Dearling (ship)

Chuck Darling and Pietr Vos are just so dearling!
Kirra's close connection with Pietr makes her extra comfortable in his presence—he feels like ‘safe’ or ‘home’ to her—so, when something stressful happens, she finds herself unconsciously drawn towards him and just randomly leans on him.
==Soulmate==
We've established with the COROs they have thought patterns in common. Kirra's clingy. Pietr's a sweetheart. They're almost exactly the same age. They've been through a lot of the same experiences (what with the Jaeger Academy, dealing with Chuckles and the other denizens of the Sydney Shatterdome, dealing with Lightcap). That's enough to start a decent infatuation.
Then we can put them in an us-n-them situation where they're both almost-but-not-quite Rangers, having to shift base regularly, so they really come to rely on and trust each other.
Then we can modify Gothams' Drift-induced telepathy whereby very Compatible Drifters can set up a permanent mental connection that is strengthened by use and proximity. Even if they aren't telepathic, that feeling of 'home' and 'safe' we suggested for Kirra could get stronger over time. Pietr would just chalk up his half of the connection as trust and brotherly feeling. A permanent, low level Drift. 
==Moving Day==
Moving day. Fuuun.
The woman with the clipboard made her way through the crowd, checking-
Oh dear god- not behind the sink
Pietr dropped his duffle and frantically tore into his pockets for-
You're good.
Pietr twisted around.
Chuck smiled and flicked his transfer papers.
You're good.
Transfer papers into a satchel. ::Does this have anything to do with piloting a Jaeger?::
::Sorta?::
::Nice try. We've done this before.::
::Yes we have.::
::I've got this, k?::
::Not really.::
::It will be. Mint?::
== The Snorlax ==
A Snorlax waddles along the hall toward Chuck.
She rubs her eyes—
‒☆*ﾟ*☆*ﾟ*☆‒
—then rolls them.
Pietr peeks around the Snorlax and beams at her.
::The hell is that?::
Pietr rolls /his eyes, ducks behind his big blue friend, and they resume their galumph. He wrestles the thing up the steps and squeezes them through the door.
Munchie glides up, sits at Chuck's feet.
"You have any idea what this's about?"
Munchie shrugs.
A /fwump from inside their quarters.
Chuck sighs, trumps up the steps, peers in.
The Snorlax lies on the floor—on /most of the floor, actually.
Pietr lies on the Snorlax, hands under his head, basking.
Munchie rubs past Chuck's leg, hops onto Snorlax's arm, steps onto Pietr's stomach, curls up on his chest.
Pietr sighs.
Munchie sighs.
Chuck shtumps over, looms.
Pietr queries.
::We're not keeping it.::
Pietr extracts his hands. ::Why not?::
::It takes up half the floor!::
::So?::
::'So?'! How're we supposed to /move in here?::
::We only /sleep in here.::
::We're /not keeping it.::
Pietr applies his best puppy-dog eyes and bats his eyelashes.
Chuck wavers, huffs, ::How're we supposed to travel with it?::
Pietr shrugs.
Munchie cracks an eye, pats his sternum.
Pietr puts his hands back under his head.
Chuck sighs, digs out her mobile. "AGNIS, what're the regulations for transporting large personal items on Corps planes?"
Munchie purrs smugly.
.
Another day—
Chuck staggers into their quarters—windmills her arms—
"/MAAAU!"
"/FUCK!"
Munchie squirms from under face, launches— 
‒!!!‒
—hissing, flailing, scrabbling, /whump!
"/Maw."
‒#@(^&!‒
Chuck pushes off the Snorlax, limps around on her unhappy knee, spots Pietr on the floor, dabbing at his face with a handkerchief, a (semi-)contrite Munchie on his shoulder. She nudges Pietr's foot.
He attends.
::I'll get you a bandage and some antiseptic.::
Thumbs up!
Chuck's back in a moment and hands off the supplies. ::Can we /please get rid of it? Before someone gets seriously hurt?::
Pietr smooths down a Verdant Tree Petal bandage on his cheek, pouts up at Chuck. ::Where will Munchie sleep then?::
::Where he did before! With you!::
Munchie and Pietr huff.
