#maccready didn’t have any help as a kid. he went through it all by himself. he had to suffer alone

[sas-afras]

i kinda don’t get people who characterize maccready as like… secretly generous, or having a heart of gold or anything. like don’t get me wrong i don’t think he’s downright malicious or anything, but the dude is absolutely a selfish jerk once you get past the charming facade. that’s the part that’s compelling!

like, he’s nice enough and open enough with the player once you get high enough affinity with him, but his reactions to player actions still point to him being a jerk overall. the sosu just happens to be in His Circle of people he can be vulnerable with. that includes you, his son, and maybe daisy. everyone else can kick rocks, the same way it was in little lamplight

he HAD to grow up with that kind of “us vs the world, every man for himself” mentality in the capitol wasteland. doing so otherwise gets you killed or taken advantage of, which is just protracted death anyways. having grown up in a place where slavers run rampant, people are all pushing each other further down just to boost themselves up and live one more day, and it’s literally impossible to make renewable food sources because the ground is so poisoned i genuinely don’t blame him for ending up a little tight fisted. the fact that he was the mayor of little lamplight just meant that he ended up being able to accept a few people as His To Protect instead of being a total lone wolf.

the way he reacts to the players open generosity isn’t just for show, he Actually Dislikes when you give stuff away without expecting anything in return. you might need that thing and now its just gone!! that person might see you as a sucker! you give an inch and they’ll take a mile! and it makes sense for his character to be like that considering everything. i don’t get why people want to change that into him just being kind of tsundere.

i understand that having your babygirl blorbo comfort character be a canonical asshole in ways that aren’t just kinda charming can be offputting, but like…. the way he treats the sosu is a very notable exception to the rest of his life & it’s a much more interesting dynamic imo. especially if you’re playing a goody two shoes martyr. but that’s just me

[slocumjoe]

2 headcanons per companion

Cait:

- Touchy person. After learning and understanding that it doesn't inherently mean pain, learns to speak and hear it as a love language. Her touches are very jock, though. Shoulder slaps, light punches, hair ruffling, kind of an older brother form of physical affection. Often gets into play-fights with MacCready.

- Has a lovely singing voice, but no one knows because she never sings. Ever. If she sang, it would be a quiet, raspy croon. The type of singing you'd expect to hear in a castle ruins at the coast during a storm. Haunting and enchanting.

Curie:

- Amazing baker, not so good at cooking. Baking is a science, cooking is more about intuition and creativity. She's a by-the-books girl, and unless she has an exact recipe, her cooking is going to taste like anxiety. Great at breads, burns eggs. Always makes delicious muffins, her soups and stews are flavorless and soggy.

She has no idea. Thinks it's fine, and no one will dare tell her to stick to dough-based foods.

- The first time she got drunk, it was off wine. She woke up with her head in agony and on the roof of a shack about 50 miles away from Sanctuary. And with a tattoo on her back. Doesnt know about the tattoo. No one knows about the tattoo. It's a spoon. A very poorly done spoon. Possibly a ladle.

Danse:

- This man may as well be a bear. He has a big appetite, sleeps like he's hibernating for winter, is covered in thick body hair. Danse will wake up only for his natural alarm, his clock alarm, or someone walking up to him and telling him to get up. No noise or physical disturbance will wake him. Nothing. As for his stomach, he isn't a glutton, but look at him. Big guy needs fuel. He can eat a normal amount and be fine, but could get himself kicked out of Golden Corral.

- Speaking of food. He eats everything with no reaction regardless of if he likes it or not. It looks like he's bored even if he's eating the rare good meal. Food is just something neutral, with cons to certain things. He prefers plainer flavors, but is immune to spice. Can drink an entire bottle of Tabasco sauce, Sriracha sauce, and a chile sauce with no expression. The blank stare and spice immunity aren't synth things, Curie and X6 are just the opposite.

Deacon:

- Takes long walks at night through settlements. Feels at peace in liminal spaces. The ruins of Boston and all the other destroyed cities don't have the same effect. Something about being the only one aware, living unnoticed in a place filled with people. It's lonely, but nothing gives the same clarity.

- Hates subway tunnels. Go on forever, too long to see what's at the end, something could be at any corner - they creep him out. If you still, you'll hear something. Machinery even when the place is inactive. Shuffling. Even stiller, might hear breathing echoing from way down a tunnel. Hates it to hell and back. Has to take a long smoke break if he has to go in one alone.

Hancock:

- Weird with kids. Likes them, but worries about himself. He isn't the...best example. He has no filter, they can tell something is wrong about him, and he just doesn't know how to act. They're just tiny humans, but there are rules. He doesn't want to accidently hurt them or inspire them to follow his screwed up footsteps.

- He doesn't care about what people think unless he cares. Some schmuck sneering at him when he pops a mentats? That guy's issue. Nick's frown? Curie's wide-eyed fretting? The way Cait's face goes soft and her eyes crinkle in sympathy?

...that matters.

He starts using less.

MacCready:

- Extravert. He needs his space, but hates being alone. Not having a support to fall back on is terrifying. The most anxious he'd ever been since Lucy died was his time alone in the Commonwealth. Sure, he had people, but not...not people of his own. Not a family. Leaving his boy was hard and being alone just as. Was often nauseous and prone to headaches until the SoSu.

- Hates the acknowledgement of intimate body parts in public. Hancock and Cait went on a tirade of sex jokes and he was just as, if not more, squeamish as the other prudes. While exploring a vault, a sex ed video came on the projector and he was red as a tomato for hours. It didn't help that he was standing in front of it and...well. You know what happens when you stand in front of projectors.

Goes all blushy when more adult talk comes up. Apparently Danse didn't know what m*sturbation was and that moment in that room nearly had him crawling out of his skin.

Nick:

- Has a little switch in his brain that decides if he's capable of math. One day he'll be a walking calculator, another he'll forget that 7 is more than 6. He was a weird math student. Did all the reading and none of the work, aced the tests. You put him under pressure and he'll crank out the craziest equations, but you ask him to multiply two 4 digit numbers and you can see a little blue swirl in his eye before he sighs and goes to fetch scratch paper. Being a good tester doesn't mean he's not a born theater kid.

- Coat pockets are portals to other dimensions. Has everything you need. Bobby pins? Check. Ammo? Check. Food rations? Clean water? Smokes? Check. A small statue of Cappy? A page from a magazine that was never released due to a MLM scam in the publishing company? Half a pair of sunglasses?

Sometimes puts random garbage in his pockets just to screw with Ellie. Other times, genuinely doesn't know where things come from. Once found a yao gui claw in his chest pocket. It's a good luck charm, but he never picked it up and no one could have slipped it in. Jokes about the coat being haunted, but only half joking.

Piper:

- Opposite to Nick, things go missing in her coat. Nick calls it "the washer" for some reason. She'll drop a pen in a pocket and never see it again. Double checks the pockets for holes and splits before heading out. Still loses things. Once lost a whole pistol.

But more interestingly. She lost a purple gel pen.

Week later, Nick pulls a purple gel pen out of his pocket.

Has a corkboard for the theories about the connection.

- Makes an amazing stew of yao gui, carrots, potatoes, stingwing honey, and various herbs. Its a family recipe that just isn't a normal stew, there's something different about it. When asked, will joke that it's human meat. Very few people realize she's joking. Either way, it has a flavor that sets it apart from other stews.

The secret?

There's a mutated form of garlic in the southeast part of the Commonwealth.

Only her family knows where it grows and what it looks like.

Preston:

- Not so much of a night owl as much as he just...doesn't have a steady circadian rhythm. You can find him in the kitchen at 1 pm asleep on the counter in the middle or awake at 1 am making a 3 tiered cake. Doesn't have an alarm clock. His sleeping pattern bothers even the poorest sleepers. Danse is visibly upset when he describes his schedule.

- His history of partners, both romantic and purely sexual, is crazy. He has the most interesting and horrifying stories. One girlfriend was convinced she was the reincarnated Mistress of Mystery. A boyfriend cheated on him with his step grandmother. He was once involved in a multi-person break up because apparently his boyfriend was in a poly relationship that went south on all fronts due to a chem deal's profits going missing as they were about to split the caps.

Don't ask about Marge.

Marge was...probably something he imagined during a fever.

X6:

- His pantries and fridge have nothing but junk food. He likes vegetables and fruit, but they take up valuable sugar space.

Once ate a giant, 200+ year expired cheesecake and puked for an hour. When Nick found out, popped a fuse. X was out of commission for...so long. Turns out he's lactose intolerant.

- Has been flirted with so many times. Each time, turned pink and lost all control of his words. He becomes a stuttering, cherry-cheeked mess at romantic interest. Not because he reciprocates, he just wasn't trained for it. There is no protocol for "Wanna come back to my place?"

Someone kissed his cheek and he actually ran and jumped out of a window to escape. Hancock has it on video and sometimes watches it to produce serotonin.

[wastelandlovingscenarios]

The male companions and f!sole fake dating for a mission?

this one is sooo cute! i love it. thank you for requesting! i don’t have a specific scenario and i’m in class so for this request, i will keep it general. let’s say they’re crushing on the ss hard. ❤️

-

Danse:

horrible. he’s horrible at this kind of stuff. in fact, he’s probably the one who does this mission the worst out of all the companions. he stumbles over his words, blushes intensely, and loses himself in the process. everytime sole sends him a cute, flirty look to go with the flow of the situation, hes already midway through a heart attack. whenever sole slips her small hand in his own, he becomes dizzy and you could literally feel the steam radiating off of his body. as much as he wanted to help sole complete the mission, his mind wasnt capable of thinking straight and all he could really focus on was the feeling of their hands pressed together. hearing sole call him, ‘love’, ‘boyfriend’, and ‘sweetheart’ only made him more nervous than he already was. how do boyfriends act when stuff like this happens?

danse scolded himself for looking like a fool in front of sole herself and the random bartender that continued to eye him down. despite all his worries and anxiety, he doesn’t really want the sensation of these small moments to end any sooner. the feeling of their hands intertwined and sole sticking close to him only pushed him to protect her more. he didn’t want this to be a one time thing, especially not when this feeling felt so right to him. it was just so new and foreign - it excited him. as they exited the building, he felt the disappointment build up as he felt soles hand retreat from his but fought the urge to grab it back. his eyes never left soles hand as they both walked back to sanctuary, danse still remaining suspiciously quiet with a red face. maybe, just maybe, he’ll confess to sole sooner than later.

Deacon:

he was good at fake dating. well, good at it with someone he didn’t like. this was different. this was someone he actually had feelings for and he nearly hit his own head trying to get up from his bed as des sent deacon and sole to a mission. “you’re kidding, right?” deacon would laugh nervously, hoping it was a joke coming from his boss. she was not kidding, not one bit. here he was, trying to act natural as sole tried to persuade the man to spill some information. once the man questioned their intentions with the place they tried to gain intel on, sole placed a small hand on deacons chest, causing him to grow rigid. oh boy, this was gonna be a long night for him. “oh, we were just looking for a place to reside in. we’re planning to start a family after all, right honey?”

crimson dusted deacons cheeks as he smiled, answering the question innately, “of course. we just want the best for our kids.” sole threw an arm over deacons torso, hugging him tightly as she exchanged words with the man once more. he would shyly snake his arm around her waist as he tried to keep his cool. he hadnt felt any affection like this since barbara, so he definitely wasn’t used to this anymore, but he wasn’t complaining. he’d secretly enjoy the affection shared between the two. once they got the information they needed, they both ditched the town as soon as possible to avoid seeming suspicious. as sole tried to release her hand from deacons, she only felt him grab it a little tighter. “what’s wrong?” she looked up at deacon, who was smirking friskily with a blush on his face. “the mission doesn’t end till we get back to HQ, remember?” she laughed, hitting his arm playfully as she squeezed his hand, “stupid.”

MacCready:

at first, maccready would be completely against the idea of fake dating because of his insane crush on sole, but would see it as an advantage to make the move he never had the guts to initiate. maybe this was his chance to hint at sole that he liked them, through actions of course. he thought it would be easy until sole became all affectionate and touchy with him to seem convincing to the couple they were investigating. the hand holding and small touches were gonna make him faint any minute. “what a pretty man you have there! hard to find someone so good looking these days,” the woman complimented as she eyed maccready in a flirtatious manner. before he could respond or even send his thanks, sole tiptoed and pecked maccreadys cheek, causing him to stumble back in surprise.

it took him a few moments to really get himself level headed over the events that just happened, but would let a small smile spread on his face. he unconsciously brushed his hand over the spot she had kissed and the moment only replayed more and more in his head. he watched as sole said their final goodbyes and dragged him to another side of the room, talking to him about what she had collected. he wasn’t listening. he was only focused on her face and lips and was enticed by her beauty. unknowingly, he placed a hand on soles cheek and bent down to kiss her forehead but immediately withdrew, panicking at his sudden actions. he was stuttering out apologies left and right until he felt soles hand creep into his own, a warm grin forming on her cheeks. all his worries about whether sole felt the same way immediately drifted into oblivion.

Hancock:

he would be the most natural when fake dating, seeing that he is naturally flirtatious and has obviously showed his liking to sole. of course, sole was oblivious to his indications and shrugged it off, knowing that it was part of hancocks personality. so when sole brought up the idea of fake dating for a mission so they could seem less suspicious, he agreed to it before she could say another word. maybe through this way, he can show her that his feelings are 100% genuine and not part of his coquettish nature. during the night, they spoke to some woman at the bar who apparently held essential information that they needed to push out of her. they knew they would probably have to chit chat with the woman for a long while before she really began talking about what they needed. they both decided to relax on the couch opposite of where she sat, wanting to get comfortable for the remaining of the time they were there.

at first, it started off as cute, innocent hand holding and had slowly transitioned to something more as they both got more relaxed with each other. hancock wrapped an arm around soles shoulder, unconsciously playing with strands of her hair as she laid her head on his shoulder. he eventually lifted her hand and placed a gentle kiss against her knuckles, sole smiling as a response. with a small giggle, the lady teased, “you must love her very much. it must be very nice to be in love.” hancock only sent her a broad smile, a gratifying tone dancing in his voice. “yes, i do love her very much. always have and always will. i’m sure she knows that too.” sole would laugh and nod her head, a soft red painting her cheeks. after collecting as much intel as they could, hancock lead sole out of the bar, never letting go of soles hand once. sole peeked at him shyly, her voice quiet. “did you mean what you said in the bar? or was that part of the plan?” hancock would hum teasingly in thought, “take a wild guess, sunshine. do you think i meant it?” sole would pout childishly causing hancock to burst into laughter. he walked in front of her, and gently held soles chin as he inched closer. “let me answer that for ya.”

Nick Valentine:

he’d seem almost professional at it, maybe a little awkward here and there but is a gentleman overall. he wouldn’t really mind fake dating for a mission, but wouldn’t think it’s the best way to go through with it. in the end, he’s much better at controlling his feelings for her than the others. nick is much more simple with showing his affection and shows it through small manners. he would place a firm but gentle hand on soles shoulder or would stick out his arm for sole to link her own with. as they went out and about to the designated area with soles arm linked with nicks, they finally found their suspect and tried to seem as friendly and unsuspecting as possible. unfortunately for them, the man seemed to be disgruntled by nick being a synth and often gave him a disgusted side eye as they spoke. they both decided to ignore this and continue on with their shenanigans. the detective enjoyed the unexpected attention he was receiving from sole and smiled at the feeling of her head leaning on his arm. using the same arm she rested on, he caressed her back gently. though they got negative reactions from the man, nick still remained in a contented mood due to soles acts of endearments.

he tried to start up a conversation with the suspect, hoping that he can obtain any information but the man only degraded him. “you’re dating a synth? this piece of trash?” sole could hear the loathing tone of the mans voice, and before nick could even sputter a word out, she stepped in front of him. “excuse me. you better watch how you talk to my boyfriend. he is the sweetest and most caring man i’ve ever met in my lifetime and he is most definitely better than you will ever be,” sole glared harshly before continuing, “if you don’t like it, then feel free to walk out.” she sent him an innocent smile as the man stomped passed the two, fuming at soles comment. “don’t let the door hit you on the way out, sweetheart.” she whirled around to face nick and looked at him straight in the eye, huffing. “the audacity of some people...” he only chuckled and ruffled her hair. nick was pleasantly surprised with how she handled the situation and felt his mechanical heart whir happily as he locked eyes with her. “well aren’t you something, doll? can’t find anyone else like you.” he complimented, “so what’s the plan now since our main man decided to take a hitch?” giggling, she linked arms with nick once more, dragging him with a skip in her step. “i say we keep searching. there must be more than one person in this town that’s connected to him.” nick was just glad to share these small moments with sole.

[bardic-inspo]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by the lovely @tarberrymentats. Thank you friend! I loved seeing your WIP of Farren earlier :)

I’m tagging @molliehaswords, @minuteminx, & @valkyriejack if you have anything you’d like to share - no pressure! And also YOU if you are reading this and would like to share. Consider yourself tagged by me. 

I struggled, but I found a little snippet that’s got something going on without giving too many spoilers away. It’s pretty rough, but that’s why it’s a WIP! Here’s a MacCready POV piece from Bring the Gasoline for you :)

Her protest dies in the press of lips as he finds hers again. He swallows the soft sigh from her chest. Tension melts off her shoulders. She relaxes in his arms. His fingers knead the knots wound tight at the back of her neck when he pulls away. Her fingers follow after him, playing in the prickle of the stubble on his chin. There it is again, that look in her eyes. 

The glow he loves best.

“Hey, lovebirds,” Piper calls their way. “Come and hang out with the rest of us, will ya?”

“All right, all right,” Nat laughs softly, receding from him just far enough to be respectable. 

Mac lights a cigarette and lets Preston claim her time. To his surprise, Garvey doesn’t talk shop: instead, he asks her about the world before the bombs. He starts to tune out somewhere in between talk about how kids were locked up in schools every day, and the science lessons Nat had when she was a kid.

A glimmer in the darkness catches his eye. Near the gate, a yellow pair of eyes glint like gemstones. Valentine was conspicuously absent from their little gathering. It sets his jaw into a grating line.

All the crap Nat believed about herself were lines fed to her from the old synth. He’d heard the diatribe a time or two himself, and he didn’t care to any longer. The spiteful routine was getting old fast. How many times did Nick have to hammer Nat’s head into her mistakes, like she hadn’t already lived through them once? Today was something good, something that she deserved credit for. 

But something else eats at him, as he watches Valentine disappear around the corner of the wall. He’d put it out of his mind. The old synth always liked to be so damn cryptic. Piper, though…she cared about Nat. They were friends. Real friends. Piper didn’t wield guilt like a cattle prod the way Nick did. And even she had cringed at mention of Nat and the Glowing Sea. Something he didn’t know about.

“Be right back,” he breathes in Nat’s ear, snuffing out the stub of the cigarette with the heel of his boot. She’s none the wiser about his sudden distraction. Hancock mutters something and she’s doubled over laughing.

“Okay, okay,” he hears her recover as he steps from the cozy circle near the fire. “I will take requests - for caps! What do you want to hear?”

He can’t quite make out Hancock’s request, but it’s enough to get her to snort. “Really? That one? Fine, but I’m gonna do it like Elvis.”

“What’s Elvis?” The ghoul rasps.

For the first time, not-Deacon chimes in. “Oh, you are in for a treat, pal.”

