Chapter Text
One moment he was nothing. He didn’t feel anything. Didn’t think anything…and then he did.
Kaiju. Jaegars. Bomb. Striker Eureka. He remembered everything.
Pain shot throughout his body, panic overrode everything. His eyes snapped open while his lungs fought to get air. What was going on? Where was he? What happened?! Where was he?! WHERE WAS HE?!
“Chuck stop. You are ok.”
Chuck turned to see Raleigh, his wide blue eyes full of worry, but that didn't make any sense. “The fuck are you doing here? Where’s my dad? The Jaegars? the Kaiju?” Chuck gasped, hand clutching his chest, trying to heave air into his lungs. His mind was screaming at him, he felt like he was being pulled apart.
“Stop. Relax. You have to relax. Take a deep breath.”
Chuck didn’t want to breath, he wanted out of there! Why was he there? He felt himself become dizzy as his body roared for air but Chuck couldn’t calm down. He let out a choked sob as his body began to shut down. He watched the nurse with the syringe in his hand. He felt his eyelids begin to feel heavy. Sedatives. He turned to look at Raleigh, confused, questions racing through his mind but he felt so tired. He fell back, unconscious.
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You are you father’s son.
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This time he regained consciousness progressively. He could hear the nurses, the machines in the room…feel the blanket covering him. He tried moving his fingers but pain shot up his left arm. Broken. That was all. How was that possible? Had he not detonated a bomb? He should not be alive and if he was alive, shouldn’t he be terribly injured? What the fuck was going on here?
“I know you are awake.”
Chuck scowled as he finally opened his eyes, turning to look at Raleigh. Why was he here? He and Raleigh weren't friends, though, Chuck figured that Raleigh had saved the world....perhaps he wasn't a complete loss. Didn't explain what Raleigh was doing there.
“Why don’t you make yourself useful and tell me what is going on mate?” and Chuck was confused over Raleigh’s confusion. What was there to be confused about?
“What do you mean? Don’t you remember?”
“I remember everything up to the bomb, but how did I get here?” Chuck asked a bit slower since it seemed Raleigh must have suffered some brain damage. Unless he was always this slow. Moment like this, Chuck didn’t have it in him to goad the other, he just wanted answers.
“Charlie babe, what bomb? It was a car accident.”
Chuck stared at Raleigh. Wondering if this was all a practical joke, but it really wasn’t Raleigh’s style. He couldn’t imagine anyone doing a joke this bad in nature. No one.
“Relax, I’ll get the doctor.” But Chuck just shook his head because this had to be a joke. What else could it be? Was he dead? This could not be the afterlife, could it? Chuck didn’t drive, Raleigh didn’t call him babe or Charlie, most importantly, he should be more injured than just a broken arm!
Needless to say Chuck found himself sedated again.
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Clear a path for the lady.
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Chuck woke up to the feeling of fingers running through his hair. Fucking Raleigh. Except it wasn’t.
“Dad?”
Herc was looking at him, soft smile, relief and love on his face, a look Chuck hadn't seen since he was a child... and Chuck…Chuck cried, reaching out in way he hadn’t done since he was five years old. But he didn’t care because he had almost died, or had died, and maybe this wasn’t his dad. Maybe this was something fucked up, it didn’t matter, because his dad always made him feel protected and safe. That was all Chuck wanted and so he curled in Herc’s arms and fell asleep that way. Reality could wait. He just wanted this one thing for right now.
Besides, if this wasn’t real….what was the harm?
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When you drift with someone…..
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He woke up later feeling exhausted but slightly better, Raleigh sat by his side again. Jesus Christ. Did Raleigh think he owed him something?
“You ok? You scared all of us.” Raleigh smiled and Chuck was tired so to hell with it. Chuck's brain was still reeling from everything to put up a fight.
“Fine, better than I thought I’d be.” Raleigh frowned, and Chuck could tell he wanted to say something but Raleigh only shook his head. Chuck didn't like that, there was something he was not being told.
“Doctor said you hit your head pretty hard but you’ll be ready to head home tomorrow. Just have to keep your arm in a cast.” Chuck didn’t care about the cast.
“What happened to the Kaiju?” he finally asked, dreading the answer. Was this what Raleigh didn't want to tell him? They did save the world, right?
“The Kaiju? You must have been watching a movie with Mako, you know they always get defeated in the end.”
Chuck was right he didn’t like the answer. What was Raleigh going on about now?
“You are looking pale. I’ll get the- “ “No, I’m fine…what about Stacker?”
“What about him?” Raleigh was clearly getting annoyed but he was trying to not show it. That made Chuck feel slightly better, annoyed Raleigh he could take.
“Is he alive?" Chuck snapped because why was Raleigh acting like everything was ok? Seriously? He had been awake about three times and none of those times had he gotten any answers. Ignoring the fact that he had ended up falling back to sleep in minutes….
“Yes, he's alive! He’s on a business trip, wanted to cancel it but Herc managed to convince him otherwise. He’ll bring you some biscuits. Did you have a nightmare?”
Chuck was not amused. Business trip? Biscuits? Nightmare? What? Chuck felt his head spinning.