::It's staying.::
Chuck rolls her eyes.
== Bees ==
Date/Timing: 22 January 2024
Setting: Greenspace, Lima Shatterdome; Lima, Peru
Chuck follows the thread to the tiny park-ish thing at the edge of the 'Dome grounds.
Pietr kneels next to a flowerbed, mobile out and carefully aimed.
‒?‒
‒/beckon‒
She plods closer, looks over his shoulder.
A honeybee busies across a cluster of flowers.
Pietr snaps once ... twice, then twists around, smiles, offers the screen.
::Pretty.::
Pietr glows.
Chuck smiles. ::You ever pet one?::
Confusion.
::I'll show you.::
Chuck crouches beside him, slowly stretches out a hand, gently draws a fingertip along the bee's back.
It keeps right on working.
/Awe from Pietr.
Fairy floss for Chuck.
::Can I?::
She nods. ::Slow and soft.::
Pietr stretches out a (nervous) hand, softly strokes fuzz. ‒!!!!!‒
Fairy floss intensifies.
Pietr pets a few more times, then pulls away, eyes shiny. ::Thank you!::
::You're welcome.:: Chuck checks her watch and sighs. ::Ready for today's briefing?::
Pietr sighs, stands, tilts his head, 'lead the way'.
==External Harddrive==
(Thinking about "A Waste" and the brass making Lightcap out to be the 'bad guy', and Lightcap's denied request to get Pietr transferred to DriftSci)
"Up for an ethical question?" Cait asks. 
Sergio turns the page of his book. "If this is about Casey—"
"It's about Pietr." 
Sergio puts down his book. 
.
That night as they're settling into bed,
"What would you even need to accomplish that?" asks Sergio. 
"I'm not quite sure yet," says Cait, "but I have a couple ideas." 
. 
Pietr clips on his squid cap, gives Chuck a thumbs up. 
She grins, returns it. 
""Neural handshake: initiating.""
Soft blue togetherness. 
""Neural handshake: initiated. Holding at ninety-eight percent.""
""That's great, guys! Ready for the first sim?"" 
Pietr and Chuck give thumbs up. 
""Launching program: Caddyshack.""
Blue sky, green grass. 
Pietr and Chuck each take up a golf club. 
""T—""
—urnburnburnburnburning toast—
.
"How bad is it?" asks a Suit. 
"It's pretty bad," confesses Caitlin. "Actually, it's catastrophic—for him, at least. [Long jargon-laden explanation of how bad off Pietr is—]."
"Thank you, Doctor, that will be all." 
Caitlin brightens. "Good news, though—I have data!" 
A clatter. 
They attend. 
Chuck stands beside a desk, studying a pile of books and DriftSci paraphernalia on the floor. 
"One sec, please," Caitlin apologizes. She hops to Chuck's side, puts her arms around her shoulders, says softly, "Hey, Chuck." Steers her towards the door. "Why don't you go lie down for a bit." 
Chuck stares at the books, brow furrowed. 
Luna-May takes over from Caitlin—
"Thank you!"
—nods with a smile, leads Chuck from the lab. 
"Sorry about that." Caitlin smooth her pants. "They were connected when ...." Pained, "It's not good." Gazes at the door. "I'm hoping I may be able to reconstruct some of Pietr's architecture, maybe turn Chuck into a 'Hypothetical two-point-oh' of sorts—" 
"That's fine, Doctor." 
"Yes, leave the poor thing out of this." 
"Can I still try?" 
"We'll work something out. In the meantime, I'll have someone write up discharge papers for Ranger Vos." 
"Honorable, I hope." 
"Of course."
Caitlin worries her sleeve. "Will I be able to continue my research?" 
"Do you think there's any chance of recovery?"
"I can't say for certain. If he does wake up, he'll be a long way from jockeying."
The Suit nods. "Once the Corps settles his affairs with his family, we'll revisit the matter." 
"Until the paperwork begins, you may continue." 
"Thank you!"
The Suits leave. 
.
Griet arrives, stiff-backed and red eyed. 
