Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Maddie grinned as she chased her brother through the halls. “Andrew, slow down! Aunt Ling said we had plenty of time!” 

“Yeah, but I refuse to get stuck behind an adult!” he called back. 

Finally catching up, she smacked his back. “You’re as tall as most of the adults around here, doofus.” 

“Mm, but you’re not!”

Maddie drew up to a halt, having seen what her brother didn’t. She laughed at him as he tripped over himself to avoid running Aunt Ilene over. She stood in the doorway she’d just emerged from, looking rather unimpressed. 

“Hey, Aunt Ilene. Almost didn’t see you there,” he panted. Maddie elbowed him as she came up beside him.  

“I noticed,” she said dryly, though Maddie could tell she was trying not to smile. 

“So?” Maddie bounced up on her toes, too excited to stand still. “She’s hatching today, right? For sure?” 

“No false alarm this time,” Aunt Ilene promised as she turned to lead them down the short corridor to the observation room outside Mothra’s egg chamber. 

“—to simply stand back and observe,” Aunt Ling was just finishing saying to the group of personnel when they arrived. 

Maddie went and tucked herself beneath her adoptive aunt’s arm, leaving Andrew to pester Aunt Ilene about the next time they could visit civilization. 

Aunt Ling smiled down at her and asked, “And why is that, Maddie?” 

“Because we’re guests,” she answered. “And it’d be really rude if we tried to interfere in her process.” 

“Exactly. Thank you.” She dropped a kiss on top of Maddie’s head before steering her to the window to join Andrew and Aunt Ilene. Everyone else returned to their tasks. 

She nudged her brother in excitement. “Can you believe we get to watch this?” she whispered up to him.

“Sometimes it still feels like a dream,” he said, shaking his head. “I wish Mom and Dad were here to see this.” His hand brushed her wrist, and Maddie unhesitatingly took it in her own.

Their fingers interlocked. It was a feeling they often sought out for comfort, mostly because of memory association. They’d survived San Francisco like this, holding tight to each other as they ran. Even though Andrew remembered the whole thing better than her, she could still picture with horrible clarity the smoke and darkness and fires. And in the midst of it all, her brother, refusing to let her go. 

Mothra’s egg started to pulse and wiggle, and Maddie cast aside all thoughts of the past. 

• • • 

“Vivienne called dibs on you two for the next few weeks,” Aunt Ling told them at breakfast three days later. “She’ll be stationed at Castle Bravo for most of that time—”

“Yes!” Maddie and Andrew said together, sharing an excited grin. 

Aunt Ilene shook her head as Aunt Ling continued, “So pack accordingly.” 

“What about you guys?” Maddie asked as her pig of a brother stuffed nearly half a pancake into his mouth. 

“I’ll be remaining here,” Aunt Ilene answered, “to finish organizing our notes, and to see when Mothra leaves, and whether she returns. It will be interesting to find out if the temple is merely a birthplace, or a home.” 

“And I will be with my normal family,” Aunt Ling said. It was a joke between them, started accidentally by a much younger Maddie, that Aunt Ling had a normal family and a Monarch family, since those descriptors were apparently opposites of each other. “I believe I was promised a vacation.” 

“She means a vacation from us,” Andrew whispered loudly to Maddie. 

Aunt Ilene rolled her eyes as her sister swatted at him. “There will be an Osprey here tomorrow morning,” she said, mostly to Maddie, “so make sure you say your goodbyes today.” 

Andrew ended up getting suckered into moving some old equipment, so Maddie went on without him. She bid farewell to the people she usually hung around with, and found someone to water the plants she kept in one of labs. With the humans taken care of by the time lunch was over, Maddie slipped outside and ran down the path to the nearby cliff face where Mothra had gone into her cocoon. 

She waved at the group monitoring Mothra before climbing the rocks to get closer. Seeing her up close after hatching had been absolutely amazing, and Maddie was even more excited to see her with wings. Given that they expected her to take off after emerging from the cocoon, there was no telling when that would be. 

Maddie said her goodbyes from the tall rock she sat on, wishing Mothra well and promising to be back at this base in a month if she felt like stopping by. 

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly as she and Andrew made sure everything they definitely couldn’t live without was packed and ready to go. The Osprey touched down the next morning and they were off.

