Rize Tea

Raleigh shares his love for tea, Guardians of the Galaxy, and cuddles a certain someone.
==Meta==
Date/Timing: 8 December 2017
Setting: Anchorage, Alaska
==Text==
"Mail call~!" sings Kili, sliding into the third kitchenette chair. She skims her fingertips across the sleek, vibrant wood of the table, light and dark by turns thanks to the use of a varnish Raleigh found buried in the corner of Anchorage's wood store.
Raleigh and Yancy perk up over their breakfasts.
Well, okay, /Raleigh perks up—thanks to the smell of Kili's peppermint tea—and Yancy grunts into the mug of coffee he's clutching.
"Nothing for you, Big Becket—"
Yancy grumbles, not functional only up a half-cup after a dawn patrol like this morning's.
"—but I betcha your brother will share." Untucks a medium-sized box covered with brown paper from under her arm.
Raleigh snaps it up, skims the neatly penned addresses and the multitude of stamps and customs seals.
"Whazzat?"
"Looks like Marion and Cihan sent something all the way from Germany."
Kili chuckles.
"Wha?" yawns Yancy.
"You guys really do know people everywhere."
Yancy shrugs.
Raleigh works the tape loose and eases out the box, then slits its tape with his pocketknife, tongue peeking out as he takes care to preserve the brown paper. "Yee-up."
Yancy snags the note off the top, unfolds it.
Raleigh leans closer to read Mari's chicken scratch.
Hey Cousin Raleigh!
Cihan and I are moving house and this set reminded me of you and Cousin Yancy. Our two blond angels need something pretty, I thought. It's expensive to ship these days, I know, but we know how to bounce it around to your multitude of friends for savings.
Yancy snorts, "Explains all the ink."
It should arrive a few days before your birthday. If not, I'm sorry.
Happy Birthday, little angel!
Love,
Mari & Cihan
Yancy grunts, passes the note to Kili.
Raleigh opens the flaps, lifts out a thick sheet of foam.
On one side of the box sparkles a set of four delicate glasses trimmed with gold and nicely sealed. On the other, a pair of steel pots gleam.
"Ooo ... pretty," coos Kili.
"I don't recognize that setup. What's it for?"
"It's... for making Turkish tea. I'll mangle the word. My Kurdish sucks. And I bet—" Raleigh lifts out the upper one, opens it—
Tiny plushies, a handful of notes, instructions in Cihan's handwriting.
—passes it to Yancy—
"What'm I—?"
—takes the second pot, peers in it, crows, "—they sent tea, too."
"Just what we need: /more tea."
"We can /never have too much tea," corrects Raleigh, "and I know just who to share this kind with."
.
Yancy set his pot on the table, removes the bundle of notes. "You're heading for the Doc's?"
"Uh-huh."
Yancy pulls out each plushie, lines it up on the table.
"You should go with him," prompts Kili.
"Nah. That's okay. I've got ... things."
Kili rolls her eyes.
"You know you're welcome to join in."
"Yeah. I know But ... /things." Yancy sighs, shuffles off to the bathroom.
"He is so deep in denial he's grazing with the hippos," drawls Kili.
Raleigh laughs, fishes out the last couple of plushies, puts the pot back in the box.
"Don't forget you've got that appointment with the chief at thirteen-hundred—"
"About the new HUD options, I know, I know." Gathers the tea set, slips on his around-the-'Dome shoes, skips out the door, down the stairs, and along the halls to general J-Tech housing.
.
He hops up to the proper door, knocks with his forehead.
Hermann, cocooned in a thick duvet with nothing but a squinty, grumpy face peeking out, answers.
"Mornin', Doc!"
The expression brightens a smidgen. "Good morning, Raleigh."
"I just got some tea from my cousin, Mari. I mean, look at this box!" Holds it up, grinning. "It's been bounced from all my friends to here. The /effort this had to take ... Sorry. I'm rambling again." Processes the duvet. "Did I wake you?"
