❛ the door’s over there, chuckles. ❜
it’s a low, raspy response; words filtering through raw
throat & the slightest brush of a smile. he’s flat on his
back, save for one or two pillows propping him up. an
iv & a monitor protrudes from his arm, beeping
insistently at the two pilots. he’d been here a week, &
his tan skin had paled to a sickly white; hair unkempt,
eyes bagging. his strong frame had lost its fullness ––
the weight had dropped off stunningly quickly, leaving
him as skin & bones in a matter of days. the younger
jaeger pilot had taken to visiting raleigh, almost every
day. not that raleigh minded; in fact, he looked
forward to it. yesterday they’d watched & made fun of
some chick flick. today, it’d taken several bouts of
yelling & raleigh threatening to get up & ‘ walk out
the fucking door ‘ for them to let chuck in. apparently,
raleigh’s condition had worsened; they’d affixed two
new machines to him, & force fed him some yellow
goop. ( ‘ i just want a goddamn chicken fried
chicken, ‘ he’d told chuck. ) he found himself
exhausted, but what else was new? chuck was here.
❛ y’better have brought me something to eat. ❜
normally, that nickname would send chuck's skin
crawling into the next life --- chuckles. fucker.
he's lucky he's already in the hospital, because
chuck'd have to put him t here personally,
otherwise. and he means that in the most
AFFECTIONATE way possible, really.
but in this instance, it's just so... raleigh. it's
familiar. it's home, wrapped up in one little
endearment. it's raleigh getting better. and it's
enough for a small smile, a slight twitch at the
corners of his narrow mouth in the bedridden
ranger's direction. it leaves just as fast as it
arrives, though ; he looks ... horrible. so much
worse than yesterday, a nd the day before that.
the dark circles beneath his eyes seem darker,
and his frame that much thinner. chuck's heart
clenches beneath his dog tags, and he has to
look away, because his eyes are stinging and
he'll be damned if he cries in front of him. in front
of anyone.
raleigh doesn't need sadness at this point.
he needs strength. and the chicken nuggets and
fries starting to get cold in the paper bag he's
toting.
❝ --- two things'a mcnuggets and fries, just
like the doctor ordered. oh, and your
ranch, you weirdo. ❞
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