• • • 

Such was life for a pair of orphans who, lacking any living blood relatives, had been taken in by a small army of family friends. Maddie could still remember sitting on an uncomfortable chair in some hospital or another, mute with shock and covered in ash and sticky with blood. Andrew hadn’t been much better off, but for both their sakes, he managed to answer the questions they were asked. 

The same questions, over and over and over. The same answers, and Maddie had watched her brother’s shoulders sag more and more with each repetition. 

Yes, our parents were with us. Yes, we got separated. No, we don’t know where they are. No, we don’t have any other family. Seven and twelve. Seven and twelve. Seven and twelve. 

The nurses had whispered sadly to each other after bandaging their cuts. They hadn’t whispered very quietly. 

They spent three days in that hospital, sleeping on couches and the occasional spare bed. A new face brought them food for each meal. They waited, all of them, in hopes of hearing about a Mark or Emma Russell found in the wreckage. 

(They were. Found, that is, eventually. Long dead. Neither she nor Andrew were allowed to see their bodies.) 

It was on that third day, when Andrew was just about ready to join his sister in dead-eyed muteness, that they’d heard their names being frantically called from across the large waiting room they’d been sitting in for hours. They hadn’t touched the toys or picture books.

Vivienne Graham had been the one to spot them first, but as fast as she was in getting to them, it was Dr. Serizawa who beat her. They’d both been close family friends for years—for Maddie’s entire life, and for a lot of what Andrew could remember. Still, Maddie was surprised by the ferocity of Dr. Serizawa’s hug when he pulled them both against him. 

Aunt Viv had been but a few steps behind, and it was as two familiar, much-loved adults held them for the first time since tragedy had begun to slip into their lives, that both children cracked. Andrew began to shake as he cried, finally, and Maddie’s voice was rough with disuse and lingering ash when she quietly pleaded, “I want to go home.” 

They took them home. Deprived of their birth parents as they were, neither could claim a lack of love in the years that followed. Aunt Viv had been the first to step up, and any barriers between her and legal adoption had quickly fallen. Shortly after, Aunt Ilene and Aunt Ling had demanded they be added as guardians. 

Dr. Serizawa, fondly referred to simply as Doc by both Andrew and Maddie, had just sort of appeared on the list. No one was sure when. 

And they were all only the official ones. Though no one ever took the place of Mom and Dad, the two of them had no shortage of honorary aunts and uncles.

There was a lot of travel, going back and forth between different bases and civilian homes, but their family was Monarch-made, and for Maddie at least, it helped her grieve and recover. Trying to play house with anyone, well-meaning or not, would only have further reminded her of what they had lost. 

• • • 

“Doc!” Maddie cried before bursting into a run. She managed to avoid crashing into anyone between her and him, and only careful practice with putting on the breaks last second kept her from bowling him over. 

He laughed as he always did when she greeted him like this, and knowing how stressful the past few days of important meetings had probably been, she was glad to provide even temporary relief. 

Andrew wasn’t far behind her, and because he had the audacity to be tall, he squished her between the two of them when he hugged Dr. Serizawa. “Hey, Doc. How are things with the monsters?” 

He stepped back, releasing Maddie in the process. She elbowed his stomach. “Andrew,” she said in a falsely chiding tone, “it’s not nice to call politicians names like that.” 

They snickered at each other as Dr. Serizawa chuckled fondly and shook his head. 

“The meetings go better with each session,” he told them, placing one hand on Maddie’s nearest shoulder and the other on one of Andrew’s. “Thank you both for your help.” 

Andrew bashfully rubbed the back of his neck and Maddie shrugged. “We don’t do much, Doc,” she said. “But we’re glad to help however we can.” 

“Yeah, don’t go getting all mushy on us,” Andrew added. “Family helps family, y’know?” 

“I do know,” Dr. Serizawa said. “You two remind me of that every day.” He made the effort to hold each of their gazes, entirely serious and needing them to know that. Maddie was used to it, and knew Andrew was too. Doc was good at conveying the unspoken. 

He dropped his hands and looked over to the side. “Now then, how does lunch sound? You can tell Dr. Stanton and I all about Mothra’s hatching.” 

• • • 

It wasn’t until some time later that Maddie returned to her favorite room in Castle Bravo: her bedroom. It hadn’t always been—she used to have the room right next to Andrew’s on the civilian residence floor—but she’d been moved to this one over a year ago now. 

It was on a lower level than the rest of the bedrooms, and had used to be a seldom-used lounge area, one of the few without a kitchenette, which was probably why it was rarely occupied. No one had been inconvenienced by the switch, at least. 

