for driftcompatible

[striker_eureka]

Hercules is the type of man to wear clothing that doesn't quite fall within regulation guidelines — nowhere in the PPDC rulebook does it say that leather boots like his or henleys and heavy canvas vests are within uniform regulations — so seeing him in civvies is no real surprise for most people around the 'dome.

Usually his civvies aren't quite as...suggestive, though. It's nothing overt, but someone as powerfully built as Hercules can wear a burlap sack and make it seem sexy if he tries, so the well-worn jeans that hug his thighs and make his ass look like that of a man twenty years his junior are a little indecent. As is the tight olive-drab tee shirt he's wearing, his dog tags disrupting the way it stretches across his chest. He's taken to wearing Chuck's bomber jacket most days when he needs to leave the 'dome, but since he's making an effort for them to have some semblance of privacy on this outing, he's left it behind and is wearing the old, worn leather jacket he got when he was still in the RAAF.

It could be purely psychological, but dressing in clothes he hasn't really worn since peacetime makes him feel...much more at peace.

Max is off with Tendo, which means he's got nothing to do while he waits for Mako to show up; nothing to do, that is, but run his hand absently over his vintage Waratah motorbike.

Comments

[striker_eureka]

Lucky for Mako, Herc has a stomach of steel, apparently, because for all the times she makes a face and shoves whatever food that's offended her into his hands, he just calmly polishes it off for her, finding nothing particularly offensive about it. He's used to eating all kinds of things, really, and he's learned not to ask what's on his plate. Better off not knowing, most of the time.

He balks a little at the idea of the photobooth, protesting weakly as she drags him into it, his sense of pride warring with the desire to make her smile like that again. Clearly his desire to make her happy wins, though, since he ends up letting her shove him into the little booth. He dutifully makes faces and laughs as the flash goes off, knowing when he's fighting a losing battle.

They hunch together over the little strip after it's been printed, wanting to see their end result.

Mako looks radiant, of course, and it's clear that Herc is mostly humoring her and not doing this of his own volition, but it's a good set of photos, and the in very last one, where their heads are tipped together, Herc's smile as he looks at her out of the corner of his eye is painfully fond and perhaps more than a little telling.

Oh well.

[driftcompatible]

An arm snakes around his waist as they stare at the little strip; an absent gesture that keeps them close together as the watch in fascination as the picture develops and gets spit out of the booth.

She gives him the top two pictures, deciding that she likes the last one and wants to keep it for herself to put in her room back in the 'dome. They can print more, she tells him, because she's got plenty on her phone that she likes and she's going to have more because she just keeps snapping away at the sights like a tourist. She takes pictures of everything and everyone and she makes Herc take some of her with the locals, their arms around each others waists and laughter as she kneels down to sign a little boy's cast with her name and a quick, frenzied little anime drawing of herself with black hair with blue tips.

[striker_eureka]

He watches her flit from one sight to the next, a wide smile on her face, and feels a deep sense of satisfaction warming his bones. He did something right with this, and he feels pretty damn proud of himself for suggesting something that clearly makes her so happy.

When the little boy turns to Herc, sticking his cast out for the older pilot to sign, he ends up kneeling down and scribbling his own cartoon on it, a tiny little Max looking adoringly up at Mako, his rendition of his dog falling very short of Mako's rendition of herself. Still, the boy seems thrilled by it anyway, and Herc ruffles his hair before he hobbles away, a huge grin on his face.

"We've just made his whole year," he points out idly, watching the little boy disappear into the crowd, his arm settling comfortably around her shoulders.

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Mako's head tips to rest on his shoulder as her eyes follow the boy, smile from the encounter still lingering on her lips. She wishes that she could've gotten a picture of their art but the boy is gone and Mako's phone is crammed into Herc's pocket because hers are too full of candied sweets to hold her own cell phone.

"You think?" She's still watching after him, arm around his waist.

[striker_eureka]

"You kidding?" He chuckles, squeezing her shoulders and turning his head to press a kiss to her hair without thinking. It just feels really natural to let himself be that familiar with her. "If I were his age, I'd be losing my shit over something like this. It'd be all I'd talk about for months."

[driftcompatible]

A little flush is crawling from her belly to her cheeks and she leans into it, grip tightening a little.

"I would, too."

Because she had. Oh, she had idolized Stacker, especially after she'd first seen him. HE'd been like an angel sent down from heaven, backlit by the sun itself.

[striker_eureka]

"Maybe he'll grow up to be a pilot, just like you."

Herc remembers when Stacker first took Mako in, how baffled his friend had been by the sudden inclusion of a small child into his life, one who practically worshiped him. Hercules remembers telling his friend to enjoy it while it lasts, because she'll grow up while your back is turned and before you know it she'll resent you for some failing you never even knew you had.

