#Cade Writes for Fallout

[agent-barnes40]

Characters yall can request for

Doctor Who

The Eleventh Doctor

The Twelfth Doctor

The Thirteenth Doctor

The Fourteenth Doctor

The Fifteenth Doctor

Missy

Dhawan!Master

Clara Oswald

Yasmin Khan

Ruby Sunday

Ryan Sinclair

Graham O’Brien

Doctor Who AU

Whittaker!Master

Dhawan!Doctor

Gomez!Doctor

Capaldi!Master

FNAF Movie

Steve Raglan/ William Afton

Mike Schmidt

Vanessa Shelly/ Vanessa Afton

FNAF Games

Glamrock Freddy

Roxanne Wolf

Glamrock Chica

Montgomery Gator

Fallout

Lucy MacLean

The Ghoul/ Cooper Howard

[thewookieruns]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Male Sole Survivor (Fallout 4), Captain Erich Richardson, Knight-Captain Cade (Fallout), Preston Garvey Additional Tags: Major Character Injury Series: Part 1 of Falloutober 2023

Hey look, I’m still alive. Trying to get somethings written again, find that spark again. @falloutober 2023 seemed like a good way to do that.

Day 1: War Never Changes

[irradiatedrosegarden]

No Reason (Danse/Flynn)

first time posting writing on here eeeeee I hope this goes well :D

Also posted on AO3 here!

CW: Alcohol, drinking, blood and mild head injury, minimal swearing (one to be exact), very vague reference to something sexual

also disclaimer: I don't drink and don't want to and therefore have no knowledge whatsoever on how to write alcohol. so if this reads strangely, I'm gonna say that's why lol

***

Danse had never been the type of person to enjoy drinking. He prided himself on being reliable, the sober one among his peers, ready to obey any order from the Elder. He wasn't against drinking, of course. He knew how to take a shot, knew how to let loose if he wanted to. That's what he always told everyone. He just didn't want to.

Something about Flynn made him forget all of that. Within twenty minutes of drinking with her, Danse was well on his way to being drunker than he'd ever let himself get. Something about her voice, her lopsided smile, the way she drummed her fingers on the bar when the radio stalled, humming along to the crackle of the static. Her very presence was intoxicating; Danse barely needed the alcohol. But she insisted. And Danse was more than happy to oblige.

The bitter alcohol filled Danse's mouth, shot after shot, chased by the sweet, unidentified fruit juice Flynn had supplied from her own bag. It made Danse's mouth tingle, but after the first few shots he stopped caring. The alcohol made his skin feel warm, his cheeks flushing red-hot each time Flynn's movements brought her closer to him. It was the alcohol—definitely the alcohol.

The music was loud and jolly and Flynn was laughing at another knight's joke and then Danse blinked and she was looking right at him and he couldn't suppress the unmistakable warmth in his gut. He'd never felt this way before.

It was the alcohol. It had to be the alcohol.

He couldn't stop staring at her hair. He'd never noticed it before, never paid much attention to the way her bangs fell just above her eyes, now plastered to her forehead with sweat. Danse was sweating too; who knew relaxing could end up being such a workout?

With every turn of Flynn's head, nodding along to the music, her auburn waves jostled, overwhelmingly fluffy. Danse's fingers twitched, growing more desperate with each passing second to run over her scalp, feel her hair for himself. It had to be soft—soft as it looked, if not more. And warm. Everything about Flynn was warm.

She downed another shot easily, leaning towards Danse again, and he couldn't help but inhale deeply through his nose, the scent of Flynn filling his lungs. Sour sweat and power armor grease, mixed with the unmistakable odor of jet and . . . something sweet. Flowers? Some sort of perfume? Danse caught himself leaning closer, trying to get another whiff, before stopping himself. His cheeks grew hot with shame, though considering how drunk everyone in the mess hall had been steadily getting, he doubted anyone noticed.

Still, he gripped his glass a little tighter, his hands now aching to do something.

Something. . . huh. He knew perfectly well what that "something" was, but he held back. It was the alcohol. Just the alcohol.

But Flynn threw back her head again, bracing her arms against the bar and laughing. Her hair fluttered in her eyes, her freckled cheeks shimmering with a sheen of sweat, almost glowing with how pink her face had gotten. Her lips puckered for a second as her laugh died down, hanging open ever so slightly. Danse couldn't help but stare, couldn't stop his mind from wandering, wondering how it would feel to have her lips against his.

He swallowed hard, letting go of his glass and sliding his hand over the bar, his heart pounding in his ears as he reached towards Flynn. She was chuckling to herself, not paying any attention to Danse until his fingers brushed against her hand. Her head whipped around, wild hazel eyes meeting Danse's and immediately softening, staring so intensely Danse worried for a second she could read his mind.

He couldn't imagine what she would think of the thoughts racing through his head. He pulled back his hand quickly, cheeks still certainly red. Flynn kept staring. He stared back, watching almost in slow motion as Flynn dropped down from the barstool she'd been sitting on, her foot slipping out from under her on her way down. Playing out like a movie, her legs buckled beneath her as she fell, her head smashing into the bar so hard everyone in the mess hall could hear the crunch.

The talking, laughing, drinking, dancing—all of it—stopped the second Flynn hit the ground. Time picked up its usual pace. Danse was the first one out of his seat, rushing to her side immediately, his heart pounding faster than before as he attempted to survey the damage.

"Flynn," he said, the urgency doing next to nothing to erase the slurring from his words. "Flynn, holy fuck . . ." As gently as he was able, he helped Flynn sit up as much as she could while everyone else watched, clearly anxious. Quiet voices all around rose louder, sharp inhales echoing through the room as Flynn sat up, revealing the extent of her injury.

The entire left side of her face was already dripping with blood, a bright, ugly mark already forming on her brow, where the majority of the bar's impact had hit. Her left eye was squeezed shut—a smart move, whether it was intentional or not, considering the amount of blood—and her right one seemed almost blank. She swayed in Danse's grip, her hands hanging by her side, the shock from her fall seemingly rendering her helpless.

"Wha . . ." she murmured, unable to form a coherent sentence. Her right eye blinked.

"Let's get you to Cade," Danse muttered hurriedly, still unable to shake the alcohol fogging his brain as he helped Flynn to her feet—with the help of several of the other soldiers. Carefully, they half-carried Flynn down the metal hall to the clinic, the voices behind them immediately starting back up almost as if nothing had happened.

Knight-Captain Cade jumped up from his terminal the second the blood-smeared troops walked through his doorway. Pulling on a pair of sterile gloves, he beckoned towards one of the examination beds. Danse and the other soldiers laid Flynn down on it, Danse staying by her side while the others backed up toward the doorway, disappearing after only a moment. Cade appeared with a cloth which he immediately pressed to Flynn's brow, holding it firmly to the broken skin.

"Prop her up a bit, will you?" he asked Danse, holding the cloth steady while Danse gently pulled Flynn higher up on the bed, sitting her more upright and raising her head. Cade held her head in his hands, holding the cloth to her wound for several minutes. Danse stood on her other side, watching Flynn and fighting the temptation to hold her hand.

She was looking at him with a fuzzy gaze, her right eye flicking slowly over the room, glancing away every so often but always landing back on Danse. He'd never held her hand before. It would be weird to do it when she wasn't fully conscious. Wouldn't it?

Cade seemed to catch on to Danse, staring at Flynn.

"I trust she had something to do with all this?" He wasn't talking about the injury—at least, not exclusively.

Danse looked up, blinking at the Knight for a second before comprehending the question. "Uh—yes, Sir. We all had a bit too much to drink and she tripped on her chair." Danse looked back down at Flynn. She had closed her eyes.

Cade nodded slowly, still pressing the cloth firmly. "She'll be just fine. This should be healed within a few days." He chuckled softly. "The new recruits always seem to have an incident like this. Might as well include it in their orientation."

Danse smiled politely. He still couldn't take his eyes off of Flynn's hand, laying limply by her side. Her palm was up, looking unbelievably soft and uncalloused. Danse had never wanted to touch someone else's skin so bad.

Minutes passed. Cade pulled the bloodied cloth away from Flynn's face, nodding to himself and turning away for a second. Flynn's left eye was still shut tight. She winced, and that was all it took.

Cade wasn't looking—but even if he was, the chance of him caring was slim. Danse reached out and took Flynn's hand, cupping it in his own and finally feeling just how soft it was. Her skin was smooth—certainly far smoother than any of Danse's own skin—and so warm. Her hand was small in his and he held it tight, almost irritated with how hard his heart was pounding. It was just Flynn, just her hand held in his. No one had even noticed. She hadn't even opened her eyes. It didn't mean anything that it felt like a puzzle piece had finally slipped into place.

Danse was just drunk. There was no reason other than that for his racing heart and cheeks still flushed red.

He was just drunk, it was just the alcohol, he was fine. He didn't have time to fall in love. It was the alcohol.

It had to be the alcohol.

***

[anxietymuffin]

Tales from the Wasteland: Chicken Soup for the War Veterans Soul

[satanwritesfanfiction]

Paladin Danse x f!reader || Under you || SMUT

Title: Under you

Rating: explicit, smut

Category: f/m

Fandom: Fallout 4

Relationship: reader x Danse (can be read as ss x Danse)

Characters: Danse, reader

Tags/ triggers: smut, pwp, power dynamics in a sense that he outranks her in bos and that's used as a flimsy thread for pwp??, desk time, p in v, doggy, threat of being caught, injury that's basically forgotten halfway through, argument, ooc

Wordcount: 2800

a/n: the first fanfic for fallout and first time writing in a while so its has its issues but we ignore that for the serotonins my boiiii Danse gives me

***

Opening the door to Danse's quaters onboard the Prydwen, you were greeted with his back towards you, broad shoulders covered by his BOS uniform. It wasn't every day you were faced with the realities of him outside of his armour.

However, you didn't look forward to this conversation given how he had left you at Knight-Captain Cade To get stitched up. His disappointment wasn't without merit, you had disregarded that order but with good reason, the civilians were the priority to you, not your own sensibilities of survival or self preservation.

You cleared your throat as you moved your hands to hook at your back. "Danse."You closed your eyes briefly and took a breath. "..Paladin Danse." You stated, keeping the clench of your teeth out of your voice as best you could ad you took the formal route.

He turned to regard you, eyes raking over you in a way that made you feel small before he took a breath.

"Did Knight-Captain Cade clear you?" He inquired, voice void of emotion as the remnants of the battle still courses through him, the images of your body bruised and bloody, the results still shining on the arch of your brow prominently. It's been a few hours and he's kept busy but it lingers on him, haunts him in a way he hadn't anticipated.

"Yes." You stated. "Well after few days rest, its honestly not even that bad Danse." You pulled against your shirt to reveal the stitched wound on your stomach, slight redness to the skin but nothing that would cause any worry. "Few days and I'll be back to kicking ass like I never even left."

Danse stood frozen for a moment, hands tightening ever so slightly at the clipboard he was holding at the sight of the exposed skin, knowing he shouldn't feel this way and much less when it was such an innocent gesture on your part when all you wanted to do was set his mind at ease. But the problem was that he had imagined it, had imagined his hands curled around that very skin, indenstations on your hips, on the smooth skin.

He knew his duties and what should take precedence but thoughts sometimes got a bit jumbled around you, feeling something growing in his chest, movement within in a way he couldn't decipher, anger at your actions and fear at your failures which he could argue was because of his role as your sponsor but he knew there was more to it and he should probably create some distance... but at the same time he had been elated when you asked him to accompany you on your outtings.

"That's.. uh that's good. "he stated, averting his eyes for a moment to think as he cleared his throat. "We still need to discuss your performance on the battlefield today, (Y/n).“ he took on the professional demeanor as he placed the clipboard on a nearby surface.

"I understand." You stated as you moved a few paces in his direction.

"You failed to follow a direct order." He stated. "You know what I told you when I chose to sponsor you. You are my responsibility and I can't have you-" he sighed and ran his hand over his face as he boiled at the thought. "You have a duty to this team."

It was definitely not an opportune moment as you watched him chastise you to feel the warmth in your body, the firmness in his stance, the power as he spoke. The brief flashes of when he carried your body to safety. Your attraction to the man was your own issue to deal with but it always creeps up when you need it the least.

You had imagined it was the lack of action that had you so wanton for the man but after a few nights with your hand between your legs with his name on your tongue and even a few drunken nights in goodneighbour, you had come to the conclusion that there had to be a little more to it than that but even so, the knowledge didn't stop the way you felt weak with his attention solely on you, it didn't stop your gaze from lingering or the butterflies in your stomach as his voice carried within the room.

You swallowed. "There were civilians, Danse. I could not let them be another casualty of war."

"You shouldn't have disobeyed." He stated firmly, brows furrowed as his voice raised slightly. "We would've-"

"They would've died." You interrupted. "You can't expect me to watch that happen when we could-"

He was always softer when it came to you, he knew that, he would wager that you knew it as well. He dismissed and even ignored many actions that might've seemed harsh in anothers eyes but nothing quite like the action he would commit when his lips met yours, a quick action that his mind couldn't quite compute but at the same time he felt vindicated. An entirely unprofessional offense against much of what he told himself and how he arrived to behave but you felt so real with his hands pressed to the side of your face, so soft pressed to his lips, so warm and pliable when you didn't pull away.

"You need to learn your place." He whispered against your lips as he pulled away, hands falling to your hips and pressing into the flesh. So many thoughts circling that were both impure and against the ideals of the brotherhood when it came to subordinates and colleagues.

You bit into your lip as you looked up at him, not quite the place you saw the conversation moving but it was definitely not unwelcome, just surpising and a little distracting with the way his fingers pressed into you, causing your brain to play catch up and wonder if this was real or not and whether you could push forth in the direction you desperately wanted to go.

"Are you gonna show me where that is?“ you whispered, breathe feeling like it was sucked from your body as you anticipated his reaction. Damn the pulsing between your legs that could have you on your knees in front of this man with a mere motion, a mere sliver that he wouldn't reject it.