There was exactly one thing in this room that made it better than her last one, and that was the giant window taking up almost an entire wall. It left the space chillier than any of the proper bedrooms, but it was nothing an extra blanket or two couldn’t fix. The view out into the ocean more than made up for any possible inconvenience. 

Armed with a blanket and a pack of cards, Maddie plopped down on the floor cushion she never bothered moving away from the window. Outside, the endless dark of the ocean stretched, with the water around the glass lit up by the lights positioned around it. 

Letting a slight smile take up residence on her face, Maddie absently shuffled the deck of cards as she thought about her day. It was always great to come back here, to Castle Bravo. Though she loved Mothra’s temple, it hadn’t been home long enough to compete with this outpost. Any other place in between felt like nothing more than a pitstop. 

She was just wondering how much longer it would be until Mothra left her cocoon when there was movement outside. 

Maddie dropped her hands into her lap, her legs criss-crossed, and looked up. Mere feet in front of her was the King of Titans himself, Godzilla. He lightly tapped the glass with the end of his snout, as he always did. Smiling in welcome, Maddie reached out to fist-bump the window, as she always did. 

“Okay,” she said, because with a Titan there was no need for small talk. “I’ve been practicing this one, and I swear I’ve got it. Growl when you want me to stop.” 

Making sure Godzilla could see what she was doing, Maddie shuffled the deck of cards. Once she was sure she’d proved the randomness of the cards’ order, she tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling. 

One at a time, she thumbed through the cards until Godzilla growled. Taking the card she’d landed on, she picked it up with one hand and used the other to cover her eyes. Making sure the suit was facing out, she pressed it against the window and told him, “Remember this one, ’cause I’m gonna find it again without seeing what it is.”

She made sure to hold it there until she heard a huff. 

Continuing to keep her gaze averted, Maddie returned the card to its original place. She finally looked down and made the magic happen. Countless practice attempts with Andrew would finally pay off tonight. Godzilla waited patiently.

“Is this your card?” Maddie asked, slapping the end product up to the window. 

Godzilla tossed his head back and roared, sending a cascade of bubbles rushing upward. His spines flickered as he wiggled his body. A four-hundred-foot-tall Titan who could convert radiation into laser breath, and he was unfailing impressed by sleight-of-hand magic tricks. 

Maddie laughed as the current his movements caused made her room tremble lightly. This was their ritual of sorts, always performed on the first night of her return. She had no idea how he always knew just when to show up, but he hadn’t missed a day since the first time he saw her do a trick for Andrew near the window in the hub. 

She’d switched bedrooms on that same visit, and her first night back was spent just like this one, with her sitting on the floor, showing off the new cheesy magic trick she’d learned.

After setting the cards aside, Maddie gave him an update on Mothra and talked until she was yawning every other minute. At that point, Godzilla jerked his chin in the direction of her bed. She rolled her eyes as she stood up, with a snarky “Yes, dad,” thrown in between yawns, and bid him goodnight. 

• • • 

Andrew burst into her bedroom the next morning with a tray full of breakfast food. Since this was as normal as Godzilla’s visits, Maddie had made sure she’d be awake before he arrived. 

They ate on her bed and didn’t bother with the don’t talk with your mouth full rule. They were just finishing up when the base shook lightly, and a moment later, Godzilla zipped by outside. He circled back around, easily seen with the way his spines were glowing, and this time, swam by more slowly. 

Maddie scooted to the edge of her bed and had only just stood up when he rumbled loudly and twisted to head for the surface. She looked back at her bewildered brother, and when Godzilla didn’t return, the two of them left the room. 

Both still in their pajamas, they ran into Rick near the hub, and he waved them upwards with a wide grin. 

“The hell is going on?” Andrew muttered as they entered the elevator that went all the way up to the top deck. 

The answer was self-evident the moment the doors slid open. For a second, Maddie thought she was staring into the sun, but then the light dimmed and the shape at the center of the blinding brightness resolved into Mothra. 

“You’re here!” she cried, rushing out of the elevator. “And, holy—your wings!” 

Mothra’s wings were beautiful, and still glowing, and Maddie was only interrupted from staring up at them in awe by a huge spray of water that shot up beside Castle Bravo. She left Andrew to run over to the railing. Down below, Godzilla tossed his head and roared. He twisted sharply, in a very particular way, and she watched his tail raise and slap down before she could even think to retreat. 

