#and danse too but not enough for a real tag | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

theflowerofthecommonwealth · 2 years

Text

Companions and What Happens When They Watch Jasmine for a Day Part One

Includes: Piper, Deacon, Danse, Hancock, and X6.

Nick honestly does not want leave Jasmine alone as they are in a unknown settlement with only one of the companions and a bunch of settlers. But he just got a heavy case that Jazzy can’t tag along for and he can’t put off for later. “Hey, I kinda got a long case to follow, do ya mind watching for Jasmine while I’m at it?”

(Note: This takes place after Jasmine accepts the companions as family. Otherwise my girl would just hide in a tree for all eternity)

Piper Wright:

Big sister mode activates as soon as those words leave Nicks mouth.

Bro has been training her whole life for this moment to arrive.

She catapults over to the teen girl who is stacking up rocks into little houses.

Piper: “We are having a girls day today, kiddo! What kinda things did prewar girls your age do?”

Jasmine: “A lotta cartwheels and handstand contests...”

Hearing that, Piper immediately decided to give it a try and scoots back to give herself room.

She holds a handstand for about five seconds before her arms collapse in on itself, making her slump awkwardly onto the floor like melted butter.

Jasmine then chooses to point out that it’s not fair for a competition because she has physical enhancements and will last longer.

Piper gets up with a huff and challenges the teen to do a handstand anyways.

Just like she said she would, Jas is able to hold herself up with no problem.

Girl even shows off by taking away one hand and doing the splits midair.

Much to Pipers great annoyance.

Jasmine stands down with a cheeky smile, offering to help the older girl nail it down.

Piper first must crack out her arms and legs that have become overly stiff with the last attempt.

Jasmine: “Phhhfft, like a little old lady!”

Piper: “Oh, ha-ha, very funny.”

She keeps getting a face full of grass and dirt at every new attempt.

Jas ends up lifting her up by the waist whenever she is about to fall.

She tries teaching Piper several balancing techniques to try to help stabilize her.

But it proves fruitless in the end.

Eventually the teen just lets go without warning to see what would happen.

Piper somehow does a perfect back bend when she drops backwards.

Task failed successfully.

However, she has to get help in getting back up onto her own two feet.

Still, Piper is pumped about it, silently freaking out on how well she did.

Piper: “Oh geez look at the time, we should get something to eat.”

Jasmine: “I don’t like food.”

Piper: “Ah well, too bad you need it to keep living and to do your handstands. Cmon, I’ll make you something real special!”

Piper leads her to the kitchen and starts making a loaf of her famous soda bread with dried up mutfruit for the girl to try. (An actual thing in the Fallout Official Cookbook)

Luckily, she doesn’t burn it to pure ash this time and the house fills with the pleasant smell of freshly baked bread.

Jasmine gets to work on their main course, preparing Braised Deathclaw Steak served over what looks like rice.

Piper: “I’m a little afraid to ask what that actually is…”

Jasmine: “Ehh, it’s close enough to the prewar stuff I think.”

The two girls sit around the table with bottles of Nuka Cola and each of their dishes evenly distributed.

Pipers soda bread has biscuity and slightly sweet tang to it, the mutfruit doing wonders for it. (Although Jas can’t taste it)

And Jasmine somehow got the Deathclaw steak to be so soft and buttery that it magically melts in their mouth.

Safe to say that the course was a full on success, with Piper packing away the leftovers for later travels.

After that, Piper insists that Jazzy should allow her to do her hair.

Well kept curly hair is a rarity in the Commonwealth, even more so when it’s very magically long.

She sits Jasmine down in a chair and brings out a comb, some water, and some hair ties.

Carefully, Piper does the teens hair into a nice updo that she saw in a magazine back home.

She does a decent job, only leaving a few fly aways and mistakes.

Nothing that can’t be fixed with some bobby pins.

Jasmine: “Well by girlish law, now I have to do your hair in exchange.”

Piper: “Was that an actual rule back then?”

Jasmine: “Yup, at least in my town and among the girls.”

They switch places and Jasmine takes control of the comb.

Jasmine: “Don’t peek until I’m done, it’s a surprise.”

Jas sections off her hair and makes two small fishtail braids that meet in the back, lightly curling the rest of Pipers hair and leaving it loose.

She even puts in a few fancy hairpins to give it a extra touch.

The Reporter gets overly delighted when she finally is allowed to look in the mirror.

She starts to run her fingers through it constantly, admiring it at every angle.

Until Jazzy tells her that doing that will ruin it sooner.

Then she makes sure nothing touches or snags it, putting up her arms around her head when she walks close to something.

The two girls change into pajamas and drag out sleeping bags around the fireplace.

Jasmine starts doodling little cartoons while Piper watches with interest.

Piper: “Who are you drawing?”

Jasmine: “Hancock.”

Piper: “His hat isn’t that big.”

Jasmine: “Neither are his boots. It’s a cartoon, everything is exaggerated.”

She continues her drawings while Piper starts recounting a story about the time a bird flew over Diamond City and pooped on Crazy Myrna.

Jas grins wildly and starts drawing a cartoon of that, comedically recapturing the scene in detail.

She gives it to Piper so she can make copies to secretly distribute to the other companions.

At 10:00pm sharp, Piper loudly claps her hands together like a teacher.

Piper: “Alright kiddo, time for you to tune out for the night.”

Jazzy sighs super dramatically at this, tucking her sketchbook back in her bag and laying down on the sleeping bag with a pout.

Although she herself is tired, Piper is determined stay awake until Jasmine falls asleep.

So she keeps rambling about potential cover stories and leads until the teens eyes start blinking shut.

A little part of her wonders if she had bored the kid to death.

Piper scoots her sleeping bag closer so she can lay a comforting arm around the younger girl while she slumbers.

Its quite a sweet scene to see when Nick returns early in the morning.

Deacon:

He is a bit of a wildcard when it comes to this sort of thing.

Right on the fine line of being completely reckless and being completely levelheaded.

He takes being the favorite uncle very seriously.

So Nick is wary on leaving Jas behind with him, they might end up with another baby deathclaw on their hands.

Deacon: “Relax Nicky, I’m the very definition of innocent and wholesome fun-...”

Nick pins Deacon by the shoulders and make him swear to his face and daunting glowing eyes that he won’t get Jazzy into any real trouble.

Top five scariest moments in Deacons life.

He’s kinda shooketh when Nick finally let’s him go and leaves.

Its not like he was planning on doing anything too extreme or cause too much chaos, but he definitely is second guessing.

Nevertheless, he marches up to the teen girl who is messing around with a frisbee.

Deacon: “Hey there small fry, ready to cause some trouble?”

She grins wildly at Deacon and holds up a colored powder bomb she had been saving.

Nothing is gonna be safe from these two.

As long as it’s harmless fun Deacon is all for it.

Deacon: “Now how do we get the Brahmain onto the roof?”

Jasmine: “With a lot of duct tape and critical patience...”

The settlers start getting more and more bamboozled as the day progresses.

Especially when a they find googly eyes stuck to a bunch of inanimate objects.

Deacon: “The pink glitter will stick out more if you use on the plungers instead!”

Jasmine: “Yeah but if I do, what color do I use for the chickens?”

Deacon: “Try periwinkle.”

Jasmine: “THATS FOR THE MANNEQUINS!!”

Both of them deny having anything to do with the balloon animals with scary drawn on faces in the showers.

Or the Sentry Bot guard in a wig and oversized dress.

They get so carried away with their little tricks that Deacon forgets to check the clock.

Deacon: “Ooops, way past meal time, you hungry there Tootsie Pop?”

Jasmine: “No, and how the hell did you come up with that one?”

Deacon: “Great! I’ll whisk us something scrummy!”

Jasmine: “…Is that even a word?”

Usually when Deacon makes food, he does it in a way that makes the dish look wacky and almost unrecognizable.

Buuuuut, with Jazzy that’s not the exactly the bestest thing to do.

So he makes little sandwiches decorated and shaped into interesting characters and scenery.

Deacon gets too into it during preparations and comes up with complex backstories for each one. (And maybe got attached for comedic reasons)

Jasmine: “So… Do you want me to eat this or not?”

Deacon: “Just make it quick for Sir Reginald, the guy has suffered enough hardships…”

Jasmine: “Uhhh, do you need mental help?”

After that drama is all sorted up, the two of them gather up toilet paper, paint, and a bunch of rotten mirelurk eggs. (You can already see where this is going)

That group of Brotherhood soldiers stationed nearby never even saw it coming.

All it took was a big enough distraction, and fast feet to pull it off.

Jasmine: “YOU HAVE TO DO THE PAINT BEFORE THE EGGS DEACON!”

Deacon: “IM TRYING TO AIM FOR THEIR BUTTS!”

Deacon ALMOST got caught red handed.

But a perfectly timed powder filled balloon saved his ass.

By the time they are done causing their destruction and running back to the settlement, it’s well past midnight.

The parental side in Deacon half panics at the time, but he remains cool.

Deacon: (Loud fake yawn) “Okay curly girlie, time to hit the hay.”

Unfortunately for him, Jazzy is hyped on adrenaline and coffee so it’s gonna be a hassle to get her to sleep.

It takes him a half hour to drag the girl inside and shove her some pajamas to change into while he starts the clean up.

More like scrub the evidence.

Deacon gave her a death bunny onesie to wear and she looks totally adorbs, but still psyched up as hell.

Like bouncing off walls kinda hyper. Just dressed as a bunny now.

Somehow he gets her to lay down on the sofa, teasing the teen with her stuff bear by keeping it out of reach.

Another mistake because Jas sits up to snatch it back while smacking his head with her pillow.

Deacon: “Okay, okay, you got me. Seriously though, no more horsing around until you get your beauty rest.”

Jasmine: “What about you?”

Deacon: “Who, me? I never need sleep! Had that redundant function removed way back when.”

He parks himself besides her and recounts his totally 100% true tales of being the amazing and incredible Deacon.

Yes, Jazzy is skeptical of every word that comes out of his mouth, but she slowly falls into a slumber to his tall tales.

Nobody said that Deacon didn’t feel at least a bit touched and emotional, wondering what he had missed out on with Barbara.

Maybe a few stifled tears were shed in that moment….. Or many loud tears. (Give this man a hug)

He doesn’t notice Nick coming in a few hours later until the synth steps closer to them and Deacon is forced to quickly plaster on a smile again.

Deacon: “See Valentine, you had nothing to worry about. She is still in one piece and so is the settlement!”

Danse:

Straightens himself up and accepts without much hesitation and a whole lotta confidence in his voice.

That is until Valentine is actually gone, then the doubts and uncertainty start to creep in and he starts to look a little lost.

He’s had experience with Brotherhood Squires in the past, but this somehow feels completely different.

Danse goes back to tinkering with his Minuteman issued Power Armor, looking up from time to time at the young girl who is playing around with a can of homemade bubbles.

At one point, he gets a little too occupied with the tune up, going a good hour without checking up.

When he finally does, Jasmine is perched on a dangerously high building like she is Batman or something.

He drops everything and runs over, gruffly ordering her to; “GET DOWN RIGHT NOW!”

It’s overly harsh on the tone so Jazzy shrinks back on the ledge with a yelp.

Danse is more overly frightened about her safety and not actually mad.

He quickly apologizes and asks in a much softer tone if she can carefully climb down, in which she obeys.

Danse: “Please refrain from ever doing that again...”

Jasmine: “I’m looking out for those molerats who ate the melons!”

The former Paladin can only sigh at the teen and rub his head while she stares at him with wide eyes.

Danse: “Lets… obtain us something to suitable to eat.”

He honestly has no clue on how to deal with this.

Danse sets up a grill and starts cooking them both a juicy Radstag.

The meaty aroma attracts some wild mongrels so Jazzy runs over to deal with them while Danse continues.

He serves the Radstag alongside mashed potato’s and freshly cut corn.

A solid 10/10 wasteland meal.

Jasmine finishes her food first and she stands up to continue blowing her bubbles.

Her eyes get all big and sparkly while she giggles and tries to pop them all in the gentle breeze.

Danse watches the bubbly girl jump around with a smile on his face and his plate in his lap.

He almost forgets to eat while his food is still warm.

Its quite peaceful so he lets himself sit back and relax.

That is until Jas drops her bubbles and breaks out into a full on sprint across the settlement.

Danse: “Where are you going?!?”

Jasmine: “THE FUCKING MOLERATS ARE BACK!!”

Confused, Danse gets up from his chair and bolts after the girl.

And he learns that Jas can practically break the sound barrier with how fast she can run.

He catches up to her as she is trying to shank said molerats who are eating away at the crops.

Jasmine: “SAVE THE MELONS!!”

They all squeal and retreat back into their den once they see the red fury of the girl.

Of course, Jazzy tries to go in after them but Danse tugs her out before she can get very far.

Danse: “No you can’t go in there! The structure could potentially collapse in on itself!”

No way in heaven is he losing the teen to a molerat den of all things.

Danse tosses in a few live grenades just to ensure she won’t try and rush back in.

Danse: “There, that should do away with last of them-...”

He catches himself subconsciously tenderly wiping some dirt off the teen girls face with his hand.

My guy almost short circuits then and there.

Jazzy didn’t notice until he froze because Nick and almost everyone does it when she gets messy.

She snaps her finger a few times in his face to pull him back into reality.

Danse: “I- uh, sorry…”

Jas shuffles over to her bag and pulls out her frisbee, holding it up questionably to Danse to offer a game.

Its her way to break the unnecessary awkwardness.

He backs up and holds up his hands, still looking a little confused.

The two start flinging it back and forth to each other.

Progressively getting further and further apart.

Only once was Danse bonked on the head when he miscalculated his catch.

The look of shock on his face sent Jazzy into a fit of giggles.

After their game, Danse goes back to fixing his Power Armor while Jas starts playing around with a bouncy ball.

Eventually, he gets back up and searches for the girl to get her inside for the night.

He finds her sitting on top of an old garage playing on her Pip-Boy.

Jasmine claims she isn’t tired, so he tells her to run laps around the settlement with him.

She goes for much longer than he originally expected.

He's almost tired out himself by the time Jazzy finally starts slowing down.

Danse: “Ready to turn in for the night?”

Jasmine: “M’kay...”

To another surprise, she jumps up into his arm while she sleepily yawns.

He shuffles back to their chosen house for the night to set her down in front of the bathroom to change.

Jazzy is barely able to hobble in and slip into her pajamas before she collapses onto the sofa in a deep sleep.

Danse quietly does alterations to his guns on the other side of the room while she sleeps.