He was quick to move you after the question, pressing you against the desk and hovering above you as a few small objects from his desk tumbled to the floor.

"Do you want me to?“ he asked, searching your expression for any sign of discomfort, wondering if he read the situation wrong, part of him wanting you to be the one to stop this so he didn't go against any of the bos ideals but hoping to whatever merciless god was out there that you wouldn't.

"Yeah.."you said softly, pushing through some forced confidence as you cleared your throat, meeting his eyes with a new form of what you hoped was seen as assurance. "Yes."

He pushed a strand of hair behind your ear as his eyes stayed trained on you, an act that felt soft and intimate in the way silence fell until his hand slipped into your hair, grip tightening and crashing his lips to yours once more. You gave as fervently as you got, hands pressed to his chest.

His own hand lingered at your chest, fingers gripping the hem of your shirt and easily pulling it over your head and then came the bra, frustration evident as his need for you grew. An array of pushing and prodding as the frustration lingered in veins at the limitation the pieces of cloth supplied.

Finally he manages to push the small piece of clothing from your body to some place on the floor, watching you sit on his desk like this with an expression that anyone would call wanton. His hand cupped your breast in his hand, watching as you worried your lip between your teeth at the action. Softness even in sound when he ran his thumb over the bud.

He had been gentle in the journey to get you somewhat undressed but he hadn't forgotten the comment that lead him here, the boil within his blood at the thought of your actions and the unobstructed sight of the wound now before him. The image of you had not been enough to still the turmoil within him. The kindness he valued in you was the thing that would disregard order and yourself which brought him to this bridge but he could easily show you order, power, even show you your place as he had said. He would not be entirely wrong to say you place was under him but perhaps not in the sense that he would like and would enforce tonight.

He quickly undid the button of your pants, hands wrapping around your hips at a lingering thought, the need growing within him, a grip that lingered but didn't alarm you as he pulled you towards him but then a sudden shift as the direction changed, as he flipped you around, using his body to press you to the desk, hand pressing against against your upper back until you took the position he wanted. The new position added an ache to the wound on your torso, slight hiss that you doubt he even heard.

The desk was cool against your breast, anticipation as you kept yourself pressed to the surface, eyes looking behind at the man and only feeling the anticipation and want grow as his eyes travelled across your body.

"Such disobedience." He murmured as his hands slid down your back, fingers hooking in the waist and of the pants and pulling it over the curve of your ass along with your underwear. "Perhaps I had been too lenient with you." He stated, a tone that didn't quite match the content as his hands spread over your ass and squeezed. He lowered himself over your body, chest ghosting over your back as his lips pressed close to your ear and his own bulge pressing against your back side so temptingly. "I should correct that misstep, shouldn't I. Show you what insubordination gets you." He punctuated the word with the grind of his hips to yours.

You bit your lip as you spread your legs as much as you could given the pants around your thighs limiting your movement. Needing him to touch you in any way he wished, to use your body just as long as he touched you without all the layers between you.

The press of him eased up when he fiddled with his uniform, fighting to pry it from his body as quickly as possible at the sight of your pliable form. He hadn't bothered further than getting it passed his hips. For a moment he was dumbstruck, so many things he wanted but the uncertainty of whether he would get such a perfect opportunity to enact them made him slow to act, pressing two fingers to your entrance and spreading your slick and shallowly pressing into you to test the waters.

A whimper sounded past your lips as you closed your eyes at the feeling. It had been so long since someone else had touched you and though you had the nights where you had came around your fingers at the thought of him, it was miles apart from this, from his warm fingers spreading your cunt.

"That's a good girl."He commented, watching as his fingers disappear into your needy cunt, glistening in the light when he retracted, soft whimpers spilling from your lips and body rocking back against him softly. You were so compliant like this, such a pretty image that he would definitely be revisiting at a later time.

He removed his fingers from you, earning an annoyed sound and a glance back, he couldn't hide his glee at the state he could leave you in but at the same time, he needed to be inside you, needed you to clench around his cock and take him like you were meant to.

His hand wrapped around your hip, the other going to his cock and lining up. He pushed in slowly, groaning at the wetness until he settled, hips pressed to yours. The situation led you to believe he would give the time for you to adjust, he had always been accommodating and he had taken his time with pushing into you but he had other plans, other wants to allowed him to bypass that courtesy.

His hand slipped into your hair and tightened, pressing you to the desk if you just so happen to get any other ideas. His hips snapped, shallowly at first as he got used to the tightness. You cried out at the feeling, the pain that got dwarfed by the pleasure and he quickly pressed a hand over your mouth to silence your cries as he pressed closer to your ear.

"Wouldn't want anyone to come see what's wrong, would we?" He granted against your back, teeth scratching against your shoulder blade as he momentarily slowed his movements. "This is quite the position for a knight to be in."

Your hand wrapped around his wrist as his hips picked up the pace, closing your eyes as you took what he gave, imagining if someone did walk in, perhaps a scribe or Cade or even Maxson, seeing Danse give it to you, perhaps they could corroborate that this was real because it felt like you were floating, like he was splitting your skull in half and all you could do was think about how fucking full of him you felt. Punishment be damned, you needed them to know Danse was fucking you, that he chose you even if just a momentary lapse.

Suddenly he pulled out, flipping you over like you weighed nothing, you bit into your lip at the full sight of him, bare chest and cock at attention. He, on the other hand, had no notions of taking in the moment, taking hold of your legs and pressing them to your chest so he could get easy access to that tight cunt of yours, immediately pressing home at the first opportunity.

You moaned at the feeling, pressing your palm to your lips given his previous comments even with your own voyeuristic fantasies and the need to have him do it, to control every aspect of the situation, to set the perimeter and feel his hand press to the sides of your face as you just laid there and took it.

He could feel his end approaching, hand pressing and prodding at your skin at the thought of losing access, finally lingering at your clit at the thought of you coming on his cock.

"Hold this." He commanded, taking your free hand and wrapping it around your legs. You did as you were told, glossy eyes watching the man before you and then keening when he touched you, thumb rubbing against your clit in fast, tight circles and you knew you were done for.

"Danse.." you cried, hand slipping from your lips as you moaned into the air, neither of you seeming to care at the moment as his hips snapped into you with renewed vigor at the sound of his name falling from your lips. "Please-I.."

"I know." He stated, interuppting your train of thought. "Be a good girl and come for me."

Again, you did as he asked, feeling the warmth spread throughout your limbs as your walls clenched around him. The cry that left your lips would most likely be heard past his door followed by the mantra of his name as you fought through the intense emotion.

He had to fight to keep moving past the the clench of you, giving a few shallow thrusts before he came inside of you, ropes of his come hitting your walls as he stilled deep inside of you with a grunt of your name.

A few moments passed of heavy breathing before he pulled out, watching as his come slipped out of you which he promptly pushed back inside of you with two fingers which elicited a whimper from you.

Coming back to his sensibilities, he retracted from you, softly removing your hand from your legs and setting them to the floor and pulling you to a seating position. He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead and pulled your pants back over your hips and then picked you up bridal style, wordlessly. He hoped you were alright, that he hadn't made a mistake by giving into his most base desires for you. He cared for you and he hoped for more than the structure provided under this militarristic life but that was a whole other can of worms.

He placed you in his bed, getting in behind you and wrapping an arm around your middle. He could steal this moment, could he not. If you were to resent him for his actions, at least he could pretend in this moment as you fall asleep pressed to his chest.

[plushyvi]

'hard luck, blues!" — chapter one!

game: fallout 4

character: arthur maxson

summary: searching for his parents’ killer, arthur maxson escapes vault 49 with vengeance in his veins. meanwhile, you’re busy trying to keep the commonwealth together through the brotherhood of steel. while your goals are completely different, your lives converge, and it seems like fate chose it to stay that way.

warnings: afab! reader, she/her pronouns used, second person pov, spoilers for the bos and main timeline in fo4, main masterlist here, reader and maxson fight a little :3, kells is kinda a babysitter LMAO, can you tell i like writing fight scenes?

taglist: @hrefna-the-raven

the next day comes as quickly as possible. maxson feels that the alarms to get up sounded as soon as he closed his eyes. but nevertheless, seven hours has passed and he was told to meet you and paladin danse at the point of the prydwen's outside deck. the two soldiers stood before you as you nodded your head to the fort below.

"down there is where a group of super mutants are residing. they've taken over that stronghold, where a pile of weaponry is waiting to be used by the brotherhood," you explain to the soldiers, "i'm sending you two on a vertibird to smoke them all out and acquire the goods. kill anything that isn't our ally. i trust paladin danse will provide a good example of a brotherhood soldier to you, initiate."

"yes, ma'am." danse presses a closed fist to his plated chest.

"elder." is all maxson says with a nod.

you glance at him again, seeing how he wasn't as enthusiastic to do so. you lean against the railing and tilt your head. "after this mission, i may see enough to let you become a knight, maxson," you state, seeing how he perks up a little, "don't disappoint me."

he thinks you’re kinda’ crazy, to be honest. the way you’re smiling at him makes him confused. it’s like he was your little experiment, and he was willingly letting you do so. maxson can only watch as you order him around, too.

“any question?” you ask.

“how old are you?” maxson is quick to question.

“soldier.” paladin danse is quick to reprimand.

“questions about the mission, initiate,” you sigh out as you cross your arms, “but to answer your question, i am 20 — the same as you, as cade reported to me this morning after your check up.”

maxson tilts his head at you. “are all, uh… elders this young?”

“don’t let l/n’s age fool you,” paladin danse says, “she’s a brilliant tactician. she became an elder at 16, and is greatly appreciated despite being the youngest elder.”

“enough about me,” you bring up a hand to stop them as you glance to the stronghold, “you two have a mission. paladin, please see your soldier to the vertibird. ad victorium.”

maxson is quick to stomp away with danse behind him. it felt as if you were making some sort of jester out of him, sending him off to do your bidding. was it seriously so important that you got your hands on that weaponry?

he made quick work of it too; destroying those super mutants seemed more than easy to him when he was so eager to get this over and done with. danse was even surprised by how fast they were able to take down the behemoth. as they touched the ground, danse spoke up.

"initiate," he said. maxson stopped his tracks and glanced back at the power-armour-wearing figure. "what are your intentions with the brotherhood? why did you join?"

"it was either i join this cult or die," maxson scoffed back at the stupid question, "if it were up to me, i would be off on my way without you idiots trailing behind me."

"but what do you hope to gain?" paladin asks, straight to the point.

in all truth, maxson already knew. he could tell how powerful you were when all the knights and scribes begged at your feet for something to do. with how captain kells acted around you and how danse spoke so highly of your presence in the commonwealth. you were truly a figure of high regard.

he wanted your spot.

with the brotherhood in his hand, he would be able to take down any and all enemies he had. the institute wouldn't stand a chance from what he's seen. all he needed was your title.

you'd be smart not to let him get that close, he thinks.

"information," maxson replies, "i just want to get to my parents."

he's such a liar. but he's a good one at that.

"the brotherhood can help with that," danse explains with a sure nod, "elder l/n won't rest until the institute and all its abominations are taken down."

maxson searches danse's eyes for anything that could go against his statement. did the paladin really think that l/n was as eager as he was?

it didn't matter right now. for the moment, maxson has to play dolly and do whatever you ask of him.

on the prydwen, you watch from your office windows. you were impressed by how they made quick work of those super mutants and entered the building with ease. perhaps this initiate would prove much worthy of your time.

"elder," you hear behind you. one glance and you see the captain standing there. "if i may have a moment with you to discuss your recent initiate."

"proceed." you reply as you stand in front of him.

"i believe that maxson's attitude is... for a lack of a better term, quite ill-mannered. he's uncooperative with the other soldiers, excusing danse, and he doesn't allow anyone to take care of his pip-boy," captain kells explains. you raise a brow; he collected this from one day of maxson's arrival? "proctor teagen said that maxson was 'a stick in the mud' and 'a shitty customer'. how can we expect to work with him when he is like this?"

"don't worry, kells," you say with a wave of your hand, "i'm keeping an eye on him. he'll be whipped into shape in no time."

"this... isn't one of your experiments, is it?" captain kells deadpans as you shrug your shoulders, "ma'am. first was knight delecroix and allowing them free use of their power armour from their rank as an initiate, and we are still trying to fully repair the dent made on the side of the prydwen. second was giving proctor quinlan full authority over security — which he used to search for technical documents all at once. and now, this? elder l/n, do we have the time to be messing around?"

"i assure this, this isn't for entertainment anymore, captain," you claim as you tilt your head at him, "that soldier has something we don't — an incredibly personal tie to the institute. he could be the key to taking them down. kellogg was a huge target and if maxson managed to rid of him, he is fully capable of doing the extraordinary. believe me, i've thought about this. maxson is interesting and i fully intend on using him to our leverage."

captain kells doesn't know what to make of your latest game. maybe you're just extra infatuated with maxson since he is a vault dweller, but he needed to keep an eye on him, for your sake. he'd hate to see you waste away as a result of your heart.

"understood, elder. i apologise for the intrusion," captain kells says with a salute, "i will return to my duties."

"it's fine, captain." you reply as he walks away.

everyone knew of how much kinder you were than the other elders, but what only a select few knew was how much your curiosity got the better of you. you needed to be tethered to some sort of limit or else you'd go overboard. kells only prays that maxson is the referenced limit that you will hit.

no less than an hour later, you see an vertibird recall itself into the ship. maxson comes walking into your office. you're standing there expectantly, already knowing that your paladin was smart enough to do some surveillance of the newly acquired site and make a full report for you to later read. what you were awaiting was maxson's complaining, which came not too long after.

"outstanding work at fort strong, soldier." you praise him with your hands behind your back. he resists the urge to roll his eyes.

"why must i deal with super mutants when it's the institute that i should be looking for?" he scoffs at you.