Even back then, he was a bit too bitter for his own good.

But luckily, Mako didn't follow in Chuck's footsteps, because she's kind and sweet and more than a little perfect, and Hercules can't think of anyone he'd rather be with right now.

"Want to do something else, or do you think we should head home?"

[driftcompatible]

"Maybe."

It would be nice, to inspire someone like that. She rolls her shoulders, tightening her grip on him briefly.

"I don't want to go back, just yet. I like this, being out here with you."

[striker_eureka]

Her arm around his waist tightens and he interprets it as her being cold, chafing his hand against her upper arm to try and make her feel better in response.

"Well then, let's find something else for us to do."

[driftcompatible]

She looks up at him and smiles, eyes brightening when he agrees. She's not that cold, but the gesture is appreciated though she's pulling away to take his hand instead.

The sun has set and the whole city is alight, and she tugs him back into the fray where there's loud music and people and dancing and some sort of parade going on that Mako has to take pictures of. He's got her phone and she frantically roots it out of his jacket pocket just in time to snap a few photos of the enormous dragon that waltzes by, narrowly missing the paper lanterns that hang over head. She hadn't noticed them before but she does now and she grips his hand and points and just as she does, bright red and yellow fireworks explode across the sky, embers sizzling out in their descent.

It's beautiful, it's perfect, she loves it. She turns to him, fireworks loud overhead, the press of people on every side of them, and she smiles.

"Thank you."

[striker_eureka]

Her hand is small in his, delicate but plenty strong as she so helpfully demonstrates by squeezing his fingers and dragging him down the street, into the singing and dancing crowd. Herc has no real idea what's going on, but Mako is apparently having the time of her life, so he's quite happy to go along with it.

Standing perfectly still when she plunges her hand into his pocket to dig out her phone, Herc laughs and smooths a hand over her hair, fixing it where it had fallen out of its perfect shape. The dragon weaving and bobbing in front of them is mesmerizing, red and gold spinning together in a frenzied wash of colors that only intensifies with the scream and crash of fireworks overhead.

He almost misses Mako's smile, still staring up at the sky to see the bursts of light across the night sky, but her voice has him turning his attention back to her and he is so glad he did.

She's beautiful, her eyes shining in the light from the lanterns up above, her cheeks just a little flushed with excitement, her teeth gleaming as she grins. This is the happiest he's ever seen her, probably, and he can't stop himself from leaning down to press his lips to hers, the crush of bodies around them parting as easily as the sea does for a Jaeger, lending an almost private air to the whole experience.

"Thank you," he whispers when he pulls back, stomping down the butterflies that erupted in his stomach. He's, like, ninety percent sure she won't hit him for the kiss. It'll be fine.

[driftcompatible]

The kiss is almost a surprise. Almost, because she's been wanting it all evening, ever since they took pictures together and shared cotton candy and she'd teased him by licking the sticky, caramelized sugar off the tips of her fingers. He hadn't been able to look away.

He pulls away and she's starstruck but it's not by the fireworks or the crush of people or the chanting that's still going on all around them. It's by him and now she knows that what she feels - what she's felt - is real, it's good, it's right and it's there and not one sided anymore.

"For what?"

Then, deciding it doesn't matter, she moves to kiss him again, fire flickering in her eyes that has nothing to do with the lanterns dotting the area. Something is pressed in between them that stops her from completing her mission, a little girl holding two floating lanterns, waiting to be lit and sent off into the sky.

"For luck," she says, and then she's gone and Mako's standing there with a lantern and staring at Hercules, a brow raised in question.

[striker_eureka]

She's been cruel to him all evening, teasing him with things like the cotton candy, a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her lips that made it very clear she knew what effect she was having on him. It just wasn't fair. He had to really think about why he couldn't lean in and lick her fingers clean himself. It was a tragedy.

The dazed expression on her face when he pulls back is a good one, he's almost certain, so he doesn't rush to apologize, just watches her as she comes back to herself, a smile on his lips. He wants to kiss her again and again, wants to put that look on her face all the time.

Unfortunately, the world has other ideas, because a little girl comes careening into them, breaking up this lovely moment and pressing a lantern into their hands.

"You ever done one of these before?" he asks, unfolding the lantern and taking a step back so he can turn it on its side and swish it through the air gently to fill up the paper and get it to puff into shape. "Here, hold this," he says, handing it to her and then reaching into his jeans pocket to fish out his lighter so he can set fire to the fuel cell.

"And now we wait for the hot air to lift it up."

[driftcompatible]

She wants desperately for their lips to meet again, for him to part his beneath hers and let her taste him, revel in him. She wants to touch him and hold him and lay in his arms until the sun comes up.

