"haunted houses"

[chasmas]

title: haunted houses
rating: g
fandom: pacific rim
summary: oblivion bay is to the children unfortunate enough to grow up on the coastline what the old man's rickety old house is to those on the atlantic.

Oblivion Bay is to the children unfortunate enough to grow up on the coastline what the old man's rickety old house is to those on the Atlantic. It's the place they dare each other to go so they can look up in awe and horror at the demolished Jaegers. They used to be heroes, once upon a time. Sometimes kids still name them with glee in their faces when they can make out a familiar shape in the wreckage.

"Oh my god! Jimmy!"

Little Jimmy Talbot is eleven years old and tonight, his brother has taken him to the Bay. It's an initiation ritual of sorts. He's going to be in middle school in a few months, and this marks him as one of the cool kids. Even if it is kind of scary. Especially when his brother Cooper yells like that.

But once Jimmy runs over and sees just why Cooper's hollering for him, he gasps. "Gipsy Danger."

His favorite Jaeger. It's only been a few months now since Yancy Becket was killed off the coast of Anchorage and the remains of Gipsy were carted to the Bay. Jimmy was heartbroken when he saw it on the news. Yancy and Raleigh were his larger than life heroes. He had been telling everyone he knew for years that he was going to be just like them when he grew up. And now he's standing in front of the surprisingly whole wreckage of his childhood dreams, shining a flashlight on her remaining arm.

"Woah..."

Just as he says that, she lets out a loud creak. Jimmy's heart leaps up into his throat. The beam of his flashlight jumps down to the Jaeger's fingers that are somehow twitching and spasming with loud noises. From behind him, Jimmy hears his brother whimper and back up a few steps. "Why's it doing that?" Cooper whispers.

Now that he's seeing what's creaking, Jimmy's not so scared. "I bet he's dreaming."

"What?" Cooper sounds confused. "Who?"

"Raleigh Becket," Jimmy says. "'Cause all the old Jaeger techs say that sometimes, when pilots dream about their Jaegers they start moving even though nothin's hooked up or anything. So I bet he's dreaming about her."

The fingers give one last twitch, and then they still. After a long moment of silence, Cooper grabs Jimmy's arm in a tight grip. "Come on, let's go home. This place gives me the creeps."

Like the dutiful little brother he is, Jimmy turns and follows Cooper towards home. But not before shooting Gipsy Danger one last glance and thinking, I hope your pilot's okay. I liked him. And if Gipsy gives one last, quiet creak, well. He doesn't really need to tell anyone about that, does he?