"we take things one step at a time. in order to attack the institute, we need to use every weapon at our disposal," you explain with a stern tone, "acquiring that ammunition does that. but anyway, it only gets more difficult from here."

he watches as you walk over to the side table and pour two glasses of some golden liquor. when you offer him one, he takes it. a small smile is placed on your lips before you sip and lean against the bars against the windows.

"i try to supply my soldiers with the best. that's why i'm giving you these," you toss him a box of signal grenades. he catches the item with a raised brow. "those are for signalling a vertibird to your location when you need aerial transport. i'm sure you know how to use it."

"i'll make good use of it." maxson mumbles under his breath as he stores them away.

"i expect that you will, soldier," you hum out as you empty your glass, "i'm certain that you're aware that front strong was simply the first step towards the liberation of the commonwealth. an even greater task lies ahead. by now, i'm sure you've deduced that our arrival in the commonwealth wasn't coincidental."

"i hadn't heard anyone really mention you as much as they did once the prydwen showed up," maxson admits to you, "why did the brotherhood only send one elder? is the institute not that important of a problem to take care of?"

"you wouldn't believe me if i said there are countless other issues that the wasteland offers," you sigh out as you push some hair from your face. maxson scans your features for a moment; you look tired. "but we are here because of a unique energy reading recorded by paladin danse's recon team. our scribes say that the level of technology was something only the institute could achieve."

"then your mission is clear," he states. you nod your head, "the institute and all synth creators must be eliminated."

"at all costs," you add on. you stare at maxson a little longer. he seems to understand your underlying intentions, but makes no word of it. "to accomplish this goal, we need to locate the institutes headquarters in the commonwealth. our field scribes have returned... empty handed."

"sounds like you're going to have me crawling through the sewers now." the soldier in front of you scowls with a distasteful expression.

"whether it's the sewers, transit tunnels or even an old vault, i need you down there to investigate," you tell him as you stand up straight. you step closer to him. you lower your voice. "become our eyes and ears on the ground. you have an interest in the institute regardless of our cause, so i'm sure you'll travel in the right circles."

maxson, only arms-length away from you, stares back into your eyes. you're as determined as could be, and he knows that he shares that with you.

"and if i find a way in?"

"report to me immediately," you state with the tilt of your head, "i don't want an initiate going in there without a plan. use the brotherhood to your advantage—"

"'initiate'?" he repeats as he lifts his head up, "you said that—"

"if i saw enough, i would promote you," you finish off. he only gets more pissed off at that. you hang your head and put your glass down as your rub your neck. "maxson, i like your confidence in battle and your strategies, however... your attitude is lacking. i could see that you weren't as passionate in the mission as i would like."

"excuse me?" he furrows his brows with a confused expression, "what are you trying to say? i'm not... a passionate fighter?"

you let out a small sigh as you rub your eyes, "maxson, i need you to be on board with the brotherhood in order for our deal to work. you help me and i help you. it seems that you don't want to help unless we are attacking the institute directly."

"that's absurd." he grunts as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"like it or not, you are a part of the brotherhood," you tell him with a pointed gaze, "you may attempt to get into the institute on your own, but i assure you that it wouldn't be half as possible as it would be with us."

"you are treating me like a pet," he retorts as he steps forward. he glares at you harder, more intense now.

instead of arguing anymore, you squint at him before shaking your head. "follow me."

he does so wordlessly, but all the while annoyedly. you were pulling his tail here. you were making somewhat empty promises, and maxson hated that. the whole entire vertibird ride down to the airport, he is glaring at you from his seat. you are talking with the pilot, who is nervously responding to your questions about some recent missions. you don't mind though, you sit there with your leg over your knee enjoying the conversation. maxson wants to rip his ears out.

the dweller does a little look around while you lead him through the airport. soldiers salute you and stand guard as you leave footsteps in the dirt. following them led maxson to... a training ground?

"soldiers are dismissed," you call out with a clap of your hands. laser weapons stop shooting their targets as they look over to you. "i need to occupy this area for the next few minutes."

"what are we doing here?" maxson questions as soldiers file out of the outside training area.

the barricades are filled with brotherhood knights and scribes, awaiting your command and eagerly inspecting the interaction. some people even wait at the entrances and peek around the corner. they've heard lots about maxson.

"you and i will have a little sparring match," you say as you take off your jacket. you're left in your elder uniform and combat boots, which not many soldiers have seen before. to be honest, not many people have seen you fight at all. surely your tactics suited your abilities. "i want you to give it your all. no weapons, only fists. first one to yield loses. understood, initiate?"

you were rubbing it in his face. you pulled up your sleeves as maxson took off his pip boy and placed it next to your things. you stood on one side of the training ground and he resided on the other.

"fine," he gets in position quickly. he's been waiting to see what you could do. "i promise not to ruin that pretty face of yours."

you blink at his comment as your tilt your head. some soldiers begin whispering between each other as you chuckle back, "oh, maxson, i'm not scared. you won't get the chance."

he clenches his jaw before rushing towards you, dragging a fist up before aiming it towards you. the impact would've been harsh, but you place a tense palm to the side of his forearm, pushing away his fist and landing your own punch against his stomach. the movement makes him still as the pain shoots through his system. he lets out a hefty cough and stumbles on his feet.

you can hear the cheering of your soldiers sound around the whole entire training ground. it's like the place has become an arena.

this was your way of disciplining maxson. he needed to realise his mistakes and his faults through his own actions. simply telling him wouldn't do it justice. he needed demonstrations.

he leans slightly against you. your hand hold him up by his shoulders as he slumps a little.

"are you alright, maxson?" you ask in a light voice. you were teasing him. "if you cannot continue, we can—"

his arms go around your torso and tackle you to the ground. he is red with anger and embarrassment. his hair falls in front of his eyes as he glares down at you from his position from above. you blink at him and his change in demeanour.

"i'm not one of your lackies," he grumbles out, "don't try to treat me like one. i can take anything you wanna' throw at me."

you stare at him from your place below, against the floor. no soldier has ever challenged you as much as maxson had. sure, you've dealt with some young scribes wanting to be on the field as soon as possible but you deterred. and maybe a knight had gotten on your nerves for not properly taking care of their power armour and being lazy. but maxson? he was pushing you. not only your boundaries with soldiers, but with your own personal margins.

were you supposed to be this intrigued with a soldier?

not infatuated — intrigued.

you smile as maxson attempts to subdue you, but you wiggle a knee out from under him and against his stomach to push him off of you. you're both quick to your feet, which allows you to send a push kick to his stomach. he gets knocked back a couple feet, but doesn't fall.

you take the chance to run towards him and copy his move to the point; your draw a heavy fist up and aim to hit him into the ground. but he moves out of the way and stares back at you.

danse was stupid — why didn't he mention that you were not only an amazing tactician, but also an exemplary fighter yourself?

he blocks your next few punches before you swoop in to kick him in his shoulder harshly, but maxson catches your leg and steps forward, which pushes you off balance once again. thinking quickly, you let yourself curl up and roll onto your back as you grab maxson's arm and toss him over your head.

in a daze, he stands up again and quickly pushes a leg out to hit the side of your neck. you bring an arm to block. luckily, it takes the impact as you're knocked back down to the ground and cover your head. scratches are left on your forearms from the move. maxson smiles.

"if i land a clean hit on you," he yells out as he gives you a second to stand up and brush dirt off of yourself, "then i will be ranked up to knight."

"that isn't how things work around here." you say as you push your hair out of your face.

"i'm a special case, aren't i?" he questions first. you purse your lips at that as he wipes dust off from his arms. "is that a deal?"

you glance over to captain kells, who had touched down on the airport a minute ago after a scribe doing maintenance outside had informed him of your leave. he had heard everything from his front row seat. you missed being down on the ground when you were younger, he knew. he doesn't shake his head, only raising his brows at the offer.

looking back at maxson, you smile a little. "if you cannot do so in five minutes, then i win and you take me to your vault," you add on, which makes him furrow his brows, "deal?"

letting our a hefty sigh, he responds, "deal."

as soon as he says that, you rush towards him from a curved angle. you launch a cross-punch to his jaw, which ultimately misses as he steps back. but you take the momentum and turn your whole body around so you can draw up a backwards roundhouse kick. he stumbles at the quick reaction and winces as your heel makes impact with his jaw.

he realises that you were holding back before since as soon as both of your feet are on the ground, you take quick steps towards his body and tackle him to the floor as he did to you. he skids against the floor with a pained groan before his eyes widen and he blocks your onslaught of punches towards his body as you straddle him.

you two can hear the cheering from the soldiers. watching their elder fight was exhilarating, even more so due to how much time you spent on the prydwen. you proved to them just how capable you are, and how you deserved to be an elder yourself.

"holding out on me?" he grunts out, "where did all this energy come from? do you really not want to promote me?"

"the information i could get from your vault would be incredibly seminal for the brotherhood," you explain as maxson finally catches both of your fists, "if i return to the high elder with intimate knowledge of a vault, it would prove much important. it has nothing to do with you."

the way you say that makes him seem like a meaningless cog in a machine. perhaps that's all you truly think about him. once you find something more interesting, you drop him like a boring toy.

"i don't doubt it," he huffs, "but that power armour is substantial for me."

he pushes you off of him quickly and watches as you too get up to your feet.

"it's not only your outfit and dazed look that gives away your origin," you call as you make space between the both of you, "it's your way of fighting. it's like you follow a formula in hand-to-hand combat. we need to break that in you. rewire your fighting."

he knits his brows with a clenched jaw at how you speak. of course that was the case, he was a vault dweller for all of his life and only versed radiated animals. none of them were smart enough to be able to calculate his next move.

so he's not exactly surprised when you attack him swiftly later on and make it passed his multiple blocks. it feels like you two have been fighting for hours, but surely it's only been a minute. he staggers back as you send a punch to his chest. it winds him, badly. you give a few seconds as you look towards kells.

"what's the time?" you shout out.

"you have one minute left, elder." he responds as he looks down to his working watch.

"one minute, maxson," you look back to your opponent, who was hunched over catching his breath. the green light from his pip-boy shows that he really does only have 53 seconds left to land a sure hit on you. "that vault must've taught you something useful."

he glares at you through lidded eyes, his hair a mess. as he slowly stands up straight, he pushes the stray strands away from his face and takes a deep breath.

the brotherhood means so much to you, doesn't it? it's so stupid, he thinks, that you would spend your whole life dedicated to something that just sees you as nothing more than a leaf on its tree. you, in the grand scheme of the cult you were a part of, were practically nothing. yet you cared the most for the brotherhood and it's soldiers, despite what rank they are.

you walk towards him slowly, menacingly, as if you wanted to scare him. the smirk on your face tells the tale of many, showing that you have ran this race a thousand times before. maxson, seeing that the seconds are drowning quickly with 42 seconds left, finally takes a knee.

you stop on your tracks as you watch him.

"wait, i..." he begins. but he falls to the ground, face-first.

"maxson!" you shout as you rush towards him. worry laced your tone — did you really go that far that a man like him could go down four minutes and 39 seconds later? "shit..."

once close enough, you lift him up from the dirt floor to sit up. you hold a hand behind his back and check his pulse. you hear your soldiers begin mumble around each other and watch with intensity at the whole fiasco. kells even steps forward towards the both of you.

"get proctor cade down here with medical supplies," you order the closest knights as you look over your shoulder. they nod their heads and start for the closest vertibird. you turn back to maxson. "we cannot lose—"

THWACK!

your cheek burns as you are forced by maxson's strong fist to look away again. the impact from his punch makes your jaw hurt a little, but you just blink a few times at the shock. maxson, on the other hand, is smiling wide with heavy exhales as the timer on his pip-boy finally sounds off. time's up.

"i win," maxson heaves, "clean hit. caught you off guard."

all the soldiers around you are quiet, and kells is burning with anger. how dare an initiate do that to you? speak to you in such a way? you should have him cleaning the whole prydwen for that!

"i guess you're right," you chuckle as you look back to maxson. you wipe the dripping blood from your chin and stand up. you hold out a hand to maxson, to which he takes, but it gives you the right time to strike him in the stomach with your knee. he doubles over again and you squat down enough to be in his vision. a smile is on your face. "i don't appreciate playing dirty during fights with another member of the brotherhood of steel. do not do this again. you fight fair against us. is that understood, knight?"

he sucks in his breath after letting out a few coughs. you stand back up and rub your cheek for a second as he speaks, "yes, elder l/n."

hearing you call him a knight makes him grin at you once he's stood up. despite the bruises that litter his face and arms, he comes out victorious and therefore the smile on his face is warranted. one step closer to his goal.

"alright, disperse. return to your duties," captain kells says to the rest of the soldiers. he comes closer to the both of you. "you two will be sent to proctor cade's office for healing. i do not want a repeat of anything like this today, do you hear me, knight?"

maxson wordlessly nods. you also nod, because you know you should listen to him too. kells begins to lead you to the vertibird to return to the prydwen.

"you will speak with proctor ingram about your new suit of power amour," you inform maxson as you glance to him, "don't make me regret this, soldier. i have faith in your work."

he holds his breath for a moment before looking away.

"i will do my best."

[leoascendantt]

quick intro post :)

cade | he/him | nonbinary lesbian boydyke thing | multifandom (but mainly fallout, the outer worlds, and street fighter) | amateur writer | felix millstone and jamie siu enjoyer

this is where i will host my writing! i have about a million wip's and i would love to share them as they get finished. i am not currently open to requests

this is also where i will gush about my fictional man crushes because i have a LOOOTTTT

i'll also sporadically post lesbian stuff for lesbians so don't let that jumpscare you as you scroll LOL

this is strictly an 18+ blog. minors, detrans, terfs, proshippers dni

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eventually, links to my work will be listed here ↓

[makahimetenshi]

Follow me inside the wastelands - Chapter 9  -Arthur Maxson x Female Sole Survivor Fanfic

This one will be a long fic with a lot of chapters, I already write the concepts. Since I don’t play as Nora in Fallout 4 because Nate for me is the real protagonist the personalities and ideas are pretty fanbased from another fanfics I read

If you are very very very delighted with one fic and want a continuation I didn’t write or post you can donate me at least $5 bucks, most of this fics have next chapters I don’t finish because lack of motivation but hey a $5 is a $5, I see a few reviews and coments that fics that are abandoned months laters receive coments of wanting to know what happends next. Here it is, I finished my handling with you all, enjoy the fic

 -Im sorry, what did i broke this time? –she said in a low voice before he went to hug her and leave kisses in all the side of her face.