She yelped as the cold water rained down on her. Godzilla rumbled loudly, laughing, as Andrew joined her with a snicker of his own. 

“Hm,” he said, holding his hand out, palm up. “The forecast didn’t mention anything about rain today.” 

“I will push you over the railing.” 

“Maybe we should’ve brought an umbrella.” 

Maddie bent down and wrapped her arms around her brother’s knees. He shrieked, tightly gripping the railing, as she started to stand up. Godzilla huffed and slapped his tail again, getting the both of them wet.

She only released him when Andrew called, “Mercy, mercy!” And then she ran before he could return the favor. At first, she didn’t have a plan on where to go to defend herself, but then she spotted Mothra dipping below the edge of the base with a trill, and, well…

Beating Andrew to the other side of the platform with time to spare, Maddie climbed over the railing and jumped. 

She was disoriented for a second after landing, but it passed quickly, allowing her to sit up and turn around. Mothra had gained a little bit of altitude while she’d been distracted, so she was left with a lovely view of her brother standing on Castle Bravo below her. 

After having a good laugh about it—and having extracted a promise that he wouldn’t shove her off—Maddie didn’t protest when Mothra swooped back down to collect Andrew. Once they were both secure atop her, she began a slow glide over the ocean, Godzilla trailing along right below her. 

It took a few minutes before something occurred to Maddie. She laughed, turned to Andrew, and said, “We probably should’ve told someone we were leaving.” 

Realization crossed his face. “Ah. Uh, they’ll… figure it out?”

“Oh, for sure,” Maddie agreed, leaning back on her hands. “Doesn’t mean there won’t be a bit of panic first.” 

“What if,” Andrew said slowly, “we argue that we’re allowed to leave the base with our guardians.” He tilted his head at her meaningfully. 

Maddie nodded. “You have a point. Aunt Ilene doesn’t have to tell Aunt Ling that she’s taking us somewhere, after all. Why would this be any different?” 

“No difference at all.” 

“We were following the rules.” 

“Exactly. We’re obedient little angels.” 

They caught each others’ eyes and immediately lost it. When their giggles finally petered out, the two of them slumped against one another, they found Mothra had landed. Not on actual land, naturally, but on Godzilla’s chest, as he was floating on his back. 

Maddie scooted closer to the edge of Mothra’s body, away from her wings. With the way she was settled, they weren’t too high above the water anymore. 

“We’re in our pajamas, Maddie,” Andrew half-heartedly protested, because of course he saw her intentions as clearly as if she had them written across her forehead. 

“Yeah, and?” 

“And nothing, that was my only argument.” 

She grinned. “Glad we’re on the same page, then.” Popping up to her feet, Maddie took the last step or two and leapt off Mothra’s back, managing a decent flip before splashing into the ocean. 

• • • 

After over an hour of swimming and jumping off various Titan limbs, Maddie and Andrew had finally flopped down, exhausted. Any lingering chill was chased away within moments of them sprawling across Godzilla’s scales. Mothra hadn’t moved from her original perch, which put them close enough for her to lean down and nuzzle. 

Maddie was on the verge of giving up on trying to stay awake when Andrew snorted suddenly. 

“What?” she asked. 

“Nothing, just—do you think we could convince our small army of aunts and uncles to include these two in the ‘who’s got the kids this week’ rotation?” 

She laughed a little, just imagining that conversation, and lifted her head up to peer over at Godzilla, who gazed back at her. She was no expert, but she’d say he looked pretty happy. “How about it, big guy? Feel like applying for partial guardianship?” 

“It’d have to be a team effort,” Andrew added, waving up at Mothra, who chirped in response. 

Godzilla, by all accounts, appeared to consider it for a second before letting his head drop back into the water. And then his chest rumbled and grew warmer beneath the siblings, and a bright beam of blue light shot into the sky. It held for a few seconds, its hum crackling around them. 

After he swallowed his atomic breath back down, he capped it off with a relatively soft roar.

“Sounds like a yes to me,” Andrew said, grinning widely. 

Mothra, not about to be outdone, raised her wings to show off the eyespots on the ends and proceeded to upstage the sun with the sheer amount of light she emitted. 

“How ’bout that,” Maddie said once she finished with a trill. She knew she smiling uncontrollably. “Two for two. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a new pair of guardians.”