The Park, Thursday Afternoon

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

Chuck had received an email from the Jaeger Academy late last night, informing him that his trial was up and he was invited back to the program. He'd known it was coming - they could only posture and complain for so long before realizing he was too bloody good to keep out of the program.

So after today's walk, he'd be packin' up and leaving the island. Finally.

"How d'you feel about that, Max?" he asked the puppy, who bounced merrily across the grass. "We're going home, mate."

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[jaegerbombdad]

Herc had his own Max to walk, so he was also in the park, telling the dog, "Don't wander off too far, now," when he saw alive young Chuck. Always awkward. Here, Chuck, have a manly nod and a, "Afternoon."

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

Ugh, the old man - an unpleasant reminder that he was going to be back and dealing with his own old man soon enough. "Afternoon, old man," Chuck echoed boredly, as his Max sprinted forward to sniff other-Max.

[jaegerbombdad]

Ah, yes, this father-son relationship was exactly as functional as it had ever been. "You doin' all right?" Herc asked.

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Goin' home real soon," Chuck said casually. "So yeah, I'd say I'm doin' all right."

[jaegerbombdad]

"Oh," Herc said, trying and failing to process how he felt about that, and extra trying not to give away his emotional conflict. "Oh, that's...good." He tried to do mental math and came up with, "I imagine Striker'll be ready soon."

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Soon enough, from what I've been hearing," Chuck agreed. "Might even be done with training by then, if all goes well."

[jaegerbombdad]

Herc nodded, considering this. Then he told Chuck the only thing he could, all things considered: "Give 'em hell."

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"I will," Chuck said.

Then there was a silence. A thoroughly weird silence. This was... more awkward than he'd anticipated.

"...Same to you and those students of yours, poor bastards."

[jaegerbombdad]

Herc didn't volunteer that he wasn't going to be teaching for a bit, because he suspected Chuck wouldn't have cared. He knew his kid. "Ah, you'll be great," he said, because he knew Chuck would be, even if that came with knowing how it ended. "Say hi to your old man for me."

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," Chuck said with a snort. "I come in telling everyone there's an older version of the old man wandering around this island, they ship me right back here. No thanks."

[jaegerbombdad]

Herc shrugged at that. "Tell him, don't tell him, it'll all come out in the Drift, anyway," he said, philosophical about it in the way of a man who was maybe a little too good at hanging out in other people's heads.

God, this was impossible. There were things he'd never said, things he'd never get to say, and he knew his boy knew, but he still wished he'd said them. And this was Chuck but he wasn't his Chuck. He wasn't ready to hear any of that. Never the time, never the place.

Herc suspected he was giving Chuck kind of a weird look. He shook his head to clear it, and finally went with, "You take care of yourself. And that pup of yours."

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this had gotten even more uncomfortable quick. Chuck actually found himself shuffling his feet a little under that gaze, though he tried to cover it up with a fairly heavy case of what the hell-face.

"Right," he said. "Don't look at me like that again."

Because he could control that or something.

[jaegerbombdad]

"Well, you're leaving, so, shouldn't be a problem," Herc said easily.

"I should be going," Herc said, looking for the out, because: Hansen man. Don't make him say goodbye, Chuck. That would be cruel. "Come on, Maxie." The dog looked over at him, disappointment at being asked to leave Little Dad and Little Him all over his doggy face.

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, whatever," Chuck muttered, picking tiny Max up because it was the only way he was going to get the dog to stick around.

This had reached the level of emotionally uncomfortable where Chuck had to flee the scene immediately, so he began to stalk away from Herc.

[jaegerbombdad]

Ah, yes, his kid stalking off in a huff. This was more familiar territory. Good to know Herc still had it. Herc was just going to stand here and watch him go like the sad old man he was, before looking down at Max. Max sort of whuffed at him, and Herc knelt down to rub his head. "I know, boy. I know."