Female Gaze (Mako/Raleigh)
It was a rule in most films that the women were the ones bearing the brunt of the sexual attention on camera. This wasn't something Raleigh had noticed until Tendo had pointed it out during one of their seemingly endless marathons. Raleigh had been named godfather to the newest addition to the Choi family and he liked spending time with the baby but wasn't sure how to approach it so Tendo was teaching him.
"I'm telling you man, Alison explained it to me and it's kinda gross. You almost never see men being exploited for money on camera. I guarantee that if a movie gets made about you and Mako that she'll look like some ridiculous inhuman sex kitten in crappy armor while you'll be buffer than you are now and more like Chuck in the personality department." Alison had majored in film studies before she discovered her calling as a part of the battle front and her bountiful knowledge had enhanced Tendo's viewing experiences. Tendo was rummaging through the fridge for a beer and Raleigh was holding a very small Marie Choi and watching her wave her chubby hands up at him with a grin.
"But that's ridiculous. Mako isn't like that at all! The women Yancy and I met in bars are much closer to that than Mako ever would be and Mako is way better. She's amazing and I don't care what the movie does to me so long as they get her right. " Raleigh harrumphed as he zoomed the baby around. Tendo looked up form the fridge and quirked an eyebrow at his friend.
"You can say that with such conviction and still insist that there's nothing going on between the two of you? Everyone at the dome sees it, the dog sees it, and i'm sure that Marie would too if she saw you two in the same room." He ambled back over the the couch with two cans of beer and enjoyed the vision of Raleigh blushing furiously for a moment before he could form a coherent sentence.
"No! There's nothing there. I mean I'd like there to be because she's amazing but I don't know man. I really like her but i'm not sure how she feels about me. She's been so busy lately that we hardly get the chance to talk." He looked dejected and Marie began giggling, kicking her little feet and clapping. She was a keen observer already and could see that her uncle was being silly. Tendo fought down the impulse to dope slap Raleigh and settled for shaking his head.
"Stacker raised her, of course she isn't going to profess her love with a musical number. She's too subtle for that. The clean up effort will be under way soon and her schedule will clear up. She likes you, I mean really likes you. You're charming, funny, disturbingly patient, and you have really impressive abs. What isn't there to like about you? I'm sure Mako could write a dissertation on why you're great. You of course would probably never know about it." Raleigh perked up at this and smiled. He recalled accidentally leaving his door open as he changed his first night at the shatterdome and catching Mako's stunned reaction from her doorway.
"I could always walk around shirtless and leave my door open. I've caught her staring at least once. But it was probably at the scars rather than my really impressive abs as you pointed out." Raleigh adjusted Marie in his arms and she nuzzled into his shoulder, making cooing noises. If things with Mako didn't pan out he could wait 18 years for Marie. She liked him just fine but he didn't think Tendo and Alison would appreciate him making a joke about it.
"It's worth a shot..."
Tendo would regret saying this a few weeks later when he knocked on Raleigh's door, fully expecting him to be alone only to hear the clang of two sets of shoes hitting the door and the creak of the old bunksprings being put under considerable strain. Mako had only put up with Raleigh's shirtlessness for so long before she decided to play him at his own game. Their neighbors all requested transfers to other rooms after three days.