Caitlin and Luna-May tell Chuck they're tucking her in for an EEG while she sleeps, and then Caitlin hightails it to Medical. As she fiddles with the equipment attached to Pietr's head, she encourages her to talk to him. 
Griet gives her a dark look but clears her throat and greets Pietr anyway. 
Caitlin checks Pietr's IVs and, finding him suitably sedated, runs the her new program. 
.
"It's a miracle!" whispers Caitlin as she and Sergio get ready for bed. "The sound of Griet's voice must've woken him up!"
Sergio raises an eyebrow. 
Caitlin shrugs helplessly, climbs under the covers. 
.
Chuck shuffles into the lab, starts blearily on a hot cocoa. 
"Morning," grunts Sergio. 
"Morning." Watches him sit. "Did I have a seizure or something?" 
Caitlin chirps, "Yep! Two of them!" 
Chuck clunks her head against the wall. "How long did I sleep?" 
"Almost sixteen hours!"
In the reflection of the kettle, Sergio gives her a Look. 
Caitlin cringes, drags herself around to Chuck. "In an effort to get Pietr kicked out of the Corps with benefits and without permanent injury I may have made your brain into an external storage device for his." 
Chuck ....
Chuck honestly doesn't have a clue what that means. 
She says as much. 
"Maybe lie down for a little," Caitlin suggests.
Chuck grunts, drags herself to her nest, topples in. 
.
"You did /what?!" yells Chuck. 
"No harm, no foul?" 
"You evicted Pietr from his head and stored him in /mine?" 
"I ran an experiment that happened to result in a temporary transfer of consciousness."
"Without /telling me?!" 
"I still technically own your brain." 
Chuck yells—throws up her hands—snatches up a book and smacks Caitlin with it, and stomps from the room. 
.
"I would've said 'yes'," grumbles Chuck. 
"I know." Caitlin takes her hand. "But I didn't know if you'd put him back."
Chuck looks away. 
"But hey, Koffiefontein tomorrow!" 
Chuck heaves a sigh. 
. 
Elize, Izzy, Anni, and Rika throw themselves at Pietr when he opens the door, and he catches them all with open arms. 
As Caitlin, Sergio, and Chuck head back to the bus station, Sergio murmurs, "You know, being the kind of deaf Pietr is means he can't hear or feel voices." 
"Good thing no one bothered to read the report," Caitlin replies softly, and then she grins: "Makes a great story, though."
.
== Two Points ==
Tripped over Maarten's 'ID' this morning and got to thinking ....
There is at least one universe where Maarten goes with Pietr to the Jaeger Academy.
With Maarten's help, Pietr's grades are much better, and this matched set of scrappy brothers catches the instructors' attention.
And when their Drift Compatibility scores (Pietr, 991.44-A; Maarten, 989.50-A) come back—after the Drifterns convince her the equipment /is working properly—Lightcap just about explodes into glitter and /insists that if Vos brothers're going to be made Rangers, they're /going to be stationed in Anchorage.
The PTBs scratch their heads and say, 'okay'. You can keep them /if you give them /Brawler Yukon. 
Lightcap says "Take my Jaeger, please!"
Pietr and Maarten exchange a look and shrug.
The PTBs say, "Well, we like to keep Rangers happy, Pietr, so we should probably move your f—"
::/YES!::
"Yes! Bring me the whole family!" adds Lightcap.
Griet and the fluffles move to Anchorage.
The rest of the clan visits in shifts so Lightcap can test them.
Everything moseys along and everyone's happy and the Vosses split their time between patrolling with /Brawler (Pietr on the right, Maarten on the left) and being research bunnies in DriftSci and Lightcap Drifts everyone and their sibling (Sergio talks her out of their cat) with the Vos brothers—
And then Kirra arrives from Sydney.
She wants to hate the fluffy blond Rangers, but they feel so /safe.
A year of recovery later, Lightcap says, "You're up, Chuck! Time to Drift with a Vos!"
Kirra's torn.
Lightcap points out the similar CORO scores—"You're practically Drift /soulmates!"—and hooks her up to /Maarten.
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