Jumping up in a pure panic when Jas starts crying out in her sleep.

Poor guy doesn’t know what to do in that moment other than awkwardly start patting her shoulder with some reassurance that it was alright.

Amazingly, this works and she doesn’t wake up sobbing at him for once.

You might as well have given Danse a million caps, cause he feels overly accomplished like he just had finished a successful mission.

He is still wide awake when Nick walks in at around 3:00am, politely greeting him and stating that the day was a success.

Hancock:

First Hancock must endure a series of exams and tests by Nick to ensure that he is not high/drug and sane enough to take on the job.

Nick is a prewar cop, he knows what he is looking for in the Mayor.

Once he is satisfied with the results, he gives Hancock one last glare before leaving.

The Ghoul strides over to the teen who is bouncing a kickball against a wall.

Hancock: “Okay little sister, it’s just you and me here for now. Whatcha wanna do first?”

Jazzy holds up a jump rope out of nowhere with a small smile.

She ties one end to a fence, and take ahold of the other while gesturing for him to take place in the center.

It takes Hancock a good few tries before he can jump over the rope at a reasonable pace, and Jas starts singing a rhyme to start a game.

Jasmine: “Ice cream soda, cherry on top, who’s your lover, I forgot. Is it A, B, C, D, E, F-…”

Hancock trips and falls flat face on P.

The first name that pops in both of their heads is Piper.

Although something tells Jasmine that she would be horribly disgusted by this.

But Hancock is hysterically cackling face down on the ground and says that its a “sign” from above.

Jasmine: “Please don’t tell her that Hancock, if you value your life…”

He stands up and offers to swap out places with the girl for the next turn.

Jas decides to choose a little harder skip rope song for herself.

Jasmine: “Texaco, Texaco, Over the hill to Mexico, Where they do the splits, splits, splits. And do high kicks, kicks, kicks. And turn around, round, round. And touch the ground, ground, ground. And get outta town, town, town. And get back in, in, in. And do a little spin, spin, spin. And do it all over again..”

By the end of the third time, she carried out each extra movement perfectly, leaving the Ghoul jaw-dropped.

Jasmine: “To be fair, I had more practice on the schoolyard playground.”

She doesn’t think it’s too impressive, but he is still in astonishment for some reason.

After a few rounds of different jump rope games, Hancock realizes they should probably go find something to eat.

They basically run around the entire settlement and take up anything edible that they could get ahold of.

Jasmine slams it all together to make a casserole that smells heavenly in the oven.

Hancock piles together all the sweet rolls and sugar bombs to make an almost cake for dessert.

Hancock: “You think that you're gonna get sick with all this food?”

Jasmine: “Nah, I’m feeling pretty upbeat right now, so I think I’m in the clear.”

Nope! She vomits moments later and crumbles onto the floor in pure defeat.

Hancock kneels besides her and slowly rubs her back until she calms down a little.

Jasmine: “Fuck my life…”

Hancock: “Aww, don’t say that. It’s just a little momentary mishap.”

Big brother Hancock will fight death itself to hype her back up again.

He just starts singing overly exaggerated covers of her favorite songs until the girl starts bursting with laughter.

Hancock: “So bongo, bongo, bongo, I don't want to leave the congo, Oh no no no no no!!!!”

No one can keep a straight enough face to that, especially when he starts dancing to it. (Imagine that for a second)

Soon enough, he’s helping a beaming giggly Jazzy up, fixing her hair, and leading her to the living room.

Hancock brings out Blast Radius for them to play for the remainder of the day.

It was immediately agreed that the original rules were too plain and boring.

So they came up with their own wacky twists to spice things up.

Hancock: “Ooop baby sister, now you gotta do a handstand while singing Yankee Doodle!!”

Jasmine: “I can’t concentrate if you keep giggling like a Dimwit!!”

They both progressively get more and more tired with each new round, but are having too much fun to turn in for the night.

Thats how Nick found them upon his arrival.

Passed on the floor in front of their unfinished game with Jasmine curled up in Hancocks arms.

He chuckles and slowly picks them both up, fondly tucking them into bed.

X6:

To the surprise of most, he is one of the best babysitters out of the group.

My dude takes the job to his heart and God help anyone who tries to get near the girl.

He watches Jazzy from a distance while she messes around with throwing a boomerang back and forth.

Jas ends up doing cartwheels and flips to catch the boomerang with her feet or midair while jumping.

He only intervenes with her game when a two wild Yao Guai appear and one of them snaps the toy in its jaws, leading Jasmine attempting to tackle it.

She doesn’t like it when things that make her happy are stripped away and she is determined to express that.

The Courser scoops Jas up and carries her away before she starts a brawl, being one of the few who can actually do this without dying even if she kicks and protests.

X6: “You can’t start a tussle with them and expect to win without a mark.”

Jasmine: (Demonic screeching and hissing)

No. She isn’t very happy when she is set down on a lawn chair a block away and she makes it very clear.

Jasmine: “I totally would’ve won that fight!”

X6 patiently tells her to wait there while he goes back and exact vengeance on her behalf by exterminating the two Yao Guais.

Returning with blood on his coat and casually stating that they should find something to eat.

He has zero idea how to cook something that is meant to be flavorful and appetizing.

So he walks up to any motherly/fatherly looking settler and states “The child needs sustenance,” while offering them a handful of caps to cook Jas something.

The entire time said settler is preparing the meal, X6 is watching menacingly from the sidelines to ensure they don’t slip anything suspicious into the food. (Poor settler person was shaking like a tree)

He hands the plate to the teen and simply says “Consume.”

And my girl can’t argue with that logic so she willfully does.

Later on Jazzy ends up throwing up behind a tree and she starts crying from it.

X6 is done about to go strangulate the settler with his bare hands then set their house and every possession they owned ablaze.

Jasmine physically stops him and hastily explains that it wasn’t their fault.

He still has a murderous look and grumble even after the reasoning.

Instead Jas asks him to help her with something once she is sure that he isn’t going to commit homicide and arson.

X6 says nothing, letting her take his hand and drag him away from a very terrified group of people that had gathered around.

They sit down at a picnic table outside a shack and Jazzy starts teaching him how to do origami with scrap paper.

She starts with the simpler ones like the fortune teller and the paper boat.

X6 gets really intrigued by this pastime and memorizes each set of instructions the girl shows him.

He gets overly frustrated on the swan, not able to get the smaller folds or the wings perfectly even.

Each imperfect model he makes gets excessively burned to ashes.

The settlers walking by are very confused and disturbed, wondering if it's some kind of passive threat.

It probably is.

The moment it turns 9:45, X6 suddenly looks up from his work.

X6: “You should get ready for sleep now, no arguments.”

Kinda scary when he talks because it’s pitch dark with only Jazzy's pink Pipboy light glowing.

The girl is not intimidated though.

After careful consideration, X6 finds and leads her to the safest and warmest place in the entire settlement.

Bro ain’t messing around, he does half a dozen security laps around the settlement before coming back to start up a fire.

He straight up almost melts inside at the sight of the girl in adorable fluffy pink pajamas and clutching her stuffed bear to her chest.

X6 hastily stands up from setting up a fire and states that he will give the perimeter another once over, leaving with his rifle drawn. (Nothing will hurt the precious child on his watch)

Upon his return, Jas is already falling asleep curled up sweetly on a sofa.

So he takes post on the other side of the room by the window and door, giving her a glance every now and then.

When she starts thrashing in her sleep a few hours later, he carefully walks over and strokes her head until she calms down, muttering soft words of comfort.

X6: “It’s alright starlight. You are out of harms way here… I will protect you.” (She awoke long enough to hear that. Awwww)

If anyone barges in during this moment or wakes Jas up, they will never see the light of day again.

Nick returns early in the morning to find his daughter cozied up and peacefully asleep.

He gets a fully detailed report on the entire day from the moment he left from X6.

(I wanted to do all the companions in one but it got way too long so I had to split it sorry)

#Idk who would be considered the best sitter out of the group.#They all did good in their own way.#Only two of them didn’t get Jas in bed on time.#The Deacon one is pure chaos and I love it.#You can’t even really tell what’s going on.#fallout #fo4 #fallout 4 #fallout oc #fallout companions #paladin danse #danse fo4 #fo4 danse #danse #deacon fallout 4 #fallout 4 companions #x6 88 #piper wright

36 notes · View notes

hellothere-generalangsty · 3 years

Text

The Bad Batch - Quart d’Heure Américain

Summary: In French, we use the expression “quart d’heure Américain” (lit. “American quarter”; I think it’s “Lady’s choice” in English) to talk about that moment during an evening out/ a party where they play slows and couples dance together (very sweet and romantic, yes)

So here is the Quart d’Heure Américain, Bad Batch Edition™

Pairing: Crosshair x reader; Echo x reader; Hunter x reader; Tech x reader; Wrecker x reader; the Bad Batch x reader

Reader description: f!reader [she/her], no real physical description

Word Count: 5463 words

CW/ TW: Nothing, just pure fluff and cute relationships (some established, one not quite yet) also there’s a LIL BIT of someone being sad/ a LIL BIT in pain BUT promise it doesn’t last and it gets all soft

Tags: @loth-wolffe @m-o-o-n-s-g-o-o-n-s @allamarisss

@imalovernotahater @murdertoothpick (if you want to be added to the tag list for future stories/ if you want to be removed and not tagged again, please let me know! )

Notes: This is for you all, because you deserve it and I hope it’ll sooth whatever you need soothed; and here is a quote that quite grasp the concept of this small fic

“Quand je danse, je danse” –Montaigne (“when I dance, I dance”; enjoy the moment and don’t think about anything else)

Crosshair: Something Stupid – Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra (1177 words)

Had someone asked you beforehand, you never would have been able to tell that Crosshair was an amazing dancer. You didn’t expected him to invite you out that night, especially not when everyone in town was speaking about this Dancing Night. But he did, and now he was next to you, moving like he had done it all his life.

“You’re doing great, mesh’la,” he complimented as you tripped on your feet.

“I already told you,” you nodded a thank you when he helped you get back up, “I don’t understand Mando’a.”

Well, you did, but only a few words. You grew used to them, because Crosshair would use them all the time when speaking to you, but never once did he told you what they meant. So you did what every logical person would have done, and asked Tech.

“Well, mesh’la could be translated to ‘beautiful’, and cyare to something like ‘love’ or ‘my heart’. Why you asking?”

“I heard that on the radio, in a song once and I just wanted to know what it meant. Thanks Tech!”

And you had left him as soon as he was done explaining their meaning to you, because the more you stayed here, the more he could guess why you really asked. But you didn’t want Crosshair to stop calling you mesh’la or cyare. It sounded so peculiar when he would whisper it close to your ear as he would walk behind you; “out of my way mesh’la”, “you truly are a lost cause, cyare”. It wasn’t really a lie not to tell him you knew; more of a covered truth.

The song changed and went from a catchy tone to a slower, more sensual one. Crosshair waited for you to come to him before gently grasping your waist, a hand holding your own, fingers folded around yours. He pulled you closer, so close you could feel his chest moving according to his breath. You looked straight at him, trying to decipher his expression, to find any feeling uncovered behind those bewitching whisky eyes.

“Are you scanning me?” he softly asked.

“Maybe.” you confessed. “I want to know what’s going on behind this pretty face.”

It slipped out. You didn’t mean to say that; yes, he had a pretty face, yes you meant it, but-

“I think, about you mostly.”

Ho.

“You’re…pretty.” He sharply nodded, as a way to keep up his facade. You almost tripped over again, so taken aback by his little confession.

“Sorry,” you muttered, “sorry, I- that’s very… very kind of you to say.”

He didn’t say anything, but the grip on your waist tightened. You decided to try it, and slowly came to rest your head on his chest. You could hear his heart beating, muffled by the layers of skin and cloth. You felt a cold spot on your waist, and a hand brushing your hair off of your face, tucking them behind your ear before resting on your shoulder.

You couldn’t yet guess it, but he was craving for more, he wanted you closer to him, wanted to bury his face in your neck, hum your scent and kiss you all the way to your jawline, your cheek, the tip of your nose; and your lips.

But never once did he flinch, or let out any sign of his heart bleeding to feel you so close, yet so out of reach. Instead he held you there, slowly leading the dance, almost silently telling you to “move left, come back to me, and left again; great job mesh’la”.

He couldn’t yet guess it, but you were craving for more. More Mando’a’s nicknames, more gentle touch on your face and body, maybe a bit of appreciation in his eyes, a bit of love on his mouth.

And you thought you could hold on, spend the night glued to his body, feeling the warmth of his embrace, the delicacy of his moves; and still be able to pull out a straight face, to pretend mesh’la and cyare were unknown words to you, that your heart wasn’t racing at the sole thought of getting more.

But you didn’t.

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum”.

It slipped out tenderly, purposefully. And this time, he almost tripped on his feet.

“What did you say?”

You raised your head, taking a small step back to look at him in the eyes.

“I said I love you, but I guess my accent sucks a bit. I- I asked Tech about it last time.” You confessed in a small voice.

Crosshair couldn’t even speak anymore. He completely stopped moving, staring at you like you were the only one here, with him.

“Look, we can just…forget about it if yo-”

“Shut up.”

Your eyes widened at the command, and nothing could have prepared you to the devastatingly exquisite sensation of his lips brushing against yours before completely diving in. Nothing could compare to the fire in your belly, to the sweet bite on your lower lip, his teeth briefly pulling on it before letting go; and the overwhelming sensation filling your mouth as his tongue caressed yours in a heated, terribly slow kiss.

None of you could pull away; if he tried to release your lips, you would dive right back in, and if you gasped for air he would barely give you time to breathe before coming back to you. He couldn’t resist the urge to hold you tight in his arms, and you were too afraid of letting go so you firmly held his face against yours.

You felt his weight shifting to the left, then to the right, and once again you followed his lead. You felt it, the uncontrollable grin against your mouth, and the way he spin round with you, making sure no one else but you existed in that moment.

When you finally let go of each other, you were both heavily breathing, and a mutual stare was enough to get you both chuckling like kids.

Yes, you loved him, with all of your heart and soul, and you would gladly learn more Mando’a if it got you that type of enthusiastic reaction every time you did so.

“Your accent is actually quite cute,” he managed to tell you, and your smile only grew wider, and his eyes only got lovelier. “But maybe you should say it again, just in case it was luck.”

“I sure will, but I think I need you to tell me; how do you say it, again?”

He shook his head, both defeated and amused.

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum.”

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum”, you repeated, and he nodded in approval. “I think I won this round.”

