The Honey Buzzard and the Owl

Hermann knows when the Hansens arrive due to the sound of arguing. The Striker Eureka pilots walk down the hall outside of the lab, shouting about some rugby match. Apparently the two men disagree on a specific match, and neither will give an inch to the other.
“Ah, fuck off, Old Man! I'm here to see the doctor.” Chuck yells at his father as he enters the lab, stomping up to Hermann. 
Hermann catches just a glimpse of Herc Hansen through the doorway as he throws up his hands and storms off. 
Chuck stands still for a moment in front of the mathematician, reining himself in. 
Hermann lets the young man collect himself before speaking.
Chuck takes a deep breath, rolls his eyes. "Hey, Doc."
“Hello, Chuck.” Hermann hasn't met with the Ranger for some time, and he's gratified to see that Chuck is still hale and healthy as ever. The ever-present scowl on his face is less welcome.
"How you been?" Chuck says as he pulls up another chair at the desk. 
The doctor puts aside his glasses on the table and draws his thermos to him. It only has a bit of soup that Karla sent in it, but the man in front of him needs comfort food. Hermann pours out a heaping cupful as he talks. “I've been as good as can be in such times. Would you care for some tomato soup?” Hermann asks with a casual nod towards the thermos. 
Chuck hesitates in that way Hermann knows is due to his own thin frame. People don't dare take food from him. ““My sister likes to send me care packages now and then, and I've already eaten my fill.”
“Yeah, sure. Thanks.” Chuck takes the thermos lid of soup from Hermann and breathes in the savory scent.
“How have you been, Chuck?” Hermann asks as he sits back in his chair and takes note of the way Chuck bristles as he sips from the lid.
“Stomping Kaiju as usual.”
“And—how are things with your father?” If he didn't know Chuck from the early years, when the boy was still vulnerable enough to let Hermann in, he would quail before him. 
The look of dark anger on the pilot's face would scare a stronger man. But Chuck would never hurt Hermann, and Hermann isn't afraid.
“Did you hear him out there? My God, it's like he was watching a completely different match!” Chuck says with an angry snort. 
Hermann isn't surprised that Chuck latches onto the most trivial part of his issues with his father. Hermann knows coping mechanisms when he sees them. But he wants to help his younger friend, and avoidance won't do anything.
“Have you tried talking to him again?” 
Chuck doesn't look up from his soup, spits, “Have you tried talking to your dad?” 
His accusation stings, but Hermann soldiers on. “My father disowned me. Yours still loves you.” Hermann says. It hurts Hermann to say that. 
Lars Gottlieb is not a kind man, but his complete dismissal of his son was a blow Hermann never expected. Lars controlled him for so long to protect him——how could he just throw Hermann away in the end? The winged man doesn't want anything like that to happen to his redheaded friend.
“Yeah, he loves me. That's the problem.” Chuck and Herc have a complicated relationship, even moreso than Hermann's is with his own parent. Although Hermann hates how he grew up, he understands his father's ways. Neither Hansen has a clue about the other.
“You deserve to be happy.” Hermann says with conviction as he picks up his cup of tea. Chuck snorts in derision.
“So do you, but that doesn't help anything, does it?” Chuck replies as he drinks his soup and takes in the lab. 
Hermann tries to stop his mind from turning dark as he praises his friend. “I'm not the hero, Chuck. You are.” I'm barely more than a monster myself. Herman thinks with a sad smile.
“Who wrote Striker's code, huh? Zhe didn't get up and walk on zher own, you know. No matter how cool zhe is.” Chuck sends his patented smirk Hermann's way and it makes the doctor smile wider in return.
The pall of depression lifts a bit from them both. Hermann will talk to Chuck again about his father, but for now he lets it go. They've been apart for too long to dwell and Chuck looks so much happier than from just ten minutes ago. Hermann loves his people so much (too much sometimes) and Chuck is no exception. 
Hermann smiles as he sips his tea. Chuck is angry and volatile, but he reminds Hermann of his brother Bastien. There's a spark of Hermann in Chuck as well, and Chuck lives in Hermann as a strength to beat the odds. The mathematician is glad that Mako Mori chose to tease Chuck Hansen all those years ago. Hermann would not give up the resulting friendship for the world.
Chuck's smile becomes a real grin as he pitches back the rest of the soup into his mouth. Hermann files away the ranger's sigh of satisfaction to share with Karla. “We're in this together, man.”
“Yes, we are. As long as we have you, we can't lose.”
“As long as we have both of us, we're gonna smash those Kaiju into fucking oblivion, Mate.”
Hermann usually doesn't abide by swearing, but Chuck's enthusiasm is contagious. Besides, they are alone, after all.
“Fucking oblivion, indeed.”
Category:Ficlet
Category:Herc
Category:Herc (ficlet)
Category:Chuck H
Category:Mako (mention)
Category:Lars (mention)
Category:Striker Eureka (mention)
Category:Food
Category:Karla (mention)
Category:Hansen brawl
Category:Chuck H (ficlet)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Caffeine (or a lack thereof)
Category:Aphex Twin (reference)
Category:Ficlets in need of language stuff
Category:Sleeping
Category:Hermann is a programmer
Category:K-Science
Category:K-Sci (ficlet)
Category:Team Striker Eureka
Category:Team Striker Eureka (ficlet)
Category:Hansen family
Category:Hansen family (ficlet)
Category:Birds of a Feather storyline