"Unfortunately." Grimaces. "I should have been up and packing long ago."
Raleigh droops, mumbles, "Right. Packing."
Hermann bows him inside. "Make yourself comfortable while I change into something decent."
"Mind if I start some tea?"
Hermann gives him a crooked smile. "Of course not." He limps off—leaning extra heavily on his cane—to the bathroom.
Raleigh sets the box on the little counter next to the stovetop, pulls out all the bits he needs.
"What is that?" asks Hermann, hobbling up in his thick, blue housecoat.
"It's for Turkish tea and I won't say it's name because I'll mangle the pronunciation since my Kurdish sucks and my Arabic's conversational at best."
"Even that much puts you ahead of me." Hermann eases himself into one of the chairs at the table. "But, if it's Turkish tea, wouldn't the name be Turkish?"
Raleigh shrugs as he digs in the box for the strainer listed in the instructions. "Cihan—Cousin Mari's husband—who explained this all to me once upon a time, mostly spoke Kurdish—his ancestral tongue, you know—" Finds the strainer, freezes, eyebrow up. "You've been holding out on me? You speak Turkish?"
Hermann waves an apology. "My sister-in-law and her family do and I could possibly reproduce a lullaby or two phonetically, but I haven't a clue what the sounds mean."
"Darn." Raleigh shakes his head. "Anyway, Cihan's grandparents moved to Germany as guest workers and he learned to make Turkish tea from them and served it to us when we visited."
"Ah. Sabine isn't much of a tea drinker, so I've not had the experience." He tapes the bottom of a packing box closed. "May I ask how it's made?"
"Cihan can explain better than me. Here." Raleigh offers him the creamy paper square.
Hermann accepts, settles his glasses on his nose.
"We need some music if we're gonna pack. Mom always said it made moving easier." Raleigh buries his face in his hands and groans. "Forget I just said that."
Hermann stands, gently pries Raleigh's hands away from his blushing face, and offers a soft smile. "I'm glad you told me. It seems sound advice."
Raleigh sighs. "We moved around /a /lot before—" Shakes his head clear-ish. "Always changing schools, leaving friends behind ...."
Hermann rubs soothing circles into Raleigh's palms.
"I ... I think of you like a brother—another sibling that I can lean on, y'know? So it's kinda tearing me up you're—" Hangs his head, races on. "I don't mean t'make things awkward—I don't—but I /really love you. You're so incredibly sweet under all the prickles an' I wish everyone could see you the way I see you."
"Raleigh—" Hermann holds the a fond look, continues the circles, slower. "I ...." Releases Raleigh's hands, holds out stiff arms for a hug.
Raleigh cautiously embraces Hermann, the fluffiness of housecoat and the softness of trapped wings under his fingers relaxing him.
"The fact that you consider me family, even with my ... secret gives me great pleasure."
"Like you could be anything /but family," Raleigh hums as he tucks Hermann's head under his chin.
.
Eventually, they separate; Raleigh bustles through making the tea, while Hermann busies himself assembling more boxes.
"Here's the tea," Raleigh announces, setting one of the little cups in front of Hermann.
"Thank you." Hermann sets aside the current box, picks up the cup, takes a dainty sip. "This is quite pleasant."
Raleigh grins. "Must've done it right, then."
"You must have."
After a mouthful of his own, Raleigh announces, "Now, it's time for music. You ever seen Guardians of the Galaxy?"
Hermann hums, "Soon after it premiered—in a theater, no less."
"Remember the soundtrack?"
"Very vaguely."
"It's great!" Looks to the ceiling. "AGNIS, could you? Pretty please?"
""Loading.""
"Thank you~!"
""You're welcome, Raleigh. I enjoy serving as a glorified stereo system. It provides a break from the stress of organizing a massive military installation.""
Raleigh snorts a laugh.
Hermann gazes heavenward, mumbles, "Why did I listen to Bastien ...."
The wall monitor speakers crackle to life with "Hooked on a Feeling".