Mac glances sharp over his shoulder. A ripple of shock courses through him. His footsteps slow, and he has to consciously turn his cheek and press on again. For once, the self-proclaimed super spy has ditched the sunglasses. It hasn’t stopped the icy sensation of those eyes trailing right after him. Rounding the corner, out of view, he puffs a sigh of relief.

It’s a short-lived reverie: he’s not alone. Nick Valentine leans against the old brick, surveying the Commonwealth with an electric stare.

“Fancy meeting you here,” the old synth croaks.

MacCready bites back the anger that flares to the forefront. There would be other times to berate and antagonize. Tonight, he needed Nick’s help. “Tell me what happened when you and Nat went to the Glowing Sea.”

[third-rail-vip]

the wanderers

*nervous laughter* yeah so it’s been a really long time since i did this, but i wrote a little early dynamics kind of intro for Mac and Ivy to warm up for the fluff prompts.  

[words: 2171]   [read on AO3]

The road out from Cambridge felt like it dragged on forever through the quiet backwaters of the commonwealth that MacCready had never really bothered with - never enough caps out here to make it worth the trip.  That morning the sun had shone and he’d thought it might be nice to wander out into what the ‘wealth thought of as wasteland, but he’d not counted on how damn hot it’d be slogging uphill for hours on end.  Weren’t winters meant to be colder the further north you went?  It was November and his hat was sticking unpleasantly to his forehead.  He was bored, irritable and parched, and for once he wasn’t complaining at the boss’s habit of carrying too much water.

Ivy had been out of sorts all morning, barely noticing even his worst jokes, the ones that would usually send her into fits of giggles before she admonished him for making her laugh at something so bad.  

A last minute stop at Valentine’s Detective Agency had left her deflated.  It’d only been a week since they’d rescued the detective, hardly enough time for him to dig up any leads on the mystery man from her vault.  But there they were at the crack of dawn, MacCready still bleary-eyed and yawning into his sleeve when Valentine had opened the door with a sorry shake of his head at the sight of them.  He had nothing more to offer them than coffee and an apology that nothing had turned up yet.  

Mac held his tongue for the boss’s sake - no point in throwing any more spanners in the works - and the detective at least seemed decent enough.  For a synth.  From what he could tell, finding Valentine was supposed to be some kind of big break for Ivy, but they were headed back with nothing to show for it and it was weighing on her. 

By the time they hit the shadow of the old Corvega factory he’d stopped bothering to try and make conversation.  They settled into a heavy silence.  Even the local wildlife seemed to have taken the hint, with not even the buzzing of a bloodbug breaking the wasteland stillness, only the sound of their laboured breathing as they continued to climb.  

Usually travelling with her was fun, something MacCready wasn’t used in the merc business -  bosses tended to want you to shut the hell up and get the job done - but not her.  Everything was new to Ivy, and he had to admit to being entertained seeing his world through her.  She always left herself an open book, every emotion easy to read in big brown eyes.  

One thing he could never guess was how she was going to handle one day to the next; some days she stuck so close to his side that they might as well be glued at the hip, all skittish like a radstag doe at the slightest sound.  

But then there were days like the Library, when she got the giggles from the damn greenskins trying to tempt them out of hiding.  “But Mac, they said it was a treat..” “No.” “Aren’t you even curious?” “No!” “Ugh, knowing my luck it’s probably an overdue book fine from 2076.”  And after all hell broke loose, she even managed to find a working camera in the wreckage and went limping over to one of the remaining protectrons - already sniggering - to try and persuade it to take a picture of them.  Like some kind of pre-war tourist.  It was her calling it ‘officer’ that broke him, left him doubled up with tears streaming down his cheeks.  

That camera was still somewhere in her pack, and waiting to be developed were some sure to be dreadful pictures of him blinding them with the flash.  It had been a good day.

But now she wandered ahead, blank and unreadable, leaving him stuck with no conversation, nothing to shoot at, and no idea whether it was going to get better or worse by the time they got to the settlement.  

“There’s a trader up ahead.”  MacCready started, trying his best to make it look like he’d been scanning the horizon for danger - and wondering how long he’d been wandering without actually looking.  “I thought I might just nip in and see if she has anything they might need at Sanctuary, if that’s alright with you?”

So this is why she picks up so much crap.

“Fine by me, boss.  Just don’t make me carry it all.”  He glanced past her to the brow of the hill where a large sign declared the Drumlin Diner was ‘open 24/7’.

If you ignored the broken windows and the occasional two hundred year old former patron - who’d thought that a milkshake was the best way to see in the apocalypse - the diner was in surprisingly decent shape.  

They paused for a moment in the parking lot while Ivy struggled to get into her pack without dropping her rifle.  He took pity on her, taking the rifle out of her hands with a sigh and propping it against the outer wall of the diner.  This close she looked exhausted, and now he thought about it, she hadn’t eaten since the night before.  

MacCready couldn’t imagine not eating when there was food on offer, but then again Lucy used to joke that he could eat a whole brahmin and still be hungry - that’s what sixteen years of cave fungus does to you.  

With a grateful smile and a quiet ‘thank you’, her rifle now safely stowed on her shoulder, Ivy headed through the door ahead of him.  The sweet smile that had been missing all morning had been mustered ready to coax a bargain out of the unsuspecting recipient - the same smile that’d somehow knocked fifty caps off his fee a couple of weeks before.  

A stern woman leant possessively on the diner counter, in a way that inevitably meant she had a shotgun tucked just out of sight.  She opened her mouth to greet Ivy but caught sight of MacCready in the doorway.  Turning an icy glare on him, she regarded him with about as much pleasure as she might a junkyard mutt that had just rolled in molerat crap.  

The smile slipped from Ivy’s lips, completely at a loss as to what had caused the unexplained hostility.  She hadn’t been around MacCready long enough to witness how often wastelanders just thought of mercenaries as well-paid raiders.  Although depending on what kind of work they took, they weren’t entirely wrong - his time with the Gunners had shown him that much.  

After the hot miserable morning he’d had, Mac could easily have just snapped, told the old biddy exactly where she could stick her supplies - oh man, did he want to - but for the second time that day, he kept his opinions to himself and slunk back outside, grumbling under his breath and lighting a cigarette as he went.  

--

After a good five minutes stalking around the parking lot, he finally perched himself on a stool, nodding to the skeleton who occupied the counter seat next to him.  Taking a final drag, he snuffed out the cigarette on the countertop, smirking at the way it sank through the varnish, leaving a blackened ring and the stink of burnt plastic.  

He’d been trying to cut back on the smoking, another promise he’d made months before, albeit a harder one to keep than watching his language.  MacCready hated waiting around for no reason - but so was the life of a sniper - so he needed something to keep his hands or at least his mind occupied, and the nicotine took the edge off his restlessness.  

Leaning back on the counter he caught snippets of the conversation he’d been so rudely excluded from.  It sounded like Ivy must have helped out with something the last time she was here and, judging by the time he’d spent in her company, it had everything to do with the blood splattered on the tarmac near to where he was sat.

He let his eyes drift up and down the road, watching for any sign of trouble - actually paying attention this time - but it was as quiet as he expected.  This was possibly the most uneventful day he’d had since leaving his homestead, and while he knew he should be grateful for the peace, he had to admit he was bored.  

A playful elbow to the ribs jolted free of his haphazard guard duty - Ivy was back, her pack looking a little heavier than before.    

“You ok?” she asked, taking in what must have been his utterly zoned out expression while she pressed an almost cold Nuka-Cola into his hand. She gave his hand the slightest squeeze before letting go of the bottle and finally he could see a real smile starting to tug at the corners of her mouth.

“Yeah,” MacCready nodded, flashing her a smirk before taking a long swig of the Nuka-Cola.  He couldn’t deny he was grateful the silence was over, and that at least something seemed to have brightened the boss’s mood.  Although he couldn’t for the life of him think what that woman could have done to cheer her up.  

“Good.” Ivy’s smile broke into a grin, her eyes flashing mischievously as she turned up the radio on her pip-boy.  “Because you are not going to believe this.”  

“What?”

“Just wait,” she teased, tearing into a packet of gumdrops and offering him one before sitting back to watch him as he puzzled over what she was up to.

The last few bars of ‘Orange Coloured Sky’ blared tinnily from the tiny speakers - great, that was going to be stuck in his head for the rest of the day.

“What did you have to go getting that--”

“Truly one of the greatest voices ever, that was Nat King Cole..”

“Who the heck is that?”

“Travis ‘Lonely’ Miles here, bringing you...”

“You’ve got to be shi-- kidding me!  Vadim was right?”  

MacCready stared incredulously at the pipboy where the newly ‘smooth’ tones of Travis Miles drifted from.  Begrudgingly he shifted his gaze up to Ivy, and the smirk spreading its way across her face.  If he didn’t know better, he’d think she’d stolen Christmas.  “You’re pretty pleased with yourself right now, aren’t you?”

Ivy held out a hand, wiggling her fingers expectantly, her smile bordering dangerously on coy.  

“That’ll be twenty caps, please.”

--

Ivy led the way up the hill again, but this time instead of silence, the radio was turned up as high as it would go.  It was like a switch had been flipped and all of that melancholy had been channeled into an obnoxiously good mood.  MacCready wasn’t sure how many more caps he’d be willing to lose if poorly judged bets were what it took to cheer her up, but at least she was back to actually laughing at his jokes again, even the really bad ones.  

Especially the really bad ones.  

She’d been humming along with the radio as they walked, and he chattered, but as soon as Travis introduced ‘The Wanderer’, Mac knew exactly what was coming.  It wasn’t the first time that song had wormed its way into her head, she’d even sing along in the middle of Diamond City -albeit quietly- but in her current mood...

Ivy sang at the top of her lungs, the slight skip in her step falling in line with the drum beat.  It didn’t take long for her hips to start to sway, and by the time the saxophone kicked in she was just dancing like an idiot up the middle of the road.  Occasionally she’d twirl around dramatically to serenade him directly - between fits of laughter of course.  Even out of pocket, he couldn’t resist laughing and singing along in the face of that onslaught.  

“Are you planning on looking out for any trouble, angel, or is that my job now?” MacCready called after her, shaking his head at the ridiculous display, and doing his best to keep the grin off his face when she looked back at him.

“If I remember rightly... and I usually do,” she quirked an eyebrow at him. “You never actually asked what the job was.  Congratulations, you got paid two hundred caps to be my audience.”

She was dead right on that one.  He’d been so desperate for work he’d not even thought to ask.  He probably wouldn’t even know her name if she hadn’t awkwardly held out her hand and introduced herself after their deal was struck.  

He’d got lucky with this one.  It wasn’t often you accidentally stumbled into a decent job without asking any questions - and there were far worse shows in the Commonwealth to be an audience to.  

He rolled his eyes at her.  “Ugh, in that case don’t get too far ahead of me, or I’ll not be able to shoot everyone who doesn’t appreciate your talent as much as you do.”

He got a gumdrop launched at his head for that one.  

[gold-and-rubies]

In It For The Long Haul - Chapter 5

Violence warning. Mac POV

MacCready took point as he and the Boss made their way across the wasteland. He was not happy about how far they had to travel. The farm that had called for help was just outside the main city. He thought someone else would have been able to help, given how close it was to Bunker Hill, but the Minutemen were still low on numbers. At the very least they could have said what they were having trouble with.

It was not all complaints on his part, though. The Boss was a great traveling partner. As confusing and enigmatic she could be, they were getting along incredibly well. There was the small, odd argument every now and then, but other than that, they worked together like a well oiled machine. Despite her naivety and his attitude. Even though he only knew a small bit about her, he was starting to like her as a person. Too much for his comfort.

It was not a smart idea to get attached to an employer. No matter how well he got along with them. He tried his very best not to, but she was just so damn likable. He would not admit it, but she was the closest thing he had had to an actual friend in a long time. She actually cared about his well being, or at very least she did a good job at making it seem like she did. Which made him all the more worried about the Gunners.

For the past few months, they had been scaring off almost every single client. It was a miracle he could afford to eat. Ever since the Boss had hired him he had been worried that they would throw a wrench in the works. He doubted she would give in, and fire him because of them. She was a Minuteman after all. That alone made them enemies. No, he was worried about what they might do to her when she did refuse. He tried to convince himself that he was just worried about his job, and not her.

When the farm came into sight she overtook him. He stood off to the side as she spoke. He did not care to be part of the conversation. They were usually full of useless details about the farmers’ lives. He just wanted to know who they were fighting, and how much of a threat they were. He hoped it was raiders. Even if they were not paid, fighting raiders always brought in a decent amount of caps.

He was staring at the horizon, tuned out of the conversation, until part of their conversation caught his attention. “Gunners.” The single word sent his mind racing.

“We’ll take care of them,” he blurted.

The Boss raised an eyebrow at him. One of them turned to him, fear, but also hope in his eyes.

“Please do! I’m not sure how much more we can take of this!”

“Just give us the details,” he said gruffly. He thought for a moment that it might have been a bit mean, but he did not care. The way he felt about the Gunners overpowered most anything else.

“They show up every other night. We don’t know where exactly they come from other than that it’s from the city. There’s usually three of them, all with laser pistols,” he explained.

MacCready nodded, “Is tonight one of those nights?”

“Yes.”

“They won’t live to see sunrise,” he said coolly. He knew better than anyone how horrible they were. They deserved worse, but he would settle for this. Besides he did not really have it in him to do worse. That was one of the reasons why he left.

He glared towards the ruins of Boston as the farmers went back to work. The Boss turned to him, a small amount of confusion on her face.

“That was new,” she said. Her eyebrow was still raised. It was like it was stuck there.

“Gunners.” he said simply.

“You really hate them, don’t you? I mean I don’t blame you. From what I’ve heard, they’re real bastards.”

“No shi- crap.” he said sternly. He did not mean to snap at her, but he was having trouble holding back. He was not the type to fly into a rage, that is how idiots get themselves killed. The Gunners, though, they got him pretty close. He knew the horrible stuff they had done. There were raider gangs better than them.

He spent most of his time waiting for them, glaring towards the city. He only budged when the Boss insisted that he eat something. It was not until well after sunset that he spotted movement in the distance.

He lifted his rifle up, to stare through the scope. Sure enough they were Gunners. He took note of how they were dressed. They had the normal green clothes, but only one of them was wearing light leather armor. They were incredibly low ranking which made his life easier.

“Boss,” he whispered just loud enough to get her attention.

“Are they here?” she whispered back.

He nodded his head ever so slightly.

“How many?”

“Three. You can get close enough to take one out.”

She started quietly making her way towards them. Before she could get too far he said, “Wait, let me take out the one with the armor.”

She nodded before she started moving again. Once in position she signaled to him that she was ready. He could barely see her pale hand. He sighed and lifted the scope to his eye. He waited for the leather clad Gunner to walk into his crosshairs. It felt like an eternity for him to finally be in just the right place. He took a deep breath and held it. Between heart beats he pulled the trigger. His aim was true, and he took down the man with a single bullet to the head. The moment the gunshot rang through the air the Boss sprang into action. She shot down the second as quick as lightning. The third went down before he could ready his weapon.

When the last body hit the ground he lowered his rifle. Even though it was his job to shoot people, he did not take any joy from the killing, even if they were Gunners. Taking them down was far better than having to take out some random farmer by all accounts, though.

He made his way over to the bodies to loot them while the Boss spoke with the farmers. She was better with people than he was. When she walked up to him afterwards she held to bags full of caps. A sign of a job well done.

They settled next to the fire the farmers had set up. It was far too late to go somewhere else for the night.

“Damn bastards…” the Boss swore under her breath, shaking her head. She was even less fond of death, but she knew it was necessary.

“That’s an understatement, boss.”

“I’m starting to see that, Mac.”

“Mac?” he asked, slightly bewildered.

“What?” she shrugged, “It’s easier to say that than MacCready.”

“You’re not calling me that.”

She smirked at him. “You gonna stop calling me ‘Boss’?”

“No.”

“Then I’m gonna keep calling you Mac.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled half heartedly. She chuckled in response.

“Despite that, it is nice to be out on the road again. Goodneighbor was starting to wear out its welcome,” he sighed.

“Seemed like you were having a rough time back there.”

“That’s putting it lightly. Commonwealth isn’t the friendliest place when you’re hard up for caps.”

“I mean, yeah, they’re important, but they’re not worth risking your life over.”

“Easy for you to say,” he muttered, “I need every cap I can get.”

“Are you okay? You’re not in trouble, are you?” she asked. She gave him a concerned look.

“No, not really…” his voice trailed off. The Gunners had been an issue since he had joined up. He wanted them off of his back once and for all. He hated asking for help, but if anyone could, would, help, it was the Boss.

He took a deep breath before beginning, “Look, you’ve been pretty straight with me, so I’m going to be straight with you. It’s those two ass- idiots you saw me talking to at the Third Rail, Winlock and Barnes. They’ve been hounding me for months. I figured if I could get enough caps together maybe I could buy them out.”

“I wouldn’t trust them, even if you paid them out. What would stop them from asking for more?” she said, shaking her head.

He sighed, “Yeah… I’m right there with ya. I mean, what would stop them from just taking the caps, and putting a bullet in my back for good measure? If I asked them to meet up they would roll in with everyone they’ve got. Unless…” he said, sitting straighter, “unless, maybe you and I could pay them a little visit before they realize what is going on. And before you get that look on your face, just know that I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t trust you.”

He kept a straight face as he waited for her response. The tiny moment before she said anything, though, on the inside he was tense. He knew that she would not berate him for it, but he could not help the worry that seeped in.

“If you need my help, I’m there,” she said, her expression softening.

He felt the tension slip away. A small smile crept its way onto his face.

“Wow… I’m uh, I’m not sure what to say. Truth is I haven’t been able to rely on anyone since I was a kid. Everyone I’ve ever met has either tried to rip me off or plant a knife in my back… but you, I get the funny feeling you actually care about what happens to me.”

“Because I do. You’ve got my back, I’ve got yours.”

“I’m starting to see that, boss,” he chuckled softly. He was starting to think that maybe being a little close to the boss was not a bad thing. He had not had someone he could rely on in a long time, and he was starting to realize how badly he missed it. It was nice to not have to constantly look over your shoulder.

“So, how do we do this?” she asked.

“They’re usually at a place called the Mass Pike Interchange. It’s pretty far out in the middle of nowhere,” he waited a moment before continuing. When all she did was nod along he continued, “I think the place was called a freeway. Anyway. There are usually three Gunners on the ground below, but there are more up top. Last time I was there they had a suit of power armor and an assaultron. It’s gonna be hard.”

“Well we have access to power armor too. I’ll check in with Sturges to see if we could use it. We could bring more people if you want? I doubt anyone will pass up a chance to take down some Gunners,” she said thoughtfully.

“Have anything like that missile launcher at Sanctuary?” he asked. He knew the Minutemen would be willing to help, but he felt like he would be in their debt. The less tabs the better.

“There’s a minigun? We should have some frag grenades from all those raider fights too.”

A grin spread across his face, “With that kind of fire power, I think we can do it just the two of us. They won’t know what hit them.”

***

Despite the tiredness that was slowly starting to make itself known from the day spent traveling, MacCready felt like he had electricity flowing through his body. The anticipation of the coming fight made sure he was completely awake. He was finally going to feel like he was free from the Gunners.

The three on the ground put up practically no fight. He had snuck up on them by himself using his knife to take care of them as quietly as possible. The longer they went unnoticed the better.

