his heart clenches painfully, as he did not miss her reaching for him ; shivering only slightly as her fingertips dance over his jawline – feeling the strength beginning to waver more and more as her hand fell away. mako – don’t — ! he hisses, feeling it rumble in the back of his head and unsure if he was speaking to himself, or her.
he knew it was only a matter of time before stacker caught up with them, holding mako close to his chest ; as if somehow it would help. as if somehow, his own rapidly pulsing heart against his ribcage would be enough to keep her alive. to keep her breathing – to keep the blood from staining both of their flight suits. eyes snap over to the older man for just a fleeting moment; long enough to show that he heard him. to acknowledge him. when cassian spoke, his voice was strained. not from carrying mako’s weight, as he could do so even without the adrenaline that was surging through his veins and nerves, but from the fear of feeling her dwindling in her arms. he tried to mask it the best that he could when speaking to stacker – but he knew that the older male knew better. “the kaiju pierced the hull of the fulcrum,” was his breath of explanation. the rest could be explained in better detail later ; once his mind pieced it all back together as it had happened so fast. he flinches, his own minor injuries a shadow in the back of his head, when she cries out in pain. and his grip on her tightens, even though he knows that she couldn’t feel it past the metal of her suit.
he’s gingerly ( as possible ) relinquishing her onto the med bay bed – stepping back as laces his hands behind his back. ( it was habit, from when he was young. as a child, it forced away anxious fiddling he was no longer prone to. ) he can still feel his heart racing – his finger tips shaking as he held to both hands tighter to try and get them to halt.
his jaw tightens when the doctor goes on about her blood type, his knuckles paling as his nails embed themselves into the tender soft skin of his palm. before he could speak, stacker was drawing his attention — a sense of urgency and helplessness in his own chest at the announcement about the new kaiju. the fire in his head was still burning from the previous battle ; his brain not quite flipped off from the fight. breathing catches and his eyes darken ; it was not lost upon him the weight of what stacker was asking him. and he wished there was the time, and the words, to explain to the older gentleman that he understood such. “ yes, sir, “ cassian responds sharply, attempting to keep the waver out of his tone as he cants his gaze back to mako.
without looking at himself, he knew the white of his flight suit was stained shades of crimson – smeared crudely across the metal. but he couldn’t take the time to care; it could be cleaned later. or replaced. mako was the priority ; even without stacker’s words. his words, however, merely increased the jaeger-sized weight on his chest. he would’ve spoken again, but stacker was moving to leave and the doctor was gaining his attention.
he would do so without hesitation – but before he could answer, the alarms in both his hand and the monitor were beginning to form an angry cadence in the room. and the panic in his chest merely inflated to proportions that made the fragile rubber band of his self control threaten to snap.
mako , no ! he shoves at her – as if trying to force her back to awareness, but his repeated and stern command does nothing. the continued wail of the machine did not cease, and the panic began to swell like an ingrown fear. “do something now –” he bit at the doctor, shoving the shocked professional back with a forearm on his chest before gesturing to his drift partner on the bed.
he could still feel her, but barely. clinging to the sliver of her that was left as if it was his last lifeline – white knuckling the small thread that kept him connected to mako as if trying to keep her from toppling off of a cliff’s edge.
there were a lot of loud and bitten off words interchanged between the doctors and nurses as they swarmed around mako ; much like in a way that flies swarmed around a corpse. but, the pilot reassured himself as he hovered near them that this was not to leech – but to repair. but as all of their efforts blurred together for him, his mind began to race with each pulse of the defibrillator.
he wasn’t sure how long it had been, only that the doctor was stepping away from her with a look on his face that NEARLY took cassian’s heart out. and before the doctor could speak, cassian was shoving him out of the way. before the doctor could affirm his fears, cassian roughly grasped the charge of the situation ; allowing himself a situational calm. the doctor protested, but cassian didn’t waver – the nurses looking to the doctor helplessly for guidance as, still in his ruined flight suit, he leaned almost the whole of his weight into chest compressions. and even as he barked orders, his eyes remained on her – trying to snuff out the insistent proof of the doctor’s unspoken words in the ringing of the heart monitor.
“ charge to 200 cc, “ he told one of the nurses, gesturing to the defibrillator. he wasn’t medically trained by far – he wasn’t a doctor, and had only known some of the english words they had been shooting off prior, but he had at least been trained in resuscitation in his ranger training more than a decade ago. the nurse looked to the doctor, who shrugged helplessly before nodding for them to charge it.
he stepped back long enough for the rushed clear! and the jerk of mako’s body – and nothing – before he was pressing in again, ignoring the strain of her ribcage under his hands before demanding another shock. he was panting, and sweating by the time they hit her with a second jolt.
it took a moment, with cassian’s wide and terrified gaze and a constant mantra of you can’t leave me here. what do i have without you? before he could’ve sworn he heard heaven’s angels in the form of the heart monitor coming back to life.
time, which had priorly been much too fast for him to keep pace with, slowed to a near halt as he took a stumbling step back. hearing tunneling from relief as a nurse guided him to sit down – another nurse already prepping for the transfusion. he thinks the doctor was once more asking for his permission, but cassian didn’t hear him. he was merely shaking his head with long, harsh breaths as he offered the doctor his arm.
