Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/933969.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Pacific_Rim_(2013)
  Relationship:
      Raleigh_Becket_&_Yancy_Becket, Raleigh_Becket/Yancy_Becket
  Character:
      Raleigh_Becket, Yancy_Becket
  Additional Tags:
      Underage_Sex, Underage_Smoking, Underage_Kissing, Underage_Drinking, Past
      Underage, Past_Underage_Sex, Incest, Sibling_Incest, Alternate_Canon,
      Rape/Non-con_Elements, Past_Rape/Non-con, Dubious_Consent
  Series:
      Part 1 of The_Depth_of_Obsession
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-08-20 Completed: 2013-09-03 Chapters: 11/11 Words: 53682
****** Bitter at the Root ******
by GrandDukeForever
Summary
     I'm on a Pacific Rim kink meme kick, and this is the second one I
     promised to undertake, which reads: "One of the many things tearing
     Raleigh up so badly after Yancy's death is the fact that Yancy had
     been sexually abusing him since he was a child. But he still loved
     him, even though he had hated the abuse (which had continued into
     adulthood)."
     Now while this version of Yancy I've written is much darker than the
     one in my previous fic, I also couldn't bring myself to make him
     completely twisted, so hopefully the OP will forgive me for that.
     Anyway, this is probably the darkest story I'll ever write for our
     boys—the rest of the fill prompts I've collected (in attempts to
     tackle them) contain mostly requests for either a lot of angst or a
     lot of fluff. So if that's more up your alley, then please do stay
     tuned as I assure you they are coming! I will write for these boys
     until I can't write about them anymore.
     Rated the way it is for the later chapters—this is very much still a
     work in progress. As always, feedback is very much appreciated. This
     will be a two-part series, eleven chapters each.
     Original prompt can be found here: http://
     pacificrimkink.livejournal.com/350.html?thread=87390#t87390
Notes
     I don't think I've ever attempted a prompt this dark in my life! I've
     mostly been a LiveJournal lurker all these years; my first ever kink
     meme was probably Inception...and I think that's when I really first
     went into a writing frenzy. Anyway, I was mostly an anonymous filler
     then. It's nice to finally find a home for my fics now. I don't know
     why I didn't think of it back then, but I never bookmarked anything
     so I don't remember what I filled and I'm not even sure I could find
     my own fills again because my writing style has evolved so much,
     hahaha.
     Needless to say, I am VERY nervous about this project. Hopefully
     readers enjoy it, and I also hope that the OP finds this (and that
     it's to his/her satisfaction)!
***** Possession *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Raleigh Becket was born on December 11, 1998. At the time, his older brother
Yancy was three years old. Yancy doesn’t remember much from that year, but his
parents have told him that since that day, the two were inseparable. According
to their mother, Yancy had taken to the idea of having a little brother right
away, even going so far as to insist on helping with every aspect his parents
would allow in taking care of Raleigh.
It’s now a year later, and Yancy is four. He’s taught his brother to crawl, and
he’s now trying to teach his brother how to walk, but it’s not working so well.
Yancy gets out his toys whenever he gets frustrated with Raleigh’s lack of
progress and just plays with his brother. He is mindful to remember which toys
his mom told him could harm his brother, and he doesn’t get mad when Raleigh
starts sucking on some of his blocks. He thinks it’s cute.
Yancy is the one who feeds his brother at mealtimes, because Raleigh won’t eat
otherwise. His older brother takes pride in that.
People commend the Beckets on their parenting, and they praise Yancy for being
such a great older brother. Yancy doesn’t do it for the compliments though.
Yancy takes care of his brother because in his mind, his brother belongs to him
and only him.
Chapter End Notes
     P.S. This is a message to the OP. This fic is your request as is. The
     "sequel" will be the "alternate ending" I was referring to on the
     original prompt.
***** Jealousy *****
Yancy hates being in school, because it means he has to be away from his
brother for a while. When he was in kindergarten, it was somewhat bearable
because he would only have to be in school for half the day. Yancy is six years
old now though, in the first grade, and he really despises having to be at
school for the full day. For the first week of school he can’t focus on what
he’s supposed to be learning—he can only think about how unfair it is that his
mother gets to stay home all day, and how she and Raleigh must be bonding more
now since Yancy is out of the picture. Yancy doesn’t like the idea one bit and
worries that at the rate things are going, his brother will eventually forget
he exists.
He tells his mom his concerns one day after school, and she tells him something
that helps change his mind, if only a little. She tells Yancy that he should do
his best to learn so that when he comes home, he can teach little Raleigh
everything he knows; things his parents have forgotten because it’s been so
long since they’ve learned it. From that point on, Yancy pays extra attention
in class, aces his lessons, and when he comes home he teaches little Raleigh
everything from letters to basic arithmetic. It doesn’t matter to him that
Raleigh doesn’t really seem to understand anything he’s saying; it’s enough
that his brother just sits next to him quietly and listens to him speak.
At some point, Yancy learns about the joy of reading books, and this instantly
becomes his favorite pastime. He brings home small stacks of books from the
school library, as much as his little arms can carry, and reads to his brother
every night before bed. Yancy likes this because he can keep Raleigh on his lap
while he does it. He likes feeling the warmth of his little brother’s frame
against his, and he likes it especially when Raleigh starts getting sleepy
because he turns around and latches onto Yancy. This is usually when Yancy puts
the book away and wraps the covers around them. He never bothers turning out
the light because he knows one of his parents will come by and do it later
anyway. Besides, he doesn’t want to wake his baby brother up.
One day, Yancy is read a book at school by the librarian where the prince wakes
the princess by giving her “true love’s kiss.” When the story ends and it’s
time to ask questions, Yancy’s hand is one of the first to shoot up and when he
gets called on he asks what does it mean to have a true love. He’s told that
true love is the same as that very special person to your heart. Yancy asks if
he’s too young to have one. The librarian, thinking this is a cute question,
laughs and says no. The boy thinks about it, and then he smiles and tells her
that in that case, he thinks he has one. The librarian smiles in response and
thinks that’s the most adorable thing she’s heard all day, not realizing she’s
helped to spark something unexpected within the young boy.
That night, Yancy gives his gleeful baby brother a smushy kiss on the lips.
When the toddler looks up at him in confusion, Yancy quietly explains to him
that Raleigh is his true love and that’s why he gets to have Yancy’s kisses.
Little Raleigh’s brows are furrowed, but when Yancy does it again, he thinks
it’s a game and starts pecking his brother back enthusiastically. He’s too
young to realize the smile his brother wears is not one typical to most six-
year-olds.
***** Isolation *****
Yancy is eight years old when Raleigh enters the first grade. He takes great
pride in the fact that he had a huge hand in helping his five-year-old brother
skip kindergarten. Though the school was reluctant to advance him because they
feared the older kids would bully Raleigh because of his age, they ended up
doing so because it was clear Raleigh was running circles around his
classmates, and he was developing destructive behavior due to boredom. After a
week, he was bumped up to the first grade, and there Raleigh was able to truly
thrive. As for the bullying issue, the faculty needn’t have worried; Yancy had
that covered.
He found out about the first incident at recess. Raleigh was sitting on a
swing, his eyes downcast. Yancy, excited to spend his first recess with his
brother, enthusiastically bounded up to his brother. His smile, however,
quickly transformed into a frown when he saw that Raleigh had band-aids on his
knees and on the palms of his hands. At first, he refused to look up at Yancy
out of shame.
“Rals. What happened?” Yancy asked him angrily. “Who did this to you?”
“No one,” Raleigh said stubbornly.
“Raleigh!”
“What you going to do?” Raleigh asked. “They’re already calling me tattletale
for telling the teacher on them.”
“Did they push you down?” Yancy asked.
Raleigh nodded and kicked at the ground with one foot. “Yeah. They pushed me.
They’ve been calling me names too.”
Yancy’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of names?”
“Saying I’m a smarty-pants and a big baby...” Raleigh said, tears filling his
eyes. “Told me I’m nothing special just because I skipped kindergarten.”
“Well they’re wrong!” Yancy declared.
He grabbed his brother by the shoulders and Raleigh looked up at him. “Think
so?”
“I know so,” Yancy said with a sure nod. “You are special. They’re just jealous
because they’re not as smart as you, and you’re no tattletale, Rals. You did
what you’re supposed to. Those kids shouldn’t say anything if they can’t handle
getting in trouble.”
He started kissing his brother’s injuries gently, and he smiled when Raleigh
started to giggle.
“Yancy! Stop! That tickles!”
Yancy grinned. “Well, that’s better than them hurting, right?”
Raleigh smiled. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Good,” Yancy said and then pecked two more kisses on his brother’s cheeks
before asking his next question. “So tell me who they are, Raleigh. How many of
them?”
“Three,” Raleigh said.
“All right,” said Yancy. “They boys or girls?”
“All boys.”
Yancy grinned. “Even better. They all first graders like you?”
Raleigh nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“What’s their names, Rals?”
Raleigh worried his lower lip and his brows furrowed slightly. “Mm...I don’t
know if it’s a good idea to tell you that.”
Yancy frowned. “Well why not?”
“What you going to do, anyhow?” Raleigh asked. “Fight them?”
“Maybe,” Yancy said, sticking out his chin.
Raleigh’s eyes grew round. “You can’t, Yancy! They’re real big!”
“They’re real what? Big? Hah! Maybe to you, Rals, but not to me!” Yancy said,
throwing his head back and laughing. “You don’t have to worry about me, little
brother.”
“Still...” said Raleigh. “I don’t want you getting in trouble, either.”
Yancy smiled and affectionately ruffled his brother’s hair. “Aww...you worried
about me, kid?”
Raleigh frowned and swatted Yancy’s hand away. “No...I just don’t want you to
get in trouble, that’s all. And I’m not a kid.”
Yancy laughed. “Oh yeah? Well if you’re not, then prove it. Tell me who those
boys are that are picking on you.”
“What do they have to do with it?”
Yancy smirked. “Because only babies keep secrets like that. And you’re not a
baby, are you, Rals?”
Raleigh crossed his arms. “No, I’m not.”
“So what are their names?”
Raleigh sighed. “Mark, Andrew, and Jeff.”
“They the only ones with those names in your grade?” Yancy asked.
“Huh?”
“There’s no one else in your class with the same names?”
“Oh,” said Raleigh. “No. Well, there’s two Jeff’s.”
“Which one is the one that hurt you? What’s his last name?”
“Don’t know,” Raleigh said with a shrug. “But he’s the only one that’s friends
with Mark and Andrew.”
“Okay,” said Yancy. “So what do they look like?”
“Mm...Mark’s the tallest one,” said Raleigh. “And the meanest.”
“All right,” Yancy said, nodding. “And Andrew?”
“He’s got blonde hair and he’s real skinny,” said Raleigh. “Jeff and Mark both
have brown hair.”
“Okay,” said Yancy. “Anything else?”
“They like to play basketball.”
“They do, huh?” Yancy said, looking over his shoulder back at the basketball
courts. “They there now?”
Raleigh leaned so he could look around his brother and squinted. “Mm...yeah!
That’s them by the third hoop.”
“Which one is the third hoop, Raleigh?” Yancy asked patiently.
Raleigh got up from the swing and took his brother’s hand. He pointed at three
boys standing under a basketball hoop on the far left of the blacktop.
“That one, Yance!”
“Oh, them,” Yancy said, nodding. “Yeah, all right. I see ‘em. You wait right
here, okay, Rals? Just keep swinging.”
Raleigh’s eyes grew round. “What you gonna do, Yance?”
“Don’t you worry ‘bout what I’m gonna do,” said Yancy. “You just worry about
swingin’. And if anyone asks you if you know what’s going on, you’re just going
to tell them you don’t, okay?”
Raleigh frowned. “Yancy, I don’t know...”
“Rals!”
Raleigh flinched slightly. “Ah...yeah, okay...I’ll just keep swinging then...”
He smiled a little when Yancy kissed him on top of his head. “That’s a good
boy, Rals. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything bad. Promise.”
Raleigh nodded. “Okay.”
“Not yet, anyway,”Yancy thought as his brother let go of his hand and hopped
back on the swing.
He marched on over to where the boys that Raleigh had pointed out to him were;
they had just started a game of hoops. They stopped when Yancy walked up to
them. The tallest kid, who Yancy guessed was Mark, stopped what he was doing
and looked at Yancy. The boy seemed a little unsure of what to make of Yancy’s
presence.
“You Mark?” Yancy asked him. “First grade?”
Suddenly the kid looked nervous and he wet his lips before responding.
“Yeah...I am. What’s it to ya?”
Yancy ignored him for a minute and honed in on the other two. “And you guys are
Jeff and Andrew?”
The other two boys nodded and moved closer to and behind the boy named Mark.
Yancy took another step towards them and flashed a chilling smile.
“I saw what you boys did to my kid brother.”
“B-brother?” Mark asked. “W-who?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” said Yancy. “My brother’s name is Raleigh Becket.
You know, the one you call tattletale and what else was it?”
“Ohhh, that kid!” the boy named Andrew laughed. “Little baby teacher’s pet—ow!”
Andrew frowned when Mark jabbed him hard in the ribs. “Hey, what’chu do that
for?”
“Shut up, Andy!” Mark hissed.
“What? You’re the one who started calling him—hey!” Andrew yelped when Yancy
grabbed him roughly by the arm.
The older boy brought his face close to Andrew’s. “You think that’s funny,
kid?"
“Ow! What’s wrong with you? Get off! Please!”
“Yeah, get off ‘im!” cried Jeff.
The boy’s lips pressed into a thin line when Yancy flashed him a glare. Andrew
whimpered when Yancy began to twist his arm.
“No, you guys listen to me first,” Yancy growled. “If I ever hear any of y’all
lay a finger on my brother again, I’ll beat you all within an inch of your
life, you hear?”
He twisted Andrew’s arm some more when the boy didn’t reply. “Hey!”
“I couldn’t hear you,” said Yancy.
“Yeah, okay, okay!” Andrew said. “Just please, let me go!”
“Well alright then,” Yancy said before shoving Andrew away.
The boy turned and looked at Yancy with angry eyes. “You’re not gonna get away
with this you know!”
“What you gon’ do?” Yancy asked. “Tell the teacher? Be a tattletale? Oh! Or
better yet, tell your mommy?Like a real baby?”
Andrew’s lips quivered. “I...I...!”
“C-come on, Andy, let’s just go,” said Mark. “Jeff, you too, come on.”
“But...!”
“Come on!” Mark said through gritted teeth.
Yancy watched them until the boys had scurried back towards the school
building. Yancy then turned around and went back to his brother. He smiled to
see that Raleigh appeared to be completely focused on his swinging. He whistled
to get his brother’s attention. Raleigh looked up and a smile spread across his
face.
“Yancy!” he shouted. “You’re okay!”
“Yeah, I told you not to worry,” Yancy said, walking up to his brother.
Raleigh began to dig his heels into the mulch, trying to slow himself down. He
laughed when Yancy ran up to him as he swung backward. Yancy outstretched his
arms.
“Jump, Rals!”
“Kay!”
Raleigh flew off the swing and Yancy caught him. He took a few quick steps back
so that the now erratically moving swing wouldn’t hit his brother on the
backside. Unfortunately, it caused him to lose his balance and he ended up
falling on his bottom. Raleigh settled safely on his lap. Raleigh was still
giggling, but his brows were furrowed together in concern for his brother. He
patted his brother’s cheeks.
“You okay, Yancy?”
“Yeah, m’fine, Rals.”
Raleigh smiled. “Good.”
He leaned forward and surprised his older brother with a quick smack of their
lips. Yancy stiffened in his posture and his eyes darted around.
“Raleigh!” he hissed.
“What?” Raleigh asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. “What’s
wrong?”
“I told you not to do that outside.”
“No one saw!”
“Doesn’t matter,” Yancy said, somewhat exasperated. “We made a promise,
remember, Rals?”
“Yeah, I know,” Raleigh said pouting. “I just wanted to.”
Yancy cracked a small smile. “I know...but let’s try to not do that unless
we’re home, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” Raleigh mumbled.
Just then the bell rang. Yancy nudged playfully at his brother.
“Hey. Race you back inside.”
A grin spread across his little brother’s face. “Last one in's a rotten egg!”
Yancy laughed and gently lifted his brother off and placed him on the mulch.
“Well, better hurry up then, I’m gonna leave you in my dust!”
Then, true to his word, Yancy kicked off into a sprint. Raleigh laughed and
chased after him, wiping the mulch with his hands off his behind.

“No fair, Yance! You’ve got longer legs!”
“Big boys don’t complain, Rals!”
“I’ll show you!”
“Oh will you now?”
“Yeah, watch!”
At the very last minute, Yancy slowed to a walk, partly to allow his brother to
win. The other half of the reason was because he saw the assistant principal
coming down the hall to walk through the doors leading outside. He stifled a
laugh when his younger brother ran into the man’s leg. The vice principal
frowned.
“Young man, you shouldn’t be running so quickly like that. Someone could get
hurt.”
Raleigh’s eyes grew round and he was completely at a loss for words, his mouth
opening and closing like a fish. Yancy saved the day by coming up behind his
brother and placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Sorry ‘bout that, sir,” he said. “I was just walking my brother back to his
classroom and he got a little ahead of himself.”
“Ah, Becket,” the gentleman said, nodding over in Raleigh’s direction with a
smile. “So this is the little brother you’ve spoken so highly about.”
Yancy puffed out his chest with pride. “Yes, sir! Skipped right into first
grade.”
“Yes, that’s very good,” the vice principal said, looking over at Raleigh.
“Your name, son?”
“Go on, tell him your name,” Yancy encouraged, nudging Raleigh gently in the
back.
This seemed to snap his brother out of his stupor. “R-Raleigh. It’s Raleigh."
“Well it’s very nice to meet you, Raleigh,” said the man. “Now, I’m just going
to give you a warning on account of your brother here, but next time please
remember that there is no running in the school building. You understand?”
Raleigh nodded. “O-okay.”
“Good,” the man said with a smile before nodding at Yancy. “You boys are free
to go.”
“Thank you, sir!” Yancy said as he took his brother by the hand and began
guiding them down the hall.
One of Raleigh’s small hands flew to his heart. “Phew! I thought we were in big
trouble!”
Yancy laughed. “Yeah, good thing I was there to save you, huh?”
“Yeah, but it was your fault we started running,” Raleigh said, frowning.
“Not my fault you didn’t see the vice principal coming,” Yancy said with a
grin.
“You should’ve warned me!”
“Hey, you were going too fast,” said Yancy. “Besides, you beat me.”
“Huh? Oh yeah! I did, didn’t I?” Raleigh said, perking up.
“Sure did, kid,” Yancy said, ruffling his brother’s hair.
He laughed when his brother swatted away his hand again. “M’not a baby!”
“No, you’re not,” Yancy agreed. “But you’re still my little brother, so I can
call you whatever I want. Besides, I don’t mean the same thing those little
snots did.”
Raleigh looked up at him curiously. “You don’t?”
“Course not,” said Yancy.
“What’s it mean when you say it, then?”
“That you’re special to me,” Yancy said, tapping Raleigh lightly on the nose.
Raleigh giggled at first, but then his expression went dark when they got to
his classroom. Yancy frowned and bent down on one knee so that he could be
face-to-face with his brother and patted his sibling on the arms.
“Hey...hey, look at me, Rals.”
Raleigh met his eyes reluctantly. Yancy’s face wore a serious expression.
“They bother you again...you let me know right away, all right?”
Raleigh nodded. “Yeah...”
Yancy frowned and shook his brother gently. “Hey. I can’t hear you.”
Raleigh swallowed and spoke at a more audible volume. “Okay.”
“Good,” Yancy said with a smile. “Now get to class. I’ll pick you up after.”
He immediately missed the warmth of his little brother’s hand when Raleigh
turned to go into his classroom. Yancy had been about to leave himself when
Raleigh looked over his shoulder and smiled at his brother.
“Don’t be late, Yance.”
Yancy grinned. “I won’t. See you later, Rals.”
From that day forward, Raleigh ran into very little trouble with the older
kids, or with any kids, for that matter. The few who dared always learned very
quickly never to make the same mistake again. Rumors would eventually circulate
about the Beckets—the girls swooned and the boys kept their distance. For the
most part, Raleigh was oblivious to the real reason why people around him
regarded him either in awe or with fear—he thought it was due to his charm.
Little did he know that Yancy had, over the years, created a sort of invisible
barrier around him, along with the instructions that not a soul was to let his
brother know what was really going on, lest they suffer the consequences.
***** Demand *****
Chapter Notes
     So I threw in some OCs in here (please don't steal them)...and they
     unexpectedly took a life of their own. Hope you like them, because
     you'll probably see them pop up in other chapters as well, though as
     for how much they will, right now it's kind of hard to say. I know
     these things can be written in a way that it's hit-or-miss, so
     hopefully they don't make anyone cringe!
Raleigh didn't mind that Yancy always insisted on taking him everywhere he
went. In fact, Raleigh liked it, because it made him feel like one of the cool
kids. The best part was, hanging out with Yancy gave Raleigh the reputation of
being one of the “untouchables” at school. He was the genius kid with a super
hot older brother. Thanks to Yancy's decidedly good looks and positive
reputation, Raleigh was basically treated like a prince by his peers. Everyone
wanted to get on Yancy's good side, and somewhere along the line they had
learned that the key to doing that was by doing right by his little brother. In
a few years, Raleigh wouldn't need to ride off of Yancy's legacy, because he'd
eventually grow out of his awkwardness and would turn into a pretty good looker
himself, but it would be roughly two to three more years before even that
happened.
Yancy had two good friends growing up; Jeremy Daniels and Kyle Hunter. The
three of them were always together—they'd met during their last year of
elementary school and had been close ever since. They, like anyone else who got
to know Yancy, learned quickly that the Becket brothers came as a package deal.
Kyle never seemed to mind, but Jeremy was very open about his displeasure with
the arrangement. Perhaps that was why he and Yancy fought so often. The only
reason they were still able to maintain their friendship after all these years
was partly thanks to Kyle being their buffer, but also because at the end of
the day, both were very good young men at their core. If there was one thing
Yancy valued as much as his brother, it was loyalty, and Jeremy knew deep down
that trustworthy friends weren't easy to come by, even at his young age.
Jeremy's father was a construction worker and his mother was an office
concierge with a chain smoking habit. Thanks to her, Jeremy had easy access to
cigarettes and he always made a habit of swiping a few when he thought he could
get away with it. His father didn't smoke, but Jeremy thought doing so made him
look more like a man. Kyle was the son of two Navy Seals and was currently
staying with his grandparents while his parents were on tour overseas. His
grandmother made the best home-cooked meals for him daily, and his grandfather
taught him how to gamble and drink booze. The Becket boys did all right—their
mother was a homemaker, and their father was a mechanic who got them a pair of
dirt bikes with helmets for one Christmas. With their resources pooled
together, Yancy and his buddies were the epitome of everything a girl could
dream about and all a guy could ever hope to be. Which is why Yancy and Jeremy
often got into arguments about Raleigh tagging along with them after school,
especially when they were going to a place where they could chat up the ladies.
“Seriously, Yancy,” Jeremy said one day while they were hanging out in a wooded
area by their middle school. “Can't you just leave the kid at home for once?
You know there's going to be a ton of girls at Mandy's pool party this weekend.
If you bring him, those girls are going to be looking at anywhere but us. Come
on, you know how it goes.”
Yancy frowned and gently squeezed his little brother's hand, which he was
holding. “Listen Jerry. First of all, don't talk about my kid brother like he
ain't standing here right in front of your face. That's disrespectful. Second
of all—”
He snatched the cigarette hanging out of Jeremy's mouth with his free hand and
then threw it on the ground before stomping it out. Jeremy glared at Yancy.
“Hey! What you do that for, huh?”
“Relax, Jack,” Kyle said with a half-smile—Jack was his nickname for Jeremy
because of his last name; the other two boys didn't get it at first until Kyle
explained that Jack Daniel's was the name of a whiskey his granddad liked to
drink. “Yancy's just doing it for your health. You know we're all too young to
be having out lungs turn black.”
Jeremy frowned. “Well, I don't really give a damn. Not like you're one to talk
though, booze boy.”
Yancy glared at Jeremy. “Hey, watch your language around my brother.”
“Or what you goin' do about it, hot shot?” Jeremy asked, getting in Yancy's
face.
“Hey, hey, break it up guys,” Kyle said, getting in between the boys and trying
to push them away from each other.
“Yeah, don't fight, Yance,” Raleigh said, tugging at his brother's hand.
“Please?”
Yancy's free hand was curled tightly into a fist and his jaw was clenched, but
he did choose to stand down.
“All right,” he said, keeping his eyes locked on Jeremy's. “Only because that's
what you want, Rals.”
Jeremy flared. “What? You can't be serious, right? You goin' let the little
bitch run you?”
Kyle groaned. “God damn it, Jeremy! Do you ever know when to shut up?”
Yancy dropped Raleigh's hand. He tilted his head to one side.
“Get over there, kid.”
“But...”
“I said...get over there, Raleigh.”
“O-okay...”
Kyle looked at Yancy, exasperated. “Now come on, Yancy...you know he didn't
mean it...he's just sore because you put out his cigarette.”
“You think I'm an idiot, Kyle?” Yancy asked. “I know this ain't about no
stinkin' cigarette.”
Kyle tried his best to hold both boys back with his hands. Jeremy pushed
against the hand at his chest and tried to get back in Yancy's face.
“You're just lucky Kyle is holding me back,” said Jeremy. “I ain't scared of
you, man! I'm tired of your big ass head and your fucking baby brother
complex.”
“Dang it, Jeremy!” Kyle snapped, but it was too little too late.
Raleigh's eyes grew round and everything happened very quickly; it always did
when Yancy really lost his temper. In two swift motions he had kneed Kyle in
the gut, surprising him and causing him to curl into a ball and groan in pain
on the ground, and punched Jeremy square in the nose, causing the boy to yelp
and fall flat on his back while nursing his face in his hands.
“Augh!” Jeremy cried out. “Ah dink you ducking dwoke by bose, ban!”
“Good,” Yancy sneered. “You can thank me later for the free nose job. Maybe
when it heals later it'll actually look straight.”
“Duck you!”
“Quack, quack,” Yancy said dryly.
He looked down apologetically at Kyle, who was still writhing a little in pain.
“Sorry about that, Kyle. You shouldn't have gotten in the way, man. Jerry got
what was coming to him. I'll make it up to you later.”
Kyle only groaned in response. Yancy turned to Raleigh and tilted his head back
in the direction of their middle school.
“Come on, Rals. Let's get out of here.”
Raleigh took an uncertain step toward his brother. “But Yance...what about—”
Yancy shook his head. “They can take care of themselves. I didn't hurt Kyle
that bad, and Jeremy's just being a baby. If he needs help, Kyle can take care
of it; he'll probably get up soon. Ain't that right, Kyle?”
Kyle waved Yancy away, still groaning. Yancy looked down at his younger brother
and grinned.
“See? Kyle's fine. He probably just needs a few more minutes.”
“But...”
“Let's go, Raleigh,” Yancy said, holding out his hand to Raleigh and a light
frown starting to form across his features.
Raleigh gulped and quickly took hold of his brother's hand. “A-all right!”
He didn't complain, even when his brother pulled him a little roughly along.
Before the other two boys were completely out of sight, Raleigh glanced back
once over his shoulder to see Kyle staggering over to Jeremy's side. He barely
caught the tail-end of Jeremy's angry words.
“...done wib hib, ban! M'jus done!”
Tears stung Raleigh's eyes and he suddenly became very fascinated with his
feet. For what it was worth, he liked Jeremy and Kyle, and he really hoped
Yancy wasn't going to lose his best friends because of him.
They spent the forty-five minute walk home in mostly silence. Yancy had asked
Raleigh a few questions, but his younger brother had been too distracted to
give more than short, clipped answers. When they finally made it back to their
shared room, Yancy confronted him.
“All right, what's wrong with you, Rals?” Yancy asked. “It's not like you to be
so quiet.”
Raleigh shook his head. Yancy frowned.
“No, no, kid. Don't give me that,” said Yancy. “You like this 'cause of Jeremy?
Don't even give a second thought to what that kid says about you, it ain't
worth it.”
Raleigh shook his head again. “That's not what I'm worried about, Yancy.”
His brother raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? All right. Then what is?”
“I don't want you, Jeremy, and Kyle to stop being friends because of me,” said
Raleigh. “I likethem, Yance. I can stay home and do other things if it'll
help.”
Yancy shook his head. “That's ridiculous, Raleigh! Jeremy just needs to get his
head out from under him, that's all.”
Raleigh crossed his arms over his chest. “I think you were a little too mean
though, today. You should apologize to them, Yancy.”
His older brother let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.  “You really
want me to fix this, don’t you, kid?”
Raleigh looked down at his feet and shrugged.  “I dunno, Yance…”
Yancy frowned.  “Hey.  Look at me.”
Raleigh lifted his head.  Yancy looked into his eyes, his own expression
unreadable.
“You really like Jeremy and Kyle?” Yancy asked.
Raleigh nodded.  The muscles in Yancy’s jaw twitched slightly.
“How much?” he asked.
Raleigh tilted his head and looked at his brother in confusion.  “Huh?”
“How much you like ‘em?” Yancy repeated.  “As much as me…?  More than me?”
There was a dangerous edge to Yancy’s voice, but Raleigh—being the unassuming
way he was around his brother—didn’t even notice it.  He frowned at his
brother’s question.
“What are you talking about, Yancy?” Raleigh asked.  “I just said I like them.
 I never said anything about liking them more than you.”
Yancy’s posture relaxed slightly.  “But you could.”
Raleigh shook his head, still frowning.  “But I don’t.  Yancy.  I don’t think I
can like anyone as much as you.  I love you.”
It was the absolute right and wrong thing to say, all at the same time.  Yancy
straightened and a the corners of his lips twitched slightly upward.
“You love me, Rals?”
Raleigh rolled his eyes.  “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
An unabashed smile spread across Yancy’s face.  “Yeah...you did.  Love you too,
kid.”
He ruffled Raleigh’s hair and then turned to leave the room.  Raleigh called
out to his brother, confusion evident in his tone.
“Where you going, Yance?”
Yancy turned to look back at his brother.  “To the phone.  I’ve got a couple
apologies to make, don’t I?”
“You’re gonna make up with Jeremy and Kyle?” Raleigh asked, a small smile
forming on his face.
“Yeah,” Yancy said with a nod.  “Isn’t that what you want, kid?”
“Yes…” Raleigh answered somewhat hesitantly, as if he were unsure whether or
not his older brother was asking him a trick question.  “You want to too, don’t
you?”
Yancy smiled.  “Of course I do, Rals.  I always want what you do.”
“You do?” Raleigh asked, looking at his brother curiously.
His brother nodded.  “I do.”
“Why?” Raleigh asked, not really sure why he was asking, only that part of him
felt like he should.
“Because I want to,” said Yancy.  “Because it’s important for me to see you
happy…and because I love you.  You’re all that matters to me, Rals.”
Raleigh’s brows knitted together.  “I am?”
“You are,” Yancy said, nodding.  “Now sit tight, squirt.  I’ll be back in a few
minutes.”
“Mm...okay,” Raleigh said, hopping onto the bed as Yancy walked out the door.
 “Hey, Yancy?”
“Yeah?” his brother responded, poking his head back in the room.  “What is it,
Rals?”
Raleigh felt a flush rise in his cheeks.  “Can you...can you read to me in bed
like you used to?  I mean, I know I can read myself now, but—”
“Of course I can, kid,” Yancy said, cutting his brother off.  “I’d love to.”
Raleigh brightened.  “Really?”
“Yeah,” said Yancy.  “I’ll do anything you want.”
Then Yancy went back out of sight.  Raleigh listened to his brother’s fading
footsteps as he padded through the hall and down the stairs.  Raleigh wrapped
the blankets around himself as a slight shiver ran through his body.  There was
something about Yancy’s last statement that Raleigh wasn’t too sure about,
though it was not so much what his brother said as it was how Yancy had said
it.
***** Corruption *****
Chapter Notes
     Now I don't want to jinx anything, but I think I'm really on a roll
     here in terms of updating, and it really is because of the support
     I'm getting. Thanks to OP and bluebluebonnet for the consistent
     feedback; it's really helpful. With luck, I'll have at least one more
     update up by tonight, which is already one more update than I had
     been expecting to write. I don't think I've ever posted updates this
     quickly in my life!
If it weren’t for his younger brother, Yancy might not had remained friends
with Jeremy and Kyle. The three older boys were in high school now, all at the
age of sixteen. Raleigh had joined them that year as a freshman, still a year
ahead of his age group and the youngest in his entering class. The younger
Becket was nearing the end of his awkward years, and pretty soon he’d go
through a much needed growth spurt and start turning some heads.
Raleigh still tagged along with his brother pretty much everywhere he went, and
Jeremy no longer kicked up much of a fuss, partly because Raleigh wasn’t
looking like such a little kid anymore but mostly because he had gotten used to
having Yancy’s little brother around. It turned out, Jeremy actually
occasionally liked playing the big brother role himself, and he’d sometimes
take the time to introduce Raleigh to things Yancy couldn’t, like how to tile a
roof and other basics of construction work. Now when Jeremy and Yancy got into
fights, it was over how close Raleigh was getting to Jeremy.
The tension between the two boys got particularly heated one day when Yancy
found out Jeremy was teaching his little brother a thing or two about girls.
Yancy waited until he was able to isolate his friend before confronting him. He
did it right after they had gotten off the bus and all the other kids had
dispersed to go home. It was just him, Jeremy and Kyle—Yancy had told Raleigh
to wait to get off at their usual stop and walk home by himself. Raleigh
reluctantly agreed only after Yancy promised him that he’d be home for dinner.
Raleigh told his brother that he’d be waiting.
A thick, heavy silence fell upon the three boys. Yancy and Jeremy were locked
in an unofficial staring contest, and Kyle’s eyes darted between his two
friends, the fingers on one of his hands fidgeting nervously.
“Well?” Jeremy said tartly. “What is it this time, Yancy? Spit it out. I can
tell you’re pissed about something.”
The tips of Yancy’s ears were turning pink. “You showin’ my brother some
pictures from dirty magazines, Jerry?”
Jeremy’s stern expression changed to that of amusement. “Oh, that’swhat this is
about? You serious, Yancy?”
Yancy frowned. “S’not funny, man.”
“Hah! Sure it is! Come on,Yancy!” said Jeremy. “Get a grip, dude! The kid’s got
to learn about the birds and the bees sometime.”
“Sure, but not from you,” Yancy said, shaking his head. “And sure as hell not
the way you’re teaching it. The kid’s too young for all that shit.”
“Oh please, Yancy,” said Jeremy. “Don’t act like we weren’t looking at ‘all
that shit’ when we were his age.”
“No, youmight have,” Yancy said, jabbing a finger at Jeremy’s chest. “But I
sure didn’t spend all my allowance on that pile of junk.”
“Hey, I'll have you know that it’s quality literature!” Jeremy snapped. “Not my
fault if you can’t get yours up reading them.”
“Why, you little mo—”
“Hey!” Kyle said, finally stepping in to intervene. “Guys! Knock it off,
seriously! Are we going to keep doing this every time?”
The two other boys addressed their friend in unison. “Shut up, Kyle!”
“No! Y’allshut up! Bothof you!” Kyle barked. “Seriously! I’ve had it up to here
with all your bullshit. Jeremy. Stop showing Yancy’s brother pictures of
scantily clad women without the man’s permission.”
“Who are you, my mother?”
“No, but you know exactly how to piss Yancy off, and you also know that that’s
what sets you the fuck off,” said Kyle. “So stop fucking doing it. It’s
annoying as shit.”
“Whatever. You’re always taking his side, man,” Jeremy grumbled.
“The hell I am!” said Kyle. “Honestly, sometimes I don’t know what I’m thinking
still hanging out with you guys, the walking time bombs the two of you are.”
Kyle sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The other two boys fell silent.
“But you two are the only best friends I’ve got,” Kyle continued. “So I guess
that’s why I put up with all the crap.”
He looked between his two friends. “Jeremy? You go on home, man. Cool your
head. We’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
Jeremy stuck out his chin. “Fine. Only ‘cause I don’t want to piss you off too,
Kyle. Later.”
Kyle let out another sigh and shook his head as Jeremy turned to walk away.
“Fucking hot head,” he muttered before turning to his other friend. “Yancy. You
and me. Let’s walk.”
Yancy half-smiled. “What, now you’re my sitter?”
“Don’t be an ass,” Kyle said, smiling a little despite himself. “Our homes are
in the same direction anyhow. Besides, I think we should talk.”
They began walking the opposite direction from Jeremy. Yancy shrugged.
“Talk about what?” he asked. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Sure there is, man,” said Kyle. “You know Jeremy isn’t trying to take your
place or anything, right?”
“Damn right he’d better not be,” Yancy said darkly. “I’m the only brother
Raleigh needs.”
Kyle frowned. “See? That’s it right there. You need to lose that attitude,
man.”
Yancy scoffed. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“I don’t, do I?” Kyle said tiredly. “Man...we get it, okay? Jeremy and I both
do. You have a brother complex.”
“What’s your point, Kyle?”
“My point,” said Kyle. “Is that it’s okay to love your brother, but you’re
taking things a step too far—you always have. You can’t protect the kid from
everything, man, and you sure as hell can’t keep on holding his hand forever.
Raleigh’s got to grow up sometime.”
“He’s growing up just fine,” Yancy said stubbornly.