When they went down the Boss trudged forward as silently as possible. It was hard to sneak around clad in power armor while wielding a minigun, but she was managing surprisingly well. He worried that the elevator was going to snap on the way up due to the Boss’s heavy equipment, but it held up.

She stepped onto the broken freeway first, acting like a shield. His fingers closed around one of the grenades they had brought. He held up his hand in a way to signal to her to wait. He scanned the area ahead of them, surprised no one noticed them yet. He spotted a group of three relatively close. Winlock was one of them. He pulled the pin and chucked it forward.

It was a gory scene, but it did the job. Then complete chaos broke out. Gunners scrambled to get into proper positions. The Boss charged forward, pushing them back. He was right, they did have power armor, but no one had been in it before they got there luckily. He felt bullets whiz past him, but none of them even scraped him. The fight did not last long. Even the assaultron barely stood a chance.

He surveyed the area. All of the Gunners that actually gave crap about him leaving were dead. If they struck back at him now it would be because he helped take down a team, not because he left. He could more than live with that.

The Boss set down the minigun in one of their makeshift shacks. She stepped out of her power armor, ruffling a hand through her hair.

“That was… easier than I thought it was going to be. Not that I’m complaining,” she said.

MacCready nodded, “That should send a message to the Gunners to get off my back. If they do come for me now, at least I’ll be known for taking down one of their teams.”

“Well, I think they heard you loud and clear,” she chuckled.

“No shi- no kidding.”

She simply smiled at him before speaking, “We should probably stay here for the night.”

“Good idea. The rumor of it being Gunner territory should keep away most people. Oh wait,” he said, setting down his pack. He rummaged through it before he found what he wanted. He produced three leather bags, “I wanted to give you these. They’re the caps you gave me back in Goodneighbor. You’re the one who hired me, but I’m the one who dragged you out here.”

“That isn’t necessary, you clearly needed the help. Besides there’s trouble coming and I’m not sure how bad it’s going to be...” her voice trailed off as she spoke. She had been doing that more and more as time went on. Every time he asked about it she changed the subject.

“If you're worried about me walking away, because I gave the caps back, don’t. We’ve got too good a deal going. Besides, a little trouble doesn’t scare me,” he joked.

“Even if you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into?”

Her saddened tone made him frown.

“I didn’t exactly know what I was getting into when I took the job. You aren’t exactly the easiest person to get a read on.”

“I’m serious. There is something I’m going to have to take care of, and I have no idea what will happen… or what exactly happened.”

He gave her a confused look.

“What the hee...eck are you talking about?”

She frowned at the ground. A misty look over took her face. She took a deep breath, “Please… please hold any judgements until I finish.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, “…Alright.”

“When I was in the vault, an infant was kidnapped. His father… was shot in the process. His mother and I were the only two to escape the vault alive. She barely lasted a few hours in the wasteland before raiders got to her. I promised I would find him, but I don’t know who took him or how long he’s been gone. I know time is precious, but if I were to go in unprepared I might not have gone at all. Besides we might have already been too late….”

“How do you not know how long he’s been gone?”

She looked off into the distance. Her eyes looked like they did back at the satellite, like she was about the cry. She took a shaky breath, “The vault… the experiment was long term cryostasis. We barely made it in there when the bombs dropped….”

He could not help the surprised look on his face, but it explained a lot. It explained how she could be so educated on some things, but also be so naive. Why she did not like talking about her past. He would not either if he had lost everything.

He thought out his words carefully.

“That makes a lot of sense. But like I said. I’ve got your back. Even if it means tracking down a murderous kidnapper,” he said. He tried to make the last part sound funny. This victory was supposed to be a good thing.

“Thanks, Mac,” she said with a small smile.

“Of course, Boss. You hired me after all, and I owe you big time.”

The Boss, Flynn, was starting to make a whole lot more sense. There were about a million questions he wanted to ask, but he hoped they would be answered with time.

[siribear]

‘what are your plans after this?’ whisper asks, nursing her cup still half full. she blinks once, twice, already feeling a little tipsy. maybe she shouldn’t have gone for the moonshine after two hundred and eleven years of not having a hard drink. ‘not... specifically this drink, you know, but,’ she twirls a finger in a circle, ‘in general.’

maccready lifts his cup to his lips with a chuckle. he’s at least 2 cups in and he’s not acting like the room is spinning. it’s - kinda not fair. totally not fair. ‘now that the gunners are off my tail, i can head back to goodneighbor and pick up more jobs.’ he drinks. ‘hopefully.’

whisper leans toward him, steadying herself with an arm on the bar. ‘hopefully. you said you needed money to buy out the gunners. what’re you aiming for now?’

his seat squeaks loudly as he fidgets. ‘i - ’ he sighs, looks to vadim. his voice goes low and rough, ‘i have a son.’ he smiles. ‘his name’s duncan.’

she tilts her head. ‘i don’t remember seeing him.’

‘no. no, he’s in the capital wasteland.’

capital wasteland... ‘like, d.c.? i went there once. long time ago.’ she blinks. ‘why’s he... there.’ she motions with her hands. ‘but you’re here?’

he chuckles again. ‘you okay there, boss? you haven’t even finished one glass.’

‘spectacular. don’t even feel a thing,’ she says quickly, absolutely not slurring. ‘your son?’ because maybe she’s projecting. maybe.

‘he’s sick.’ maccready looks around, gauging if anyone else is listening. but whisper knows the only one that’s been paying attention to them is vadim, and maybe the waitress but only in a business sense. she’s tipsy, not oblivious. ‘these blue... boils started appearing on his skin. i met a guy whose friend had the same sickness. there’s a cure, but it’s in the basement of the med-tek research building.’

‘so, what, you’re gonna pay someone to go get it? what if they, like, take off with it?’ she sits straight up. ‘oh! hey. i’ll do it!’

he coughs heavily, drink caught in his throat. ‘are you-are you serious?’

‘yeah, absolutely!’ she slides out of her stool and leans toward him. hands cupping his face, she tells him, ‘this is your son, maccready. i’m gonna help you.’

maccready clears his throat. ‘i, uh. okay.’

she removes her hands from his face, puts them firm on her hips. ‘great. deal.’ a beat. ‘because i might need help fighting a sea monster.’

he bursts into laughter, at that. ‘hey, that seems fair to me. when are we heading out?’

‘ah. well, i want to know what the brotherhood is doing here in their fuck-off big airship, y’know? so probably after that.’

‘want me along for this one?’

she shakes her head, momentarily amused by her ponytail swinging back and forth against her neck. ‘i think deacon and i can handle some talking.’ the world tilts. her smile is a little lopsided. ‘how about we pick you up from sanctuary? if you tell sturges about your son, i’m sure he can pick out a spot for you guys to settle down.’

he lowers his cup from his lips. ‘settle down?’

‘obviously. unless you want to raise your son in goodneighbor. no offense to hancock, of course,’ she adds. ‘i wouldn’t raise shaun in goodneighbor. it smells.’

‘it smells,’ he repeats, mocking. ‘you know, i hadn’t considered bringing him to the commonwealth. but... sanctuary might be safe enough...’ he trails off.

‘i’m making it safe enough,’ she declares. ‘it has to be safe enough.’

‘for your son?’ he ventures.

she leans forward again. ‘yes. for my baby.’ when she frowns, maccready stiffens. ‘it has to be safe enough.’

‘okay. okay, i believe you. don’t... cry, or anything. please.’

whisper bumps her fist against his shoulder. ‘i’m not gonna cry. i’m your boss, right? don’t worry about me.’

she doesn’t miss his raised eyebrow. in response, he simply orders her a glass of water. when she asks, he says, ‘i know the brotherhood. they’re a headache enough without a hangover.’

-

‘celebrating without me, partner?’

‘deacon!’ deacon watches her face light up and allows himself to relish in it for just a moment. her eyes are fever bright, and she gives him the biggest grin. ‘maccready stopped me from drinking. tell him he’s boring.’

‘you’re boring,’ he replies, dutifully.

maccready finishes his swig of nuka cola, pulling away from leaning against the bar. ‘she only had one drink.’

whisper pouts prettily, looking from deacon to maccready and back. her shoulders slump, and she looks up to him with fluttering eyelashes. ‘i’m not drunk, though. deacon, tell him i’m not drunk.’

deacon opens his mouth, planning to back up his partner, but - oh, man. she’s kinda drunk. and one drink? he looks to maccready who looks at him expectantly, waiting for him to echo his partner. instead, he redirects. ‘got something for you here, pal.’

her mood rebounds immediately. oh, yeah, not drunk at all. ‘wait. this isn’t some, like,’ she wiggles her fingers at him, ‘uh, i don’t-i don’t know.’ maccready’s snort goes unnoticed by her. ‘what is it?’

he unfolds his hands from behind his back, bringing forward a pair of sunglasses. it’s different from his square pair; his whisper’s got herself a pair of patrolman’s sunglasses, courtesy of fallon’s basement. sure, becky fallon probably hates him for just buying sunglasses, but the excitement on whisper’s face makes it worth it.

not to mention the kiss on the cheek it earns him. leaving that one out of the mission report, for sure.

‘no present for me?’ maccready shatters the moment, shit-eating grin back on his face.

whisper saves him, mock pushing maccready by the shoulder. ‘no presents for the boring.’ when she dons her shades, all that’s left is her own grin.

in response, maccready sighs and shakes his head. ‘well, i held up my end of the bargain. she’s all yours, friend.’ and when maccready passes behind him, they exchange a small handful of caps. enough to cover their drinks and rooms. whisper still gives maccready a short flutter of her fingers in farewell, no hard feelings held toward the boring. deacon slips into maccready’s now-unoccupied seat and watches his partner. that grin has softened into a smile, and over the din of the bar, he listens to her hum along to the radio.

giving her the glasses turns out to be a tactical error. he’s stuck watching his own reflection watch her. and she notices: ‘you’re staring, deacon. it’s not nice.’

the drunken lilt to her voice is gone entirely. ‘just making sure you’re paying attention. hard to tell where you’re looking with those glasses, now.’

she tilts her head toward him, like a flower to the sun. in a voice high and airy, she says, ‘always you, partner. always you.’

-

in the morning, maccready leaves them, reminding her to pick him up in sanctuary when she’s ready for that job. ‘i know,’ she had groaned. ‘i wasn’t drunk.’ she rolled her eyes, then her shoulder. ‘at least not enough to forget.’ but he still gives her a quick and unconvinced uh-huh before heading out into the city. lucky for him, he can’t see her glare as he departs.

deacon trails along, filling her in on his visit to hq, on their way to valentine’s agency. whisper figures she owes him an update - he did send her over to the railroad, getting her at least this far. she has to add another location to her to-do list and another marker to her map. the augusta safe house’s status has yet to be determined, after the institute launched its attack. they’re to pick up the location from a dead drop and report back as soon as possible.

whisper pushes the bridge of her glasses down and rubs at a spot on her temple. she may have avoided hangover-headache thanks to maccready (not that she’ll admit), but the mounting tasks she’s taken on has finally begun to grate. take time for yourself, nate had told her in a letter when she told him of her workload. you have to make it to the end alive to enjoy it.

‘feeling all right there?’ deacon asks.

‘never better.’ whisper knocks on valentine’s door and pushes in at the sound of his voice. nick doesn’t fail to notice her new company.

‘made another friend, i see?’ he notes, coming around his desk. ‘it’s been a while. had me worried for a bit, there, kid.’

whisper huffs, smiling. ‘i found who we were looking for.’ she looks over her shoulder to deacon, then back. ‘both of them.’

she watches his eyes shift. ‘knew you’d be the one to find them. you’re with her?’

‘every day.’

nick nods, satisfied, before turning his attention back to her. she’s thankful for the sunglasses when she asks, ‘what about your son?’

‘he’s safe,’ she pauses. ‘in the institute.’ nick swears. ‘but i had a few questions, since kellogg is... no longer able to answer them.’ she wonders why it bothers her so much; she’s killed in the wasteland before kellogg. from raiders, to super mutants, to gunners, but the one that broke her family bothers her? briefly, she wonders how nate carried that guilt with him.

he urges her to continue with a slow nod. ‘i met a synth who could remember what it was like, in the institute. i couldn’t - didn’t want to ask him more than that. the kid was traumatized.’ he was young; made young, likely, but it doesn’t make any sort of difference. he’d been through too much for her to go prying. ‘so i’m wondering, don’t you know where the institute is?’ she steps away, bringing deacon into the conversation. ‘doesn’t any synth?’

nick sighs. deacon sticks his hands in his pockets. but it’s nick that speaks first. ‘there’s a failsafe built in that erases our memories of the institute the moment we leave.’ his hand twitches, fingers curling around an invisible cigarette. ‘that the synth you two rescued remembers anything means his malfunctioned. but i imagine if he knew the location of the institute you wouldn’t be standing here now.’

she sighs. another loss. kellogg wasn’t going to tell her anything, she repeats to herself. still the guilt lingers, as if she could have gotten all her answers if she hadn’t killed him.

‘i had hoped everyone was simply too afraid to go after the institute. but thank you anyway, nick.’

before she turns to leave, he stops her. ‘if there’s anything i can do, you let me know.’ then, to deacon, ‘and you. what we discussed...?’

‘you’ll be the first to know.’ deacon looks to her, then shrugs. ‘probably second. or third - ’

nick holds up a hand. ‘i get it. keep an eye on her until then.’

‘you two know each other?’

deacon whirls her around by the shoulders and leads her to the door. even outside, he doesn’t take his hands from her shoulders, marching her all the way outside diamond city. she prods again. ‘just some other railroad business.’

‘and i can’t know because..?’ she begins, then, at the same time as deacon, says, ‘operational security.’ she affects a heavy sigh. ‘of course. anyway, shall we pay the brotherhood a visit?’

deacon finally lets her go, taking his place beside her. ‘after you, general.’

-

cambridge police station is alive with commotion once more, though this time the courtyard isn’t swarmed by feral ghouls. soldiers dressed in bright orange flight suits patrol the perimeter, only letting them pass when she introduces herself as the general of the minutemen. inside, she’s met again with the sight of haylen, rhys, and danse standing together, their own closed off circle apart from the chaos that is brotherhood soldiers crowding the station.

‘paladin danse,’ whisper calls, and he turns to her immediately. the paladin hasn’t changed much, since she left. ‘i see your superiors finally made it to the commonwealth.’

he dismisses himself from his squad, pointedly ignoring rhys’s glare at the sight of her. ‘alice. we’ve been listening to your exploits on the radio. good to see you’re still alive.’

she grins, teeth bared. ‘i’m not so sure all of you share that sentiment. at least you’ve not been abandoned to scour the commonwealth alone, or i might have recruited you three myself. yes,’ she says, leaning around danse’s power armor. ‘even you, knight rhys.’

‘elder maxson wouldn’t have left us. but your help in finding the deep range transmitter did enable us to contact them.’ whisper can feel deacon’s gaze boring into the back of her head. ‘unfortunately, we’ve failed to contact the recon team original sent to the commonwealth, but with the force of the brotherhood assisting us, we’ll find them soon.’

she nods. ‘good luck to you, of course.’

‘thank you. now, more importantly: why are you here? the invitation to join the brotherhood was only extended to you.’

‘unfortunately, i’m not here to take you up on that offer, paladin. in fact, i’m acting strictly as the general of the minutemen. i’d like to meet elder maxson.’

he considers her for a moment before giving her a rumbling sigh. ‘fine. but only you. your friend has to stay here at the station.’

whisper holds up a hand before deacon can protest. ‘i don’t think that’s fair, paladin. if i’m going aboard your giant airship to be surrounded by brotherhood soldiers, my bodyguard stays.’

again he sighs, and she wonders if she’s pushing her luck. she could go aboard herself, she doesn’t really think they’ll do anything to her without reason, but having deacon there would make her feel safer. and he’d be free to gather intel himself.

‘fine. but i’ll be watching the both of you closely.’

whisper smiles. ‘we wouldn’t do anything to make you regret it, would we, dingo? i do appreciate the vote of confidence.’

he motions them further into the station, dismissing rhys and haylen to assist the others in gathering the remaining supplies. ‘there’s a vertibird waiting on the roof. it’ll take us directly to the prydwen.’

‘a vertibird up to a flying airship,’ deacon mutters behind her. ‘great.’

whisper reaches behind her, gives his shoulder a comforting squeeze. ‘just don’t look down.’

[nukagalreacts]

Companions react to Sole teleporting back to the Institute in the middle fo an argument part-Two!

Here is a super angsty part two! Hope you enjoy my lovely readers and requesters!

Piper: She was so excited when Sole finally acquired the only way to transport into the Institute and had waited, shaking with excitement and burning through a whole pack of cigarettes as she waited for Sole’s return. Instead Sole came back with a disheartened look and an aura of failure combined with sadness, Piper had immediately taken Sole into her arms and led them somewhere private as she waved off everyone else trying to ask questions. They had sat in Sole’s room in silence for what seemed like forever before Sole told Piper to break out a bottle of vodka because they were both going to need a drink for what they were about to tell them. After each of them downing a glass Sole fixed Piper with a stare that burned through her before blurting out that there Son Shaun was the head of the Institute. Piper about choked on her own spit before hurriedly taking another swig of vodka and lighting another cigarette with shaking hands. “Shit Sole you can’t be serious” Sole just reconfirmed the whole situation and made Piper swear to keep it a secret, she could tell everyone about everything else but just keep the bit about her Son under wraps till they were ready to come forward. 

Piper had kept her word as Sole continued to travel back and forth from the CommonWealth to the Institute, as time went on though Soe, started holding back information on the Institute. With this in mind, Piper started to get news from other sources that the Institute, in turn, was making a lot more appearances in certain areas, she realized with horror that Sole was becoming there information and selling them out slowly but surely. Confronting Sole about this was the worst feeling in the world, she finally had hope for humanity and it was crumbling in front of her. In the end, it wasn’t even an argument because Sole couldn’t deny what they were being accused of and knew they had betrayed everyone, but for them, there was no going back now. Within the blink of an eye Piper watched Sole disappear as they no doubt slunk back to the Institute to hide from the consequences of their actions, with new determination Piper went off to gather her allies and come up with a new plan to bring Sole and the Institute down, something she thought she would never have to say or do.           

Deacon: He was the one who had put all of his belief and trust in Sole, was the one who vouched for them from the get-go and had opened up about his own struggles and past life leading up to this. Sole had sympathized with him and the causes he fought for and was more than happy to become an agent for the Railroad, and together they had been helping escaped synths from the Institute. Everything was going good for a while and the last thing Deacon expected was for Sole to find out her long lost Son was the one pulling the strings of the whole Institute. Sole had expected to find Shaun still a young kid but was met with the uncomfortable and painful truth of him really being an old man clinging on to what little time he had left. Deacon did his best to comfort Sole, but this type of pain was something he had never experienced, finding out you couldn’t have kids with the person you loved was one thing, but finding out you missed out on your whole kids life and would only be round to watch them die and knowing they where the bad guy, that’s some different shit all together. Deacon also knew better than most how pain could lead to one’s own demise and denial of what’s really happened altogether, something he could see Sole heading towards, as they refused to accept that there was no saving Shaun and they needed to let go.