-You saved 9 soldiers and the brotherhood could not be more proud from a having a sentinel as skilled and capable as you, but I also fear for you a lot, I am always worried when you go out but when I see you this time in the gurney I whished that the one knocked out was me instead- her hand went to caress the back of his head and Arthur sighted relieved at the touch, its been more than a month since the last time she touched him there and it was so calming and warm…-what do you need? Where does it hurts? What can I bring you?

-Im surrounded by people…-she said and he leave a big smooch in her cheek, surprising the woman.

-I don’t care, I been worried sick for more than a month so I decided that I don’t care anymore, -he made that realization with an actually surprise for himself like it was liberating to say it- I cant care, I need to be with you right now –Nora breathed out and rest her cheek over his shoulder.

-Mmm lets see…I want a nail clipper, a notebook and a pen, a mirror, a cozy blanket…and…-she bited her lip before saying this actually nervous to overstep- would you sleep with me? Here, at the room, im sorry, I feel pretty tired right now…

-A nail clipper? –his eyes went down to see at her nails and sighted, terrible attention to details- don’t worry, I don’t plan to leave your side, ill bring a pillow, a blanket and my most comfy slippers –Arthur went to took and kiss the inside of her palm, looking at her eyes.

Even disheveled, greasy and tired looking at her chocolate eyes makes all his worries goes away.

-Thank you

-Ill tell the nurses to come and do the check ups while ill go to pick up some stuff okay? I don’t want to comb your hair and touch your scar so they will do that yes? –Nora nodded and yawned- wait for me awake, I see you sleep enough for a entire life.

Oh  boy Arthur was a man in love. Walking in slippers and underwear in the Prydwen just for a woman. The most amazing one.

At coming back to the nursery they were checking her breathing. He wasn’t being stupid or brute, he had the things…in a little bag to not drag unwanted attentions…and while they were working he will step a side and wait, any exam will help to her recovery in the future so no interruptions. Arthur felt the look of Knight Cade over his shoulders, and when he looked at him the man turned the eyes to the rooft, not wanting to cross gazes.

Yeah, he noticed the old man judging him.

-My jaw hurts…the entire mouth –at hearing this Arthur put attention after all it was the cosmetic surgery he paid.

-Sentinel you lost a lot of teeths in the combat, here at the Prydwen we tried to recover and recreate them but since you were in coma,  you could not carry out the treatments that you have to carry out, in addition to the fact that you was not eating solids yet

-When I will start eating solids?

-After we are done with the cocktail of medication –Nora nooded and they started checking her ears –are you cold sentinel?

-Indeed

-I see some mucus, guess youll need more blankets at night, don’t worry –how the hell everybody was around her since almost 2 months and no one realized there was few shelter? Arthurs blood boiled a bit at hearing that.

-When can drink things like tea? I want a hot drink

-Not until you start leg training, you have been prostrate for almost two months, your legs are sored for being inactive so long, right now the amount of liquids and  hydration are controlled by us so you don’t have to pee that much, but if you wish to go just call one of us by pressing that button over there

-I wish for some privacy…

-Don’t worry, we are experts at it and you also have very bad scars at your legs, the plasters have been removed two weeks ago since you were still sleeping and the openings needed to close at open air despise of being cleaned, but the training to move properly again is going to be guided with professionals so you don’t move wrong and break by accident the surgery procedure done when you arrived –Nora nodded, a bit depressed but visible to everyone- don’t worry Sentinel, youll be back to walk and run normally after the training, if you try now your knees and ankles will fail to stand up because your body is unused, once the therapy starts little by little its going to be better, youll be dancing in no time.

Arthur was observing the nurses work and say all important information we wanted to be up to date, but half hour later Nora was looking kinda tired, so he went inside the room and sit in a chair next to her gurney, not bothering or interfering the nurses job, he just wanted to make her know he was around and better not fall asleep just because he wasn’t close. It was selfish but he wanted to expend time together, shes been so close but so far for so long he was craving to be around her.

Two hours passed until they were ready to let the sentinel finally rest, the chekings were done, cleaning, cures, medicine, changes…the nurses were clearly uncomfortable with the elders presence but they weren’t not only authorized to say anything but at no position to ask…They left and the two of them were alone, a few seconds later the elder breathed out and his forehead fall into her shoulder, Noras hands placed in the back of his head caressing a bit to reassure him. Ah its been so long since she was able to do that…

-Everything is alright –he whisper and went to hug her by the waist, wanting to be as close as possible now he was able after so long.

-I cannot go to the bathroom by my own

-Its temporal, what were you thinking? –he knew it was a bad idea start a fight over this subject barely waking up but it was beyond his imagination why she would do something so risky.

-You fight a Deathclaw too

-But I didn’t pull his tail to fall all over me

-Sorry, I went desesperate at the moment –he waved a hand and let it pass, he wouldn’t discuss it right now.

-It was reckless and dangerous but we are all in debt with you for bringing everybody alive, despite how you achieve it –he went back and look at his bag, finding the nail clipper and grabbing her hand –let me take care of you okay? You went enough for a decade –she nodded and settled on the pillow behind her back, raising a hand for him to work over, she smiled relaxed with her heart melting on her chest

-Hey do you have that mirror?

-Yes –his other hand went to search in the bag and give it to her, Nora used her free hand to raise it and take a look

-Damn they cut my hair –she said a bit disgusted looking at the image.

-Beautiful as always –he whisper still cutting her nails.

-I don’t like it, its now how I imagine my head half shaved before

-Women Scribes shaves their heads at the Brotherhood and also look beautiful

-Ill cut different this bangs

-Try to be carefull with the stiches in your wound -she nodded and smiled at him, she had a caring and soft smile.

-You must be tired too, its pretty late

-I spend many nights unable to sleep thinking in your state, now I have you here I want to do as most as possible –he finished a hand and took the other, caressing it slowly with a finger –Nora most of the times you…slip away from me…-he smiled sad and she went forward to kiss his forehead.

-Theres no place for me at your side

-I can create it –she raised an eyebrow confused- I can do it, im the elder –since from a long time he was expeculating with telling her the possibility about…marriage…but it was obviously so soon and a nerviosism take all over him each time he thought about it so he had a better alternative-I read your notebook

-Shit, Preston…-Nora whispered by low closing her eyes and taking air out her chest.

-He was following orders…

-I didn’t think he would do it

-A trustable soldier, im glad he has your back –Nora look at the other side and Arthur thought that was strange while starting to clip her nails on the second hand –Whats wrong?

-Nothing, I didn’t  want you to read it so soon.

-Its an amazing text, sometimes  I have to do similar  tasks  and it really inspired me to do it better.

-I told you I was a lettered before bombs dropped

-Anyway I can…protect you from that side…you have the talent and I have the power –he didn’t have the guts to look at her eyes but at least he was presenting this opportunity, is she wanted to take it or not was completely on her. He would prefer she would…

-We help people because is the right thing to do for everyones happiness, not for the possibility of a more comfortable life for us at all, there’s no such a thing on the wastelands –again, Arthur cant argue against it but she was being despicable of the only life he had the opportunity to ever knew- there’s no other option for me or anyone

-You have to admit that my bed is the most comfortable and safe in all the Commonwealth

-No one is safe, ask the ex mayor synth of Diamond City –Arthur didn’t want to get in this type of discussion now, he preferred to keep it In peace, at least that came out his chest. He was vocal and open about his worries and plans with her in his life.

-Keep doing an excellent work Sentinel

-The most positive thing about being feeded this way is that I wont have to savour anything…

Arthur sighted and finished her hands, now her nails were short and round so there’s no chance of cutting or scratching her skin by accident

-Ill bring you scissors tomorrow for your hair

In a pair of hours both were sleeping, Nora in the gurney pretty pretty covered in blankets and Arthur in a chair, with a pillow floating between the back of his chair and the pillows in Noras gurney, he was covered with one of her blankets extended. At first he didn’t want to sleep, he didn’t want to miss a minute with her, but her eyes were closing and it feeled like torture try to talk to her to avoid sleeping…so he eat his guts and wished her to wake up this time. Also he was tired and sleepy too, he handt have much sleep either this week.

Nora grab his hand under the blankets and both closed their eyes to sleep, connected, looking at each other side, the elder was glad that she was so attentive of his fears and…try to trust with all his heart that she will wake up in a few hours.

Morning came, 7am came, his normal waking up hour and he was afraid to open his eyes and find Nora asleep in a coma again, that everything from tonight was just a dream like the ones he had over this weeks, that dreams were like a pleading, a wish for her recovery…

But he swallow his fears in the end and do it, as elder he had to move forward from his fears a lot and this…wouldn’t be the exception, he was the elder, no matter how difficult everything was he had the duty to not let himself down and overpass each situation.

He open the eyes and look at her chocolate ones, gazing at him, at seeing him awake Nora greeted with a smile.

-Good morning –she whispered and his heart stopped, his heart was running a race before in nerviosism and it just stopped, she was there, right there like she wasn’t in almost two months. Now he can be in peace again, she was at his side.

-Im so glad you are here this morning

-Ill rather be in the most comfortable and safe bed in the Commonwealth –his cheeks blushed from the implications but it make him more happy that she remember the conversation they had just a few hours ago, she was sane and sound –but my mouth is really really dry and since an hour I want to pee but I didn’t want to wake you up since you look so tired and like needing the sleep –instantly Arthur went up and pushed the button to call the nurses, went to kiss her forehead and get up. Their hands were still holding together

-Im tired but you are more important, if you need anything just ask.

-I wanted you to sleep without inconveniences, you take care of me tonight and…all this time…

-And I want you to recover as fast as possible, tell the nurses  all you need, im going to change and get breakfast, ill pass here by lunch, I know you cant eat for now but I want to use my break time with you before heading to my other meetings –she smiled pressed his hand a bit- take proper care of your needs okay? Ask for anything, I insist

-Could you give me my notebook then? I have an idea –the man do as he was told and she gave him a naughty smile –have a nice day at work honey

Oh my god it was all that pre-war American wife fantasys all over again, he had missed it so much. Arthur went to leave kisses all over her face laughting with her before leaving the room.

Arthur made at lunch time to see her, his plate and fork on hand, she cant eat but sharing a meal together was an excuse to talk and he needed to hear her voice after so long desesperatly.

-You know those bastards were already designing a statue for the capital wasterland in case you perish? –Arthur said biting on his bramin steak actually annoyed from the conversation

-My ghost will take a ride to that place

-I know that travelling for your sounds kinda impossible but think that all the soldiers in the Prydwen came from another region and stablished here, is possible to travel far distances

-Back in my days you could be driving for three days and still be in the same state. Anyway  you said I could ask anything right?

-Im glad you ask something

-This is my idea –Arthur left the plate to one side and take the notebook in the page Nora marked him, there was a drawing of a coach with a lot of indications at the sides.

-Elaborate, im not a carpenter

-Silly is a massage chair, its actually pretty simple, it’s a coach or a chair with some vibration device in some parts, some have the functionality to get the seat or the back warm on temperature, I get one as a wedding gift but obviously is not in my house in sanctuary hills anymore

-It’s a good idea, it could be therapeutic

-My legs are sore, it may be good for me to sit there for a few minutes before trying to get up –Arthur nodded and smiled, she was something else.

-I can get it done for when you finally get able to do the training therapy, the most difficult part will be saying goodbye to one of my good chairs

-Oh ill just be fine if its actually clean, don’t worry too much –Arthur went fowards and kiss her cheek, she deserved the best, and he was kinda smoochy today. Nora can understand, he waited a lot for her just like when she waited for Nate to return safe and sound.

Arthur worshiped this beautiful non radioactive goddess, she performed the miracle of getting up from a coma by her own and be enough okay to have a nice healing, not getting in the middle of the elder activities too much, not like he would complain  if he had to but it was a relief to have her in a good state, he would be okay if she was okay and now he cant complain at all, from all the horrible endings que imagined when his mind went to dark places that weeks…this was the best turn of events.

Eventually the nurses give the okay for her to start the training therapy so she would be able to recover mobility. It was such a relief being able to use crutches to at least go to the bathroom by her own, not like she wasn’t in a hurry for actually walk and run but after so long of not being able to pee whenever you want this feeled magical.

Arthur send to the nursery a bouquette of flowers when he heard the news of Nora starting the therapy, but the flowers were rejected, his heart ached at hearing the response but the mature side of his brain told him to calm down, there may be a reason and she wasn’t a completely bitch…she was sometimes for not taking him in consideration before this incident…not staying around much…he was resent lately that they didn’t spend much time together before she disappears no matter the reason and now that he had her she was in a coma.

He made his way with his dinner and a fork, like nothing happened, she was drinking things now which was an advance…she wasn’t saying anything about the bouquette so he would address the subject like a mature man who want to talk things and problems, chatting would solve every problem right?

-Where are the flowers I send in the lunch time? I sorry I cannot attend today but I have meetings

-I rejected them –well no shit Sherlock, what a nasty way to say it, sometimes Arthur hated her manners-I don’t like the flowers of the Commonwealth, the smell is horrible to me, im not going to contaminate the room closed air

-Not only food but also smells? Are you sure you don’t have a problem on your senses?

-You don’t know what the smell of lavender is…or jazmins…I would die to see a bouquette of legit roses, not plastic dry ones –the melancholic tune on her voice make the man a bit sad.