“You did.”

He grabbed your arms and pulled you closer, leaving small misses on your forehead, your cheeks, your nose, and your lips. The song was over; it had been for a few minutes now; but you didn’t care. Crosshair was still dancing with you, his hands on your back, a smile on his face; and maker he was even more handsome when he smiled. You had him, and he had you, and you were glad you said something as stupid and childish, and sincere and deep as this.

I love you.

Echo: Everybody Loves Somebody – Dean Martin (1168 words)

“Alright, open your eyes.”

Echo’s voice tickled your ear, making you smile. Your eyes had no trouble getting used to the light outside; it was dusk already, and a small campfire was gently crackling a few meters away from the Havoc Marauder. Earlier that day, you made a stop on an isolated planet to get some supplies and land foot for the night. It was a quiet place, mostly villages and beautiful landscapes, covered in grass, moss, and flowers like you’d never seen before.

Echo asked you to wait inside, and it had been almost an hour, but now that you were standing here…

“Is it…Did you do that for me?”

“I’d dare say for us,” Echo smiled, “today is a special day for us, remember?”

Ho.

“You forgot, right?”

“Echo, I’m so sorry, I-”

“Don’t be! I kinda hoped you would, this way it could be a real surprise for you.”

You couldn’t quite tell what about him always got you flustered. Maybe the way he was fondly looking at you, or the softness in his voice when he whispered “Surprise!”, or how he left your side for a moment, bending over the blanket to grab a small package before giving it to you.

“I don’t have anything for you,” you quietly confessed.

“Take it.”

You accepted the gift, giving him another look of apology, but all you saw in his eyes was…something soft – soft and loving.

You carefully unwrapped the paper, exposing a Tooka plush, proudly wearing the colours of the Bad Batch.

“I thought it was more than time for you to have your own.” he said as he got closer to you, a smile glued to his face. “Do you like it?”

You barely nodded, too occupied trying to decipher your gift. The limbs were gracefully mixing a red and black pattern, and the symbol of the Republic’s paramedic had been carefully stitched in white, where the heart should be. You softly stroke it, the tip of your finger following the edges of the seam.

“I.. I love it,” you couldn’t help but smile at the attention. “I’ll call him Handsome Jr.”

“Whatever pleases you, love.”

You shifted you attention to Echo, the lovely grin on his face making your heart melt even more. You closed the gap between the two of you, wrapping your arms around his waist, just above his prosthetics. He held you against his chest, resting his chin on your head.

“I’ll get you something tomorrow, I’ll be up before the sun.”

“I already have everything I need, cyare.”

“Echo…,” you chuckled, “I don’t want you to get nothing. It’s an important date for us.”

“Well, if you insist…There is something you could do for me.”

“Anything, Handsome.”

He waited an instant, savouring your embrace.

“Would you dance with me? The way we did that night?”

You remembered that night. It was quite some time ago, before the Citadel. Echo invited you to the base you were both settled in for the night, on Corusant. His general gave his troopers a night off, and his first thought was to take you out on a date. You remembered the way Fives came up your office, panting, still fully armoured, and asked you to follow him. You didn’t know it at the time, but Echo and some of his brothers were taking care of decorating and preparing dinner.

You remembered the cantina being empty, except for a table with two plates and beautiful flowers in a glass way too small for them; and how every clone you had crossed path with in the hallway innocently smiled at you. They knew, obviously, but none of them made any comment, only wishing you a good night.

You remembered Echo, blacks on and slightly stylised for the occasion, offering his hand to you for a dance. And you repeated the answer you gave him that night.

“Of course, Handsome. I’d love that.”

He took a step back, looking at you intensely, falling in love all over again with the shape of your face, the light in your eyes, and the delicacy of your lips. He wanted to kiss them, so badly, but there was still something to do before that.

A static sound resonated behind you, and a voice emerged from it.

“Not that- The other one, Tech.” Echo threw a look at his brother, who was already changing the station, until he got the right one. He then barely let slip a “Pretend I don’t exist.” before disappearing inside the ship.

“Sounds familiar,” you joked, thinking about the way Fives did the same things all those years ago.

“Some things never change, right?”

You didn’t need to hear the end of the sentence; his eyes were speaking for him. He brought you closer, his prosthetic arm gently pressing your waist as his left hand held yours. The Citadel changed him, but deep down he was; and would always be, your Echo.

“You’re so beautiful, my pretty boy,” you said, stroking his cheek with your thumb. “Some things indeed never change.”

He chuckled and started moving his legs, inviting you to follow his lead. He never really had a chance to dance since he joined the Bad Batch, but tonight; tonight was all he needed. Holding you close, smelling your hair, delicately balancing you on your left, a step back, on your left, a step back…

“Your love made it worth waiting.”

You slowly raised your head until you could look at him. His eyes were shining, wet from the emotion, filled with adoration and fond memories of you both. You smiled, trying to swallow the knot forming in your throat. His hold on you was so gentle, his smile so sincere. You knew he was falling in love with you all over again. You knew, because you were too.

You let your hand slide to his neck, pushed yourself on your tiptoes until you could feel his warm breath tickling your face. He tightened his grip, pressing his lips against yours, abandoning himself in your arms, making you feel like nothing but you mattered.

His kiss was gentle, he took the time to taste you, for the first time, the hundredth, the thousandth; it didn’t matter. Even after all these years, he couldn’t get used to the softness of your lips, the warmth of your tongue, the dizziness in his head and the knots in his stomach when you were confessing, wordlessly, your love for him.

Nothing broke you apart. The sun could go down, the song could stop, but none of it mattered, because all you truly needed was each other.

“Waiting for someone like you.” you finally replied.

“Waiting for you, and only you.”

You kissed him again, taking great delight in the sensation of your pounding heart, of his tongue against yours, of his hand letting go of yours to slim on your waist, down to you hip, finding his way to the back of your pant.

He was all you ever needed.

Hunter: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye (989 words)

“Everyone, out, let’s go.”

Hunter waved his hand toward the door, a tired, maybe a bit painful expression glued to his face. Hi brothers obeyed, knowing what it meant, and left the room in silence. You tried to copy them, because you knew Hunter was getting overwhelmed by his senses; it happened sometimes, and you knew you couldn’t sooth his pain by remaining with him. But he firmly pressed his hand against your chest.

“Not you.”

Echo closed the door behind the two of you, giving you a sympathetic look before disappearing behind the grey metal sliding. Hunter tilted his head back until it touched the cold wall behind him, letting a long sigh slip from between his lips.

“Could you turn off the light, please?” he barely whispered to you, eyes closed.

You nodded, even though he couldn’t say, and switched the light off. All that remained was the small, dim blue light above your head. Tech had it installed after a bad power cut that lasted three days. Hunted asked for the blue shade, because it was the one which was the less aggressive to his eyes. You liked it, because it nicely highlighted his features, blending his tattoo a bit more with his skin, making the marking look almost natural.

You could hear him, deeply inhaling, slowly exhaling; probably trying to sooth the pain away. After a moment, he opened his hand to you, and you gently took it, slightly stroking the skin on his palm with the tip of your thumb.

“Love you.”

You softly kissed his knuckles.

“Missed you, too.”

His voice was barely breaking the silence of the room, but you still heard him relaxing a bit more.

“Can you hug me, sweetheart?”

He couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes, even if he truly wanted to. He managed to cut off sound and light, because he wanted to focus on your touch, and your touch only. And it felt great when your arms delicately wrapped him, when your body pressed against his, holding still as you listened to his heartbeat.

“Is it okay like this?” you asked, and he nodded, a light smile on his face. “I love you too.”

He straightened up his head, blindly stroking your back, his hand getting lower and lower…

“I see what this was all about.” And the smile in your voice betrayed you, and the chuckle he let out showed you he felt a bit better.

“I just wanted some time with you, sweet thing” Hunter stated, innocent.

“Well, here I am now, pretty boy.”

He finally opened his eyes, taking a few seconds to get used to the lighting, but immediately shifting his attention to you, your face. You were another kind of beautiful; the kind he could hold against him at night when he had troubles sleeping; the kind that could sit on his lap, telling him all about your day while he stroked your hair; the kind of beautiful that he never knew he could have.

He gave you a soft kiss, humming your scent as his lips brushed yours, and you tried as hard as you could not to make it too much for him. But how could you, when he tightened his embrace, humming to you that song you liked so much, when you could feel his warm breath against the crook of your neck, and his low, slightly raspy whispering in your ear.

“From that day on, I made a vow…” a kiss on your skin, “I’ll be there when you want me…” another kiss, gentle, loving.

He pushed himself away from the wall, his head buried against you, singing to you the way you liked it, and it came naturally to you both. He balanced you one side, you came back and led him to the other side, and you kept going like this, following the low rhythm of his voice, barely giggling when he would – more or less in a dramatic and theatrical movement – bend you over like in those holomovies, pressing kisses against your neck, your jawline, crawling his way back to your mouth.

That mouth. Hunter missed it so much, the way you moved it, the softness of your lips, the warmth of your tongue, and the tight embrace as you tried to remember each curve, each spot; barely biting his lip to let you know you were here, you missed him too.

And you couldn’t help but fall in love again when he kept humming against you, when he led your hands to his lower back, a grin painting itself as they slid down the back of his pants.

“I love your heart,” he told you, lips on your skin, “the way it beats. I hear it pumping faster when I hold you, and- maker, I love it.”

He abandoned your neck for a moment, diving into your eyes like it was the first time ever, hypnotised by the blue reflection on your iris.

“I love you, the way you feel under my fingers,” he touched your face with the tip of his thumb, “the way your brush your hair over your shoulder, how you always come back to me when the lights are out and the night is still; I love you and your smile,” you granted him one, tender and oh so caring, “and your eyes, and your mouth. I love how you move your hips when you dance with me, how you crave for closeness, and how I can’t do anything but offer it to you every time, all the time.”

And you knew words couldn’t possibly offer a good answer, so you simply hummed back.

“Nothing could keep me from getting to you, baby.”

He let out a sweet laugh, kissing your nose and the top of your head, seeking for your embrace once again as you led him dancing.

“I know, sweetheart.”

And I love you for that, too.

Tech: My Guy (Single Version) Mary Wells (1078 words)

You didn’t expected Tech to ask you out tonight. He was usually quite content living around the Marauder, but when you walked next to that clothing shop, something ticked in him. He dragged you in, told you all about the different tissues, how the colours were applied, how the stitches on this dress were obviously done by Twi’leks because you see that little knot? This is a signature from the crafters, more precisely from the members of a tribe that moved around…

You loved hearing him talking. Sometimes you would ask him a question, fully aware of the answer, simply because you were eager to hear it coming from him. And every time, without any hesitation, he would answer with as much precision as possible. He probably didn’t know it, but it was one of the reason you fell for him.

“What about this one, cyar’ika?”

“This one would fit you perfectly.” he had held the dress against your body, bending his back to get a better look at it. “The colour matches your skin tone and the shape would really highlight the curves of your hips.”

“Then I’ll take this one.” You had nodded with a smile.

And now, a few hours later, you were wearing said dress while walking to the counter of the restaurant to order another drink. As the bartender was pouring a blue liquid in a fancy glass, a man smoothly accosted you.

“Were you sculpted out of Kyber crystal? Because you sure bring some light in here.”

“Thanks, but it’s mostly because my cyare chose that dress for me,” you confessed.

“Well, he sure have good tastes,” he took a step back and pursued, “may I ask which one of these…?”

He threw a look at the tables around, and you pointed to the one where Tech was visibly waiting for you, waving when he noticed you looking at him.

“Is it…Is it him?”

“It is indeed,” you fondly smiled.

“Well, at least he got some taste in dresses and women,” he conceded, visibly surprised by his “intellectual” look. But you couldn’t care less, because he didn’t had Wrecker’s body, or Hunter’s features; but he had soft shapes and sweet lips, he knew everything there was to know, and even more, because he loved learning almost as much as he loved you.

You grabbed your drinks and started walking away, only turning around to slide a little “Glad you recognise it” before returning to your table. When you pushed his glass in front of him, Tech gently grasped your hand.

“Thank you for the drink,” he glanced at your body, a little something lightening his eyes, “and for buying that dress. You really are the prettiest.”

“I couldn’t be that pretty if I didn’t have you to tell me all about cloths, you know.”

“Love, you could wear sheets and you’d still be the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.”

You slightly bent over, bringing his hand close to your lips, kissing his knuckles as a thank you. There was a brief silence, Tech analysing every inch of your face, so focused on the curves of your lips and the shape of your eyes that he stopped talking.

And you heard it. The soft music playing in a corner of the room. When you looked behind Tech, you noticed a jukebox, and a few people dancing. You got up, pulling on Tech’s arm to drag him with you to that part of the room. He tried to protest, but the way you moved in that dress, how it fell oh so delicately on your knees… He couldn’t resist.

He grabbed your waist, offering you a soft kiss on the cheek as you started swinging in rhythm, left, right, left, right, and a turn. In a second, you were barely touching his hand, and then you were pulled against him, spinning round until you crushed in his arms.

He chuckled, bewitched by your smile, your movements, and you could tell he only had eyes for you. Truth be told, he was all you could focus on too. Nothing could take your attention off your guy, because nothing could equal his lovely smile or the soft kisses he landed on your lips every time he pulled you against him before letting you spin away in rhythm.

“Cyar’ika, tell me all about dance.” You asked, panting a bit.

“Well, you have to be more precise, because there are a lot of dances out there,” he laughed, and you felt your heart melting at the warmth of his voice.

“Then tell me about all of them. Tell me about this one,” and you wrapped your arms around his neck, breathing slowly to calm your racing heart.

“This one would be a form of slow dancing, quite far from the twists and swings you did earlier,” he confessed in your ear, making you shiver. “but initially it was a- well, it depends of the planet actually, but it was originally a ritual to make official a relationship between different people.”

“So if you danced with someone, it meant you had a certain relationship with them?”

He firmly grabbed your waist, lifting you for a few seconds as he turned round.

“Exactly, it meant you shared a profound bond with them, that you were able to get comfortable with them being very close to you…”, he let you spin away from him, “or very far.”

You proudly smiled at him, letting go of his hand and taking a step back. He understood what you intended to do and grounded himself, catching you up without any problem as you run into his arms.

“Well,” you muttered in the crook of his neck, “I don’t want to be far from you, smart boy.”

“And I don’t want you away from me, pretty girl.”