The constant struggle over this eventually led to an argument that destroyed their relationship in one sweeping blow. Deacon knew how hard this was for Sole but he was reminding them that the person Shaun was now, wasn’t their son anymore and if they really wanted to save him and set things right than they needed to destroy the institute and everything evil within it. Sole was was quick to cruelly remind him that he wouldn’t know anything about the pain of losing a child because he was never able to have any! Deacon flinched away from Sole so hard that if anyone had been watching the scene unfold you would think Sole had punched him in the stomach. “I’m sorry Deacon but I choose to be with my Son, and whatever life you thought we could have together it just wasn’t meant to be” and with that Sole teleported back to the Institute. Deacon felt the world crumble around him as he sank to the ground and started to cry everything he had ever wanted was taken away from him for a second time, but this time he wasn’t sure he would be able to pick himself back up again.        

Hancock: He would have followed Sole to the ends of the earth, and for now he was content following them around as they tried to locate there Son. After learning that Shaun was located somewhere within the Institute, he had a horrible feeling in the pit of his radiated stomach that things were about to get a lot worse. Once Sole had found a way to teleport to the Institute he had begged them to let him come with them, leaving out the part that he felt like he was going to lose them forever if he let them do this alone. Sole had shushed their worries with a kiss before disappearing, still he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread and it wouldn’t be until it was too late that he would learn just how right he had been. 

It has been almost a month since Sole had returned with the ill-fated news of what really became of Shaun, and Hancock still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact how fast he had lost Sole to the Institute. At the same time though he wasn’t surprised after all how could he expect Sole to choose him over there own child, even if said child was the leader of a group hell-bent on dominating what was left of the world and everyone on it. Sole even kept insisting that they weren't siding with the Institute, they just wanted to be there for there dying Son. Hancock didn’t bother though and he found himself constantly arguing with Sole, questioning who their loyalty really belongs to and if they were going to throw him and everyone else under the bus and betrays their friends just to have a few more days with a dying man. Sole had gotten so angry at him that they punched him before stomping off and teleporting back to the Institute, leaving Hancock to wonder if he had created his own self-fulfilling prophecy.    

  MacCready: Him and Sole were one and the same when it came to wanting to protect their kids at all costs, and after Sole had helped him find the needed cure for his son he was determined to help Sole anyway he could with un-swaying loyalty. That was before realizing the truth of what had become of Sole’s son if anything he assumed Shaun would be dead not the leader of the worst organization to ever terrorize the CommonWealth! He was at a loss of what to do, how was he supposed to convince Sole to destroy the whole Institute with their Son still inside. It was something he wouldn’t have even been able to do if the roles were reversed, but it was what needed to be done nonetheless. As Sole found out more and more about the Institute, Mac kept trying to push Sole to share information with the Minutemen or the Railroad so they could start figuring out a plan to bring this place down for good. Every time he brought it up Sole would come up with an excuse to avoid the reality of the situation, and MacCready would be lying if he said he wasn’t started to get pissed off. If Sole was going to abandon everyone to go side with the Institute than they needed to be upfront and honest about it, and stop lying to him and all of there other friends. 

Mac finally confronted Sole telling them I couldn’t keep playing both sides forever and they needed to choose, sparking outrage in Sole who yelled at him that it wasn’t that simple. He shook his head at them throwing his arms up in disbelief reminding them that their actions had consequences and right now they were doing a lot more harm than good. As much as Sole hated to admit it they knew Mac was right that it wasn’t fair, without even giving a response and not looking back Sole went back to the Institute, and that was the only answer Macready needed to be sure of Sole’s choice. He just wishes Sole had chosen differently, they had been through so much together and he thought Sole had really cared about him and his Son almost as much as Lucy had, but it turns out that hadn’t been the case at all.   

Valentine: Nick was the one who helped Sole from the start and the first one who had been there real chance of any hope of finding Shaun with his detective skills. When they had gotten to know each other more and Nick revealed that he had been a prototype of synth dumped into the garbage by the Institute Sole instantly knew they had no love for the Institute. They couldn’t wrap there mind around how someone could put someone’s memories into another body, give it feeling and then just discard them with no remorse. As time went on and Sole learned more about the Institute and the cruelness they possessed and spread all in the name of science the more they hated them, and finding out that they were the ones responsible for there son’s kidnaping installed a rage so fierce in them that they vowed to destroy the Institute given the chance. 

Fate was a twisted thing though and Nick hadn’t been prepared when Sole came back bearing the news that the baby he was trying to help Sole find was an old man Leading the Institute. Sole had cried for days over what to do because they weren’t about to just kill their son, even if they didn’t have that much time left to live anyways. The worst past for Nick though was learning Shaun had asked Sole to take up his place once he had passed away because deep down he knew Sole wouldn’t be able to refuse the only request there Son was ever able to be going to ask of them. That didn’t mean that Nick didn’t try to talk them out of it reminding them just how Much they had said they despised the Institute, Sole was convinced they could change it’s evil way’s though even though Nick kept insisting that it was deeply embedded in the Commonwealth as a place of horror and fear. Both of them would argue about it non-stop until one day Sole just had enough and before Nick even realized what they were doing they teleported back to the Institute leaving him to wish he had never found their son at all and that all of this was just some horrible nightmare.    

And there you have it folks once more thanks for reading and following me and supporting me in general to do this! Also thanks for the request I enjoyed typing it up-Much love from Ashley everyone :)   

[thewastelandwriter]

Would you mind doing a long fallout 4 companions react? Like a companions react to coming home to Sole after a long or short time away? Thank you again!!

A/N: This turned out to be a little longer than I expected so I will be doing two parts! So enjoy part one! (P.S. Also in the reacts I imagine that the companions are good friends, if not romantic, with Sole at this point.)

Cait had been traveling alone for days. She needed to sort out some things and clear her mind after she had ridden herself of chems. It had been a while since she had last seen her companion and she was nervous. What if they didn’t like what she had to say? What if they didn’t like her clean? She had found out a lot about herself on her ‘getaway’, without staring at the bottom of a bottle.

She made her way to Sole’s house in Diamond City and knocked on the door loudly. She waited, and waited, and waited until someone tapped on her shoulder. Cait turned around and grabbed the hand that had touched her, about to sock them in the face before she realized it was them.“Holy fuckin’ shite! Don’t ya ever do that again!”Sole chuckled, “Good to see you too.”Cait pulled them into a tight hug, burying her head in the crook of their neck. Trying not to choke up with emotion. “I’m damn glad to see ya.”MacCready had gone to the Capital Wasteland to visit his son. Duncan was doing great ever since he took the cure. He was running around, talking non-stop, and playing with some of the neighboring kids. MacCready was happy to tell him that he had found a homestead for them in the Commonwealth, someplace called Sanctuary Hills. Duncan was excited to live with his papa again but he needed a few days to say goodbye to everyone and MacCready needed to make sure everything was in order for him to move in.It had been almost a month since he had said goodbye to his friend, “Boss,” as he still called them. That one vault dweller that helped save his son’s life, and his own. He counted himself lucky to have met them. But he couldn’t help feel nervousness in his stomach as he walked up to their house, right next to his own and Duncan’s.Knock knock. He waited patiently at the door, wondering if they were even home until the door opened and he was met with a tackle hug that almost knocked him off his feet.“You’re home! I was so worried about you.” Sole said with a joyous tone.MacCready chuckled, “You didn’t get my letter?” They playfully punched his arm in response, “Of course I got your damn letter, but that was weeks ago. So? How’s Duncan? Where is he?”“Let’s talk inside, I have good news.”Curie was only away from Sole for a few hours but she was eager to get home. She had read some old documents on buildings with medical histories a few days ago. Curie traveled to an old pharmacy, not too far from where they had settled, while Sole was out gathering supplies. Curie was supposed to remain home but she saw no harm in going out by herself for a few hours. She decided to go pick up some much needed medical supplies before Sole did tomorrow. After she packed up all the medicine she could in her little bag, she made her way home. As she walked up to the broken steps the door was thrust open and Sole flung their arms around her.“Where were you?!” They asked, checking Curie to see if she’s hurt.“Monsieur/Mademoiselle! I’m fine, I thought I would help you.” She smiled sweetly and blushed, “You’ve been so busy I thought I would get you these for you. To save you the trouble of going tomorrow.”Sole looked through the bag Curie handed them. “Oh, you did this for me?”She nodded, worried that they wouldn’t be pleased. That she messed up once again.  Her worry was disregarded once Sole hugged her again. “Thank you.”Hancock returned from his travels, he took a short few weeks off of his mayoral duties to travel to anywhere and nowhere. He wanted to bring Sole with him but there were conflicts with timing that made it so they couldn’t get their infamous freak show on the road. Even though Sole said it was fine for him to travel without them he couldn’t help but feel guilty. Hancock stopped momentarily to say hi to everyone that was outside gathering around him asking questions. He told them that he would tell everyone all about his travels later over a meeting as he pushed his way through the small crowd. He was looking for Sole, he wanted to see and talk to them first.When he finally made it into the Old State House he dashed up the stairs to his office where Sole said they would be all that time ago, and they were.“I heard all the commotion outside, I assumed it was you.” They said with a broad smile, followed by a tight hug.“I’m back like I promised. Told you I couldn’t run forever.” He smiled back, happy to see their face again. He didn’t plan on leaving again any time soon.Piper walked through Diamond City, returning from a journalism tip not too far away, near Goodneighbor. It was another ridiculous story that they wanted in her newspaper. She’d think about it. Piper opened the door to her house and set her hat on the hook, it was extremely late and she was exhausted. She hoped that Nat would already be asleep. When she turned around she finally noticed Sole sitting down on the couch.“You’re back!” They quietly spoke as they stood up from the seat.Piper smiled and hugged them for a moment. “I have a lot of stories to tell you about tomorrow. I don’t plan on going back to Goodneighbor anytime soon.” She added with a giggle.Piper looked around to see her house as clean as she left it, if not more. And that Nat was indeed asleep right on time. “The place looks great! Thank you.” She smiled warmly at Sole.“You’re welcome. Go get some sleep. Now that you’re home I can get some sleep too.” Sole sat back down on the couch and raised the blanket up to their chest. She went up to her ‘bedroom’ and looked back at Sole. “Goodnight.”

[the-pan-ace-writings]

Chapter 4  Stairs and Bloody Boots

   First Previous  Masterlist

Riona sat down at the bar again, She was working on her pipboy entering new data and decided she should go to its Diamond City, she's heard there's a detective in town and she's running out of ideas on where to look for Shaun. Dogmeat sat comfortably at her feet, leaning his head on her ankle. She was working on plotting the points on the map of her pip boy when someone slid into the seat next to her. 

   She smiled, “Doll last night was fun but im skippin’...” she trailed off when she looked at who actually sat down next to her. He was dressed in a similar manner to her, old military fatigue pants, a duster missing a sleeve, a scarf tucked in neatly under the lapels and a cap with a single bullet hidden in the band around it. She immediately dropped the smile, “whataya want?” she pulled her pip boy out of his sight and leaned back a bit more. 

   “Nothing” he turned back to his drink, his face looked roughed up, the stars of bruises forming around his jaw. She continued working on her pipboy till she felt him lean over to look at it. “You from a vault or something? Haven't seen anyone else with Pipboys” 

   She glared at him,” found it.” it was short, curt, meant to disengage him but it seems that wasn't going to dissuade him.  

   “What are you going to Diamond City for? They're not the friendliest people around” he jerked back when she reared up to look him in the eyes, sneering 

   “Im lookin for somethin’. What's it to you?” 

   “I'm a hired gun, names MacCready.  I could help you.” He leaned back on to the bar, he had an arrogance that she didn't particularly like. She noticed the sniper rifle that he had leaning on a chair next to him, she wasn't any good at long arms, particularly any scoped targeting, she performed her pistol and a sword she carried, She thought about it, shes had a few close calls because shes had to dive in head first, and as much as Dogmeat was helpful there's only so much a dog can do. 

   “Are you any good? I'm not looking to get shot.” She watched the cocky smile pull at his face. 

   “I've been doing this since I was a kid . I know my way around. Now what about you? How do I know I won't end up with a bullet in my back?” 

   “You don’t. That's part of the risk, right?” she spun in her chair, placing her boot on the bar of his chair, She stood out in the bar, she was a medium short height with stark white hair, something she woke up to after the cryo pod, its something she tries to ignore. She's almost always loaded with junk that leaves a faint tingling after her, Her trench coat of torn up at the bottom and swung near her calves when she walked, her face was slightly scarred, deep scratches ran still pink across the corner of her mouth. She kept a bandanna around her neck that was slightly stained with blood that she often  filled with when she wasn't pulling at her piercings. He looked her up and down taking in her unusual character. 

   “Can't argue with that.” 

   “How much for the help?” she started standing up, placing some caps down for her drinks last night and now. Dogmeat stood up with a clatter of claws, she leaned down to fix his bandanna and scratch

   “Price is 250 caps... “ he looked at her again “ upfront, and there's no room for bargaining” 

   Rionia looked him in the eye, pulled a small pouch out and filled it with his caps, when she placed it in his hand she jerked him closer eyes never leaving his. 

   “You pull any dumb shit and youll wish you stayed with the gunners. “ she nodded at the patched scar near his hairline then roughly pushed him back into the chair, he just stared up at her and dumbly shook his head before hiding the caps in his duster. 

   Riona put a dent in her cap supply before leaving Goodneighbor stocking up on stimpacks and some rad away. She's yet to injure herself to a point where she'd make herself sick using multiple stimpacks but she has a feeling that the road to diamond city might be difficult. MacCready seemed surprised when she dumped out the majority of her pack on Daisy's counter, filling it with what he called useless crap to purchase the few stimpacks. 

    Riona had to admit that she didn't like walking among the ruined city of boston, all the talk building set her on edge with the way they creaked in the wind, MacCready looked just as off putting but kept his mouth shut. Something she wished he did when she went to abandoned containers and trash bins to dig through. 

   “What are you going to do with all that crap? I'm not carrying it for you” He smirked at her after looking around them towards the buildings, 

    “I'm not asking you to. And they are useful you'll see.” she slipped an empty can into her ruck tossing him a look as she carried on point, sword in hand and her eyes occasionally checking her pip boy trying to keep them on track. 

   MacCready was about to make a comment on how he didnt understand why she even bothered with the small items like cans when the crack of a rifle firing sounded pieces of the pavement flung up next to Riona. He watched her face turned to steel and her pull up the bandana that was normally settled around her neck, Dogmeat bolted into the alley and he immediately heard screaming. 

      Raiders. 

   Riona followed Dogmeat her sword raised and electrified, the screaming quickly cut off in a gurgle, more gunfire sounded MacCready could hear it plunking off metal and he hoped it wasn't from her chest plate as he steadied himself on the rusted out shell of a car, trying to make quick work of the riflemen on the balconies above them, once they dropped he rushed to take their position. Riona was fighting at the bottom of the stairs MacCready was trying to get to, she was being backed up further on to the stairs, He could she something in her snap as the Raider tried to slam brass knuckles into her, she shoved the hilt of her sword straight into her nose and with a snarl she snatched the Raiders jacket lifting them up and threw them down the stairs leaving them sprawled out on their backs to which she dropped down onto them with a wet crunch spattering her and the ground around them in crimson. She walked away unphased. 

   Dogmeat had run by them out into a more open area which looked like the main camp to clamp down on the arm of a harnessed Raider dragging him to the ground it took only a few seconds of MacCready scrambling up the stairs for him to get a headshot on the Raider Dogmeat had pinned. 

   They made quick work of the rest of the Raiders. Blood spattered Riona, her hair speckled in red that she looked at distastefully. She looked up at the perch MacCready was in and shouted to him. 

   “Cready! Start searching for them!” She already had the two closest to her stripped and left without any valuables. She heard Cready whistle behind her. 

    “You think you could of taken it any harder on her? She doest even have a face anymore” He called out to her, clearly impressed, he pulled off her knuckles and slipped a few caps out of her jacket pocket. 

   “Ya needed up there and I wasn't about to be cornered. She shoulda thought of that before backing me up there” Riona snickered as she pulled a stimpack off a sniped Raider. She made short work of stripping the base dropping a moderate size pile of chems down between where she dropped her ruck, a few syringes of medx and psycho clinked together, and she dropped an inhaler of Jet down as well. “No wonder they were so hyped up, coulda killed an elephant with what they had here” 

   “A what?” Cready knelt down next to her as she was repacking her ruck, fiddling with the caps he dropped on the pile. She looked up at him in a brief moment of confusion. 

   “Uh.. I don't know how.. Don't worry bout it it's not important. Keep the caps” she took the junk from his hands shoved it into her bag and tossed it over her shoulders straightening. She pulled her bandana down leaving a clear division between the gore and smooth skin. She looked down at the dog frowning at the amount of blood on him. “Did cha have to make a headshot so close to im’, hes soaked.” she rubbed a piece of semi clean fabric over his face. 

   “Don't hear him complaining” He dropped the caps into his pocket standing up. “You ready to hit the road again?” he raised his hand up to the horizon for a moment, stacking his other on it before mumbling. “We probably got about an hour and a half before its dark, we might be able to get to the tunnel if we push and don’t hit any trouble” 

Next

[boarix]

Wraith in the Ruins: A Fallout 4 Story Part XVII

Personality Conflict

Trigger warnings: Canon language/violence/gun, drug and alcohol use. Drug addiction/intervention.

Game spoilers

Please enjoy!

 “I should have known better when you wouldn’t charge me for your services. After all, you get what you pay for.”

“Our services are for Atom’s benefit, Sister Marie. Not yours.”

She folded her arms and glared at the ghoul, “You wouldn’t have even known of Wraith’s existence were it not for me! I would say the destruction of a false profit and her network of infidels is to Atom’s…”

Infamy’s high, psychotic laughter cut her short, “You have strayed from Atom’s path and you lust for her ruin for your own satisfaction, yes? He he he!”

“SHE IS AN ENEMY OF ALL OF ATOMS CHILDREN!” She spat her words and threw her arms wide, “I have given you all the information you should have needed! I see no results.”

“No?” The glowing one moved uncomfortably close to look directly into her eyes, “Then you are blind. We have seen her people scurry and scramble in desperate confusion; like mole rats when their queen’s gone rabid. We struck low one of her most powerful fighters. We have better information now. We know how her network functions. How quickly they come to each other’s aid and the total weight of her fist.” Looking self-satisfied they leaned away and ran their eyes from her toes to her crown, “We’ve a clear picture of you as well; still wandering The Fog, looking for visions with eyes firmly shut…”

Fury colored her face scarlet, “You… how DARE YOU!”

They turned their back to her and walked away, unconcerned for her wrath, “We do not see Atom’s Plan lay before us like a smoothly-paved road, but we will walk the trail that’s there for those who dare to look for it.”

   “Looking rough, man. You sick?”

“Say something?” MacCready’s mumbled query took form around an enormous yawn. He had been taking the third watch so that he could have dinner with his son and put him to bed, get him up and have breakfast, have playtime, have lunch and then put him down for nap. Shaun, Marcy or Carol Peabody would watch Duncan in the afternoon so Mac could either teach lessons or attended to various projects. Ultimately he was getting precious few hours of sleep and despite his youth, his fatigue was starting to show. Happy to see the sun rise, he was fantasizing about grabbing a nap before his child woke up, and fought the urge to pretend he didn’t hear the other man.

“I said you look like shit.” Lloyd smiled blithely, “Your beard is out of control and your bags are so big, your eyes look pregnant. Don’t sleep well when the General or Mayor ain’t here to snuggle you? Cause the lack of beauty rest is glaring.”

