Orange Pekoe Tea

Orange Pekoe Tea
21 May 2018
Manado, Indonesia; Hong Kong, China
-May 21, 2018-
[They engage the massive Kaiju head-on, ignoring the outcry of Horizon Brave's pilots as Gipsy crashes into the beast's side. 
Raleigh cocks back the right fist and activates the rocket in the elbow to deal more damage to Xing Tian. 
Kaiju Blue spreads under the skin, the acidic substance splashing into the more vulnerable areas and swelling up.
What the actual fuck. Is this thing bruising?!
How about we have Kaiju en flambé? The feral taste of blood from their last Kwoon fight with each other lingers in the link and propels them forward again, this time with a left haymaker that causes the jaw to concave inwards with a loud crunch.
Yancy doesn't pull back fast enough and Xing Tian's claws catch against the edge of the Conn-pod as well as down the encased reactor. 
They pull back and groan in dismay at the knowledge that they have to accompany Horizon Brave back to Hong Kong for repairs.
Sounds about right. Yancy answers as Horizon Brave joins them, leaking hydraulics fluid down one leg and the opposite arm sparking. "You alright, HB?"
"We would have been Kaiju lunch if you hadn't shown up!" 
Horizon Brave delivered a double-fisted punch to the Kaiju's shoulder joint and then planted a knee in its already broken face.
"Nice. What's the knee to the face for?" He bares his teeth in a terrifying semblance of a smile as its face begins to dribble Kaiju Blue onto the shoreline.
"Payback," answers the other Jaeger pilots as the arm spat out angry-looking sparks.
"It's not over yet, HB. Duck!" 
Xing Tian's claws manage to hit the older Jaeger's cryo-cannon and cause a terrible ruckus. 
Everyone clapps their hands over their ears with a pained noise, Yancy included. 
Raleigh growls deep in the back of his throat and kicks out against the Kaiju, Gipsy's foot snapping the tallest spine on the damn thing with a loud crack.
They pull back to charge the Plasmacaster--
"Danger, on your left!" Tendo barks--
An immense tail splashes into the water on Gipsy's side. 
Yancy lets out a sharp snarl as he charges the Plasmacaster. 
Raleigh lands a solid hit while Horizon Brave pummels away at the thick spines on its shoulders and head.
"Thanks LOCCENT!" calls Raleigh as the double-thud of plasma slamming into the Kaiju's vulnerable spots signals a kill. "Nice assist, HB."
"We are honored to work with you, Rangers Becket." The Chinese Jaeger bows slightly and they do so in return with Gipsy.
"It is our honor to work with a Mark I Jaeger and pilots." Yancy replies in his extremely rusty Cantonese; Raleigh's a little better since he practiced with Yueng Tang Mīn aka 'Tim.' 
The Horizon Brave pilots make noises of surprise as he continues. 
"My words are limited but may we share a drink with you while Gipsy gets repaired?"]
"We would enjoy that."
The Hong Kong Shatterdome is strange for them. On one hand, it's almost exactly like the Icebox with it's grey walls and Mess Hall; on the other, the weather's much hotter and both of them are roasting. They're stuck in their Drivesuits because they have to pilot Gipsy back to Alaska after they get dropped off at Lima first via J-Hawks.
"Too bad we can't see Hermann." Raleigh sighed in French, staring into no space in particular after having been checked for Ghost-Drift sickness.
"Are you just teasing me or being serious?" he grumbles back as they kick their feet in Med Bay waiting to go get that drink he promised Horizon Brave.
["C'mon, Yan, I'm] not that mean. I miss him just as much as you do." his baby brother huffs.
"Sorry. I hate Med Bay." Yancy sighs as he wraps his arm around Raleigh's shoulder. Memories of Maman's hospital stay flare through the link and they both grip each other a little tighter than is necessary. "Too many memories."
"Yeah." Raleigh squeezes his hand just as the Doctor tells them they're free to go. "Let's go meet them-Oh. Hello." The other pilots are in their light-weight wind jackets. Both of them give slight nods out of respect and the looks the non-related pilots share makes Raleigh nudge Yancy in both the link and in reality.
How long do you think it's gonna take 'em before they realize we're not your average Americans?
Not long at all, Rals, considering we deliberately switched to French for a private conversation. he snorts as the pair turn back to them.
"I am Lo Hin Shen and this is my co-pilot Xichi Po." Shen looks extremely proud of announcing the fact that Po is his partner in [arms. 
Po, for her part, leans against Shen with a quelling look. 
The man just wraps an arm around her shoulder and presses a kiss to her temple.
"Shen, you are terrible in being so familiar with our fellow pilots." 
Yancy's rusty Canto is getting a serious workout with the pilots speaking quickly. 