"No," she says, shaking her head to clear her thoughts as she gently takes it in her hands. She holds it out and up, letting him find his lighter in amongst all of her bits and baubles that she'd had to have, and Mako has to smile fondly at him, lips sliding over her teeth into a broad smile.

"Look, Hercules..." Her eyes move up while she's still holding hers, staring in awe at the lights that now surround her. It's beautiful, majestic, and Mako can't tear her eyes off of the sight.

"Can we stay," she whispers, fingers flexing and threatening to crumple the paper a little bit, "just for tonight?"

[striker_eureka]

The people around them who've lit their lanterns before them are pushing them off into the sky, dozens, hundreds of flickering lanterns slowly floating up like golden butterflies.

"It's beautiful," he agrees, his eyes straying back to her face as she looks up in awe at the lights slowly lifting up into the night sky.

Finally, the fuel cell ignites and he can slip his lighter away, his hand settling at the base of her spine just because he can set it there. "Stay here?" He looks around, watches the revelry around them, and figures they've got nothing to lose. "If that's what you want, of course. I'm sure we can find a hotel without much difficulty." Whether or not she'd want to share a room is another story, but they can worry about that later.

He can see the lantern trying to lift itself out of her hands now, and he reaches around her to cover her hands with his own. "You're supposed to make a wish," he murmurs, his lips close to her ear with the way he's standing behind her. "And then give the lantern a little push into the air and watch it take your wish up to the stars."

[driftcompatible]

With the promise that they can stay, Mako's eyes flick back over to him, a hungry but incredibly happy expression on her face that's warmed by the flickering light of a thousand lanterns floating in the sky.

"A wish," she whispers, eyes briefly closing as she contemplates that. There's so many things that she could wish for - things that won't come true, can't come true, things that it'd be useless to waste a wish on.

So she finds something else to focus on - something new, something promising, something warm and perfect and just right, and then, her hands under his, she pushes it up into the air with a quiet little sigh.

[striker_eureka]

Herc helps her push her lantern up, encouraging the little thing to go floating heavenwards. When it's safely flying higher and higher, his hands come settling down, sliding around her waist, pulling her back against his chest so they can watch the lanterns float above them, flickering candles of light that light a glow in his chest he hasn't felt in a very, very long time.

It feels so right to stand here on a busy Hong Kong sidewalk with Mako in his arms, her head nearly tipped back onto his shoulder as she watches the lanterns above them, the sound of singing and chanting echoing in his ears.

Herc finds himself watching Mako more than the lanterns, though, studying her face in the flickering light from up above, watching the way her eyes sparkle and her smile glows, like she's a lantern lit from within. He can't resist the urge to lean in and press his lips to her cheek, nuzzling her a little.

"Beautiful," he repeats quietly, and this time it's clear he's talking about her and not the lanterns.

[driftcompatible]

She leans heavily against him, still watching the lanterns rise, rise, rise. There's still a cacophony of noise; shouts, chants, dancing, but she's not really hearing it anymore. She's only hearing him, his voice, the things he says and the way he says them.

Her hands come to settle on his; small, slender, strong hands rest on a larger, more calloused and rough pair. Seems right, though, and Mako isn't questioning it because if she does then the moment might disappear forever, gone in a blink, leaving her doubting it ever happened at all.

She stays there in his arms, mesmerized by the lanterns for what feels like hours - and maybe it is hours, she doesn't know, it's hard to say - before she turns around in his arms, slides hers around his neck and pulls him in for a sweet, slow, deep kiss.

[striker_eureka]

It's been a very long time since Herc was able to just kind of let go, to relax, to allow himself to not worry about anything in his life and simply focus on the present. It's strange, almost, how light he feels, like he's a lantern too and can just...float away.

Mako's hands settle on his and he smiles, his fingers spreading against her abdomen so she can fit hers between them. It's hard to keep track of time with her warm and solid against his chest, the smell of her perfume mixing with the lingering scent of gunpowder from the fireworks and greasy street food.

He's lulled into a kind of daze by it all, but then he's snapped out of it by Mako taking her hands off of his and turning in his arms, sliding her hands up his chest and crossing them behind his neck. He's already leaning down to kiss her when she pulls him in, his lips sliding against hers until they find the perfect angle that will let him lick his way into her mouth and chase the lingering taste of cotton candy on her tongue.

[driftcompatible]

Her tongue tangles with his, fighting back to see who can taste each other the most. They break apart and she’s breathless, face still aglow from kiss and thousands of paper lanterns alike. Her hands are in his hair, because that seems like a suitable place to be, her eyes fixed on his and she just drinks him in, unable to look away even as people move around them, pushing and bumping and laughing and maybe even teasing them, just a little.