“Yeah, on yourterms,” Kyle said with a frown. “Listen, man. I can’t say I know
what it’s like, since I don’t have siblings myself, but I’m pretty sure you’re
taking this protectiveness thing to a whole 'nother level.”
“Well if you don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Yancy. “Then you
should probably mind your own business then, shouldn’t you?”
“Yancy!” Kyle said with exasperation.
“Ky-le,” Yancy said mockingly.
Kyle shook his head. “Look man, your baby brother's a genius, but book smarts
will only take him so far in life. You're not helping him by keeping him in the
dark about everything else. You've really sheltered him, Yancy. Despite how
much he knows academically, people could really take advantage of him. It's
amazing to me how he doesn't know about even half the things you and I knew at
around his age.”
Yancy didn't respond, but he frowned at his friend's words. The boys were about
to walk up to Yancy’s house when the front door flew open. Raleigh ran up to
them with a huge smile on his face.
“Yancy!”
Kyle watched as Yancy wrapped his brother in a warm bear hug. “Heya, Rals.”
“What took you so long?” Raleigh asked. “Where’s Jeremy?”
“Had to go home first,” Yancy said before looking over at Kyle. “You want to
join us for dinner?”
“Nah, dude,” Kyle said, shaking his head and looking between the two brothers.
“Yancy...you’ll think about what I said, won’t you?”
Yancy had one arm wrapped possessively around Raleigh’s waist and was absently
ruffling his brother’s hair with his other hand. He gave Kyle a half-smile.
“Yeah, all right.”
Kyle nodded. “See you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
Raleigh looked up at his brother curiously as they walked back into the house.
“Yancy? What’s he talking about? What did Kyle say to you?”
Yancy let out a sigh. “He thinks...well, he thinks that I’m not doing such a
good job of being your older brother.”
Raleigh frowned. “What? That’s ridiculous, Yancy! You’re the best big brother
ever!”
“Thanks, Rals,” Yancy said with a small smile. “But you know...I think he might
be right about one thing.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Raleigh…” Yancy said, seemingly about to change the subject. “What time did
mom and dad say they were going to be home today?”
“Mm...not until late, I think, why?” Raleigh asked.
Yancy’s fingers trailed absently across his younger brother’s back; his eyes
grew clouded and his expression unreadable. “Let’s go to our room first, Rals.
I think it’s about time I showed you something.”
Raleigh shrugged. “Okay. Whatever you say, Yancy.”
Yancy half-smiled. “Good kid.”
The older Becket felt his mouth start to dry as he led his unsuspecting brother
up the stairs. Raleigh’s hand felt hot in his own. There was a rational part of
Yancy that was yelling loudly at him not to do what it was he was about to do,
but there was a greater part of him that just couldn’t help himself.
“So you said Jeremy showed you some naughty pictures earlier today, didn’t
you?” Yancy asked.
He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw his brother flush. “Um...y-
yeah…”
Yancy slightly tightened his grip on his brother’s hand. “Well...did you like
‘em, Rals?”
Raleigh’s face turned a deeper shade of red. “I-I dunno, Yance...m-maybe…”
When they got inside their shared room, Yancy shut the door behind them and
clicked the lock into place. Raleigh looked up at his brother questioningly.
“Yancy…?”
The smile on his older brother’s face was half-apologetic, and partly feral.
“Jerry and Kyle think I haven't been doing completely right by you. They think
it's about time I stepped it up and taught you some things.”
Raleigh's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Like what? What do you mean,
Yancy?”
“I mean...” Yancy said, trailing a finger down the side of Raleigh's face.
“About stuff big boys know about. Things older kids do. Like sex.”
His little brother let out a small gasp and all the color rushed to his face.
“B-but Yancy...! I thought you said I was too young to be learning all that.”
“Well Jeremy sure seemed to think you were about ready,” Yancy said, somewhat
bitterly. “And Kyle and I had a little chat on our way back home. He talked
some sense into me, and it looks like I may have been a little wrong.”
Raleigh took an unconscious step back as his older brother took a step forward.
The message in Yancy's eyes was still hard to decipher.
“I canbe wrong sometimes, can't I, kid?” he asked.
“Uh...I...I don't know,” Raleigh stammered. “I-I guess you can...”
“So? What do you think then?” Yancy asked with a slight shrug. “You think you
might want to learn a little something?”
“I...I don't know, Yance,” Raleigh said, somewhat uncertainly. “How would you
even teach me?”
Had Raleigh known better, he would have probably found a way to avoid the
situation altogether or at the very least word his question differently.
Unknowingly, he had pushed himself and his brother onto a path that would
change the nature and course of their relationship forever.
When Yancy spoke again, his voice was lower. “We'll start slow.”
He placed his hands on Raleigh's shoulders and guided his brother slowly back
to their bed; Yancy's bed. Raleigh had his own, but he hardly ever slept in it.
Their parents stopped checking in on them years ago, so neither of them were
aware that the two hadn't grown out of their habit. Yancy pushed his brother
until he fell into a sitting position on the mattress. Yancy took his place
beside his sibling.
“Now Raleigh,” said Yancy. “You remember how I told you sometimes we're going
have secrets that we shouldn't tell mom or dad?”
Raleigh nodded slowly. “Yeah...?”
Yancy half-smiled. “Well, this is going to be one of those things, all right?”
“Mm...okay,” Raleigh said, frowning slightly. “What is it you're gonna tell me,
Yancy?”
“Not tell you,” Yancy said, shaking his head. “What I'm going to teachyou,
Raleigh.”
“Okay...what are you going to teach me then?” Raleigh asked.
Yancy brought his face closer to his brother's. “I'm going to teach you how to
kiss, Rals.”
His brother blinked confusedly at first, but then his lips curled into a small
smile. “Oh. Is that all, Yance? Geez, you scared me there for a second. Come
on, I already know how to do that, Yance. You taught me that already.”
“Yeah, but I only showed you the kiddie version,” Yancy said, chuckling.
“You're a big boy now, aren't you, Raleigh? Don't you want to know how the big
kids do it?”
“There's another way to do it, Yancy?” Raleigh asked. “How?”
Yancy dared to lean in a little closer and when he responded, his voice was
husky. “Mm...want me to show you, Rals?”
A light shade of pink dusted his younger brother's face. Raleigh nodded.
“Uh-huh. Sure you can, Yance! I want to know.”
Yancy closed his eyes and gently rested his forehead against Raleigh's. “Then
when I kiss you this time, on the lips like I always do...I want you to do
something real simple. I want you to open your mouth a little for me. Think you
can do that, Rals?”
He smiled when he felt his little brother nod. “Mmhmm! I can do that, Yancy.”
“Good,” Yancy said. “Now close your eyes.”
“Mmkay!”
Yancy pressed their lips together and he inwardly smiled at his younger
brother's eager compliance. He slipped in his tongue without hesitation and
felt a thrill rush through him when Raleigh gasped into the kiss. The exchange
was somewhat awkward at first, because Raleigh didn't know what to do at first,
but he had always been a quick study. In seconds, the younger boy had managed
to guess that he should swirl his tongue in the opposite direction of Yancy's.
He shivered when his older brother hummed in approval. When Yancy was finally
satisfied he pulled back, leaving Raleigh a little breathless. Yancy chuckled.
“Well, what do you think, Rals?” he asked softly. “You like that? Hm?”
Raleigh looked at his brother, confusion clear on his face. “I...I'm not sure,
Yance. I don't know. It was...different.”
A light frown formed on Yancy's features. “You think it was good different or
bad different?”
Raleigh shook his head. “Mm...I don't know...Yance?”
“Yeah, Rals?”
“Was that...” Raleigh trailed off and his eyebrows knitted together. “Was
that...sex?”
Yancy blinked at first and then he threw back his head and laughed. “No. No,
Rals. That was just me teaching you the way grown ups kiss.”
“Oh...”
Yancy misinterpreted his brother's tone for disappointment. He brought his face
close to Raleigh's again and tucked a finger under his brother's chin.
“But it's that type of kissing that leads to sex, Raleigh,” said Yancy. “Don't
you worry though...I'll take you there when I think you're ready.”
Raleigh frowned. “Huh? Take me where, Yancy?”
Before his brother could respond they were interrupted by the sound of the
front door opening downstairs. Yancy cringed and muttered under his breath.
“Shit..." 
Raleigh tilted his head to the side. “What is it? What's wrong, Yancy?”
“Nothing, kid,” Yancy said with a smile and ruffled his brother's hair. “I
thought you said mom and dad wouldn't be home until later?"
Raleigh shrugged. “I said I thought they'd be home later. They didn't really
tell me what time.”
Yancy let out a small sigh and smiled at his brother while tousling his hair
once more for good measure. “Seriously...what am I going to do with you,
kid...?”
“What?” Raleigh asked with a grin.
“Yancy!” their mother called from the floor below. “Can you come down here and
help us with the groceries?”
“Yeah, ma!” Yancy hollered back before looking back at Raleigh. “Remember kid.
Don't tell mom or dad anything.”
Raleigh nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
“Now, Yancy!”
“Yeah! All right! Okay! I'm coming! Geez,” Yancy shouted back.
Raleigh watched his brother's backside as he got up and left the room. A few
seconds passed before Raleigh decided to sprawl out on the bed on his side. He
brought a hand slowly up to his mouth, frowning a little as he tried to make
sense of everything. Everything had happened so quickly that Raleigh couldn't
say for sure whether he hated what his brother did, but he also couldn't say
with confidence that he had liked what had happened either.
Raleigh felt his eyes flutter while listening to his brother and parents
unpacking below. He drifted off to sleep wondering if his brother would have
them kiss before bed using the new way he'd been taught from now on, and if he
were to be completely honest, there was a part of him that wasn't too sure
about how he felt about that. Something told him though that he would be
figuring it out though. Eventually. 
***** Predation *****
Chapter Notes
     I got too tired, so I wasn't able to finish this update last night,
     but now here it is! I'm aiming to get at least one more chapter out
     by the end of the day, but no promises! In the meantime, I hope those
     following this story enjoy this update, and I look forward to hearing
     what you all think. Reviews are always the greatest motivator in
     pushing my writing forward!
They kept it to nothing more than light make-out sessions for a year.  It took
all of Yancy’s self-control not to take things any further, and not to devour
his brother when Raleigh let him have his way right before bed.  He had made
that mistake once, early on and not too long after Yancy had taught his brother
how to kiss with tongue, and he never did it again; it hadn’t felt good.
On the night of the incident, Yancy had gotten lost in the heat of his one-
sided passion.  No matter how much Raleigh gave into him, it was as if Yancy
couldn’t get enough.  Finally, Raleigh had whimpered and pushed against his
shoulders.  Yancy had pulled away immediately, but his expression betrayed the
mixture of his lust, pain, and confusion.
“Stop it,” said Raleigh.  “I don’t want to do anymore, Yancy.  It’s tiring.”
Yancy sighed and pressed a few gentle kisses on his brother’s face down to his
neck before resting his head against Raleigh’s shoulder.  He whispered his
apologies.
“Sorry...I’m sorry, Raleigh...I won’t let that happen again.  I’m sorry…”
“No, I…” Raleigh trailed off and his expression was scrunched in conflict.  “I
guess we can still...I don’t know...it’s just...just not so long next time,
okay, Yance?  Please?”
He relaxed upon feeling Yancy do the same.  His older brother rolled over to
the side and brought Raleigh closer to his chest.  Yancy ran his fingers
through Raleigh’s hair and whispered atop his head.
“Yeah, kid.  I promise I won’t.”
For the remainder of that year, Yancy had kept true to his word.  Then
something happened that neither boy had been expecting.
About a week had gone by since Raleigh turned fourteen.  He was getting too big
to share beds with Yancy, and so now he made use of the bed on the other side
of the room to sleep.  That morning, Yancy was roused by his brother early in
the morning, at around five o’clock.
“Yancy…!” Raleigh hissed as he nudged his brother’s sleeping form.  “Yancy, get
up!”
His older brother groaned and began to stir.  Raleigh rocked him harder.
“Yancy!  C’mon!  Please!”
“Mm...a’right, a’right…” Yancy grumbled.
He rubbed at his face with his hands before stretching and rolling over.  Yancy
opened his eyes and it took a few seconds for them to adjust to the dark.  He
propped himself up on the side by the elbow and ran a hand over his face with
his free hand.
“What is it, Rals?” Yancy asked quietly.  “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t get it to go down, Yance…”
Yancy frowned and slowly pushed himself into a sitting position.  “What?”
“My...my you know…” Raleigh mumbled.  “I tried to go to the bathroom and I
can’t get it to go down and it’s a little uncomfortable.”
It took a minute for him to process what his brother was saying, but when he
did, Yancy’s posture became rigid and he suddenly felt rather alert.  He
gripped his hands tightly around tufts of his bedsheets.
“That’s...I guess you’re at about that age now,” Yancy said as he swallowed
down the lump forming in his throat.  “Don’t worry, Rals...it’s normal.”
Raleigh looked bewildered.  “It is?”
“Yeah…” Yancy said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose with his thumb and
forefinger.  “Listen, Rals...anyone teach you yet how to take care of yourself
down there?”
He asked even knowing what his brother’s answer would be.  “No…”
Yancy sighed.  “All right.  Come on.  Let me show you.”
He got out from his bed and held a hand out to his brother, who took it.  Yancy
then guided Raleigh to their bathroom down the hall.  Yancy locked the door
behind them and turned on the lights; when he did, both boys flinched and
allowed their eyes to adjust.
Yancy caught Raleigh’s gaze and spoke softly.  “Okay, now Rals...this...this is
going to be another one of those things we can’t tell our parents, okay?”
Raleigh nodded quickly.  “Yeah, okay.  I don’t think I’d want them to know
about this anyway...this is pretty embarrassing.”
Yancy half-smiled.  “It’ll be fine, kid.  Okay, now drop trou.”
His brother’s eyes grew round.  “Right now?  In front of you?”
“Hey, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before,” said Yancy.  “I’m the one that
used to wash and change you when you were just a tyke.”
“Well, yeah,” Raleigh said, face flushing.  “But I was a little kid back then,
Yancy!  I’m sure...I’m sure it looks different now.”
“Yeah.  I bet you’re bigger,” Yancy said with a grin.
Raleigh’s face turned tomato-red.  “Yancy!”
“Relax, kid,” said Yancy.  “Look...if it makes you feel better, I’ll do it with
you.”
He made his brother gasp when he unceremoniously dropped his pants.  Raleigh’s
eyes darted around, unsure of where to look.  After a pause, Yancy pulled off
his shirt too.  Raleigh shifted the weight on his feet nervously.
“All right,” said Yancy.  “Now you.”
“I thought we were only taking off pants?” Raleigh whispered.
Yancy chuckled.  “Yeah, but I thought about it, and it’s your first time, kid.
 Things might get messy.  You’ll get better at it though.”
“I don’t know…”
“Come on,” said Yancy.  “You want it to stop feeling so tight or what?”
Raleigh frowned.  “Mm...yeah, I guess…”
“Then hurry up,” Yancy said, climbing into the bathtub.  “Take everything off
and get in the tub with me.”
Raleigh bit his lower lip.  “Okay…”
He reluctantly slipped out of his clothes and joined his brother.  Yancy pulled
over the shower curtain after Raleigh got in.  The older boy couldn’t help
raking his eyes over his brother’s lithe frame.  He wet his lips nervously upon
seeing his brother’s erection.
“All right, good,” said Yancy.  “Now look down at where my hand is, and watch
me.”
Raleigh nodded and slowly lowered his gaze.  Yancy could feel his own face
becoming flushed as he reached down and began to stroke himself.  The corners
of his lips quirked upon seeing his brother’s jaw drop slightly.  
“You can make it do that?” Raleigh gasped.
“That’s right, kid,” Yancy said breathlessly.  “Pay attention.  This is
something I can’t really do every minute.”
“O-okay.  Why?  Does it hurt?” Raleigh asked, mistaking his brother’s
expression of pleasure for pain.
Yancy chuckled.  “Nah.  It feels...it feels real good, kid.  Real nice.  Come
on, try it with me.”
Raleigh looked uncertain.  “I…”
Yancy half-smiled.  “Just wrap your hand around it, Rals.  It’s okay.”
Raleigh did as he was told, his face burning.  Yancy nodded.
“Good.  Now move your hand up and down.”
His brother complied and Raleigh flinched at the sensation.  Yancy caught him
as Raleigh’s knees buckled.  Raleigh buried his face in his brother’s shoulder.
“That felt so weird, Yance!”
Yancy laughed softly.  “Yeah, I bet it did.”
“I’m not sure if I liked it,” Raleigh whispered, shaking his head.
“You didn’t even give yourself a chance,” said Yancy.  “All right.  Listen,
let’s try this a little differently.  Turn around?  We’re going to try this
sitting.”
Raleigh scrunched his nose.  “The tub’s going to be cold.”
“That’s okay, kid,” Yancy said, chuckling.  “Trust me, it’s not going to matter
in a minute.”
“Mm...all right…”
The two boys seated themselves on the base of the bathtub.  Yancy’s breath
hitched when his younger brother’s backside pressed up against him.  Raleigh
was settled between Yancy’s outstretched legs.
“Your thing’s hard,” Raleigh said with a light frown.
“Yeah.  No different from yours,” said Yancy.  “All right, Rals.  Here’s what
we’re going to do…”
He took hold of his brother’s hands.  “We’re going to try this again.  Wrap
your hands around yourself and start sliding.  I’ll help.”
“Okay...ah!” Raleigh gasped, arching his back at the sensation.
Yancy brought one of his arms up and wrapped it around Raleigh’s waist, holding
his younger brother down.  “Shh...I know it feels good, but try to hold your
voice in, Rals.  We don’t want to wake up mom and dad.”
“Mm...I’m trying Yance, but it’s not easy,” Raleigh said, pressing his head
against Yancy’s shoulder.  
He mewled again as Yancy helped to pump him harder.  Yancy’s hand wandered from
Raleigh’s waist to his chest, and his brother moaned when Yancy trailed a
finger around his nipple.  Yancy chuckled and pressed his face against his
brother’s.
“You’re too loud, Rals…”
“Nn...can’t help it.  Feels good, Yancy,” said Raleigh.  “My arm’s getting
tired though.  How much longer?”
Yancy half-smiled.  “You’ll get better at it.  Want me to finish it for you,
Rals?”
His brother flushed.  “Mm...yeah...okay.”
“All right,” said Yancy.  “We’ve got to do something about your noises though.
 I think I know just what to do.”
He brought a finger under his brother’s chin and forced Raleigh to turn his
head.  “Come on, Rals.  Give me a kiss.”
Their lips pressed together and Raleigh whimpered when Yancy pulled their hands
away.  He gasped when Yancy wrapped his hand around him again.  Instinctively,
Raleigh’s hands flew behind him and clasped around the back of his brother’s
neck.  His pleasured moans were muffled by Yancy’s mouth and he bucked his hips
in time with his brother’s hand.  In a few seconds Yancy managed to push him
over the brink, and Raleigh shuddered as he came all over himself and his
brother’s hand.  He whimpered and his body twitched involuntarily.  His brother
trailed light kisses down from his temple to his shoulder, and Yancy also ran
his hands soothingly over Raleigh’s shivering frame.
A few minutes passed before Raleigh’s shaking stopped and he slowly opened his
eyes.  He looked up at his brother through half-lidded eyes.  Yancy’s eyes
appeared glazed and with something reflected in them that Raleigh didn’t
recognize.
“Y’alright, Rals?” Yancy asked.
Raleigh nodded.  “I think so...I feel a little tired now though.”
His brother chuckled and ran a hand through Raleigh’s hair.  “Yeah...don’t
worry.  That’s normal.”
“Mm…”
Raleigh adjusted himself pushed apart from his brother.  Both boys shuddered at
the sudden loss of warmth.  Raleigh’s eyes flitted to his brother’s nether
region.  When he looked up to meet his brother’s eyes, he bit his lip.
“What about you, Yance?” Raleigh asked.
Yancy hesitated and for the briefest of moments he thought of taking things a
step further and imagined how it would feel to have his brother’s lips wrap
around him, but he quickly pushed away the thoughts.  He shook his head and
motioned toward the door.
“Don’t worry about me, Rals.  I’ll take care of it,” said Yancy.  “You just get
dressed and head back to bed.”
“But…”
“No,” Yancy said firmly.  “I only did this to show you, okay?  This is
something you’re going to have to do by yourself from now on.  It’s not...it’s
not something we’re supposed to do together, okay kid?”
Raleigh frowned.  “It’s not?”
“No, it’s not,” Yancy confirmed, shaking his head.  “Go on.  Get out of here,
kid.”
Raleigh blanched and his mouth opened and shut a few times like a fish before
he finally found the sense to get up and move.  Yancy watched, his heart
sinking as his brother scrambled to gather his clothes and rush out of the
bathroom.  After his brother had gone, Yancy sighed and slowly rose to his
feet.  It was over.  Whatever hold that he had held over Raleigh had most
certainly disappeared with Yancy’s confession—he knew his brother was too smart
not to figure it out after that, but Yancy knew that it had to be done.  He had
known it for a while, but out of his own selfish need he had kept the truth to
himself, all this time.
Yancy put an arm up against tiled wall and leaned forward, pressing his eyes
against his flesh.  His other hand trailed downward and he wrapped it tightly
around himself as he began to pump.  He came to the memory of his brother
moaning and releasing into his hand.  Afterward, slowly, Yancy dropped to his
knees and assumed a prostrate position.  
His friend Kyle had been right—he loved his brother too much, and the way he
was showing it was unhealthy.  Yancy didn’t want to hurt his brother, and he
knew that in order to do that, he’d have to stop.  He just didn’t know how.
***** Sickness *****
Chapter Notes
     Okay, SO! I know this update is getting posted later in the day than
     usual, but I hope the extra long length more than makes up for it! I
     didn't think this chapter would get this large, honestly, but it just
     kept on growing and growing! Enjoy, and as always, I would appreciate
     it if you took the time to review! (By the way, curious to hear what
     people think about my OCs. Are they bearable? I'm not sure what to
     make up the lack of feedback on them, lol. I hope readers see them as
     decent supporting characters in the story!)
The touching didn’t stop; not completely, but both boys were now more aware.
 Raleigh was more cautious around his brother, and Yancy did his best not to
force his sibling to do anything he didn’t want to.
Unfortunately, Yancy sometimes lost the struggle and his desires won out.  He’d
give his brother one look and Raleigh would know what was coming.  If Raleigh
had put up more of a fight, maybe Yancy would have stopped, but the younger boy
could never bring himself to do it.  As much as he didn’t like what Yancy did,
Raleigh didn’t harbor any hate in his heart for his brother.  He recognized
that his brother needed help, but Raleigh didn’t know how to get it to him
other than by doing the only thing he felt that he could do for his brother.
 When Yancy wanted him, Raleigh gave in.
Granted, his brother was gentle with him, never going beyond kissing and light
caresses, but in the back of his mind, Raleigh couldn’t help but to think how
it would probably only be a matter of time before his brother would crave more.
 Part of him wondered when that would be, with dread, and the other part of
himself wondered how he’d feel or react toward the situation once it ever got
to that point.
What Raleigh did hate, however, was his physical reaction to the intimacy.
 Yancy had ensnared him in his tangled web without allowing Raleigh the chance
to get a grasp of his own identity and sexual preferences, so he didn’t know
whether the reason for his reactions to Yancy’s touch was because he also
yearned for it, or if it was due to being conditioned early on by his brother.
 He didn’t know whether to just enjoy the attention or to feel disgusted with
himself for being unable to do anything other than respond.
Sometimes, Raleigh found himself wishing that his brother had never made him
aware that what they were doing was taboo.  Since his brother’s admission,
Raleigh had found himself paying closer attention to news articles and read
books upon books relating to their situation.  Raleigh’s decision not to report
Yancy’s actions to their parents or to the authorities was a direct result of
what information Raleigh was able to glean through his own research.  Despite
the assurances of the end of a nightmare and some peace of mind, Raleigh
ultimately didn’t think it was worth the sacrifice.  The idea of him and his
brother being separated, most likely for good, unsettled Raleigh.
Which is how he came to the stubborn conclusion that he had to figure out a way
to help his brother on his own.  Baby steps, Raleigh figured, was the best way
to go about it.  He knew Yancy would try his best.  After all, even Raleigh
knew what the world did—that even though Yancy’s way of showing devotion was
twisted, it was still love.  Raleigh needed only to ask his brother to jump and
Yancy’s response would undoubtedly be to ask how high.  If Raleigh had been a
less rational being himself, he probably could have thought up of more sinister
things to do with his and his brother’s current arrangement.  At the very
least, the objective between the brothers was the same—each wanted for the
other to be happy.  It was just a matter of figuring out how to come to some
sort of balance.
At present, the situation in their house was tense.  The first appearance of
giant beasts from the ocean known as Kaiju occurred a few months shy of Yancy
and Raleigh’s eighteenth and fifteenth birthdays, respectively.  Sometime after
that, their mother was diagnosed with cancer, and her condition was
deteriorating rapidly; doctors didn’t expect her to live past a year.  Despite
the prognosis, their mother insisted on continuing to smoke her cigarettes, and
as the weeks went by their father turned to drink for comfort.
Shortly after that, public service announcements were being made by the
government, asking young men and women to come to arms.  Yancy’s friend Jeremy
was on the fence, because his father expected him to join the family
construction business full-time after graduating high school.   His other
friend Kyle had been quick to respond to the call, probably due to the fact
that he had the blood of two military soldiers running through his veins.  His
other friend Jeremy was on the fence, because his father expected him to join
the family construction business full-time after graduating high school.  Yancy
might have enlisted with the first round of recruits too, if it hadn’t been for
his brother.
Initially, Yancy had thought about joining the Pan Pacific Defense Corps to
serve as a distraction away from Raleigh.  He figured that his brother could
benefit from the distance, and maybe even begin to develop a sense of normality
in his life.  At some point, Yancy had gone to a week-long seminar with Kyle,
and afterward quickly came to the decision that he would enlist.  Then, their
father’s drinking habit took a nasty turn.
Yancy knew something was wrong right away when he and Kyle rounded the corner
and arrived at his house.  The shutters were closed and the house appeared
dark.  Yancy’s expression became grim and Kyle looked at him questioningly.  
“What is it, Yancy?” Kyle asked.  “What’s wrong?”
“Shit…” Yancy cursed.
He surprised Kyle when he abruptly dropped the bag he was holding and broke off
into a sprint.  Kyle picked it up for him and chased after his friend.
“Yancy?  Hey, man!  What’s going on?”
“We’ll talk later, Kyle!” Yancy said, shaking his head before muttering.
 “Fuck…”
He got out his keys and jammed them into his front door’s lock, twisting them
around before kicking the door open.  Kyle stood at the bottom of the house’s
front steps, his own bag slung over his shoulder and Yancy’s at his side,
looking up at his friend in concern.  He heard Yancy holler as he rushed
inside.
“Raleigh…?  Da—Raleigh!”
Kyle slowly walked up the steps with both bags.  He tried to look in through
the open front door, but it was hard to see due to the fact that everything was
dark.
“Hey, Yancy?” he called.  “Everything all right, man?”
He jumped, slightly startled when Yancy suddenly appeared at the door with a
stormy expression on his face.  “Everything’s gonna be fine.  Just go home,
Kyle.  You can leave my bag at the door; I’ll get it later.”
Kyle frowned.  “You sure?”
Yancy sighed.  “Yeah, I’m sure.  Just go home, man.  I’ll call you later.”
“A-all right…” Kyle said, somewhat uncertainly.
Yancy surprised him by shutting the door in his face.  Kyle stuck around for a
few minutes, straining to hear the voices inside.
“What the fuck happened, Raleigh?  Where is he?”
The only thing Kyle could hear of Raleigh’s replies was the low volume of his
voice.  The rest came through like incoherent mumbles.  Yancy’s voice, however,
came through loud and clear.
“Don’t you give me that shit, Rals!”he heard Yancy snap.  “Just because mom’s
not feeling great doesn’t mean he has a right to do whatever the hell he wants!
 Damn it!  When I find out where the fuck in this house he’s passed out—”
“Yancy, wait!”
Kyle stood straighter when he heard Raleigh speak, but then the voices grew
quieter.  A few seconds went by and just as he was about to step off the
Becket’s front porch, he heard Yancy again.
“What...what did you say?”
Kyle didn’t catch Raleigh’s reply.  Whatever it was though, given the context
Kyle had of the conversation and judging from Yancy’s lack of immediate
response, it probably wasn’t anything good.  He waited a few more minutes, but
the conversation grew quiet again, and Kyle wasn’t able to pick up anything
else.  After another second or two, Kyle finally decided to give up and he made
his way back down to the main sidewalk.  He casted one last look at the house
from over his shoulder before walking in the direction of his own.  At some
point he pulled out his phone and dialed Jeremy’s number.
Meanwhile, the news that Raleigh had told him caused Yancy to stagger and lean
all his weight against the nearest wall.  Raleigh drew closer to his brother’s
side and looked up at him tearfully.
“Yance…”
His older brother shook his head.  “When...when did it happen, Raleigh?”
“Tuesday…”
“Tuesday?  God…” Yancy closed his eyes and turned to rest his head against his
arm.  
Raleigh hesitantly placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.  “You couldn’t have
known, Yance...you were away.”
Yancy shook his head again and looked at his brother.  “Why...why didn’t you
call me?”
Raleigh gave him a sad smile.  “Dad said not to…”
Yancy frowned.  “Since when did you start listening to his sorry drunk ass?”
At this, Raleigh lowered his eyes.  Realization dawned on his older brother’s
face.
“No...Rals…” said Yancy.  “You...you tried to, didn’t you?”
His brother cowered when Yancy pushed off the wall.  “Yancy, I…”
“That’s why he did this to you, didn’t he?” Yancy growled.
He motioned his hand up and down Raleigh’s body.  The boy had cuts and bruises
all over.  Yancy unconsciously reached out and gripped his brother’s arms.
 Raleigh winced.
“What did he say was his reasoning?” Yancy asked.
Raleigh bit his lip.  “Yancy...you’re hurting me…”
His brother immediately loosed his grip.  “Shit, Raleigh...I’m sorry.”
Raleigh shook his head.  “It’s okay, Yance…”
Yancy sighed.  “Talk to me, Rals…”
“He just got mad that I tried to call you,” Raleigh said with a half-smile.
 “When he said not to.”
“I’m calling bullshit if you’re telling me that’s all,” said Yancy.  “What else
did he say?”
Raleigh shook his head again.  “Don’t worry about it, Yancy.  It’s not
important.  What’s done is done.”
“The hell it is,” Yancy said, eyes narrowing.  
“Yancy…”
Yancy ran his fingers gingerly through his brother’s hair.  “I don’t care
howjustified he thought he was, Rals.  He never should have laid a hand on you
like this.”
A brief silence fell between them.  Yancy broke it with a sigh.
“He in the kitchen or the living room?”
Raleigh reached up and placed his hands around his brother’s, which were now
cupping his face.  “Don’t do this, Yance...leave him alone.”
Yancy ignored him.  “Kitchen or living room, Rals?”
“Yance…”
“Fine.  That’s okay,” said Yancy.  “I’ll figure it out.  Wait for me upstairs,
Rals.”
“C’mon, Yance…!”
“Now, Raleigh,” said Yancy.  “Don’t make me say it again.”
Raleigh’s lip quivered.  “All right...okay, Yance...I will.”
He pulled away from his brother and moved toward the stairs.  He stopped at the
base and looked at Yancy.
“Just...just don’t hurt him or anything, okay?” Raleigh requested softly.
“No more than you,” said Yancy.
He sighed when Raleigh glared at him.  “I’m serious, Yance.”
“Yeah, yeah, all right,” said Yancy.  “I’ll try.  Now go on.  Up you get.  I’ll
help you get cleaned up later.  Sit tight for me in the meantime, yeah?”
Raleigh nodded.  “Okay.”
Yancy watched his brother go up the stairs.  After Raleigh was out of sight,
Yancy curled his fists and walked in the opposite direction.  He checked the
kitchen first and then went to the living room when he didn’t find who he was
looking for.  He found their father passed out on the ground next to a half-
empty bottle of liquor.  Yancy stood next to him and glowered down at the man.
 He recalled the bruises on his brother’s body.
Yancy narrowed his eyes and gave his father’s backside a solid kick.  “Get up,
old man.”
His father grunted, but otherwise showed no other signs of movement.  This made
Yancy more angry.  He kicked his father again, harder.
“Get up, you fucking son of a bitch.”
The man groaned and Yancy took a step back as he watched his father come to and
try to reorient himself.  “What the…”
Yancy roughly kicked his father again.  “Wake up, you bastard.”
“Fuck!” his father cried out, scrambling to stand.  “Yancy?  What the hell are
you doing, son?”
“That’s the question Ishould be asking you!” said Yancy.  “Look at the mess you
are!  Pull yourself together!”
His father staggered into a standing position.  “Don’t you fucking preach to
me, boy!”
“Then act like a man instead of being the pathetic drunk you’ve allowed
yourself to become,” said Yancy.
His head jerked back when his father punched him in the face.  “Watch your
mouth, boy!  Remember who you’re talking to!”
Yancy laughed darkly as he rubbed at the sore spot on his face.  “Oh, that’s
rich.  First you beat up on Raleigh, and now you’re trying to do the same thing
to me too?  Is that what you’ve turned into?  A fucking child beater?”
“You boys have forgotten an awful lot about how to respect your elders,” his
father spat.
“Well you’d have it, if you weren’t so busy drowning in your sorrows and
pissing all over yourself,” Yancy snapped.  “Listen, Dad.  I’m real sorry to
hear about Mom, but now’s not the time to go and lose your head.”
His father shook his head.  “Look at you, boy.  You just found out that you’ve
lost your mother and you haven’t even shed a tear.”
“That’s ‘cause it hasn’t sunk in yet!” Yancy shouted.  “I’m home for less than
an hour after having been away for a week and I find out my mother’s gone, my
brother’s been beat, and the man responsible is not only our father, he’s
fucking passed out ‘cause he’s drunk on his ass!”
“That’s your own damn fault,” said his father.  “You knew your mother was sick
and yet you still decided to go on that trip with that military brat friend of
yours.”
“His name is Kyle,” said Yancy.  “And you leave my friends out of this.”
“Whatever.  Kyle, then,” said his father.  “Doesn’t change the fact that you
don’t have your priorities straight, son.  Your fight ain’t out there on the
front lines with them damn Kaiju creatures, never was.  It was here.  At home.
 Has been, all along.  You were the one who decided it was all too good for you
and walked away.”
“I didn’t turn my back on anything!” Yancy shouted.  “I had my phone on!  You
should have called me!”
“And what, then?  You would’ve dropped everything and come running?” his father
challenged.  
“What do youthink?”
His father shook his head.  “That’s what your little brother said too, but I
done set him straight.  You need to learn to deal with the consequences of your
actions, boy.”
Yancy clenched his fists.  “You had no damn right, you old coon!”
His father silenced him with another blow to the head.  Yancy screamed through
his teeth and raised a hand to nurse his injury.  
“I’ll do what I damn please, boy,” said his father.  “I put you two ungrateful
little shits into this world, and I sure as hell can take you both out of it.”
Yancy surprised him by turning on his father and punching him right in the gut,
with all his might.  His father doubled over and groaned.  Yancy didn’t stop
there—he put everything he had into his strikes—he kneed, punched, and kicked
his father in all sorts of places.
“Say and do to me what you want,” said Yancy.  “But don’t you everfucking
everlay a finger on Raleigh again and think I’ll just sit back and let you get
away with it.”
His last blow sent his father reeling and sprawled out on the ground on his
backside.  Yancy towered over his father, and both men were breathing heavily.
 Finally, his father let out a slightly deranged laugh.  Yancy frowned and
kicked his father in the side.  The older man grunted, but continued in his
maniacal laughter.
“The fuck are you finding so funny?” asked Yancy.
“Because I see how it is, son,” said his father.  “Hell, your mother and I have
always known how much you’ve always cared for your little brother…”
Yancy shook his head.  “Get to the point, old man.”
His father stopped laughing at looked at his son somberly.  “We’ve always known
that, except...I don’t think your mother ever realized how much you love little
Raleigh.  Hell, I don’t think I even realized how much you loved him until just
now.”
“What are you even talking about, old man?” Yancy growled.  “Of courseI love
Raleigh.  He’s my little brother!”
“That’s right,” his father said, nodding.  “But with Raleigh is where it begins
and ends for you, boy.  It’s been like that since the day that child was born.
 Same with him.”
“Okay?  So what are you trying to say?” asked Yancy.
His father sighed.  “The truth is, I don’t think you boys ever needed us.  Not
since you have each other.  You two are living in a world all your own.”
He picked up the bottle of liquor he had been nursing and took a swig before
continuing.  “Think about it, son.  The real reason why you’re so upset.  It’s
not because your mother’s gone, and it sure as hell isn’t from watching me
waste my days—and believe me son, I know.  I know exactlyhow you feel about
these days I spend all my time drinking.”
Yancy frowned.  His father took a couple steps back and plopped down on one of
their single-seater sofas and took another gulp from his bottle.  He tilted the
bottle’s neck toward Yancy.
“You’reupset because you don’t think your brother ever has to get what he
deserves,” said his father.  “But I tell you, Yancy.  That boy needs to learn
the way life works sometime.”
Yancy shook his head in disgust.  “Shut up, old man.  You’re drunk.”