You lifted your head to look at his eyes, filled with love and appreciation. The music stopped as you filled the gap between the two of you, kissing him with the same energy you had dancing. You could feel him smiling against your lips, carrying you like you weighted nothing until you let go, sliding back onto your feet.

You kissed him once again, a gentler contact, taking your time to memorize the shape of his mouth, the soft touch of his hands on your hips, the smooth tone he used to tell you how fitting this dress was.

Yeah, nothing could compare to your guy, your Tech.

Wrecker: You Aksed Me To Be Yours – The Tymes (972 words)

You knew the mission was rough when Wrecker struggled to give you a full smile as you entered the cockpit. He was sitting there, all alone, and your heart got tight when you heard his low “hi, mesh’la”.

“You want to talk about it?”

He refused with a shake of his head, visibly upset.

“Do you want me to leave you alone?”

“No, I want you to stay. I- I need company.”

You quietly nodded, offering your hand to him, which he held close to his heart. You kissed the top of his head, softly rubbing his check with your free hand. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting himself rest on the embrace, taking a long, deep breath.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, “t’was a long day without you.”

“I’m here now.”

The remark made him smile a bit, as he realised that you were indeed here with him. He pulled you closer to him to hug you, straightening in his seat so you wouldn’t have to bend too much to snuggle in his arms.

“You smell good. You always smell good, it’s amazing.”

You slightly blushed, letting out an amused sigh. Even when things went wrong, he always found something positive to comment on. People usually looked at him as the “big dummy”, but you knew how sensitive and emotionally invested he really was, under all the muscles and loud exclamations.

“Do you think we could, like…get up for a bit?” he asked, hesitant.

“Sure, everything’s fine?” You let go of his grip and helped him get up. He wrapped his arms around you, resting his forehead on your shoulder.

“Yeah, t’s’all fine,” he murmured, “I just wanted us to stand.”

You rubbed his back, slow movements tracing imaginary lines and shapes against his blacks. He let out a sigh, tired yet satisfied. You felt the upper part of his body move; slightly at first, rocking from one side to the other. When he felt you following his lead, and with the absence of any question or remarks, he marked a more regular pace in his balancing.

You started humming, lips barely touching the skin on his neck, your warm breath tickling him until a light shiver shook his back. You left kisses, here and there, still humming the song you heard on the radio earlier that day. It was a beautiful ballad, something sweet about love and closeness. You found parts of Wrecker in the lyrics, and knew you’d have to sing it to him.

It wasn’t the first time Wrecker did something like that. Usually he would do it before going to bed, or after a long time away from you. He would grip you tight, whispering soft words to your ear, telling you how much he missed you, how pretty you were, how lucky he felt to have you in his life. But this time, you wanted to make that first move.

“I see that love is there, so real and so true…”

You felt his fingers tighten, then relax. The rocking slowly turned into a dance, moving step by step, never following a precise direction. Your voice was a balm to him, healing the wounds no one could see, covering his heart with warmth and love.

He slightly let go of you, just enough to dive into your eyes, scrutinizing the details in your iris, the way light reflected on them, adding to the sparkle they usually carried. You could see how his attention shifted from your eyes to your lips, then your eyes again, and the delicacy in his silent ask. You gave him your most heartfelt smile, and he leaned toward you, kissing you in a tender, desperate way, as if something or someone would come in at any moment and rip you both away from each other.

You let his tongue meet yours, dancing the way your bodies were. His hands left your waist, raising to cup your face and pulls you even closer to him. You held his wrists, preventing him from pulling away, savouring the taste of love coming out of his mouth.

He only broke the kiss when he truly needed to breathe, deeply inhaling and exhaling. You couldn’t stop a chuckle, to which he grinned.

“I know, I know…”

“How do you expect to kiss me if you faint?”

“I don’t know!” he laughed, his nose wrinkling in such a lovely way. You could read through him like an open book, and now you just knew he was contemplating how beautiful, and soft, and delicate you were. “I don’t know, I just want you. I want to hold you, and kiss you, and dance with you all night.”

You pecked his scarred cheek, nodded in approval.

“Then let’s dance all night, and hold onto each other, and kiss you breathless.”

He relaxed the tension in his shoulders, visibly happier than when you arrived.

“Can you sing that song again? I really liked it.”

His eyes gleamed with happiness when you took back where you stopped. You couldn’t tell if you got all the lyrics right, but it didn’t matter to Wrecker. You were here, ready to spend the whole night on your feet just to make him feel better, and it was already working so well. But he never told you so, too content to hug you and kiss you and feel you.

And you, of course you knew. But you played along, because you loved him so dearly, so profoundly that you could spend every night in this cockpit, humming and swinging with him, as long as you could feel his breath on your neck, his hands stroking your hair and your back, his lips pressing against your skin, where he knew he could get a shiver from you.

“Thank you, cyar’ika.”

“Anything for you, ner Wrecker.”

Anything for you.

________________

I hope you guys enjoyed it; it's really not the angsty stuff I was supposed to work on (that I will do now) but I guess I just had a soft spot for the boys tonight and the songs I listened to didn't help getting over this idea!

#the bad batch fic #tbb fic #crosshair x reader #echo x reader #hunter x reader #tech x reader #wrecker x reader #the bad batch x reader #the bad batch #soft batch #soft tbb #sw writing #mesa writes #the bad batch writing #Soft Hour for the Boys

273 notes · View notes

x688plsloveme · 3 years

Note

Companions react to someone saying something Insanely insulting to them and a usually calm Sole loses their shit, as in whoops their ass?

In their pre-war profession, Sole learned to take a lot of shit. They even had a retail job when they were a teenager, so most of what the average wastelander could spit out was usually nothing in comparison.

They'd just pretend the person in front of them was a usual customer and tune them out until they were done. Most regarded them as having the patience of a saint. They just thought it was due to not growing up in an overly impatient wasteland.

Either way, Sole had never even come close to the volume that they used on this idiot.

No one talked bad about their friends, no one. So when they heard the insults thrown at one of their best friends? They went off. Hurling anything and everything that came to mind at the dumb wastelander that thought it was a good idea to mess with them and theirs.

ADA: Although she wasn't hurt by the random human she didn't even care to know, she was touched by Sole's anger on her behalf. She was a tad surprised that her usually mellow was acting in such a way, but quickly adapted to the situation. She allowed Sole to continue their loud ranting for a few moments longer until gently stopping them. "Before he urinated on himself." Was her excuse. Sole snorted and told her it'd be funny, but ultimately let him go because Ada was probably right.

CAIT: The only thing that could've stopped her from punching the waster's lights out herself was the shock she saw from her well mannered friend. It literally stopped her mid-punch. All she could do was look slack mouthed as Sole ripped into the man in front of them verbally. They were usually the one who told her to ease up on her aggression, so seeing this was a treat indeed.

CODSWORTH: The only other time he saw his sir/mum blow up so.... Loudly. Was when they thought their spouse was cheating on them. To see them so upset over someone calling a mere Mr Handy names...it was truly moving. He was sure to clean up around their settlement extra meticulously as thanks.

CURIE: Sole was a sweet person, particularly to her who didn't know the ways of the wasteland quite yet. They were always calm and collected and Curie always admired them for it. Especially in a proverbial hell hole such as this. So the loud, started gasp she let out at Sole's outburst was very much granted. She had a million questions running through her mind that she had to ask as soon as possible. And she did, right after Sole drove away the rude man that sparked their wrath.

DANSE: He was very grateful to his friend for sticking up for him so readily. He didn't have the best mental state, and it seemed Sole picked up on how the insults were affecting him. He guessed that someone that would save his life would care enough to stand up for him, but seeing it - especially from such a nice person - was something else. He gave them a very long hug afterwards.

DEACON: He feels like he should be most surprised of all, seeing as he had been following them up until they discovered the railroad. Not once has Sole ever raised their voice that high, let alone rudely and directed towards another person. He was frozen in place, completely shell shocked. It was only later that he realized they blew a fuse because of what that nobody waster was saying about him. He felt tears as he thought about how much Sole has to care about him even though they don't really know him. He vowed to tell them the real, genuine truth next time he saw them.

DOGMEAT: He was a smart dog, but not even he could keep up with all the strange words Sole used. He had no idea what a "mutfruit humper" was, but he did recognize the angry tone his owner was using. He decided to help by growling alongside Sole to back them up. He kept rapt attention to the now distressed waster that was the object of their wrath in case they tried anything funny. After the whole ordeal was over, Sole spoiled him a little harder than usual, much to his immense pleasure. Extra snacks are always a good thing in his book.

HANCOCK: "I always knew you had in in ya Sole!" He proceeds to laugh until his stomach hurts. Seeing someone as calm as Sole losing it? Comedy gold in his eyes. He does give his best friend a hug when they're done though. He appreciates them so, so much for caring about a worthless ghoul like him. Doesn't mean he's not gonna retell this story to each and everyone of Sole's friends though.

GAGE: When he heard the yelling, he just thought it was more raiders causing a ruckus as usual. But when he identified the voice as his one and only calm overboss, he did a double take. Even as the boss of raiders, he had never seen Sole blow up at anybody, let alone raise their voice. He knew they were loyal sort, but he didn't know it was to this extent. It made his otherwise cold heart warm a bit at the thought that he was one of the people his boss was fiercely loyal to.

LONGFELLOW: He didn't have many people close in his life, so Sole was like a ray of sunshine in an otherwise foggy world. They were very pleasant to get along with and actually seemed to enjoy his stories, which was rare with people that young. They would often sit next to each other in complete silence and just relax without any awkwardness whatsoever. He didn't believe what the others told him about them going ape-shit on people who've insulted their friends until he saw it himself. Now... He enjoyed the calm and quiet, but he would be a liar if this wasn't the funniest shit he'd ever seen. When they were done scaring away the waster that had the bad luck of running into them, he pat an out of breath Sole with a smile on his face.

MACCREADY: He always thought himself as a pretty laid-back guy, but not even he could hold a candle to have chill Sole was. He never ever ever thought he'd EVER see them yell at somebody over a couple insults. Sure, they were directed at a close friend, but it was still jarring. Heck, seeing them flip reminded him of his younger years when the Lone Wanderer would scold him for being rude. He almost let out a few involuntary sorrys himself.

PIPER: As someone who liked getting Intel on everyone and everything, Piper was curious to what Sole looked like when they got truly mad. She heard everything from amusing to scary and just about everything in between, but all she wanted to do was see it for herself. It took a while of her tagging along whenever Sole went, but it was well worth it when some rando finally picked on her bad enough that it send Sole over the edge. Seeing it for herself, she could attest that all of their comments were correct ones.

PRESTON: He didn't like yelling at all, which is part of the reason he enjoyed Sole's company so much. He had never seen anyone so composed while face danger or the rare rude retort. They always took care of it gracefully. No one glanced twice at a mere minuteman soldier like himself, so he had never been witness to one of Sole's rare "blow ups" that he had heard from some of their other friends. But the day it happened.... Well let's just say he was very humbled for not only being cared about so much, but also the sheer force of their yelling was scary enough to remind him of him mother whenever his siblings got into trouble.

STRONG: Needless to say, he is very happy with these turn of events even if he doesn't quite grasp why Sole is doing this. As it stands, it hypes him up to the point that he joins in the yelling and the two of them make whoever was foolish enough to insult him in front of Sole scared out of their minds.

VALENTINE: He always appreciated how calm and collected his friend was. They were always on the same page in that sense. Never letting anything bother them for too long, even if it was truly personal. Just looking ahead and forgetting about things that could sway them from their goals. Nothing could have surprised him more than Sole suddenly started screaming at a particularly rude waster that would not leave him alone. He didn't even know his friend was there until they started screaming. It made him happy to know that the one time they lose their cool, it was for him.

X6-88: No one admires Sole like he does. There's no one else that could earn his respect, let alone friendship. His friend was always on his wavelength - serene and collected in even the most stressful situations. Sure, no one had insulted him quite like the random waster, but he was ready to scoff and brush him off like any other. He refused to admit that he was hurt even slightly, but it seemed like Sole was as sharp as ever and picked up on it. He never in a million years would've guessed that they could carefully and precisely cut into a person with mere words. But he also never guessed that Sole would ever raise their voice so he supposes surprises are a given. As he watched his one and only friend defend him, he let a small, rare smile show on his face.

#i started this when the ask was sent #and didnt have the energy to finish it until last night lol #i hope you like it anon!!!#fallout 4 #fallout 4 companions #fallout 4 companions react #hancock #deacon #danse #paladin danse #nick valentine #curie #cait #piper wright #mccready #dogmeat #preston garvey #x6 88

235 notes · View notes

concussed-to-pieces · 4 years

Text

The Mettle Of A Man; Part Twenty

Fandom: Fallout (4)

Pairing: Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Welcome to the end of our tale, everyone! Thank you so much for reading and enjoying over the years. I love you so much and appreciate you more than words can say. Here's to 2021, my friends! Ad Victoriam, and stay safe! Tagging @anonymouscosmos, @culturalrebel, @wrestlingfae, @toxiicpop, @mercy-and-malice, @deepkittycollecto, @nelba, @mechanicalism, @commandershepardshtole, @valkyriejack and @kovu-the-mythical-being. Enjoy!

Part One: ArcJet

Part Two: The Prydwen

Part Three: Orders

Part Four: Finding Brandis

Part Five: Weston Water And Oberland

Part Six: Meeting Preston And Matthew

Part Seven: Radstag And Radstorm

Part Eight: The Return To Sanctuary Hills

Part Nine: Domestic Ruminations

Part Ten: Institutionalized

Part Eleven: Two Weeks, Three Days

Part Twelve: Haylen’s Warning And The Glowing Sea

Part Thirteen: Under Fire

Part Fourteen: Dichotomy

Part Fifteen: The Litany Trial

Part Sixteen: Nice Try

Part Seventeen: Preparations

Part Eighteen: Divide And Conquer

Part Nineteen: Lucky

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains holiday celebrations, brief emotional distress and unprotected sex. Stay safe!]

Time seemed to pass both too fast and not fast enough.

Synths were accommodated, reprogrammed at their wishes or helped to adjust to their new lives. Doctor Amari and the rest of the Railroad had no shortage of work, and Desdemona eventually tapped MacCready and Cait to oversee their caravan logistics back to the Capital Wasteland.

"And the people of the Commonwealth slept soundly, for the greatest monster was gone." Nick had remarked, touching the brim of his fedora in a half-salute. The old detective quickly appointed himself as head of first impressions in Diamond City, making certain that no trouble befell any wayward synth that accidentally wandered in. There was still a lot of work to be done to repair the Broken Mask incident, after all.