“Chuck-“ “Don’t just, don’t Rayleigh! Where the hell is your girlfriend? Where’s Mako?” Chuck cut Raleigh off before he could say anything else to anger Chuck. Mako would give him answers; he could count on her to be direct.
Raleigh stared at him ready to say something but he just clenched his jaw and stood up, clearly angry. Chuck was too freaked out and angry to care what was up with Raleigh. Raleigh wasn't his respoinsibility nor problem, besides, he hadn't asked him to come visit him!
“Chuck?”
Mako was smiling at him, making her way over like he hadn’t insulter her days prior. Chuck had all these questions he wanted to ask.
“Why are you being so nice? Why is Raleigh calling me babe? And how did Stacker and I survive? How long have I been out for?”
Mako raised an eyebrow at the questions, apparently he hadn’t just thought them. She stared at him, intently, making him squirm, before turning on the TV.
“You were in a car accident. You have been on and off unconcious for three days. Father hasn’t been in an accident, he is fine. We…..you really don’t remember do you?” Mako asked, her mood quickly dropping. Chuck had lost her at car accident. The newscaster was talking about the government, nothing about Kaiju, Jaegars or a wall being built. Wait. What years was this?
“Did she say 2013?”
That was not possible. He was barely going to be ten in 2013, the Kaiju attacks started in 2013. It could not be 2013.
“I think the doctors need to give you more tests.” Mako pursed her lips, standing up ready to go get one of the doctors.
“Wait, Mako….am I pilot?”
“No, you aren’t.” Mako answered, soft, like trying to soften the blow, but he could see the worry. He would have been pissed off if he wasn’t numb to everything right now.
None of this made sense. He wasn’t dead. Was this a dream? He was in pain, so he should have woken up. He wasn’t in the past, because they wouldn’t be this old. This had been gone on too long to be a joke. He didn’t get it.
“This isn’t possible.” He muttered, looking up as the doctor stepped into the room. “This is a dream, not real, none of this can be real! I died! Do you hear me! I DIED!”
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If you have a shot, you take it.
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Chuck sighed as he stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out why he was there, wherever there was. He should have died, right? So what was this? Where was he?
Another universe? Chuck shouldn’t find it hard to believe, he piloted a Jaegar by connecting his brain with his dad’s, in order to fight monsters that emerged from the ocean. Did a parallel universe of some kind really sound farfetched? Chuck didn’t have any other answer for what was happening to him. Maybe this was the after life? Was ths his paradise? He wasn't too sure why Raleigh was in it....He smiled bitterly, only snapping out of his thoughts when a nurse stepped inside his room.
“Mr. Hansen? Here are your belongings, you are being checked out now.”
One of the nurses smiled at him, placing his clothes on a nearby chair, before leaving him alone. He was leaving the hospital, where was he going to go? Home? Where was home? Would he try to get back to his world? His life? Maybe that was all a dream? Chuck scowled at that thought, immediately pushing it away. He was not going to go down that road. Everything he remembered was real. He growled as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, slowly getting onto his feet, wincing at the pain from his arm.
“Hey, brought you some clean clothes.” Raleigh leaned on the doorway, soft smile on his lips and Chuck liked that smile, it always brought out Raleigh’s eyes. Wait. Always? Liked that smile? Chuck froze because, well, he couldn’t remember ever seeing that smile before….he shook his head and quickly reached for the clothes.
“Thanks-“
“What do you mean he is fine?”
Chuck winced when he caught some of Stacker’s tone out in the hallway. He had heard that tone before, only a handful of times directed at him. Chuck had always known better than to disrespect Stacker. Chuck had respected Stacker, he was their fixed point, the resistance. Had he woken up in a similar world to this? Chuck shook his head and tried to ignore those thoughts too.
“I thought you said he was out on business trip.” Chuck turned to Raleigh, glaring at him, but Raleigh just shrugged. “Mako called him.” That made sense.
“Come on, let’s get you home.” Chuck stared at Raleigh, because he wasn’t leaving, how was he going to get dressed with him there? “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Chuck gaped at Raleigh, before spluttering out a “get out!”
“Take your time, we’ll be outside. Waiting for you.” Raleigh smiled at him before leaving.
Chuck felt like Raleigh was talking about more than just waiting for him to get dressed. Who was 'they'? They were waiting for him? He struggled into his shirt and pants but he still waited a few more minutes in the room.
Now what? What did he do now? Find a way to get home? How? Who was out there waiting for him?
Chuck ran a hand over his face, wishing he could have the answers to his questions. He hated this, not knowing. But he couldn't stay in this room forever, he knew that. So he took a deep breath and stepped out of the room.
It was strange, looking at these people. His dad wore jeans and a shirt, no vest. Stacker was not in his Marshall uniform. Mako wore jeans. Raleigh wasn't wearing his lumpy sweater. Huh. He knew them, but not these versions. He felt hysterical laughter bubbling up but he knew if he let it take over there would be no stopping. Chuck was tired of being sedated.
“Come on, I’m hungry.” Raleigh broke the silence and Chuck was grateful for it. He didn’t know what to say, how to say it. Did he tell them? Should he?
Part of him was angry. Part of his was confused. Another part of him was sad.
And a tiny part of him felt….at home and that part he pressed down and away. No. This wasn't his home. He didn't know any of them.
He wasn't home.
He was alone.
Now what?