#convinced me to drag this out of deep wips hell (the ‘finished’ folder for shit that’s not actually finished but I’m done looking at it)

[bokatan]

A moment of acceptance (for the fanfic ask)?

[ crucial moments prompt ]

Rating: T

Word count: 549

Pairing: Reed & Mercy

Fandom: Fallout

Content warning: wound/injury descriptions, discussions about ghoulification

putting this under a read more for Reasons listed above

“You’ve had more radiation exposure recently.” It’s more of a statement than an actual question. The ghoul’s scarred hands skate across the pale shoulder in front of her, dappled with reds and purples; her hands pause once they hit an area mottled with a sickly indigo hue. The darkest splotches have already started to give way, revealing new skin underneath with a raw, ulcerated texture similar to the hands tending it. 

“My geiger malfunctioned. Had to check a location out for one of the scribes, but this thing’s been acting up since the screen cracked.” 

“You really need to have someone take a look at that thing.” Mercy sighs as she gently dabs at the skin in front of her with some saline-soaked gauze. Reed tenses at the contact when more discolored tissue sloughs off with almost no pressure. “This would heal so much faster if you’d let me actually treat it.”

“I know it’s not going to work. It’s redundant to put more radioactive shit on top of the radiation scarring I already have.” 

“You’re missing the point. You’ll develop different responses to radiation as this progresses, but you need more exposure to trigger those mutations. Trying to drag it out like you’ve been doing is just going to make this more susceptible to infection.” Mercy carefully pats the area dry with fresh gauze before applying a layer of medicinal honey. She pauses momentarily to grab dressings to put over it. “I’m not going to force it on you but I know it’ll make this easier to deal with. I hate to say it but you’re not my first ghoulifying patient- that poultice has worked as intended on everyone I’ve used it on.” 

Reed turns his head to try and look at her. Mercy shoots a hard look back before he can open his mouth. “Don’t. We both know what this is- it’s not up for debate.” 

Reed turns back and focuses on the supply shelves in front of him with a hard expression. Mercy takes a few minutes to finish wrapping his shoulder before she speaks again. “I know this is hard for you. I’m trying to help, but you need to stop trying to fight me over it.” 

“That’s the thing though- you don’t know what’s going to happen. None of us do. I don’t want to encourage this when neither of us know what it’s going to turn into.” Mercy stands and gently presses a kiss to Reed’s temple. Something about the action makes his chest feel tight- despite the stark changes in appearance and the number of years they’ve been apart, she’s still the same person he used to know. 

“It’s terrifying. I know- trust me, I haven’t forgotten that part. It’s going to happen no matter what and I’m going to do what I can to help you, but you can’t just keep denying it like this.” 

“I think I need to stop listening to Cade,” Reed replies. “I know the whole cult’s awful about ghouls but he’s especially bad- he talks about it like it’s a death sentence. ”

“It might be for them. I mean, have you heard of anyone in their ranks dealing with this?” 

Reed pauses. “I- honestly haven’t. I’ve heard about deaths from rad poisoning, but nothing about ghouls.”