New settlements sprang up overnight and while there may not have been total harmony, there was the sensation of the whole Commonwealth heaving a sigh of relief. Recruits flocked to the Minutemen and Brotherhood in droves as Piper's Publick Occurrences spread the word of their successful campaign against the Institute.

Commonwealth boogeyman decimated by combination effort: Brotherhood Of Steel and Minutemen join forces to save Boston from bodysnatchers!

Deacon had effortlessly deflected Piper every time she asked for an interview, the mysterious man more than content to keep the Railroad shadowy. The less everyone knew, the less they could tell, and that suited him just fine. "You did real good, Icebox. Helped a lot of people."

Elder Brandis sought approval to establish a permanent outpost at the Boston airport ruins, the former paladin keen to send the Prydwen back to the Capital Wasteland. "Oh the Prydwen's a fine ship, but put me in the field any day!" The airship, once a proud symbol of the Maxson reign, now served little purpose aside from blocking the sun on occasion. Scribes laughed and played in the massive shadow, kicking up dust until the circle where the litany trial had taken place was nothing but a memory.

X6-88 had floundered for several weeks, the courser falling into a depressive slump that not even Curie could rouse him from. Oddly enough, it was Preston who ended up being able to haul him out of the darkness, the lieutenant making a point to visit the courser to drag him from his room for target practice and other low-effort patrol duties. "Sometimes all folks need is a hand, General."

The courser went on to reluctantly take the role of defective defector, working as a consultant to the Minutemen to help ward off any future attacks by desperate coursers or Institute scientists. Preston found his input invaluable, and the duo could often be found in the lieutenant's quarters poring over threadbare maps and trading tactical information. Preston also seemed to have a calming effect on the synth hunter, helping to blunt some of the cold steel edge that X6 had honed his entire life. Add on to that the constant caring presence of Curie, and they made a strange but surprisingly effective trio.

With the new supply line firmly established between the verdant utopia of Starlight Drive-In and Oberland Station, the strain of the prior lean months finally eased a bit. Faces grew less pinched even with the increased burden of the synths, and many settlers began to tentatively plan for a small celebration in the beginning of the winter.

"'The Holidays' is what they been callin' it, real simple and succinct. Some freaky hodgepodge of everyone's traditions. I guess a lot of folks on that fancy director's board also celebrated around this time of year. Not that the synths would know, naturally." Hancock had muttered, his expression sour. "Poor bastards always workin', and they ain't got fuckall to show for it. Seems like a shit deal."

Elder Brandis granted Danse an extended leave of absence after the toppling of the Institute without the paladin even requesting it, the large man dumbfounded for a moment upon receiving the news.

"If you're up for it, I could use a hand back at Sanctuary." Vega had grinned up at him, her eyes squinting a little under the force of her smile. "A lot of prep work goes into a holiday, after all."

...

Danse had taken it upon himself to retreat from Shaun's previous bedroom when he accompanied Vega and her son back to Sanctuary. He debated heavily on returning to the airport; after all, there was no real reason for him to stay in Sanctuary Hills, at least none that he dared to dwell upon. The few small projects that Vega had to manage were easily accomplished and he was left a bit lost in the wake of the excess of his leave.

Vega, however, had begun framing in what was once the carpark for her house. Sturges helped of course, and once Danse caught on he was touched by the gesture.

"I don't want you to feel like there isn't room for you just because Shaun is back." Elizabeth had said, lugging a chunk of scrap metal from the wreckage of her car.

The paladin had to take a moment, claiming sawdust in his eye as the culprit.

Now Danse lived in the area she had partitioned off for him, uncertain if he still believed he was intruding. Those thoughts were troubling, because if he could get comfortable…

What if Vega eventually decided that Shaun needed a father and what if...what if she chose a real man? Really real, not a sham like Danse was. And if she did, what man would permit Danse to stay? What real man would permit a synth that was currently entangled by these...human emotions to remain on their property, even if Danse proved he wasn't a threat?

What man would believe him if he claimed to have no interest in Vega? Hell, Danse didn't even believe himself.

But he didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay. He wanted to tell Elizabeth...well, there were a lot of things he wanted to tell her.

His silence was more of a burden each day, and Danse knew he must seem sullen. It gnawed at him; it felt like lying every time he choked the words back down because it wasn't the right time or he just didn't know what to say, and he didn't trust himself not to say something foolish.

He decided he would wait until after the holiday gathering. Whatever the verdict was, it shouldn't take away from the joy she was clearly feeling over the festivities. So Danse threw himself into helping Sturges, Mama Murphy and the Longs around Sanctuary.

Secretly making a toy truck for Shaun had been a painstaking process fraught with peril. Mainly because Danse was somewhat indelicate and carving tiny wheels had never been his area of expertise. Oh certainly, he could build a survival camp with nothing but a combat knife and time, but a toy...

The paladin had spent countless hours creating prototypes in his cobbled-together room as he pondered the path he should take, sometimes working into the wan light of the morning. He eventually showed the truck to Jun, immensely fearful that Shaun might not enjoy the toy. Danse couldn't recall his own interests when he had been Shaun's age, and thus fell back on the other man's expertise.

"It looks good! Sand the wheels a little more, maybe give it a coat or two of paint." Jun praised the pensive paladin, turning the vehicle over in his hands to examine it. "Kyle loved these kinds of things y'know, trucks and trains and little toy boats." His gaze grew distant for a moment, the rough plaything stilling in his grasp. "Marcy thinks she's pregnant." He said abruptly.

"Pregnant?" Danse repeated without meaning to, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline.

Jun nodded jerkily. "It's been three months now. She's scared, Mr. Danse, real scared. Thinks something bad will happen."

"What can we do?" The paladin asked sharply.

Jun gawked up at him, seeming confused. "We?"

"I am unfamiliar with this process. What needs to be done?"

"I...I don't follow, Mr. Danse."

"To simplify the duration! What precautions can I-"

"Whoa, hang on." Jun protested. "We aren't sure if the general will even let us stay here with an extra mouth to feed. I've been trying to figure out how to bring up the subject." He admitted.

"You haven't even told General Vega yet?!" Danse squawked.

"W-Well, no! I figured maybe we would...we'd see how the winter went and play it by ear." Jun mumbled, seeming defensive.

Danse seized the other man's arm, heedless of his protests as he hauled him across the front lawn to Vega's abode. Today was the day that Vega had planned to sort through decorations; there were many left over from the fall holiday the Commonwealth had been preparing to celebrate before...well, time had stopped for most when the bombs fell, it was understandable that faded pumpkins and skeletons would still grace crumbling walls with their orangey-cream presence.

Vega looked up from the veritable pile of brittle, salvaged decor in confusion when Danse barged into their...her home, the paladin immediately halting and offering a sharp salute. "Danse! I...uh, what's wrong?"

"Mr. Long has something he needs to discuss with you immediately." Danse informed her, tugging the other man forward.

"I-I...er, General, you…" Jun struggled to speak, twiddling his fingers wildly. "M-Marcy--"

"What's wrong, Jun? Is she okay?" Vega asked, getting to her feet and shooting Danse a worried look. "Did something happen?"

"B-Baby." Jun squeaked. "Pregnant."Backhand went still, her freckles stark against the fresh pallor of her face. "I'm sorry, General, I know we haven't discussed it beforehand a-and I know food's been better as of late...I-I guess she got enough nutrients and got healthy enough for...er, well, you know." Mr. Long looked like he wanted to disappear into the ground. "We should have spoke to you sooner; I don't know if she can leave with the weather being--"

"Wh-Where are you going? Why leave, what?" Vega stammered, "Jun, you can't travel now, if something goes wrong-!"

"We weren't sure if you'd let us stay!" The thin man interrupted her frantically. "This is your base, after all, and you didn't sign on for an extra person to worry about."

Vega inhaled deeply. "Danse, could you give me a minute with Mr. Long?" She requested, her voice suspiciously even.

Danse obeyed, closing the front door gently and meandering a pointed distance down the main thoroughfare so as not to eavesdrop. He had a relatively good idea of how the conversation would go, despite Jun's misgivings. So he wandered down to the huge tree at the end of the cul-de-sac, fiddling with the truck in his pocket absently as he stared upwards at the barren branches.

"Y'know kid," Mama Murphy piped up from her customary chair on her porch and the paladin turned to face her, giving the elderly woman his full attention. "When I had the Sight, I saw this place. Sanctuary." She nodded in the direction of the river, then gestured upwards. "The bridge, and this tree. Massive and old, worn out from all those years." She cocked her head, giving Danse an appraising look. "The tree though, it was...covered in lights. Like what you see in the pre-war mags. The Holidays, shinin' like a beacon of hope at the end of the tunnel."

Danse hummed, the vaguest beginnings of an idea taking root in his mind. He couldn't bring Vega's old life back, but maybe...maybe he could bring something from it back to her. Like what you see in the pre-war mags.

"I think you're pickin' up what I'm puttin' down, kid." Mama Murphy's smile was knowing, the old woman reaching over to pet Dogmeat. The dog seemed to materialize out of thin air sometimes! "Now get to it."

...

Backhand was already scurrying around the kitchen when Danse rose on the morning of the Holiday celebration, the paladin pausing only momentarily to yawn in the doorway before sleepily offering his assistance. "Is there something I can help with, Vega?"

"Uh, Sturges, he said something about you and stuff from Goodneighbor, I think?" Elizabeth replied, obviously preoccupied with whatever she had in the semi-functional oven. Danse nodded, trudging across the kitchen to tug on his boots by the door.

Shaun bounded out of the bathroom, his face still damp from his morning wash. "Oh, can I help too? Please Mom, let me help Mister Danse and Mister Sturges!" He begged.

"You'd better stay right where Danse and Sturges can see you." Backhand instructed him sternly, one oven-mitted hand gesturing to indicate the gravity of the situation. "Otherwise you're coming straight back inside. Go put on your warm coat."

Shaun cheered in delight, racing back to his room.

"It's okay that he's with you two, right? I know he's not your responsibility." Backhand continued in an undertone to the paladin.

Danse's throat tightened and it took him a moment to respond, "I don't mind at all. He's a very well-behaved child."

"Let me know if he's an issue and I'll bring him back inside. I just need to get this done and the oven is being all-"

Danse stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders, deliberately schooling his expression into something more stern. "General, you're doing a fine job. Stop worrying."

"Am I? Shit, I really hope so." Elizabeth mumbled, tipping her forehead until it rested against his chest. Danse prayed she couldn't hear his heart, hammering merely from her proximity. God, his body was nothing but an embarrassment waiting to happen. "I've never really done this crap. Not sure if I'm cut out for it."

The momentary respite was broken when Shaun reappeared in his oversized flannel and oilcloth jacket, the child bolting past the two adults to put on his boots. Danse reluctantly released Backhand, noting how flushed her face was but not really daring to dwell on it. "I'll...I'll watch him." The paladin said, his voice a bit stilted. "I promise."

"Thank you." Backhand mumbled, wiping her eyes and then returning to coddle…whatever it was in the oven.

"Ready, Shaun?" Danse asked the boy, who nodded rapidly and extended a hand.

The snow outside was still fresh from the night before and Danse took a moment to appreciate the view of the Commonwealth covered in a thin layer of white. Off in the distance, the towering crimson insignia of the Red Rocket gasoline station stood stark against the backdrop of the gray sky. Even further down the road slumbered the empty shell of Concord, the tallest of the town's dilapidated buildings only just visible from the paladin's position.

Shaun tugged at his hand, pulling his attention back to the present. "Mister Danse, Mister Sturges is waiting for us!" The child announced, waving up at the engineer who was currently settled into a crook of the brittle branches that graced the tree on the cul-de-sac island. "Hi Mister Sturges!"

"Howdy fellas! Come to give me a helpin' hand?" Sturges called, grinning down at the two of them.

"What assistance can we offer?" Danse queried, wary that the other man might suggest Shaun climb up to him. His fears were quickly allayed when Sturges instead asked Shaun and Danse to begin untangling the long strands of old lights.

Hancock and his ilk had arrived from Goodneighbor, bearing the gifts of dubious treats and many, many mangled strings of lights. Goodneighbor had always been drenched in neon, after all, so Danse had assumed the ghoul mayor would be the best person to call upon for aid. It would appear that Hancock had delivered in spectacular fashion.

"With your help, we'll have this place lookin' pretty as a picture in no time!"

…

Maybe she had bitten off slightly more than she could chew, trying to cook a traditional dinner. Backhand sighed, glumly poking at the cold poultry with a wooden spoon. Her cooking skills had never been much to write home about in the first place, and this only served to solidify that fact.

"Oh Mum, I'm so sorry. The old oven just isn't how it used to be." Codsworth commented, his mechanical voice tinged with melancholy.

"It's not a big deal, Codsworth. I hate to waste the food, that's all." Backhand muttered, assuring herself that she wasn't fighting back frustrated tears, her eyes were just tired. "Damn thing didn't even get to the warm phase."

"Mum, if I might suggest…?" The robot started hesitantly, carrying on when she nodded. "Perhaps it can be salvaged. After all, we make bread in that same pan by tucking it beneath the hot coals out front. What do you say, shall we give it a go?"

"Got nothing to lose, right?"

"It will be just fine, Mum! You're an adaptive sort." Codsworth remarked, drifting out the front door to stoke the usual cooking fire to life once more. "Indeed, just fine!" He called.

Vega shook her head ruefully. "Oh I'm sure." The woman grumbled. "Can't cook and comes with baggage. What a catch ol' Vega is." At least the bread had come out well, in spite of the brisk weather. She could thank whoever for that small favor.

Once Codsworth had coaxed the embers to life in the fire pit, Elizabeth bundled up and brought the still-cold cast-iron pot outside. Maybe it had been wishful thinking to believe that the oven portion of her stove would still work. Or even heat at all. It had been promising earlier in the week, but this might be a blessing in disguise. If the whole house had gone up due to a cooking malfunction...well, the holidays wouldn't be too happy then, would they?

"Please cook." She begged under her breath, troweling hot coals onto the battered dutch oven lid. "I need this, y'know? Just a little victory, that's all I'm asking for here."

"Shall I get started on the tatoes, Miss Vega?"

Elizabeth nodded, only half-listening to Codsworth. She knew she would have a good forty five minutes to an hour to wait, and it wasn't as if it was colder outside than it was inside. The joys of semi-functional heating!

Vega shook her head at herself after a second, since when did she dwell on everything that Sanctuary wasn't? At the end of the day, it was her home. She wouldn't trade it for the world, and she knew she had much more than most people.