Nora often had melancholic thoughts and attitudes, she often missed her old life and home and told everyone that no one can understand that type of sorrow: except the ghouls, one of the reasons she fraternized so much with ghouls was because they share the living experience from before the bombs falls. Some remember few, some other remember more, some others didn’t care about the past, some others the life in the wastelands overpass them and they don’t remember the better times anymore, some others just move on and accepted this terrible fate…

She adapted with no problem to this reality but sometimes the memorys suddenly appear on certain situations turning down the mood for her. Like getting an unsolicited flash of your dead parents ruining your day and getting you all sad. But everybody’s lost someone, the sorrow was common, the reasons only gets more and more bizarre.

Only  so she wouldn’t die, Arthur will ask later Neriah to try to clon…and mutate…some plants into flowers the most similar as possible to roses to give Nora a surprise.

Neriah find…uncommon a solicitude directly from the elder, especially one that didn’t appear to be so urgent or important but…she wasnt in position to ask or even get a context.

The day she was able to eat solids again Arthur went to eat lunch with his most precious possession, no matter how deep in love he was before he always hesitated about the idea of giving up but now…yeah he was knocked up in love like he never felt before and it was time to let it go…for love, to enchant that beautiful goddess into his arms hopefully forever.

Nora cried while eating a fresh melon, a freacking fresh melon, it tasted exactly like one from before the bombs and her teeths wouldn’t get so sensitive about it.

It was fresh, and watery, and sweet and…a watermelon! She never see one that wasn’t the rad ones!

-It is rare to find –said Arthur laughting at her tears

-The day I kissed you was a good that but today is even better –the man blushed at the memory and smiled silly, it make him happy see her happy.

-Gosh you have a difficult palate to satisfy

-Don’t worry you satisfy me in other ways –now he seriously blushed, but laughted too, she often made this games go to this places.

-Well it does get wet and sweet too –now she snorked over her piece of watermelon, seeds flying from the air coming out her nose, laughting hard and loud.

-Sweet? –Nora asked with her rose all red.

-Well I like…am i bad at dirty talking? I have the suspect...-everytime she does it to him he end in his knees drunk in ecstasy and when he does it she ends up laughting in no time, no fair..

-I do get a little horny actually, getting results…-when Arthur approached for a kiss she went back laughting- nononono not in front of the watermelon! After I finish ill thank you properly –her hand went up to place a cube of watermelon in front of his lips, Arthur open soft and she pushed the fruit inside, the man lick her fingers to dry all the liquid going down and she sighted at the view, hothothothotohot- I don’t tell you enough how handsome you are –her voice come out throaty and low, like it was more an internet thought than something she meant to said loud.

No, she didn’t, it was evident in bed how powerfull their attraction was but she wasn’t as vocal as him, and he was very reserved and not a man of many words.

They never said I love you, yet.

-Id love to hear it –he was right there in her web, eyes locked, gazing at each other, lips open seriously waiting for a passionate kiss, his chest moving up and down on expectation.

Nora smiled and leave the watermelon to a side for a minute with all the pain in the word but it was worth it, her sugary and sticky hands took his cheeks, he felt the coldness for a second but his stomach and chest went full warm  almost instantly

-Arthur Maxson –she stated, getting more and more close, the man went forward slowly to kill distances – I would love to have such a handsome and beautiful man at my side for a long long time-his hands took her by the waist, soft, delicate, but still firm, feeling the curve of her waist and back, she gasped and close her eyes, turning the head to the side expecting a deep kiss.

-Then don’t slip from me, don’t go away, stay at my side for a long long time –Arthur sealed their lips in a kiss, one sweet, wet and warm.

They were at their element, together. Exactly were they were meant to be.

  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14242575/9/Follow-me-inside-the-wastelands

[theribbajack]

Perk acquired: Mysterious Stranger!

The Enclave private fell back, his 9mm clattering to the floor, a darker patch spreading its stain across the olive green of his uniform. Cade stared at the body, then at the pistol wrapped tightly in his own shaking, white-knuckled hands. He hadn’t fired it...had he?

“Hey, kiddo.”

The Vault-dweller whirled around, backing up so fast he nearly tripped over the soldier’s lifeless form. Leaning against the doorway behind where he had been standing, as though he had materialized from the wall itself, was a figure only marginally illuminated by the viridian glow of the terminals. One enormous hand rested easily on his holster just above where a fading cloud of smoke was all that betrayed the round that had just left his revolver.

“Who are you?” Cade demanded, keeping his weapon aimed directly between the piercing eyes that stared back at him. “Why did you shoot him?”

The newcomer lifted a hand, slowly, so as not to spook the Vault-dweller before him, removing his broad-brimmed hat and clasping it to himself in an ancient gesture of courtesy. “You looked like you could use some assistance, so I took the liberty of obliging you.” he said. His voice was deep and gravelly, carrying the thickest mountain drawl Cade had ever heard. “Can’t a feller do kindness by a stranger?”

[achireus]

i'm back into my fallout hyperfixation 😔

[nukagalreacts]

Part 2 of the request from rainbow-claw for DLC characters reacting to Sole having 10 baby fire-breathing dragons!

( I tried y’all and I hope you like it, this part is just mainly filled with little side characters you meet at the railroad agency and members of b.o.s!) Glory: Finds it pretty humorous that Sole marches around the Commonwealth with a small army of dragons at her disposal and kinda wishes she could have a group of her own. Glory enjoys teaching the dragons new commands and little tricks and rewarding them with treats when they do something right or if they do well when her and Sole go out on missions together. She really loves it to when their out in the Commonwealth and sometimes one of the dragons will wander off and bring back useful items or scrap metal for Glory to use, and she knows that it’s the way of the dragons showing affection for her.  

Knight- Captain Cade: Bewildered by the fact that Sole managed to get this far in the Prydwen with no one stopping them with 10 dragons in tow. He could feel a headache coming on and rubbed his temples as he explained to Sole they where already violating at least 15 major rules the Brotherhood of Steel had. Cade told Sole they needed to get rid of the dragons immediately if they actual wanted to be taken seriously and join their ranks. Once Sole left he continued to wonder in amazement how no one noticed them walking around with all the dragons and made a note to talk to someone about the others knights being more diligent when it came to security.

Captain Kells: Nope not on his ship, soon as he sees Sole trying to sneak the dragons off a vertibird after coming back late one night from a mission he runs over to them. He demands to know what they think they are doing and tells Sole they have two seconds to get back in the vertibird and get rid of the horrible little creatures or he is going to have Elder Maxson expel them as a knight from the Brotherhood, and Sole has never moved faster in their life. Sole knows Captain Kells doesn’t mess around and makes promises on the threats he gives so their not taking any chances and feel lucky they didn’t get killed right then and their.

Ingram: Her world revolved around power armour, maintenance, grease and steel and she honestly didn’t care about much else. So when Sole had 10 unusual little creatures following them around in the pit area her curiosity was instantly peaked and she asked Sole about them. When Sole told her they were dragons she had no idea what they were talking about and made them go into more detail about what they were, which Sole was happy to oblige. Afterwards Ingram told Sole they could keep the dragons down here with her when she went on missions because she knew if the Elder ever found out Sole would be in huge trouble, and she actual really like the little guys and wanted them to keep her company.

Proctor Quinlan: His interest is solely on technical documents and book research so honestly he could care less about what shenanigans Sole gets up to. Though he doesn’t really approve of Sole brining such vile creatures aboard the prydwen he doesn’t really care enough to expose them for it, he is much to focused on his technical data and helping the Brotherhood reach its full potential and reaching its goals while in the Commonwealth. Also he hates when Sole brings them into his work station because they cause such a mess and always try to eat his important papers.

Proctor Teagan: He got so angry with Sole because one day he caught one of the baby dragons in his shop chewing on some of his more expensive merchandise and he lost his shit. Sole had to run over and save the baby dragon before Teagan decided to kill it and use it’s hide as a piece of armour. After that incident Sole kept the dragons off the Prydwen and replaced all of Teagans damaged merch and paid for other damages and gave a little extra to buy his silence so the Elder never heard about this incident or anyone else. Teagan didn’t anger easily but he promised Sole if he ever caught one of the dragons onboard again he wouldn’t hesitate to kill it and make sure Sole was expelled from the Brotherhood.

Scribe Haylen: Had always been a little loose on following procedures, protocols and rules set by the Brotherhood, so when she first saw Sole with the dragons she turned into a little kid. Haylen and the dragons took an instant liking to each other and Haylen found herself always watching them romp around and learn how to fly. She even snuck them treats when Sole wasn’t looking because Sole always complained that Haylen was going to make them so fat that they would never be able to fly, but she always just brushed them off. Also she helped Sole keep the dragons a secret from any of the other knights, because she knew if they found out they would be forced to get rid of the dragons or kill them.

Knight Rhys: Notices Sole and Haylen always being shady and weird around him and he finally decides to get to the bottom of what's going on. He finally catches them sneaking around with the dragons and is bewildered to say the least as he tries to wrap his brain around what he is seeing as he just stares at them. Haylen and Sole instantly try and makes up excuse as to why they have these dragons, but Rhys freaks out and says they need to get rid of them since he is very by the book as far as rules go. Haylen begs him to keep quiet about it though, and when she ask he can’t say no.

Sturges: Once sole trained the dragons and got them to stop setting things on fire or eating up furniture and destroying everything in general, Sturges found he really didn’t mind the baby dragons so much and actually found them kind of cute. They were like 10 loyal guard dogs except they could kill you a lot faster and they ate a lot more. He even went out of his way to make them their own indoor sleeping area and playroom, with a sign on the outside reading “The dragons den” which Sole loved! He also brought them lots of things to chew on like old bones.

Tinker Tom: Does not trust the dragons in the slightest and is convinced they are all spies for the Institute even when Sole tells him that definitely isn’t the case here, but he refuses to believe them and keeps his distance whenever Sole brings them into the Railroads hideout. He also tries to study them from afar, looking for some kind of flaw or obvious mechanical defect that proves they aren't real and are just robot creatures with built in cameras and microphones relaying all information back to the Institute.

(Thanks again rainbow-claw for the request!)

[jedi-mabari]

If I posted some of my writing would anyone read it?

[concussed-to-pieces]

The Mettle Of A Man; Part Eight

Fandom: Fallout (4)

Pairing: Eventual Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Enjoy!

Part One: ArcJet

Part Two: The Prydwen

Part Three: Orders

Part Four: Finding Brandis

Part Five: Weston Water And Oberland

Part Six: Meeting Preston And Matthew

Part Seven: Radstag And Radstorm

The morale of the troops stationed at the airport seemed to have improved massively . Backhand secretly suspected that having Brandis back had raised everyone's spirits, but she wasn't about to say it out loud.

  Danse had been quiet for the remainder of their journey to the Prydwen, back to thinking a hole in the proverbial wall. Vega assumed he was probably just exhausted; he had already been awake and eager to move out by the time she roused herself that morning. She couldn't blame him. His power armor was long overdue for a greasing and she knew it wasn't an easy feat to move it with sticky bearings. Danse refused to take breaks though, simply chugging along at a steady trudge that she could match with ease. 

  They had agreed to skip a breakfast proper in lieu of eating on the march. A few stunted mutfruit that clung to a scrubby little bush beside the lean-to made their way into their stomachs, and Danse managed to acquire a box of Saddle Up when he gave the collapsed house next to the lean-to a cursory once-over. The two of them split the contents of the box, Danse folding his portion of Salisbury steak in half and tearing a piece out of it with his teeth like it was jerky. 

  Backhand followed suit, though a bit slower, trying to make the tough 'meat' last. She couldn't help but daydream about yesterday's breakfast, the tender meat of the radstag tossed with the soft tatos…

  Regardless of her rumbling stomach, she was glad to be back at the airport. With any luck, she'd be able to speak with Proctor Ingram and get her input on the schematics Virgil and Sturges had come up with. What was it that Nick had said?

  " Just a few more steps ."

  Danse touched her shoulder after they disembarked the vertibird on the flight deck. "I have to go deliver my armor to Ingram and then give Elder Maxson my report, Knight Vega. I suggest you locate Paladin Brandis so that you may retrieve your armor."

  Backhand saluted him sharply, tacking on the Ad Victoriam! at the end. Danse smiled with his eyes, but his face remained stern. 

  "Report to the grease pit once you're finished eating, Knight. Dismissed."

  "How did you know I was-?"

  "If I'm hungry, I imagine you are as well." Danse reasoned, "we ate lightly this morning and it's well past noon. Go get something to eat."

  "Yes sir , Paladin sir!" Backhand replied eagerly, bolting off. 

  Her boots clattered on the metal gangways as she strode towards the mess, ducking and dodging around armored knights and aspirants. Along the way, she heard the whispers that followed her.

  " Hey wasn't that the new sister? "

  " Her and Paladin Danse brought Paladin Brandis back to us! "

  " I heard Knight Vega is the General of the Minutemen -"

  " You're nuts , why would she join up with us if she's already in charge of somethin'? "

  Backhand did her best to ignore the ever-present circulation of scuttlebutt, the young woman making her way to the canteen with sure steps.

  …

  Praise be to whatever God still looked after mankind, Danse found himself redirected to Knight-Captain Cade before he could even think about going to the command deck. Ingram demanded that he submit to a thorough exam after she saw the level of damage his suit bore, and Danse wasn't about to tell a proctor no. If he relayed his briefing to Cade, Danse knew he could circumvent visiting Maxson directly. 

  "Ah, Danse! I'd heard you were back." Cade greeted the paladin hovering in the doorway, waving him in. "What brings you here, Paladin? More troubles of the heart?" He teased.

  Danse jerked to a halt. 

  Troubles of the heart? The words bounced around in his skull, demanding to be examined and oh God. Oh God , that's what had been wrong with him before! Danse wanted to beat his head against the wall. He hadn't been sick at all, not physically anyway. No wonder Cade had been so damned amused at all of his protesting.

  He forced himself to chuckle at the joke, forced himself to keep moving. Inside though, he wanted to scream. 'Troubles of the heart'. Love , as if he deserved to be able to so much as feel that emotion! As if he deserved anything after Cutler, after the catastrophic failure of Recon Squad Gladius!

