Title: RaSta (working title)
Author: Feygan
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Pairing: Raleigh Becket/Stacker Pentecost
Genre: action, romance, mpreg
Summary: Young Raleigh Becket has a crush on Stacker Pentecost. Shit happens, as it's wont to do.
"Stop staring at me. I'm fine." Raleigh chewed and swallowed, refusing to meet Yancy's eyes.
"Uh huh," Yancy said, practically dripping sarcasm. "You definitely seem fine to me." Still, Raleigh felt relieved when the burn of Yancy's gaze left him.
They finished eating before heading to the Kwoon Combat Room for physical training. It was a relief to beat on each other, though they couldn't help synchronizing their moves as the bout progressed. Until they were performing what looked like a whirling, stunningly athletic dance.
With sweat gleaming on their skin and their muscles flexing with their strikes and blocks, they were a spectacle few people could ignore. A crowd quickly gathered in the Kwoon as the Becket brothers dominated the arena. And though Raleigh was loath to admit it, part of him preened under the attention.
He was so focused on the fight that he didn't notice Stacker standing in the doorway, watching him. By the time Raleigh looked around, Stacker was already gone.
* * *
Over the next couple of days, Raleigh focused on training to the point that Yancy finally forced him to take a break. "You pushing yourself to exhaustion doesn't do anyone any good. We have to be ready for action, and sorry to tell you this, little brother, but you are not ready. Take a nap. Read a book. I'm grounding you from training until you get some rest" was what he said.
It was like a slap to the face. Raleigh wanted to object, to defend his obsessive training schedule, but he swallowed his words instead. Yancy wouldn't have said anything if he wasn't truly concerned, and Raleigh loved and respected his brother enough to give his opinion weight.
He stood shirtless in front of the narrow, full-length mirror in their quarters. He'd been avoiding his reflection, but now he gave himself an honest looking over.
I look terrible, he thought. He could understand why Yancy had been so concerned.
Years of training had given him an enviable physique, a body that had drawn admiring looks since he'd passed out of his mid-teens. Muscle hugged his limbs and torso and he was used to being able to handle himself in any situation. Except, it seemed, anything to do with his emotions.
A lack of appetite combined with days of exercising had added even more definition to his abs and arms, but his cheeks were looking a bit gaunt and there were dark bags under his eyes, which appeared dull and tired. The corners of his mouth pulled downward even when he tried to fake a smile.
"Get over it," he told himself. His reflection responded with a sad frown. "You look ridiculous."
Raleigh shuffled over to his bunk and stripped off his boots and trousers. He climbed into the bunk in his socks and briefs, rolling himself up in his blanket. If he was lucky, he would wake up ready to deal with his life again. At the very least, he could hope that he wouldn't feel such a bone deep weariness.
TBC...