“Well, we all can’t be as beautiful as you, Mr. Lloyd.”

“Mr. Garvey, actually.”

“Garvey? Like Preston Garvey?”

“I knew it! Fucker! Don’t even know my last name… Bossy owes me twenty caps.” He made a great show of turning his back to MacCready while flourishing his binoculars, “Just cause you all use your last names like they’re titles…”

“Wait, wait, wait… you’re related to Preston? How… how, did I not know that?!”

“I’m his older cousin… or maybe once removed on his mother’s side… I’m his aunt’s kid with her second husband, but she kept the last name and ditched… you know what? Doesn’t matter. Point is, I am Lieutenant Lloyd Harvest Jeremiah Garvey and you can take that to the bank!”

MacCready tried to look as unimpressed as possible, “Since when are you a Lieutenant? Wraith handing out pity promotions again?”

“Fuck you too!” His laugher softened his harsh words, “No, she recognizes my impeccable aim and stalwart reliability.” Humor fled from his face, “I would fall on a grenade for her, although I know she’d never ask me too.”

“Naw, she eats ‘em for breakfast.”

“Ha, true! She’s the most bad-assed… you don’t need me telling you the kind of loyalty she inspires!”

“Actually, have you heard anything from any of the ghoul Minutemen?” MacCready felt bad for even asking, “This whole Infamy sh… fiasco has me paranoid.”

There had been reports of missing settlers as well as feral ghoul horde attacks on provisioner caravans. The frequency and precision seemed to indicate there was an insider informant. Wraith had been on the road with Preston and Dogmeat for the better part of a month and with Hancock back in Goodneighbor, MacCready’s irritation and loneliness had reached its peak. He just wanted it to be over.

“I know everybody and if they aren’t ready to die for her cause they love her, than they are too terrified of her to even try stabbing her in the back.”

He stuck out his lower lip, “Their scared of her? I don’t think half of them have ever even seen her fight. She’s not really frightening when she’s just… walkin’ around, is she?”

“Oh man… wait, wait, hold up! You’re askin’ me to tell you about your lady?” Lloyd shook his head violently enough his neck made popping sounds, “No, no you’re asking me to talk about my General? Cause all you’re getting from me is ‘she’s great’ and ‘fuck you sideways’.”

MacCready blew an exceptionally loud raspberry.

“I see you tryin’ to get me fired, man. I thought we were close.”

Turning his back with finality, MacCready waved over his head as he went down the stairs, “I’m close enough to smell you. I’ll see you in a few hours. Do me a favor and have a really boring day, okay?”

“You got it, MacBeardy. Why don’t you go trim that shit? Looking like that, it’s a wonder anybody wants to kiss you.”

Too tired to fight back, he was grateful for gravity’s help down the stairs. Once his feet were back on the ground he stopped to let his eyes adjust to the dim light before sweeping them along the street and in-between the nearest homes.

Yawning aggressively, he clicked his teeth, “…really should have a patrol going inside the walls too… don’t know who might be creepin’ around…”

As if on cue, a small, shadowy figure left the clinic and made its way toward Wraith’s house.

Tiredness forgotten, MacCready raised his rifle, “HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!”

“Don’t shoot! It’s me!” Shaun all but fell to the ground, “I’m sorry!”

“Did you spend the night in the clinic?!” Torn between sympathy and anger, he opened and shut his mouth wordlessly; fighting with his impulse to tear into the child.

“I’m sorry! Yes, but…”

“Shaun, I… understand that you’re worried about Danse, but I… I trust you to help me with Duncan…”

“I know! That’s why…”

“DON’T INTTERUPT ME, MAN!” Instantly regretting raising his voice, he took a deep breath, “He shouldn’t be in the house by himself.”

Shaun squared his shoulders and set his jaw. Thrusting his right hand into the air, his voice was filled with righteous indignation as he shook an item at the heavens, “BABY MONITOR!”

“WELL, I DIDN’T KNOW THAT AND I’M SORRY! DID YOU MAKE THAT YOURSELF?!”

“NO! I JUST FIXED IT AND BOOSTED ITS RANGE!”

“WOW THAT’S REALLY COOL!”

“OKAY, BUT WHY ARE WE STILL YELLING?!”

“I DON’T KNOW YOU STARTED IT!”

“NOOOOOOO WAY, RJ!”

A settler opened a nearby window and stuck her head out, “Boys, it is too early in the morning for you to be yelling like that!”

Laughing now, Shaun apologized while the other flipped her off by pretending to itch his eye. MacCready patted the kid’s shoulder as they crossed the yard to their door. Just as he touched the doorknob, Lloyd’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.

“MacCready, I got a new face at the gate.”

He ushered Shaun through the door and walked back to the street before responding, “I thought we agreed you were going to have a boring day. Besides, there are Minutemen at the gate checking on newbies. What’s the big deal?”

“He’s a big deal; six feet plus. Dark hair and light eyes… looks like you and Capt’n Danse had a baby… oh, shit. Sorry, man. That was a stupid…”

“It’s fine…” MacCready pinched the bridge of his nose, “That could literally be anybody…”

“He’s probably not Infamy, right? They’re all ghouls?”

“I don’t think we know who they all are...” He really just wanted to go and sleep for two seconds, “Lloyd, I am really tired…”

“MacCready, I know everybody, remember? I don’t know this guy!”

A chill ran down his back and the hairs on his nape stood up. He jogged down the street toward the gate, “Where are they exactly?”

“He’s standing behind Carla’s brahmin… hold on… shit!”

“Lloyd?!”

“I lost him! I’m going to the open channel!”

Swallowing hard and fighting the urge to sprint to the gate, MacCready turned back toward the house he shared with his new family. It was obvious that Shaun would be a primary target to anyone looking to damage Wraith. Switching his walkie to the open channel, he listened to the Minutemen as they searched for this mysterious stranger.

I’ll take the boys through the river to the Rocket. Ain’t no way Strong will let anything happen to his little brothers. Then I’ll go hunt this bastard down.

“Robert Joseph MacCready?”

The disembodied voice came from a shadow just to his right. Preoccupied with the safety of the children; he cursed himself internally for allowing the threat to get so close.

His rifle seemed to materialize in his hands as he spun away. As fast as he was, it was a surprise when his intended target had already breached his circle of defense; placing a hand on the weapon and forcing it skyward. An immediate tug of war began as both men tried to secure the gun.

Despite the difference in overall size, MacCready was well able to hold his own. In a last-ditch effort to dislodge his large foe, he deliberately fell backward, hooking a boot into his opponent’s midsection and flipping them over his head. Vaulting to his feet he quickly turned, once again making an attempt to pin the other man with the barrel of his gun.

The enemy activated a Stealth-boy and vanished before his eyes.

   Croup Manor was all but lost. The horde of ferals, shepherd by Infamy, washed over the settlement like a tidal wave. Wraith, Dogmeat, Preston and their small troop of Minutemen were hard pressed waiting for Dragoon reinforcements.

“WRAITH!” Knocked to the ground by an enormous bloated glowing one, Preston’s cry reverberated through the ruins.

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit!” She had gathered what soldiers she could find in an attempt to preserve what was left of their group, and had guided them to the platform that surrounded the remains of the roundabout’s fountain, “Keep the high ground! Dogmeat stay here.” Wraith popped a Buffout and leaped into the mass of gyrating ghouls. Keeping her weapons holstered, she punched, ducked and dodged as she tried her best to not get hung up with one opponent for any longer than it was necessary to move them out of her way.

Out of her peripheral, she could see that the one feral that had turned friendly was pacing her. They had a tattered, red-plaid shirt and like her seemed to be heading toward Preston’s voice.

That’s lucky!

The ally feral reached Preston first and threw itself bodily at the bloated ghoul. The green-glowing monster seemed taken aback and the look of betrayal on its twisted face was almost comical. Recovering quickly, it back-handed its smaller, plaid-clad attacker, sending it flying.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Wraith hefted Preston into a fireman’s carry and zigzagged her way back to the rally point.

“Preston, are you alive?”

“Uhhhhh.”

“Oh, good.” She laid him down gently, “Medic, I need RadAway right away! Ha-ha!” She patted Preston on the shoulder, “Hang in there Colonel.” Turning away she adopted her General’s voice and addressed her frightened soldiers, “The Calvary will be here very soon! They know I’ve an appointment in Diamond city, and I cannot be late! Stay calm and pick you’re targets. Aim for the legs! And don’t hit me or I’ll be extremely vexed!” So saying she unsheathed her Shem Drowne sword and unholstered her revolver, and took a swan dive right back into the sea of feral ghouls.

  “Philippa Lynn Keita-Johnson, kindly get off of my case!”

“Val…”

“I am fine. I am recovered. I am well.”

“I know you say that but…”

“I am… I need backup…” Turning his head slightly, Nick Valentine called over his shoulder, “Ellie, please tell Wraith to leave me be!”

Laughing, Mrs. Valentine came into the living room brandishing a file folder, “I will do no such thing! You tell me I should take it easy, well, same goes for you. It hasn’t been that long since you were moo-lightening as squirrel-on-a-stick… what’s so funny, Wraith?”

Giggling, she made the mistake of making eye-contact with Valentine and then fell to laughing so hard she stopped making any sounds at all.

He smiled indulgently at his wife, “I think you meant ‘moonlighting’, my dear.”

“Oh… Wraith… Honey, you must be really tired; it wasn’t that funny.”

“Mooooo! Hahahaha!”

“At any rate; I am more than well enough to go with you to Sanctuary,” Valentine was becoming increasingly irritated at being handled like glass, “and for anything else, for that matter. I will not miss this just because of a minor intestinal perforation!”

“You’re absolutely sure?”

“For the last time, my guts are one hundred percent fully healed and operational.”

“Prove it.”

“Alas, to my great shame, I cannot break wind on cue.”

   “ALLY, ALLY, ALLY! FRIENDLY!”

MacCready struck a dramatic figure; rifle at the ready and backlit by the dawn, tracking an invisible enemy by sound alone, “Show me some raised and empty hands, then we can talk about being friendly.”

“I’ve no guarantee that you won’t shoot as soon as you get a glimpse. No offence meant, but I’d prefer to remain alive.”

“Have we met? You seem vaguely familiar...”

A low whistle to his left was all the warning he got before some unknown liquid came flying through the air. Able to step out of its path, MacCready watched in confused fascination as his opponent was momentarily outlined before the Stealth-Boy compensated and they once again shimmered out of existence.

“That was motor oil and kerosene.” Shaun was outwardly calm as he flicked the sparkwheel on the lighter in his hand, “Don’t worry RJ, Duncan is with Strong…” His smile was almost pitying as he addressed the air, “I’m sure I hit you with enough to ignite. I wonder if the Stealth-Boy will hide you as you burn.”

“OKAY! Okay, I’ll show myself. Please believe me when I say that I’m a friend to Nyx Morningstar and an ally to General Wraith in her fight against Infamy.”

MacCready moved close to Shaun and whispered harshly in his ear, “Not your name.”

Phasing into view, the large man held his hands aloft, palms forward as he favored Shaun with a raised brow, “You are a terrifying young man.”

“HEY! You don’t get to talk to Peter! You talk to me. Got it?”

“Yes… MacCready. Or do you prefer RJ?”

“Might as well call me the Grim Reaper.” Stepping close, he held his weapon level with the other man’s eyes, “Name.”

“We’ve actually met…”

“If you know me then you know of my short, short fuse.” His voice was steel.

“Harkness! My name is Harkness and Nyx told me that if you give me too much trouble… to… to call you ‘Buttface’?”

Lowering his rifle, MacCready cocked his head to the side, “I do know you. Huh.”

“May I put my arms down now?”

“Nope. Keep ‘em high and walk back to the gate.” He turned to Shaun, “Squirrel, you have a sidearm?” He knew the answer, but the question was more for Harkness’ benefit.

“Uh… yeah. Yes!”

“Good. If he makes a run for it shoot his left knee. We are heading to the storage shed next to Bear’s place.” He motioned Harkness forward with his rifle, “Nice and easy. Just a lovely, morning stroll.”

As they walked, Shaun whispered out of the side of his mouth, “I thought my name was ‘Peter’.”

“Same kid.”

  Some few days later Wraith returned to Sanctuary with the Valentines in tow. Notified at the Rocket of the captured intruder, she called a meeting and had Harkness brought to her office under heavy guard. MacCready, Sofie, Lloyd and Cait arranged themselves on Wraith’s furniture and collectively glared at him.

“I would prefer to speak with you privately, if that’s alright with you, General Wraith.”

“No. That is not alright with me.” Weary and road dirty, she hoped that she at least looked impressive and authoritative, “Nyx has never mentioned a ‘Harkness’ to me, nor has she written an introductory letter on your behalf.” Arms folded she let some iron creep into her voice, “With all that has happened I think you might forgive me if I keep you under as many eyes as possible.”

“Do you have a Geiger counter?”

MacCready popped to his feet and clapped his hands before opening the door to the street, “Okay, everybody out!” He stuck his head out the door and gave a shrill whistle, “Dogmeat!” He favored Wraith with a forced smile, “His eyes are as good as anyone’s, right?”

As the grumbling group filed out, every single one of them gave the canine a pat as he trotted inside. The last to leave, MacCready gave a small cry of surprise as Panther dashed between his legs just as he was shutting the door.

Dogmeat immediately came to greet Harkness; tail wagging and tongue lolling leisurely. Taking their cue from their canine friend, Panther hopped atop Wraith’s desk and sat next to her. Whiskers extended toward the stranger, they made the chuffing sounds that were the great cat’s purr.

“I can’t believe it!” He patted the dog as best he could with bound hands, “I’m convinced, now more than ever, that you’re an immortal!”

“If he vouches for you, then I suppose I have no choice…” Unlocking his cuffs she offered him water and then flopped into her chair. There she sat, eyes trained at the ceiling and completely silent for several seconds.

“Do you have…?”

“I’m retired.”

“Hardly.” He leaned forward, left brow raised over an ice-blue eye.

“I can’t believe you are still using that pass phrase…”

“Do you have…?”

“Fucking sake! Mine’s in the motherfuckin’ shop!” She slapped her palm onto the tabletop, “I am officially retired and if you are still using that, you probably should fucking stop. MacCready never even…”

“We don’t. Harley told me it’s the one you’d recognize though.” He made note of the flash of pain that crossed her face, “He also told me that you and MacCready would give me the most hassle and that you were both, ‘monstrously terrifying’.” Giving Dogmeat another pat he matched Wraith’s glare with a smug smirk, “If he vouches for you, then I suppose I have no choice.”

“Cute. Why does the Railroad care about Infamy in Boston?”

Making a show of taking a long, slow drink, Harkness stalled; trying to find a delicate selection of words to hide the truth, “The Railroad cares deeply for all liberated synths. The loss of Danse is distressing, not just for the Minutemen and…”

Wraith rocketed to her feet and grabbed him by the collar. Easily lifting Harkness, she slammed him into the wall, “ENOUGH! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR DE… HARLEY’S LIES FROM YOU!” Letting him drop she backed away. Her voice turned terrifyingly emotionless but her eyes promised death, “I want the truth. Otherwise, I’ll go with my first instinct; consider you my enemy and rip you in half.”

He glared at her from the floor, “We have highly valued agents who could be compromised or killed if your struggle with Infamy goes to shit!”

Wraith’s expression softened, “Ah. People I know. People I’d miss if they were to suddenly relocate. People I wouldn’t stop looking for if they were to suddenly disappear.”

That was not tactful at all. I just… I almost killed him. Deacon and Morningstar sent him and I almost took him through the wall! What the hell is wrong with me?!

“May I stand, or will that get me bifurcated too?” Failing to hide his anger, he couldn’t help but take a jab at her, “I can see where Shaun gets it…”

That was a mistake.

Lost in a flash of rage, she aimed a punch at Harkness’ face.

Dogmeat saved his life: his sharp bark cut through Wraith’s wrath-filled haze and at the last second she altered her aim and slammed her fist through the wall.

Both breathing heavily, the two stared into each other’s eyes. Her regret showed clearly and a sudden revelation filled his blue orbs with understanding.

“You… you have lost so much. Father and the Institute were just the tip of the iceberg. You understand what it’s like to have your past and future manipulated by an uncaring puppet master. You know what it’s like… to not feel real…”

“I… I’m…” Slowly removing her hand, she backed away, eyes fixed on his, “I think that I can’t properly apologies to you for what just happened… but I am sorry.”

“I know you’ll find this hard to believe but I trust you more now.”

“You can’t trust…”

“…everybody. I know. I know.” He laid a hand gently over-top her blooded fist, pushing it down toward the floor, “Both Nyx and Harley are very important to me. They say you are one of the greatest allies the Railroad has ever known. So whatever just happened, let’s chalk it up to, you’re over-taxed and I’m an asshole.”

Motioning to him to take a more comfortable seat on her couch, Wraith went to her office first aid kit. Resuming her seat next to Panther, she began a deep breathing exercise while treated her injuries with a dermo-fuse.

Gotta calm. In, two, three. Calm. Out, two, three.

“So, you have all the intel on me from Harley. You know Shaun, you know… everything?”

“Actually, the dossier came from Nyx. So, I probably don’t know as much as you might fear.” Tenting his fingers, he briefly touched their tips to his lips before leaning toward her, “I would really like it if we could start over. Hello, I’m Harkness. I’m a Railroad heavy from the Capital Wasteland. I’ve known Nyx for over ten years. I was sent by our new leadership to protect our interests in the Commonwealth by offering you informational aid in your conflict with the organization known as Infamy.”

She offered him a wan smile, “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place?

Laughing, he shook his head, “I tried. No, really! MacCready and Shaun just about turned me inside-out!”

“Do you know Mac too?”

“I only met him a couple of times. He didn’t recognize me and I hardly even recognize him; he’s way healthier looking now.”

She frowned, thinking that he actually looked a little haggard, “He eats better these days. Speaking of which, have they offered you food recently?”

“I could eat.”

Radioing Codsworth, she put in a request. Having finished repairing the lacerations on her hand, she returned the knitter to the first aid kit and once again flopped into her chair. Not sure how to begin, or if she should even start, an awkward silence hung in the air.

Harkness was watching Panther groom itself with a child-like fascination. When the cat jumped down and came over to rub on his legs his face beamed with joy. “She’s a synth, isn’t she? Incredible!”

“Technically speaking, Panther isn’t a ‘she’ or ‘he’. Although Danse…” She swallowed hard and looked at her hands in her lap.

Pretty sure my finger’s dislocated… ouch. Why am I having such a hard time? I used to be really good with people! Part of the reason I became a lawyer…

Harkness misunderstood her reaction, “I am very sorry that Danse was killed. I… met… him. He definitely wouldn’t have remembered me though.”

“How did you find out?”

“Nyx told me when she asked if I would come up here.”

“Asked, huh? Okay, how did Morningstar find out?”

A flicker of realization crossed his face, “We have a network of tourists… but you’d know that… he’s still alive, isn’t he?”

Wraith rose at Codsworth’s polite knock, “Food’s here.” She patted one of the robots eye stalks, “Thanks, sweetheart.”

“No trouble at all, mum!” He made happy whistling noises as he left.

While chewing his first, enormous bite, Harkness offered a morsel to Panther. His face broadcasting his delight when the cat oh-so-delicately accepted it. His smile became that much broader when Dogmeat also partook of his charity. When Wraith cleared her throat to bring him back to their conversation his cheeks momentarily reddened with guilt.