“That may be,” his father agreed.  “But that doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m
talking about.”
“You’re wrong,” Yancy said, turning toward the doorway leading back out into
the hall.  “That absolutelymeans you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Listen, son,” his father said just before Yancy left the room.
Yancy looked behind him.  “What is it, old man?”
“You and I aren’t as different as you think, boy.”
Yancy tensed.  “The hell you talking about now?”
“I meanthe way you consider Raleigh as the sun to the solar system of your
little corner of the universe,” his father said, tiredly.  “And it islittle,
Yancy.  Your mother and I didn’t do right by you.”
Yancy shook his head.  “I don’t get what you’re saying.”
“Your mother and I were young when we had you too,” his father said with a
sigh.  “Too young to know what in the world it was we needed to be doing.”
Yancy didn’t say anything to that.  His father continued.
“When we saw how quickly you took to taking care of Raleigh, I remember we had
thought then, ‘Hallelujah!  This will sure make our lives easier,’” his father
said with a half-smile.  “Of course we hadn’t thought too hard about it then,
the fact that kids learn mostly from example.  By watching us.  Observing the
parents and seeing how they live.”
Yancy shrugged.  “All right.  So?”
His father chuckled as he downed the last of his drink.  “So...we never taught
you boys  how to live with others in mind.  You both only know how to see and
work with what’s in front of you, and who the hell cares about the rest.”
The older man settled back comfortably in the sofa-chair.  “Think about it,
son.  It was the same way for us—for your mother and I, and now she’s gone.
 Now here I am, as you say, sitting here drunk off my rocker.”
“Dad…”
His father put up a hand.  Yancy fell silent and his lips pressed into a thin
line.
“This, boy, is the result of a man who's gone all-in on one investment and
never once put a thought to what he would do or how he would handle things if
one day he woke up and discovered that he had gone and completely lost it,” his
father said quietly.  “And when I look at you and see a reflection of my
younger self staring at me as plain as day...I can’t help but to wonder how
your mother and I allowed for this to happen.”
The man pushed himself up in his seat.  “Think son.  Think about how you’d be
if something were to happen to your brother.”
Yancy frowned.  “Nothing’s going to, Dad.  Not if I can help it.”
His father shook his head.  “See?  Now that’s it.  That’s exactly what I’m
talking about, son.  Now think about what you’d be like if something came up
where you couldn’t help it.  You honestly think I’d let your mother go and die
from cancer if I could help it?”
“Raleigh’s not going to get cancer, Dad,” said Yancy.  “He doesn’t smoke; he
never has, and I’ll never let him.”
His father half-smiled.  “That doesn’t mean he’ll never catch the disease,
son.”
“Quit talking like that, Dad.”
“Hey now, I’m just being realistic here,” said his father.  “Say Raleigh gets
real sick and goes and dies on you too.  What then, son?  What will you do?”
“Well, I sure as hell won’t be you,” Yancy said with certainty.  
His father sighed.  “One can only hope that you'll do any better, boy.”
“Don’t worry, I will,” Yancy said firmly, putting his hand against part of the
doorframe.  “Now are we done here?  Or is there anything else you’d still like
to say?”
“Nah,  go on, boy,” his father said, waving Yancy away.  “I’m done wasting my
breath.”
“Good,” said Yancy.
He had been just about to go through the door when he hesitated and looked back
at his father.  “Oh, and Dad?”
“Hm?”
“Don’t you everlay a hand on Raleigh ever again,” said Yancy.  “Or I’ll have no
problem kicking your ass all the way to kingdom come.”
His father shook his head.  “Listen to that mouth on you, boy.  This is how
you’ve grown up and come to address your father...where in the hell did your
mother and I go wrong with you?”
Yancy scoffed.  “Well, from the beginning, apparently...I mean, isn’t that what
you said?”
The boy then turned and left the room.  His father leaned back further in his
chair and exhaled deeply as he interlocked his fingers over his midsection,
eyes dark and void of all emotion.
“Ain’t that the truth, son,” he whispered to himself.  “Ain’t that the truth…”
Raleigh jumped up from the bed he had been sitting on when Yancy swung open
their bedroom door.  His eyes widened upon seeing the bruise forming on his
brother’s cheek.

“Yancy!”
“Hey, kiddo,” Yancy said with a small smile, pulling his brother into a warm
embrace.  “How you feeling?”
“Still a little sore…” Raleigh admitted.  “But Yancy!  What happened?  Your
face!”
The older boy chuckled.  “It’s nothing much.  Not like I can’t handle a hit or
two.”
“Yance…”
“It’s fine, kid,” Yancy said, ruffling his brother’s hair.  “As for you,
though...come on now, let’s take a better look at you.”
Yancy gently pushed his younger sibling away from himself and scanned his eyes
over Raleigh’s battered body.  He let out a small sigh.
“Dad really pulled a number on you, didn’t he, kid?”
“It’s all right, Yance,” Raleigh said, lifting his chin.  “It was only one time
that he did it.  Nothing I can’t handle.”
Yancy shook his head and half-smiled.  “Well...don’t worry, Rals.  You won’t
have to get used to it.  I talked to Dad and made sure of it.”
“What did you guys talk about, anyway?” Raleigh asked, eyes downcast.  “I heard
a lot of yelling…”
“Nothing you really need to worry yourself about, squirt,” said Yancy.  “All
right, now...come on.  Let’s head to the bathroom and get you cleaned up.  You
go on ahead in there first, I’ll go and grab the first-aid kit.”
“Okay…”
When Yancy entered their bathroom with a little white box, he found his brother
waiting for him, sitting on the toilet seat with his hands clapped over his
knees.  Yancy shut the door behind him, then he set the kit down on the ground,
kneeled, and looked up at Raleigh.  
“All right, kid,” he said.  “Show me everywhere that hurts.”
Raleigh paused for one moment.  Then, he took in a deep breath and lifted his
shirt.  Yancy’s eyes widened slightly in surprise to see the bruises littered
over his brother’s skin.
“Fucking bastard…” Yancy muttered under his breath.
Raleigh turned around slightly and bit his lip.  “He got the back a little too,
I think…”
Yancy got up and frowned as he inspected his brother’s backside.  “Shit, Rals!
 What’d the old man hit you with?”
“It was punches at first,” said Raleigh.  “Then at some point he used a bottle
of vodka, I think...I don’t know...I can’t remember.  It all happened so fast
and then I blacked out.”
“You blacked out?” Yancy growled through gritted teeth.
“Yeah…” Raleigh said, nodding slowly.  “I think he might have hit me on the
back of the head when I tried to get away…”
Yancy cupped his hands around his brother’s face and pressed their foreheads
gently together.  The older boy closed his eyes.
“Damn it, Rals…” Yancy whispered, voice tight.  “I’m never leaving you alone in
this house with that man ever again.”
“He’s just hurting, Yancy…” Raleigh said softly.  “Mom’s gone and he misses
her.”
Yancy opened his eyes and looked into his brother’s oceanic depths.  “Yeah, but
that doesn’t mean he has a right to lay a hand on you.”
Raleigh tilted his head.  “Well...maybe he doesn’t know what else it is that he
can do.  Dad’s never been good at expressing his emotions.  You know that,
don’t you, Yance?  You’re a little bit like that too.”
Those words made his brother freeze.  Raleigh’s brows furrowed together in
concern as he looked up at his brother.
“Yance…?”
Yancy closed his eyes as he his father’s words from earlier echoed in his mind.
 “You and I aren’t as different as you think, boy.”
“Yancy.”
Raleigh’s voice shook his older brother out of his thoughts.  Yancy looked down
at his brother and smiled, suddenly feeling very tired.  He ran his fingers
gently through Raleigh’s blonde locks.
“Alright, kid.  Here’s what we’ll do,” said Yancy.  “I’m going to start up a
nice, warm bath for you and let you get in and soak your sore spots.”
“Okay,” said Raleigh.  
Yancy got up and set the first-aid kit on top of the bathroom sink.
 “Meanwhile, I’m going to be back in the room, sitting and waiting for you.
 Come get me when you’re finished, okay?”
“Sure, Yancy,” said Raleigh.  “But…”
His brother raised an eyebrow.  “What?”
Raleigh opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but then shook
his head.  “Nothing.  Never mind.”
Yancy nodded.  “All right…”
He moved beside Raleigh, leaned over the bathtub, and turned on the tap.  A low
vibration hummed through the wall and soon water was pouring out of the faucet.
 Yancy stuck his hand underneath the flow of water and waited until he was
satisfied with the temperature before drawing it away.  He then got the plug
for the bathtub from one of the cabinets underneath the sink, and then used it
to clog the drain.  While the water filled its basin, Yancy went back to the
same cabinet and pulled out a bag of bath salt that their mother used to use
for long baths.  Raleigh watched quietly as his brother distributed the soluble
properties with his hands.  When he was finished, Yancy dusted his hands off on
his pants and stood up.  He zipped up the bag of salt, put it off to the side,
and looked at his brother.
“It’s there if you want to add more of it,” he said.
Raleigh nodded.  “Thanks, Yance.”
He got up, and his brother turned to leave the room.  Raleigh stopped him.
“Hey, Yance?”
“Yeah, Rals?” Yancy said, looking at his brother in mild confusion.  “What is
it?”
A light frown settled over Raleigh’s face and he shifted the weight on his feet
with uncertainty.  Yancy raised an eyebrow at him.
“Come on, kid,” Yancy said.  “Spit it out.  The water’s going to get cold.”
“Ah, yeah, right, sorry…” Raleigh said before straightening his posture, as if
he had just made his mind up about something.  “Think you could do me a favor,
Yance?”
His brother shrugged.  “Sure, Rals.  What is it?”
Raleigh half-smiled.  “Wash my back for me?”
Yancy blinked.  “What?”
His brother suddenly shed off the rest of his clothes.  Yancy quickly averted
his eyes, startled.  
“Geezus, Raleigh!”
“What?” Raleigh said, looking both confused and amused at the same time.  “It’s
not like you haven’t seen this before…”
“I...I know, but...fuck,” Yancy said, closing his eyes and holding the bridge
of his nose.  “Look, just hurry up, get in there, and then turn your back to
me.”
“Okay, Yance.”
His older brother sighed and didn’t open his eyes until he heard Raleigh step
into the bathtub.  Yancy wet his lips nervously and then knelt down behind his
brother.  
“Alright, Rals,” said Yancy.  “Pass me the loofah.”
Raleigh did.  He swung the bath sponge over his shoulder.  Yancy took it and
rubbed the back of his neck. 
“Uh...and the soap,” he said.
Raleigh chuckled and handed Yancy the bar of soap.  His older brother gave him
a sheepish smile and waved his finger in a circular motion.
“Turn back around, Rals.”
His younger brother did as he asked.  “Mmhmm…”
Yancy let out a sigh before he wet the sponge and then rubbed it against the
bar of soap.  He then set the bar down on the edge of the tub before gently
rubbing it against his brother’s back.  Raleigh leaned forward with his arms
wrapped around his legs and his chin tucked between his knees.  
Raleigh spoke up after a few minutes of silence.  “You’re different today…”
There was a slight pause in Yancy’s motion, but his hand didn’t stop
completely.  “What are you talking about, Rals?”
His brother laughed lightly and turned around.  Yancy swallowed and did his
best not to let his eyes wander below his brother’s face.  Raleigh smiled at
him and took hold of his brother’s hand.
“You love me today,” he said softly.
“What…?  What do you mean, Rals?” Yancy said, his brows knitting together.
 “I...I love you everyday.”
Raleigh nodded.  “Yeah...yeah, well...that may be true, but never like this.”
Yancy shook his head.  “Like what, Rals?”
“You’re my brother today,” Raleigh whispered with a small smile.  “For the
first time...there’s nothing you’re coming to me for.  You’re not here with me
right now just so that you can get from me something that you want. I don't
think you've ever done anything like this before, Yance.”
“Raleigh…”
“It’s nice, Yancy,” his brother said, leaning forward and resting his forehead
against one of Yancy’s shoulders.  “I likethis...I wish things could stay this
way forever.”
Yancy ran his fingers through his brother’s hair and placed a kiss atop
Raleigh’s head before letting out a sigh.  “Yeah, kid...I know.”
He gently pushed his brother back and lifted his brother’s chin with his hand.
 His heart warmed at the sight of Raleigh’s smile.  Yancy pulled his hand away
and smiled back.
“Finish washing up, kid,” Yancy said, placing the puffy sponge next to where he
had laid the bar of soap earlier.  “Get dressed and come get me when you’re
done.”
“Okay, Yance.”
Yancy ruffled his brother’s hair.  “Good kid.”
He then got up and left the bathroom.  After he had gone, Raleigh settled
himself back into the bathtub and began washing over the rest of his injuries.
 In a few minutes he had cleaned up, dried off, and pulled the plug so that the
used water could flow down the drain.  He got dressed and walked into the
bedroom while drying his hair with a towel.  Yancy was sitting on his side of
the room, reading a book.  When he looked up at him, Raleigh smiled.
“All done, kid?” Yancy asked.
Raleigh nodded.  “Yep.”
Yancy got up from the bed.  “Okay.  Got any scratches aside from the ones on
your face?  I didn’t see any on your back...don’t think I took a good look at
your front side though.”
Raleigh shook his head.  “Nope, don’t think so.”
“Okay,” said Yancy.  “Back to the bathroom then, where I left the kit.  Let’s
get you patched up.”
“Sure.”
The two boys went back into the bathroom and Raleigh sat on the toilet seat
with the lid closed.  Yancy popped open the first-aid kit and took out what he
needed.  The door to the bathroom was left open slightly ajar.  The pair
settled into some light and comfortable conversation, neither hearing the
footsteps coming from down the hall.
Their father, at some point, decided that he’d go up and check on the boys.
 The fight from earlier with Yancy had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he
supposed he should at least go and apologize to his sons.  He stopped though,
when he saw the light on in the bathroom and heard the laughter of his sons
trickle out through the slight crack in the door.  Upon hearing the jovial
sounds, a shadow cast over the older man’s face and he turned and stumbled back
down the steps.  From his point of view, the boys were doing just fine without
him, and neither sounded particularly shaken by the loss of their mother.
From inside the bathroom, Yancy thought that at one moment he had heard a noise
outside and he frowned.  Raleigh looked up at him curiously when Yancy’s hand
halted in its movement.  He tilted his head to the side.
“What is it, Yance?”
“Hold on,” Yancy said.  “I want to check something.”
Raleigh shrugged.  “Okay.”
Yancy turned around and poked his head out the door.  He looked to either side,
but there was no one in sight.  Yancy shook his head as he went back to his
brother’s side.
“Weird.  Never mind,” he said.
Raleigh raised an eyebrow.  “Something wrong?”
“No, not really,” Yancy said, shaking his head.  “I just thought I heard
something.”
“Oh, okay.”
Yancy pressed a third bandage over a cut on Raleigh’s forehead.  “There.  That
should do it, kid.”
Raleigh tapped at the dressing with his finger and smiled.  “Thanks, Yance.”
Yancy smiled back.  “You’re welcome.”
Raleigh stretched his arms and covered his mouth with a hand as he yawned.
 “Well, that does it, then.  I’m beat."
Yancy chuckled.  “Me too, kid.  Come on, let’s go and get some shut eye.”
“Yeah.”
The two went back into their bedroom and Yancy put the first-aid kit away.
 Having forgotten about his bruises, Raleigh thoughtlessly plopped onto his bed
and instantly regretted it, and sat up immediately.
“Damn it, that was stupid,” Raleigh said, hissing from the pain.
Yancy frowned.  “Careful, Rals.”
“Gee, thanks for the advice, Captain Obvious.”
His older brother chuckled and rapped his knuckles lightly on top of his
brother’s head.  “Don’t get lippy with me, kid.”
Raleigh laughed and batted his brother’s hand away.  “Hey, I do what I want.”
Yancy brought his hand down to the side of his brother’s face, ran a thumb over
his cheek, and gave him a small smile.  “Yeah you do, kid.”
He then took a step back and cocked his head over to one side.  “Come on, Rals.
 Lie down.  I’ll tuck you in.”
Raleigh leaned back and did as his brother asked, the corners of his lips
quirking upward.  “Aren’t I getting too old for you to do this for me?”
Yancy’s eyebrows quirked in amusement.  “You?  No way.  You’ll never get too
old for me, Rals.”
Raleigh scrunched his eyebrows together and laughed.  “That’s totally not what
I said, Yance!”
“Whatever,” Yancy said, shaking his head.  “I’m tired now, give me a break,
kid.”
He tucked his brother’s blankets around him and then leaned over his brother’s
bed.  Yancy placed one hand on the space beside Raleigh’s head and he brought
his face down close to his brother’s.  Yancy’s eyes were shut halfway and his
lips hovered dangerously over his brother’s.   His younger brother looked up at
him and laughed a little nervously, the smile on his face slightly fading away.
 Raleigh’s eyebrows furrowed together and his eyes looked into Yancy’s as if he
were searching for something.  
He asked his brother his question with a soft whisper.  “Yancy…?”
Confusion and uncertainty began to fill his eyes when his brother didn’t move.
 Raleigh hesitated, taking in a small breath while he took a minute to decide
something within himself.  It didn’t take him long to come to a decision
though, and he slowly lifted his hand.
“Yancy…” he started.
This seemed to snap his brother out of his frozen state.  His brother blinked,
then frowned and shook his head.  He put a thumb against his confused brother’s
lips and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against his brother’s.  
“No, Raleigh,” he said quietly.
No to what, Raleigh wondered.  He thought his brother had wanted to kiss him.
 Yancy had never hesitated to take what he wanted from his brother before, so
Raleigh couldn’t help but to feel curious as to why his brother was being so
shy about it now.  Not that Raleigh was really complaining, per se—it was
admittedly nice to be having somewhat of a normal dynamic with Yancy—however,
Raleigh hadn’t carried any illusions that his brother would be able to maintain
the charade forever. At the same time, a small sliver of hope began to rise
within him, that perhaps his brother's ways could change after all.
Yancy further surprised him by pressing a kiss to his forehead instead before
walking over to his side of the room.  Raleigh turned over in his bed.
“Yance?”
His brother slipped under his own covers, turned his back to Raleigh, and let
out a small sigh.  “Go to bed, Rals.”
“But Yancy—”
Yancy let out a yawn and Raleigh couldn’t tell if the noise his brother was
making was real or fake.  “Come on, kid.  It’s late.  Let’s go to sleep.”
Raleigh bunched the covers around himself a little tighter and he felt his eyes
begin to flutter.  “Hm...all right.  Okay, Yance.”
Soon, Raleigh gave in to his body’s demands and closed his eyes.  He didn’t
need to see to hear the small smile in his older brother’s voice when he
responded.  
“That’s a good kid.”
Both boys drifted off into a mostly peaceful slumber.  The next morning, it was
Yancy who woke up first.  He was roused by the sound of someone walking about
and some slamming from outside.  
Yancy sighed and rolled over in his bed.  He squinted his eyes to take a look
at time shown on their clock.  It was seven in the morning.  It was a Saturday,
so neither boy really needed to be up before nine.  Most weekends, if the boys
didn’t have plans, they would typically sleep in until noon.
The older boy rubbed a hand over his face and then looked across the room where
his brother was.  Raleigh was still breathing softly, fast asleep.  Yancy, for
a brief second, buried his face into his pillow and let out a small breath
before slowly getting up and out of bed.  He padded over quietly to the center
of the room and put a finger behind the curtain, pulling it slightly toward
himself so that he could take a peek outside.  He squinted his eyes as his eyes
were suddenly flooded with light; Yancy blinked a few times and gave them some
time to adjust.  When they did, Yancy frowned as he looked down at what was
happening below.
Their father was loading some things in the back of his pickup truck.  Yancy’s
jaw tensed when he realized what his father was loading into the car—it was all
the little things that either belonged to him or their mother had owned.
Yancy’s attention was momentarily diverted when he heard his brother stir.  He
quickly stepped away from the curtain and cursed softly when he banged his heel
against the nightstand behind him.  Raleigh turned in his brother’s direction
and groaned, slowly propping himself up by the elbow and rubbing at one of his
eyes with his hand.
“Mm...what’s going on, Yance?” Raleigh asked hoarsely.  “What time is it?”
“Go back to bed, Rals,” Yancy whispered.  “It’s still early.”
“Nn...alright,” Raleigh said as he closed his eyes, turned over and hugged a
pillow to his chest.  “Why’re you up though?”
Before Yancy could respond, their father got into the truck, slammed the car
door, and started the car.  The older boy winced as Raleigh suddenly bolted
upright and looked at him with a frown.  Their father's car always started up
with a distinctive rumble.
“Yancy...just now, that...that was Dad’s car, wasn’t it?” Raleigh asked.
His brother’s shoulders slumped slightly.  “Raleigh…”
The younger boy jumped out of bed and rushed over to the curtains.  He threw
them open and both boys flinched at the sudden overflow of light.  Raleigh
squinted his eyes and looked down below at their driveway.  His eyes widened
when he saw what he was looking for and he looked at his brother.
“Yancy!” he said.  “That isDad!  It looks like he’s leaving!”
Raleigh frowned when his brother didn’t respond.  “Come on, Yance!  What are we
just standing here for?  We’ve got to stop him!  Come on!”
Yancy raised his hands up slightly, a slight frown forming on his features.
 “Rals, I don’t think…”
Raleigh smacked his brother’s chest lightly with the back of his hand.  “Come
on, Yancy!  There isn’t time!  He’s leaving!”
Yancy simply stood back and watched as his brother rushed out the door.  He
closed his eyes and listened to his brother storm down the steps.  When he
heard the front door creak open and slam shut, Yancy looked back out the window
and down below.  He watched Raleigh chase after their father’s car and shout.
“Dad!  Daaaaad!  Wait!  Come back!  Where are you going?!  Dad, please!”
Yancy forced the tears back into his eyes as he watched Raleigh fall slowly to
his knees in their driveway.  Finally the older boy moved.  He quickly made his
way out the door and crouched down by his brother’s side so that he could clasp
a hand on Raleigh’s shoulder.  His younger brother turned to him and sobbed
into Yancy’s shirt.
“He didn’t look at me once, Yancy,” said Raleigh.  “I don’t know if he even
heard me!”
Yancy wrapped his arms around his brother and patted his back soothingly.
 “Shh...shh...it’s okay, Raleigh...everything is going to be okay…”
“No it’s not!” Raleigh cried out, hugging his brother back tightly.  “God,
Yancy...did you see the stuff that he packed in his trunk…?  I don’t think he
plans on coming back...ever.”
Yancy rubbed his brother’s back until Raleigh’s tears subsided.  When his
brother spoke again, his voice was soft, tired.
“Yancy...why would he do this?” Raleigh asked.  “Why would he want to leave
us?”
There were a million things his brother could have said, but he chose not to
say them.  Instead, he opted for a simple answer.
“I...I don’t know, Rals,” Yancy said with a shrug.  “But whatever his reasons
were...I think he decided this by himself a long time ago.  I don’t think there
was anything we could have said or did that would have changed his mind.”
Raleigh pulled back and looked at his brother, eyes red.  “You really believe
that, Yance?”
Yancy half-smiled.  “Yeah, kid.  I honestly do.”
He shrugged again.  “You know Dad hasn’t been the same since mom got sick.”
Raleigh sighed and buried his face into Yancy’s chest.  “Yeah, I guess…”
Yancy pat his brother’s back again.  “You ready to go back inside, kid?”
He felt his brother nod.  “Yeah...guess so…”
“All right,” Yancy said, ruffling his brother’s hair.  “Come on then, get up.”
His brother complied and together they walked back into the house, Raleigh
leaning against him and Yancy’s arm wrapped around his brother’s shoulders.
 Yancy guided his brother to their living room and had him sit on the couch.
“Here you go, kid,” said Yancy.  “You sit tight there...I’ll go and whip us up
some breakfast.”
“Okay,” Raleigh said, leaning back in his seat.  “Hey...Yancy?”
Yancy turned back and looked at his brother.  “Yeah, Rals?”
His little brother looked at him, his eyes still sad.  “Don’t you go and leave
me too...okay?”
Yancy gave his brother a curt nod.  “Yeah.  Okay.”
“I’m not just saying that, Yancy,” Raleigh said with a sigh and then spread out
on the couch longways.  “Can you promise?  ‘Cause I don’t think I’d like it so
much if I were to be all by myself.”
Yancy quietly regarded his brother’s tired frame.  “Yeah, kid.  I promise.  You
don’t have to worry about me doing anything like that, Rals...I’m not planning
on going anywhere.”
“Good,” Raleigh said, slowly closing his eyes.  “Don’t you even dare.”
Yancy half-smiled in response and then slipped into the kitchen.  Before he
started to flip through the cabinets and scour the fridge, Yancy walked over to
where the cordless phone was, sitting in its charger on the far side of the
room.  He picked it up and punched in a number that he had memorized by heart.
 It wasn’t that Yancy had an impeccable memory, and it certainly was quite rare
in this day and age, but Yancy only ever really called two people in his life
regularly—Kyle and Jeremy.
The phone rang three times and when someone finally picked up, the voice was
raspy on the other end.  “Mm...hello?”
“Kyle,” Yancy said, in a voice loud enough for his friend to hear, but low
enough that Raleigh couldn’t possibly be able to listen in.
“Huh?  Yancy?”  
Yancy chuckled; he could almost see his friend trying to figure out what time
it was.  “Yeah, man, it’s me.”
He heard Kyle groan as the other boy stretched.  “Well, what’s up, dude?
 Why’re you calling so early…?”
Yancy hesitated before answering his friend’s question.  “My Pops left us this
morning.”
He could almost see his friend go still in his bed, blink, and then frown.
 “Huh?  Do what…?”
Yancy rubbed the back of his neck.  “He left us, Kyle.  For good, I
think...watched him pack all his things in the pickup and drive off.”
He heard his friend’s bed creak; Kyle was probably moving to sit up.
 “Shit...Yancy.”
“I know,” said Yancy.  “The worst of it is, Raleigh woke up and saw it too...he
ran after him, but my old man didn’t look back at him.  Not even once…”
“Damn, man,”said Kyle.  “How’s the kid doing?  He okay?”
Yancy shrugged even though he knew his friend couldn’t see.  “Honestly...I
don’t know man.  I mean, I think he’ll be fine.  Eventually.  He was crying
earlier though…”
“Mmn...anything Jeremy and I can do?”Kyle asked.  “I mean, I’m guessing that’s
at least part of the reason why you’re calling me now?”
Yancy chuckled and shook his head.  “Nah, man.  That’s not it at all.  I’ll
call Jeremy later, but I’m just calling you now because we were supposed to
meet up at around nine so that we could both go head to the academy together,
remember?”
There was silence on the other end at first, and then Yancy laughed when Kyle
started to curse from the other end.  “Shit man…good thing you woke me up!  I
just realized I totally forgot to set my alarm.”
“Yeah, I was wondering why you still sounded like you were in bed,” Yancy said
with a smile.
Kyle laughed.  “Yeah...and that makes sense though.  With your dad gone, you
can’t really leave Raleigh there all by himself now, can you?”
“No, I can’t,” Yancy agreed.  “And he’s too young to take with me, too.  They
won’t let anyone under eighteen enlist.”
“You know, I wonder if Jaeger pilots are extended amenities similar to what
they give some other branches of the military.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, like on-base family housing,”said Kyle.  “The only problem is, the
waiting lists for those are usually long as hell…”
“Yeah, I bet,” said Yancy.  
“I could try to check for you though, when I go.”
“I’d appreciate that, man.”
“Sure.  I don’t mind looking into that for you.”
“Thanks.”
There was a brief pause, and then Kyle spoke again.  “So what’s going to happen
to you guys then?  Like with the house and everything?  Legally speaking,
that’s bound to get messy.”
“Yeah,” Yancy said with a grimace.  “But you know...at least my dad had the
sense not to high-tail it until afterI turned eighteen.”
“You seriously think he planned it that way?”Kyle asked incredulously.
Yancy laughed a little.  “No...no man.  I honestly don’t think that man’s ever
thought that far ahead in his life.  I was only being sarcastic.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah…”
“...so what are you going to do, then?”
Yancy threw a hand up in the air and then brought it back down on the back of
his head.  “You know what, man?  I don’t know...I’m just going to have to play
it by ear.”
“Yeah.  Guess so,”said Kyle.  “What are you guys up to now?”
“I think Raleigh’s just taking it easy on the couch,” said Yancy.  “And I’m
about to make us some breakfast.”
“Cool.  Can I come over?”
Yancy laughed.  “Yeah, of course you can, you asshole.  What are you coming
for?  To say goodbye or for the free food?”
“...to spend time with you and your brother?”
Yancy snorted.  “Good answer.”
“Thought so myself!”Kyle said, chuckling.  “You gon’ call Jeremy?”
“No, I fucking hate that prick!” Yancy said, jokingly.
“Yancy!”Kyle scolded in mock-horror.
Yancy shook his head and laughed.  “Don’t worry, man.  When we get off the
phone, the next person I’m going to call is going to be that dumbass.”
“Heh.  He’s going to be fucking pissed off that you’re calling him this early
in the morning.”
Yancy half-smiled.  “Hey, when I remind him it’s your last day and give him the
offer of free food, he’ll shut up real quick.”
His friend laughed.  “Yeah, true.  All right then.  I’ll see you in a few.”
“Yeah, see you soon.”
Both boys hung up and Yancy dialed Jeremy’s number next.  He was surprised when
his friend answered after the first ring.
“Yancy?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s up, man?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Yancy said, shaking his head in amusement.
 “How come you’re up so early?”
His friend’s laughter crackled through from the other end.  “I work full-time
with my dad’s construction company now, remember?  Our days start early.”
“Shit man,” said Yancy.  “That’s right.  So how early is early?”
“Mad early, dude.  Like five-thirty.  Sometimes four.”
“Damn...I don’t know how you manage to sound so chipper in the morning,” said
Yancy.  “I sure as hell couldn’t do it.  Hell, I’m surprised you’re even doing
it now!  When I dialed your number, I thought you were going to be pissed!”
“You’re right, but that was the old me,”said Jeremy.  “New me knows better, or
I get an ass-whoopin’ for complaining.”
Yancy chuckled.  “Ah, that’s right...keep forgetting your dad’s such a
hardass.”
“Hm...yeah,”said Jeremy.  “Listen, Yancy…”
“Yeah?”
“My dad and I...we’re working on this house across the street from this one gas
station, right?”
“Uh-huh…” Yancy’s lips twitched at the corners.  “You trying to tell me a joke
or something, Jerry?  What are you trying to get at?”
“No, no, man, nothing like that,”Jeremy said with a small laugh.  “Nah...it’s
just...my dad and I saw your dad’s pickup.  You know, Cherry Red?”
Yancy’s smile faded upon hearing his friend’s nickname for his father’s truck.
 “Ah...mm...mmhmm?”
“I don’t know...my dad tried to wave him down and talk to him, but he looked
distracted...didn’t pay any attention at all to us.  It was real unusual.”
“Mm…”
“Listen, so...I just wanted to ask…”
“Uh-huh...yeah?” said Yancy.
“...everything alright with you guys over there, Yancy?”
Yancy sighed.  “You know...if I’m going to be honest, that’s sort of the reason
why I’m calling you right now, Jerry.”
“Damn...yeah, I thought so,”said Jeremy.  “What’s going on then?”
“Long story short…” said Yancy.  “Dad’s packed up and left...I’m pretty sure
for good.  Raleigh’s not doing so hot...and Kyle’s coming over to hang out for
a bit.  It’s his last day, you know?”
“Last day?  What are you talking abou—ohhhh...shiiiit,”said Jeremy.  “You guys
were both supposed to head off to the Jaeger school today, right?  Damn, man!
 I totally forgot.”
Yancy laughed.  “Yeah, well...given the circumstances, it looks like Kyle’s
going to be taking off on his own after breakfast…he said he’ll get back to me
after he looks into some things though.  On-base military housing for families
or something like that.”
“So you can take Raleigh,”Jeremy said, and Yancy could almost see his friend
nod.
“Yeah.”
“Well, I hope it works out…”said Jeremy.  “You all meeting for breakfast now?”
“Yeah,” said Yancy.  “You’re welcome to come…!  Well, I mean, if your old
man’ll let you off work and all.”
“Ah, yeah, that’d be great,”said Jeremy.  “Hang on, lemme check.”
Yancy half-smiled listening to his friend holler.  “Heeey!  Daaad!  Can you
c’mere a sec?  I’ve gotta ask you somethin’.”
The voices on the other end were slightly muffled while the two Daniels men had
their conversation; Yancy figured his friend either had the phone down at his
side or had his hand placed over the receiver.  After a few seconds he heard
sounds of shuffling from the other side and of Jeremy clearing his throat
before talking to Yancy again.
“Hey, you still there?”
“Yeah, still here."
“Cool.  Yeah.  My pops said it’s okay for me to clock out a little early and
head over there,”said Jeremy.  “I told him I could come back later, but he said
nah, I could hang around over there the whole day today.  That is, if it’s okay
with y’all.”
“Sure, that’d be fine,” said Yancy.  “Raleigh could probably use the company, I
think.”
“Yeah, that’s what my dad was thinking too,”said Jeremy.
“Your dad’s a good man,” said Yancy.  “You tell him I said so.”
“I will, thanks,”said Jeremy.  “Listen, so I’ve just gotta wrap up a few quick
things here…”
Yancy shrugged a little.  “Take your time.”
“Won’t take too long,”said Jeremy.  “Then I’ll be right over.”
“We’ll be here,” said Yancy.
“Cool,”said Jeremy.  “Be there in a jiffy.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Yancy said before ending the call.
Yancy then let out a sigh and placed the phone back in its charging station.
 Then he started poking his head around the kitchen to see what he could find.
***** Violation *****
Chapter Notes
     Another later-than-intended update! Trudging away at this! We're
     nearing the end. Hopefully the next few chapters won't take as long.
     I've collected roughly thirty fills and thought up of three original
     ideas that I've got to get to, and I'm sure the number will just keep
     going up! Hopefully I'll be able to get to them all!
During the year that followed their father’s abandonment, Yancy seemed more in
control of himself than ever, and Raleigh let his guard down.  Yancy did too,
and when one day Jeremy called him after a long day of work asking him if he’d
like to grab a drink, Yancy decided that he would.  Both were mistakes.
Raleigh was in his room when he heard Yancy stagger inside the house, later
than usual that evening.  He could hear his brother talking to himself loudly
and Raleigh felt his stomach flip as he got the sense that something was about
to go very wrong.  His hair stood on end when his brother flung open their door
and stormed into the room.
The first thing Raleigh noted was the smell—his brother reeked of alcohol and
Raleigh shivered, suddenly reminded of their father.  He shrank as far back to
the wall as he could in his bed, even though he knew it’s wasn’t going to be
any use.  He concentrated on keeping his face neutral and breathing even; he
gently bit down on his tongue to keep from whimpering when he felt part of his
bed dip down where Yancy added his weight.  He tried not to gag when his
brother leaned in close, bringing with him the overwhelming scent of liquor on
his breath.  Raleigh’s breath softly hitched when his brother placed his cold
lips against Raleigh’s neck; the younger boy felt goosebumps rise on his skin
from the sensation.
Yancy ran his fingers through his brother’s blonde hair,  hovered his lips over
the younger boy’s ear, and whispered.  “You asleep, kid?”
“Very much asleep,”Raleigh wanted to say to his brother.  “Yancy, please don’t
do this.  Please don’t do what I think you’re about to.”
His silent wishes went unheard.  Yancy’s hand snaked under his shirt and
involuntarily shook when his brother’s hands raked across his chest.  Raleigh
could hear the smirk in his brother’s voice when he heard him speak, and it
made Raleigh feel sick.
“I know you felt that,” said Yancy.  “Come on.  Wake up, Raleigh...”
When Yancy’s hand snaked down under the waistband of his pajama pants, Raleigh
knew that he couldn’t pretend to be asleep any longer.  His brother’s fingers
were talented, and despite what Raleigh wanted, Yancy always knew just how to
make the younger boy’s body react.  He arched his back and let out a moan when
Yancy stroked him in just the right place, and he could feel himself growing
hard.  He gasped when Yancy gently nipped at his lower lip, and reluctantly,
Raleigh opened his eyes.  
“There he is…” Yancy rasped huskily.
Raleigh shuddered.  Even in the dark he could sense his older brother’s need
radiating off of him.  Raleigh reached up his hands and pushed against his
brother’s shoulders.
“Yancy, please…” he whispered.  “Please...don’t do this.”
His brother ignored him and proceeded to yank off his pants.  Raleigh
struggled, but his brother was bigger and stronger.  
“No, Yancy!  Please!” Raleigh begged.  “Stop!  You’re drunk!”
He winced when Yancy pulled roughly at his hair.  “That hurts, Yancy!”
His brother growled into his ear.  “You calling me a drunk, kid?”
“No, no,” Raleigh said quickly.  “I’m just saying I think you’ve had too much
to drink, Yancy?”
“How is that any different?”
“You’re just not thinking straight!” said Raleigh.  “Come on, Yancy!  You know
this isn’t you!  You would never want to do something like this!”
At that moment, a sliver of moonlight highlighted the upper half of his
brother’s face, and Raleigh could see the mixture of pain, sorrow, and deep
desire reflected in his brother’s eyes.  Yancy shook his head.  When he spoke,
his voice was sad.
