Lights in the North

Note: this ficlet will be cut up. An annotated version can be found in "Organic Programming scraps". 
Lights in the North
-December 5, 2019-
Yancy leaned against the doorway to the J-Sci room and curtailed his obvious itch to hug Chuck. She was small, sure, but vicious as hell when she wanted to be; he liked his skin unmarred if he could help it. 
"Quit lurking Becket." Sergio nudged his shoulder but he just shifted to lean against the other side of the doorway, shuffling the food he'd made for the scientists into his hands. "Ooo. Food." 
"Yeah. I, uh, I made too much for me an' Rals; it's steak au poivre. Thought I'd bring down somethin' edible." he muttered softly, setting it down along with plastic forks and knives. "Might taste a bit weird cause I used shark instead of steak." 
"You Beckets and your weird Alaskan itch to fish in freezing-your-ass-off weather. How big was this one?" Caitlin asked as she pulled the lid off the plate. "... Damn. It doesn't even look like shark." 
"Five footer." Yancy hummed as he slouched in one of the squeaky chairs, kicking his boots up on the edge of the tableful of results. "Cause I'm a damn good cook." 
"Boots down, ya heathen," Chuck swatted his boots with a scowl on her face and he put them down without protest. 
"Sorry." Yancy peered up at her from under the fringe, "Just droppin' by with food. I'll, uh, I'll go now." He swung out of the chair and watched as Chuck slid into the warm space without even blinking. 
"Hey, Yancy?" Sergio caught up with him as he passed the no-longer interesting K-Sci door. 
"Yeah." he turned around and waited for Sergio to speak. 
"You like Chuck." 
"Nah. At least, not like ya think," Yancy admitted as he scuffed his boot along the steel-grated floor. "She's unhappy. I guess this place is... a reminder of what she coulda been." 
"So why do you care, kid?" came the skeptic and protective response. 
"Cause it ain't right," he growled as he slapped the bracer for the corridor. "Lab Bunny helps a little but he's not her co-pilot an' there isn't a Jaeger for her. She's stuck here, for better or worse." 
Sergio looked down and sighed heavily. "You can't stand to see someone like that but your presence only makes her even more sour." 
"I know." Yancy muttered despondently. 
"But you can't help and yet you try anyway." Sergio finished for him. 
"That's about it." he shrugged as he shared a mental hug with Raleigh, making sure that his baby brother felt every last ounce of affection. He received surprise and a wash of affection that's been redoubled. "Do me a favor an' hug her? Or get Cat ta do it." 
"Sure. Just quit hanging around J-Sci, okay? Poor girl's got enough on her plate." Sergio suggested with a put-upon tone.
"If that's what's best-" 
"Serg, she fell asleep on the desk again. Can you-Yancy. Help me put Ducky to bed." Caitlin spoke as she spotted them both, barking her order with a tone that Yancy obeyed damn near instantly. 
"Yes ma'am." Yancy cradled Chuck close as he walked to her room, tugged off her boots and quietly slapped his forehead when he realized that he had some chocolate left over from Mémé's last package. "Be right back." 
He left the chocolate with a crocheted heart that said only Hang In There on it.
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