“Ah-hem, that’s interesting. Our information has him being killed outright. A sniper shot to the head.”

“He’s in a coma and has been for some time. He’ll have another scar on his brow… when he wakes up.” Stirring her vegetables distractedly, she stared at the wall in the direction of the clinic. “I have almost no information on Infamy. Mac and Hancock told me that they were a mercenary faction of the Children of Atom and that Morningstar had some dealings with them, but that’s about it. Islode had only so much more to add.” Setting her now completely forgotten meal on her desk, she stood up and began to pace, “I need to find them. I need to wrap this up. I can’t have another war of attrition, like with the Gunners!”

“I’m not familiar enough with this area to pinpoint them for you, but they would probably take up residence in the Glowing Sea, or similar sites that would be considered holy to Atom worshippers.”

“I’m not going to send the Dragoons into the Sea to wander around aimlessly. I did send my radioactive-resistant Hound pair to get a sitrep on Quincy Quarries. There’s a empty Vault-Tec installation there…”

“And what will you do when you find them?”

That gave Wraith pause: her first response was for a very percussive, terminal encounter.

You told Islode that you weren’t a conqueror. And that the Children were your neighbors. They are being fed false information from Marie. She is the real enemy.

“I don’t suppose they’d listen to reason, would they?”

“Are you suggesting you can be reasonable?” He waved his hands and laughed at the face she made, “I’m sorry! I’m joking!”

“Lay it out for me, Harkness! I’m obviously struggling. Normally I would attempt diplomacy immediately, but they never even gave me an ultimatum. I can’t bargain with a group who wants nothing I have!”

“Sister Marie wants some things though; your status as a profit discredited. Then your happiness. And then your life.”

Bringing her right hand up she began running it back and forth across her close-cropped hair, “I never once claimed to be a profit! If they want me to stand in front of the entire Atom nation and declare myself…”

“It wouldn’t be enough for Marie, but it might be enough for Infamy,” Harkness set his plate on the floor and leaned toward her, “and she is powerless without their backing.”

“Who are they?”

“When Nyx declined to detonate the warhead at Megaton, it shattered the hopes of the Children who lived and worshipped there. Denied their ‘Day of Division’, some of the members endeavored to become closer to Atom by taking a rare chem, that would either transform them into ghouls or…”

“Or kill them.”

He nodded, “Infamy developed soon after Nyx helped the BOS destroy the Enclave. My guess is that the glowing one that acts as the leader is the former Brother Gerard, from that Megaton sect.”

“And how would I use this information to begin peace talks?”

“One of our agents has suggested that you have some small control over feral ghouls, perhaps…”

“You can just say ‘Hancock’.” She made a dismissive gesture at his attempt at mock confusion, “I suppose you stopped in Goodneighbor before you came here. He has seen that ferals will… become docile around me… occasionally. It happened in front of him again, just a short while ago, so it would be fresh in his mind.”

“He told you he was an agent.”

She dropped her shoulders and rolled her eyes, “Yes, of course. We are very much intertwined in each other’s lives. And with me being a former agent; he can trust me with sensitive information. So please, let it go.”

“Very well.” He leaned back on the couch and smiled as Panther draped its self across his lap, “What is it like? Are you able to direct the actions of these ferals?”

“Nope.”

A flicker of irritation crossed his face, “Have you tried?”

She felt her face heat, “No! I would never! They have suffered enough. I wouldn’t presume to make them my puppets.”

“If you were able to command feral ghouls, or even pull some away from Infamy’s hoard, your clout as a profit in good standing would be beyond repute.”

“You’re asking me to win them over by masquerading as one of their most important religious figures.”

“No, I’m asking you to prove to them that you are the Mother’s Favored One.”

“But, Harkness that would be lying. And as you know, falsehoods make a poor foundation on which to build peace.”

He held his hands out and looked to the ceiling, appealing to some higher power for strength, “Why are you so adamant that it’s a lie?”

Wraith sputtered and scoffed, “… I wouldn’t… I’m not, I’m… well, okay maybe I’m not normal but…”

He knew he had her on the ropes and began tallying off his bullet points on his hands, “One, you are highly resistant to radiation, much like the Children’s Gift. This combined with pre-war experimentation has turned you into what could be described as a smooth-skin ghoul. Two, you have experienced visions in which the Mother appeared and seemed to guide you. Three, you have a charming effect on feral ghouls to the point that they will come to your aid, and apparently, follow you around like puppy dogs!”

Wraith quickly crossed the room, “Okay, how the fuck… There should only be three people, aside from myself who know I’m ghoulish…” She struck her forehead with the heel of her palm, “Oh, I’m so dumb! Of course he would know. And what he knows, you do. That asshole.”

Who I miss terribly and would really like to talk to…

“I’m guessing that even though Nyx handed me your information, it might have been from Harley after all… Sorry.” Harkness at least had the decency to look abashed.

“Okay, if I were to explore this, how would I even begin?”

“I brought someone with me. His name is Sun of Atom, and he’s a glowing one who’s also a member of the Megaton sect. I left him in Goodneighbor in the off chance that I was met with… let’s say, extreme resistance, to my idea.” He gave her a mocking smile.

“So, what? This Sun is going to teach me to…”

“Fine tune your obvious ability to command feral ghouls.”

She was running her hand over her hair again, “If I hadn’t just recently fought a super villain, possessed by alien technology, who was able to manipulate objects with her mind, I’d really think this was crazy…”

Then again, all I could think of at Croup was ‘gotta help Preston’ and that plaid shirt feral went right to him…

“I can go pick up Sun and be back here…”

“Oh, no; I’m not bringing ferals here. I would never do that to MacCready. How about you meet me at Wicked Shipping in a week.”

“It won’t take me a week…”

“Okay, look, I just got back. I would like to visit with my people, my kids and my beloved, feisty boyfriend as well as be there for the Valentine’s first ultrasound, before I fuck-off again to do whoever-the-fuck-knows!”

He held up his hands, “Okay, okay. That’s fair.”

“I’ll send you with an escort.”

“No thank you. That won’t be necessary…”

“That wasn’t a question.”

“Wraith,” He held his hands out pleadingly, “I’ve already garnered way more attention than is healthy! Please just, trust in my abilities. Harley wouldn’t have sent me if he didn’t think I could get it done.”

   Wraith met with Sofie and then joined the Valentines for their ultrasound before returning to her house. She could tell MacCready had been napping as one side of his now ample beard and his hair were pressed flat to the side of his head. They held each other tightly in a hug that was almost desperate. When she felt the tears start, she buried her face into his shoulder. It had the potential to carry on through the evening, so Shaun cleared his throat and that made Duncan giggle. Doing her best to ignore the subtle protests of her pre-teen grandson, she laughed at Mac’s hair and gave her lover a huge kiss.

“I don’t know how you can stand to kiss all that hair…”

She reached out and scratched the former merc’s chin, not unlike how she would for Dogmeat, “I don’t know, Shaun; I kinda dig it.”

MacCready lifted his chin and cocked his head to the side, apparently appreciating the sensation, “Thanks, knockout.”

“Gross.”

“Daddy’s beard is not gross!” Duncan shook a finger at his adopted brother, “It’s purdy! It’s got nice red in it; jus like Miss. Cait’s nice hair. And it tickles fun.”

Scooping his son from the floor, Mac kissed his cheek and Duncan squealed with laughter. Favoring Shaun with a superior look, he batted his eyelashes at him, “See? Dunk says it’s purdy.”

“Yeah, it’s purdy gross.”

Wraith watched MacCready chase the boys around the couch, trying to allow their joy to erase all of her recent worry and grief.

 Later that evening, Shaun and Wraith were playing Go Fish while MacCready gave his son his bath. She could tell he was trying to work up the nerve to ask her something, but didn’t want to put him off by asking outright.

“Hey, grandma?”

“Hmm?”

“Have you… umm… been to the clinic?”

“I went with the Valentines today.”

“Did you talk to Danse?”

Wraith very slowly lowered her cards, “He’s awake?!”

He waved his hands, “No! No, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hear you. Dr. Curie says that coma patients respond to their loved one’s voices.” He dropped his eyes to the tabletop, “I know you haven’t been to see him. You should go talk to him. I think… you might need to.”

It was true. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to go. Something about standing at Danse’s bedside, and seeing him in that condition, reminded her too much of her one-sided conversations with Nate at the gravesite.

“I think you’re right.” She stood and came around to hug him, “I’ll go right now.”

 Wraith started to cry when Curie hugged her.

“Oh! Oh, madame! What is the matter?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Do not apologies! Please tell me how I can help you.”

Wraith sniffled and dropped into a chair, “I know I’ve never been a pillar of emotional stability, but lately… I’m as bad as I think I’ve ever been.”

“What do you mean?”

Wraith laughed humorlessly, “I can’t hug anyone without bawling all over them. I keep giggling like a drunkard over stupid crap and I almost just killed our visitor over a mild insult.”

“Buffout.”

“Wha…”

“You take it quite a bit, no?”

“I… guess…”

“It is quite unnecessary regardless.” Curie pulled her desk chair around so she could sit facing her. Reaching forward, she took Wraith’s hands in hers, “I have been meaning to speak to you on this matter for some time, but it has been difficult for me. I think you have been upping your usage lately; taking some before every possible confrontation. Of which there seems to be a never-ending supply.” She patted her hands as Wraith’s face turned red, “Monsieur Hancock has expressed his concern to you on this, oui? He came to me only because you have dismissed his warnings. You are already shockingly strong Madame, in spirit as well as muscle. It’s possible the Buffout lost its effectiveness long ago; you use it now as a habit rather than a tool.”

It was like getting slapped in the face by a deathclaw gauntlet.

I took some just before the meeting today… Hancock’s been telling me to take it easy? Damn, I don’t even remember…

“I… I think I’m going to cry some more…” She slid out of her chair and onto the floor.

“I will cry too.”

Wraith held out her arms and the two held each other for a time. When the sniffling began to subside, Curie got up to go and get them some water.

“I must apologies for my poor bedside manner; I had wanted to be much more delicate with this and possibly have messieurs Hancock and MacCready here with you.” She sat next to Wraith on the floor and offered her an Addictol inhaler as well, “You didn’t come in here to be ambushed by me. No doubt you’ve come to see mon amour, oui?”

“You’re not ambushing me, Baby Bird. I’m sorry I made you worry.” She nodded toward the ICU room, “How has he been?”

It took a while before she could answer. Her face transitioned from extreme grief to a hopeful smile and back again. “He is… alive. His heartbeat remains strong.” She suddenly stood, “I will leave you two your privacy. Monsieur Sturges has invited me to play cards to ‘get me out of the house’.”

Wraith sat on the floor for several minutes, trying to do breathing exercises, staring at the door to Danse’s room. She had wanted Curie to stay with her but couldn’t find the words to stop her from leaving. Working up the nerve to simply walk to the door and reach out for the knob, took a herculean effort.

He’s not dead, just sleeping. Not dead. He’s sleeping.

He was not sleeping.

Shockingly thin, his breath coming in shallow pants, Danse stood next to his bed, tangled in a mass of IV lines. He was covered in blood and worse from having ripped out as many of the said lines and tubes as he could reach.

He attempted to take a step toward her but stumbled and nearly fell. Holding his arms wrist-up at her, he shook them side to side before gesturing around the room, “Where is this?! Who are you! What...” Momentarily overcome by a coughing fit he lost the energy to stand and collapsed heavily onto the bed, “What happened to me?”

Wraith opened and shut her mouth like a dying fish. She felt the tears streaming down her face as well as a stab of guilt when Danse shot her a look of concern.

He’s reacting to my crying when he doesn’t even… wait…

“You don’t know me?” She grabbed a towel and some gauze, “Please stop pulling out your IVs!”

He studied her face, “You… your eyes… Please tell me…”

“Wraith. I’m Wraith. I’m your friend.” She figured she’d start small. “We have known each other for a couple of years now.”

“Are you a knight?” His voice was weak, gravely and slightly slurred.

“I was. You recruited me. Technically I was a paladin.” She rolled her eyes.

“Was? Why aren’t we in the infirmary on the Prydwen?” He moved the arm she was attempting to bandage out of her reach and attempted, without success, to stand, “Did we lose the police station? You aren’t Brotherhood?”

“No Danse…”

“Paladin Danse.”

“Actually it’s ‘captain’ now.” She wasn’t sure how far she could push it, “You are no longer with the BOS either.”

“Utter nonsense!” This time, his attempt to gain his feet landed him on his backside on the floor, “I demand you return my armor to me immediately!” Overcome yet again by a racking cough, he tried without much success to crawl under the bed.

“Stop hurting yourself!” She was starting to panic, “Look at your arms! Aren’t you feeling that?!”

There was a brief, flickering of recognition in his eyes, “Pain… is inconsequential…” He stared hard into her eyes, “It’s not real… just a damage prevention signal.”

Wraith remembered, “That’s what pain is, you fucking asshole.”

“Wraith!” He held his arms out to her like a small, scared child asking to be picked up.

Easily lifting him back onto the bed, she went to pull away but Danse’s grip around her shoulders tightened. She returned the embrace despite the mess; lying herself next to him. His body shook slightly as his memories returned and the tears fell down his cheeks.

“I’m so glad you’re awake!”

“I feel so foggy…”

“That’d be the meds. And possibly the fact you suffered acute neurotrauma due to a gunshot wound.”

“… explains the headache…”

“Look on the bright side, not many people can brag about having a cranioplasty.”

He chuckled, “Great, even more metal in my head. MacCready’s going to be insufferable.” He squeezed her tighter, his voice soft, “I can always count on you to guide me back to who I truly am. You… you are my sister, Wraith and I love you.”

“I love you too, tin can.”

Thank you so much for reading! Like what you’ve read? Looking for more? Please see my Wraith in the Ruins master link in my tags. As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns my ask is open. Anon too! I will try to answer promptly and would love to hear from you. More to come. =^..^=

[fallout4reactsblog]

hi!!! i'm a huuuuge fan of this blog, tysm for doing this!! i was wondering if you could do the companions & sole finding the wounded dog random encounter!! tysm! 💖

Cait: “We don’t have time to waste. We need to keep moving on.”

“I know, Cait.” Sole knelt down and pulled a stimpak from their bag.

“We don’t have stimpaks to waste, either. One of us is going to need that.”

“I know, Cait.”

“You’re not even listening. You’re just repeating the same words to acknowledge I’m speaking without hearin’ the words.”

“I know, Cait.”

She threw her hands up in dismay. “I don’t know why I bother.”

“Cait, look.” Sole gestured to the dog who was now on her feet, jumping up to try to lick their face. “Look at how happy she is. We did something good.”

Cait sighed heavily. “Yeah, okay. It is kind of cute.”

Sole absolutely beamed. “I know. Let’s keep her.”

“Well, if you’re gonna keep her, you ought to name her.”

“Any suggestions?”

She frowned in concentration. “Scrapper.”

“I like it. It’s tough, like her. Also, like you, and I like you.”

Cait flushed. “Come on, then. Let’s get back to Sanctuary.”

Scrapper trailed them home.

Codsworth: “Oh, dear. We can’t just leave the poor thing here to die.”

Sole nodded vehemently, already searching for a stimpak in their bag. “I agree.”

Codsworth hovered nearby as sole gently administered the medicine, fretting about the animal’s condition. Thankfully, she was on her feet in no time, albeit a little unsteadily.

“Most excellent work, mum/sir. I think she’s right happy to have your help.”

“You think?” Sole reached down to scratch the dog’s ears. “What should we name her.”

Codsworth searched for a good name. “How about Lady?”

“Like, from ‘The Lady and the Tramp’? I loved that movie as a kid. I watched it a lot.”

“As I recall, young Shaun saw it more than once as well.”

Sole nodded, distantly. “We were gonna get a dog when he was older. A best buddy for him, you know? Teach him responsibility, how to care for something besides himself, the like. We read about it in some parenting book or another.”

“I remember.” He floated a little closer. “Don’t worry, mum/sir. We’ll find young Shaun eventually. We just need to have patience and stay hopeful. Now, why don’t we take Lady to the nearest settlement?”

Sole nodded again, eyes still far away. “Starlight Drive In isn’t far. We’ll take her there.”

Away they went.

Curie: “Oh, mon dieu! Zhis is not good. Not good at all.”

Curie dug through her pockets for a stimpak, hands shaking. Sole silently handed her one of their own from their bag, and she carefully applied it before turning back to them.

“Merci, merci. It is important to help those in need, no?”

“You’re right, Curie. Good eyes to spot her laying here.”

She nodded, stroking the dogs head. She scooted closer and into a better position to receive the affection. “Perhaps we should keep her?”

Sole nodded. “Sure, if you want. Would you like to pick a name?”

“Oh, yes! Perhaps we could choose something classic, like Rosalind? For the famous scientist?”

Laughter filled the clearing. “I like that name. Rosalind it is, Curie.”

She grinned broadly. “ We should take her back to Sanctuary. Zhat way she will be safe, and something like this will not happen again.”

Sole mused on that for a moment. “Having a dog might boost morale, and we could train her to be a guard dog…” They nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. We’ll take her back to Sanctuary.”

They both stood, and Curie linked arms with sole as they started down the path.

“Come along, Rosalind. Let us show you to your new home.”

Danse: “Hold a moment, soldier.”

Sole froze in place. When Danse called for a hold, it was never anything good. “What do you see? Ferals? Raiders? Gunners?”

“No danger, stand down. Come have a look at this.”

They followed him over to where the dog was lying just off the road. Instantly, sole dropped to their knees to inspect the wounds. “Danse, can you get a stimpak out of my bag?”

He exited his power armor so as not to startle the poor creature too much before fetching the stimpak and placing it in sole’s outstretched hand. He knelt down beside them as they administered the medicine, gently petting the dog’s head.

“She seems to be fairly calm.”

He was forced to amend his statement when the dog tackled him to begin placing doggy kisses all over his face. Laughing, he tried to push her off, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

“She’d cause absolute hell on the Prydwen,” sole quipped. “Think of the reaction Quinlan alone would have.”

“Maxson would be pissed. He hates dogs. Do not bring her onto the Prydwen.”

“Okay,” sole said, but he saw the mischievous glint in their eyes.

“I’m warning you, Knight. This is not smart.”

When the dog appeared on the Prydwen, with a dog tag proclaiming it was Elder Maxson himself, Danse was nice enough to not report the newest Knight.

Deacon: “I have a suggestion for what we should do with the dog.”

Sole bent down to administer the medicine in their hand, a look of pure concentration on their face. “I’m listening.”

“We should take her back to HQ and make her the new mascot of the Railroad. We could sew her a little train costume or something. Just imagine what the look on Dez’s face would be.”

Sole laughed softly, petting the dog as she slowly got to her feet. “She would absolutely flip. Carrington would complain nonstop about the fact that she kept eating his paperwork.”

“Exactly.” Deacon snickered. “We could even name her Glory to get the three-in-one, effectively pissing off all three of the Railroad officers.”

They laughed for a while, petting the dog and just imagining the chaos that would ensue. Eventually, their eyes met, and they sobered up.

“Are we actually going to do this?” Sole asked.

“I think we absolutely should. It’d be a crime not to take advantage of this opportunity.”

They looked at each other, nodded, then scooped up Glory and started running for the Old North Church as fast as they could manage.

