Sorry for Ruining Your Life, You're Really Hot Tho
"Look at this place, Freddy! We're going to learn so much! We'll finally be able to study from actual kaiju bodies, not just books and science journals!" Honey exclaimed as they followed behind Marshal Callaghan.
"Yes, we're happy you chose to come work with us," the older man chuckled. "You two have done brilliant work back at university, and we're excited to see how you can advance our knowledge of the kaiju. It's always good to have a healthy thirst for knowledge like the two of you do. You've come up with some interesting theories. Particularly you, Mr. Whitaker." He glanced back to smile at Fred.
"Ahaha, yeah well, you gotta think outside of the box. Why limit yourself, you know?" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. He couldn't exactly explain how he came up with his "theories" now could he?
"Well we certainly value creative problem solving," Callaghan said. "Your office will be through here." He gestured down a hallway to their left.
"We don't have quite enough space to let you each have your own office, but there's plenty of space in there for you two to spread out. I heard you two prefer working together anyways though. Is that correct?"
"It sure is!" Fred beamed, throwing an arm around Honey and laughing boisterously.
"We love working together!" she chirped. Marshal Callaghan looked on in amusement before moving on.
"Glad to hear that. Over this way is where our jaeger techs do their magic," he said, leading them forward.
The hallway opened up into a massive hangar that housed all the jaegers available at the base. All around them were people hard at work, fixing jaegers, testing out new equipment, and transferring supplies. Jaegers towered over them, shining and intimidating. Fred swallowed. He hadn't seen one since he first showed up on the planet. Even then he'd been in his true form, unable to truly appreciate just how huge they were.
"Amazing," Honey breathed in awe at his side. She was staring wide eyed at a white and gold jaeger getting a fresh coat of paint to cover the areas where it had been worn away. Fred's eyes were drawn to a different one.
In a different hangar stood a bright gold jaeger that looked new and pristine. He knew it wasn't though because he'd seen it before- although back then it hadn't been as easy to see through the rain and the waves.
Amaterasu Bold. He'd looked up every jaeger he could to learn which one he'd faced. According to the official reports it had been out of commission since their fight. The jaeger itself had taken some heavy damage and the pilots... Supposedly they were alive, but not much was said about them.
"That's Amaterasu Bold isn't it? I thought it was out of commission," he turned to the Marshal in askance. The older man looked at him in mild surprise.
"Indeed it is. Done your research haven't you? It's true that Amaterasu has been out of commission since the Odokuro battle, but we've worked hard to get her back in shape. Truth be told, she could have returned back to the field almost two years ago, but unfortunately we haven't had anyone to pilot her. Well, the right people to pilot her is what I should say."
"What do you mean?" Honey asked. After the time they'd spent together she noticed Fred's interest in this particular jaeger and what had happened to it. He was kind of skittish about it though, so she figured she'd ask for him instead. Fred sent her a grateful look behind the Marshal's back.
"One of our pilots was hurt badly after the incident. He's spent a lot of time in rehabilitation to get back on his feet. His co-pilot was survived with surprisingly minor injuries, although the mental strain of piloting a jaeger on his own did a number on him for a little while. He would have been piloting the jaeger, but unfortunately he hasn't been able to drift with anyone besides his brother," Callaghan explained.
"And no one else has replaced them as the jaeger's pilots?" Fred asked surprised. It must have cost hundreds of millions of dollars to repair Amaterasu Bold, so he couldn't imagine the higher ups just letting it sit there to collect dust.
"We here at the shatterdome insisted that Hiro be the one to pilot the jaeger. It didn't seem right to take it away from him after all they've been through. We were hoping he'd find a new partner to drift with, but nothing's worked out." Honey and Fred both hummed in sympathy at the boy's plight.
"On the bright side, his brother has decided to return to piloting," Callaghan's voice broke through their thoughts. "Speak of the devil. Mr. Hamada!" he called to someone behind them.
"Hey, Marshal. How's it going?"
Fred turned around slowly to face the person approaching. Vaguely he could hear Callaghan talking, but he was only focused on one thing.
There, walking toward them was Tadashi Hamada. He wore neat but casual clothes- black pants, a dark green v-neck, and a brown cardigan rolled up to his elbows that matched his eyes. The left half of his body was littered with scars from the burns he'd suffered from.
He was single-handedly the most beautiful thing Fred had ever set eyes upon.
That might seem odd that a kaiju could find a human to be so breathtakingly attractive, but he supposed if you spent enough time living as one of them it made more sense. On the other hand, he'd never felt this way about any of the kaiju. Of course they had also been his siblings/ fellow clones. He decided not to think too hard about it.
Of course with the newfound attraction came an overwhelming swell of guilt. If it hadn't been for Fred, Tadashi wouldn't have been hurt so bad. Fred had probably ruined his life, and here he was ogling the poor guy.
He pushed his swirling feelings aside and forced a convincing smile on his face.
"Nice to meet you! The name's Fred," he greeted, extending a hand out to shake.
Tadashi took his hand and smiled back. Fred felt his knees go weak. "The pleasure's all mine. Tadashi Hamada, at your service."
"I'm Aiko Miyazaki," Honey greeted.
Fred leaned forward and put his hand up conspiratorially, "It's actually Honey Lemon. Don't let her fool you into thinking otherwise." He winked and reveled in the laugh he received.
"Freddy!" Honey giggled. "I guess I can't really argue with you about that. This guy here is the king of nick names," she said, poking him lightly in the side. He beamed at her in response.
"You know it," he said, holding up a fist so she could bump it.
"It's nice to meet you two. I hear you're our new kaiju researchers," Tadashi grinned.
"That's right. Mr. Whitaker and Miss Miyazaki here came highly recommended. I think they'll do great things here," Callaghan said with an approving nod. Fred and Honey shared a look of pride at the compliment.
"TADASHIIIIII!" a yell resounded across the hangar.
The jaeger pilot sighed. "Never a moment of peace," he mumbled. Fred and Honey peered behind him at the figure running to them.
Hiro Hamada came to a screeching stop beside his brother and crossed his arms. "You were supposed to let me know when you got here, you asshole," he said although there was no bite in his voice.
"Yes, Hiro. I know. I've only been here for a little bit. I was going to come find you," Tadashi smirked, reaching a hand out to ruffle his brother's hair.
Hiro batted the hand away and frowned. "Hey! Cut that out- I'm taller than you now, so you shouldn't be able to do that anymore," he pouted.
"You may be taller, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm older. I may not be able to throw you over my shoulders anymore, but I can still do this!" he exclaimed before throwing his arms out to muss up his brother's hair some more. Hiro shrieked and tried to duck away, the two of them laughing all the while.
Fred watched the scene and smiled. Maybe he hadn't completely ruined the other's life after all.