  It was with panic that he thought back to that morning, to being calm and serene while he just... looked at her and...oh God no , he couldn't do this again. He wouldn't . 

  He shouldn't. 

  But…

  No! Think about what happened with Cutler! Think about what Arthur will do if he perceives her as a threat! Danse raged at himself. Don't be selfish for once in your damn life, she needs the Brotherhood and the Brotherhood needs her to get into the Institute. That's all . Don't make things more complicated, damn it!  

  All Danse could think about was her face right after he had found her lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood at Fort Independence, the desperate way she had entreated him.

  "- find my baby -" 

  Was she just trying to appeal to his sympathies? Danse could freely admit the compassionate nature he tried to bury had gotten him into more trouble than he would like over the years. But had she been playing the long game with that kiss at the police station? Certainly, if the Brotherhood hadn't caught their signal it would have been no skin off of her nose, she could move on to a new target. But since the Prydwen had shown up…

  Had Backhand attempted to get into his good graces just so she could get a better shot at saving her son? 

  As much as that reality would sting, he was unable to blame her for it. Danse already knew just how far he would go for his Brotherhood brothers and sisters, he couldn't even fathom what depths he would stoop to if he was trying to rescue his theoretical child. 

  Cade looked up from his clipboard. "What's wrong, Paladin? You look like you've seen a ghost."

  "I'm just...tired." Danse replied lamely. "Hungry." He swiftly changed the subject. "How is Brandis?"

  Cade leaned forward in his seat, unable to hide his clear interest. "I don't know how you managed to convince him to return, but he's doing remarkably well. We have him on a strengthening regiment, his body had been wracked by the radiation. Your knight surrendering her armor was a smart move."

  Your knight. Danse swallowed hard. "She is thoughtful." He said cautiously. Too much praise and it would be obvious that something was afoot, but too little could also tip the scales unfavorably. He found himself maneuvering a tightrope between his usual blunt honesty and this new, strange territory. 

  Many of the rank and file looked up to Danse due to his combat prowess and unflinching resolve. The paladin, in turn, was not necessarily overly free with his praise, but he tended to be more generous. A leftover from slogging along under Krieg's command, if Danse had to guess. The older paladin had cultivated Danse's eagerness to please into an unflagging tenacity through methods that were occasionally viewed as barbaric, but no one could fault his results. Still though, Danse wanted to be a fair leader, not a warlord or a tyrant who brought out the best in his troops through extreme duress.

  Had he been more like Krieg, maybe Gladius wouldn't have-- no , thinking that way would only drive him into a darker depression.

  He realized suddenly that Cade was giving him a quizzical look and Danse tried not to let his panic show. If Cade sussed him out, Vega would no doubt be reassigned. Maybe to Brandis? Hell, she would get the old codger killed -

  Cade got to his feet, asking Danse to follow his penlight with his eyes. The paladin obeyed, stifling a yawn as he did. "Still having trouble sleeping?" Cade asked calmly. "The headaches and nightmares?"

  "They come and go." Danse admitted. "I rarely sleep well, sir."

  "It's to be expected after everything you've gone through, Danse. You need to give yourself time , perhaps even take some leave-"

  Danse was already shaking his head, his hands clenched into fists on his thighs. "With all due respect sir, there is too much at stake in the Commonwealth."

  "And with even more respect, Paladin, you're working yourself into an early grave. Even earlier than you might anticipate. I'm well aware of your history and your mentality when it comes to the Brotherhood, but you need to consider the ramifications of your high-output lifestyle." Cade reasoned with a frown. "You'll burn yourself out at this rate. Hell, you might have already! Pay attention to your body, soldier. If you need to rest, then rest ." He placed a hand on Danse's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "You're no good to the Brotherhood dead, Danse."

  Danse nodded stiffly down at the floor. "Understood, sir." He then began to give his field report, Cade occasionally stopping him to ask for points of clarification.

  …

  Ingram hummed at the terminal, her eyes darting back and forth as she read through the information that scrolled across the screen. 

  "Okay. Okay alright, yeah. Your friend is a genius, but he's a bit of a savant. Gotta' tell him to branch out." She mumbled, almost like she was talking to herself. "Write this down for me, manipulating a pen in this suit is a terrible time."

  Backhand quickly accepted the clipboard Ingram pushed her way, hope rising in her heart as the proctor rattled off different statistics and theories about teleportation. Ingram expanded on Sturges' prior reasonings exponentially, seeming almost as excited as Backhand was at the plethora of new data to browse. Through a series of notes and ruler-lined diagrams, the proctor helped to fill in the gaps that Sturges had been struggling with. 

  "Of course, this is all speculation." Ingram sighed finally, sounding a little dejected. "If the Institute was really at the level of actual molecular reconstruction via relay, I get the idea that the Prydwen wouldn't still be in the air." She smiled at Backhand. "But hey, tell your friend 'thanks' from an old proctor. It was fun to think about. I don't get a lot of interesting or challenging data anymore, so this was a nice change of pace. If he ever wants to come aboard and talk shop, let me know and I'll try to get Maxson to give him a 'visitor's pass'."

  Vega was flabbergasted. Ingram apparently believed that Sturges just had limitless free time on his hands to flesh out such wild theories. She didn't think that any of it was real! The young woman collected herself after a moment, trying to think up an appropriate response. "I'll--I'll definitely let him know! I'm sure having someone intelligent to bounce his ideas off of will do him wonders." She promised, returning Ingram's smile. "He tends to leave me in the dust once he really gets going."

  Ingram groaned theatrically. "Ah, the burden of genius! Heavy is the head that wears the crown, you know how it is. It's times like these that I miss the hell out of Doctor Li."

  "Who was Doctor Li?"

  "Ah, she was one of our scientists back in the big CW. Worked on a lot of important stuff for the Brotherhood. Then one day she just kinda'-" Ingram gestured vaguely. "-went poof. Nobody ever heard from her again."

  Backhand had only been half-listening as she leafed through the notes, carefully collecting them all into a neat pile and stowing them in her satchel. But at the proctor's admission that their doctor had vanished , the former Vault-dweller straightened up. She squinted at Ingram. " Poof? "

  Ingram nodded. "Yep. Gone like she was never there. I personally think, after hearing about how the Institute operates, that our lead scientist got poached." She shrugged, her armor frame creaking loudly. "But that's just me. For all I know, Madison got bored."

  Backhand chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. Stealing a brilliant scientist from their chief opposition made sense. But she still had no idea why the Institute would have taken her son of all people.

  "Oh! Your armor, I almost forgot. Brandis had me tuck it away in bay six." Ingram said suddenly, hooking a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the bay. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious work ahead of me to unfuck Danse's gear. 'Outstanding', my ass ." She griped. "Man's got a death wish."

  Backhand tried valiantly to choke back her laughter at Ingram's exaggerated impression of Danse's " outstanding ", but failed miserably.

  "Ah, I see you too must have witnessed the fabled ' outstanding '?" Ingram chuckled. "It's his trademark, great stuff."

  "I am pleased to know that you find my speech patterns amusing , Proctor Ingram." Danse's voice made Backhand squeak. The paladin sauntered up beside Ingram, still ripping apart what looked like an entire pot pie. 

  "Danse! I see you still can't take a breather, even if it's only to eat." Ingram remarked pointedly, rolling her eyes. "You couldn't have sat down in the mess hall, Paladin?" 

  "Time is of the essence, Proctor." Danse said through a mouthful of tough crust. Backhand had grabbed a slice of it when she was in the mess. The filling wasn't half bad, but whoever had made the shell had worked their dough for far too long. Obviously Danse wasn't letting that stop him.

  "Danse it's gonna' take my scribes a hot minute just to get all the dents out, nevermind the greasing. Do me a favor, take your knight and go to Proctor Teagan for a new helmet." Ingram shooed the paladin off, rolling her eyes at Backhand. "A fine example for our troops, as long as they don't watch you eat ."

  "They should not be watching me eat to begin with-" Danse started to protest.

  " Danse . Go to Teagan."

  …

  Finding Paladin Brandis conversing with Teagan shouldn't have come as a surprise to Danse. After all, Brandis loved his armor and mods. It was odd to see the older paladin all cleaned up once again, the sides of his head uniformly shaved and his facial hair back to the semi-standard goatee.

  "Danse!" Brandis greeted him warmly and Danse wished that he didn't have crumbs all over his jumpsuit. He was startled when the other man hauled him into a hug, slapping him on the back. "It's good to see you in one piece, Paladin! I heard about what happened with your armor. It's always a trial if you have to abandon your gear." Brandis' smile was broad but his eyes were sad. 

  Danse swallowed, nodding in agreement. "Are we interrupting your discussion, Paladin Brandis?" 

  "Not at all! I was just about to stop monopolizing Teagan's time."

  "Brandis, the last thing you're doing is monopolizing." Proctor Teagan groaned, leaning his elbows on the counter. He perked up when Backhand scooted out around Danse. "New Blood! You're back in one piece!" 

  "Takes more than a sure-fail mission to locate a man who's been missing for over five years to stop me, Proctor Teagan." Knight Vega replied, giving him a salute as he laughed.

  "Now, Danse, what's this I hear about you half-scuttling your gear?" Teagan chided the large paladin. "You're lucky we like you around here, you know that?"

  Danse chuckled, nodding. "I'm well aware, Proctor. I must requisition a new helmet."

  "Psh, you think I'll have one that'll fit that big head of yours? We'll have to see." Teagan ribbed him, turning away from the counter and beginning to rummage in his crates.

  Danse heard the sound of small footfalls and abruptly Brandis was assaulted by one of the squires. "Paladin Brandis!" The child exclaimed, like he had just discovered the paladin. 

  "Yes, little one?" Brandis asked, taking the boy's cap off to ruffle his unruly blond curls. Danse caught himself wondering what young Matthew would be like as a squire. Would he be more quiet, prone to scribe work? Or would he still be mischievous, going places where he shouldn't, eventually donning a suit of power armor to defend him from the consequences of said mischief?

  And Backhand's own child, her Shaun. When they rescued him, what would he be like? He assumed she must also think about that, obviously more than he would. 

  Danse realized belatedly that Brandis had continued his conversation with the boy, the child rattling on and on to the paladin about being allowed to feed Scribe Neriah's mole rats. Danse just barely caught Knight Vega's wistful smile before Teagan was clattering a familiar helmet down on the counter. "And here it is! One brain bucket, complete with intact searchlight." The proctor announced proudly, sliding the requisition form over for Danse to sign. "I expect you to take better care of this one, Paladin. Knight, make sure he takes better care of this one." Teagan instructed, narrowing his eyes.

  Vega snapped another salute, "yes sir, Proctor sir!"

  "Where are you off to now, Danse?" Brandis asked curiously, the squire still clinging to his leg.

  "Well, as Knight Vega is in a probationary phase, I imagine we'll assist Scribe Neriah. Perhaps Proctor Quinlan has a job for us." Danse mused, scribbling DN-407P on the form. "I don't believe we'll be sent out with the rest of Gladius anytime soon. I ought to check in on them."

  "Recon Squad Gladius returned last night, sir!" The squire informed him with a clumsy salute. "They should be at the ground barracks, sir!"

  " Outstanding ." Danse said warmly, then he heard Backhand wheeze with laughter. "Oh, be quiet." He huffed, nudging her side with his elbow. 

  …

  Danse had left her to her own devices, stating that he would be checking in on the remainder of his squadron for the evening. 

  " If you'd like to pick up a few small assignments, I will be happy to assist you with them as I continue to sponsor you ." 

  So after a brief logistical kerfuffle that found her standing in Cade's doorway instead of Quinlan's, Backhand managed to get herself assigned to the illustrious task of rustling up technical documents. "My scribes do so enjoy their reading material." Proctor Quinlan remarked, seeming amused by the way the young woman fawned over Emmett. "If you locate anything you believe could be of interest, please bring it to me. A good soldier knows that an unanticipated edge is the preferred one."

  "Of course sir." 

  Backhand did feel just a bit guilty about using Proctor Ingram as Sturges' sounding board, but in her defense she had planned on telling the other woman the truth. It just was a little less... messy for the moment if Ingram didn't know everything.

  Vega knew she could ask Codsworth about technical documents once she got back to Sanctuary. The robot hadn't left the cul-de-sac for over two hundred years; he probably had an itemized list of every thing in every house . And since the Hills had been styled as veteran housing, there was bound to be a few items of interest. Plus, it was the perfect excuse to return to Sanctuary so she could fling all of Ingram's notes at Sturges. Fingers crossed that the genius could make sense of them.

  Backhand was tired of wasting time, tired of spinning her wheels. But she knew that the more she helped, the more people would be willing to help her when the time came. Having the numbers of an outfitted army on her side in case of something going wrong was an immense comfort, and it helped to soothe her worries. The familiarity of it didn't hurt either. The Minutemen were slowly becoming a force to be reckoned with, but their humble beginnings could be a bit glaring . This was the next best option.

  So she'd rifle through the debris of Sanctuary Hills one more time. The required company of Danse was more of a bonus than a detriment, in her opinion. She could keep him clear of the Prydwen a lot easier when they were halfway across the world from the airport. 

  Ingram's words echoed in her head, not for the first time since Danse had been assigned as her sponsor. 

  "... Danse is a good man and he shouldn't be getting jerked around, Elder or no ."

  Backhand frowned, tipping herself out from behind her armor in bay six. Her eyes landed on Danse's suit standing empty across the way as two scribes slowly coaxed the dents out of it. God, the damage had been sobering in the first place, but looking at it now was almost worse. The frame looked tired . 

  " That's Paladin Danse's armor?"

  Backhand jumped at the whisper from beside her. She hadn't heard the squire approach. "Yup. Crazy, huh?"

  "Is he...is he okay?" The little girl asked timidly, wide brown eyes staring up at Vega. 

  "He is! He's fine, I promise." Backhand patted the child's shoulder gently. "I helped him out, fixed him up real good."

  "Okay." The girl nodded, looking thoughtful. "Paladin Brandis is okay too. That's good. He's important." 