Hancock: “Shit, she looks to be in an even worse state than I am.”

“Don’t say stuff like that.” Sole bent down to help the dog, but not after glaring at him.

“You’re right,” he said, searching in his pockets for a handful of mentats. “The dog’s in a little bit better shape than me.”

They brandished a stimpak threateningly. “Really, Hancock? Because she’s getting one of these. Do you need one of these?”

He flinched, not keen on the idea of having that thing stabbed violently into his arm. “I think I’ll pass, sunshine.”

“Then stop with the jokes.”

He sighed, scuffing at the dirt with his boot as he kept digging. “So, what’re you gonna name her? I assume you’re gonna keep her.”

“I was thinking Joan.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because Joan sounds like John, and I love both of you, no matter what you look like.”

He was glad that he couldn’t blush anymore. “That’s real sweet of you, sunshine. Romantic. Now I just gotta get her hooked on, I don’t know, mutfruit so she can live up to the name.”

Sole shot him a second glare. “Don’t. You. Dare.”

MacCready: “You’re gonna bother with healing this old mutt?”

Sole shot him a withering glare. “I bother with healing you, don’t I?”

He frowned, clearly disliking that. “We could really use those stimpaks. Giving them away isn’t gonna do anybody any good.”

“It’s gonna do her some good.”

He huffed. “I can’t believe you’re really-”

He was silenced by the dog tackling him to happily lick at his face. He tried in vain to shield himself, but was of course unsuccessful.

“Oh, gross. I’ve got dog spit all over me.”

“I don’t know, you’re hair’s looking better than it ever has before.”

“Ugh, even worse.” He tried to wipe some of it off.

“What do you think for names, huh?”

“You’re really gonna-” The look on sole’s face let him know he was going to get another scathing remark if he finished that sentence. “Buttface.”

They burst out laughing. “Real mature, MacCready.”

“Hey, you asked and I answered. My vote is for Buttface.”

“Perfect,” sole said. “You named it after yourself.”

He frowned. “My name sounds nothing like- Hey, wait a minute!”

Sole’s laughter echoed for miles.

Nick: “Look, kid. I get that you’ve got a bleeding heart, but you can’t help every single creature in the Commonweath.”

“I know,” sole sighed, “but I can’t help it. I love dogs, and if it were my pet…”

“I understand.” The old Nick had absolutely adored dogs, so he knew where sole was coming from. “I’m not telling you you shouldn’t I’m just saying that, for future reference, you need to pick your battles.”

“I’m picking this one,” they declared, bending down to care for the creature. He felt a smile twitching at his mouth.

The dog was up and running in no time, barking happily and even chewing a little on Nick’s metal hand before she decided she didn’t like that. She settled for licking sole’s fingers instead.

“We should name her,” sole said. “Maybe we can even take her back to the agency. She might be able to calm some of the more hysterical clients, as well as protect Ellie.”

“I like that idea,” Nick said. “Should we call her Bones?”

“What, like that pre-war detective show?” He nodded, and sole grinned. “I like that.”

Bones happily joined their little party, following them all the way back to the agency.

Piper: “Oh, Blue. She doesn’t look to be in good shape.”

Sole pursed their lips, clearly conflicted. “I know. I’m gonna try to heal her, but you should stand back, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt if she attacks us as soon as she’s healed.”

“Sure,” Piper said, and she even adhered to the rule for a few seconds before stepping forward once again. As sole administered the stimpak, she gave the poor creature a few scratches behind the ears.

“She seems friendly,” sole noted once she was back on her feet and trying to lick Piper’s face.

“Yeah? Maybe we could take her back to Diamond City. I know that Nat was talking about getting a pet, and a dog would be able to keep her company while I’m gone.”

Sole smiled softly. “I think that’s a great idea, Piper. Should we let her name her, then?”

“I don’t see why not.” Piper gave the dog one last pet before standing. “Come on, girl. Nat’s gonna be so excited to meet you.”

Preston: “General, can I borrow a stimpak?”

Sole screeched to a halt on the road, hands instantly flying to their bag. “Preston, why didn’t you tell me you were hurt? We’ve been walking for hours. How bad is your pain? Where-”

He cut them off. “It’s not for me.”

They froze. “Then who is it for?”

He led them off the road to where a mongrel dog was curled up in the grass. “She’s hurt pretty bad. She can’t even move, so I thought-”

Sole pressed a stimpak into his hand. “You’re such a good man, Garvey. Do what you need to.”

He flushed a little at the complement, but bent to take care of the animal, petting her head while she recovered. “She might make a good guard dog for one of the settlements, don’t you think?”

“I think you’re right. We should give her a name.”

He paused for just a second. “What do you think about Angel?”

“I like it.” Sole patted their leg twice. “Come on, Angel. It’s time to stop slumming. Get a real job. Contribute to society.”

Preston laughed. “Help us get the Commonwealth back on its feet.”

Angel seemed more than happy to oblige.

Strong: “Why human stop? Dog weak. Strong crush dog?”

“No, Strong.” Sole bent down to help the injured creature. “You don’t need to hurt her. She’s alright.”

“Some dogs not alright. Dogs hurt human.”

“Not this one, buddy.”

He hummed noncommittally. “Human not need to help dog. If dog is strong, dog will survive.”

“This one is hurt. It won’t survive without our help.”

“How Strong help?”

“Just watch for bad guys, okay? Let me know if anything comes by.”

Strong turned to the road. “Strong not understand why human help dog, but Strong help human. Strong will watch.”

“Thanks.”

In just a few seconds, the dog was back on her feet, and sole patted Strong’s arm as they went by. “Come on, big guy. Let’s get Mutt back to Sanctuary so she doesn’t get hurt again.”

Strong followed them. “Strong still crush most dogs, right?”

Sole laughed, head tipped back, though Strong didn’t understand why. “Sure. Crush any dogs that aren’t Mutt or Dogmeat.”

Off they went, new group member trailing behind.

X6-88: “Ma’am/Sir, I wouldn’t advise going near that thing. You don’t know that it’s friendly. It’s clearly injured and injured animals are usually dangerous.”

“Relax, X6.” Sole approached the wounded creature with a stimpack in hand. “It’ll be fine.”

“You should really just put it out of its misery. It’s a mongrel. It’s probably going to attack you as soon as it’s physically able to.”

“Why do you always see the worst in everything, X6?”

“I don’t. I’m being realistic.”

Within a few moments, the dog was back on its feet, jumping around. Sole turned to him. “What should we call it?”

“It’s a mutt.” He cocked his gun. “Now that you’ve done what you felt you needed to, let me do my job.”

“X6!”

When his vision cleared, he was on the ground, knocked their by a punch to the face from sole. The dog was sniffing at him, licking his face, and he tried to shove it off to no avail.

“I like the name you came up with,” sole said above him. “Mutt will do just fine.”

He grumbled, still trying to avoid getting dog slobber on his face. “Mutt, I hate you.”

[quoththeraven-never-more]

Everything's Better (With You By My Side)

Read it here on AO3 -  Everything's Better (With You By My Side)

Robert Joseph MacCready / Male Sole Survivor | 820 Words

The Sole Survivor is patching up MacCready's wounds when he brings up taking a trip out of the Commonwealth.

“Do you really have to do that?”

Bart stared MacCready down. He didn't have time for his attitude, pushing him down onto the bench. “Sit still, bud.”

MacCready wriggled under the man’s touch, barely letting him open up his duster. Blood was soaking through his shirt, and had left a stain on the sleeve of his jacket. Bart carefully rolled up Mac’s sleeve, until the fresh wound was exposed to air.

Mac groaned. “Fudge! Is that really-”

“Let me,” mumbled Bart, setting down his medical kit. “I know how to patch up a dirty wound like that.”

“I already used a Stimpak, don't worry.”

“Stimpaks don't get bullets out of your arm, dummy.”

MacCready shifted slightly, embarrassed that he had someone else fixing him up. Helping him. Bart pulled out a pair of tweezers, twisting Mac’s arm a little to get a better view of the injury.

“Man, you lug a lot of useless crap across the Commonwealth.”

Bart looked to the tweezers, then chuckled. “Useless crap comes in useful sometimes, young man.”

It was an alright day, for the Commonwealth. Sun shining down on Boston Commons, and the two had become accustomed to that early Spring smell of dead raiders.

“So I was thinking,” said Bart as he dug the tweezers in to try to fish the bullet out.

MacCready scoffed. “A dangerous thing for you to do.”

Bart shook his head. “Maybe we should go on a trip.”

The men looked to one another- that irritating sparkle in Bart’s green eyes made Mac’s cheeks redden. “Huh? A trip? What, you got us a new job?”

“No.”

“Nuka-World?”

“No, god no. That shithole-”

MacCready twitched as the tweezers went deeper and he let out an annoyed grown. “ Hey , that shithole makes some killer drinks.”

“It also makes killers, full stop. No, I meant… we could see him .”

Mac didn't catch on immediately, but when he did, he played dumb anyway. “Huh?”

“Duncan.” Bart heaved as he caught the bullet between the tips of the tweezer. “Fuck yeah.”

MacCready let a silence hang in the air. Seeing his son again-

The cure had worked, which was great. But he wasn't ready to go back to the Capital Wasteland, or to see him again. Not after what happened.

“Uh, I can't.”

Bart looked up. “What?”

Mac pulled away, much to Bart’s annoyance, who now held his arm still.

“Bart, I can't do that. M’not ready.”

Bart sighed. “RJ, you should see him. I know you're not ready, but it's also on your mind, like, all the time. Don't you want him to meet the new you?”

Mac furrowed his brow. Seeing Duncan would be nice. Maybe putting it off this long has affected the kid already. Maybe he should just leave him alone, before he can mess his life up. But Bart deserved to see him. Bart had helped get the cure back, and MacCready owed him.

He looked away from the man. No, he didn't actually think that he'd messed up. He knew he hadn't. He just…

He was scared. Of what Duncan would think, of having a mercenary father.

Bart noted the man’s silence, and took the cue to interject. “It’s fine. Up to you, really. Your kid and all.”

Mac glanced back down. “To heck with it. I-I’d like that. It's long overdue, honestly. And I want you to meet him, too.”

Bart smirked. “Really? Why?”

“Uh. As if any kid wouldn't wanna meet a vault-dwellin’ synth-helpin’ general of, uh, a freakin’ army .”

“I wouldn't say an army-”

“You've got the whole Commonwealth backing you, pal. Wanderer- whatever your railroad name bullcrap is- that's a household name. And you remember your roots. Remember who helped ya.”

Bart hummed. “Like you?”

MacCready grinned. “Like me- yeah , like me.”

In their shared moment of peace, Bart positively had to ruin it by suddenly pulling the bullet from his arm. Mac howled, reaching for his arm, but Bart grabbed his hand. “You’ll infect it before I even get a chance to disinfect.”

“Disinfect? With-”

Bart was already dabbing a rag with alcohol and pressing it on the wound, leading MacCready to cry out. “Oh, for God’s sake-!”

The sole survivor chuckled to himself, pulling the rag away and grabbing bandages from his kit. “Almost done. Just gonna wrap it up.”

He tightly tied the bandage around MacCready’s arm, the man wincing a final time.

“There. That'll do you a world of good. And I'm glad we talked.”

MacCready got to his feet, pulling his duster on over his shoulders and grumbling to himself. “Didn't exactly kiss it better , did you?”

Bart rolled his eyes, tugging MacCready close to his and lifting his arm. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the warm skin just above the bandage-covered wound. He looked up. “Better?”

Mac’s face was covered in a light blush, darkening his usually faint freckles. He gave in. “Better, babe.”

[fallout4holmes]

Journal 42

Valentine seems to have made a full recovery. He's spent the past few days teaching Shaun how to play baseball. Duncan is eager to join, but hasn’t yet developed the hand-eye coordination to catch. Shaun manages to include him by practicing running the bases, and chasing after the occasional ground ball. Of course, then the boys have to compete with Dogmeat, but it seems to be working well.

I never imagined I would one day be describing the antics of my partner, son, and the family dog, playing baseball with the neighbor's boy. I was willing to give a measure of domesticity a try of course, otherwise Shaun would never have been born, but I don't think I expected to succeed. Then again, this is hardly a typical domestic life.

I digress. MacCready has been a bit stir crazy with nothing to do apart from watch his son like a hawk, which proved an excellent incentive to get him involved in Minutemen affairs. When the Abernathy family reported oncoming super mutants, MacCready was more than willing to lend his gun to the fight. There was no time to lose; a small squadron of Minutemen comprised of Brown, Jackson, Michaels, and Mr. MacCready, left immediately for the farm. I was tempted to follow, but it would have undermined the opportunity for the three Minutemen to complete a mission on their own.

According to the Abernathy family, it went well. The family had taken shelter inside the house as soon as they spotted the mutants coming from a long distance, firing from the windows as soon as the mutants were in range. The turrets around the field were a help, but were soon destroyed. Abernathy was wounded in the fire fight, and a super mutant managed to get up to the door. It broke through the old wood and was met by Mrs. Abernathy and a shotgun as their daughter kept firing at the others with her pistol.

Then a rifle fired outside, and a super mutant fell. Another shot, another dead mutant. Laser musket fire joined the fray, a mutant disintegrating into a pile of red ash. The Minutemen attacked the mutants from behind, taking them by surprise and creating a second front. MacCready made his way to the roof and fired from above. Blake Abernathy was impressed. He insisted they stay the night as repayment for a job well done.

“You did well,” I said to the three Minutemen when they reported in at headquarters the next day. “Mr. Abernathy spoke well of your performance, and your willingness to help around the farm even though you were guests.” I smiled, “Good work. I'm sure Lt. Col. Danse and Col. Garvey would be proud. Dismissed.”

The Minutemen flushed with pride at the praise and chatted as they made their way to the barracks. I approached Mr. MacCready, leaning against a wall in the corner. “How much do I owe you?”

He blinked in surprise, and shrugged with a smirk, “Eh, Abernathy fed us and let us bunk up, offered a few caps to ‘the cause.’ Way I understand it, that’s pretty standard fee for Minutemen. He threw in a few extra supplies for me when he found out I wasn’t one.”

“Yet I'm the one who asked you to assist.”

MacCready shook his head, “You and me, we're good. I said I can't ever repay you, and I meant it. You point, I shoot. Any tips I happen to pick up on the way are just a nice bonus. If I ever get strapped for caps, I'll take a job protecting caravans or weird bored pre-war detectives.”

I chuckled, “If you meet any more of those, be sure to let me know. However, I feel it worth mentioning that you simply cannot live by your own wits and skill anymore. You have a son to care for, which means you need a place to put down roots.”

He folded his arms, “Sounds like you got an idea.”

“The Finch family have space to accommodate, and you would function as a regular patrolman between Finch Farm and County Crossing, perhaps even as far south as The Slog.”

He made a face, “Minuteman-backup doesn't sound great, boss.”

A whir of servos and the heavy step of power armor entered. “Not enough money in it for you?”

MacCready scoffed, “Sorry, Danse, couldn’t hear what you said over all that clanking.”

“Welcome back, gentlemen,” I intervened. “MacCready, you already met Danse, but let me introduce Col. Preston Garvey, second in command of the Minutemen. Preston, this is Robert Joseph MacCready. He's a mercenary by trade, but I’m trying to change that. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better shot with a sniper rifle.”

Preston wasn't sure what to make of Danse and MacCready's interaction, but held out a hand to MacCready, “Any friend of the General's is welcome.”

MacCready doubted that, but shook hands, “Thanks.”

“Can I ask how you know him?”

“Met when I was having some trouble with Gunners.”

“It was in the Third Rail in Goodneighbor,” I tried to interject, but it was too late.

“What sort of trouble?” Preston asked, focused and concerned.

MacCready brushed it off, “They were just pissed off about me doing business on ‘their’ turf. That was bull, but I guess they don't take kindly to people quitting.”

The concern on Preston's face hardened to something entirely different. “Quitting. You're a Gunner?”

MacCready rolled his eyes, “You see a tattoo on my face? I was a hired gun, it's what I do. Speaking of Gunners, I heard you took back your castle. Got any plans for Quincy?”

“MacCready,” I warned.

“Just sayin’, be a hell of a statement.”

A small knock on the door interrupted. “Dad?” Shaun called.

“You can come in, son, it's alright.”

He opened the door just enough to look inside. “Oh, good! Duncan wanted to know if Mr. MacCready was back when we saw the other soldiers.”

MacCready sighed, “I keep telling you, kid, drop the 'mister.’”

“Sorry, that's what Dad always calls you.”

“Yeah well, your dad's weird.” He followed Shaun out.

Preston turned to me, “A Gunner?!”

“He isn't a Gunner,” I said. “He didn't know what they were until he was hired and found them to be no better than animals. They harassed him with threats and made it nearly impossible for him to do business independently. Then he met me, we eliminated a Gunner waystation, found the cure for his son's deadly illness, and he left to save him. I'm glad to see he succeeded.”

Preston frowned, “He's still a mercenary.”

“He attempted being a farmer, and was terrible at it. I'm hoping to convince him to be a soldier.”

Preston sighed, still doubtful but resigned, “I guess we can use the help. Finch Farm will appreciate the extra set of eyes, at least.”

I counted that as close to acceptance as I was going to get from Preston under the circumstances and changed the subject, “I'm glad to see the two of you home safe.”

Danse, who had been silently watching Preston the entire time, said, “It's good to be back, sir.”

It was an automatic response that would have been genuine were he not worried for the man next to him. “How was Far Harbor?”

Danse focused on me. “Far Harbor seems to be doing well, as is Acadia. Both places know the Minutemen are willing to help if called upon.”

“Excellent. The troops will be overjoyed to see you both again and have some normalcy restored to their routine.”

“Do I want to know what you've done to them?” Danse grinned.

“I'm sure they'll tell you all about it,” I smiled, “but I did go through the effort of a formal report if you desire to read the full story in detail. Now, I will happily let you gentlemen get back to your duties, while I resume the humble position of a detective.”

“Leaving right away, General?” Preston asked.

“Oh, I'll wait til tomorrow, see if I can get MacCready to agree to a slightly more stable life for his son. Then Valentine, Shaun, and I will head home. Good day, gentlemen.”

The return of Preston and Danse did indeed spark a new energy through the settlement. The soldiers were both relieved and apprehensive in a fond sort of way to return to Danse's expectations. Preston immediately went right to work in the office, reading reports and making note of everything he missed… after he gathered his few possessions and delivered them to Danse's house, that is. No one was surprised by this.

In fact, my greatest surprise of the day came from MacCready, for a reason that had never once occurred to me.

It was later in the evening. Shaun was reading to me from an issue of Astoundingly Awesome Tales before he went to bed. It was utterly ridiculous, but he was enjoying it. There was a frantic knock at the door. Valentine answered and found MacCready outside, who asked if he could speak to me, saw he was interrupting, said, “Damn, sorry, just… I’ll be out here when you’re done.”

“Wonder what that’s about,” Valentine muttered as he closed the door again.

“We’ll find out,” I said, and urged Shaun to finish the story.

Valentine volunteered to take over bedtime preparations once the story was done. I stepped outside to see what had my mercenary friend in such a state.

“What is it, MacCready, has something happened?”

MacCready was agitated, demanding in a hushed voice, “Why am I hearing from the soldiers that this Danse guy is a synth??”