“Ah, but Rals...you don’t understand,” Yancy said as he slid his hands under
Raleigh’s shirt.  “This...I’ve always wanted this…”
Before Raleigh could protest any further, Yancy pinned his hands over his head
and kissed him roughly.  Raleigh tried to fight back, but it was a losing
battle because Yancy didn’t just have advantage in power, he also knew the key
to turning his brother on.  Raleigh’s heart began to fill with the familiar
feelings of disgust and self-hatred as his brother’s hands explored and
caressed his body, which was starting to radiate with the heat of his own
building lust.  In times like this, Raleigh felt himself go on autopilot,
mentally tucking himself away while his brother did as he pleased.  It was a
defense mechanism that Raleigh had developed for himself at some point in his
life, and probably the main reason why he had not yet lost his mind.  
He flinched when Yancy trailed hot, wet kissing up the side of his neck before
nipping gently at his earlobe.  “Fuck, Raleigh...do you have any idea how
difficult it’s been for me to hold in how much I’ve wanted this?”
Yancy let go so that he could strip himself of his own clothing, and Raleigh
sank further in his own self-loathing.  He knew his brother only released him
because he sensed that it was safe; that Raleigh wasn’t planning on throwing
any punches or make any attempts at escape.  The thought made him sick.  At the
last moment, Raleigh tried to crawl out of bed, but Yancy rounded on him
immediately, slamming him angrily back down onto the mattress.  
He flinched when his brother rasped into his ear.  “You move when I say you can
move.”
Raleigh shut his eyes tightly, only one thought racing through his mind.  “If
it has to happen, Yancy...then make it quick.”
His hands flew to his face and he moaned when Yancy went down on him—his
brother had never done that before—and Raleigh didn’t allow himself to think
too hard about what was happening to him one way or the other.  His body
writhed against his will when his brother’s tongue sent him over the edge.  He
attempted again to turn and run, but his brother grabbed him roughly by waist
and forced him to stay.  Raleigh’s mind was filled with so much panic and
rushing with so many thoughts, he barely heard the words his brother was
saying.  
“Keep still,” said Yancy.  “Stop moving, Rals, or this is going to hurt.”
“What?  What’s going to hurt?”Raleigh wanted to ask aloud, but he had seemed to
have lost the ability to speak.
He yelped when he felt his brother probe him there, and he helplessly clawed at
his sheets and tried to get out of his brother’s iron grip because he wasn’t a
naïve little boy anymore and he had a pretty good idea of what was coming.  He
buried his face into his pillow and screamed into it his frustration.  Raleigh
had held no illusions—he had known that it would only be a matter of time
before things would get to where they were now, but he hadn’t been expecting it
to happen the way that it was.  Yancy wasn’t himself right now.  If he were,
then he would be gentler, of this Raleigh was sure.  After all, his brother had
promised him that he would take things slow, and up until that point, he had
kept true to his word.  Right now his brother was victim to his demons, and was
in an irrational state of mind.  Yancy shouldn’t have been hurting him like he
was at that moment.  Yancy should have been sober.  
“Come on, Rals!” his brother said harshly as he continued to stretch Raleigh’s
insides.  “You needto relax.”
Tears streamed down Raleigh’s face and his body tensed as his brother slipped
out his fingers one-by-one.  There was only the briefest pause of false
security, and for a split second Raleigh wondered if perhaps his brother would
have mercy.  Then, his brother plunged into him and Raleigh screamed because it
felt like his insides were being torn apart.
He screamed until his voice went hoarse, and then his body went slack.  Raleigh
stopped resisting and stared blankly at the wall ahead while listening to his
brother lose himself in his blissful state of unreciprocated ecstasy.  When his
brother finally released inside of him, Raleigh couldn’t tell if the heat he
was feeling was his brother’s seed or his own blood.  He felt his brother
slowly pull out and collapse at his side, and Raleigh didn’t protest when his
brother drew him closer, wrapping the covers tightly around them and mumbling a
bunch of incoherent things into his ear.  Raleigh would have moved had he had
the strength; he really would have liked to clean himself, but he was too
fatigued.  
After a few minutes, the room quieted and the only thing that could be heard
was the mismatched sounds of the the two brothers breathing.  A short while
after nodding off, Yancy’s tight grip around Raleigh’s frame loosened.  Raleigh
laid there, still for several moments before finally dropping his gaze to
Yancy’s arm, which the older boy had crossed over him.  He stared at his
brother’s hand for a while, and then slowly brought up one of his own and
cupped it around his brother’s.  He ran one of his thumbs up and down the
backside of his brother’s hand.  He continued that motion for a little while,
his eyes moist.  
When he whispered into the dark, his voice was shaky.  “Hey...Yancy…?”
His brother didn’t stir, nor did he respond.  Raleigh shut his eyes, flushing
out a steady flow of tears.
“Yancy…?  Are you awake?”
Yancy’s even breathing was his answer.  Raleigh opened his eyes and once again
stared at his brother’s hand.
“I just want you to know...that I know you didn’t mean it,” Raleigh whispered
softly.  “I know you just...you just probably couldn’t help yourself anymore.”
Raleigh sighed and slowly pulled his brother’s hand closer to his lips.  “And I
just want to say that it’s okay, Yance...I understand…”
He closed his eyes and gently pressed a kiss to his brother’s knuckles.  “I
still love you…”
Then Raleigh slipped his hand underneath his brother’s.  His brother shook
lightly with his sobs when he felt Yancy reposition himself, drawing Raleigh
closer to him and interlocking their fingers.  
Raleigh drifted off into uneasy sleep.  In the morning, he was the first to get
up, and slowly extricated himself from his brother’s grasp.  There was nothing
he could do about the bedsheets without waking his brother, and besides, at
that moment he hadn’t had the strength.  Instead, he did what he could and took
with him the covers.  Before he left the room, he took Yancy’s blanket from his
bed and tossed it over his brother’s still-sleeping form.  Raleigh then took
the dirtied blanket out of the bedroom and threw it in the washing machine
before staggering to the bathroom to clean himself up.  When Raleigh stepped
into the shower, he turned on the water and then squatted down, curling himself
into a ball.  His body racked with his sobs and he sat like that for a few
moments before reaching for the bar of soap, trying to focus on the beat of the
warm water coursing all around his body and down his back.
Yancy woke about three hours later and groaned as he turned over in the bed.
 His head was pounding, and the events from the night before were hazy.  He
slowly sat up in his bed and rubbed his hands over his face.  He stopped in
mid-motion when his body shivered from the cold.  Yancy lowered his hands and
then looked down at himself.  He was naked.  Yancy frowned.  He always wore a
shirt and pants to bed; he never slept in the nude.  That was when he noticed
that although he was wrapped in his own blanket, the bed he was on was not his.
 His first thought was maybe he and his brother had switched beds.  He looked
up across the room, but there was no one on his mattress, and Raleigh’s blanket
was nowhere in sight.  Yancy felt his throat suddenly go dry.  When he peeled
his blanket away from his body, that’s when he noticed the dry semen and blood
all over Raleigh’s sheets, and Yancy’s blood ran cold.  
“Oh no.  No, no, no,”Yancy thought frantically as he ran a hand through his
hair and jumped out of bed.  “What the fuck happened last night?”
He went to their drawers and rummaged through the topmost ones, looking for
some clothes to wear as he retraced his steps from the night before in a matter
of seconds.  He remembered spending the day watching the news, keeping himself
updated on the Kaiju attacks while his brother was at school.  Then Raleigh
came home and Yancy had prepared them dinner, over which they discussed various
aspects of each other’s day.  Jeremy’s call to him had come shortly after that,
while Yancy had been washing the dishes, and he had left telling his brother
not to wait up for him.  He and Jeremy had gone to a bar and gotten totally
wasted.  Yancy couldn’t remember if he had taken a taxi home, or if Jeremy had
somehow managed to drop him off.  
What he did remember, was stumbling to his houseand climbing up the stairs.  He
hadn’t meant to look for Raleighat first, he had initially intended to just go
to bed, but then he had seen his brother lying there, so peacefully that Yancy
had suddenly become filled with wantand desireand so much need.  
Yancy shook his head.  It wasn’t possible.  He had thought that last night had
just been another one of his twisted fantasies.
“But did you really?”a small voice inside of himself accused.  “Were you
absolutely, positively, one-hundred percent sure that last night, you thought
all of it was completely nothing more than a dream?”
Yes, Yancy thought.  He had been sure.
“Or maybe that’s just what you’d like to believe,”the voice inside of him
mocked.  “Because it really did feel more real than usual, didn’t it?”
Yancy cursed under his breath.  The voice in his mind laughed.
“That’s because itwasreal, you dipshit.”
And then Yancy remembered.  His brother begging for him to stop.  His brother’s
screams when Yancy penetrated him against his will.  His brother’s tear-
streaked face. Yancy smacked his hands down hard on the top of the chest of
drawers.
“God damn it!” Yancy berated himself before rushing out of the room and calling
out for his brother.  “Raleigh?  Raleigh?!  Rals!”
He thundered down the steps, his heart pounding.  Raleigh hadn’t been in the
bathroom or their parents old room upstairs.  He had checked the living room,
but there had been no sign of his brother.  Finally, Yancy threw open the door
to their kitchen and let out a huge breath of relief upon seeing his brother’s
backside.  His brother was wearing a navy blue bathrobe.
Raleigh’s posture stiffened slightly, but he didn’t hesitate in his
movements—he was cutting up some vegetables on a chopping board.  Yancy
approached his brother cautiously.
“Raleigh…?”
His brother’s voice was strained when he responded.  “Finally up, huh, Yance?
 I was wondering when you would…”  
Yancy’s shoulders sagged helplessly.  “Listen, Raleigh, I—”
“Why don’t you have a seat, Yance?” Raleigh said, cutting his brother off.
 “I’m just about finished chopping up some things for a salad...I made us some
lunch.”
He almost jumped sky high when his brother unexpectedly placed a hand on his
shoulder.  Without thinking he whipped around with the knife still in his hand.
 Yancy’s eyes widened and he took a step back quickly with his hands raised
defensively.
“Oh…!  Whoa...Rals!”
Raleigh gasped and he quickly dropped the knife, letting it clatter into the
sink.  He raised his own arms, mirroring his brother’s movement.
“Fuck, Yancy!” Raleigh hissed through clenched teeth.  “Don’t...don’t touch
me!”
He tensed upon seeing the look of hurt flash in his brother’s eyes and shut his
eyes tightly.  He curled his fists at his side and shook his head quickly.  
“No...shit!  I mean...I meant don’t scareme like that, Yance.”
His brother sighed.  “No...no, you’re right, Rals…I shouldn’t be touching you.
 Not right now. Especiallynot after last night...”
Raleigh bit his lip.  “Yancy…”
Yancy slowly walked over to their dining room table, pulled out a chair, and
took a seat.  He then leaned forward and buried his head in his hands.
“God, this is so fucked up…” Yancy whispered.  
Raleigh sighed.  “Yance…”
“Let’s be honest, Rals,” Yancy said, his head still held in his hands.  “I’m no
better than Dad, am I?”
Raleigh shook his head and took a step toward his brother.  “No, Yancy…!
 You’re not…!”
Yancy nodded.  “No, you’re right...I’m not.  I’m worse.”
“Yancy!  Stop!” Raleigh snapped. “You're not him. You'll never be like he was.”
His brother’s head snapped up then, and Raleigh’s heart felt as if it were
shattering into a million pieces upon seeing how lost his brother looked in
that moment.  Yancy’s brows furrowed together and formed a slight frown.
“Raleigh...I rapedyou last night,” Yancy whispered shakily.  
“No,” Raleigh said, shaking his head furiously.  “No.  Last night was just…”
“Damn it!  Don’t try to rationalize it, Raleigh!” Yancy said, smacking his hand
down hard on the table, causing his brother to jump.  “I don’t deserve your
excuses…”
“Yancy, please!”
The older boy quieted at Raleigh’s sudden outburst; Raleigh’s eyes were once
again filled with tears.  The younger boy wiped at them angrily with the back
of his sleeve.
“Please, Yancy…” said Raleigh.  “Let’s not talk about this now, okay?  I’m
just...just way too tired to talk about this now.”
Yancy sighed and slumped back in his chair.  “A...all right, Rals…fine.  We’ll
discuss this later.”
“Later,” his brother agreed.  “But right now?  Right now...let’s just pretend
that last night didn’t happen and just eat some lunch, okay?”
Yancy gave his brother a half-hearted shrug.  “Yeah, Rals...all right.”
“Good,” said Raleigh.  
He turned to the stove and brought over to the table a small pot of stew.
 Yancy moved one of the doilies already on the table toward the center so that
Raleigh could place the pot on top.  Raleigh then took a couple minutes to get
them bowls and silverware.  Yancy thanked him quietly, and Raleigh brought over
what he had prepared of the salad before sitting down across from his brother.
Yancy asked his question without meeting his brother’s eyes.  “So...what’s for
lunch?”
“Chicken broth and some tossed salad,” Raleigh said with a half-smile.  “Your
favorite hangover food…”
Yancy chuckled a little, despite himself.  “Thanks, Rals…”
Raleigh nodded.  “Yeah...anytime, Yance.”
An uneasy silence fell between them.  The only sounds they made were the
clinking ones where their utensils scraped against their bowls.  Finally, Yancy
broke the silence.
“Hey, Rals?”
“Yeah.”
Yancy sighed.  “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Raleigh shrugged a little.  “Okay.”
Yancy sipped a bit of his soup before continuing.  “Before Dad left…”
“Uh-huh.”
“I was going to go with Kyle to join the Jaeger Academy.”
“...yeah, I know.  Dad told me after you'd gone,” said Raleigh.
Yancy nodded.  “Yeah, and after he bailed on us...I...I decided to stay.  For
you.”
Raleigh looked at his brother somewhat quizzically.  “I knew that already,
Yance.”
Yancy met his brother’s eyes and smiled at him sheepishly.  “Initially...I
planned to leave for you too.”
He gave his brother a second to allow for his words to sink in.  When they did,
his brother looked up at him, eyes wide.
“Yancy…”
The older boy downed the rest of his bowl, then got up and walked it to the
sink.  “You’ll be eighteen in two years, Raleigh.”
Raleigh’s voice shook.  “Yancy, what…?”
“I’ll leave the house to you,” said Yancy.  “The paperwork’s already been taken
care of—all I’ll need to do is set up a transfer…”
“Shut up, Yancy,” said Raleigh.  “You’re being ridiculous.”
“I’m trying to do what I should be, as an older brother,” said Yancy.  “What I
should have been doing all along.”
“It’s...it’s fine, Yancy,” said Raleigh.  “You’ve been doing just fine.  Last
night...things just got out of hand, that’s all.”
Yancy shut off the sink water and turned to look at Raleigh with tired eyes.
 “See?  That right there, Rals...that’s the problem with us.  This arrangement
we’ve got going...somewhere along the line we’ve convinced ourselves it’s
normal.  It’s not, Raleigh.  What we’ve got going here isn't healthy at all.
 It needs to stop.”
Raleigh shrugged slightly.  “Perfect families don’t really exist.”
“No, they don’t,” Yancy agreed.  “But goodones do.”
“What we have is plenty good,” Raleigh said stubbornly.
Yancy sighed.  Raleigh pushed back his chair so that he could get up.  He
walked towards his brother and reached for the older boy’s hand.  Their fingers
interlaced automatically out of habit.  Raleigh looked up at his brother.
“We’ll make it work, Yance…” Raleigh said softly.  “We always have.  Between
the two of us, we’ll figure something out.”
Yancy shook his head.  “I don’t understand.  I’m giving you a way out.”
Raleigh raised and lowered a shoulder.  “You’re all I want.”
“You’re too young to know what you want,” said Yancy.  “And I’m sure as hell
not what you need, kid.”
Raleigh frowned.  “Well, regardless, you’re all I’ve got.”
“But I don’t have to be,” Yancy said, his smile bittersweet.  “Don’t you get
it, kid?  The world’s a whole lot bigger than this box we’ve blocked ourselves
in.”
“Tell me, Yance,” said Raleigh.  “What good would come from us separating?”
“Well we won’t know until we try now, will we?”
Raleigh shook his head and frowned.  “That’s stupid.”
Yancy scoffed.  “Like what we’re doing right now isn’t crazy.”
“When has love ever been associated with rationality?”
“Touché.”  
“We’re in this together, Yance,” said Raleigh.  “For better or for worse.”
Yancy sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  “Two years to change your mind
kid.”
The look in Raleigh’s eyes reflected determination.  “I won’t.”
Yancy squeezed his brother’s hand gently once before letting go.  He said his
next words quietly.
“You might.”
***** Shame *****
Chapter Notes
     Sorry for the huge delay in update, everyone! This chapter really ran
     away with me...hopefully the length more than makes up for the wait!
     I think this might actually be the longest chapter to date.
     Some very minor comic relief and mini-subplots going on in this
     chapter. Also I've done some research and fabricated stuff about the
     Jaeger Academy curriculum and so on. Please enjoy! Feedback, as
     always, is greatly appreciated!
Yancy was twenty-one and Raleigh was eighteen when they decided to put their
house up for rent and enroll into the Jaeger Academy on Kodiak Island.  There,
they were reunited with an old, familiar face.
“Well, I’ll be damned!  Yancy and Raleigh Becket!”
Both young men addressed turned in the direction of the male voice they had
heard.  They simultaneously broke into huge grins upon seeing that it was
Yancy’s childhood friend, Kyle Hunter.  Raleigh hung back and smiled as he
watched the two men exchange a bro handshake.  Yancy clapped his hands on
Kyle’s shoulders when they were done.
“Good to see you, Kyle.”
“Right back at you, man!” Kyle said, smiling.  “Man, when they told me y’all
had made it here, I just had to come down from the main base and see for
myself.  How’s Jack?”
Yancy shrugged.  “Same old.  He’s still working construction and is as cranky
as ever.”
“Shame he doesn’t seem interested in joining us,” Kyle said.
Yancy shrugged.  “To be honest, I think deep down he wants to, but he just
doesn’t have it in him to let his dad down.  He knows he’ll break his father’s
heart if he decides to forsake construction.”
Kyle laughed.  “Hell yeah, man.  You don’t have to remind me.”
“If you ask me,” said Yancy.  “I think the real reason though is that his
father just can’t let his son go.
“Well Jeremy ishis only one, so I guess that makes sense,” Kyle said with a
small smile.  “Still, it’s a shame though, and a bit of a waste.  I know he’d
make one hell of a Ranger.  Hell of a partner too.”
Yancy snorted.  “For you, perhaps.  You two always got along better than he and
I ever could.”
“You’re both too damn alike, that’s why,” Kyle said, smirking and shaking his
head.  “Fucking hot tamales.”
“What, you complaining?”
“Nah, not really,” Kyle chuckled.  “You two kept my life interesting while we
were in school, that’s for sure.”
Yancy laughed.  “We sure did.”
Kyle shook his head.  “Any white hairs I have on my head, I have y’all to thank
for.”
“You two keep in touch still?”
“Nah,” said Kyle.  “That man’s always been difficult to get a hold of...and I
don’t think he’s the snail mail type.  I haven’t talked to him in a long time.”
“I don’t think he considers himself below writing a handwritten letter or two,”
Yancy said with a shrug.  “You should try to reach out.  I’m sure he’d be glad
to hear from you.”
Kyle laughed softly.  “Yeah.  Maybe.  I’ll think about it.”
The brunette then turned his attention to Raleigh.  “Now what do we have here?
 No way, Yance!  This your baby bro?”
Yancy nodded proudly.  “Yep.  Sure is.”
“Well look at you!” Kyle said, punching Raleigh playfully in the shoulder.
 “Little man, all grown up!  Why, I remember when you were just knee-high!”
“Six-foot-one now,” Yancy said with a laugh.  “An inch taller than me, and the
kid never lets me forget it.”
“Hey, you’re always playing the age card,” Raleigh said.  “I’ve gotta have some
kind of leverage to fight back with.”
Yancy grinned.  “Too bad that’s all you’ve got.”
“Hey!”
Kyle laughed at the exchange and shook his head at the two brothers.  After a
minute, his expression slowly became a little more serious.
“Man, it’s really good to see you two though,” said Kyle.  “I mean, don’t get
me wrong, I love serving our country—the world, really, against these
Kaiju...and really, we do get to work with and see a lot of neat things here.
 I’ve got to say though...there are days where I really miss home.”
Yancy nodded.  “Your grandparents were still doing fine when we last saw them.
 You still communicate with them?”
Kyle nodded.  “Absolutely.  I still send them letters.  Gramps keeps trying to
smuggle me booze.”
The brunette laughed and shook his head.  “I keep telling him that it’s not
allowed and not to worry, ‘cause we definitely have plenty of it here on base,
but still...he insists on sending it.  I’ve become a running joke in the
mailroom.”
Yancy chuckled.  “Crazy old coot.  Loves you to death, though.”
“Don’t I know it,” Kyle said with a small smile.  “I miss him and Grams too.”
Yancy tilted his head slightly upward.  “You meet up with your folks?”
“Yeah,” said Kyle.  “It’s funny...they were always on tour when I was growing
up, I hardly ever saw ‘em.”
“Yeah, I remember,” said Yancy.  “They only really came around during the
holidays or whenever they could snag leave.”
“Mmhmm.  I can’t say they didn’t try their best, but I honestly didn’t realize
how distant I felt from them until after graduating from the academy,” Kyle
said with a one-shoulder shrug.  “Not saying I resent them or anything, but I
think that was when I understood what my grandma meant about how they must not
have thought things through when they decided to have me.  Hell...I was more
excited to see my grandparents that day than I was them.  Sounds real shitty of
me, doesn’t it?”
“Nah,” Yancy said with a half-smile.  “Given the circumstances, I think that
sounds pretty normal to me.”
“Heh, maybe,” said Kyle.  “I guess they have been trying their best to make up
for it now.”
“Oh?  You see ‘em more often now, I take it?” Yancy asked.
“Yeah,” said Kyle.  “Pretty much two-to-three times a week, depending on how
our schedules are.”
Yancy’s eyes widened a little.  “Wow.”
“Mealtimes are pretty much the same for everyone,” said Kyle.  “Just sometimes
the traditional soldiers are called to do some things during those hours.”
“Huh?  Your parents aren’t Jaeger pilots?” Yancy asked.
Kyle shook his head.  “Nope.  They weren’t interested in that kind of
promotion.”
“Really.”
“I know, a little hard to believe,” Kyle said with a nod.  “But you have to
remember where they’re coming from.  It’s kind of an old generation that’s set
in their ways kind of thing.  Their battle has always been on ground as foot-
soldiers or in the ocean on board ships and in submarines, so that’s where
they’re staying.”
“Interesting,” said Yancy.
“They’re not all like that though,” said Kyle.  “A few decided to make the
transfer.  Honestly though, the majority of older people in the ranks right now
as Jaeger pilots are civilians who had never fought a day in their life before
now.”
“Still, you’d think more people would want to jump on the opportunity,” said
Yancy.  “Especially if they already have the military discipline.”
“I thought the same exact thing,” said Kyle.  “But after I learned more about
the process on how Jaegers are actually operated, I think I can understand why
some of them decided not to—especially those that have seen actual combat
already.”
“Really?  How come?” asked Yancy.
“You and your bro will be learning about it in a couple days,” said Kyle.  “The
method they use...it can fuck with your head if you ain’t doing it right, man.”
Yancy raised an eyebrow.  “Sounds serious.”
Kyle nodded.  “Hell yeah, man.  It’s legit.  They make you sign this waiver of
release and everything.  We’ve had trainees drop out and go back home.”
Yancy whistled.  Kyle smiled and clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry though.  I know you two’ll make it,” said Kyle.  “Once cadets
become Rangers, that’s usually pretty much it.  After that, the only reason
people ‘leave’ is because they’re either dismissed from service due to
something like insubordination, missing in action, or deceased.”
He half-smiled.  “Only thing the Kaiju don’t take are prisoners of war.  You
can take that any way you’d like.”
“I suppose that’s reassuring,” Yancy said in response to his friend’s terrible
joke.
Kyle then seemed to remember that Raleigh was there too, and frowned a little
as he angled his head toward the younger man.  “Hey man, you okay?”
Yancy nudged his brother.  “Raleigh.  Kyle’s talking to you.”
“Hm?  Ah!  Yeah...sorry, Kyle,” Raleigh said, shaking his head.  “I spaced out
for a second.”
“More than a second,” said Kyle.  “Your brother and I have been talking for a
while—you’ve been awfully quiet.  Everything all right?”
The younger blonde smiled.  “Yeah, I’m fine, sorry.  This whole place is
just...a lot to take in.”
“Yeah, I told the kid he could have stayed behind,” Yancy said with a sigh.
 “Take care of the house...keep Jerry company.  Kid insisted on coming here
with me.”
“Jeremy doesn’t need anyone looking after him, Yance,” said Raleigh.  
“And I do?”
“Yeah,” Raleigh said nodding.  “You do.”
Yancy sighed.  “It was a rhetorical question, Rals.”
“Sure.”
Kyle’s frown deepened and he looked between the brothers.  “Am I...missing
something here?”
Raleigh shook his head.  “No.  Nothing...I think I’m just a little tired.”
“Oh, well if that’s all,” Kyle said, relaxing.  “Follow me then.  I’ll show you
guys to your dormitory.”
“You know where we’ve been assigned?” asked Yancy.
“Yeah,” Kyle said with a grin.  “I’ve been assigned as your mentor, Yancy.”
Yancy’s lips slowly curled into a smile.  “Get outta town.”
“Nope, I’m serious!  I requested y’all personally,” said Kyle.
 “Unfortunately...they wouldn’t let me take you both on at once, not for the
Drifting part.”
“The Drift?” Raleigh asked.
“They’ll teach you about it in class,” Kyle said.  “It’d take too long for me
to explain.”
“Oh, all right,” said Raleigh.  “Then who am I assigned?”
“That’s the good news,” said Kyle.  “Thanks to my folks, I got a few strings
pulled, and so I’ll be working with the both of you, just not on the same
concepts at the same time.  Yancy?  You and I are going to start with Drifting
first.  That’s the mental portion of Jaeger piloting.  As for you, Raleigh,
you're going to start off with the physical training.”
“And you said you weren’t bonding with your parents at all,” Yancy teased.
“I never said we weren’t getting closer,” Kyle said with a laugh.  “I just
implied things are a little awkward right now...but I’m optimistic that will
change over time.  I didn’t see much of them while I was here at the academy.
 I see them pretty damn frequently now.  I’m sure we’ll all get sick of each
other soon.”
The three men stopped in front of a metal door.  Kyle handed the brothers a set
of keys.
“Well, here you are, guys,” said Kyle.  “These rooms are set up like the ones
in the Shatterdome—something else you’ll be learning about—so that you know
what to expect upon graduating.  And believe me, from firsthand experience, I’d
say these accommodations are pretty accurate.”
“Cool, but…” Yancy held up the key on his lanyard, an amused expression on his
face.  “We’re still using these?  I don’t know...the Jaeger program is hi-tech,
isn’t it?  Gotta be honest...I was expecting at least keycards or something.”
“I know, right?” Kyle said, chuckling.  “All I can say is, I think whoever
designed these buildings must have been a little nostalgic for home.”
Yancy nodded.  “Maybe.”
Kyle clapped his hands.  “All right!  That’s it for now.  I’ll come pick you
guys up and walk y’all to class in the morning tomorrow, oh-six-hundred sharp;
don’t oversleep!  And I’ll only be doing this for the first week, just so that
you guys can sort of learn your way around and get the hang of things.  After
that, I’ll just expect you guys to come meet me where classes are being held.”
Yancy smiled.  “You know you totally sound like an overbearing parent right
now, right?”
Kyle laughed.  “Hey!  I can’t help it!  It just really is good to see you both
face-to-face again.  I’ve missed y’all.”
“We’ve missed you too man,” Yancy said with a nod.  “And hell, Jerry may have
never admitted it out loud, but I know he feels the same.”
“Yeah...maybe I’ll try sending him a letter or something,” said Kyle.  “Think
he’ll write back?”
“Well, don’t expect a novel,” Yancy said, chuckling.  “You know he couldn’t
wait to be done with English class.”
“Oh, I remember,” Kyle said, smiling.  “Who do you think wrote all his take-
home papers?”
Yancy shook his head.  “Pushover.”
“Hardly.”
“Seriously though, think about it,” said Yancy.
Kyle nodded.  “Yeah, I will.  Anyway, I’ll leave you guys to it.  See you guys
in the morning.”
Yancy gave his friend a mock salute.  “See ya.”
“Later, Kyle,” Raleigh said, holding up a hand.
The other man nodded back with a grin.  “Night, y’all.”
Yancy and Raleigh watched Kyle turn on his heels and disappear at the end of
the hall before turning to face each other.  Yancy tilted his head in the
direction of their door.
“You want to do the honors?”
Raleigh half-smiled.  “Sure, Yance.”
The younger man took his key and turned it in the lock.  He nudged the door
open with his foot, revealing an ample-sized room with two beds.  Both men
walked in and dropped their bags—they hadn’t brought with them much, just some
clothes and a few personal effects they hadn’t wanted to leave behind.  The
rest, Jeremy was keeping safe for them back in Anchorage.  
Once everything was inside, Yancy turned and locked the door behind them with a
click.  His back was turned, so he didn’t notice Raleigh’s involuntary flinch.
 When Yancy turned around, Raleigh had already started to unpack.  Yancy let
out a small sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.  He headed for his own bags.
“Bet you’re feeling a little grody after that day we had, huh?” Yancy said.
 “You want to hit the shower first?”
Raleigh shrugged.  “Doesn’t matter.  You can go ahead if you want to.”
“Nah, why don’t you,” said Yancy.  “You’re usually pretty quick.  I don’t mind
hopping in after you’re done; that way I can take my time after.  Not to
mention the water will already be warm.”
“All right.  If you insist.”
“It’s whatever you want to do, Rals.”
His brother laughed at the irony of that statement.  Yancy winced because he
knew what his brother was thinking.  He let out a sigh of resignation.
“You could have stayed at home you know, kid.”
Raleigh shook his head.  “Yancy.  Enough.  We’ve been over this countless times
already.”
“Well I felt like I should still say it,” Yancy snapped lightly as he focused
on unpacking his belongings.  “It’s still not too late for you to turn around
and go back.”
“Don’t think you’re the only reason why I wanted to be here,” Raleigh tossed
back.  
Yancy’s posture became rigid, and his younger brother looked away.  Raleigh
instantly regretted his words, but was too stubborn to take them back.
“I want to make a difference if I can, Yance.  If I’m lucky, maybe even save a
life or two.”
Yancy sighed and then looked at his brother with a half-smile.  “You’ll be the
best Jaeger pilot the PPDC’s ever seen, kid.  Now go wash up.”
“All right.”
The evening progressed quietly.  The two brothers took their turns in the
shower and then got ready for bed.  The two silently chose which side to be on,
and then both went to sleep almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows—no
conversation was exchanged that first night as they were too exhausted.  
In the morning, they were awakened by the sound of pounding on their door; Kyle
had come the exact hour he said he would.  Raleigh jumped awake immediately and
crossed over to Yancy’s side of the room.
“Shit, Yance!” said Raleigh.  “That’s Kyle!  We must have forgotten to set our
alarms last night—he’s right on time!”
Yancy groaned and rolled over in his bed.  Raleigh had always been the morning
person between them.  Raleigh smacked his brother gently on the face.
“Come on, Yance!  We’re going to be late!”
The banging continued.  Raleigh quickly changed his clothes and then flung open
the door to reveal Kyle’s hand stopped in mid-knock.  He gave Raleigh a
lopsided grin.
“Y’all overslept, didn’t you?” he asked.
Raleigh nodded sheepishly.  “Yeah, sorry about that, Kyle.”
Kyle shook his head.  “Hey, don’t be sorry.  Just try to make a habit of
getting up earlier.  I know it’s hard...the higher ups probably won’t mind too
much since it’s only your first day, but they’ll expect y’all to have your shit
together by the end of the week.”
Raleigh nodded.  “Yeah, we’ll do better next time.”
Kyle angled his head to look past Raleigh.  “He still asleep?”
“Yeah,” Raleigh said, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Yancy’s more of a
nightowl…”
Kyle laughed.  “Well get him up, will you?  I’ll wait out here for you guys.”
“Thanks, Kyle.”
Raleigh shut the door and went back to his brother’s bed.  He shook Yancy, who
still had his eyes closed.
“Yancy...come on!” Raleigh said.  “Kyle’s going to get mad!”
His brother groaned again and then stretched before rising.  He let out a loud
and obnoxious yawn.
“A’right...a’right...I’m up...geez…”
Raleigh half-smiled and helped turn his brother around so that Yancy’s legs
were dangling off the side of his bed.  He went to Yancy’s pile of unpacked
clothes and began rummaging through them while Yancy rubbed at his eyes
tiredly.
“We’re late, so I’m going to pick your outfit for you,” said Raleigh.  “And
just so you know, I’m going to pick the most damn embarrassing combination
possible...to incentivize you to wake up earlier next time.”
Yancy chuckled and dropped from his bed.  “Hey, you overslept too…”
“Yeah, but I’m the only one totally up and ready to go, aren’t I?” Raleigh said
as he tossed the clothes he chose at his brother.  “Hurry up and change.  I’m
going to brush my teeth real quick.”
Yancy caught the clothes he was thrown at his chest.  Yancy looked down at what
Raleigh had picked and laughed.  Raleigh had thrown him a shirt Yancy had
gotten from a concert back when he was in high school, some famous rock band at
the time, and a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee area.  He shook his head
and quickly picked out a dark green shirt and a pair of pants that weren’t worn
out.  He then walked into the bathroom and nudged Raleigh aside so that he
could brush his teeth as well.  The two wrapped up quickly and were out the
door in several minutes.
Kyle shook his head when the men came out from their room.  “Damn.  Y’all sure
know how to take your sweet time.”
“Hey, it takes time to get pretty,” Yancy said with a shrug.
Kyle punched his friend lightly in the shoulder.  “Be serious.”
“Who says I’m not?” Yancy said, grinning.
“You’re an ass,” Kyle said, smiling despite himself.  “Honestly though, you
guys need to make sure you make a habit of punctuality.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Yancy.
“We will, Kyle,” said Raleigh.  “Sorry again.”
“Hey, it’s cool,” said Kyle.  “So you two ready for your first full day as
cadets?”
“You bet,” Yancy said with a smile.  
Raleigh nodded.  “Same here.”
“Great!  You’re both going to love it,” said Kyle.  “The Kaiju problem being
what it is, it’s been accelerated from a year to a roughly five-and-a-half
month program.”
Yancy whistled.  “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t itchin’ to go kick some Kaiju
ass, but five months sounds mighty quick.”
“Y’all will be fine,” said Kyle.  “Especially you, Yancy.  You’ve always been a
fighter.”
Yancy’s eyes flitted to Raleigh for a split second before looking back at Kyle
and shrugging.  “Helps if you have something you want to protect.”
Kyle nodded.  “True words, my friend.”
He led the brothers to a tall open doorway.  Kyle stopped and turned to his
friends.
“Alright, here we are,” said Kyle.  “So here’s how this works…”
He motioned to the left.  “Over that way is the lecture hall.  That’s where you
guys will learn all the basics and go through foundational officer training.”
“What kind of stuff will we be studying?” Raleigh asked.
“Kaiju science, the basics of engineering, and battle strategies and tactics,”
Kyle said, lowering his voice.  “And I’m not really supposed to tell y’all
this...but it’s also going to be the toughest first eight weeks of your life.”
Yancy frowned.  “And why’s that?”
“The class is taught boot camp style,” said Kyle.  “It’s meant to weed out
recruits.  Most people drop out within the first trimester.”
“Trimester?” asked Raleigh.
“Like I said, the program is roughly five-and-a-half months long,” said Kyle.
 “Split into three eight-week sessions.  The first session is crucial.  Pass
that, and you both will have made the first cut.”
“Then what?” asked Yancy.
“That’s when we’ll split off,” said Kyle.  “The next part of the curriculum is
training in the Drift with these devices called Pons.  There’s also the Kwoon
Combat Room.”
Yancy’s brows furrowed together.  “Sounds like an alien language to me.”
Kyle laughed.  “It won’t in a minute.  Anyway, Normally what happens is
trainees will do four weeks of Drift Sync Testing and four weeks of the
physical sparring...all at the same time.  You two, however, as you know have
been given an exception.”
“That’s when we split?” asked Raleigh.
Kyle nodded.  “Yep.  Yancy’ll be starting with me in the Drift, and consider
that an honor, because you’ll be the first trainee in your class to do it
before the rest.  Usually they like to start you off in the Kwoon room.”
“How come?” asked Yancy.
“Because that’s usually where you find out who your lifelong partner is going
to be,” said Kyle.  “See, Drifting is all about compatibility, both physical
and mental.  It’s about knowing instinctively what your partner is planning on
doing before he or she does it.”
“So what does the coon room have anything to do with it?” asked Yancy.
Kyle laughed.  “That’s Kwoon room, man.  And it has everything to do with it.
 See, trainees will go through daily sparring sessions.  In this case though,
the objective is try your best to beat your partner, but also find the one who
can match you blow for blow.  By the end of every round, you and your future
co-pilot should pretty much always end each session in a tie.”
“Interesting,” said Yancy.  “So then how will I know who my partner will be, if
I’m not with the rest of the class for the first four weeks?”
“You’ll end up with whoever is remaining in the class,” said Kyle.
Yancy frowned.  “What if that person and I aren’t compatible?”