  "'Important', huh?" Backhand echoed, knowing she must sound bemused. This little girl was just being so serious , like she was trying to seem more adult. It was sweet, in a sad way. A testament to the burden put on these kids at such a young age.

  "Yes." The little girl puffed herself up a bit. "We need Paladin Brandis. He's important ."

  "Why is he important?" Backhand queried curiously. 

  "We…" the squire hesitated, like she had said too much. "He just is. I can't tell you. S'a secret."

  Backhand gave the child a salute, nodding. "Of course. Don't worry, I won't compromise your mission." 

  "W-Well, good!" She stuttered, adjusting her cap and giving Backhand a salute in return. "Ad Victoriam, knight. I gotta' go." She scampered off, leaving Backhand confused and somewhat entertained.

  He's important . 

  As she tucked in for the night, Backhand wondered what the child had meant. Was the squire being needlessly cryptic? Maybe she had overheard something she wasn't supposed to? 

  Backhand stared up at the dimly-lit innards of the Prydwen, the ribs of the massive airship barely visible in the dark. Another mystery , she mused ruefully. Her return to Sanctuary couldn't come soon enough.

  …

  Danse was summoned to the command deck at six hundred hours the following morning. He should have known that he wouldn't even be able to enjoy the company of Haylen and Rhys without suffering some kind of consequence.

  He hated how sweaty his palms were as he stood at attention, his back ramrod straight.

  "Paladin Danse, I was given your briefing yesterday by Knight-Captain Cade. Is there any particular reason you didn't come to me personally?" Arthur asked, sounding almost bored. Danse might have believed it if not for the current of anger that rasped in his voice.

  "Proctor Ingram sent me directly to Cade, Elder Maxson. My armor was in poor shape and she was concerned about my bodily state." The paladin replied evenly.

  "Brandis showed up well before you did. Why is that, Danse?"

  "Local civilians informed myself and Knight Vega of a super mutant infestation. It was during our assault on the compound that my armor took the damage. I needed time to repair-"

  Danse's explanation was cut off by the sound of heavy boots on the large ladder between decks. Brandis of all people emerged from the porthole, offering Danse a quick nod before focusing his attention on Maxson. "Elder! I have a request for flight support from-"

  "Brandis, how many times do I have to tell you not to interrupt me?" Arthur snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose.

  "And how many times do I have to tell you that nothing about the military is convenient or willing to wait on your long-winded tomfoolery?" Brandis retorted. "I have a knight requesting flight support, Maxson, and the presence of Paladin Danse."

  "Me?" Danse asked in confusion.

  Elder Maxson growled, then nodded. "Very well . I suppose your report from Cade will have to do. But in the future , Paladin Danse, I expect you in person on the command deck. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Of course, Elder." Danse saluted dutifully. "Ad Victoriam." Arthur just waved him off, obviously irritated. 

  Once they had returned to the engineering deck, Brandis clapped Danse on the shoulder. "Sorry about that, I didn't realize that he would try for you so early!" He apologized. "Knight Vega has been rarin' since five. I know he denied you air support before, but Vega said you two have a long ways to go for the assignment she picked up from Quinlan. It's easier to get something out of that little curmudgeon if you baffle him with rapid-fire requests."

  Danse sputtered, unsure if he had ever heard someone refer to the elder as a little curmudgeon . "I am glad that your respect for Elder Maxson is just as strong as ever, Paladin Brandis." He managed to say.

  "Arthur has gotten too big for a combination of his britches, his father's britches, and his grandfather's britches." Brandis chuckled, "it does him good to get brought back down to earth once in a while." He straightened up, giving Danse a gentle push in the direction of the armor bay. "Now go, go go get suited up before he changes his mind!" The older paladin urged impatiently.

  Danse noted when he reached the grease pit that Vega's armor was gone. Obviously she had wanted to get an early start. Danse grimaced ruefully, zipping up his jumpsuit. No matter what he did, it seemed to be the wrong thing. He wished he could go back to his bunk and try again in an hour or so. 

  He shook his head, then stepped into his armor. The gaskets hissed as the unit was sealed, the back plate latching down firmly. Danse picked up his new helmet, absently flipping it out of habit and then sliding it onto his head until it clicked into the gorget seal. The heads-up display flickered to life in front of his eyes, all readings nominal. Green across the board , as Lancer-Captain Kells would say.

  His heavy sabatons clunking firmly on the metal catwalks, Danse made his way to the flight deck.

  Backhand was there, her helmet tucked under her arm as she chatted animatedly with the pilot that ( presumably ) was taking them to their location. Danse still had no idea what their assignment was. Hell, he didn't even know if there was an assignment or if this was all just a conspiracy cooked up by Vega and Brandis to get him away from Maxson.

  A combination of embarrassment and gratitude flushed Danse's face beneath his helmet. He was relatively sure that neither of them knew what was truly going on between himself and Maxson. Maybe they had assumed the worst, thought that he was being abused or something to that effect. But it wasn't... really , technically. He was following orders. Orders that made him sick to his stomach and hot with shame, but he was a Brotherhood soldier and he would do as the elder commanded him.

  "Glad to see you taking initiative, Knight Vega." Danse commented loudly over the roar of the vertibird engine. 

  "Paladin! Good to see you bright and early. We have our heading from Proctor Quinlan, and I know just the place. This fine gal will be droppin' us off in Concord." Backhand explained and the pilot grinned, waving off the praise and gesturing for the two of them to climb aboard.

  …

  Backhand was practically vibrating with excitement when they finally touched down just outside of Concord. She was off and running down the main thoroughfare, leaving Danse to catch up with her.

  "Knight Vega!" The paladin protested.

  "Time is of the essence, Paladin!" Backhand yelled in reply, slowing briefly to a jog. 

  "Where are we even going , Vega?" Danse shouted. She didn't bother to answer, just making a sweeping motion with her arm as if to say hurry up! "I fail to see the strategic advantage of the two of us careening through the town like a stampede of brahmin!"

  "Just follow me and stop complaining!" Backhand laughed, maintaining her pace up the hill to the Red Rocket gas station. She paused at the top, waiting for Danse to come up alongside her before she pointed across the river. "Look." She said, a little breathless.

  Danse obliged, the paladin going still. "Another settlement?"

  "This is where I lived before the war." Backhand informed him, "Sanctuary Hills."

  Danse made a noise of acknowledgment, shifting his weight. "And the reason why we're here?" He pressed after a moment.

  Backhand smiled under her helmet, patting his shoulder. "Technical documents. Not only was this little development just teeming with ex-military, if that's not good enough my vault is up the hill."

  He was silent for a time and Backhand was getting a little worried that she had upset him somehow, but then out of the blue, " outstanding , Knight Vega." The warmth in his tone was unmistakable and she couldn't even bring herself to make a joke about his trademark term, too flustered by his praise to do anything aside from nod and start walking across the old bridge.

  Dogmeat came galloping to greet her, the mutt barking excitedly and fawning around her legs after she ejected from her power armor. "Hey Meat! Who's a good boy? Who's the best boy?" Backhand crooned, giving him belly rubs when he begged for them. 

  "Ah, Miss Vega! It is, as always, a delight to have you return to us. You look well!" Codsworth bubbled, the Mister Handy breezing over to her from his usual spot maintaining the patchy hedges. "And who is this that you've brought with you? Will I need to set an extra plate at dinner?" He inquired, two out of three eyestalks gazing up at the impassive paladin. 

  "Codsworth, this is Paladin Danse. I hope you can help the two of us out with a little project." Backhand said seriously, tapping her forehead against the cool metal of Codsworth's third eye. 

  The robot sputtered, "But of course , mum! Whatever the two of you need, if there's any way at all that I might assist you, I shall do my best." He waved his appendages around, mimicking a fighting stance. "Are there more ruffians about, mum? More interlopers? Has the Red Menace finally come to our doorstep? I'll give them a thorough drubbing, just send them my way!" He said staunchly.

  Backhand chuckled, shaking her head. "Nothing quite as exciting as all that, Codsworth. My friend works for a group that's dedicated to curating and preserving technology, and we were sent out expressly to find documents that might be useful. I know you've been here for a while, and I was hoping that you might-"

  "Oh, if it's old, musty, suspicious documents you're after, Miss Vega, I must say you've come to the right place!" Codsworth lowered his voice conspiratorially, "why, I've got it on good faith that your neighbor was a dirty commie spy! " He sounded scandalized. "Mr. Sturges says that I am too quick to jump to conclusions, but can you even imagine-? "

  "Codsy, if I told you once I told you a thousand times, don ' t you be puttin' words in my mouth!" Sturges shouted from his usual position by the workbench, giving Backhand a friendly wave. "Howdy General, how was your vacation?"

  "A nightmare." Vega admitted, "Weston was infested all over again." 

  "Oo, that's a tough place to get a handle on. I assume you got it sorted though? I mean, you're the general for a reason." The man mused, wiping his hands off on a rag and cocking his head. "So this is the fella' from the police station? Land sakes, you didn't skimp on your description." He teased, making Backhand wince self-consciously as he sauntered over. "I know Preston's got mixed feelin's on the Brotherhood, but I figure any heavily-armored port in a radstorm, right?" 

  Sturges stopped in front of Danse, squinting up at the man's helmet. Danse removed it after a moment, the seal hissing and steaming a little in the cool morning air. "Paladin Danse, Brotherhood of Steel." He intoned, extending one large gauntlet to the mechanic.

  Sturges chuckled, gamely shaking the massive hand presented to him. "Sturges. I fix things. Suppose that'd be an engineer or a mechanic to you military folks."

  "Speaking of fixing things..." Backhand dug into her satchel, tugging free the ream of notes she had from Ingram. "I brought you a present!" She sang, passing the incomprehensible sheaf of paper to the other man.

  Sturges whistled after flipping through the first few pages, his eyebrows launching up until they were hidden by his goggles. "Damn, this is good. General, this is real good. Like, ' we might pull this off ' kinda' good!" He said giddily. 

  "Yeah?" Backhand replied eagerly. "Danse and I will be here for a few days, so if Jun or Marcy are busy-"

  "I'll ask you, of course. Thanks for this, General. It really helps to have an extra pair of eyes lookin' over my work." Sturges drawled sincerely. 

  "How is Mama Murphy doing?" Vega asked, twiddling her fingers nervously.

  "She got up earlier this mornin'! She came out and had her coffee with me. I'd say she's doin' better. Shorin' herself up." Sturges smiled. "We got a lifetime of chem problems to work through, y'know, so I ain't expectin' any overnight miracles."

  "Yeah, I guess not." Backhand frowned. "I still wish there was more I could do."

  Sturges put a hand on her arm. "You done more than enough, General. More than most folks would have. Don't worry about Mama Murphy. She's a tough ol' gal."

  …

  Evening fell over the settlement and Danse was grateful for the opportunity to simply rest his eyes. He knew why Quinlan had such thick glasses now. He had only dug into one box of documents and his head was still spinning from all the fine print!

  Backhand yawned, eyes lidding and mouth going slack with the effort. "God, I am beat ." She confessed, laughing a little. "It's pretty sad that all it takes to get me braindead is reading about failed observations and leafing through old refrigerator manuals."

  "I find the manuals miles more interesting. I've always enjoyed that sort of practical research." Danse remarked. "It has real-life applications in the field, but these other things…" he heaved a sigh. "I wish Haylen had been permitted to come along with us. She is far more adept when it comes to cataloging. I was not trained as a scribe."

  "Well, I would say we should burn the midnight oil, but I'm pretty sure we've both got mush for brains right now." Vega got to her feet, taking a moment for a full-body stretch. "We can get back to this tomorrow. Right now, I'm hungry."

  "Dinner will be ready in a moment, mum!" Codsworth assured from his spot just outside the front door, continuing to rotate the meat on its spit over the fire.

  Danse abruptly realized that he was starving , the delicious smell of the roasting yao guai making his stomach rumble. It had been hours since they had eaten, and he had been so focused on the task at hand that he hadn't even noticed. He neatly collected the papers spread out on the floor and shuffled them all together, placing them on top of the boxes Vega had already made her way through. 

  Truthfully, this neighborhood had been a hotbed of observation and it made him feel a little antsy now that he didn't have the mind-numbing documents to distract him. It was foolish to be concerned about such things, Danse told himself. Anyone who might have been observing this area was long dead. It wasn't as if he and Backhand would be spirited away in the night by 'the men in suits'. Although...it was a little disconcerting to realize that those occurrences were considered normal back in the pre-war era.

  Knight Vega, oblivious to his inner quandary, was digging through the rickety refrigerator. "You want a Nuka? Or a beer?" She asked.

  Danse opened his mouth. Hesitated. Bought himself time by climbing upright and doing his own series of light stretches. One beer was surely acceptable in the field? Surely? He had known many a commanding officer that hadn't let their duties stop them from getting intoxicated. It had been a short eternity since he had imbibed any spirits. 

  Surely just one would be alright. "Beer, please." 

  In a motion so fluid it must have been muscle memory, Vega hooked the cap of the beer on the edge of the battered formica counter and quickly slammed it down, prying off the top with ease. "Cheers, Paladin." She tipped the bottle to him and Danse caught it around the neck, nodding his thanks before taking a long drink. 

  Being alone was dangerous in the field, he mused for the hundredth time, as it made him neglect his own needs. He hadn't even noticed that he was hungry or thirsty until Backhand insisted that they pause for the evening. Danse couldn't even count the amount of nights Haylen or Rhys had to force him to stop patrolling the police station so he would get some rest. It was just so easy for him to sink into a rut, a routine, ignoring everything else in favor of it. 

  Her own Nuka Cola received the same treatment, foaming up a little in protest. Backhand laughed, hurrying to gulp the soda down before it overflowed. 

  "Where will I be bunking for the evening, Knight Vega?" Yes, Danse was technically in charge, technically her sponsor, but this was her house. He wasn't so bold to presume that he would be permitted to sleep wherever he wanted.