At that thought, her gaze wandered to where Danse and Shaun were. The larger man had Shaun on his shoulders while he patiently unwound a massive bundle of flickering string lights. Shaun, for his part, was passing the untangled lights up to Sturges. The engineer slid down the ladder so he could reach the child, looping the lights over his arm before climbing back up and painstakingly placing them in the gnarled grasp of the tree's limbs.

The manufactured cheer that the lights had given off pre-war was still somewhat there, though the radiant colors were washed out to pastel and the warm whites had gone dingy gray. Instead of it being a melancholy reminder that her life had changed irreparably, Backhand was overcome with gratitude. For her son's safe return, regardless of his synthetic makeup, and for the man who was currently carrying Shaun on his shoulders. For her home, for her family.

A family.

Perhaps she was getting a little ahead of herself. After all, Danse was still adjusting to life in ordinary time. It would be selfish of her to voice her feelings to him while he was coming to terms with everything that had happened. For better or for worse, their lives were different now.

It ought to be enough that he was in her life at all. She should be content. His presence alone was a miracle; for all intents and purposes he should be dead. Yet there he was, mere feet away, helping to brighten up the holiday celebration.

Tonight there would be a multitude of visitors. God only knew how many would arrive from settlements near and far, to say nothing of Goodneighbor, Diamond City, the Prydwen and the Castle! It would be an incredibly busy evening for certain. Hancock had arrived early with a posse of ragtag drifters from Goodneighbor, all of them offering gifts of food or scavenged ornaments to decorate. Hence the massive mound of lights that was currently being diligently sorted through.

The aforementioned ghoul appeared to have delegated the task of quality checking the lights, as his form currently leaned against the faded blue siding of her house. With cigarette smoke wafting from his mouth and nasal cavity in equal amounts, he seemed content to just watch the chaos unfold.

"Aren't you a little chilly?" Backhand queried, raising an eyebrow. The mayor was still clad in his usual garb of...for lack of a better term, repurposed period dress. Granted it wasn't seasonably cold out, at least not like how she remembered it being before the bombs dropped.

"Nah, we ghouls run pretty warm. Ham's like a portable space heater." Hancock answered, giving her a lazy grin. "Cute of you to worry, though. I must be growin' on ya'."

"Whoa there, let's not get too crazy."

"Whatcha' think, General?" Sturges shouted from his perch, waving to get her attention.

Danse turned in place, appearing to realize that she was watching as his hands flew up and grabbed Shaun's legs, stabilizing the small boy on his shoulders.

Backhand couldn't keep from smiling when she called back, "it looks wonderful! Keep up the great work!"

"That ain't the only thing that looks wonderful, right Sunshine?" Hancock snickered, rolling his eyes at the now-sputtering woman. "You better give the Brave Little Toaster the ride of his life, that's all I gotta' say."

"Hancock!" Vega hissed, making a half-hearted swipe at the mayor. "You fuckin'--"

"Ah ah, little pitchers!" Hancock scolded, tilting his head to the side to draw Vega's attention to the rapidly-approaching form of Duncan, MacCready's son. "Gotta' watch that mouth of yours, Sunshine."

"This ain't over, ya' raisin-lookin' bastard." Backhand snarled under her breath, pasting on a friendly smile for Duncan while Hancock wheezed with laughter. "Hey bud, how's things?" She greeted the child, who grimaced.

"Dad's kissin' Miss Cait again. S'gross." The little boy announced, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"That does sound pretty gross." Hancock piped up before Backhand could reply. "But you like seein' your old man happy, right? The lady makes him happy. Simple as that."

"Yeah, I guess. Can I play with Shaun?" Duncan asked Vega, eyes wide as he seemed to take in the tree covered with lights.

"Go ahead, kiddo! Just be careful and stay away from Sturges' ladder." Elizabeth warned, grinning when the little boy took off with a whoop.

Cait and MacCready strode up after a moment, both of them red-faced. MacCready bent double, his hands on his knees. "I'm not built for these bullsh--awful conditions." He panted. "I don't know how the kid does it. He was nearly dead a few months ago and now he's out here kicking the snow in the a--er, butt."

Backhand glanced around, and then snorted. "You call this snow? It's a dusting. Back before-"

"Ah ah, easy now Mumsicle, we ain't got time for yer trip down memory lane." Cait teased. "Work to be done, aye? C'mon then, General, shape up. What you doin' on the ground anyway, all crouched like a mother hen broodin'?"

"I'm cooking." Vega replied tersely.

"Oh aye? Looks like yer shirkin' t' me, love. Codsy can manage that mess, c'mon." Cait seized her elbow, levering her up out of the snowy grass. "Now, what needs doin'?"

...

The day was a whirlwind of arrivals, preparations and well wishers. Elder Brandis even stopped by briefly, taking precious time away from his all-consuming duties to distribute some useful supplies and catch up on the gossip.

The Diamond City trio graced Sanctuary with their presence shortly before noon, Nat scurrying off to play with Duncan and Shaun while Piper made a beeline for Hancock's merry band. Nick was more keen to meander around the outskirts of the groups forming, amber eyes taking in his surroundings.

Preston appeared midafternoon with X6, Curie and the entire O'Brian clan in tow, later than expected but apparently they had stopped to help out a settlement along the way.

The cul-de-sac soon rang with the laughter of the rambunctious children; even little Siusan was permitted to briefly toddle about in the trampled snow under the watchful gaze of Eamon. The weather was chilly but the sun had broken through the clouds throughout the day, sending momentary waves of brilliance across the Commonwealth.

Every table and chair that could be salvaged had been assembled on the old foundation at the end of the cul-de-sac, and it was there that the adults began to gather as the sun set. Metal drums loaded with wood were lit, providing heat and illumination to the many guests of the Commonwealth's first official potluck dinner.

"Or rather," Piper amended, clearing her throat with a touch of self-importance as she tapped her notepad, "the first documented official potluck dinner."

The large tree twinkled and shone in the fast-approaching darkness, the occasional flicker or broken bulb doing little to diminish the cheer it provided. The food was distributed, Backhand's roast chicken disappearing without a hitch. The young woman couldn't help doing a mental dance of victory, delighted that Codsworth's quick thinking had saved that particular endeavor.

Vega found a place to sit somewhere in the middle of one of the many long tables, red from the praise of her companions and the persistent chill in the air. She got even redder when Preston loudly proclaimed a toast, to the General!, her lieutenant tipping his bottle and everyone else following suit.

"I remember when I first met the general, she was half-dead on her feet." Preston began the story, his smile fond. "Sturges couldn't even believe our luck. Hell, none of us could. When freedom called, our general answered!"

Backhand, who had lived the story and knew all the ins and outs, found her attention wandering to Danse while Preston regaled the crowd with his tale. The paladin seemed to be listening closely, his meal forgotten. Deacon even began to thieve bits of chicken and tato out from beneath his nose, the Railroad agent shooting Vega a sly wink over his sunglasses.

Backhand shook her head at the other man's antics, then focused her attention on Preston. "...'Lurk queen, a huge, mean seabug, taken out by landmines! The Castle was ours once again, and we all had General Vega to thank for it." The lieutenant stated firmly. "The one who can get things done in the Commonwealth, the one who gave folks hope when it was in mighty short supply. We uh, we owe you a lot, ma'am." He raised his bottle once more. "To General Vega, leader of the Minutemen!"

"To Elizabeth!" Hancock yelled, echoed by half the damn populace as Vega tried to wave it off, the young woman laughing awkwardly. "To our Sunshine, the hero of the Commonwealth!"

"Synth savior, a regular knight in shining armor." Deacon teased.

"Well done, General Vega." Danse said warmly, "I can't know for certain whether the Brotherhood itself would be proud, but I certainly am." His praise for whatever reason made Vega's blush feel like it would scorch her skin.

Oh she knew damn well why, she was just being willfully oblivious at this point.

"Speech! Speech! Is that not zee norm for zis sort of occasion?" Curie called, the diminutive synth currently sharing X6-88's coat as well as his plate of food. X6 didn't seem to have any reservations about the matter, his arm slung around her shoulders without a care in the world.

Much to Vega's chagrin, the majority appeared to be in favor of such a vocal endeavor. She attempted to laugh off the suggestion to no avail, and finally got to her feet. "Alright, alright, settle down. I'll say a few words if it'll get you all off my damn back." She grumbled, her body thoroughly warm now with a combination of embarrassment and gratitude. "I uh…"

Vega trailed off as she looked out over the ragtag gang of expectant faces staring back at her. So many friends and neighbors, finally getting the chance to breathe. The chance to celebrate the fruits of their labor...it was sobering.

"I can't thank you all enough for...well, for everything that you've done. You all sacrificed so much for this peace, stuff I could never imagine doing even before the bombs dropped." She cleared her throat. "My mentor, Sergeant Shaun Cathan, was a great man, and he often had some very succinct or choice words which I'm not about to repeat in polite company."

"Aw c'mon-!" Zeke began to protest loudly, his voice fading as he noticed the small gaggle of children still gawking at his power armor.

Backhand continued, her jaw set firmly, "but one thing I can say that he told me is this: a leader who permits their pride to impede their decisions is doomed to failure. Pride built the Institute, and that same pride rotted it to the core. Pride built the Brotherhood of Steel, the Minutemen, and we've seen the both of them nearly toppled." Vega clenched her fist. "Pride brought nuclear fire down on Boston, but people hauled themselves outta' the ashes of that fire. Good people, tough people. Folks I knew. Folks I cared for, even if some of 'em did spend a little too much time on the Cape. If pride can do so much effin' harm, I expect simple compassion and decency to do just as much good. Hell, more than that. Humanity's built itself back up after the cluster that was armageddon, and we ain't through yet."

She tipped the jar she had been drinking out of towards the crowd, sternly studying the collection of scavengers, families both new and familiar.

...

"So here's to you, my friends. To all that you've done, and to all that you will do."

Vega's salute was rigid, pre-war. Like her helmet on the table beside her, scraped and covered in faded sigils. The mixture of candlelight and the lights on the tree reflected off the worn lenses of her glasses, shielding her eyes from view. Danse wished desperately that he could see her eyes; more than anything he wished to stand up and flat-out state what she had done for him to every soul there, display his...admiration.

Was that even the right word? Admiration, adoration, affection--

His face was strangely warm all of a sudden. Danse flinched, staring down at his mug of coffee with single-minded intent as the buzz of conversation around him picked back up. His mind raced, pieces falling into place in a nigh-unstoppable rush.

Affection. Like...what he had felt for Cutler? Almost. A little to the left of that. Brighter.

Happier.

Not perfect, nothing could ever be perfect. But...

"Elizabeth Vega?" A male ghoul's voice barely penetrated the paladin's consciousness, his words not really registering until, "Beth, it really is you!" The ghoul exclaimed. "I thought I was crazy! It's me, Beth. It's Nate."

"...Nate?"

Danse's head whipped up so fast his neck popped in warning, the paladin having been only tangentially aware of the conversation happening mere feet away from his position. But at that particular nickname his entire being snapped to attention, eyes darting sidelong from where he had been intently studying his mug of coffee.

The ghoul man that Vega was currently speaking to was an inch or two taller than her, with a single tuft of dark hair that still remained over his left ear. He appeared absolutely delighted, but Vega seemed...wary.

"Beth," Danse heard him say once more, and he watched Backhand visibly tense. "I never thought I would see you again! After the bombs dropped--I mean how the hell did...is that Shaun? God, he got so big!"

"Nate, is there something I can do for you?"

Nate.

Danse's breath caught in his throat and his mouth went dry. Nate? Nate her ex-husband from before the war? Nate, the man who had divorced her once he found out she was pregnant with his child?

Somehow he had managed to survive?

Oh, what an incredibly bitter thing to think! Danse was somewhat startled by his own dark path of reasoning. But it wasn't untrue; his mind railed at the unfairness of it all.

The paladin stood up, his mug of coffee forgotten. He wasn't exactly certain what he was about to do, but he also wasn't going to do nothing. He cast around wildly for a plan as he approached Elizabeth from behind around the table, and Danse latched onto what was probably the least intelligent course of action that he could have conjured up.

"Elizabeth," the paladin called, loud enough to be heard over the general hubbub. She turned and Danse briefly spied a look of intense relief on her face before he enveloped her in his arms. "You appeared cold, figured I could warm you up a bit." He reasoned aloud, smiling benignly over her head at Nate. "Who's this?"

Vega began to introduce him even with her face still comically buried in Danse's chest, "Nate, I'd like you to meet-"

"Paladin Logan Danse, Northeastern chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel." Danse interrupted her smoothly, extending a hand to Nate. "I've heard a great deal about you, Nate. It's a privilege to meet you, and a welcome surprise to see that you endured the radiation."

"Uh, is it? Well I-I guess it is." Nate looked flummoxed and crestfallen all at once, glumly shaking Danse's hand. "I suppose you two are, er..."

"Vega is my partner, yes. For over a year now." Danse replied once the other man had trailed off, his tone saccharine-sweet. He heard Vega gasp against his chest. "She is a truly incredible woman. I'm immensely lucky."

"Yeah, I...yeah. Uh, I have to go...talk to--I'll see you later, Beth." Nate squeaked, sidestepping away from the two of them and making a beeline for the road.

"I can't even believe it." Backhand's voice grated with tangible irritation. "I cannot even fuckin' fathom--I...dammit, why him?!" She seethed into Danse's jacket, clenching her fists on his hips. "Phew, boy, I sort of thought I'd already dealt with all that resentment." The woman admitted unhappily.

"You do things in your own time." Danse replied quietly. "Are you alright?"

Vega went still for a second. Danse felt her unclench her fists, hands going slack on his body. Had he misspoken-?

"In my own time, huh?" Vega muttered, almost like she was thinking out loud. "I...I'll be back in a little while, Danse."

…

I'm not panicking. Definitely not panicking. One hundred percent not panicking, totally fine.

Backhand scurried away from the paladin, trying to hide the tell-tale redness of her face. She needed to find either Mrs. O'Brian or MacCready, fast.

As luck would have it, MacCready found her. The former merc tapped on her shoulder as she bounced up on her tiptoes to search for Mrs. O'Brian. "Hey boss, Shaun wanted me to ask you if he could sleep over with Duncan tonight." The man began after she whirled around to face him.