“Not likely,” said Kyle.  “Funny thing about this program—somehow, everything
always seems to pan out perfectly.  You know the whole concept of soulmates?
 It’s like that.  So far in the history of this program, everyone has only
proven compatible with one other pilot, and there’s never been any conflict
where two people match up to the same one person.  So more than likely,
whoever’s left over is the one you would have picked out for yourself anyway.”
“Huh,” said Yancy.  “Interesting.”
“Ain’t it?” said Kyle.  
“Is there a chance Yancy and I will end up together?” Raleigh asked.
“Eh...it’s certainly possible,” said Kyle.  “Though I’m not sure if that
arrangement would actually be good for y’all in this case.”
Yancy frowned.  “What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s known side-effects,” said Kyle.  “Among them is the bonding that
occurs between pilots who have Drifted together for a long time.”
“So we’d get closer.  Isn’t that what you’re saying?” asked Yancy.  “Wouldn’t
that be a good thing?”
Kyle half-smiled.  “Not this kind of close.  For one thing, you’ll be in each
other’s heads.  There are no secrets in the Drift.  You’ll have complete and
uninhibited access to your partner’s every thought and memory.”
Yancy raised an eyebrow.  “Sounds almost...psychic.”
Kyle threw back his head and laughed.  “Hah!  Man...you don’t even know the
half of it.  Another one of the side effects is what some of us in the
department call Ghost-Drifting.”
“What’s that mean?” asked Yancy.
“It’ll make more sense once you guys start learning what they teach in the
lecture hall,” said Kyle.  “But basically, the longer you Drift with someone,
the more likely it is you’ll still hear and be able to talk to them even
without the help of the Pons.  Then you’ll really be psychic.”
“So like...telepathy?” asked Raleigh.
“Precisely,” Kyle said with a nod.  “It’s pretty neat stuff, but…”
“I don’t think that’d be a problem for us,” Raleigh said with a shrug.
“You don’t understand,” said Kyle.  “The whole process can fuck with your
system.”
Yancy frowned.  “You’re being awfully vague, man…”
“Sorry,” Kyle said with a slight grimace.  “Let me just put it this
way...oftentimes the best Jaeger pilot team is between a man and a woman...and
it’s not uncommon for them to get married at some point.”
“Well, I guess that makes sense,” said Yancy.  “I mean, guy and a girl...stuck
together...see each other every day…”
“Sounds straightforward, doesn’t it?” said Kyle.  “But it’s not.”
“It’s not?” asked Yancy.
“Not at all,” said Kyle.  “It isn’t always that these pilots fall in
love...it’s what the Drift does to you.  Trends show that the Drift influences
a person to develop romantic feelings for their partner...so you can imagine
what happens when two men or two women get paired together…”
“Ah…” Yancy said, realization slowly creeping in.
Kyle nodded.  “Men who were straight as arrows suddenly become ‘bisexual,’ and
vice versa.  Though scientists are starting to theorize that it’s less about
gender.”
Raleigh frowned.  “How’s that?”
“For the majority of pilots, suddenly they’re only attracted to the individual;
their co-pilot,” said Kyle.  “Throw anyone else at ‘em, male or female, and
they don’t even feel tempted to stray.  The Drift’s that strong.”
“Really,” Yancy said incredulously.
“Of course there are exceptions,” said Kyle.  “But for the most part it’s
true.”
“What are the exceptions then,” asked Yancy.  
“Well, part of it is dependent on how long a pilot’s been Drifting with their
partner,” said Kyle.  “You’re going to find that that’s true about most things
when it comes to piloting Jaegers.  The longer people have been Drifting
together, the more they’re attune to that person, and consequently they end up
preferring only that one other individual.”
“And the other half?” asked Yancy.
“If a pilot’s been harboring deep feelings for someone before the Drift,” said
Kyle.  “Though that comes with its own complications.”
“Such as?” Yancy asked.
Kyle shrugged.  “The other pilot could get influenced and be attracted to
someone they’ve never even met in their life.  And in the off chance they do
somehow, theoretically speaking they’d probably want to get with whoever it is
too.  Again though, the longer pilots Drift with one another...those feelings
brought in to the Drift will eventually become moot.”
“Because it sort of cancels out?” Raleigh asked.
Kyle nodded.  “Exactly.”
Yancy regarded his friend carefully and tilted his head slightly.  “Just
now...were you speaking from experience, man?”
Kyle immediately became defensive.  “What?  What are you talking about, dude?”
Yancy shook his head.  “I mean, I don’t know...it just seemed like you were
talking about some of the side effects like you’ve gone through them yourself.
 Is there someone from home that you’ve never told me about?”
Kyle’s hazel eyes clouded.  “Nah...not exactly.”
Yancy raised an eyebrow.  “Interesting.”
Kyle frowned.  “What?”
“So there issomeone,” said Yancy.
Kyle flushed a faint pink.  “I ain’t saying, one way or the other.”
“So there is!” Yancy chuckled and shook his head.  “Unbelievable, man!  How
come I never knew?  Does Jerry have any idea?”
Kyle groaned.  “What are we?  Gossiping school chicks all of a sudden?”
“Come on, Yance.  Leave him alone.  He hasn’t even finished telling us what to
expect,” Raleigh interrupted.  “Right, Kyle?”
“Yeah, thanks, kid,” Kyle said with a weak smile.  “Uh...like I was saying.
 Long story short, given what I just said about what the Drift can to do
you...you guys might not like enjoying being paired up with each other so
much.”
The two brothers exchanged a subtle glance that Kyle didn’t catch.  Kyle
continued.
“Anyway, after all that, y’all would have made the second cut and move into the
final round of training,” said Kyle.  “That’s where the fun really begins.
 Hands-on training in our test ranges inside actual Jaegers.”
Raleigh smiled a little.  “Cool…”
Kyle nodded.  “Sure is.  And there’s also something called Drivesuit Testing.
 Drivesuits are what you’ll be wearing into the battlefield.  It’s how you
connect to the Jaeger’s system, inside this thing called a Conn-Pod.  Again,
y’all will be learning about all that pretty soon.”
“Something tells me we’re already going to be a few steps ahead of our class,”
Yancy said with a small grin.  
Kyle grinned back.  “Yeah, probably.  Don’t get cocky though.  Y’all still have
a lot to learn.  So!  Any questions for me?”
“Yeah, two,” Yancy said with a smirk.
Kyle raised an eyebrow, still smiling.  “Oh yeah?  And what’s that, Yancy?”
“One,” Yancy said, holding up a finger.  “Are we late for class?  I mean,
seeing as how you’ve been talking to us all this time and all.  And two—where
do Rals and I head first?”
Kyle chuckled.  “Both good questions.  The first—yes.  At this point, you guys
are both definitelylate, but as a mentor, I’m charged with giving y’all
orientation, which should’ve been yesterday, but you both were too pooped to be
shown around.”
“You should have told us!” Yancy complained.
“Eh, it’s the first day.  Y’all will be forgiven easily,” Kyle snickered.  “The
professors will just be more likely to remember your faces clearly for the rest
of training.”
“Oh you little shit,” Yancy said lightheartedly.  
Kyle smirked.  “In fact, I’ll be guaranteeingthat they will, because I’m going
to escort y’all to class and apologize on your behalves.”
“Jerk,” said Yancy.
“Hey, consider it payback,” said Kyle.
“For what!” Yancy asked with a laugh.  “For the best childhood of your damn
life?”
Kyle laughed.  “Whatever, man.  Come on.  Lecture hall is this way.”
The three men resumed walking and Kyle led the brothers to the main lecture
hall.  All eyes were on them as they entered during the professor’s speech, and
true to his word, Kyle marched them up to the front so that he could have a
brief chat with the professor.  Yancy and Raleigh were lightly reprimanded and
sent to their seats.  Kyle gave them a wink before leaving.  Raleigh gave Kyle
a slight way.  Yancy made sure the professor wasn’t looking his way before
grinning and flipping the bird on his friend.
Kyle hadn’t exaggerated when he said the first eight weeks would be the
toughest.  Much to their surprise, both brothers made the first cut.  The size
of their class had diminished by roughly half, and at the start of the second
trimester, Raleigh proceeded with the rest of the cadets to the Kwoon room
while Kyle and Yancy separated from the main group to train in the Drift.
“So this is the Pons system…” Yancy said, fingering the device in his hands.
 “It looks a little less sophisticated than the pictures they show you in the
textbook.”
“That’s because those were regulation Pons systems,” said Kyle.  “These are
just for simulation purposes, so they don’t necessarily need all the bells and
whistles.”
“Alright,” said Yancy.  “So now what?”
“Put it on,” said Kyle.  “We’re going to start immediately.”
Just then another man walked into the room.  Kyle held up his hand in greeting
and the man nodded back in response.  Kyle looked at Yancy.
“Yancy?  Meet Trip.  He’s a certified Shatterdome technician and a good friend
of mine from our graduating class,” said Kyle.  “Trip?  Yancy.  One of my best
friends from home.”
“Pleasure, Yancy,” said Trip.  
Yancy nodded.  “Likewise.”
“So Trip here is going to be watching over us while we Drift together,” said
Kyle.  “You ready, man?  I’m about to get complete and total access to every
corner of your brain.”
Yancy frowned lightly.  “So there really is no way of blocking things out
completely?”
“Nope,” said Kyle.  “But as you get better at it, there are ways that you and
your co-pilot can develop to help focus on each other’s memories less.  That’s
an important skill to have, especially when you’re first entering the Drift.
 Gets you on the field faster too—not to mention can help prevent pilots going
out of alignment in the middle of a skirmish, which could literally mean the
difference between life and death.”
“Right,” said Yancy.  “They did tell us that in class.”
“Glad to hear you paid attention,” Kyle said with a grin.  “You weren’t exactly
top of our class in high school.  I was surprised to hear you got high marks.”
“Hey, this stuff is actually interesting,” said Yancy.  “I pay attention to
things I find worth my time.”
“Can’t argue with you there,” said Kyle.  “Because this sure is.  Now, before
Trip here helps us go under, I just want you to remember something important.”
“Yeah?  And what’s that?” Yancy asked.
“The Drift is silence,” said Kyle.  “The less you focus on something, the
faster you can sync with your co-pilot so you both can quickly be of one mind
and one body.”
Yancy wet his lips and nodded.  “All right.  I’ll try to remember that.”
“Good,” said Kyle.  “Then let’s get started.”
Both he and Yancy settled themselves in chairs before placing the Pons systems
on their heads.  Yancy gave his friend a thumbs up and Kyle grinned.  The
brunette then turned to Trip and signaled.
“Fire it up, man!”
Trip nodded.  “You got it!”
The LOCCENT officer entered a few commands into the dashboard in front of him
and soon Kyle and Yancy were thrust into the Drift.  What the professor had
described about Drifting in class was nothing in comparison to what Yancy was
experiencing firsthand.  He tried to hold onto the piece of advice Kyle had
given him just moments before, but he couldn’t help himself.  He became
fascinated by the rush of memories; most were in color, but they were tinted
with a blue haze.  
They were in Kyle’s memories, Yancy realized almost instantly because he
recognized little to nothing of what was going on.  He also saw a few that were
vaguely familiar—memories he also had, but it was interesting to see things
from Kyle’s perspective, and to feel Kyle’s emotions.  Then, something
interesting happened.
At first, Yancy didn’t understand what he was looking at.  He was seeing two
young men getting hot and heavy on some couch.  Yancy strained to get a closer
look, and suddenly he wasone of the boys on the couch, and he was staring right
into a pair of grey eyes and his hands were running through jet black hair,
which was all so familiar somehow.  While Yancy was slowly trying to piece
together how in the world that could be, he suddenly heard Kyle’s voice echo in
his mind.
“Oh no...fuck, Yancy!  Shit!  Stop!  Get out of there, come on!”
Outside the connection, Yancy’s head jerked and Trip frowned.  Yancy and Kyle’s
neural handshake was going out of alignment.
“What the hell…?” Trip muttered as he typed out a few commands.
Within the Drift, at that exact moment Yancy’s eyes widened because he realized
why that face looked so familiar.  He felt a sensation like Kyle was yanking
him away from that memory, and perhaps it was because of what he had just seen
that caused them both to be thrust into some of Yancy’s own dirty little
secrets.
Yancy felt the hold drop on him when suddenly the moment he took Raleigh to bed
for the first time played in front of them.  Then it became Yancy’s turn to
panic.
“Fuck!”Yancy cried in his mind.  “No, not that!”
The mental bond between the men began to rapidly deteriorate, and Trip was now
typing commands frantically into the dashboard.  He frowned deeply.
“Shit!  What’s going on in there?” Trip said before lifting a hatch and pushing
down on the override button.
Yancy and Kyle were immediately thrust out of the Drift, and both men jerked
forward when they were released from the connection.  Both men got up
simultaneously and frowned.
“What the fuck was that!” Yancy exclaimed.
“I could ask you the same damn thing!” Kyle shouted.  “What the hell!”
Yancy shook his head.  “You and Jerry?  Seriously?”
“Yes!” Kyle said, flushing red.  “I mean...no!  That was just...no...just no.”
“No?” Yancy asked, eyebrow raised.  
Kyle held the bridge of his nose.  “That was all just imagined, okay?”
Trip cleared his throat.  Both men bristled and turned on him with surprised
looks—they had clearly forgotten the man would be there.  Trip frowned.
“Everything...all right here, guys?” Trip asked.  “You two went out of
alignment real fast.”
Kyle shook his head.  “Everything’s fine man.  We just need to sort out a
couple things, that’s all.  We’ll be back...I think.”
Kyle grabbed his friend by the shirt.  Yancy scowled.
“Hey!”
“No,” Kyle said, shaking his head.  “We need to talk.  Now.  In private.”
He dragged Yancy out of the simulation room and down the hall before pushing
his friend away by the chest.  Kyle put his hands on his hips.
“Okay, dude.  Talk,” said Kyle.  “What the hell was all that about in there?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yancy said stubbornly.
“The fuck you don’t!” Kyle hissed.  “Dude, man...I mean I’ve always known you
and Raleigh were close for brothers, but Yancy...what the hell have you been
doing to the poor kid?  He didn’t even look like he wanted any part of what you
did to him!  I’m surprised he even wants to be here with you.”
“He didn’t come here just for me,” said Yancy.
Kyle shook his head.  “The kid was just mad at you when he said that, and
understandably so.  I could tell in his eyes though, from that memory.  He
didn’t mean a word of it.”
Yancy sighed.  “Well what the hell do you want me to do about it?”
“Are you serious, man?  You put a stop to it!” said Kyle.  “What you’re doing
isn’t just wrong...it’s sick.”
“Oh, like you’re any better,” Yancy scoffed.  “You’re the one having fantasies
about Jerry screwing you into next Tuesday!”
“At least they’re just fantasies,” Kyle growled.  “They aren’t hurting anyone!”
“Guys!  What’s going on?”
The two men stopped their bickering and turned to the source of the voice.
 Both men looked surprised upon seeing that it was Raleigh.  Kyle frowned.
“Raleigh…?  What are you doing here?” Kyle asked.  “Shouldn’t you be in Kwoon?”
“I was,” said Raleigh.  “The instructor told me to come find Yancy.  I tried
looking for you guys in the Drift room, but this guy in there said that you
guys had left.  I heard shouting down the hall and so I thought I’d check.”
He frowned.  “What are you guys fighting over, anyway?”
“Nothing,” Yancy said, shooting Kyle a glare.
Kyle’s eyes narrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line.  Yancy looked at
his brother.  
“So why are they looking for me in Kwoon?” Yancy asked.
Raleigh half-smiled.  “I was one of the first ones up to spar, and I pretty
much kicked everyone’s ass in less than fifteen minutes.”
He gave the two men a slight shrug.  “When the professor said he thought I was
fighting too harshly, I told him that I knew of one person that could for sure
match me blow-for-blow.”
Yancy raised an eyebrow.  “Let me guess.  You told him I could?”
“Lucky guess,” Raleigh said dryly.  “The professor asked to see for himself.
 He told me if it turns out I’m wrong, then I have to make more of an effort to
read the other cadets so I can find my potential co-pilot.”
“Interesting…” said Kyle.  “The instructor thinks you lack discipline.”
Raleigh shrugged.  “I guess.  I really don’t know what his reasoning is.”
“If I were to take a stab at understanding him, I’d say he’s thinking you’ve
missed the point of sparring,” said Kyle.  “Drifting isn’t just about mental
superiority.  It’s equally about trust.  Balance.  Piloting a Jaeger is not a
one-man show—sometimes you have to concede to what the other half wants.  You
know the saying...two heads are better than one.  Sometimes one person knows
how to better respond to the situation than the other.”
“Well, regardless…” said Raleigh.  “The professor wants to see Yancy and I spar
each other.  Can he come?”
“Yeah…” Kyle said with a sigh before looking at Yancy.  “But don’t think we’re
done yet, man.  We’ll finish talking later.”
Kyle then looked at Raleigh.  “And then you and I are going to have to have a
little chat too.”
Yancy frowned.  “Now listen, Kyle—”
“Can it, Yancy,” Kyle snapped.  “I’m y’all’s mentor here, so I get the final
call on things like this.”
Yancy fumed.  “You pulling rank on me, man?”
“That’s the corner you’ve boxed me in!”
“Oh, bullshit.”
“Guys!” Raleigh said with a frown.
Both men turned to look at him.  Raleigh shook his head.
“Seriously, what’s going on?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Yancy grumbled.  “Come on.  Show me where the Kwoon room is.”
“All right...” Raleigh said, somewhat hesitantly.  “Kyle...you coming?”
Kyle sighed.  “Yeah...right behind you, Raleigh.”
The three men walked in uncomfortable silence all the way to the Kwoon room.
 Upon entering, they were greeted with the fascinated whispers of other cadets
and the stern face of the sparring instructor.  Raleigh tilted his head in
Yancy’s direction.
“Professor…” he said.  “This is my brother.  Yancy Becket.”
“Hm.  Very well, Becket...and Becket,” the man said, nodding at Yancy in
acknowledgement.
Yancy gave a slight nod back.  “Uh...so...what are we doing, professor?”
The man reached for two poles and tossed them at the brothers, who caught them
simultaneously.  A slight brow raised.
“Interesting…” said the professor.  
Raleigh turned to his brother and spoke before the teacher could give them
instructions.  “Okay.  Here’s what we’re supposed to do, Yance.  Think of it
kind of like fencing or kendo.”
He twisted the pole he was holding one way and then the other.  “You don’t
actually hit the other party, but you fight and try to find the opening.”
“Then you stop right before the blow would land?” Yancy asked.
“Yes!  Exactly,” said Raleigh.  “Ready to go?”
Yancy shrugged slightly.  “Sure.”
Raleigh nodded.  “Then take a few steps back—I’m going to do the same.”
The instructor cleared his throat.  “Well then...I suppose all I have left to
say is I will be telling you both when to begin exchanging blows, as well as
keep the score.”
“Got it,” said Yancy.
The man shook his head.  “I am going to suggest adding basic etiquette to the
curriculum...as a remedialcourse, for trainees like you who clearly don’t know
any matters.”
Raleigh rolled his eyes.  “C’mon, let’s get this show on the road, boss.”
Their instructor grunted.  “Fine.  Very well.  Begin!”
Raleigh reacted quickly; he had landed his first ‘blow’ before Yancy had a
chance to understand what was happening.  The instructor wrote something down
on his clipboard.
“One-zero,” he said.
Raleigh shot Yancy a look of irritation, and Yancy frowned.  Then a small smirk
formed on his face when he realized what it was Raleigh was telling him—to
hurry up and figure out what he had to do and then be serious.
“Okay, kid,” said Yancy.  “If that’s how you want it to be.”
The instructor cleared his throat again.  “Round two.  Begin!”
This time, Yancy’s movements were a lot quicker, and he was able to find a
weakness in Raleigh’s defense.  The instructor raised an eyebrow and jotted
some more things down on his clipboard.
“Most interesting,” said the man.  “One-one.  Next round...begin!”
Everyone in the room watched the next few rounds unfold with interest.
 Admittedly, it was a somewhat fascinating sight.  It was as if the men were
dancing with each other—neither ever broke eye contact, and yet without looking
elsewhere both men were able to attack and block each other almost flawlessly.
 Finally, the score settled at three-two, Raleigh to Yancy.  
“Last round,” said the instructor.  “Either you two will prove compatible, or
the opposite.  Make sure you give it all you’ve got.”
Yancy cracked his neck.  “Wouldn’t dream of giving the kid anything less.”
Raleigh smirked.  Kyle watched the two brothers in contemplative silence.  
“Final round,” said the instructor.  “Begin!”
At the last second, Yancy landed his target; both boys were breathing heavily.
 The instructor nodded with reluctant approval and their fellow classmates
broke out into applause.  Kyle was in a corner of the room, shaking his head
with an unreadable expression in his eyes.
When the ruckus died down, the instructor spoke.  “Well, gentlemen...it appears
that I have been proven wrong.”
Raleigh and Yancy exchanged a mutual grin.  The instructor shook his head.
“How very curious,” he said.  “Sibling teams are rare.  You are only the fourth
out of a greater pool of official Jaeger pilots.”
“Oh yeah?” Raleigh asked curiously.  “Who are the other three?”
“Triplets from China, a pair of brothers from Australia, and twins from
Anchorage, just like yourselves,” said the instructor.  “The Wei triplets and
the Hansen brothers are both from last year’s graduating class.  The Gage
brothers are the ones from Anchorage.  They graduated the year before last.”
“Wei, Hansen and Gage, huh…?” Raleigh said with a small smile.  “I’d sure like
to meet ‘em.”
“Given your performance just now, I do not doubt that you will…” the instructor
said without amusement.  “Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, lest it get to your
heads...but you two have something interesting that the previous teams did
not.”
“Yeah?  And what’s that?” asked Yancy.
“To be fair...each team has brought a different unique aspect to the table,”
said the instructor.  “The Wei triplets are the first and only three-person
team, and the Hansen brothers both brought with them previous tactical training
experience.  The Gage twins both have backgrounds in mixed-martial arts.”
“Mmhmm…go on,” said Yancy.
“Those men, however, took time to establish their synchronicity,” said the
instructor.  “Which was improved through Drift training.  You two on the other
hand…”
The man frowned.  “You both appear unusually compatible with one another.  Both
mind and body.”
Yancy briefly looked over in Kyle’s direction and saw his friend’s jaw clench.
 Yancy half-smiled and looked at the professor.
“We’ve always been pretty close,” he said.
The instructor nodded.  “It shows.”
The man scribbled a few notes on his clipboard and then looked up at the
brothers.  “Well then, gentlemen.  You two are officially partners.  I am
recommending that your mentor guide you both in Drifting first, and then you
both may come back here during the last four weeks to train one-on-one with me
while the others are Drifting.  I’d like to work with the two of you
personally.”
Kyle frowned.  “Sir, I don’t know if that’s—”
The instructor looked at Kyle with a raised eyebrow.  “Problem, Ranger?”
Kyle looked as if he were about to say something and then shook his head.
 “Never mind.  No, sir.”
The instructor nodded.  “Good.”
He looked back at Yancy and Raleigh.  “The two of you are dismissed for today.
 I expect you both to be ready to work with your mentor closely in the Drift
come tomorrow morning.”
“You got it,” said Yancy.  “Come on, Rals.”
“Okay,” said Raleigh.
The two of them walked out of the Kwoon room with Kyle trailing close behind
them.  When they were all out of earshot of the instructor and the other
cadets, Kyle spoke up.
“Look...we all really need to talk,” said Kyle.  
“About what?” Raleigh asked.  “Does this have to do with what you and Yance
were arguing about before?”
“Yes,” Kyle said with a nod.
Yancy frowned.  “What good will talking do?  Listen.  Kyle.  You heard that
guy.  Raleigh and I are partners now.  That’s it.  Done deal.  End of story.”
“You know what?  Let’s not talk about this here,” said Kyle.  “How about we
chat in your dorm?”
“Fine,” said Yancy.  
Raleigh trailed behind the two older men and looked between them
contemplatively.  They reached the Becket’s dorm in several minutes.  As soon
as Raleigh shut the door behind them, Kyle started.
“I have half a mind to report what I just saw to the higher ups,” said Kyle.  
Raleigh’s eyes widened slightly.  “Kyle...what’s going on?”
Yancy frowned.  “You’d do well to listen to the half that’s telling you to mind
your own business.”
Kyle shook his head.  “If you really want to do right by your brother, you’ll
agree to a separation order.”
“What?  Why?” Raleigh asked.  “Weren’t we just assigned together because we’re
Drift compatible?”
“Raleigh, you don’t have to defend him anymore,” said Kyle.  “I’m sorry I
didn’t have a clue what was going on all this time.”
“Seriously, what are you talking about?” asked Raleigh.
Yancy scowled.  “He saw some things while we were Drifting that he shouldn’t
have.”
“I told you, there are no secrets in the Drift,” said Kyle.  “Yancy, you need
help, man.”
Raleigh’s jaw dropped slightly when the realization suddenly hit.  “Oh shit,
Kyle...did you see…?”
“Yancy doing things to you that he shouldn’t?” Kyle said, nodding.  “Hell yeah,
I saw.”
Raleigh blanched.  “Kyle, listen…”
“Don’t even think you can convince me that you’re okay with what’s going on,”
Kyle said with a frown.  “I won’t believe you for a second.”
Raleigh stepped between Kyle and his brother.  “I won’t let you separate us.”
“You can’t be serious.  Can’t you see that it would be for your own good?” Kyle
asked, exasperated.    
“I understand your concern, Kyle,” Raleigh said calmly.  “But I can’t say I
agree.”
“I’ve given him plenty of chances to walk away,” Yancy offered.
Raleigh nodded and looked at Kyle.  “He did.  And I didn’t take any of them.”
“Look, you’re scared, I get it,” Kyle said, shaking his head.  “But
Raleigh...it doesn’t have to be like this.  We can find you an alternative
partner.”
“I thought you said that wasn’t possible?” Raleigh asked with a frown.
“It won’t be the same, that’s for sure,” Kyle admitted.  “Pilots are not often
partnered with a secondary choice, as the compatibility will be somewhat less.”
“It’s fine, Kyle,” said Raleigh.  “I know it’s a lot to take in...but what you
probably saw happened a long time ago.  Yancy’s not like that anymore.”
Kyle frowned.  “I can’t believe what I’m hearing!”
Raleigh sighed.  “I know this must seem like a lot to take in…”
“Well that’s the understatement of the century,” Kyle muttered.
Raleigh looked over his shoulder at his brother.  “Can I have a second with him
please, Yance?”
Yancy shrugged.  “Sure.  No one’s stopping you, kid.”
Raleigh half-smiled and then looked back at Kyle.  “Could we step out for a
second?”
Kyle sighed.  “All right…”
The two men stepped out into the hallway, leaving Yancy inside.  Raleigh rubbed
at the back of his neck.
“I’m sorry you had to see what you did in the Drift…” said Raleigh.  “But I
need you to understand something.”
“And what’s that?” asked Kyle.
“I’ll admit, things haven’t always been easy for us,” said Raleigh.  “Despite
everything though, I still love him.”
“Raleigh…”
“Think what you want about it, but I can’t leave him, Kyle,” said Raleigh.
 “And if you’re at all the good friend to my brother that you’ve always been,
then you’ll turn a blind eye to this and just accept things as they are.”
Kyle shook his head.  “I just don’t understand…”
“I know, it’s confusing,” Raleigh said, his voice shaking.  “But I hope that
this doesn’t change what we’ve built together...we’ve all known each other too
long.”
“I...I’ll try,” Kyle said with a small smile.  “But if at any time you decide
this isn’t what you want anymore…”
“Then I’ll come running to you for help,” Raleigh said with a nod.  “I
promise.”
Kyle sighed.  “Then...you know what?  That’s good enough for me.”
“So we cool then?” Raleigh asked.
“Guess so,” Kyle said with a slight shrug.  
The two men stood there in brief silence.  Finally, Kyle spoke up again.
“Well...I guess I’ll see the two of you tomorrow.”
Raleigh nodded.  “Bright and early.”
“All right.”
Kyle turned and started down the hall.  Raleigh watched him turn the corner
before going back into the dorm room to find Yancy pacing.  His brother looked
up when Raleigh clicked the door shut.
“Well?  What’s he sayin’?” asked Yancy.
Raleigh half-smiled.  “We’re okay.  He said he’ll see us tomorrow.”
His brother visibly relaxed.  “That’s...good, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, seems that way,” Raleigh said with a nod.  “But I guess we’ll find out
for sure over the next few days.”
Yancy nodded.  “I’d say that sounds about right.”
The two brothers stared at each other for a few moments.  Then, Yancy opened
his arms.
“C’mere, Rals.”
Raleigh walked into his brother’s gentle embrace and leaned his head against
his brother’s chest.  Yancy’s head rested atop Raleigh’s.  The older man let
out a soft sigh.
“Ral—”
“The Drift will make us closer,” Raleigh said suddenly, cutting off whatever
his brother had been about to say.  “If my guess is right, then by Drifting
together, we’ll get to understand each other better because we’ll be able to
see things we normally wouldn’t from our individual perspective.”
He felt his brother nod.  “Probably...yeah.”
Raleigh pushed back from his brother and looked up into Yancy’s eyes.  “Maybe
then I’ll understand why…”
Yancy cupped his hands around his brother’s face and searched his eyes.  “I
hope you find what you’re looking for.”
Raleigh smiled sadly at his brother.  “...me too.”
***** Entanglement *****
Chapter Notes
     So I had to go back to the last chapter and edit a detail to make
     this chapter work. Nothing too major though. Also, I changed some
     events in here from what I suppose is considered "canon." Among them
     are the exclusion of Naomi Solokov, Yamarashi is their fourth Kaiju
     kill (instead of their first), and certain facts about the Romeo Blue
     team. There are other things I tweaked as well, but I hope that since
     this is fanfic-landia, any changes I've made will be graciously
     excused by readers. Also, sorry it took so long for this chapter to
     come out. I meant to have it posted two days ago, but then I
     discovered a whole bunch of things that I felt like I needed to fix
     or make more clear, so that’s why it took longer. Oh, and also I had
     to edit a few things for the OP...
     By the way, just as an FYI, timeline-wise, I've crunched two years
     into one chapter. Lolol.
     As always, reader support is greatly appreciated. Thanks to all those
     who have left kudos!! And of course, much love to my regular
     reviewers. Onward we go!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The Drift gave the brothers way more than they bargained for.  They did indeed
grow closer, but not in the way either of them had expected.  To put it
lightly, the situation was a bit of a mess.
The first couple of nights after they started Drifting regularly, Yancy had
woken up screaming from Raleigh’s nightmares.  His younger brother always
rushed to his side to comfort him.  After several weeks, Raleigh began to
suffer from his own conflicts.  As a result of their Drifting, Yancy’s desire
for Raleigh intensified, and when his brother took him to bed, Raleigh found
his mind screaming no, but his body always said yes.  Sometimes, perhaps due to
Yancy’s subtle influence through the Drift, Raleigh found himself surprised
that there were days his heart was swayed and inclined to agree with the
opinions of his flesh.  There was no consistency in Raleigh’s mornings
after—sometimes he woke up confused and other days he’d wake up unaffected.
 Eventually, though, Raleigh decided that he was going to stop psychoanalyzing
things.  
They graduated from the academy mid-November, and by early December they were
transferred to the Anchorage Shatterdome along with Kyle as Rangers.  There,
they became briefly acquainted with Marshal Stacker Pentecost, who gave a quick
welcoming speech to all the newly inducted Jaeger pilots.  Soon after, the
freshman recruits were ushered into their first mess hall, while the returning
mentor pilots were called to a meeting.  This was where Kyle and the brothers
parted ways.
“My advice?  Don’t be antisocial.  Get acquainted with your fellow Jaeger
pilots,” said Kyle.  “I think they’re going to tell us your room assignments
and hand us keys to distribute again, just like back at the academy...it’ll be
my last duty as your mentor, in a sense.”
Yancy nodded.  “We’ll see you soon, Kyle.”
The brunette’s response wasn’t cold, but he didn’t offer the older Becket a
smile either; their relationship had been had become somewhat tepid since the
academy.  Kyle’s attitude towards Raleigh was friendlier.  He gave the younger
blonde a friendly slap on the shoulder.
“It may be awhile before they ease you guys into actual combat,” said Kyle.
 “So in case I forget when I give y’all the keys and I happen to not see you
two for a while...you make sure to take care of yourself.  All right?”
Raleigh nodded.  “Of course, Kyle.”
“Good,” said Kyle.  
He took one last look at Yancy before turning on his heels and joining the rest
of the more seasoned pilots.  Yancy sighed and Raleigh gently touched his hand
to his brother’s arm.
“He’ll come around eventually, Yance,” said Raleigh.  “He’s got to.”
Yancy ruffled his brother’s hair affectionately and gave him a half-smile.  “I
ain’t too worried about it, Rals.  Come on.  You hungry?  Let’s grab some food
and pick a table.”
Raleigh smiled.  “Sounds almost like high school all over again, doesn’t it?”
His brother chuckled.  “Sure does, kid.  Free food though...that’s different.”
“Best idea ever, you mean,” Raleigh said with a grin.
The pair plopped food on their trays and then randomly chose a table in the
center of all the chaos.  They were quickly welcomed by their fellow Jaeger
pilots.
“Ey!  Welcome to the party!” said one, acknowledging the Beckets.  “The name’s
Trevin.  Trevin Gage.”
Trevin pointed at the man seated beside him.  “And this here would be my
brother, Bruce.  Though you all probably figured that one out real quick, eh?”
“We’re twins,” Bruce said with a grin.
Raleigh recognized the name immediately.  “Gage!  I’ve heard a lot about the
two of you.”
“Only good things, I hope,” the one named Trevin said with a smile.  “Anything
bad, I let Bruce here take all the credit for.  They’re real, you know, evil
twins!”
“Hey, I take offense to that!” said Bruce.
Raleigh laughed.  “No, nothing bad.”
“Well thank goodness!” said Trevin.  “What all have you heard then?”
“That you are only one of three brother-based teams,” said Raleigh.  “That is,
until us.”
Trevin raised his eyebrows when Raleigh motioned to Yancy and himself.  “Say!
 You must be the Beckets then.”
“Oh ho!  We’ve heard about you lot quite a bit,” said Bruce.  
Yancy cocked a brow at Raleigh.  “It seems our reputation precedes us here…”
Trevin laughed.  “Sure does!  You both will be doing it soon enough yourselves,
but us active Rangers always get a progress report about the next incoming
class, pretty much once toward the end of each of the trimesters.”
“People might not know you two by face yet, but they certainly know you both by
name,” Bruce added.
“How’s that?” Raleigh asked.
“Don’t you boys know about your compatibility score?” Bruce asked curiously.
The brothers looked at each other questioningly before looking back at the
twins and shaking their heads.  Yancy shrugged.
“No clue, why?” he asked.
Trevin thwacked his brother lightly on the back of the head.  Bruce frowned.
“Ow!  Hey!  What’d you do that for?” he asked, rubbing his head.
Trevin shook his head.  “You idiot!  Of course they wouldn’t know.  Those
scores aren’t published and distributed at the academy.”
Bruce chuckled.  “Oh yeah, that’s right.”
“So uh...what was our score then?” asked Raleigh.
“Pretty damn high,” Bruce said with a grin.  “In fact, you two currently hold
the record.”
Yancy raised an eyebrow.  “Really.”
“Scout’s honor,” Bruce said, making the signal with his hand.
“You boys should be proud,” Trevin said with a nod.  
“Who held the record before?” Raleigh asked.
“Why, us of course!” said Bruce.
It was Raleigh’s turn to be surprised.  “Really.”
“Ha!  Would y’look at that, Trev?” Bruce said, looking at his brother.
 “They’re totally in sync.”
“Sure looks that way, doesn’t it?” Trevin said with a smile.
Just then, Kyle approached the table.  “Yancy, Raleigh...there you guys are.”
“Hey, it’s Hunter!” said Bruce.
“How’s it going, Hunter?” said Trevin.
“Ranger Gage and...Gage,” Kyle said, nodding at each of them.
“You were looking for us?” Raleigh asked.
Kyle nodded and held out his hand.  “To give you both these—the lanyards have
your keys on ‘em, and I’m also giving you both your dog tags.”
Both Raleigh and Yancy accepted the items being handed to them.  Raleigh took a
look at the engraving on his.  There were two to a chain, and they contained
duplicate information listing the intended wearer’s name, Ranger Number, Strike
Group, co-pilot’s name, and the name of the Jaeger they were assigned.  There
was also one row of letters and numbers that were codes signifying rank and any
known allergens.  Yancy’s brows furrowed together as he looked over similar
information on his own tags.  
“Gipsy Danger...huh?” he said before looking up at Kyle.  “That the name of the
Jaeger we’ve been assigned?”
Kyle nodded.  “That’s right.  It’s a Mark Three.  Top of the line, too—it’s not
digital like the Mark Fours or Fives, but the way it’s designed, the those
piloting it aren’t likely to suffer any of the negative effects of its nuclear
reactor.”
“That was the problem with the Mark Ones and Twos, right?” asked Yancy.
Kyle nodded.  “For the most part, that’s true.  Some were modified though,
later on.”
“What do you ride?” asked Raleigh.
“Tango Tasmania,” said Kyle.  “It’s a Mark One.”
“I’m assuming it’s been modified to be less lethal?” asked Yancy.
“That’s right,” said Kyle.
“His co-pilot is Ethan Bentley,” Bruce added.  “Strong and silent type, that
one...and of course he’s a hit with the ladies too.”