“Come on,” she says, sliding her hands from around him down to his arms to take his hands. She pulls him to the sidewalk, looking for – something that’s not quite apparent until she finds it; a little hotel nestled in amongst everything else. Quaint, traditional – balcony view, because she needs to be able to still see the festival that doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon.

She insists on one room, because it doesn’t matter anymore, and she just wants his body wrapped around her all night long in whatever way he’ll give it to her.

She stands on the balcony after a fast shower, a silk, deep blue robe emblazoned with gold dragons wrapped around her body and she just watches the festivities go on below her, arms resting on the railing.

The night is perfect. She couldn’t have asked for anything better.

[striker_eureka]

Everything happens in somewhat of a blur, Mako pushing him to and fro, bossing him around until he does what she wants when he is more than happy to comply with her wishes. He probably couldn't quite detail anything that happens between the kiss and the hotel, things bleeding into one another.

It's not important, really. What's important is that she kept her hands in his, that she insisted on one room for them both even though he offered to get them two, that she laughed and kissed him all the way up to their room.

Her robe is a deep, rich blue, stark against her skin, and his is a bright kelly green, his dragons matching hers. Silk is...an unusual experience for him right now, it's a sensation he hasn't felt in...probably years, but Hercules is man enough to admit that it feels pretty good and he kind of likes the way his robe slides against his skin. He likes how Mako's slides against hers better, though.

He comes up beside her, one arm snaking around her waist as he leans the other against the railing, his attention mostly fixed on the girl beside him even with the beautiful view spread out in front of them.

"So do you believe me now when I say I occupy myself with things other than jerking off?" he teases, nosing in past her wet hair so he can press a kiss to the hinge of her jaw.

[driftcompatible]

“Yes,” she says, leaning against him when she feels his lips brush against her skin. For the most part, getting here had been a blur to her, too – she hadn’t wanted to stop, hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone at all because any sort of interruption might mean a changed mind or second thoughts or something else that would prevent more time together. “I believe you.”

The robe moves easily over her skin; it slides and it’s a smooth, nice and luxurious feeling that she hasn’t experienced in a long time. She likes it, though, and she likes that she can feel the heat of his arm coming through it, pressing against her body.

“Mostly.” She adds, smile lighting up her face as she teases, eyes glinting a little.

[striker_eureka]

"Mostly?" He pretends to be outraged, squeezing her and tickling her side a little, but he can't keep it up for long enough to really sell it, too busy laughing.

"So cruel to me, Miss Mori," he teases, settling down, quite liking the feel of her tucked up against him, the warmth of her body seeping through the silk robe. "I don't know how I'll survive."

Oh please, drama queen. Herc has felt more alive in the past few hours than he has in years, time in a Jaeger not included. Maybe it's cliche that a young woman can make this old man feel like he's not ancient anymore, but even if it is cliche, Herc doesn't care. He's just happy he's been given the chance to feel something, anything. For a while there it had been touch and go, and it was only the fact that Max needed him and there was no one else qualified in the whole 'dome to do his job that had kept him getting out of bed every morning.

Now he feels he might have another reason.

[driftcompatible]

Mako's laughing too and that's a goo feeling, laughing because she's happy, because someone is making her happy

"I have a feeling that you will survive just fine, Marshal Hansen."

She turns in his arm a little, back pressing against the railing as she reaches to hook her arms around his waist. He's warm and solid and so very close and her breath catches in her throat as thoughts race in her head. What am I doing, what are WE doing, is this right? Is this wrong? I don't care.

Rising onto the balls of her feet he kisses him again, long and sweet, white teeth scraping gently over her lower lip before she loses herself completely in his arms.

[striker_eureka]

"You have a very high opinion of me," he murmurs, shifting back a little so she can turn in his arms, until her back is pressed against the railing and her arms slide around him.

She's very petite, waifish in a sense, but there's strength in her too, muscle hard beneath her skin, a power in the way that she moves that really captivates him. It's no surprise, of course, she would have to be powerful to pilot a Jaeger, but still.

There are lanterns still floating above their heads, slowly lifting up into the sky, and he thinks that's rather fitting. Their flickering light certainly lends an ethereal quality to the moment, makes him feel like this is a whole different world than the one they normally live in. It makes it easier to lean down and meet her when she surges up for a kiss, his lips moving slowly against hers.

It makes it easier to slide his arms around her waist and pull her flush up against him, makes it easier to bend down and lift her up into his arms, make it easier to carry her over to the giant bed in their suite and lay her gently down so he can follow.

Sex with Mako Mori had not been on his agenda for tonight, but he's not going to complain about it now, no sir.