"Yes." Vega replied, perhaps a little too quick and definitely too enthusiastic. "Mac you're a lifesaver, I was just about to ask-"

"-for me and Cait to watch your kid so you and the tin can can get some alone time?" MacCready smirked, giving her a wink. "Dang General, I don't think I've ever seen you so red! Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"Shut up, Mac, you're so exasperating." Backhand jabbed a teasing finger into the center of his chest. "You talk, Mayor, and I'll know." The threat was toothless; the both of them grinned at each other after their fierce staring contest. "Thanks for everything."

"Don't mention it. I figure getting you some Brotherhood...uh, Steel, heh, is a pretty decent way to make up for the fact that I didn't bring you a present." Mac shrugged, fiddling with the bill of his hat. "I have beef with the Capital Brotherhood, but these guys...I mean, they don't seem all bad." He allowed grudgingly, giving Vega a gentle nudge with his shoulder. "Go on."

A bracing shot of whiskey shored up her tenuous spark of confidence and Vega marched back to Danse, the large man now engaged in conversation with X6 while Shaun, Duncan, Bridget, Nat and Matthew swirled around their ankles.

Danse was saying, "--collateral ramifications would be inadvisable, I suggest a soft breach. With adequate preparation-"

"Adequate preparation on your part borders on over-caution." X6 interrupted him dismissively. "However, I will take it into account and speak with Preston on the matter. He seems to share your morality. A pity."

"Play at the unfeeling machine all you want, X6." Danse retorted. "It does you no favors. You have people who care about you now, and you would not have asked for my input if you believed the endeavour would be futile."

"True enough, Paladin." The vaguest hint of a smile tugged at X6's mouth. "You are capable."

"I suppose that is the best that I can hope for."

"Hey, Danse? Can I uh, have a little chat?" Backhand asked, stifling a hysterical giggle when Danse immediately looked guilty. The paladin nodded, bidding X6 farewell and attempting to sidestep around the children who were currently playing tag in an ever-tightening circle. "Not um, here though. Let's go to my house, okay? Shaun, you're all set to stay overnight with Duncan, Mac and Cait, right?"

"Yeah!" Shaun replied breathlessly, pausing in his chase to give his mother a massive grin. "Already brought my blankets over and everything. Mister MacCready said Duncan and I could sleep in their wagon, and that he'd tell us Grognak stories!"

Danse's brow furrowed. "We are leaving the gathering, then?" He asked, looking a bit distressed when Elizabeth nodded. "A moment, please." He turned back to the children, calling for Shaun.

The boy bolted away from the group, skidding in the muddy slush. "Yeah, Mister Danse?" He asked, his impatience plain.

"I, er. I...happy holidays." The paladin mumbled, extracting a small bundle from his jacket pocket and giving it to the child.

"Whoa, for me?!" Shaun practically crowed, tearing through the old newspaper to reveal the gift.

It was a sturdy carved vehicle, its edges sleek and smooth. The wood was coated in shiny green paint, giving the little truck a distinct air of newness in this post-apocalyptic world. Danse swallowed audibly as Shaun stared down at the toy without saying a word.

Backhand closed her eyes, hoping and praying that the kid remembered his manners. She hadn't even known Danse had planned on giving him something. Did he make the truck himself? It was wood, not the usual plastic or aluminum of pre-war children's toys. When had he found the time to make a toy? She suddenly remembered his uncharacteristically wide yawn that morning and her eyes flew open, darting to look at Danse. He had been staying up, hadn't he?

"I love it, Mister Danse!" Shaun interrupted her mental panic with his enthusiastic eruption, smiling wide and bolting forward to hug Danse around the waist. Danse's own relief was evident, the large man patting the child on the back with an awkward chuckle.

Oh Jesus, I'm not going to cry, Vega insisted, taking a deep breath. Nope, won't do it.

"Mom look, look what Mister Danse gave me!" Shaun exclaimed, as if she hadn't been standing right there the whole time.

"It's really cool, right?" Backhand grinned, rumpling his hair and then giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Make sure you wash your face and brush your teeth before bed, okay? I hope you and Duncan have fun. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom, I will. Thank you again, Mister Danse!" Shaun rushed to say, clearly eager to return to his friends.

"Alright, go on." Vega tapped the end of his nose, "go have fun." She watched him scramble through the slush, nearly tripping again. "Jesus, he's a bull in a china shop," she sighed, making Danse snort. "Shall we, Paladin?"

He fell into step beside her, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket and his back ramrod straight. He was silent until they were actually in Elizabeth's living room, the young woman barely able to shut the front door before he started babbling, "if I offended you earlier, if I-I overstepped my bounds, I apologize. I just recalled what you had said about the name he used for you and I'm afraid I started moving before I could reconsider-"

"Danse, do you remember how we started all of this?" Vega cut off what promised to be a downright incredible justification, cocking her head to the side. "How we met, and what happened?"

"You came to our aid at the Cambridge police station. Then you carried on assisting me with our mission. You helped acquire the deep range transmitter. You greased my armor." Danse paused, fidgeting. "You...said it was alright if I wanted to kiss you."

“It’s alright if you want to kiss me, you know.” Her smile was gentle. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Vega nodded, smiling once more. "The offer still stands, naturally."

"I...things are different now. I'm different. You still...even now, after everything that you know about me?"

"Of course."

"I didn't want to believe you felt that strongly about our...about us." Danse was smiling, actually smiling! "I'd given up hope a long time ago that I would ever be enough for anyone. I was never...enough. Smart enough, or strong enough or...well, just enough, I suppose." He shrugged, his smile fading. "With what happened between Maxson and I, and previously with Cutler…" The large man trailed off.

Vega took a deep breath, nodding furiously. "I do feel strongly for you. Danse, I know that this is a lot, b-but I...uh, I think I love you." She gestured up and down at the speechless paladin, feeling the heat that bloomed fresh on her cheeks. "Not just the wrapping, y'know, but uh. The whole package. You."

His look of shock and confusion slowly dissolved into something unreadable, and he broke eye contact for a moment to stare down at his boots.

"Uh, it's okay if you don't reciprocate! O-Or even if you can't reciprocate, I'm not going to be offended!" Elizabeth rushed to add, waving her hands nervously. "I know that this is a lot to dump on you all at once, I-I'm sorry. I don't want you feeling pressured to give me an affirmative answer just because you don't want to hurt my feelings or whatever."

"I...I can't say that I haven't thought about it." He admitted softly. "But Shaun, he needs--Vega, I'm not really human."

"Neither is Shaun, but I don't love him any less." Elizabeth replied. "Shaun is my son. For all intents and purposes, he is my real son, Danse."

"It's one thing to overlook it for a child, Vega. But I'm...what if something goes wrong with me? What if there's some sort of fault in my programming, and that's why I'm like this? What if-"

"It's alright if you don't want me, or even if this is too much right now. I know, it's a lot." Vega interrupted him, her heart sinking but determined to make damn sure he didn't feel pressured.

"Christ, that's not what I meant. I just want to make certain you know exactly what it is that you're agreeing to." Danse cut her off, his shoulders rigid like he was bracing for impact.

"I understand, Danse. I've understood for a while now." Elizabeth dared to rest her hand on his arm. "I want to be with you. I know that nothing in this shitshow of a future is guaranteed and I want to have something good in my life before my inevitable demise at the hands of some overconfident mole rat."

Danse nodded stiffly, and then grabbed her by the lapels of her canvas coat. Vega found herself abruptly pinned against the wall, Danse's mouth hungrily seeking her own. "You mean that?" He panted.

The brush of the stubble on his face reminded her of their first kiss in the Cambridge station and drove home the differences between he and Nate for the hundredth time. Nate was always clean-shaven, favored pecks on the cheek and lived saturated with cologne. But Danse was grizzled, earnest, reeking of the outdoors and power armor grease. Nate had been eloquent, while Danse was taciturn or tripped over his words. Nate was cold and calculating, and Danse…

Danse was fiery and raw, more vulnerable now than she could ever recall him being before. His knee nudged against her thigh and without conscious input, Elizabeth parted her legs for it and threw her arms around his neck to try to urge him even closer. "Yes, Danse," she gasped. "Oh, Jesus, yes, fuck-ing shit--"

She ground herself down against his leg, relieved that everything seemed to be functioning normally and somewhat impressed by her body's ability to mount such a rapid response after a two hundred-plus year dry spell!

"Language," Danse rumbled in reply, his hands tugging her heavy coat off of her shoulders. "Too fast?"

"No, hell no!" Backhand protested, "not fast enough."

"Shh," Danse rested his hands on her hips, shoving up her shirt slightly so he could touch bare skin. "I have you, Vega." Vega pushed herself excitedly into his grip, grinding on his thigh and arching her back. The way his breath hitched sent shockwaves to her core; the way he watched her...

"Danse we should...we should-" Vega's voice wavered as Danse laved her throat with tender kisses. "-should--bedroom, bed."

"Yes." The paladin growled, making no move to actually follow the direction. That is, until he hoisted her up to rest on his hips.

Backhand yelped, her thighs gripping his sides tightly. "H-Hey!"

Danse pressed his forehead to her own, brown eyes attempting to read her soul. "Elizabeth…" he sighed, his expression gone hopelessly soft. "I should warn you, if we...if you do this, I...listen, I can be a little--a little wordy, sometimes. If I am speaking too much-"

"Hey, no, you talk as much as you'd like, okay? Doesn't bug me at all." Vega assured him, slightly curious about what this might mean. Wordy?

"Elizabeth, you are everything that I never knew I was looking for." Danse murmured. "When I lost Cutler, I didn't think I deserved to be happy again. I assumed that my failure would continue to darken any future triumph, and when the majority of Gladius was...I feared that I was unfit for my rank. How could anyone have faith in my skills after such a catastrophic loss of life?"

"It's hard being the one making the choices. You have to be able to bear the burden of responsibility and also the burden of guilt." Vega reasoned, sympathizing with his plight.

"You had faith in me, though. You didn't even know me, but you didn't judge me for my inadequacy and you allowed me some damn peace. I'm just sorry you had to go through that abuse at Maxson's whim for my sake." Danse cupped her hand in his own, pressing kisses to her scarred knuckles. "You've already done so much for me, Vega. Let me undo you?" He offered seriously, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Well, I uh, I-I can't say I've ever been propositioned quite like that!" Backhand stuttered, certain that her flush covered her entire body at this point.

His laughter, heard so rarely, washed over her like a tidal wave. "Forgive me."

"Only if you keep asking me to have sex like that." Vega shifted her hand in his grip, intertwining their fingers. "C'mon, bedroom."

"It's not just that." Danse tried to protest, shaking his head. "I care about you. About your wellbeing. I want to make you happy."

"You do. So happy. I'm so glad that you're here with me still." Vega turned in the doorway of her room when he set her down, seizing Danse by the collar of his worn t-shirt and tugging him into her arms. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Danse."

"You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."

"It's the truth, though!" She insisted.

Danse surged forward, his kisses still rough and demanding as he fought to claim her affection. But she gave it freely, all he could ever want and more.

He stripped her of her shirt and dragged his own off over his head, chuckling at the way she greedily drank in the bare skin he presented. "See something you like, General?"

He was hairier than she was used to, but Backhand decided it suited him. Nate, after all, had been absolutely adamant that body hair was grotesque, and now look at him. He'd likely never have to worry about that again.

Thinking of Nate yet again put a frown on her face and Danse paused, giving her a quizzical look. "Is something amiss?"

"Oh! No, I'm sorry. I was just remembering. Nate was all…" Elizabeth gestured vaguely at Danse's chest. "He shaved everything. I'm not used to all...well, seeing so much."

"Is it off-putting? I assure you it's within the Brotherhood's hygiene guidelines, but if you don't like it I-"

"No, I love it. It's new. I've seen your arms, after all, I knew what I was getting into." Vega teased, grinning to ease his worry. "If you can accept all my stretch marks and leftovers, I can definitely handle your chest pelt."

"I'm planning on doing far more than accepting." Danse cradled her breasts in his palms, the paladin lowering his head to draw his tongue over one of her nipples. "I don't care." He soothed when Elizabeth tried to stammer out something else in regard to her stretch marks. "I don't care. It doesn't make you any less desirable to me, Elizabeth."

Vega squeezed her eyes shut, kissing his forehead as he continued to cautiously rouse her peaks until they were stiff and aching for more. Then his thumbs took over, stroking in slow, firm circles that made her quiver from head to toe. "You...you're really good at that." Elizabeth said faintly.

"I'm pleased you think so." Danse grunted when her fingers found his belt buckle. "It has been a significant amount of time for me as well, I...my excitement may be a bit obvious." He admitted, his smile sheepish.

Vega's breath caught in her throat, her hands trembling as she struggled to draw down the worn zipper of his jeans. The underside of his cock throbbed against her palm when she dared to slip her hand into his briefs, his skin searing and smooth.

Danse huffed out a breath, crumpling a little at her tentative touch. "Elizabeth," he groaned, hiding his face in her neck as he rolled his hips eagerly into her hand.

"Keep saying my name like that." She ordered, laughing when the paladin nodded rapidly into her shoulder. "I love you, Danse."

...

Danse rumbled again, words failing him while Elizabeth's fingers wrapped around his cock. This seemed like a dream, another one of his fantasies brought into being. He couldn't seem to do anything aside from stare down at her hand.

"Hey, Danse?"

He jerked to attention, eyes flying up to meet her own guiltily. "Y-Yes, Vega?" He stuttered.

"Do you...uh, y'know." Backhand fumbled to undo the button on her jeans. "You can, if you'd like." She finished awkwardly.

No sooner had she given him permission than Danse was pulling her hand out of his pants, urging her backwards onto her bed even as he kissed her battered knuckles again. "Yes." He grated out, kneeling to untie her boots so he could get her pants off. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes."

"A for enthusiasm, big guy." Elizabeth teased, lazily fingercombing his short hair back. Her veneer of composure was shattered when the paladin eased her underwear down her legs, the young woman covering her face as if she was embarrassed. "Listen, just uh, go easy on me. It's been over two hundred years, after all." She reasoned weakly.

Danse swallowed hard. Cutler had always praised his dirty talk, the calculated way he could take apart a person with his words and touch alone. Maxson hadn't appreciated his speech, granted, but perhaps…

"You're saying you don't want me to bury my fingers in you, Elizabeth? You don't want me to open you up, work my way into that beautiful, flushed little cunt of yours?" Danse rasped, two fingers tracing lightly on her pubic mound. Her cesarean scar was faintly visible, and he felt a brief flare of concern before recalling that was indeed where the scar was from.

"Oh, Jesus. Okay." Vega gasped, blue eyes wide in what Danse could only assume was shock. "Keep that up and you won't have to worry about using anything else. Fuck, Danse, have some pity here." She pleaded, burying her hands in her hair.