Kyle shook his head in mild disapproval.  “I don’t think my partner would
appreciate gossip about him while he’s not present.”
“Oh relax, Hunter!” Bruce chortled.  “It’s not like I’ve really said anything
bad.  Ah!  Look!  There he is now.”
Upon seeing who Bruce was pointing at, Yancy immediately thought he understood
why the young man had been paired with Kyle.  Aside from a few key differences
in facial structure and height, the man carried a lot of similarities to their
mutual friend, Jeremy Daniels—built, but not bulky, and with a crop of raven-
colored hair.  The eyes were different though; while Jeremy’s eyes were a
stormy grey, Ethan’s were a striking emerald green.  
Yancy caught Kyle’s eyes for a split second, and the other man quickly averted
them.  The man named Ethan approached their table with a mild scowl on his
face.  He didn’t pay anyone other than Kyle any mind.
“What are you still hanging around here for?” he asked.  “You said you were
coming right back.”
“My fault,” Kyle said, motioning toward Raleigh and Yancy.  “Got caught up in
conversation with my childhood friends.”
Ethan turned to look at the brothers and seemed to notice them for the first
time.  Yancy raised an eyebrow as he watched Ethan look between them, a
contemplative look on his face.  After a couple seconds, the dark-haired man
pointed at Raleigh first, and then Yancy.
“Raleigh...and you’re...Yancy?” he asked.
“That’s right,” Raleigh said, nodding.  “How’d you know?”
“No secrets in the Drift,” Kyle and Yancy said simultaneously.
The other men at the table regarded the both of them curiously.  Kyle rubbed
the back of his neck.
“I mentored him in the Drift back at the academy,” Kyle said, by way
explanation.  “Just a few sessions, and then he worked with his brother for the
remainder of the program.”
Ethan frowned.  “If it was only a handful of times, how come it seems like
you’re both somewhat synchronized?”
“Honestly?  I think it must be because we’ve been friends so long,” Kyle said,
shaking his head.
“Wait a minute…” Yancy said, turning on Kyle and whispering so only he could
hear.  “So if Raleigh and I had been reassigned…”
Kyle nodded and spoke softly back.  “I probably would have been your secondary,
and Raleigh here probably would have been paired with Ethan, because he’s got
my memories loaded into him too.”
“Wow,” said Yancy.  “No wonder you’ve speculated about Jerry.”
Kyle gave a slight shrug.  “Nothing more than wishful thinking.”
Yancy half-smiled.  “Hm…”
“Oi!  You two going to let us in on your little conversation or what?” Bruce
asked jovially.  
Before either man could respond, there was the sound of a siren.  Suddenly all
soldiers in the mess hall quieted and everyone listened carefully to the
announcement being made overhead.
“Category One Kaiju breach.  Requesting that all teams ready to deploy report
to the hangar immediately.”
“Category One…” Kyle muttered.
He turned to Yancy and Raleigh.  “You two ready to just jump into things and
kick some Kaiju butt?”
Both brothers grinned and spoke simultaneously.  “Hell yes!”
Kyle smiled.  “Then come on.  Let’s get y’all acquainted with your Jaeger.”
Yancy and Raleigh barely had time to process all that happened next.  They
followed Kyle and his partner to where they kept the Jaegers and saw the other
teams being deployed; among them were the Hansen brothers who the Beckets had
met earlier. Trevin gave the brothers a friendly nod and Bruce flashed them a
smile and a wink as all the pilots were being suited up.  While waiting for
their turn to be taken to their Conn-Pod, Raleigh looked up at the Jaeger he
and his brother had been assigned.
“Quite a beauty, isn’t she, Rals?” asked Yancy.
Raleigh nodded.  “Sure is.”
“You ready kid?”
“I—”
Raleigh’s response was cut off by a Shatterdome technician.  “Team Gipsy,
please report to the platform!”
Yancy tilted his head slightly in the direction of where they were being
called.  “C’mon kid.  Look’s like we’re up.  Let’s go.”
The brothers approached the man who had called for them, who was currently
looking down at the information he held on his clipboard.  When he looked up,
he smiled at the two men and held out a hand.
“The name’s Tendo.  Tendo Choi,” the man said with a grin.  “It was a pleasure
being a part of your graduating class.”
“Hey there, Tendo,” Raleigh said, smiling and shaking the other man’s hand.
 “Sorry to say I don’t remember you too well.”
“Ah, that’s okay,” Tendo said, giving Raleigh a smile back.  “I’m sure our
paths will cross quite often.  We’ll have plenty of time to get to know one
another.  I’m a part of LOCCENT.”
“Cool,” said Raleigh.  “So what’s the next step?”
“Right.  Follow me,” said Tendo.
Yancy and Raleigh trailed behind the technician as the man explained.  “Now
that you’re all suited up, we’re going to get you guys inside your pod.  There,
people will be helping connect you to the operating system.  Once you’re all
buckled in, then we connect you to the Jaeger.  Will this be your first time in
actual combat?”
“That’s correct,” said Yancy.  
“Well, you should be well-prepared for this—for the most part it’s going to
feel like a regular training session,” said Tendo.  “But just remember not to
get careless or you will get killed.”
“That seems to go without saying,” said Yancy.
“Ah, but you’d be surprised how quickly people can forget,” said Tendo.
 “Anyway, it’s a Category One, so it should be safe enough for you guys out
there.  You’ll be with veterans out there, so it shouldn’t be too bad.”
They stopped in front of the entrance to Gipsy Danger’s Conn-Pod.  Tendo turned
to them.
“Good luck, gentlemen,” he said.  “I’ll be your support back in Mission
Control.”
“Looking forward to working with you,” Raleigh said with a nod.
“Likewise,” said Tendo before turning back down the hall.
The two brothers walked into the Conn-Pod.  Yancy turned to Raleigh and
grinned.
“I’m older, so I’ll take the side that says number one.”
“What?  Hey, that’s not fair!” said Raleigh.
“Too bad!” Yancy said with a laugh.  “I called it.”
Before Raleigh could really kick up a fuss, Yancy had already moved to where
the attendants were waiting to load someone onto the Jager’s right-hemisphere.
 Raleigh shook his head and went over to the left side.  The support team made
quick work of plugging them in.  As soon as they filed out of the pod, there
was a brief moment of silence before the Jaeger’s head was dropped onto the
rest of its structure, connecting to the body.  
Once they were connected, Tendo’s voice crackled over their communications
system.  “Tendo here!  Everyone okay in there?”
“Couldn’t be better,” Yancy replied.  “Tell us what we’re doing, Tendo!”
“You’re going to be deployed several feet away from the action,” said Tendo.
 “You’ll be flanked by two veteran teams who’ll step in if it looks like you
guys need assistance.”
Bruce’s voice crackled through the communications system.  “Team Romeo here.
 Try to not let yourselves get killed on your first run, eh, boys?”
Trevin’s laughter came through next.  “Don’t pay my bro any mind; he’s just
jealous that you’ve taken the limelight off us.”
“Borrowed!”Bruce shot back.  “They’reborrowing the limelight.”
Yancy laughed.  “You sure about that?”
“You old-timers might need to hang it up after this one,” Raleigh added,
grinning.  “What’s that they say?  Out with the old and in with the new?”
“Big words, my friend,”said Bruce.  “But can you deliver?”
“Save the trash talk for later, guys," Kyle’s voice cut sharply through.
 “We’ve got a Kaiju problem to take care of.”
“Aw...you’re no fun, Hunter,”said Bruce.
“Ranger Hunter has a point,”said Tendo.  “Good luck, gentlemen.  Neural
handshake process will initiate once you all have been dropped in the ocean.”
“Roger that,” Yancy said before temporarily muting their connection and looking
over at his brother.  “You ready, kid?”
Raleigh flicked a tongue over his lower lip and nodded silently.  Yancy half-
smiled.  As they had been informed, they were dropped in the ocean a fair
distance away from an oncoming Kaiju along with the supporting teams.  
“Remember kid,” Yancy said to him, echoing a phrase he had picked up from Kyle.
 “The Drift is silence.”
Raleigh nodded once and then braced himself just before both brothers were
plunged into the Drift.  This was the part that he dreaded most.  Yancy had
gotten better about not fixating on any one memory, but sometimes Raleigh
couldn’t help his own searching.
There were the fantasies.  Yancy wanting to pin Raleigh’s hands over his bed
and fucking him hard against their bedroom wall.  Raleigh’s face tucked between
Yancy’s legs, looking up at his brother while sucking him.  And the memories.
 Yancy being his first kiss.  Yancy jerking him off in the bathroom when he was
just a high school freshman.  
All these things that stirred within him feelings of fear, shame, and
resentment.  That is, until Yancy inadvertently revealed to him some of his
deeper thoughts.  To Raleigh, they were explanations.
Yancy trying his hardest not to look at Raleigh that way.  Yancy trying to stop
himself from touching his brother, and hating himself more and more each time
he failed.  When Raleigh saw these things, he couldn’t bring himself to hate
his brother.  Because Yancy loved Raleigh, and that’s why he decided to walk
away, except their father had walked out on them first.
“Don’t chase the rabbit, kid!”
Yancy’s voice yanked him out of his reverie, and Raleigh’s head jerked as he
felt himself thrust back into reality.  He let out a small gasp and turned his
head toward his brother, who was looking at him in mild concern.
“You all right, kiddo?”
Raleigh nodded.  “Yeah.”
“Good,” Yancy said, and Raleigh didn’t notice the tightness in his brother’s
voice.
In the Drift, Yancy had seen things he didn’t think he deserved.  Love.
 Acceptance.  Raleigh’s genuine desire to justunderstand.
Back LOCCENT, Tendo whistled softly as he looked over the readings.  Marshal
Pentecost, who had entered the room sometime earlier, walked behind the
Shatterdome technician and look a look over his shoulder.
“How’s Team Gipsy looking, then?” he asked.
“Their link is strong, sir,” said Tendo.  “Strongest I’ve ever seen, in fact.
 Romeo Blue’s got nothing on them.”
Pentecost half-smiled.  “You don’t say.”
He pressed a button on Tendo’s dashboard and spoke into a mic.  “Gentlemen!
 This is Marshal Pentecost speaking.  Your orders are simple.  Eliminate the
Kaiju threat as quickly and efficiently as possible, then return to base.”
All three teams responded in chorus.  “Sir, yes, sir!”
“Very good,” said Pentecost.  “Now get going.”
The targeted Kaiju roared upon noticing the three approaching Jaegers.  It
turned in their direction and kicked back its hind legs.
“Looks like it’s going to charge us,”Yancy spoke to his brother over their
shared link.  “I say we take this thing head on.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Raleigh thought back.  “Let’s rock and roll.”
Sure enough, the Kaiju was thundering towards them, and both brothers lifted
their arms at the same time.  The Kaiju crashed into them, but the brothers
were ready.  They slid back only slightly, their Jaeger’s heels digging deep in
the ocean floor.  They pushed back against the Kaiju’s hands with their own.
“No good, we need some time.  We’re going to have to knock it down,” Yancy said
in their thoughts.
Raleigh smirked in their minds.  “What’s the matter, Yance?  Don’t like the
fish we caught?”
Yancy frowned.  “Come on, Rals!  Be serious!  Our weapons need time to charge.”
“Yeah, yeah, all right,”Raleigh replied.
They gave the Kaiju a solid punch, causing it to fall backwards and into the
water.  Yancy shouted at his brother.
“Now, kid!  Now!  Fire it up!”
“You got it!” Raleigh said, charging up Gipsy Danger’s left arm and releasing
the beam from its Plasmacaster just as the Kaiju resurfaced from the stormy
waters.
Raleigh’s aim was accurate and the Kaiju shrieked as it once again fell under
the crashing waves.  Yancy got his side ready and blasted the beast again when
it tried to rise.  
The brothers made quick work of their first kill, and the other two Jaeger
teams only interfered at the very end, to make sure that the brothers had done
a thorough job.  Once the Kaiju’s death was confirmed, all three teams made
their way back to the base.
“Congratulations, boys!” Trevin said over the communications system.  
“Yeah, you guys did great out there,” said Kyle.  “Knew y’all would.”
“Now you can sew that first notch to your belts,” said Bruce.  “Bit of a
tradition here.”
“Nice work, Rangers,” Pentecost’s voice clipped through as the Jaegers were
being hosed down.  “Team Gipsy...that was a fine job you did there.  Keep it
up.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Yancy.
“Once your Jaeger is disinfected, you’re free to go back to your rooms,
gentlemen,” said the marshal.  “No mandatory training exercises for you all
tonight.”
“Much appreciated, sir,” said Raleigh.  
The communication clicked off and attendants soon filed in to Gipsy Danger’s
Conn-Pod to help the brothers disconnect.  They briefly congregated with their
fellow pilots soon after shedding their Drivesuits, exchanging a few words
before they all parted ways for the day.
“So how’d it feel?  Your first real kill?” asked Bruce.
“Pretty darn good, I’d have to say,” said Yancy.
Trevin nodded.  “You guys were all game and no fuss out there.  That kind of
focus will always serve you well here.”
“Looking forward to our next fight,” said Raleigh.
“Likewise!” Bruce said with enthusiasm.  “We’ll see you both tomorrow, yeah?”
“Count on it,” Raleigh said as the Gage brothers walked away.
“Don’t let all the excitement get to your head now,” Kyle warned, clapping a
hand on one of Raleigh’s shoulders.  “Looking forward to working with y’all
again though.”
Raleigh smiled.  Kyle smiled back before looking at Yancy and giving him a curt
nod.  Yancy held up a hand as Ethan placed a hand on Kyle’s back and gently
pushed him another direction.  
“Come on, Yancy,” Raleigh said, placing a hand on his brother’s wrist.  “Let’s
go.”
His brother glanced one last time at Kyle’s retreating backside before nodding.
 “Yeah, all right.”
The brothers quickly returned to their room and each took their turn in the
shower before changing out of their sweaty clothes.  Yancy was drying his hair
with a towel when Raleigh spoke.
“That was pretty cool today, wasn’t it, Yance?” Raleigh asked.  “Our first real
fight with a Kaiju.”
Yancy chuckled while scrubbing the towel against his head.  “Yeah, kid.  Our
first real kill too.”
“Bruce said we should start sewing notches marking our kill counts,” Raleigh
said with a laugh.  “But I don’t even know the first thing about sewing.”
Yancy smiled.  “Don’t worry about that, kid.  Just leave it to me.”
Raleigh raised an eyebrow.  “You know how to sew?”
“Mmhmm…”
“Since when!”
“Since Mom taught me,” said Yancy.  “Back when you were little and kept getting
holes in all your clothes from something...you’d trip and fall or get it
snagged on a hook.”
“How come she made you do it?” Raleigh asked curiously.
“She didn’t,” Yancy said, shaking his head.  “I wanted to.  I mean, you were
such a cute little kid, and I…”
He frowned as he trailed off.  The smile slipped from Raleigh’s face and a
silence fell between them.  Yancy threw the used towel into one of the hampers
and then walked past Raleigh to get to his bed.
“I saw the things you wanted to do to me in there,” Raleigh said softly,
stopping Yancy just before he climbed onto his bed.
“Oh, kid…” Yancy groaned, pressing his forehead against his mattress.  “Why do
you look?”
Raleigh gave a slight shrug.  “Because I want to know.”
“No, Rals,” Yancy said, shaking his head.  “You don’t have any idea about half
the things that I want to do to you.”
“What doyou want to do to me, Yance?” Raleigh asked.
He frowned when his brother turned around and ignored him.  Raleigh grabbed his
brother by the arm.
“Yancy.”
Raleigh gasped out of surprise when his brother spun around, gripped a fistful
of his hair, and slammed him against their wall.  Yancy’s voice was tight when
he spoke, his expression unamused.
“You know better than to tempt me, Rals,” said Yancy.  “We both know this isn’t
what you want.  You don’t need me in the way that I need you.”
He brought his lips close to his brother’s ear.  “You really want to know
though?  Fine.  I’ll tell you, but you’re not going to like it.”
Raleigh shuddered when one of Yancy’s hands made its way underneath the
waistband of his pants.  He sucked in a short breath when his brother began to
stroke.
“I’d like to tie you up, bend you over, and fuck you so hard,” Yancy growled.
 “Until you can no longer stand.”
His brother whimpered when Yancy let go.  The older Becket closed his eyes,
rested his forehead against Raleigh’s, and loosened the grip in his brother’s
hair.
“I love you too much, Rals,” Yancy sighed.  “I’m tired of forcing you to give
me what I want.  I’m tired of hurting you.”
“What if...what if I said that I wanted it too, now?” Raleigh asked
breathlessly.
Yancy opened his eyes, pulled away from his brother, and frowned.  “No, Rals.
 We both know that’s the Drift talking.  Your thoughts mixing with mine...it’s
been confusing you, Rals, and that’s my fault.  I’m sorry.”
“But…”
“The answer’s no, Raleigh,” Yancy said firmly.  “I shouldn’t have even touched
you just now.”
“I don’t understand…” Raleigh said, shaking his head.  “These feelings are
always more intense after we Drift.  I just need...I want…”
“I know,” said Yancy.  “But it always passes after a few minutes, doesn’t it,
kid?”
For a moment Raleigh thought back to all the times he woke up the next morning
with a bit of regret twisting in his stomach for allowing his older brother to
take him to bed.  Then he thought about all the other times where he had woken
up feeling guilty, but oddly satisfied from what it was they did.  Lately he
was wondering which sentiment was truly and solely his.
His brother seemed to sense his eternal conflict and placed his hands on both
of Raleigh’s shoulders.  “Listen, Rals.”
Raleigh looked into his brother’s eyes.  Yancy half-smiled.
“From now on, when we Drift...try not to focus on all that anymore, all right?”
said Yancy.  “It’ll be better for you in the long run and...I’ll be better
about keeping those things away from your mind too.”
“I’ll try, Yance,” said Raleigh.  “But—”
“No buts, kid,” Yancy said, shaking his head.  “Come on.  I’m beat.  Let’s get
some sleep.”
Yancy turned away from his little brother and climbed onto his bed.  He pulled
the covers over his head and waited to hear his brother shuffle under his own
sheets before allowing himself to relax and go to sleep.
The next time they entered the Drift was in response to a Category Two Kaiju
threat, and both brothers did their part, minimizing the neural aftereffects
that followed post-skirmish.  They had somewhat improved their method by their
third battle, and the brothers had even come up with a signature fighting pose
that they decided they’d execute upon completion of the neural handshake
process.  By the time they were given their fourth assignment, the Beckets were
well-noted for their strong, unwavering neural link and flawless battle record,
giving them something similar to celebrity status among their fellow Jaeger
pilots.
Unfortunately, they were not gods.  This was the harsh reality they were
reminded of when Yamarashi, at that time one of the largest Kaiju ever recorded
to emerge from the breach, took them by surprise.
“Hey!  Yancy!”
Yancy almost couldn’t believe who he was hearing.  He turned around to see
Kyle, who was grinning at him.  Yancy smiled with a bit of uncertainty—ever
since his friend had found out about the full nature of his relationship with
his brother, Kyle had been hot-and-cold around him ever since.  
“What’s up, Kyle?” he asked.
The other man waved an envelope at him.  “It’s from Jack!”
Yancy raised an eyebrow.  “You wrote him?”
“Yeah,” Kyle said with a nod.  “And he wrote me back!  Can you believe it?”
Yancy’s smile grew a little more.  “I don’t know, man.  Jerry’s always been
pretty unpredictable.  You read it yet?”
“Hm?  Nah…” Kyle looked down at the letter and rubbed the back of his neck.  “I
kind of want to wait until I can sit down and read it, you know?  I sorta wrote
a lot in my letter to him…”
Yancy didn’t have to ask what that could have meant.  He nodded.
“Well, it’s whatever you want to—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the Kaiju alarm went off overhead.  Both
men looked up while listening to the announcement being made by a Shatterdome
technician.
“Kaiju breach.  Category Three.  Team Gipsy and Team Tango, please report…”
While the message continued, Kyle and Yancy looked back down at each other.
 When their eyes met, they exchanged a nod.
“Better get moving,” said Kyle.
Yancy nodded.  The two men began rushing towards the hangar.
“Listen, man…” Yancy said as they were running.  “I know things have been
awkward between us lately, but…”
“Yeah...I’m sorry.  That’s mostly my fault,” Kyle said, staring straight ahead.
 “I didn’t mean for things to get so weird between us, but I was just trying to
wrap my head around it all...and by the time I figured I didn’t really have
much of a right to judge…”
“Look, it’s fine,” said Yancy as they turned into the open doorway of the
hangar.  “I understand, but...I’ve just been meaning to ask…”
The two men slowed to a brisk walk.  Yancy looked over at Kyle as they made
their way to some lockers that served as temporary storage for small personal
effects while pilots went on missions.  
“Could we just let bygones be, and start over?” Yancy asked.  
The corners of Kyle’s lips quirked slightly upward.  “Yeah.  Sure.  I suppose
it’s about time I stopped being such an ass.”
Yancy laughed a little.  “Glad to hear it, man...so are we cool?”
“Yeah,” Kyle said, nodding.  “We’re cool.”
Just before they went to get suited up, Kyle opened up one of the lockers and
placed the letter from Jeremy inside, along with a few of his other personal
effects.  Yancy did the same, opening the one up next to his friend and
depositing his phone and some of the loose items in his pockets.  
“Biggest one yet, they’re saying,” Yancy said as both men simultaneously shut
their lockers.  “You ready?”
Kyle gave a slight one-shoulder shrug.  “As I’ll ever be.”
“Wonder why they didn’t call Romeo Blue,” Yancy said as the two began walking
in the direction of their Jaegers.
“No clue,” said Kyle.  “Maybe they’ll tell us though.”
They were later informed by LOCCENT that Romeo Blue had been considered too
slow and the risk of deploying it alongside Tango Tasmania and Gipsy Danger to
be too great to assist in responding to the enormous Category Three threat.
 Teams Tasmania and Gipsy were instructed to take down the Kaiju with as little
destruction as they can manage.  The Jaegers were dropped at the mouth of the
Los Angeles River.
“Tango to Gipsy, do you copy?” Kyle asked over the communications system.
“Loud and clear, Kyle,” said Yancy.  “What’s our play?”
“Gotta find a weak spot, man,” said Kyle.  “You guys take it on from the back.
 Ethan and I will attack it from the front.”
“All right.  Roger that,” said Yancy.  “Be careful.”
“Right back at’cha.”
Both Jaegers took their positions, using all that each of them had in their
arsenals.  After firing several shots, Raleigh looked over at his brother with
a grim expression and shook his head.
“Shit, Yancy!  This isn’t going to work!”
“Well we’re going to have to figure out something, kid,” Yancy said through
gritted teeth.  “Or we’re going to get chopped into fucking Kaiju salad.”
Just then, the Kaiju let out a tremendous roar and Ethan’s voice crackled
frantically over the public line.  “Oh fuck!  Holy shi—”
“Hey!  What’s wrong?” Yancy asked.  “What is it?  What’s going on?”
He frowned when there was no response.  “Guys?  Ethan?  Kyle!”
A deep, unsettling feeling rose from his gut when he heard the Kaiju’s ear-
splitting cry and the loud noise of creaking metal.  Through their link,
Raleigh attempted to ease his brother's panic.
“Yancy!  We’re not going to be able to get a good look—the Kaiju’s body is too
damn big,”said Raleigh.  “I’m sure they’re fine, Yance.  They’ve just got their
hands full right now.  Come on!  We’ve got to do something about this!”
Yancy shook his head in order to try and clear his thoughts.  “You're...you’re
right, Rals.”
“What do you want to do, Yance?”
“We’ve got  push it back into the ocean,”said Yancy.  “At the very least, it
will minimize any further destruction and civilian casualties.”
“Okay,”said Raleigh.
He didn’t point out that Yancy specifically mentioned the word ‘civilian.’
 Even without hearing his brother’s thoughts over the Drift, Raleigh knew what
was on Yancy’s mind.  He followed his brother’s example though and tucked the
thought far back in his mind.  They needed to concentrate on the task at hand.
 Raleigh quickly surveyed their surroundings and then looked over at Yancy.
“The freeway,” Raleigh said aloud.
His brother nodded.  “Got it.  Let’s go.”
They quickly formulated a plan and went over it in their minds, settling on two
possible options.  They could act as a lure or figure out a different way to
push the Kaiju back.
“We’re not going to be able to outrun it,” said Raleigh.
“I know,” said Yancy.  “We’ll have to dodge it and push it back.  You got
enough strength left for this?”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Raleigh.  “We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do.”
Yancy nodded.  “Then let’s give it all we’ve got.”
They fired up one of Gipsy Danger’s Plasmacasters and struck the giant Kaiju
from behind.  This proved effective as the monster turned away from whatever it
had been distracted with and rounded on the Becket’s Jaeger.  It roared and
charged after it.  The brothers managed to dodge the beast just in time as it
rushed past them.  The Kaiju screamed in frustration; it had run so fast it
took a few minutes longer than it probably intended to skid to a stop.  When it
finally managed to do so, it had already done half the job the Beckets had set
out to do.  Meanwhile, the brothers had been charging and recharging both
Plasmacasters, preparing to deal another blow.
Tears stung Yancy’s eyes as both brothers simultaneously let out a morale-
boosting shout.  They thundered after the Kaiju and lifted Gipsy Danger’s
hands, shooting at the Kaiju at just the right distance.  The Kaiju howled as
it was being forced back.
“Shit!” Raleigh exclaimed.  “What are we going to do, Yance?  I don’t think
this is going to kill it!”
Yancy knew his brother was right.  The battle was taking its toll on both men,
and their Jaeger was starting to run low on power.  At the last second, he
noticed a loose cargo crane wire hanging from some rubble.
“Raleigh!” Yancy shouted.
“Yeah, that’ll work,” said Raleigh.
The stubborn Kaiju bellowed and began to advance once more, but the Beckets
were faster.  They fired another beam, sending Yamarashi tumbling backward.
 Then the brothers rushed Gipsy Danger over to the crane wire and ran as fast
as they could towards the stunned Kaiju.
“We’ve probably got only one shot at this, Rals!”
“I know,” Raleigh said tightly.  “So we better not fucking screw this up!”
“Raleigh…”Yancy said in their mind.  “If something happens—”
“No, Yancy,”said Raleigh.  “Nothing will.  Come on.  We’ve got this.”
Yancy’s lips pressed into a firm line.  “Right.”
The brothers wasted no time in bringing the cord down as hard as they could on
the Kaiju’s outstretched neck.  The beast let out one last wail as the wire
severed its head from its body.  Exhausted and just about out of adrenaline,
the brothers were unable to keep their Jaeger upright and caused Gispy Danger
to collapse into a kneeling position once the defeated Kaiju’s head rolled off
of its body.
The marshal’s voice came through somewhat distorted over their communications
system.  “Gentlemen!  Tendo tells me the Kaiju is no longer emitting any vital
signs.  What’s your status?”
“The Kaiju’s been dealt with, sir,” Raleigh confirmed.
He looked over in concern at his brother, who was breathing rather harshly.
 Raleigh bit his lip.  
“Sir,” he said.  “My brother and I are not injured, but…”
There was a slight pause from the other end.  “Tango Tasmania…”
Raleigh swallowed.  “Yes, sir...we’re…”
He trailed off as he looked at his brother trembling and trying to regain his
composure.  Raleigh closed his eyes as he tried to focus on saying his next
words evenly—the words his brother wanted to say, but at the moment needed help
saying—without letting the emotions he was feeling from Yancy overtake him.
“We’re going to need assistance…”
The marshal’s voice sounded somber in his reply.  “...one team is already on
its way.”
“Thank you, sir,” Raleigh said in a low voice before muting the connection.  
He nudged his brother gently through their mental link.  “Yancy…”
The only thought that came back to him was his brother’s current internal
mantra.  “Kyle, Kyle, Kyle, Kyle, Kyle…”
Raleigh shook his head.  “Yancy.  I’m worried about him…and Ethan too, but it’s
not going to do either of them or us any good if we just sit here, frozen.  I
can’t pilot Gipsy by myself either, Yancy.  You’ve got to help me get her up.
 Please.”
It broke his heart to see his brother so torn.  Raleigh felt unwanted tears
trickle hotly down his own cheeks.  
“Please, Yancy.  Please,” Raleigh begged.  “Stay with me.”
His brother shut his eyes tightly and Raleigh did his best to help Yancy push
away all the hindering thoughts.  In a few seconds, Raleigh was able to get his
brother into a calm enough state and began to pour in thoughts of assisting
Kyle and Ethan from their Jaeger.  Yancy’s eyes snapped open.  He turned his
head and nodded wordlessly at Raleigh.  His brother nodded back, and then the
two of them were able to push themselves up off the ground by controlling their
Jaeger’s hands.  At first, they only trudged along back to their last known
sighting of Tango Tasmania, but Raleigh was soon able to coax his brother to
command their Jaeger to break out into a run.  
Yancy’s worst fears were confirmed when they reached the twisted metallic
debris that was once a Mark One Jaeger.  The brothers unsteadily parked Gipsy
Danger over the open chest of Tango Tasmania before hitting an override button
in their cockpit, allowing them to be released from their neural connection
with their Jaeger.  Both brothers took off and chucked their helmets and rushed
towards the Conn-Pod’s exit.  
Raleigh moved quickly, but Yancy was faster.  The older man weaved his way to
where their fellow Jaeger pilots were supposed to be.  Raleigh lost sight of
his brother for a split second.  He had been about to climb over a row of
disfigured metal when suddenly he heard his brother wrench out a guttural
scream.  
“Aw...no, no, no, no,no!  Kyle!  Fuck!”
Raleigh suddenly crumpled to the ground in a prostrate position and tucked his
head inward, clamping his hands over his ears.  He couldn’t tell if the screams
belonged to him or his brother; if they were out loud or all in his mind.  
He was only half-sure that he was Ghost-Drifting with his brother now, and the
sights he saw weren’t pleasant.  Kyle’s mouth agape and eyes staring up at the
sky, completely empty.  Raleigh’s body shook with sobs.  A twisted metal piece,
speared through Kyle Hunter’s torso.  Thoughts that he wasn't sure whether or
not they belonged to him swirled in his mind.  Did he die on impact or was he
tortured?  Was he in a lot of pain?  Oh fuck...could I have helped him somehow?
 Was there anything I could have done differently?  And the overwhelming
emotions that were attached to the memories.  Kyle mediating all Yancy’s fights
with Jeremy.  Kyle on the ground because Yancy just gave him an unnecessary
punch to the gut, even if Yancy had thought it was well-deserved at the time.
 Kyle’s laughter.  
Raleigh rolled over slowly onto his side and gasped for breath, tears streaming
uncontrollably down his face.  His brother was lamenting loudly in his
thoughts.  Kyle, Kyle, Kyle, Kyle...this isn’t real, right?  It can’t be
real...how can it be real?  Wejustmade things right between us again.  Raleigh
shuddered as Yancy’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden unpleasant memory.
 The last thing both brothers heard over the communications system—Ethan’s
screams.
Raleigh squeezed his eyes tightly and curled his fists into tight balls.  It
took all he had to focus on things that could make him calm.  He wasn’t sure if
he’d also succeed in comforting his brother this way, but Raleigh knew that he
needed to pull himself together if he was going to be of any use to anyone.  
In a few minutes, the blonde’s breathing became even and his brother’s voice
eventually quieted down to nothing more than a whisper.  Raleigh opened his
eyes and took a deep breath before shakily pushing himself up onto his feet.
 It was a slow process, but somehow Raleigh managed to climb through all the
carnage and eventually made it to his brother’s side.  Yancy was seated next to
his deceased friend’s corpse with one knee propped up and his other leg tucked
underneath him.  The older man’s head was pressed against his fist, which was
resting atop his propped up leg.  Exhausted, Raleigh settled down next to his
brother and hugged around Yancy’s shoulders.  They sat like that for a
while—Yancy’s body shaking with sobs and Raleigh rubbing one hand soothingly up
and down his brother’s arm.  Raleigh moved only when he heard the sound of soft
groaning that he knew for sure wasn’t coming from himself or his brother.
He reluctantly left his brother behind, who didn’t seem to notice anything
going on around him, and searched for the source of the sound.  Raleigh stopped
in front of a small pile of rubble and grunted as he lifted some of it away.
 He gasped when he saw Ethan’s bloodied body underneath.
“Oh, shit!” he hissed as he bent down beside the battered pilot.  “Ethan…!
 Hang on, man!  Help is coming…!”
Raleigh wasn’t sure if Ethan could hear or understand him, but just then he
heard the sound of choppers floating overhead.  Raleigh looked up and was
relieved to see two helicopters that were lowering down towards them.  The
rescue team wasted no time in climbing aboard the mangled Jaeger and executing
their mission.  Ethan was quickly strapped to a stretcher and taken aboard one
of the helicopters.  Kyle’s corpse was carefully extricated from the metal that
he had been impaled on, and was covered and transported along with his badly
hurt co-pilot.  Raleigh and Yancy were led onto the second chopper.  Yancy’s
head rested on Raleigh’s shoulder and the younger man ran his hands gently
through his older brother’s hair for the entire duration of their ride.  
When they landed at their base, Raleigh gave his brother’s shoulder a tight
squeeze and pressed a kiss on top of his brother’s head before helping him get
unbuckled and off the aircraft.  All those they came across seemed able to read
the mood, and whether or not they knew what had happened on the mission,
everyone had the courtesy to step out of the brothers’ way.  When Raleigh and
Yancy passed by the Gage twins, Bruce looked as if he wanted to say something,
but his brother put a hand on his shoulder and held the man back.  Raleigh shot
them an apologetic look and moved on.
He dragged his brother back to their room, and after he kicked their door
closed and locked it shut, Raleigh helped his brother over to his bed, since it
was lower than Yancy’s, and had his brother sit on it.  Yancy didn’t help or
kick up a fuss when Raleigh began to change him out of his clothes; he just
stared blankly ahead at the wall.  When he had finished doing what he could,
Raleigh gently pushed his brother down and tucked the covers around him.  He
then weaved his fingers through his brother’s hair systematically; the motion
helped Yancy to become tired, and eventually the older man’s eyes fluttered
closed and he fell asleep.  Raleigh continued for several minutes after that,
before pressing a loving kiss to his brother’s temple and then getting up and
changing for bed.  Once in fresh clothes, he took one last look at Yancy before
climbing on top of his brother’s bed and going to sleep.
The next morning, a light buzzing woke Yancy up from his slumber.  He groaned
softly and slowly got up into a sitting position.  As he tried to reorient
himself, everything came flooding back to him.  The battle with Yamarashi.
 Raleigh helping him onto a helicopter.  Raleigh tucking him into bed.  Kyle’s
body, impaled.  Kyle’s eyes staring blankly up at the sky.  His mouth open, but
never to let another sound out again.  Kyle was gone.  Kyle was dead.  Forever.
Yancy heard the creaking of a mattress and light moaning.  He looked over to
his left and saw Raleigh, who was still asleep, frowning.  Yancy let out an
inaudible sigh.  Raleigh was probably faintly picking up his distress over
their ghostlink, Yancy realized, so he did his best to suppress his darker
thoughts.
There was still the source of the buzzing to deal with, and Yancy thought he
knew what it was.  He slowly moved out of bed and padded over to where he and
his brother hung their jackets.  He slipped his hand into his jacket pocket,
and sure enough, it was his phone that was buzzing with a call from Pentecost.
 Yancy took one look over his shoulder at Raleigh before opening their door and
stepping outside.  
He answered the call after he had closed the door behind him.  “...hello?”
“Mr. Becket,”said Marshal Pentecost.  “I realize you are not of mind for
pleasantries, so I will just cut to the chase.”
“Yes, sir,” Yancy agreed.
“I would like to inform you that the lone survivor of Tango Tasmania is in
critical condition.”
Yancy swallowed and closed his eyes.  Lone survivor.  Ethan.  Not Kyle.  He
knew it was terrible, but part of him wished it was in reverse.
“The doctors have informed us that there is nothing more they can do for him
aside from ease his passage to the next life as much as possible…”
A wave of guilt passed over Yancy when he heard that.  For a brief moment he
wondered if his earlier fleeting thought just jinxed the situation for Kyle’s
co-pilot.
“I am well aware that your close relationship was with the deceased and not his
co-pilot; however…”
“...he’s asking for you, Mr. Becket.”
Yancy’s eyes opened in surprise.  
“Me?”he wondered.  “Why would he possibly want to see me?”
“I cannot say that I know the reasons for his request,”Pentecost said, as if
sensing Yancy’s unasked question.  “However, I do need to inform the doctor
whether or not you plan on honoring it.”
Yancy didn’t respond at first.  The marshal waited patiently for a few minutes.
Finally, he broke the silence.  “Well, Mr. Becket?”
Yancy threaded his fingers through his hair.  Regardless of what Ethan’s
reasons were, it didn’t change the fact that apparently the Ranger did not have
much time.  
“I’ll do it,” he said.  “I’ll be there.”
“Very good, Mr. Becket,”said Marshal Pentecost.  “I will inform the doctor.
 Please make your way to the infirmary as soon as you are able.”
After hanging up, Yancy didn’t know why he ran.  His body instinctively reacted
with urgency, but his mind was blank.  
When he reached the hospital wing, he was informed by doctors that the main
reason for Ethan’s declining condition was not so much from the battle with
Yamarashi was it was having had his connection with his co-pilot abruptly
severed.  Yancy barely registered himself asking how much time the young man
had left.  “Not long” had been the doctor’s vague answer.  Yancy knew from
looking into the medic’s eyes though that he didn’t think Ethan was going to
make it through the night.  