I confess, I blinked in confusion. “Because he is one.”

“And you’re ok with that?!”

I was stern, “Considering the nature of my partner, yes, I am.”

MacCready rolled his eyes, “Valentine doesn’t count, he’s an ex-Institute toaster, I’m talking about an actual synth, the kind that pretend to be other people!”

“The kind like Roger Warwick, who you offered to rid of a potential threat to his true identity? I believe your words were ‘I don’t care if you’re metal or flesh, no one should split apart your family?’” MacCready scowled and started to respond, but I was… aggravated. “Paladin Danse was as loyal a soldier as you will ever find, and though misled into believing their superior race drivel, a good man at heart. He never knew he was a synth, and upon the discovery he was perfectly willing to kill himself to set an example. I managed to talk him out of it, and convince him to make something of his life. Since coming to Sanctuary, Lt. Col. Danse has done nothing but act with dignity and honor, and has made remarkable progress toward accepting those he would once have scorned. I would readily trust him with my life.”

The only description I have for MacCready’s expression was a pout. “I hope you’re right about that.”

“I’m certain I am. And one more thing, Mr. MacCready,” I stepped closer. MacCready stopped his hand from drifting to his weapon. “If you ever call Nick Valentine ‘an ex-Institute toaster’ again, I will not hesitate to end our contract, permanently.”

I went back inside.

“Good talk, huh?” Valentine asked from his seat on the sofa as he lit a cigarette.

“Irritating,” I muttered as I sat next to him. He handed me the cigarette and lit another for himself.

“You wanna tell me what happened?”

“I failed to account for the possibility that not all of my close acquaintances share my opinion on synths.”

Valentine made an amused sound. “Hell, Holmes, most of ‘em probably don’t. So was MacCready’s problem with me, Danse, or Curie? Or just the Minutemen policy of not shooting synths in general?”

“Danse specifically, though I imagine he isn’t fond of the general policy either.”

“Hm. Must think Preston’s insane, then.”

I scoffed, “I sincerely doubt he even noticed they’re living together now.”

“Everyone else did.”

“Everyone else has known they’re lovers for months.” I put out my cigarette and stood, “I’m going to attempt to get some rest before the trip back tomorrow.”

“Good,” Valentine smiled. “Proud of you for suggesting it on your own this time, instead of waiting for me to drag you.”

I smiled fondly and kissed him briefly. “Goodnight, Nick.”

“Goodnight, Sherlock.”

MacCready found me in the morning as we were preparing to leave. “Hey, boss,” he hurried up to me, sheepish. “So, uh. I guess you were mad enough to get Valentine worried, so he found me last night and laid out what happened with Danse. How the Brotherhood want him dead, standing up to Maxson in the face, all that.” I was surprised to hear it, but it didn’t surprise me at all that Valentine had done such a thing. MacCready continued, “The way you stuck your neck out for Danse... well, it says a lot about you. And I know you’re not the kind of guy who just believes anything he’s told. Always gotta know everything about everyone, don’t you? Hell, that’s how we met. So… I don’t like it, but I’ll deal with it.”

I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. “Are you saying you overreacted?”

His discomfort vanished, “Hell no, I think I reacted just fine. Just saying I should mind my own business. Danse is a synth, fine. The hell do I care?” He glanced away before adding, “And, uh… I won’t insult your family again. I don’t understand how it even works, but family’s family. So.” He met my gaze then, sincere. “Sorry.”

I nodded. “Apology accepted. I suppose you’ll be heading east?”

He was relieved by the change of subject, “Yeah, figured Duncan and I would go with you to Diamond City, then catch a caravan up from there to Finch Farm. Way I hear it, these Forged lunatics are just raiders with a fire obsession. Flamethrowers won’t do them any good if they’re dead before they get close enough to use it.”

“And your payment?”

He shrugged, “Roof over our heads, plenty of food, maybe Duncan will learn something about farming…” He sighed, “What the hell am I doing?”

I put a hand on his shoulder with a smile, “Give it a try, MacCready. If it simply can’t work, then you can try something else.”

He nodded, still uncertain, but less than before. “Yeah. Ok. Well, Duncan and I are ready whenever you are.”

And so we said our goodbyes and made our way home to Diamond City.

[companionhell]

How about the companions react to Sole mange to find a hidden vault or secure room with books that is still in Pre-war condition, with Sole having a bookworm of books and reading to the companions the books with a huge smile on their face.

Cait: She’d act ornery about it, but was actually semi-curious. Cait never learned to read very well, and her slowness frustrated her. She still found some satisfaction in paging through comics or reading books from the past, though, if the subject got her attention. For example, she thought history was useless, but it could still be fun enough to look at what the world used to look like. So every time Sole took her to the book room, Cait complained about it being a waste of time- but looked around the shelves plenty herself.

Codsworth: Oh, this was quite the discovery! Codsworth was rather excited about it. There were dreadfully few books in the Commonwealth, and he was pleased to see that Sole’s pursuance of intellectualism hadn’t ceased with the rest of the world’s. Besides, most of the knowledge he was programmed with was for a purely domestic Mr. Handy model; having a library to peruse could help solve problems the nuclear war presented. And it made his sir/mum happy, too, to read the books silently and aloud- Codsworth couldn’t ask for more.

Curie: Curie thought it was marvelous! She pored over several of the nonfiction reports herself, excited by all the new knowledge. It had been years since Curie had new reading material, so she was very happy about having new knowledge to absorb. As for fiction, she read very little of it herself, preferring to spend her efforts on the more scientific tomes, but she didn’t protest if Sole wanted to read her some of the classics aloud. Curie didn’t do well with the suspension of disbelief, but she appreciated the opportunity to learn more of human culture.

Danse: If Danse was still in the Brotherhood, he congratulated Sole on their discovery and set to work compiling useful works for their scribes to analyze. But even after his exile, Danse was amazed by seeing all the books in one place, and he was glad Sole was just as appreciative. He ended up reading quite a few of the books, both nonfiction and fiction, though he set the latter down if the story was too fantastical. Usually he waved away Sole’s attempts to read to him, preferring to look through the pages himself, but it was a kind gesture if Danse was having trouble sleeping, and it could help, too.

Deacon: Deacon admitted he was a sucker for Old World classics, having a collection of pre-war books he kept in good condition, so this was like heaven for him. He read pretty much everything, even the math textbooks he later made fun of, dog-earing and highlighting whatever he thought was important. With the lighter stuff, though, mostly novellas, he didn’t mind stretching out on a couch with snack cakes and letting Sole read to him. But he also increased the frequency of his threats to read War and Peace at Sole, only half-joking.

Dogmeat: Dogmeat didn’t understand the human concept of literacy, but he was glad to see Sole happy. And as he generally found the human voice calming, Dogmeat liked being read to, though his comprehension was pretty low. After all, he was a dog.

Gage: He teased Sole about their excitement around the books, but Gage actually thought it was kinda impressive. Most folks he knew couldn’t even read- hell, you didn’t even need to be able to spell your own name to be a raider. Gage was glad Sole wasn’t one of those idiots. As for himself, he could read half-decent, but he didn’t like sitting around with books all day, unless the subject was pretty fuckin’ important. The same went for listening to Sole read aloud, and he complained plenty, but he sorta didn’t mind. As long as it was interesting.

Hancock: Huh. Hancock usually didn’t strike people as the educated type, but he actually read plenty. He was a firm believer in the principle that sharp minds stayed alive, and reading while high could be a fun trip, so Hancock was pretty pleased by the discovery. And he was amused to see Sole’s reaction- you saw more bookies than book-lovers in the Commonwealth. Hancock paged through several of the books himself, picking up what interested him, and leaning back in the evening while Sole read aloud? It was pretty nice, he’d say that.

MacCready: MacCready didn’t exactly read a lot. Education wasn’t particularly valued in Little Lamplight, so he learned to read from Grognak comics and didn’t ever really expand his interests. And he absolutely made fun of Sole for geeking out over all the books. It was hilarious, for one, to see someone so invested in their pre-war relics. But it was also kinda endearing, not that he’d say that. Smiles that genuine were pretty rare. He wouldn’t read at all, though, or particularly listen to Sole reading aloud, unless they really wanted him to. MacCready figured his presence was support enough.

Nick: He was probably smiling as much as Sole was as he browsed the shelves. “Well, would you look at that,” Nick said happily, commenting on any novels he remembered. It was quite the blast from the past- not bad for pre-war souls like him and Sole. He preferred reading himself. There was nothing like leaning back in his squeaky chair on a rainy day, paperback biography or detective story in his hand. If Sole insisted on reading aloud, though, Nick couldn’t complain, especially if they had a voice fit for radio.

Piper: Piper was awed. Heck, she could live here. She persuaded Sole to take a few days off adventuring, just so the two could go through the stacks of books, starting with the stuff Nick alluded to but Piper couldn’t find other copies of. Now she could quote back at him! And she dug into whatever she could get by authors she already knew and admired, like Thoreau, Wells, and Bly, jotting down notes every other page. Piper was also glad Sole shared her interest, often reading interesting passages aloud from books herself.

Preston: He was just as excited as Sole about all the history in the room. Preston enthusiastically read any history tomes he could find, piling the heavy books beside him as he pored through them. It was his duty as a Minuteman to know about the history of the people’s militia, after all. He liked fiction too, though- when Preston was a kid, he read everything he got his hands on, and old habits died hard. Preston thought Sole’s love of books was pretty sweet, too, listening to whatever they read aloud with a big smile on his face.

Strong: Strong did not understand books. He thought they were stupid, and he thought humans were stupid for paying such close attention to them. So Strong complained a lot about Sole’s hobby, stopping a bit once he respected them more. Obviously his leader was reading for a reason. So he started demanding to be told what the words said, though he preferred Sole paraphrase rather than read it aloud verbatim. Eventually, he got a little jealous of Sole’s ability to parse that information, but Strong didn’t need to as long as they were around.

X6-88: X6 did not hide that he viewed books as useless relics of the past. Even those with useful information could be uploaded to terminals for more efficient and sustainable learning. But he grudgingly admitted that some of the books in the room could be useful, might have information they’d find helpful. So X6 scanned a few of the nonfiction books if Sole told him to, finding himself impressed by the condition they were in- and there was more interesting pre-war knowledge than he’d thought. X6 absorbed all he could, occasionally quoting interesting portions, and didn’t mind if Sole did the same.

[atombombbagel]

Could you do a little bit, only if you want to about fem sole interacting with little kids/infants being really good/maternal and all the companions, romanced please, plus maxson reacting please? And I do have to say it's wonderful reading your work! Think I've read everything you've written here!

The feeeeels. Also,thank you so much! I’m glad you are enjoying my work xD

Cait: Cait leanedback on the wall with her arms crossed, looking around when she spotted Sole,rocking a small baby in her arms, using her fingers to gently coo the babbling bubba.She never thought she’d find herself smiling at the sight of it, because she’dnever been a child-loving person, or maybe she was, and she’d tried so hard topush the thought out of her head. Thanks to her parents.

She watched in awe as Sole leaned in and pecked the baby’shead, lingering as they took in his scent (the new baby smell). Her heart sunkinto the bottom of her chest as she remembered that Sole told her she waslooking for her own child and she really felt for her at that moment. Solewould have been a great parent to Shaun and she would help in anyway she couldto reunite them, not only for Shaun and Sole but for her younger self, wholonged for a mum who actually loved her.

Curie: Curie couldn’thelp but watch Sole with a smile plastered on her face as Sole kneeled downnext to a child, who was interested in petting Dogmeat. Sole stroked Dogmeatfirst to reassure the child, who’d probably never seen a dog before, let alonepetted one. The child giggled as Dogmeat waged his tail at the love and attentionhe was receiving, and Curie laughed from across the way. Sole looked over herway with a smile on her face as she beckoned her over.

Curie walked over, her heart fluttering when she watched thechild reach over and give Sole a hug, Sole wrapping her arms around the smallerchild. She didn’t have much experience with children being locked up in Vault81 for eighty three years but watching Sole made her realise that she wanted afamily and if she wasn’t good at being a parent, Sole could teach her how.

Danse: Sole wasbabysitting one of the settler’s toddlers as they worked, tending to the cropsin the greenhouse. The toddler was sat happily between Sole’s legs as Sole helda book in her hands. She was leaning down talking sweetly to the child as sheflicked through the pages of the book. The child looked up at Sole, repeatingher words as they pointed to the pictures on the pages.

Danse watched silently as he sat opposite Sole, drinkingfrom a bottle of Nuka Cola. Brotherhood was his life and that’s all he everthought until he met Sole, and as he watched her teach the child to read hefelt a pang in his chest. He wanted one. Not just any one, one with Sole, whowas so loving and maternal. He put his drink down and moved so he was sitting nextto Sole, he leaned over her shoulder, resting his chin on it as he listened in.He could see himself like this with his own little ones, now all he had to dowas convince Sole.

Deacon: He’dalways had a soft spot for kids since he was one himself, during his time in theUniversity Point Deathclaws. He thought his dream of having kids would havebeen fulfilled when he met Barbra, but it hadn’t. But now, as he watched Soleplaying tag with a small child, maybe he could finally have that family he’d alwaysso desperately wanted. He laughed as Sole pretended to be disappointed when thechild ‘tagged’ them, switching roles as they slowly chased the child, deliberatelyfailing to catch them.

His heart pounded in his chest at the thought of Solecarrying his baby, the thought of his child padding into his room and climbingin between himself and Sole as they found solace by sleeping between them.

Sole poked Deacon in the chest and he looked up at her in surpriseas she’d snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Tag,” she said with a laugh, running away as she waited forDeacon to chase her, which he did, he always would.  

Gage: Gage saw childrenas a weakness, something your enemies could take advantage of and in some cases,he wasn’t wrong about that. But, he started to change his mind when he witnessedSole carefully wiping the blood off of a small boy’s knee. He’d fallen over andscraped his leg whilst playing and Sole had seen him do it.

“Be strong for me,” Sole said as she carefully wrapped a smallbandage around the child’s leg. The boy sniffled, wiping his nose with the backof his hand, “there all done,” Sole said with a smile, she pulled a CottonCandy Bite out of the box she kept in her cupboard, handing it to the boy. Hegiggled taking it.

“Thanks miss,” he said, running off to show his mother. Gagehad seen the whole thing and it did something to him, something he couldn’t explain.Wait, was that, feelings? Oh god.

Hancock: He’drealised many years too late that he wanted a baby, he’d only come to therealisation as he watched Sole fuss over a couple’s new baby, no, after shespoke so highly of Shaun and about being a parent. And even though her missingchild was still out there, she stayed strong, not faltering as the couple askedher to watch their child. She sat on the couch, the baby lying on her knees ashe covered her face with her hands.

“Peek-a-boo!” she said in a baby voice, beaming as the babybabbled and giggled. Hancock found himself smiling at the sight, Sole urged himto sit beside her, but he was afraid of scaring the baby with his less thanideal looks, but Sole assured him it would be fine.

He sat beside Sole and leaned over, he was afraid when thebaby stopped laughing and looked at him, tilting its curious little head.

“Uh, peek-a-boo?” he said in a husky voice. A smile wasbrought to his face when the baby burst out laughing. He may have been toolate, but there were other ways they could have kids.

MacCready:MacCready’s ears perked up when he heard the soft laughter of his son, Duncan,echo through the house. He went to investigate, finding Sole’s fingers gentlydancing at the small boy’s sides as she tickled him. A smile grew on his faceas he watched the woman he loved get on so well with his son, something he wasafraid wouldn’t happen when the two had first met.

“Daddy help!” he called playfully, erupting into another fitof laughter when Sole ticked under his arms. MacCready dived into the room,picking up Duncan and holding him up in his arms, “She’s coming to get usDaddy, runnn!” MacCready darted through the house with the smaller boy in hisarms, the two of them laughing loudly as Sole chased them, “get her daddy,” Duncancalled as MacCready put him down, his dad grabbing Sole instead.

“Nooo!” Sole whined as MacCready pinned her down, ticklingher sides.

“We’ve got you now,” Duncan said sitting on Sole’s stomach,he tickled under her neck, before giving up and laying down on her chest, “I’mtired now,” he said sleepily, closing his eyes. MacCready laid down on theground next to Sole, looking over at her. He’d never been more in love with herthan he was at this moment.

Maxson: Arthur Maxsonwas standing in front of the Signal Interceptor talking with Proctor Ingram,they were in deep discussion about their huge mission ahead and then he noticedher. A smile pinched at the cornersof his cheeks as he watched her, her head tilted back as a sweet and delicatelaugh escaped her lips as she laughed at something funny the squire had said. She was talking to one of the young squires, she wasadjusting his coat before she leant down and showed the child how to tie theirshoelaces.

Scenes of what he saw as his future life with Sole and theirchild flashed in bursts across his mind, and he found himself grinning from earto ear. He wanted Sole to find Shaun and when she did, she could come back andbe with him and they could be a family. He wanted nothing more than that.

Nick: Nick smiledsadly at Sole who was leaning over a crib with a sleeping baby inside it. She wasgently brushing her fingers over the soft baby’s cheek, lulling it with hertouch. Nick couldn’t help but feel sad for Sole as he knew their baby, Shaun,was still out there without his mother and she was without her son. He movedcloser to Sole, squeezing her shoulder with his hand.

“We’ll find him,” he said reassuringly, and Sole smiled backup at him before turning and looking back at the baby. He wondered if Sole waslike this with Shaun when he was born, he was sure that they were.

“I know,” Nick sat down next to her, leaning over the criband smiling at the sleeping baby, he’d could see how good Sole was, and he’dhelp her find Shaun, if it was the last thing he’d ever do.

Piper: “aaandwhat’s his name?” Sole pried out of Nat, who had been confiding in Sole about aboy. She would have asked Piper about it, but she didn’t want to be teased byher older sister.

“Gavin, but I don’t know if he likes me back,” Nat leanedback on the sofa as she sipped on a bottle of Nuka-Cola Cherry. Sole wrappedher arm around the younger girl’s shoulder as she listened to her spill hersecrets in confidence. Neither Nat or Sole heard or saw Piper sitting on thestairs listening to them talk. She wasn’t mad, she thought it was sweet thatNat was confident enough to trust Sole like that. Sole looked over finallyspotting Piper and she smiled at her, receiving a smile back.

She could see Sole being a great parent and that made herheart beat quicker in her chest just thinking about it. Although they couldn’t physicallyhave children together, they’d find a way, because deep down they both wantedit but that was a discussion for a later date.

Preston: Preston stoodin the doorway as Sole kneeled down on the ground in front of the girl, Erin,on the bed. She was tearful, and Sole tried to console her, telling hereverything would be alright. It didn’t take long for Preston and Sole to find Erin’scat and return him to her. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Sole’swaist, to which Sole leaned over and loosely hugged her back, which made Prestonsmile.

“Thank you, thank you,” she repeated, “here,” the girl helda few bottlecaps in her hand and Sole shook her head as she closed the girlshand.

“you keep your caps Kid,” she ruffled the girl’s hair, “What?”Sole said as she turned and notice Preston staring at her.

“You’re so adorable, you know that?” he said with a heart-warmingsmile stretched across his face, Sole reciprocated the smile, patting Preston’schest as they passed him by. He couldn’t wait to have kids with Sole, if theywanted to of course.

(There was another reactsimilar to this, but I accidentally deleted it when I was looking at it, sorryabout that, I’m an idiot like that xD)