Raleigh says, "It's fine if you want to... relax with us. We're stuck in these suits for the next few hours anyway and we did say we owe you a drink."
Po smiles at Raleigh's much smoother Canto and tugs Shen forward to see them closer. "You're so polite. Come, tell us of your battles while we drink. Shaolin's pilots should be in the gardens meditating so that is a good, quiet place to share." She hooks her arm through Raleigh's. 
Shen's face briefly flashed with exasperation. 
Yancy just shakes his head at his brother's confusion and makes sure she's not too close to his brother. 
"You are... shy."
"Shy is polite, Ranger] Xichi. I'm not one for much contact." Raleigh says as he tugs on her hand softly. Yancy curls around his brother protectively, setting his chin on the PPDC pauldron lazily but very clearly claiming his space. She glances between them and he speaks before she can assume anything else.
"Raleigh's sensitive to touch and simulation. It's not that we don't like you, it's just..."
"Touching's usually for family." Raleigh finished quietly, pressing his cheek against Yancy's longer hair (he's honestly thinking about cutting it again). "Or significiant others." Po and Shen exchange a long look before nodding.
"We understand. It was like that with us for a very long time." Po states with a wry half-smile. "Are you still up for that drink?"
"Yeah." Raleigh flashed her a sweet smile but leans his weight against Yancy, trusting him to keep them both up. Am I too heavy, Yan?
Nah. Twiggy little brat. You're fine, kiddo. Raleigh grumbles through the bond but Yancy presses his forehead against his brother's in a familiar gesture.
Miss being picked up by you. The memory that flashes down the link is frankly adorable. It's Raleigh at age seven, begging to be picked up with cute puppy eyes that he'd mastered at the age of six on their donor.
Yancy remembers sighing but picking up his light-weight brother anyway and they'd snuggled on the couch after the news that Raleigh'd been diagnosed with something called Asperger's Syndrome. He shook his head to rid himself of the memory but the warm fuzzy feeling remained.
Miss being just us.
Yeah. They bump and clack as they share space. When they slip into the meditation garden, the peace is something completely physical to them. Both of them silently accept the drinks and take quiet pulls, their shoulders relaxed and rolled back.
[With a hint of amusement, someone says, "I see the garden has the right effect for our guests." 
Yancy cracking one eye open--"Shaolin's pilots are seriously monks?" 
Raleigh's represses a snicker.
The same person says cooly, "Novices." 
"Ah. Pre-Breach movies totally don't get you guys right. You're pretty cool." Raleigh manages before the laughter pours down the link. 
Yancy's control is good but it's not that good. He buries his face into Raleigh's neck and muffled laughter is pressed against skin. They look up to see faint amusement on the men's faces as they giggle like the kids they were once.]
"Delight is rare these days." Yancy nudges Rals and his brother shoves back until he falls off the bench, laughing as he goes. He somersaults forward and tickles Raleigh in the vulnerable spots under the Drivesuit armor.
"Eeee! Hahaha, Yancy! Noooo!" Raleigh yelps in French before he picks Yancy up and sets them both back onto the bench, still laughing. He grips the back of Raleigh's neck and they press their foreheads together with a quiet promise over the link to laugh as much as they can in this grim war.
["Yancy and Raleigh Becket at your service," he grins.]
"Chao and Feng at yours. I am Chao. I believe they require your presence to pilot your Jaeger back." Chao gave them two bottles of water each and they grimaced at the thought of having to stop off at Lima for a bathroom break.
"Thank you. It was nice meeting you." Both Yancy and Raleigh gave respectful bows to their peers and received bows as well as warm smiles afterwards.
The ride back was nothing short of exhausting for both the Horizon Brave J-Hawk crew and the Beckets. Raleigh ended up snoozing in Yancy's lap as Yancy napped curled around his baby brother. Their hands were tightly interlaced and the crews didn't comment as the Anchorage team (the Becket's usual team was already there) just shook their heads fondly as the boys were carted off to sleep some more.
.
Yancy awoke with a start in his own bed, checking the link with Raleigh almost immediately. Relief flowed through him at the steady pulses of happiness and sleep that almost dragged him back down. The second thing he did was check the night stand next to his bunk. A note was pinned to the wood and he pulled out the pin to read it.
- Hey, boys!
If you're reading this, Medical's given you the day to sleep away. The HB crew said you slept only only the last few hours back here; they thought you deserved it. Gips is doin' alright and she's got a few more welds down her front but she's glorious as usual. So, rest up and you'll be back on patrol in no time.
Love,
Charlie -
Yancy chuckled and laid back down, petting Raleigh's mop when his brother whined faintly in protest to all the movement.
Relax, Rals, we're good.
'Kay. The reply is sleepy and Yancy follows the pull of his dreams once more and is soundly asleep. He spares a thought and hopes the man he loves is sleeping just as well.
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