"What was that?"
Hermann waves off the question. "Nothing. We can begin packing the books above the worktable."
They settle into a rhythm of work, with Hermann sorting and placing in boxes the books Raleigh pulls down from the shelves.
Raleigh sings along with the soundtrack, belting out his favorite numbers.
"Ooh child~
Things are gonna get easier~
Ooh child~
Things'll get brighter~
Ooh child~
Things are gonna get easier~
Ooh child~
Things'll get brighter~
Some day, yeah~
We'll put it together and we'll get it undone~
Some day~
When your head is much lighter~
Some day, yeah~
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun~
Some day~
When the world is much brighter~
Ooh child~
Things are gonna be easier~
Ooh child~
Things'll be brighter~
Ooh child~
Things are gonna be easier~
Ooh child~
Things'll be brighter~
Some day, yeah~
We'll put it together and we'll get it undone~
Some day~
When your head is much lighter~
Some day, yeah~
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun~
Some day~
When the world is much brighter~
Some day, some day, some day, some day yeah~
We'll put it together and we'll get it undone~
Some day~
When your head is much lighter~
Some day, yeah~
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun~
Some day~
When the world is much brighter~
Ooh child~
Things are gonna get easier~
Ooh child~
Things'll get brighter~
Ooh child~
Things are gonna get easier~
Ooh child~
Things'll get brighter!~"
Raleigh grins as he finishes, twirls.
Hermann sits, watching with deep lines around his eyes and a ghost of a smile.
"Hermann? What's up?"
"That—" Ducks his head, waves vaguely. "Your song and performance reminded me of—" Deep, shaky breath. "—someone who was very dear to me."
"They a fan of classic rock?"
"Of a different sort, yes. It's been a very long time since I've thought of him." Flattens his hands on his thighs.
Raleigh pads over, sits down, picks up his tea cup. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not particularly—" Hermann sighs. "—but, against my better judgment, I will." Slumps back into the cushions, says with effort, "His name was Edan Reid."
Raleigh chokes on his tea.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm okay." Manages a sip. "He a fairly tall, ginger fella with a scruffy beard and a Scottish accent? With a red-haired sister and this enormous, laughing bear of a dad?"
"That sounds very much like him," whispers Hermann, "though the beard came and went. How do you know him?"
"I met him once in the Shetland Islands. We were waiting for my ... donor to get back from working on one of the North Sea rigs and he and his sister were waiting for theirs. He came in /dripping wet and I offered him one of our spare umbrellas."
"Small world," Hermann murmurs.
"He was really sweet to us." Raleigh drapes an arm over Hermann's shoulders easily.
Hermann leans into the touch. "He did have quite a knack with children."
Raleigh takes another drink while the pieces slot into place. "You two were partners, weren't you?"
"We were." Hermann offers a wobbly little smile.
"So he knew."
"He did. He was the first one I told." Bows his head. "He loved me anyway, without hesitation."
Raleigh swallows. "I won't ask about what happened—"
The smiles fades. "He died. Eighteen months ago."
"Oh. That explains—" Shakes away the thought. "After Mom died, it made us feel better to talk about her."
Hermann grunts.
"Being remembered is the best legacy." Raleigh takes a deep breath. "I'd love to know him better, so, um, why don't you tell me the story of how you met?"
"I suppose there's some value in that." Hermann takes a deep breath, says, "It was my very first day as a university student, my very first lecture, and ...."
Category:Ficlet
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Yancy
Category:Yancy (ficlet)
Category:Guardians of the Galaxy (reference)
Category:Tea Lovers Association storyline
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Anchorage Shatterdome (setting)
Category:Kili
Category:Kili (ficlet)
Category:Marion (mention)
Category:Cihan (mention)
Category:Becket boys get mail
Category:Edan (mention)
Category:Becket family (mention)
Category:Dominique (mention)
Category:Reid family (mention)
Category:Edan is dead
Category:Celestial Mechanics (mention)