  Backhand tapped her lips with the Nuka Cola bottle as she appeared to think. "I mean, we can haul a bed into here for you? I imagine you don't want to sleep on the floor." She reasoned.

  "I would rather not, if there is an available bed." Danse agreed, grimacing. 

  "Alright, after dinner me and Sturges can grab one of the extra beds." 

  "Alternatively, you can direct me to it and I can move it myself." Danse didn't mean to sound so petulant, but he hardly needed another man and his ward to accomplish a task he should be more than capable of. Backhand began to laugh, her mirth making Danse scowl self-consciously. " What? " He finally muttered.

  "Nothing! Nothing at all. I will absolutely take you to the bed ." Backhand sputtered.

  Danse took a moment to consider her words, and a reluctant smile disrupted his stoic expression. "Honestly Knight, you are incorrigible ." He huffed, unable to bite back his own chuckle at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. Here they were, laughing like aspirants over some inadvertently ribald humor. He felt foolish, though not necessarily in a bad way. "Yes yes, Knight Vega, take me to bed." He announced, outstretching a hand to her. "Next thing you know, you'll be making jokes about sleeping together." 

  His heart raced when she winked at him. "We've already done that, keep up Paladin!"

Part Nine

[anxietymuffin]

Tales from the Wasteland: Chicken Soup for the War Veterans Soul

[monerelurking]

❤️☕ - Reina + 🥀💕 - Ruth

From this list

Reina (my blue kitty anthro)

❤️ What would your OC’s ideal lover be like? Appearnce, personality, voice? Would their family approve or would it be civil war?

- I never really thought about a “template” for her, though as she often used to run away into the countryside and be her wild self, I guess she might’ve had a type similar to herself. Independent, free, no objections to get dirty (both in the  literal and naughty sense), inspiring. As she lives in a furry/anthro world, she could have a preference for other cats or canines and/or mustelids (that’s why she got quickly attracted to Cade, my other pine marten oc, because why not). These don’t apply to gender. She met some butch women in her time and it got her really flustered. 

☕ Give us one (or more if you feel like it) of your OCs deep dark secrets! Why do they keep it hidden? Spill the tea!

- Not sure if she had any more than this one, but there is one story she’s never told anyone and possibly never will. As mentioned in the previous answer, she used to escape into the woods, fields etc. when she was a kitten, most often with a small group of friends who shared the same interest in going into forbidden places or just being free. So one summer they came to visit one peer’s grandparents living in a remote area, far from bigger towns. They wandered far into a forest, farther than any one of them had had before, and stumbled upon a hanging man. Pretty high in a tree, by then already half-decomposed, impossible to tell if it was self-inflicted or a murder. They came back running and swore to never tell anyone about this, ever. A few years later their ways parted as the school ended and Reina had to move away with her mother. This secret stayed with them only, as far as she knows.

Ruth (fallout oc)

🥀 Has your OC ever been hurt by someone they love? Ever been betrayed? Abused? Attacked? Give me the angst! (if you’d like, write a short drabble about it!) 

- Yes, definitely (though really, who hasn’t been somehow hurt by the ones they care about?). In her case, the one person she considered the true love of her teenage years turned out to be a manipulative guy who cared mostly about his position and luck, taking advantage of her naivety. He himself was also masterfully directed by other people, though it doesn’t justify his behaviour. No such other things happened in the future, or so I haven’t yet made them up~

💕 How is your OC like with physical affection? What are their boundries? Do they enjoy being touched or is that a no-go? Is there any reason behind this?- She’s… 50/50 on this one. She’s ok with hugs and -occasional- affectionate touches, but only by those she likes and trusts. She’ll move away from anyone who’s being too fondly intimate for no reason. Ruth is always seen wearing long-sleeves and generally being all-clothed with a few layers (though I like to draw her otherwise to show the patterns, but it’s not an everyday look). She hates her skin and would probably bite your hand off/freeze if you just slid it under her shirt without her knowing/allowing it, so please don’t do it, for your own safety.

[returnn-of-the-mac]

Want some angst? Probably not, but I'm giving it to you anyways! Imagine if Sosu was actually affected by the radiation in the wasteland. So, basically, I'm requesting companions (And whoever you want to add in there) reacting to Sosu getting radiation sickness. Not turning in to a ghoul or anything, just, fumking suffering.

Oooh man this one was fun! I’d forgotten how much I liked writing angst! I hope you like it! (Also: I’m on mobile right now, so pardon the large gaps and the lack of a “read me.” I’ll fix that once I get back home😊)

Fallout 4 Companions React Headcanon: Sole Critically Ill From Radiation Poisoning

Sole and their companion had been venturing out toward the Glowing Sea when the pair stumbled upon a building apparently known as the “Electrical Hobbyist’s Club.” The place looked small enough, so Sole insisted that their companion stand guard outside while they scavenged around the decrepit building.

Danse: Danse shifted around uncomfortably in his power armor. “I have a premonition that something terrible is going to happen in there,” the Paladin muttered to himself, “I shouldn’t have let them venture in there alone. I was negligent of my duty as their commanding officer. Maybe I should-“ before he could finish his sentence, he saw a sickly Sole slowly crawling down the building’s ramp. “Soldier!” He bellowed, running up to his partner. “What’s…what’s going on? You look so frail.” Sole struggled to raise their head to look at their concerned companion. Then everything went black. Danse, now fully alert, promptly scooped up Sole’s limp body in his arms and used a Vertibird signal. He knew he needed to get Sole to Knight-Captain Cade as soon as possible. As he held his sickly companion close and waited for the aircraft, he verbally released his pent-up self-disappointment “Goddammit! Why didn’t I follow my instincts? I knew this would happen. If I had just accompanied [him/her], this could have been prevented. I’ve failed [him/her] just like all of the others who have fallen under my command.”

Piper: Piper was casually smoking a cigarette when she saw Sole crawling down the ramp. “Well there you are! I was beginning to brainstorm some catchy headline for a missing person’s article!” When she saw that Sole was unresponsive, she sensed that something was wrong. She immediately stomped out the remainder of the cigarette and rushed to her companion’s aid. “Blue! Oh Blue! What happened in there? Are you okay? Look at me Blue. Look at me.” Sole fainted. Piper gasped in alarm and held her companion against her, shaking them gently. “ [Name]? [name]? Say something. Anything! Please!” She desperately gave Sole all kinds of food and medicine in an attempt to help them.

Strong: Strong was standing with his arms crossed and pouting. “Bah! Why human leave Strong behind. Human not care about Strong. Strong leaving back to tower.” Before Strong could walk away, he noticed Sole crawling down the ramp. “There you are! Strong angry! Strong leaving!” Strong stopped yelling when he noticed his partner facedown in the dirt. “Human?” Strong flipped Sole over and realized that his partner was in critical condition. Strong picked Sole up and threw them over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, human. Strong help. Strong bring you to medicine man.”

Ada: Ada was rummaging for junk when she detected movement nearby. She scanned the area and noticed Sole crawling down the ramp. “[Sir/Ma’am]? My systems have detected that your functionality levels are critically low— a mere 2%. I will now run a mandatory diagnostics scan.” Ada scanned Sole and analyzed the findings. “The troubleshoot has indicated a dangerously high level of Radiation in your body. Immediate medical assistance is required. I shall send out a distress signal for help.”

Hancock: Hancock was taking a hit of jet when he saw Sole crawling down the ramp. “Hey there, pal. You ain’t lookin too hot.” Sole tried to look at Hancock, but failed to raise their head more than a few inches. Hancock frowned. “What happened in there? Take in too many Rads? When I suggested you to go ghoul I didn’t actually mean it.” Sole passed out. Hancock sighed. “I am not high enough to deal with this shit right now.” After popping a few Mentats, Hancock directed his attention back to Sole. “Now. Let’s see if I can work some magic here with the year of medicine I was forced to study back in the Diamond City days.”

Gage: “Damn. What the hell are they doin in there? We ain’t got all day!” Gage muttered. “Hey boss! Hurry the hell up in there!” Gage then noticed Sole crawling down the ramp. “You okay? You ain’t lookin too hot.” Sole managed to drag themself to the bottom of the ramp before blacking out. “Wha— shit!” Gage jogged over to Sole, crouched down, and started shaking them. “Wake up, boss. This ain’t funny. I’m serious. I swear, I’ll kick your ass if you’re messin with me right now.” When Gage realized that his partner was in critical condition, he rummaged through his inventory to find anything that would help. His search was unsuccessful. “Ain’t got much of anythin useful on me now, but I’ll get the good shit. Hang in there for a little longer, boss.”

Longfellow: Longfellow was eying a radstag when he heard movement coming from behind him. He turned around to see Sole dragging themself down the ramp. “Hm, what’s wrong, [name]? Throw out your back? That happens with old age. One day you’re a strapping, young buck, the next your a feeble, old goose.” Sole passed out. “Christ almighty! You’ve seen better days, haven’t ya?” Longfellow gently picked up Sole’s limp body. “Time to get you to a medic. You’ll be okay.”

Codsworth: Codsworth was humming to himself when he saw Sole crawling down the ramp. “[Sir/Mum]!” He cried as he rushed over to his limp companion. “What on earth happened to you?” When Sole was unresponsive, Codsworth activated medicine mode. He immediately got to work tending to Sole. After a few moments, Sole regained consciousness and was able to recover.

X6-88: X6 was sitting on a rock when he noticed Sole crawling down the ramp. He walked over to his partner. “[Sir/Ma’am], you do not look well. I am cutting this mission to the Glowing Sea short; we can resume it at a later date. You need medical attention right away.” X6 picked up Sole and teleported then to the Institute.

Cait: Cait was polishing her shotgun with an old dishrag she found nearby when she saw Sole crawling down the ramp. “There ye are. I was beginin to think you were gonna spend the night in there. Now quit fumblin’ around and let’s get a move on.” Sole suddenly fainted. Cait rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, quit fuckin with me. It’s not funny.” When Sole didn’t move, Cait began to worry. She walked over to were Sole was lying and crouched down. “Seriously, drop the act. You’re scarin me.” Sole didn’t respond. Cait began violently shaking Sole. “Wake up, god dammit! Please!” She the picked up Sole and tossed them over her shoulder and began her quest to find the nearest doctor.

MacCready: An annoyed MacCready lazily kicked a tin can across the dirt while waiting for his companion. “Hey, you know, if you had maybe told me you were going to be taking your sweet time in there, I wouldn’t have agreed to be the sitting duck!” He called out in frustration. Just then, he saw Sole slowly crawling down the ramp. “Finally. Jeez next time you search a place for a century and a half, you should-“ MacCready paused, sensing that something was off about his partner. “You good, [Name]?” Sole fainted. “[Name]!” MacCready ran over to his limp companion and sat them upright, using his arms and body as support. “No…no no no no. This can’t be happening. Not again. Tell me this isn’t happening again.” MacCready fought back tears as he frantically searched his bag for something to help Sole. “Hang in there, please. I can’t lose you too. Please stay with me, [name].”

Curie: Curie was examining a patch of carrot flowers when she noticed Sole slowly crawling down the ramp. She instantly sensed that something was wrong and rushed to their aid before they could even fully make it down the ramp. “Oh non [Madam/Monseiur]! Please, relax, stop trying to move. You will surely faint if you continue to expend energy in this state.” She got two purified waters out of her bag: one for Sole to drink, and one to hold on Sole’s forehead to cool them down. She gently held Sole as she injected them with a concoction of carefully selected medicine. After a few minutes, Sole was able to recover.

Deacon: “Hmm…do I want to go for the dreamy surgeon, the hunky park ranger, or the kinky fireman look for my next disguise?” Deacon wondered aloud as he waited for his companion. Just as he was about to change his disguise, he noticed Sole weakly dragging themself down the front ramp. “Hey! What do you think my next disguise should be? Maybe Angsty Teenager?” Sole fainted. “Too much? Yeah I don’t really want to wear a spiked choker, to be completely honest. Not my cup of Nuka.” Sole didn’t respond, and Deacon nervously scratched his head. “Earth to [name]! Hello? Anyone home?If you can hear me, say ‘Deacon is the coolest guy in the Commonwealth!’” When Sole remained silent, Deacon realized the gravity of the situation. He crouched down next to Sole and say them up, using his body as support. “Hey, I’m going to contact the HQ and get you some help as soon as possible. Hang in there, pal.”

Nick: Nick was reading a book when he noticed that Sole had been taking a really long time. “Wonder what’s holding them up in there? Maybe I should check on them.” Just as he started making his way to the entrance, Sole pushed themself through the door and started crawling down the ramp. “Oh my God, are you okay?” Nick asked, rushing over to his weak companion. He sat them against the wall. “You’re burning up. Here,” he said, giving Sole a purified water and some crispy squirrel bits. “I’ll contact Ellie and see if she can send out a distress signal out. Don’t worry, pal. We’ll get you fixed up.”

Preston: Preston was pacing around anxiously, waiting for Sole to emerge from the dilapidated building. “The General is taking way too long in there. [He/She] might have gotten into trouble. I have to check-in.” Just as Preston was about to enter the building, Sole weakly pushed themself through the door. “General!” Preston shouted as he rushed over to his struggling companion. He knelt down beside them just as they blacked out. “Goddammit, I’ve done it again!” Preston harshly whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. “General, I’m so sorry I let you down. But I’m not going to let you die. I’ll contact the nearest settlement and get you treated.”

Dogmeat: Dogmeat patiently waited for his best friend to come back outside. Suddenly, his ears perked. He sensed movement coming from the direction of the building and knew it was Sole. Something was off though. He whimpered and sprinted over to the building at full speed just as Sole weakly pushed through the door. Before Sole could hit the cold, metal ramp, Dogmeat jumped in front of his friend and caught them on his back. Dogmeat widely whimpered as he sensed how critical Sole’s condition was. He didn’t want to leave Sole alone, but he knew they needed help. He began to bark as loud as he could in the hopes of catching someone’s attention. When that failed, he decided to take to the road to try to find someone who could help.