? Not like you.

[oldmanstriker]

Things kinda... wore me down a bit.

[ahansen]

[Now she's concerned. Doesn't sound like her husband at all.]


What's wrong, love? Mundane giving you trouble? Or is it Chuck? He's only nine. You know how boys are.

[oldmanstriker]

[A small snort as he looks up at her.

Yep. He certainly looks older.]

I think your mundane has some explaining to do.

[ahansen]

What? [She stares at Herc for a moment.] You look older. Well, you're still handsome as ever but...older.

Am I dreaming?

[oldmanstriker]

I'm 44.

[He pauses]

And things have... happened. [This is difficult.]

[ahansen]

The hell you are. You're 34. [She laughs a little.] Your mundane is messing with your mind, love.

Things? [Vague as ever, Hercules Hansen. Some things never change.] I think I need to talk to this mundane of yours.

[oldmanstriker]

I wish... [He closes his eyes for a second, willing himself to calm down.

He wishes all this was some mind game, but no. It happened. It's canon.]

I think yours needs to fill you in, more like.

[ahansen]

I see. [She knew when to push her husband's buttons. Now was not the time.] She left a few details out, hmmm?

I'm not sure I'm prepared to have that conversation. Sounds grim.

[oldmanstriker]

You have no idea.

[ahansen]

Cheer up, old man. No matter how bad the news is, I still have you. And Chuck. The two people I love most in this world.

[She smiles at him and kisses his cheek.]

[oldmanstriker]

[And he just tenses up at those words, so much so that he doesn't react to the kiss on the cheek.

He doesn't know what to say. How to say it.]

[ahansen]

[Angela frowns when her husband doesn't react. Now she knows something is truly wrong. And she didn't like it one bit.]

Darling, I promise I'll talk to her. Just, don't be this way. You know I don't like when you're this way.

[She wraps her arms around him and gently presses her lips against his.]

[oldmanstriker]

[It's the hug that does it, that pulls Hercules Hansen into the past.

He can't resist wrapping his own arms around his wife, leaning down slightly to kiss her back.

He remembers how this feels, how it smells... It's like some hazy dream.

After he parts from the kiss, he's just going to pull her in and hug onto her, tight, as if afraid she'll disappear]

[ahansen]

[She says nothing, clinging to him like she always did after he would come from missions. Those days were the worst. Herc would enter their house, say nothing, and lock himself up in their bedroom. Chuck was only a baby and didn't understand. Each time he would cry and scream for his father, but Angela knew he didn't want to be disturbed. "Daddy's taking a nap," she would say. "Let's take one too, okay?" Though it required a bit of time, she would rock her baby boy to sleep.

After putting Chuck into his crib, Angela would enter the bedroom and see her husband lying on their bed silent as ever. She would lie next to him, wrap her arms around him and listen to him breathe. It didn't bother her at first. Herc was so reserved and never talked about any of his missions. Yet as time went on, his silence drove Angela crazy. Sometimes she would sob and say, "You never tell me anything. Never. Why won't you?"]

And if my mundane makes me upset, you'll have a word with her, yeah?

[Her protector. Her hero.]

[oldmanstriker]

[He hated himself for those days, the days following his return from deployment.

There wasn't that much call for fighter jets in Afghanistan, where he was deployed as ISAF Air Support... except for bombing runs and fire missions. All designed to cause wide-spread destruction. And it affected him. He just needed time to process the images in his head, is all.

Afterwards, and for the few months he had between deployments, he devoted his time to his family, but never spoke a word. If Chuck asked him what it was like, he would deflect the topic.

The reason? He didn't want pity. He also didn't want anyone else to suffer.]

Yeah. She should know to be more tactful.

[You're getting a glare right now, Angela-mun.]

[ahansen]

And I suppose you're going to teach her how to be tactful? [Herc wasn't the most tactful person, but it never truly bothered her. Much.] Well, good on ya. Professor Hansen to the rescue. She'll learn a lot.

[oldmanstriker]

I know, I know. Pot calling kettle.

[Still not letting go. Mostly because he's waiting for the tears to stop.]

[ahansen]

Oh come on! I'm only kidding! You're a great teacher. [She can feel her ears and face turning red.] In fact, we had a quite a time with the whole baby-making thing, yeah?

[Angela pulls away slowly.] How about we tell our muns to bugger off and we'll--honey? What's wrong? [She notices the tears.

[oldmanstriker]

[Damn...

He instantly reaches up to wipe the tears away.]

Nothing. I... [Grasping for a lie.] I just missed you.

[ahansen]

Hercules Hansen, if there is one thing you're not good at, it's lying. I've only been gone for a few hours.

It's that mundane of yours. Well you can tell her or him that I don't approve of what's going on. You deserve better.

[oldmanstriker]

It's not... its...

[He's going to have to, isn't he?]

You're dead... Chuck's dead. It all happened, I was there. I... I saw it.

[ahansen]

What? What? [She laughs hesitantly. What on earth is he going on about? She's alive. Chuck's alive.]

You take that back. Mundane's obviously telling you lies.

[Tears begin to form in her eyes. No. Not my baby boy.]

[oldmanstriker]

[Herc's hands fall to his side and he steps back.]

I was there. I was in LOCCENT when Striker...

[He lowers his head, face screwed up. He'd managed this long... why is this so hard now?]

There was no way he... Stacker... I...

[He can't go on, he's just going to concentrate on not letting his sobbing get worse...]