IT HAD BEEN A LONG & ARDUOUS BATTLE between crimson typhoon& the most recent surge of kaiju that had reached the surface only minutes after the defeat of vicros. despite reaching the miracle line, the trio were able to contain the beast & destroy it swiftly —— their ‘ thundercloud formation ‘ as strong & merciless as ever. the marshal’s normally commanding presence took a backseat as he guided the triplets into victory, visibly shaken & sweating as every minute dragged out like an hour in his world. the only thing that seemed to occupy his mind was mako & if she was able to survive the deep wound she had received from earlier events. like any concerned father, his worry would double ——triple, revisiting all possible scenarios & disastrous outcomes that have less than a chance of truly occurring. stacker pentecost was a man who dealt with stress often, but he was not the type to show the weight of which he carried on his shoulders. the minute the kaiju was bested, he would not share in the victorious screams & praises uttered on deck. instead, he would hastily make his way down the hall, determined to reach his daughter & be with her if only for a minute. if —— she was still alive.
HE SOON REACHES THE MED BAY, practically bumping into the doctor who had taken charge of mako’s case. the medical professional was visibly shaken still by what had transpired, forcing the marshal to assume the worst. a world without mako mori ——the very idea was enough to haunt his very soul. luckily, his fears were dismissed when he affirms him that mako was alive& well—— the blood transfusion a big success. the doctor however, goes on to mention cassian’s insubordinate behavior, stressing that he physically assaulted him when taking control of the situation, despite her current status. eyebrows would raise as he would further go into detail, his heart dropping into his stomach as mentions that at one point during the whole scenario, mako mori was almost pronounced dead. DEAD? this doctor had the AUDACITY to complain to him that another pilot, despite not being a medical professional, took control of something HE should have been capable of & was the reason mako mori was still alive & breathing ? fingers curl into his palms, the temptation to deliver a punch across the elder man’s face increasing as he continued to rant about cassain’s unorthodox efforts. instead, he would do as any leader would do. “ thank you doctor, “ he replied dryly, his hands yanking the clipboard away from him so as to observe the results once more on paper. “ you are dismissed. get out of my sight. “ he hisses, eyes like daggers piercing deep into the doctor’s soul, who could do nothing but nod hastily in response. with a cold expression, he would shove his way past him, disgusted that he had allowed such an incapable professional enter his shatterdome ——his war effort. but that was now all in the past, shoulders relaxing as his eyes soon fall onto his adoptive daughter resting in bed, with the hero of the day slumped untidily in a chair right beside her.
ADMITTEDLY, IT WAS A VERY TOUCHING SIGHT. no doubt mako still had no knowledge of what had transpired during the last few hours. as much as he would like to allow the experienced pilot a chance to rest, stacker did not have all the time in the world to be here, as much as he would like to. slow strides would walk over to the hospital bed, breathing easy as the gentle beep of the monitor solidified her still beating heart. his hand would gently place itself atop of hers, a smile spreading up to his eyes. he had known this girl for so long, the idea of her almost leaving him alone on this earth enough to frighten him more than any kaiju he had ever faced. “ anata wa watashi o kowagatte shinimashita, “ tone shaky as stacker allows himself a steady breath to prevent the tears that threatened to fall. a soldier was never afraid to cry, but he would not do so with cassain still here. even if he was asleep, he couldn’t BARE the possibility. old habits die hard. well-built form would lean closer to the sleeping woman, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her forehead. in all the years he had come to see miss mako mori grow, this was one of the few times he had ever seen her so still & calm. it was an odd sight, but it also gave him great peace.
HE TAKES THE NEAREST PLASTIC CHAIR that remained in the room, planting it firmly right next to the sleeping pilot with a loud ‘ CLACK ! ‘ if the noise would not wake him, then his gentle hand would, shaking his arm until he received the response he desired. “ mister andor, “ he whispers softly, fighting the urge to completely give into his emotions & greet him with a smile. he was a damn HERO in his eyes for returning his daughter to her, but he still had to keep up appearances. clearing his throat, authoritative presence would return once more, arms crossed over his chest as piercing eyes meets his gaze. “ it appears the doctor was less than pleased with your efforts in the med room earlier. “ he’s watching for cassian’s expression, knowing the pilot would protest & come up with claims to back up his actions. unbeknownst to him, stacker was already on his side in terms of what happened, but he wouldn’t reveal that bit just yet. “ the way you behaved yourself in the face of imminent death was absolutely disgraceful. you assaulted a doctor & deliberately disobeyed their instructions, taking charge & giving orders when you yourself are not a medical professional. “ he pauses, eyes fleeting over to mako for a moment. if she were awake at this time, he’d have no doubt she already would be fighting every claim that left his lips. “ normally these charges would be enough to dismiss you from the program. but—— “ & the wall that separated the two figures would finally come crumbling down, stern countenance replaced with a warm & gracious smile —— a father’s gratefulness. “ if not for your quick actions, miss mori would not have made it alive. thank you, mister andor. rest assured, that ‘ doctor ‘ will no longer have a place to work in our program. i have already seen to it. “
A GENTLE HAND WOULD REST AGAINST the pilot’s shoulder, the closest he would ever get to physical affection with the other male. despite how grateful he was, he needed to maintain his professional persona, but that wouldn’t stop him from the next set of words that would utter his mouth —— the thoughts he had hidden deep inside, but given the situation, he felt it was the appropriate time to bring them to light. “ i’ve seen the way she looks at you, “ stacker begins slowly, unsure how the pilot would react to this. to him, an outside, it was so obvious what was transpiring between the two. but —— was he aware ? “ & i’ve seen the way you look at her. after everything that has happened in the last few hours, i don’t think i have ever heard of anyone going to such lengths to save the life of another jaeger pilot’s as you did with miss mori.
WARM SMILE —— A FATHER’S SMILE would crease across his skin, a shallow breath taken before he finally utters the words that would once frighten him to no end.