Yancy mumbled his thanks for the information and then stepped inside the room
where Ethan was being kept.  The man Yancy saw lying on the bed looked nothing
like the tall and sturdy man he had seen just hours earlier before their fight.
 They had put an IV in him and he was hooked up to several machines.  Ethan’s
brows were furrowed together, and even though they had given him an oxygen
mask, the young man looked like he was struggling to breathe.  Yancy approached
Ethan’s bedside, and that’s when the young man opened his eyes.
Ethan weakly reached up to his oxygen mask and pulled it partially away.  Yancy
quickly leaned forward and hovered his ear close to the other man’s mouth so
that he could catch what the dying pilot was saying.
“Let...ter…” Ethan gasped.  “Ky...wou...w...ant…”
Yancy’s eyes widened.  He took a step back, helped place the oxygen mask back
on Ethan’s face and then nodded.
“You’re talking about Jeremy’s letter, aren’t you?” he asked.
Ethan nodded weakly.  He pulled his mask away again and Yancy once again
scrambled forward.
“Ghos...rift...don’t...kno…” said Ethan.  “He...migh...migh...hea...r…”
All Rangers had heard of all the strange side-effects that came with the
prolonged use of the Drift.  Among them was a concept called Ghost-Drifting.
 Pilots who had been partners for a long time have put on the record that they
can communicate with their co-pilots even off the neural connection.  Factors
influencing how strong the connection and how far apart pilots could be to use
it supposedly depended on compatibility level and the amount of time the pilots
had been Drifting together.  Another, rumored, side-effect was still being able
to communicate with a deceased pilot for a limited time.  
Even though Kyle was dead, Ethan apparently felt like he could still
communicate with him somehow, Yancy realized.  Of course he couldn’t say for
certain, since he hadn’t been part of Kyle and Ethan’s neural connection, but
if he had to guess, Yancy would say that it was highly likely that Kyle must
have projected some regret for not having taken his advice and reading Jeremy’s
letter before going off into battle.  
Yancy gently patted the railing beside Ethan’s shivering frame.  “Hey...you
hang in there, man...okay?  I’ll go get the letter...but it’s going to take a
second.”
Ethan nodded his consent slowly, and Yancy didn’t waste another beat.  He ran
out of the infirmary and down the hall.  As he was running, he felt his brother
nudge him over their mental link.
“Yancy…?  What’s going on?”
Yancy slowed for a second.  “Raleigh?  Rals!  Thank God…”
“What?  What is it, Yance?”
“Where are you right now?”
“In the hangar.  When you weren’t in bed anymore, I...well, I thought you’d be
here.  I was looking for you.”
“Sorry for making you worry,”Yancy thought back.  “Do me a favor though, yeah?”
“Sure, Yance.  Anything.  What is it?”
“Get Jeremy’s letter out of Kyle’s locker and rush it to me,”Yancy thought
urgently.  “I’ll meet you halfway.  I’ve got to take it back to Ethan.”
His brother seemed to sense that it wasn’t the best time to be asking
questions, so he didn’t.  “Got it, Yance.  I’ll see you in a second.”
“Thanks, Rals.”
Yancy was surprised when he rounded a corner and almost ran into his brother.
 Raleigh caught him by the shoulders and regarded him with concerned eyes.
“Here’s the letter, Yance,” Raleigh said, holding the envelope out to his
brother.  “There anything else I can do for you?”
Yancy cupped his brother’s face and ran a thumb over Raleigh’s cheek,
completely forgetting at that moment that they were in the public eye.  He
half-smiled.
“No, kid,” he said softly.  “There’s nothing.  Just wait for me back at the
room, okay?”
Raleigh placed a hand over his brother’s and nodded.  “Okay.  I’ll be there.”
“Thank you.”
When Yancy returned to the room, he was surprised to find a nurse injecting
something into Ethan’s IV.  Yancy frowned at the woman.
“What’s going on here?” he asked.
The nurse gave him a sympathetic look.  “It’s to make his last moments easier.”
“How much time does he have, then?” Yancy asked.
“An hour?  Perhaps less than that,” said the nurse.  “Regardless, it is good to
see that he has a friend who will be here with him, in his final moments.”
Yancy didn’t even bother to correct the woman as she left the room.  He once
again approached Ethan’s bedside.  Ethan slowly forced his eyes open and Yancy
lifted the hand that was holding the letter up for the young man to see.
“This is it, man,” said Yancy.  “What you asked for.  I’ve got it right here.”
Ethan slowly reached up to his oxygen mask and only pulled at it slightly, not
tearing it completely away.  Yancy put an ear close so he could hear what the
other man was saying.
“Re...re...ad it...re...” Ethan rasped.
“You got it, man,” Yancy said, nodding.  “Let’s just try to keep your
excitement level down and your oxygen mask on, yeah?”
Ethan’s eyes fluttered and he nodded tiredly.  Yancy sighed and helped place
the mask back on again.  He then ripped open the envelope in his hands and
pulled out the letter.  Yancy gulped and felt his eyes grow moist as he started
to read the words on the page scrawled out in Jeremy’s familiar, rough
handwriting.
“Hey Kyle,”Yancy read.  “Sorry it’s taken me so long to respond to your letter.
 Been busy...and well...you gave me a lot to think about.”
Ethan was struggling to keep his eyes open and his breathing was beginning to
slow.  Yancy wiped at his eyes and picked up his pace.
“You know...I didn’t realize how much I’d miss you, Yancy and Raleigh until you
all had gone,”Yancy continued.  “Lately, there are days where I sorta regret
not having gone with you all to the academy.”
Ethan gripped at his sheets weakly, trying to maintain hold of his
consciousness.  Yancy forced himself to stay on task.
“Honestly, sometimes I catch myself remembering about all the crazy shit we all
did as kids and I think ‘man, we had it good.’  And I’d be lying if I said that
I haven’t been hoping we’d be able to do all that again,”Yancy continued to
read, his voice shaking.  “Listen though...about that other thing you wrote in
the letter…”
Ethan craned his neck and part of Yancy wondered if maybe Kyle really was
connected to him, at least in part.  He couldn’t imagine Ethan really giving a
damn personally.  A few stray drops fell from Yancy’s eyes and splotched the
paper he was holding.
“To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise, man…”  
Ethan was breathing more harshly now, and Yancy read more frantically, aware
that he was running out of time.  “But you know what?  How about this?  Next
chance you have—like when you catch a break or something—why don’t you come on
by?”
The paper crinkled in Yancy’s hands as he gripped it tighter.  “I think this is
something we should talk about in person...don’t you?  Anyway, in the meantime,
careful out there…not that you really need me to wish you luck or anything.  I
don’t have to see to know you’re kicking ass at what you do.  It runs in your
blood, after all...just like construction runs in mine.”
Yancy choked as he read his friend’s closing words.  “I promise I’ll write
more.  You stay safe, Kyle.  I’m sure we’ll see each other real soon…”
Yancy looked over at Ethan and spoke softly.  “It’s signed Jeremy ‘Jack’
Daniels.”
Ethan gave Yancy a small nod.  “Th...th...ank...y...ou…”
It was an irrational thought—Kyle was dead—but Yancy couldn’t help but wonder
in that moment if the one who had thanked him was really his best friend Kyle
instead, channeling through Ethan’s body somehow.  A small sliver of himself
hoped so.
Then, the dying man’s eyes started to droop closed and his breathing became
more erratic.  The drugs appeared to start taking their toll, and Yancy
wondered if Ethan finally decided to give up and give in, now that he’d
received what he asked for.  Soon Ethan was rhythmically gasping for air.
Several minutes later, Ethan arched his back and took in one last deep breath
of air before his body lowered itself back down onto the bed.  His eyes shut
tightly once and then slowly opened back up again, a steady stream of tears
flowing down both side’s of the man’s face.  It was probably one of the most
surreal things Yancy had ever seen in his life.  Yancy knew, even before he ran
to get a doctor to confirm, that Ethan—and possibly whatever had been left of
Kyle inside of him, if at all—had completely gone.
Yancy had looked on in morbid fascination at first.  Ethan’s corpse lay
perfectly still; eyes still wide open and mouth agape.  While the doctor and
nurses were writing clipboards and discussion facts like the hour of Ethan’s
death, Yancy found himself automatically towards the man and reached out his
hand.  Tears flowed freely down his own face as he raked a couple of his
fingers gently over Ethan’s eyelids, closing the man’s eyes for him forever.
That night, when Yancy got drunk and stumbled into his room, Raleigh was awake
and waiting for him there, ready to welcome him back with open arms.  The
younger man didn’t complain when Yancy took him to bed, nor did he fight back.
No words were exchanged, and they weren’t needed.  Yancy was surprisingly
gentle with him that night, and Raleigh willingly reciprocated when Yancy
slipped his tongue into the younger man’s mouth.  
Raleigh reached up and pulled the shirt off his brother’s back before helping
Yancy do the same for him.  The rest of their clothes soon followed, and were
cast off onto the floor.  While Yancy sucked lightly on his neck, Raleigh
reached down for the covers.  He pulled them up and over his brother’s body and
let go of them when it reached just below Yancy’s broad shoulders.
Raleigh ran his fingers soothingly up and down his brother’s back, and he
moaned into Yancy’s chest when his brother’s hands gripped firmly around his
length, stroking him gently.  Raleigh shivered involuntarily with pleasure and
for a moment he felt like he was seeing stars—Yancy was stimulating him in a
way that he never had before, and Raleigh was becoming rather aroused.
He dug his fingers gently into his brother’s back and tilted his head as he
hissed in pleasure when Yancy inserted one of his fingers.  Had this been under
the usual circumstances, Raleigh might have felt more guilt than his current
state of uninhibited desire.
After giving Raleigh ample preparation, Yancy thrust into him, and Raleigh
pressed their bodies together, clutching at his brother with all he had.  Their
lips came together and Raleigh moaned loudly into his brother’s mouth, reaching
one of his hands up and tangling his fingers in his brother’s golden locks.
 Yancy’s kisses progressively became more passionate and his movements more
urgent as he climbed rapidly toward his climax, pounding hard into Raleigh’s
flesh.
When Yancy had finished unloading his seed, he collapsed on top of Raleigh, who
ran his fingers lovingly through his older brother’s hair as Yancy rested his
head on his younger brother’s chest.  Raleigh’s eyes were tear-filled and he
pressed gentle kisses on top of Yancy’s head, whispering to him all the while.
“I’m sorry, I can’t do anything more for you, Yance…”Raleigh murmured.  “I wish
I could do more...I’m sorry, Yance...I’m so, so sorry…”
They eventually fell asleep like that, and when they woke up the next morning,
Yancy carefully extricated himself from Raleigh’s grasp and the mess of sheets.
 Yancy placed a kiss on Raleigh’s forehead and then made his way to their
bathroom.  Raleigh opened his eyes, propped himself up with an elbow, and
stared at his brother’s backside as the other man walked off.  Yancy didn’t
look back once.  Raleigh wanted to reach out, tell Yancy it was okay and to
come back to bed, but the younger man couldn’t seem to find his voice.  His
brother shut the bathroom door behind him with a click and Raleigh didn’t know
how long he sat there, the words he wanted to say caught somewhere in his
throat.
Several hours later, Raleigh and Yancy were riding in a funeral car along with
Kyle Hunter’s parents, with the casket containing the young man’s remains in
the back.  The ride home was completely silent.  Kyle’s parents kept a rigid
posture and they were completely stoic.    Ethan Bentley would not be buried
beside his co-pilot, and would be laid to rest elsewhere.  He was originally
from the Alaskan city of Juneau, and that was where his body was going to be
buried, upon the request of his family.
When they arrived at the burial site, they were greeted by some familiar faces
from their hometown; among them were Kyle’s grandparents.  Before anyone
realized what was going to happen, Kyle’s grandmother marched up to her son,
Kyle’s father, and her hand landed on one side of the man’s face with a sharp
smack.  Several people among those attending the funeral let out shocked gasps.
 Kyle’s father had his fists clenched tightly at his sides and his jaw was
tight.  The cheek where his mother had slapped him had turned a bright pink,
and he stared straight ahead at where his head had turned.  Kyle’s mother stood
there, expression blank and completely unmoving.  Kyle’s half-drunk grandfather
stumbled over to his wife as Kyle’s grandmother began to say something, her
voice shaking with anger.
“You look me in the eye right now, boy!” she cried.  
“Evie!  Sweetheart!” Kyle’s grandfather begged.  “Calm down!  Please!”
Kyle’s father closed his eyes and swallowed before opening them again and
turning to face his mother.  Kyle’s grandmother shook a finger at her son.
“You two gave that boy nothing in his life other than grief, but that child
still loved you!” the woman shouted in her distress.  “That boy thought you
didn’t care about him because he was weak, and so every day he always worked so
hard to be a military man, just like you!”
The rest of the funeral party watched in silence.  Kyle’s father’s body slowly
began to tremble, tears forming in the man’s eyes.
“Darling, please,” Kyle’s grandfather said, hugging an arm around his wife’s
shoulders.  “That’s enough…”
“No, it’s not enough!” Kyle’s grandmother wailed as she dropped to her knees.
 “It will never be enough!  That boy is dead, because of you, Martin!  How
dareyou stand here now instead of him!  How dareyou!”
Kyle’s father didn’t respond.  Instead, he hung his head and began to sob.  His
wife had tears streaming down her cheeks as well and she took her husband’s
hand as Kyle’s grandfather dragged his own wife away, who was still screaming
her curses at them.
The funeral service itself was brief and held outdoors.  While the casket was
being lowered, Yancy spotted his friend Jeremy in the crowd.  He walked up
behind the other man and placed a hand on his best friend’s shoulder.  Jeremy
didn’t shrug him off, but he didn’t acknowledge him either—he just continued to
stare at nothing in particular, straight ahead.  
“He read the letter, you know…” Yancy said just loud enough for his friend to
hear.  
Jeremy’s fists clenched at his sides and he clamped his eyes tightly shut.
 Yancy’s voice shook just as much as his friend’s trembling frame.
“I just thought…” Yancy choked back his tears.  “I mean, I don’t know...that
maybe you might’ve liked to know that.”
Tears flowed out from his best friend’s eyes.  Jeremy hung his head low and he
opened his mouth, letting out a few tearful gasps.  He slowly fell to his
knees, and Yancy dropped with him, patting his friend gently on the back.
 Jeremy gripped at the grass underneath his hands and began to sob
uncontrollably.  Yancy let out his own cries, resting his forehead against his
friend’s shoulder.  Raleigh hung back from his brother and Jeremy, unsure.  Of
course he also felt a sense of loss, but he knew his relationship with Kyle
didn’t run as deeply as it had for his brother and Jeremy.  The three of them
eventually took their turn dumping clumps of dirt over Kyle’s lowered casket
with a graveyard shovel.  Of all the people who were there that day, they were
the very last ones to leave.
That evening, they sat on Jeremy’s porch, drinking beer out of cans and
flipping through some old photo albums that Jeremy owned.  Jeremy took a sip
out of one can and chuckled as he pointed at something on one of the pages.
“This was Halloween about nine years ago or something, wasn’t it?” Jeremy
asked.  “Weren’t we in like middle school or something then?”
“Here, let me take a look,” said Yancy.
The blonde tugged at one end of the photo album and pulled it partially onto
his lap from Jeremy’s.  He then leaned over the book and squinted his eyes a
little before sitting back and letting out a laugh.
“You’re right,” Yancy said, shaking his head.  “We had Kyle dress up as a
mermaid because he lost that one bet we had, remember?”
“Yeah,” Jeremy said, laughing.  “Man, he was so pissed.”
“What did you guys bet on?” Raleigh asked.  “I don’t think I remember this.”
Yancy chuckled and ruffled his younger brother’s hair.  “You were still only
like nine or ten years old back then...I’m not surprised.”
“We had a bet on who could wear the same clothes to school the longest,” Jeremy
said with a small lopsided smile.  
“Without washing them?” asked Raleigh.
“Nah, nothing that gross,” said Jeremy.
Yancy shook his head and laughed.  “You know, I don’t know how Kyle lost
though.  He was certainly starting to give us a run for our money at one point.
 The whole thing wasn’t even phasing him.”
“Well, you know how he was the only one not washing his damn clothes, right?”
“What?  Oh…!  Oh yeah!” Yancy said, laughing.  “Now I remember!  His grandma
was starting to complain that he was stinking up the house and that she was
going to wash his damn outfit.”
“Yeah,” Jeremy said, grinning.  “And you know how he couldn’t find his pants
and shirt after that?”
Yancy nodded.  “Yeah, that’s right.  I completely forgot about that too.”
Jeremy chuckled.  “Now how do you suppose that happened?”
Yancy shrugged.  “Hell if I know.  I mean, his grandma swore up and down that
she didn’t lose ‘em...they just didn’t come out of the wash!”
“Well…” said Jeremy.  “Maybe they did.”
Yancy frowned.  “Jerry.  Clothing doesn’t just sprout arms and legs and walk
off.”
“Sure they don’t,” Jeremy said with a laugh.  “And the washing machine sure as
hell doesn’t eat them up either.”
Yancy shook his head.  “Then I don’t understand what you’re trying to get at,
man.”
Jeremy half-smiled.  “Which one of us was over at his house almost every other
day of the damn week?”
“Well that wasn’t me, that’s for sure,” said Yancy.
Raleigh nodded.  “Yeah.  Yancy and I were usually home after school.”
“So who does that leave then, geniuses?  Come on!” said Jeremy.  “Are you guys
seriously that slow?”
“Wait a minute!” Yancy said, realizing what Jeremy was saying.  “Did you walk
out with his clothes or something?”
Jeremy nodded.  “Uh-huh…”
“No way!” said Yancy.  “That was fucking cheating!”
“Ah, but neither of you ever figured it out, right?” said Jeremy.  “Believe me,
it wasn’t easy.  I had to wait until Kyle went to the bathroom and his
grandparents were distracted downstairs.  That way no one would notice when I
interrupted the washing cycle and pulled out the goods.”
Yancy shook his head.  “But I mean, what did you even carry it out in?”
“My backpack.”
“Wasn’t it wet?” asked Raleigh.
“Sure it was,” Jeremy said, laughing.  “By the time I got home, the inside of
my bag was completely soaked and some of the water came through and made the
back of my shirt wet too.”
“How did Kyle not notice all that while you were at his house?” Yancy asked.
“Oh he definitely wondered why there was a puddle on his floor when I got up
with my backpack,” said Jeremy.  “But he never put two and two together.  I
just told him my water bottle must have exploded and I high-tailed it out of
there after telling him I had to go home and clean it all up.”
Yancy chuckled.  “That’s messed up, man.”
Jeremy jabbed a finger in the air in Yancy’s direction.  “Hey.  Thanks to me,
neither of us got stuck wearing a shell bra and a long-ass fish tail...because
you knowthe competition was really between the two of us.  Kyle was never going
to lose that bet.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Yancy said.  “Still...that was pretty low, man.”
“Eh, whatever...it’s all in the past,” Jeremy said with a slight shrug.  “You
know, he never did find out...I never told him.”
The expression on Jeremy’s face slowly grew sober.  “And I guess now I never
will be able to…”
Yancy stared down at his half-empty beer can for a couple seconds before
looking back at Jeremy.  He clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Hey,” he said.  “That’s enough of that…”
Jeremy nodded.  “Yeah…”
“Look, man...I’m getting pretty tired.  How about you?” Yancy asked.  “How
about we all go and get some shut-eye?”
Jeremy shrugged.  “Sure, I guess.”
The three boys slowly got up and began collecting all the littered cans.
 Raleigh unexpectedly staggered a little and Yancy quickly steadied him by
grabbing him by the arm.
“Whoa...hey there, little man,” Yancy said, chuckling.  “Careful now.”
Raleigh shook his head.  “M’not little, Yance.”
His older brother and Jeremy exchanged a small smile.  Yancy nodded and patted
his brother on the back.
“Yeah, all right, sure.  Whatever you say, kiddo,” said Yancy.  “Come on.
 Let’s get you to bed.”
He looked over at Jeremy.  “You sure your parents are okay with us staying here
tonight?”
Jeremy frowned slightly.  “Yeah, of course.  Why wouldn’t they be?”
Yancy shrugged a little.  “I don’t know...I mean, I guess it’s kind of
unexpected.”
“Don’t worry about it, man,” Jeremy said, shaking his head.  “My folks love you
guys.  Hell, my mom thinks your little brother is the most adorable thing that
ever walked the planet.”
Yancy chuckled as Jeremy rolled his eyes.  “Well...he ispretty cute now, isn’t
he?”
Raleigh was leaning against his shoulder, half-asleep and slurred.
 “M’notcuthe…”
Both older men laughed together and shook their heads.  Jeremy tilted his head
toward his home’s front door.
“Come on.  Let’s get the kid inside,” Jeremy said with a smile.
While Jeremy was throwing away all the empty cans and putting in the
refrigerator what was left, Yancy dragged his brother into the Daniels’ living
room and helped his brother to lie down on their long couch.  
“Sweet dreams there, kiddo,” Yancy whispered.
Raleigh smiled and wrapped his hands around his older brother’s neck.
 “Mm...swee’dreams, Yanthce…”
Raleigh pulled his older brother’s head down and gave him a quick kiss on the
lips before letting his body sink into the couch and fall asleep.  Yancy
flushed furiously when he heard someone clear their throat.  He snapped his
head up and was only half-relieved to see it was only Jeremy and neither of his
parents.
“Ah, Jerry…” Yancy said, smiling sheepishly.  “I think the kid’s just had a
little too much to drink…”
Jeremy shook his head.  “Eh...don’t worry about it, Yancy.  I already know.”
Yancy’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.  “Huh…?  What are you talkin’
about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Jeremy said with a slight shrug.
 “It’s all right...I mean, it was weird as hell to hear about at first...but
it’s okay...Kyle explained to me what happens when you guys do that mental link
thing over there, so I mean...I guess I kind ofget it.”
“Ah...oh,” Yancy said, half-smiling.  “Yeah...it’s kind of complicated.”
It didn’t appear Kyle had mentioned the fact that Yancy had been doing things
like this with his brother for years, and Yancy wasn’t about to make that
correction.  Jeremy shrugged again.
“Yeah, I figured.”
Just then, Jeremy’s father entered the room.  “Hey there, boys.”
“Hey, Dad,” said Jeremy.
Yancy nodded.  “Evening, Mr. Daniels.”
“It’s good seeing you and your brother again, Yancy,” said Mr. Daniels.  “I’m
awful sorry about everything that happened...Kyle was such a great kid and you
all have been such good friends to one another.  You boys make yourselves right
at home...”
“Thank you...” said Yancy.  “And your hospitality is much appreciated, Mr.
Daniels.  Sorry it was on such short notice.”
“No, please!” said Mr. Daniels.  “Don’t worry about that, son.  I only wish it
were under better circumstances.”
Yancy half-smiled.  “So do I, sir.”
“You boys hanging around for breakfast tomorrow morning?” Mr. Daniels asked.  
“Aw, that’s all right, Mr. Daniels,” Yancy said.  “Raleigh and I don’t want to
inconvenience you.  We have to get going pretty early anyway.”
“No inconvenience,” Mr. Daniels said, shaking his head.  “How early do you both
have to go?  I don’t mind waking up earlier.  I’m sure my wife’ll want to say
goodbye to you both too.”
“We’ll get up probably around five,” Yancy said with a slight grimace.  “The
PPDC will be sending an escort for us that’s expected to arrive around six.”
Jeremy’s father nodded.  “Alright.  That’s fine.  Lisa and I will get up in
time to see you boys off.  You sleep well now.”
“Will do,” said Yancy.  “Thank you, sir.”
“I think I’m going to sleep down here with them tonight, Dad,” said Jeremy.
His father nodded.  “Sounds good to me, son.”
After his father left, Jeremy turned to Yancy.  “Wait right here.  I’ll be back
with some pillows and sheets.”
Yancy shrugged.  “Sure.  Thanks man.”
When Jeremy came back, the two of them set everything out onto the floor.
 After turning out the lights, both men laid there on the ground, opposite arms
behind their heads and staring up at the ceiling while listening to the sound
of Raleigh’s steady breathing from where he slept.
Jeremy chuckled and whispered softly.  “That brat sleeps just like a log…”
Yancy smiled a little.  “Mmhmm…”
A peaceful silence settled between them.  Yancy had been just about to close
his eyes to go to sleep, when Jeremy spoke.
“You know...he and I were supposed to talk when he came back down here…” Jeremy
said softly.
Yancy didn’t reply because he didn’t know how to respond.  So he just listened
as Jeremy continued.
“Honestly...? I don’t even know what I would have said.”
Yancy could hear the slight frown in his best friend’s voice.  He let out a
small sigh.
“I don’t know man,” said Yancy.
Jeremy chuckled.  “Eh, maybe I would’ve punched him in the face first.”
Yancy laughed softly.  “What were you two even supposed to talk about, anyhow?”
“Well, we were supposed to talk about—” Jeremy trailed off and shook his head.
 “You know what?  It’s nothing.  Never mind.  Nothing anyone can do about it
anymore…”
“Hey…” Yancy said, turning his head in Jeremy’s direction.  “You know you can
always talk to me if you need someone to listen, right?”
“Yeah, man…” Jeremy said with a nod.  “I know.”
“Good,” Yancy said, turning over again onto his backside.  
When Jeremy spoke again, his voice carried unexpected emotion.  “I really
should have made more of an effort to reach out to him…”
Yancy frowned and ran his tongue of his bottom lip.  “Aw, c’mon, Jerry.   You
were just busy helping your dad with construction and stuff...that’s all.  Kyle
understood.  You know?”
“I...I know,” Jeremy replied shakily.
“So don’t beat yourself up about it, man,” said Yancy.
Jeremy didn’t say anything back at first.  After a couple minutes, Yancy
adjusted his position and moved the covers around his body.  Amidst all the
sounds of shuffling, he almost missed his friend’s softly spoken words, which
were filled with regret.
“...I should have made time.”
Chapter End Notes
     So originally this chapter was supposed to go on for longer...but I
     kind of liked the idea of ending it with that last line. Besides,
     this chapter was super long in my word processor...(I swear they get
     like five pages longer each new chapter I write!)
     We're almost at the end of the main fic. I may hold off on writing
     the alternate ending/part II and take a short break to plug out fills
     for prompts that I can totally do as oneshots...but I haven't
     completely decided that yet. We'll see what happens. Aiming to plug
     out the conclusion for this half of the story within the next few
     days!
***** Ruin *****
Chapter Notes
     OmG!! SO SORRY this took absolutely FOREVER to get out!! PLEASE
     FORGIVE ME!!!! There was just so much I felt like I had to cover.
     I’ve crunched another few years into one chapter. We start in 2018, a
     year after the death of my OCs. Then the chapter will brush super
     lightly over 2019 and then we’ll hit 2020, which is the year the
     movie starts. I know, that’s a lot of time crunched in one piece, but
     I’ve worked hard to make every bit count! This chapter also ties in a
     bit from the movie. I can't say the script is entirely accurate
     though...not to mention I've made my own additions. (Like how the
     Beckets meet the Hansens, some conversations in the Drift, etc.) I've
     tried to stick as close to the timeline as I can, but I know there's
     going to be inconsistencies.
     For those who want more, rest assured, there are plans for it.
     Information can be found on that in the second paragraph of the end
     notes. A huge thanks to all those who left kudos and comments of
     support. This story absolutely could not have completed as quickly as
     it did without you all!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
To put it simply, things had changed.  Fighting Kaiju had taken on a different
meaning for Yancy and Raleigh Becket; in some ways, they had grown a little
more and become better men.  They were not the only ones—the loss of two of the
Anchorage Shatterdome’s star pilots heavily weighed down the atmosphere.
 Still, life went on.
The first year following the tragic incident was the most difficult.  Yancy
hardly smiled and just as rarely spoke.  Raleigh did his best to act as he had
before, joking with other pilots and maintaining lighthearted conversation, all
the while trying to get his brother to open up again and do the same.  
At first, when the brothers had returned to the Shatterdome, everything had
been fine.  Yancy brooded and Raleigh let him; however, after several weeks had
passed, Raleigh had decided that it was time for a change.  That’s when he took
it upon himself to try and help Yancy to heal and move forward.  His attempts
were misinterpreted by his brother as a lack of caring for Kyle and his memory,
and most likely that was what caused Yancy to snap.
If people noticed the bruising on his face and the cuts on his lips that were
sometimes there, they never let on.  Raleigh never sought out help, and he made
an effort to act as if nothing was wrong, even though the opposite was true.
 As a result, Marshal Pentecost was left unaware of the current situation.  The
marshal typically kept to his own schedule, separate from the Jaeger pilots,
and at that time he had been rather occupied with studying Kaiju breaching
frequencies and finding a suitable team to take Tango Tasmania’s place.  For
better or for worse, Raleigh had fallen into his old habit from childhood—he
would rather endure his brother’s abuse than report him for his actions.  Even
knowing the consequences he would face every night as a result of continuing
his crusade, Raleigh refused to relent.  
Yancy was particularly rough with him the night two Jaeger pilots were
transferred from the Sydney Shatterdome to take the place of Kyle and Ethan.
 They were one of the brother teams that the Beckets had heard about back
during their academy days—Hercules and Scott Hansen.  The older brother,
Hercules—who insisted on being addressed as Herc—apparently had a fifteen-year-
old prodigy for a son who had been left behind in his hometown, awaiting his
turn to enroll in Sydney’s Jaeger Academy.  Raleigh had welcomed the brothers
warmly while Yancy regarded them with disdain.  After exchanging expected
social pleasantries, Yancy grabbed Raleigh tightly by the wrist and dragged him
back to their room.  Neither noticed the contemplative expression that was on
the older Hansen’s face as they walked away.
Upon reaching their room, Yancy shoved his brother in and slammed the door
behind them.  Raleigh steeled himself the minute he heard their door lock click
into place.  Unconsciously, he had backed himself against a wall as his brother
approached him, a dark look on his face.
“Yancy…” Raleigh whispered.  “Please…”
He regretted his choice of words the minute he said them.  Yancy overpowered
him in seconds and had his hands pinned over his head.  Raleigh shuddered when
his brother trailed a finger down the side of his face.  
Yancy leaned forward and hovered his lips by his brother’s ear.  “You know I
love it when you beg.”
“No…” Raleigh said weakly.  “Yancy…!  That’s not what I—”
“Shut up!” Yancy growled.
He suddenly gripped Raleigh by the throat and tears stung the younger man’s
eyes as he choked when Yancy slammed his head back into the wall.  Raleigh
struggled against his brother’s hold, but to no avail.  He gasped for breath
when Yancy finally released him, and crumpled on the ground.  Raleigh barely
had a chance to gather his bearings when his head was yanked roughly back by
his brother, who had a painful grip on a good portion of his hair.  Raleigh
yelped when his brother forced him up and practically threw him on his own bed.
 The room seemed to rattle with the impact.
“It drives me crazy, the way you act like nothing ever happened,” Yancy said,
ripping the belt from his pants.  “I’m going to wipe that heartless smile off
your face.”
Raleigh whimpered.  “Yancy…”
“Take your pants down, Rals,” said Yancy.  “And turn over.”
His younger brother knew what was coming.  Yancy’s desire for his body had not
only renewed, they had increased in intensity, bringing out more of his older
brother’s violent nature and tastes for more extreme forms of intimacy.
 Raleigh also knew that he had two choices—the same two options he’s had to
work with all along—either report his brother and end the current vicious
cycle, or to submit and let it all continue.  
In some ways, it wasn’t that difficult a decision at all.  Raleigh chose as he
always did.  He chose his brother.  Raleigh lowered his jeans and
undergarments, letting them pool at his ankles.  He obediently turned over and
reached for one of the pillows on his bed so that he could smother his face
when it came time to let out the screams.
The belt cracked hard on his buttocks with a loud smack, and Raleigh hugged the
pillow tightly to his face, muting his cries.  The pain seemed to sear right
down to his legs, and Raleigh felt his knees buckling.  His brother stopped
when he fell completely onto his knees.  Before Yancy could go any further,
there was a knock at the door.
Both men froze, but Yancy quickly regained his composure.  He dropped the belt
on the ground and made his way over to the door.  He looked through the
peephole before opening it, just a crack.  One of the newly transferred pilots,
Herc Hansen, was on the other side with a somber expression.
Herc gave Yancy a curt nod.  “Evening, Ranger Becket.”
The older Becket didn’t so much as smile.  “Can I help you, sir?”
He blocked the older man’s view inside of the room with his body.  When Herc
tried to look around Yancy’s shoulder, the other man adjusted his position.
 Herc frowned.
“Problem?” Yancy asked.
“I was hoping to speak with your brother about some matters,” Herc said
smoothly.
Yancy half-smiled.  They both knew the older pilot was lying.
“I’m sorry,” Yancy said, who didn’t sound at all apologetic.  “He’s a bit busy
at the moment.”
“He can’t tell me that for himself?” Herc asked.
“It may be better if we talk another day, sir,” Raleigh said, suddenly coming
up behind his brother.
Yancy looked over his shoulder in surprise; Raleigh had managed to put his
pants back on before limping over to the door.  Surprise flitted briefly in his
eyes, but Yancy was able to quickly mask it before looking back at a frowning
Herc.
“See?” said Yancy.  “Everything is fine here.”
Herc’s frown deepened.  “I never said that I thought anything was wrong, Ranger
Becket…”
The smirk dropped from Yancy’s face, and for a minute, Herc thought that maybe
he had won.  What he hadn’t counted on was Raleigh willingly coming to his
brother’s rescue.
“Ah, but I’m afraid that you implied it, sir,” said Raleigh.  “But really...if
all you want to do is talk…”
He looked uncertainly over at his brother.  “...I’m afraid I’m going to have to
ask that we save that for a much later date.”
“Hm…very well then,” Herc agreed with reluctance.  “You boys have a good
evening, then.”
Neither Becket replied and Yancy nudged his brother back before shutting their
door right in Herc’s face.  The older man glowered as he stalked away from the
Becket’s suite; he was going to have a word with Pentecost.
Meanwhile, in the room, Yancy had his younger brother pinned beneath him on
Raleigh’s bed, but this time the expression on his face was more subdued.
 Raleigh held his brother’s gaze steadily, not so much as flinching even when
his brother once again brushed his fingers over the side of his face.
“You chose not to give me away…” Yancy said, face twisted in mild confusion.  
Raleigh nodded.  “I won’t let them take you away from me.”
Yancy rested his head between Raleigh’s shoulder and his neck, breathing in his
younger brother’s scent.  “That should be my line…”
Raleigh ran his fingers gently through his brother’s hair while staring up at
the ceiling.  A light frown formed on his face when Yancy sighed.
“You deserve better than me, Rals…”
Raleigh shook his head.  “You’re more than enough.”
“You need someone who won’t fail you, time and time again…” Yancy said softly.
 “Someone who is incapable of hurting you.”
“It doesn’t hurt as much as you think it does,” Raleigh lied, still running his
fingers through Yancy’s hair.  “Besides, you only lose yourself for a little
while, Yance...but you always find a way to come back.  And that...that’s good
enough for me.”
Yancy sighed.  “You’re too good to me, kid…”
Raleigh shivered when one of Yancy’s hands began to wander again.  “...I think
that’s why I just can’t seem to quit you.”
Raleigh shut his eyes.  He could feel his brother’s need pulsing against one of
his thighs.  He  took in a deep breath and responded in a way that was against
his better judgment.
His voice came out in a strained whisper.  “Do you still want me now, Yancy…?”
Yancy’s reply sounded just as pained.  “...more than you know.”
“Then...take what you need,” Raleigh said, guiding his brother’s searching hand
underneath of his shirt.
He opened his eyes to see his brother staring back at him in a mixture of
confusion and conflict.  Yancy’s lips hovered dangerously close to his own.
 The older Becket wet his bottom lip before speaking.
“Raleigh…?”
“I’ll do whatever you want, Yance...” his younger brother whispered, offering
him a small smile and shaking his head.  “I always will.”
“Then I won’t be holding back,” Yancy warned.
Raleigh half-smiled.  “I’m not stupid enough to expect you to.”
He gasped softly then, when Yancy captured his lips and began to explore with
his tongue.  Despite Yancy’s mild threat, the older man progressed with
surprising gentleness that night, and Raleigh wondered if perhaps Herc showing
up moments earlier hadn’t been such a bad thing after all.  Little did he know
how much the Australian pilot’s presence would be changing things.
Several weeks later, it was Yancy that Herc isolated with the intent to have a
conversation.  The more seasoned pilot had waited for just the right moment,
and that moment had come when Raleigh had been roughed up too badly by Yancy
the night before to make an appearance in the cafeteria, so he remained in his
room while the older Becket had come to the cafeteria alone.  Herc caught Yancy
just before the man could go back to his room with a tray filled with food for
both his brother and himself.
“Ranger Becket,” he said.  “May I have a word with you, please?”
He was unfazed by the look of utter distaste on the other pilot’s face.  “I’m
afraid I’m a little too busy for conversation, sir.”
“Not to worry, this will only take a minute,” Herc insisted.  “In fact, I think
this is a conversation better had in private...would you please come with me to
my office, Ranger Becket?”
Yancy quirked an eyebrow.  “You have an office?”
“The marshal and I are longtime friends,” Herc nodded and said, by way of
explanation.  “The arrangement is temporary, of course, and I only make use of
the facility on an ‘as needed’ basis.”
“Interesting…” said Yancy.  “And why exactly would I be interested in following
you?”
“Because if you decide that you do not wish to cooperate and take advantage of
this opportunity,” said Herc.  “Then I will make a suggestion to the marshal,
recommending that you and your brother be separated.”
Yancy frowned, his hands tightening their grip around his tray.  “Now who do
you think you are, sticking your nose in someone else’s business?”
“Someone with good intentions who also happens to have friends in high places,”
said Herc.  
Yancy scowled.  “Fine.  Lead the way.”
“I knew you’d come around,” Herc said with a half-smile.  “Follow me.”
The Australian pilot led the blonde down a hall and into a small office.  Herc
gestured toward one of the chairs as he shut the door behind them.
“Please.  Have a seat.  Feel free to place your tray down on my desk.”
Yancy set down his tray and settled in one of the office chairs.  Herc walked
to the other side of his desk and took a seat as well.  
Immediately, Yancy cut to the chase.  “Now tell me why I’m here.”
“I’m not trying to make enemies here,” Herc said, shaking his head.  “On the
contrary...I would much rather be your friend.”
Yancy frowned.  “So you’re here to impose?”
“No,” said Herc.  “I am here to offer you help.”
The uncertainty that flashed through Yancy’s eyes was just the reaction Herc
was looking for.  Yancy shook his head.
“I’m not sure I know what you mean by that, sir.”
“I may not know all the details, but trust me when I say I think I can
understand,” said Herc.  “The Drift can do many things to pilots.  Especially
those partnered with their siblings.”
Yancy wet his lips nervously.  “Your point being, sir?”
“Point being, I’ve noticed some things about the way you handle you brother,”
said Herc.  “And I took the liberty of speaking with a few among those who know
your dynamic well.”
“...seems you’ve gone through quite a bit of trouble, sir,” said Yancy.
 “Though I admit, I’m curious as to why you’ve taken such interest.”
“Because I’ve been trained to recognize a cry for help when I see it,” said
Herc.
“Sir?”
“Do you have any idea know who I was before this whole Kaiju thing started?”
Herc asked.
Yancy shook his head.  “No, can’t say that I do.”
Herc half-smiled.  “You should do your homework sometimes too, Ranger.  Before
the Kaiju War, I was a practicing psychotherapist in the military.”
Yancy frowned.  “You’re a shrink.”
If Herc was bothered by Yancy’s statement, he didn’t show it.  Instead, he
chuckled.
“Some do call us that,” he said.  
“You trying to fix me, Doc?”
Herc shook his head.  “I just want to help you, Ranger…”
Yancy surprised him by appearing to think about it.  Herc waited patiently.
 Finally, after several minutes, the blonde looked up at him, caution clearly
reflected in his eyes.
“And how exactly would you go about doing that, Doc?”
“By listening to what you have to say,” said Herc.  “Try to figure out what the
source of the problem is, and see if there isn’t anything we can do to go about
fixing it.”
“How do I know that I can trust you?” Yancy asked after a contemplative pause.
“Doctor-patient confidentiality,” said Herc.  “With a few exceptions.”
Yancy frowned.  “Such as?”
“If you threaten harm yourself, harm others, or to kill anything that isn’t a
Kaiju,” Herc said flatly.  “Then I may need to take it up with the proper
authorities.”
Yancy hesitated.  “I don’t think…”
“Or rather, I should say if you appear to intentionallywant to kill, harm
yourself, or harm others,” Herc quickly amended.  “It’s no secret to anyone
that you love your brother, Ranger Becket.  That much is clear enough that even
I didn’t need to be told.”
Yancy bit the inside of his cheek.  “Sir…”
Herc leaned slightly forward.  “Believe me when I say that I speak from
experience when I tell you that I understand—love can make a person do crazy
things.”
Yancy tilted his head.  “For example?”
“I chose to sacrifice the life of my wife so that I could save the life of my
son,” Herc said stonily.
Yancy stared into the older man’s eyes and saw that his fellow pilot was not
lying.  Oddly, Yancy suddenly felt as if he had discovered a kindred spirit.
“I’ve laid hands on my brother more times than I can count,” Yancy said evenly.
 “I love him so much, but I keep on hurting him, and I really wish that I could
figure out how to stop.”
Herc nodded and gave the younger man a sympathetic smile.  He leaned back in
his chair.
“Your secret’s safe with me, Ranger.”
For the next few hours, the two men discussed everything about Yancy’s
relationship with his younger brother.  By the time Yancy made it back to his
room with the tray, the food on it had gotten cold.  Raleigh was still asleep
when Yancy returned.  
Yancy set down the tray on his younger brother’s nightstand before sitting down
on the edge of his brother’s bed.  The older man nudged his younger brother
gently, causing Raleigh to stir.
“Hey…” Yancy whispered, brushing back some of Raleigh’s hair.  “Time to get up,
squirt.”
Raleigh turned over and brought a hand up to his eyes in order to rub them.  He
looked up tiredly at his brother.
“...Yancy?”
His older brother nodded.  “Sorry I’m late...’fraid the food’s gotten cold.”
“S’alright…” Raleigh said, slowly rising into a sitting position.
The two brothers stared at each other for a few minutes.  Raleigh involuntarily
flinched when Yancy reached out his hand; however, he reacted just as quickly
and took hold of his brother’s wrist when Yancy tried to retract his hand.  
Yancy sighed.  “This pushing and pulling…”
Raleigh shrugged and offered his brother a small smile.  “It’s just who we are,
Yance.  It’s who we’ve always been.”
Yancy looked down.  “...I’ll do better.”
Raleigh pressed a kiss to his temple.  “I know, Yance.  Take your time.”
Yancy closed his eyes.  “How long can you wait?”
He could hear the shrug in his younger brother’s voice as Raleigh responded,
matter-of-fact.  “Forever, if I have to.”
Yancy sighed and shook his head.  “You’re too good to me, kid…”
“I know.”
Yancy opened his eyes and looked at his brother.  “I love you.”
Raleigh gave him a soft smile.  “I know...I love you too.”
Fortunately for them, no Kaiju threats occurred for the next few weeks, giving
Raleigh some time to recuperate.  Yancy continued to bring meals back to the
room, and met regularly with Herc in his little office.  It took some time
before Raleigh began to notice a shift in his brother’s behavior, but when he
did, he didn’t make a huge fuss about it.  He was just more than happy to
accept the change, even though he had no idea what had brought it on.
Raleigh finally began making public appearances again when his health had
recovered enough.  His fellow Jaeger pilots welcomed him back warmly, none
asking any questions.  The explanation Raleigh gave was that he had been
suffering from a cold, and it was a story readily accepted by his peers.
Perhaps due to Herc’s influence, Yancy became less insistent that his brother
be constantly by his side, and though Raleigh wondered over his newfound
freedom, it hadn’t taken him long to adjust.  Even so, he tended not to stray
too far from his older brother’s line of sight, out of sheer habit if not
anything else.
One afternoon, Raleigh was in the middle of a light-hearted exchange with the
Gage twins when Scott Hansen approached him.  Herc had called Yancy away
several minutes earlier, as was the new routine during their lunch hour.
“Well if it isn’t Scott Hansen!” Bruce said, raising the glass he was holding.
 “Care to join us for some drinks?”
“Actually, I was hoping to discuss some matters privately with Ranger Becket,”
said Scott.  “If that’s all right, that is.”
“Sure,” Raleigh said with a shrug.
“Then please, follow me,” said Scott.  “I’ve something to show you.”
“What is it?” Raleigh asked as he began following Scott.
“You’ll see,” Scott said, looking at his watch.  “We’ll have to hurry though.”
Raleigh frowned.  “Why’s that?”
“Because what I’ve got to show you is in one of the labs,” said Scott.  “And
there’s only a forty-five minute gap until the next shift.”
Raleigh stopped in his tracks.  “So we’re not supposed to go in there?”
“Of course not, but it’ll be fine!” said Scott.  “It’ll only be for a blink of
a second.”
“Mm...I don’t know…” Raleigh said uncertainly.
Scott clapped a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.  “Come on, Raleigh!
 Where’s your sense of adventure?”
Raleigh took a second to weigh his options.  Scott took another glance at his
watch before looking at the other pilot again.
“I promise, it’ll totally be worth your while,” Scott reassured.  “This is
something they probably won’t show the other pilots until beta testing has been
completed.”
“How’d you find out?” Raleigh asked.
Scott shrugged.  “Through lots of snooping.  It gets boring around here, you
know?”
Raleigh shook his head. “Herc has no idea, does he?”
Scott frowned.  “Of course not!  You know what it’s like, having a strict older
brother.”
Raleigh half-smiled.  “Yeah...I guess so.”
“See?  This is why I’d like to show you,” said Scott.  “We’re kindred spirits,
you and I.”
The younger man’s curiosity won out in the end.  “Is it really that cool?”
Scott nodded.  “Absolutely.”
“And it will only take a second?” asked Raleigh.
Scott nodded again.  “That’s right.”
Raleigh’s lips quirked into a small smile.  “Well, then what are we waiting
for?”
Scott grinned.  “My thoughts exactly.”
Meanwhile, Yancy was in Herc’s office.  The two men were discussing Yancy’s
progress in regards to his brother.
“Have you noticed general improvements in your relationship?” Herc asked.
Yancy nodded.  “Yeah...Raleigh’s less tense around me these days.”
“Good,” said Herc.  “Have you—”
The older man never got a chance to finish his sentence because Yancy suddenly
bolted upright, knocking back his chair with a loud slam.  Herc frowned.
“What is it?”
“Sorry, Herc.  We’re going to have to continue this later,” Yancy said
hurriedly as he turned for the door.
Herc called after Yancy, but it was too late; the other man had already bolted
out of the room and gone.  Those who found themselves in the way quickly
stepped aside and looked after Yancy in curiosity as the Jaeger pilot thundered
down the hall.  While running, Yancy pulled out his cell phone from his pocket
and scrolled through his contacts for the number he needed.
“Tendo!” he said urgently into the phone when the other man answered.  “I need
a favor from you!”
Minutes later, he and Raleigh were back in their room.  Raleigh was sitting on
his bed with his blanket wrapped around him, eyes downcast, and Yancy was
pacing about their room angrily.
“You knew better, Rals!” Yancy said, shaking his head.  “Just what were you
thinking?!”
Raleigh blinked the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes.  “I...I
don’t know, Yance...I just…”
His older brother stopped pacing and sighed.  He walked over to Raleigh and
cupped his hands around the younger man’s cheeks.  
“Hey.  Look at me,” said Yancy.
When Raleigh refused, Yancy used his hands to lift his younger brother’s face.
 Raleigh reluctantly looked into the older man’s eyes.  Yancy sighed again and
brought their foreheads together.  Both men closed their eyes.
“I don’t care what Herc says.  I’m never letting you out of my sight, ever
again,” said Yancy.  
When he pulled again, Raleigh was looking up at him curiously.  “Herc…?”
“He’s been trying to keep us apart...so it would be better for you,” Yancy said
as the beginnings of a frown began to form on his face.  “Though now...I’m
wondering if it wasn’t really to help us after all, but for some other
purpose…”
Raleigh didn’t say anything, and a silence settled between the two men for a
short while.  Finally, when Yancy got up to leave, Raleigh grabbed him by the
wrist.  His older brother looked at him in confusion.
“Raleigh…?”
“Don’t leave me…” Raleigh said softly.
Yancy shook his head.  “I’ll just be on the other side of the room.”
“No,” said Raleigh.  “Don’t go.”
Yancy sighed.  “Rals…”
Raleigh’s jaw tightened.  “Please.”
His older brother swallowed.  “You’ve had a long day, kid.  You’re not thinking
straight.”
The younger man stared up at his brother evenly.  “...I know exactly what I’m
asking.”
Yancy stood there for a few minutes before slipping into his brother’s bed.  He
let out a small chuckle when his brother practically scrambled on top of him.
 Yancy wrapped Raleigh in a warm embrace and stroked his fingers through his
brother’s hair.  They lay there quietly, and Yancy did his best to focus on
anything other than the person he was holding in his arms.  
Raleigh clutched at his older brother’s shirt and spoke after a few moments.
 “Do you still love me, Yancy?”
Yancy’s hand stopped mid-motion.  He frowned, knowing what the context was
behind his brother’s question.
“Of course I do, Rals.”
Raleigh lifted his head and looked into his brother’s eyes.  For once, Yancy
was the one that wasn’t sure what was on his brother’s mind.  Raleigh dropped
his gaze and swirled a finger against his brother’s chest.  When he spoke
again, his voice was almost a whisper.
“Then...prove it to me,” Raleigh said before looking straight into his
brother’s eyes again.
Yancy felt his mouth go dry.  “You’re just upset right now, Rals...you’re not
thinking rationally.”
Raleigh frowned.  Yancy shook his head.
“Trust me.  This isn’t going to make you feel better, kid.”
Raleigh sighed and buried his face in Yancy’s chest.  “So you won’t do
it...because of that.  Everything’s changed now, hasn’t it?”
“No, Raleigh…that’s not it at all,” said Yancy.
When Raleigh looked up again, his eyes were glassy.  “You know, I think it’s
all bullshit.”
Yancy frowned.  “What are you talking about?”
“You trying to get help from Herc,” Raleigh said, somewhat sharply.  
Yancy shook his head.  “We both know that I have a problem, kid…”
“But we dealt with it, Yance,” said Raleigh.  “We always have.  In our own
way.”
“I just thought—”
“He approached you, didn’t he?”
Yancy blinked.  “What?”
“Herc.  He was the one that approached you first, right?” said Raleigh.
 “Otherwise it doesn’t make sense, does it?  I don’t think you would have ever
sought out the help on your own.”
“Rals…”
“Am I right?” Raleigh pressed.  “Or are you telling me what we’ve been doing
all these years could have been avoided all along?”
“I...I honestly don’t know,” Yancy said helplessly.  “Maybe if I met someone
like Herc earlier…”
Raleigh shook his head.  “Yancy.  Stop.”
His brother frowned and the older man’s lips pressed into a thin line.  The
expression Raleigh’s face was pained.
“Don’t try to bullshit me, Yance,” said Raleigh.  “There’s no secrets in the
Drift, remember?  I’ve seen everything.  I’ve felt the things you’ve felt the
way youwere feeling them.”
Yancy tensed.  Raleigh continued.
“If there had been a way for you to do something about the situation before,
you would have done it, Yance,” said Raleigh.  “I believe that.”
“Raleigh…” Yancy said softly as he pushed his brother’s hair back.  “What do
you want me to do?”
“I...I don’t know,” Raleigh said with a sigh as he lowered his head onto his
brother’s chest.  “God, Yance...it’s just all so messed up now.”
“Come on, Rals...you’ve got to know, right?” asked Yancy.  “Or else you
wouldn’t be acting like this.”
Raleigh let out a sigh.  Yancy trailed his fingers gently up and down his
younger brother’s spine.
“Tell me what it is you want, Rals,” Yancy whispered.  “How do I make this
better?”
He braced himself for his brother to tell him that he couldn’t; however,
Raleigh surprised him.  When the younger man looked up into Yancy’s eyes, the
older man could see reflected in them that his brother was feeling resolute.
“Take responsibility.”
Yancy didn’t need any further explanation.  He knew what Raleigh meant by that.
 Yancy started to get up and Raleigh moved off of him and over to the side.
 After a bit of shuffling, the two men had switched places; Yancy on top and
his younger brother underneath.  Yancy placed his hands on either side of his
brother’s face, and ran his thumbs up and down the temples while staring into
his brother’s eyes.
Yancy wet his lips.  “Raleigh…”
His brother’s eyes betrayed nothing.  “Do you love me, Yancy?”
It wasn’t a question.  It was a challenge.  Yancy closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
“Then show me,” Raleigh whispered.
Yancy brought down his head, and the two brushed lips.  For the first time, it
seemed to Yancy, his brother’s kiss seemed to be filled with desperation and a
sense of longing.  After a few seconds, Yancy broke away.  When he looked down
at his brother, Raleigh’s expression seemed both torn and confused.
“Yancy…?”
The older man’s eyebrows furrowed together.  “Raleigh…?  Could I...can I give
you something?”
Raleigh tilted his head to the side.  “Sure, Yance...like what?”
Yancy backed off of his brother.  “Sit up for me.”
The older man pushed himself upright, and Raleigh immediately followed suit.
 Yancy reached for his neck and pulled the chain he was wearing up over his
head.  He then put the necklace he had been wearing around his brother’s neck.
  
“For you,” Yancy said softly.  “I want you to have them.  In fact...I’ve been
meaning to give them to you for a while.”
Raleigh reached up his hands and clasped his hands around his brother’s gift.
 He then looked down at the dog tags bearing his brother’s name as his fingers
began toying with them.
“You belong to me.”  Those were the words Yancy left unsaid.
Raleigh nodded and then looked up at his brother with a small smile.  He
mirrored the action, reaching underneath his brother’s chain and pulling his
own tags up over his head.  He then placed his necklace around Yancy’s neck.
“For you,” Raleigh echoed.
The action was symbolism of his willing agreement to his brother’s terms.  “I’m
yours.”
“We stop here tonight,” said Yancy.  “All right?”
“Okay,” said Raleigh.
Yancy then leaned forward and pecked his brother on the cheek before getting
off Raleigh’s mattress.  Raleigh settled himself back down into his bed while
watching his brother climb up into his.
“Sleep tight, Rals,” Yancy said as he turned over in his bed.  “Try to get some
rest.”
“You too, Yance,” Raleigh said, doing the same.  “See you in the morning.”
Each man brought the other man’s tags up to their lips and pressed a kiss.
 Both fell asleep soon after.
Roughly a week later, a Category Two Kaiju was reported to have appeared from
the breach.  Both brother teams, Gipsy Danger and Lucky Seven, were given
orders to respond.  Herc and Scott Hansen would be taking the offensive.  The
Becket brothers were ordered to stand down and offer their assistance only on
an as-needed basis.  Lucky Seven should have been more than able to deal with
the Kaiju threat; however, something unexpected occurred.
Just before the Hansen’s Jaeger could deflect the angry Kaiju’s blow, Herc
suddenly saw something in the Drift with his brother that he had not been
expecting.  It was unclear what caused his brother’s memory to suddenly
surface.
Scott spying on something in Herc’s memories; his older brother’s therapy
sessions with Yancy Becket.  Scott prying deeper and discovering the Becket’s
darkest secret.  Herc frowned, barely registering Tendo’s warning overhead that
they were starting to go out of alignment.  Scott luring Raleigh away from his
friends with a lie.  Scott taking Raleigh into a room.  Herc wondered how his
brother had gotten the passcode to gain lab access.  Scott knocking an
unsuspecting Raleigh on the back of the head before forcing the younger man
onto the ground and underneath him.  Raleigh disoriented, but trying to fight
back.  One of Herc’s memories filled in some of the gaps.  Yancy suddenly
bolting upright from his chair.  Yancy rushing out of the room and down the
hall in a panic.  Then they were back in Scott’s memories.  Scott about to do
the unthinkable to the younger Becket.  Yancy suddenly crashing into the room
and beating the living daylights out of Herc’s younger brother.
His brother’s shouts and the sudden impact from the Kaiju landing its crushing
blow against Lucky Seven’s metal body thrusted Herc back into reality, but it
was too late.  Herc looked over at his brother in a daze.  Scott was saying
something, but he couldn’t seem to make out the words.  Herc frowned in
confusion and shook his head.
“Scott...you…?”
“Fucking pull yourself together, Herc!” his younger brother screamed.  “You’re
going to get us killed out here!”
They were saved from the Kaiju’s death-bringing blow by intervention from Gipsy
Danger; the Becket’s had swooped in immediately upon sensing something wasn’t
going quite right with Lucky Seven.  Team Gipsy was able to finish the job
cleanly, and the Hansens were silent as they were being transported back to
base in their badly damaged Jaeger.
When they landed in the disinfecting bay, Scott seemed to have found his voice.
 “Herc.  Listen…”
Herc’s face radiated anger, but his voice was eerily calm.  “I’ve no words to
say to you, Scott.”
Before his brother could respond, they were interrupted by a standard team of
attendants who had come on board the Jaeger to disconnect them.  Unfortunately
for the younger Hansen, his older brother was disconnected first.  Herc wasted
no time in striding off the vessel.  He did not stop once, nor did he look back
over his shoulder when his brother called after him.
“Herc, stop!  Wait!  I can explain…!  Please!”
The marshal was surprised when Herc approached him in his office to report the
reasons behind Lucky Seven’s failure in its mission before he could even ask.
 Herc, however, had been kind to leave out any details pertaining to the
Beckets.  All lectures the marshal had prepared became stuck in his throat upon
hearing the reason for the Hansen’s going out of alignment, and that very
evening Scott Hansen was dismissed from service.  
The next day, word spread like wildfire that Lucky Seven was now nothing more
than scrap metal, and that one of the pilots had been discharged without
honors.  The next time Herc and Yancy’s paths crossed, the two exchanged a nod
that held a meaning only the two of them understood.
The following year, Herc was transferred back to Sydney.  Partially because no
Kaiju attacks were projected to appear from the breach any time soon, but also
because Herc’s son was graduating from the Jaeger Academy there.  No official
statement had been made, but it was rumored a highly likely possibility that
the next time the elder Hansen was to pilot a Jaeger, it would be with his son
as a co-pilot.  
Sometime afterward, perhaps appropriately so, the Becket brothers were
transferred into a new room, to mark their advancement as senior pilots in the
ranks.  It featured a bunk bed and a kitchen sink with cabinets, in addition to
the private bathroom that was standard to all rooms.  Their new living quarters
was also closer to all of the Jaeger loading docks, as it was more likely that
they would be among the pilots called to respond to Kaiju threats, and at
greater frequencies as well.
Despite Herc’s absence, the relationship between Yancy and Raleigh steadily
improved.  It took a bit of trial and error at first, but the men had
eventually fallen into a new rhythm.  Even if those around them couldn’t place
a sure finger on it, they could sense a difference in the brother’s
relationship as well; the two men joking around and otherwise at ease together
gradually became a normal sight.  
Oddly enough, the slight change in their environment and their exchanging of
tokens seemed to be the reason behind the positive change.  One day, Yancy
caught Raleigh fiddling absently with the tags around his neck while talking to
a fellow Jaeger pilot, and from that point on, Yancy was a lot calmer when
interacting with his brother.  This was especially clear when the brothers were
alone in their room.  There was still touching and Yancy still sometimes took
his brother to bed, but now there were also days where Yancy found himself
content enough to just have Raleigh’s attention, and those were the times where
they would just sit on one of their beds and talk for hours over some cans of
beer.
These advancements they made in their relationship did not come without
benefits.  By the time the Kaiju by the name of Knifehead emerged from the
breach, the Becket brothers were considered one of the strongest and most
effective teams ever commissioned by the PPDC.
“Gipsy Danger.  Report to Bay 08.  Level A-42.  Kaiju.  Codename: Knifehead.
 Category Three.”
Raleigh groaned in his bed.  He bolted right out of it as soon as all the
information caught up to his brain.  A smile started to form on his face.
“Yo, Yancy!  Wake up!  Movement in the breach!” Raleigh said with excitement.
He smacked his hands all around Yancy’s head and when that didn’t work, he
gently pat his brother’s face.  Finally, he cupped his brother’s face with his
hands and pressed their cheeks together, grinning.
“Hey!  Come on!  We’re being deployed!”
Yancy groaned and smacked away his brother’s hands as he started to wake.
 “Mm...right...good morning.”
Raleigh’s tone was chipper when he responded.  “Morning!”
Yancy dropped down from the top bunk.  Raleigh scrambled to get a change of
clothes.
“Kaiju’s a Category Three!” said Raleigh.  “Biggest one yet!”
Yancy sighed and rubbed at his face.  If he had been more awake, he might have
chuckled at his brother’s overdramatization of the Kaiju’s name.
“Codename…?  Knifehead…”
Yancy massaged the back of his neck, eyes still closed.  “Nn...what time is
it?”
“Two!” Raleigh said happily while putting on a shirt.
Yancy’s eyes popped open.  “A.M.?”
Raleigh smiled at his brother as he briefly looked up from his shirt.  “Yup!”
He walked up to his brother as Yancy was starting to make his way to their
bathroom.  Raleigh held up his hand for a fist bump.  
“What d’ya say?” he asked.  “Another notch on the belt?”
Yancy was too tired to execute the handshake perfectly, not that Raleigh seemed
to care.  Yancy practically missed the entire thing and he was still punching
lightly at nothing even after his brother had already hopped away from him.
 Yancy then walked into their bathroom.  He turned around and leaned on the
doorframe, smiling at Raleigh’s backside.
“Hey, kid!” he called out.
Raleigh stopped and turned to look at his brother.  “Yeah?”
Yancy smirked and told his brother the same thing his friend Kyle had told him
years earlier.  “Don’t get cocky.”
Raleigh smiled and Yancy shut the door.  In several minutes, they were
ready—they donned their trademark matching jackets and were out the door,
headed towards the loading bay.  There, they exchanged friendly greetings with
their friend Tendo before syncing to their Jaeger.  Their orders from Pentecost
were straightforward and simple; hold the Miracle Mile, and ignore the civilian
vessel.  
After they had been told not to save the men on the stray boat, Yancy muted his
mic and looked down as he muttered.  “Man...that’s cold.”
He heard his younger brother’s thoughts over the Drift.  “That’s messed up.  We
should get them.”
Raleigh looked over at Yancy after muting his own mic.  “You know
what I’m thinking.”
Yancy lips quirked into a small smile.  “I’m in your brain.  I know.”
Raleigh gave his brother a slight nod.  “Then let’s go fishing.”
The brothers then had a brief exchange over the Drift.  The conversation
occurred in a matter of seconds before the men finalized their decision.
“You sure, Rals?”
“I’m confident we can take it...you doubting our abilities, Yance?”
“No, kid…ready when you are.
“Then let’s move!”
Yancy gave his brother a small smile and the two of them pushed Gipsy Danger
forward.  Raleigh was too excited so he didn’t notice, but there was a sense of
foreboding weighing in the back of Yancy’s mind.
That ominous feeling only increased in intensity when the brothers faced off
against the Kaiju and it seemed like the beast was getting the upperhand.
 Yancy felt his younger brother’s frustration toward his feelings of worry.
“Come on, Yance!  Don’t freeze on me!  We’ve got this!  Fire up the
Plasmacaster!”
“Right,”Yancy thought as he commanded their Jaeger to pull its right arm back
so that it could charge the cannon.
“Come on!  Do it!” Raleigh shouted.
“I’m doing it, hold on!” Yancy said as he aimed the Plasmacaster and fired it
on Knifehead at the very last second, sending the beast plummeting into the
ocean.
For a moment, it looked like they had won.  While the Beckets were celebrating
in their minds, their marshal’s angry voice cut through their communications
overhead.
“Gipsy!  What thehell is going on?”
Raleigh leaned forward and turned his mic on.  “Job’s done, sir!  Lit it up
twice!  Bagged our fifth kill!”
Pentecost was unamused and growled back.  “You disobeyed a direct order!”
Yancy flipped his mic on as well.  “Respectfully, sir!  We intercepted a Kaiju
and saved everyone on that boat!”
The marshal was not swayed.  “Get back to your post!  Now!”
“Yes, sir!” Raleigh said back, grinning.
Before they were able to grab the civilian vessel and be on their way, Marshal
Pentecost’s voice crackled urgently through their communications again.
 “Gipsy!  We’re still getting a signature!”
Raleigh frowned and quickly hit some buttons.  The breathing of both brothers
began to increase.
“Oh shit…”Yancy thought.
“No!  Stay focused, Yance!”Raleigh thought back.  “Nothing’s happened yet!”
Unfortunately, Yancy’s subconscious didn’t seem to agree.  The brother’s neural
connection wavered as Yancy had brief flashbacks from the last time they had
fought a Kaiju that was a Category Three.  Yamarashi.  Tango Tasmania.  Kyle
and Ethan.  Dead.
“No, Yancy!”Raleigh thought with disapproval.  “Don’t think like that!  Come
on!”
Pentecost continued to shout at them frantically.  “That Kaiju is still alive!
 Grab the boat and get out of there!  Do you copy?  Grab the boat, and get out
of there now!”
The brothers move, but their reaction time had slowed some due to Yancy having
thrown them slightly out of alignment.  Yancy barely managed to pull himself
together when Knifehead suddenly rose from the depths and crashed into them.
 With Raleigh’s help, the brothers were able to intercept the Kaiju’s blow in
time before it could crush their Jaeger’s metal with its teeth.  In the Conn-
Pod, the brothers exchanged a tense glance.
“Ready to take it on?” Raleigh asked.
Yancy nodded.  “I got this!”
The brothers pulled their left arm back simultaneously, and Raleigh commanded
their left Plasmacaster to charge.  Before the cannon could finish charging,
however, the Kaiju speared and bit off the Jaeger’s arm.  His neural sensors
being connected with the Jaeger, he could feel the tear as if the Kaiju had
torn off his actual arm, and Raleigh clutched at his left arm as he screamed in
pain.  
“Raleigh!”Yancy shouted in their minds.
“Augh!  Shit, Yancy!  It hurts!  It hurts so much!”
“I know...I know kid, I feel it too, but come on, you’ve got to stay with me
here!”
Their thought process is interrupted when the Kaiju suddenly speared its head
through the opening it had created.  Both brothers jumped.
“Whoa!  It went through the hole!” Raleigh screamed.
Yancy’s thought was a strange contradictory fusion of panic and calm.
 “Oh...shit.”
The memory of Ethan and Kyle’s last moments briefly surfaced once again in
their minds.  Raleigh’s eyes widened.
“No...no!  Yancy!  No!”Raleigh thought in a panic.  
Everything that happened next seemed to go in slow motion.  Yancy turned and
looked at Raleigh.
“Raleigh, listen to me!  Listen—”
“Donotallow yourself to go into shock like Ethan did!  Finish it off, Rals!  I
know you can!  I love you, kid.  You’ve always deserved better.  I’m so sor—”
The Kaiju reached its hand in, and Raleigh shouted at it.  “No!  Stop!”
Both brothers simultaneously screamed as Knifehead pulled Yancy out of the
cockpit and tossed him away like he was nothing.  Raleigh roared with
frustration, tears stinging his eyes as he put all his effort into focusing on
continuing to single-handedly pilot what was left of Gipsy Danger, without his
brother.  There was a feeling of intense pressure that seemed to want to crush
in his skull, but Raleigh refused to succumb.  If nothing else, his brother was
right in his last words.  If Raleigh wanted to stand a chance of living, then
he could notgo into shock like Ethan Bentley had when piloting Tango Tasmania.
With tears stinging his eyes, he somehow managed to activate the Jaeger’s
remaining Plasmacaster, and defeated the Kaiju with one final blast.  The surge
was enough to terminate any signals being sent to LOCCENT, and as far as the
people back at the Shatterdome knew, Gipsy Danger was lost and the Becket
brothers were dead.  
It wasn’t clear how Raleigh managed to drag the badly damaged Jaeger all the
way to shore, but he did.  When he reached land, he lost all his momentum and
Gipsy Danger collapsed, just barely missing an old man and his grandson who had
been walking along the Alaskan coastline with the intent to ice fish.  When the
Jaeger fell, Raleigh was thrown out of his pilot’s chair, and for a moment he
was too disoriented to move.  Eventually though, he managed to crawl out of the
cockpit and walked unsteadily away from the Jaeger.  
Raleigh barely noticed the old man by his side and couldn’t at all make out
anything that he was saying.  The only thing his mind was full of was his
brother.
“Yancy…” Raleigh whispered.  “...Yancy.”
The world seemed to spin and Raleigh collapsed on his back.  Tears flowed from
his eyes as he looked up towards the sky.   From his peripheral, he could tell
the man was still there, and he was still saying words, but Raleigh wasn’t
listening and he just didn’t care.
“Yancy…”he thought to himself as he slowly began to lose consciousness.
 “Yancy...Yancy...Yancy...Yancy...Yance…!”
Raleigh wasn’t ready to accept it; not yet.  Even though the silence was
deafening.  Even knowing that his brother was dead, and that he was never going
to answer Raleigh ever again.  In the Drift or otherwise.  
As he slipped out of consciousness, Raleigh’s last coherent thought was the
hope that when he woke up, it would be by his brother’s side in the next life.
 Unfortunately, when Raleigh woke up a few days later, he was in a hospital
room and hooked up to some IVs.  The first thing he notices, almost immediately
upon waking, is the unpleasant hollow feeling in his head.  The second thing he
notices is the person at his side, Herc Hansen, hovering over his bed.
Raleigh made no attempt to speak, so Herc began their conversation.  “Hey
there, Raleigh…!  How do you feel?”
Raleigh sighed and whispered.  “Like shit…”
Herc half-smiled.  “Well...I suppose that’s to be expected.  You’re incredibly
lucky to be alive, kid.”
Raleigh tensed.  Kid.  That was what Yancy sometimes called him.  Yancy was
gone.  Yancy was dead.  Raleigh closed his eyes, and the tears flowed in a
steady stream down the side of his face through the cracks.  He barely felt
Herc grip a hand around his wrist, gently.
“I...I can still hear his voice...what he said to me...his last words, in the
Drift,” Raleigh whispered weakly.
Herc didn’t respond, so Raleigh continued.  “He told me not to go into
shock...I guess he was thinking about what happened to Kyle and Ethan…”
“The deceased pilots of Tango Tasmania?” Herc asked.
Raleigh nodded, eyes still closed.  “Y-yeah...Kyle was one of my brother’s best
friend’s growing up.”
Herc nodded.  “I see.”
“Kyle died on site,” said Raleigh.  “Impaled clean through by a metal piece
from the Jaeger…”
“And his partner?”
“Ethan was still alive at first, but...his condition deteriorated rapidly,”
said Raleigh.  “You should know this as well as I do.  When a pilot dies while
still connected to the other via the Drift, usually the co-pilot doesn’t end up
making it…”
“Yes...I’ve heard that to be the case,” Herc confirmed.  
Raleigh opened his eyes and looked at the older man then, his eyes clearly
reflecting his anguish.  “So then...how is it that I’m still alive, sir?”
The older man shook his head.  “That...I do not know.”
Raleigh let out a sigh and looked away, staring blankly out the hospital
windows.  “You know...the Drift is amazing.  You can tell a person so many
things, so much faster than when you’re talking out loud...and yet...sometimes
even that’s not enough time.”
“He said more to you, then?” Herc asked.
Raleigh nodded.  “Yeah...I just wish that there had been enough time for me to
say something back.”
“What else did he tell you?”
“...that he loved me,” Raleigh said, after a pause.  “And you know what…?  As
messed up as things were sometimes, between us…”
“...you loved him too,” Herc finished for him.
Raleigh nodded and shut his eyes again, pushing out some more tears.  His voice
shook when he spoke.
“Yeah...I mean, I know how crazy it sounds, but…”
“It’s all right,” said Herc.  “Love doesn’t have to make sense.”
Raleigh turned to look at Herc and chuckled bitterly.  “It doesn’t...does it?”
Herc shook his head sympathetically.  “No.”
“He told me I deserved better,” Raleigh said, a slight edge to his voice.  “He
was always saying things like that, really…”
Herc half-smiled.  “And you didn’t agree?”
“Never,” said Raleigh.  “Our relationship was far from perfect, but it didn’t
have to be.”
Raleigh turned his head back to the windows again, facing away from Herc.  His
eyebrows furrowed together and creased to form a frown.
“And you know what he had the gall to say to me…?” Raleigh asked softly.  “I
mean, granted, he never got to finish his words, but…”
“But…?”
Raleigh let out a sigh.  “He tried to tell me he was sorry.”
“Ah.”
“Of course he never got a chance to say what for,” Raleigh said tightly.  “Not
that it matters.”
“...it bothers you,” Herc said after a while.
“Of course it does…” Raleigh said with a whisper.  
The two men then fell into silence.  After a few minutes, Raleigh’s fingers
curled around some of his sheets.  The young man’s body shook, and Herc knew
even before hearing the strain in the blonde’s voice that Raleigh was crying
again.
“...I’ve never wanted his apologies.”
Chapter End Notes
     I’ve found that the only good thing about Yancy’s death scene is that
     it leaves half of the conversation up to interpretation—the part of
     the conversation that the Becket boys must undoubtedly be having in
     their minds, since the story implies that they can totally talk to
     each other that way. The fact that we don’t know what they’re saying
     to each other in those last moments means that writers can totally
     write the scene in about a thousand different ways, and given that
     their brotherly scenes are so limited, I have no doubt that as I’m
     filling all these fic requests, I’m probably going to have the
     opportunity to write that conversation over and over again, and
     differently each time. It’ll be interesting to see how many different
     exchanges I can come up with before I run out of ideas.
     Technically, the OP’s prompt ends here. For those of you looking for
     a happier ending though, I’ve decided to do a continuation/side-
     story/sequel/alternate ending/whatever you want to call the next
     story, really, and post it as part two of the series both fics will
     connect to. Given that this fic can be read as a standalone, it’s
     totally up to the reader whether or not they want to move on to the
     other half. Anyway, hope you at least enjoyed the ride up until this
     point, and hope to see you all again on all the future prompts I fill
     out for these boys! Feel free to comment here and/or PM me any fic
     requests! If it seems like something I can do, then I’d be more than
     happy to work on filling your prompts! Thank you all for your
     feedback and support thus far!
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