"Language. Do you deserve my pity? How would you earn it?" The paladin queried, the heel of his hand applying steady pressure to her mound now.

"I can be good, Paladin! I can be really good. So good." Her breathless use of his title had Danse's cock pounding, though he tried not to make it obvious. "Please Danse, please touch me…"

Danse climbed up onto the bed alongside her, gently parting her labia with his fingers. "You'll be good for me, Elizabeth?" He asked, propping himself up with an elbow.

"Yes, please."

She had wonderful manners. Danse grazed her clit and her breath stuttered, the paladin spreading the liberal lubrication that she had already created with deft, slow strokes of his index. "Please, what?"

"P-Please...Danse."

He cautiously eased one finger into her, exhaling raggedly when her hand sought out his cock. "Vega-"

"Shh, let me." Elizabeth hushed him, her smile a little dreamy as Danse crooked his finger and rubbed in just the right spot. "Oh, f-uck, Paladin, you--"

"Language, Vega. Can't have you being a bad example while I'm knuckle deep in your cunt." Danse admonished, groaning when she whimpered. "You're so tight, this could take ages. We'll need to come up with some stretches to cope with this." He teased gruffly, sliding in another finger and spreading her open. "Mm, Elizabeth, you need to relax. Relax." He murmured, latching onto her breast.

He felt her pussy clench down around his fingers and he took a greedy suckle from her breast, making Vega cry out his name, "Danse!" She twitched and writhed under his deft attack, her thighs quivering even as she tried to spread them wider for him. Her hand fell still on his cock, not that Danse minded. It had always been more about his partner, he couldn't care less if nothing was done for him. Watching someone else fall apart because of him...now that was its own reward.

"What do I need to do to get you there, hmm?" Danse taunted playfully, tonguing sloppily over the peak of her breast. "What will it take, Elizabeth?"

She arched her back in response, pressing her breast firmly against his mouth, and Danse gently nibbled on the sensitive area she had offered up. Elizabeth sobbed out, shoving one hand down to her cunt to spread herself even wider for his plundering fingers. "More, Danse! Please please please-" she begged, her moan when he pressed a third finger into her absolutely enough to have Danse hurrying to talk himself down. "Yes, Danse." She was practically growling, her arousal something primal and untamed.

If Danse had his way, it would stay like that forever.

"What is it that you want, Vega?" His inquiry was almost lazy, three fingers stroking in and out with much less resistance now. "Hmm, I wonder if you're wet enough to take me."

"You can't just-" Vega made a noise of dismay. "That's not fair, Danse, that's not fair, you know it's not. Please, please fuck me."

Jesus. Danse almost choked on his own breath, letting his fingers slip out of her cunt. "How do you want me?" His voice broke noticeably. It felt like a lifetime since he had been desired, wanted in such a blatant and strangely pure fashion. She loved him. She wanted him inside her. Wanted him to make love to her. Wanted him.

The speed at which she flung herself up a little higher on the bed made Danse want to laugh, but then she was arching her back and looking over her shoulder at him and he suddenly forgot how to breathe for a moment. "This okay?" She panted, brown hair all tumbled around her face as she took off her glasses and pitched them in the general direction of her bedside table.

Danse nodded hurriedly, kicking his pants off. "If you need me to stop, just grab my hand." He instructed.

"This isn't exactly my first time getting fucked, Danse-"

"Language," the paladin reprimanded her with a chuckle, greedily fondling her rear as he mounted up behind her. "You have such a beautiful form, Vega." He murmured, leaning over to press a kiss between her shoulder blades. "An absolute vision."

"I do have nice tits."

Danse rolled his eyes, slipping his hands down to grope said breasts. She gasped out, rocking back against him as he agreed, "yes you do, that can't be denied. Soft, the perfect size, they fit in my hands so well, and so sensitive." He found himself laughing when she whimpered again. "Don't offer up all your weak spots unless you want them taken advantage of, Vega."

"The only thing I want to take advantage of right now is the raging hard-on I can feel." Elizabeth wriggled and Danse grunted, shuddering. "Pl-ease Danse, please put it in me."

The paladin slipped his cock between her labia, the hot, slick flesh pressing against him mercilessly as he teased her. He suddenly felt her fingers on his cock and then-

"Fuck." The paladin grated out the uncharacteristic curse through his teeth, his fists meeting the bedding on either side of her body as he fought the urge to thrust himself home in one breath.

Elizabeth half-collapsed while he slowly, slowly rutted into her, the woman panting and clawing at the blankets. "Mmmgod, Danse-" she slurred, sighing loudly. "So good, fuck, Danse…"

Danse toyed with her nipples, stupidly snarling "language," as she keened in reply. "I'll take care of you, Elizabeth. Be good for me." He pressed a kiss to her temple, smirking at the way her body quaked when he finally bottomed out in her. "That's it, look at you, taking all of me so well," he praised. "Now, how can I make you come?"

"Fu--Please use your big cock to get me off, oh please Danse!" She begged and Danse fondled her breasts yet again.

"You don't want me to touch you here, just like this?" He asked, stroking over her nipples and lingering to tease the area. "They're so hard, though, begging for my attention."

Backhand made a noise of despair, burying her face in her pillow.

"I think you need me to play with them, don't you? You like when I touch them like this." Danse muttered, thinking out loud and coming to that realization even as the words left his mouth. "What is it about it that you like?"

"S-Sensitive." Vega whimpered, "feels good."

Danse rumbled again, bending over to press his chest to her back so he could whisper in her ear, "does it feel good when I'm inside you, Elizabeth? Can you feel how hard I am for you? Feel how badly I need you?"

Elizabeth gifted him this pitiful sound, canting her hips and clenching down around his cock so tightly it took Danse's breath away. "Yes, I love it. I need you too, Danse." She murmured, shifting back and forth ever so slightly.

"Good. I'm glad." Danse took hold of her hips, seating his cock as deeply as he could in her cunt. Elizabeth whined, burying her face in her pillow again as he slowly began to make love to her.

Paladin Logan Danse, pride of the Brotherhood of Steel, had never been a man who took sex lightly. It was too important. Even after everything that had happened with Maxson, Danse still held to that belief. The display of vulnerability, the offer of power in exchange for pleasurable release, the brief moments of tenderness in an existence that was soul-crushingly difficult…

It was serious. It always was.

Vega's arms gave out and she slumped onto the bed, but Danse followed her down. Covering her with his body, the paladin thrust into her again and again, her soft whimpers and cries of his name music to his ears. "What do you need, sweetheart?" He asked raggedly when she began to squirm and arch back against him. "What can I give you, Elizabeth?"

"Fuck me, Danse!" She pleaded, turning her head to the side so she could see him.

"Language," Danse smiled, kissing her temple again. "But understood, ma'am."

…

For the first time since she'd awoken to an irradiated hellscape, Vega was wholly content to just lay down and be taken care of.

Danse was huge, proportionate to his already overgrown size, and he made the most incredible sounds when she inadvertently squeezed down on him. Groans burring in his chest like some untamed animal; he seemed content to just slowly fuck her into oblivion. Which was honestly more than she thought she would ever get.

Her fantasies, much as she'd believed they were wrong or silly at the time, didn't hold a candle to the reality of having Danse on top of her. She had gotten off more than once to this exact idea, being dominated and pinned by the massive paladin. This was a dream come true.

Elizabeth whined when he bottomed out in her again and just rutted himself back and forth slightly, making her feel every inch of his cock. The underside of his dick throbbed against the spot that made her see stars and then, the bastard, he slid his cock out of her cunt to press the head to her clit for a second. "Turn over for me?" He requested, punctuated by a gentle smack to her ass.

Vega rushed to obey, eager to have him back inside her as quickly as possible. The woman spread her legs wide so Danse could settle in between them and when the paladin did, he shifted upwards to kiss her tenderly.

"I've wanted this for so long." He admitted quietly.

"So have I!" Elizabeth replied in delight, her grin beaming. She was sure she looked like a mess, her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat and her face all flushed. But the way Danse was smiling at her…

She found she didn't really care about her appearance at this point in time.

"I love you." Danse murmured as he slid back inside her.

"I l-love you, Danse." Vega stuttered, the natural curvature of his cock applying steady pressure to her g-spot. "Make me feel so good, fuck."

"Language." He growled, making her laugh and then moan.

"Feels too good, brain can't cope." She gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck and tugging him closer until all he could do was grind down into her in a merciless manner. The motion flung her towards her peak, disconnecting her mouth even further from her brain and making her ramble into his ear, "God, I love you so much, make me feel so good--"

"I love you too, Elizabeth." He panted into the hollow of her throat, "you feel incredible. Outstanding."

Elizabeth wasn't sure how she could feel both so aroused she thought she might die and so annoyed that she wanted to explode. "Danse, did you just call my pussy outstanding?"

"It's not an incorrect statement, from my perspective. It's perfect. Wet and tight and hot." The paladin praised her freely, a hand lowering to apply gentle pressure over the scar on her lower stomach. "Beautiful."

I am not going to cry, Vega told herself sternly as she hid her face in Danse's neck. Definitely not going to cry, not going to.

A sob somehow escaped her as she came and Danse froze, his whole body flinching when her cunt clenched down on his dick. "V...Vega?" He asked tentatively.

"I'm fine! I'm fine, I promise, m'not hurt or anything. My brain is just dumb." Elizabeth hiccupped, rubbing her eyes. "I'm okay, Danse, I'm fine."

The paladin seemed uncertain and she couldn't blame him, she didn't seem fine even if she felt a thousand times better than she had in literal months.

"I swear I'm okay, that was just...it was really intense, y'know?" She mumbled awkwardly, unable to make eye contact anymore.

She felt Danse shift his weight and then he settled down on top of her, holding her close and tight. "You're sure?" He murmured, "if you're overwhelmed, that's entirely acceptable. I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No, shit no, you feel incredible. I'm not going to be able to walk after this." Vega huffed, giggling a little when he rolled his eyes. "Keep going, okay? It feels fantastic."

"If you're certain." Danse acquiesced, kissing a hot trail down her neck when she nodded. "Let me know if you need me to stop."

Watching his forearms cord with muscle as he propped himself back up again, Vega's mouth went dry. "I have to say, this might be the best night of my life."

Danse pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead, the tenderness of the action a wonderful contrast to the needy way he sheathed his cock in her body once more. "I've thought about this." He confessed again, punctuated by a roll of his hips. "What you'd sound like, look like beneath me. You put my imagination to shame."

"What did I do in your dreams?" Backhand asked, unable to keep from breathlessly laughing when Danse hid his face in her neck. "So shy, Paladin! Even with that huge cock in me?"

"It's lewd, Elizabeth, I-I'm not proud of it." He mumbled. "Shouldn't have thought of you that way." He spread her legs wider, one hand on the back of each knee to urge her to bend.

"Mm, you thought about fucking me? Nice to know I'm not the only one with dirty thoughts."

"I did not." He protested staunchly. His cock slid back and forth between her pussy lips in a purposeful teasing motion. "I thought about how...I thought about how good it would feel to make love to you." He continued, his voice wavering slightly as his dick brushed her entrance and he plunged deep yet again. "Thought about how good I could make you feel."

Now it was Vega's turn to be shy, the woman looking away from him and flushing.

"It was still inappropriate at the...time, but I assure you it was never about that. I am not-" Danse struggled for a moment to find the words, before he sighed and rested his forehead against her own. "This already isn't simple, and I know I make it miles less so. Forgive me."

"I feel like it's pretty simple." Vega gasped, twitching as his fingers landed on her clit. "I f--fuck, Danse--I feel like it's real simple. You like me. Love me, yeah?"

"It's more than that, dammit." Danse growled, rubbing her clit in merciless circles. "What you did for me...how can I ever be worth your affection? Hell, your time?"

Elizabeth threw her head back, arching her entire body up into his chest. "Whatever good I give to you," she moaned, almost exasperated that they were even having this discussion, "you deserve it. Take it."

Danse's hands latched down on her hips, thumbs stroking back and forth over her pronounced stretch marks as he fucked into her so fiercely that Vega swore she saw stars. His pelvis ground against her own, body hair providing a delicious new sensation that had Vega grasping at the blankets in an effort to keep herself grounded. "I'm going to come, Elizabeth." Danse panted. "Where do you-"

"Inside." Backhand implored him, "come inside me, Paladin, please come inside me-" Her voice broke as she begged and Danse groaned loud, the sound incredulous.

"You...inside? Are you sure?" He asked through gritted teeth, dark brown eyes conveying his uncertainty. In reply, Vega dug the heels of her feet in beneath his rear, effectively locking him in place.

She caught a handful of his hair, gently tugging it until he leaned down again so she could seethe in his ear, "yes."

"Oh, dammit." With that wonderfully characteristic swear, Danse shoved his mouth against hers gracelessly. The heat in her belly spilled over from the onslaught of his enthusiastic thrusts and Backhand cried out, fingernails digging into his back when she came a second time.

Danse, either spurred on by her sounds or by the way her pussy gripped his dick (maybe a combination? Backhand mused) found his release seconds after, his voice breaking and dropping into a lower tone as he moaned her name. Her real name.

Elizabeth.

Vega cupped the nape of his neck, guiding his face into the hollow of her shoulder. "Lay down, sweetheart, you're shaking." She murmured, stroking over his quivering back.

"Don't want to flatten you." Danse rasped, his dick still throbbing inside her.

"Lay down. It's okay." Elizabeth flexed her bicep. "I'm strong, I can handle it." Danse laughed wearily, almost immediately going limp on top of her. She wrapped her arms back around him, fingers digging into the knots that she found to ease out the tension. "There, isn't that better?"

"Mmmmuch." Danse slurred into her neck, sounding exhausted. "Love you."

"I love you. Sleep, okay? We'll get cleaned up later. Right now though you seem like you could use a nap."

Danse nodded, the tangled mess of his hair mashed flat against her cheek in the process. "Want...to be a good parent." He mumbled several minutes later, just as Vega had thought he was dozing off. Danse propped himself up with one arm, cradling Vega's cheek in his palm. His thumb absently traced the cryo burn marks from the stasis as he continued, "a true partner for you. I don't know if you...if you even want me in that capacity, I--I don't know whether you would prefer that Shaun thinks of me as simply your friend, but I-"

"Danse," Elizabeth interrupted him sternly, raising an eyebrow. "Someone who's simply a friend wouldn't be balls deep in me."

Danse sputtered, his blush spreading down his neck to his chest. Despite his proclivity for dirty talk in the moment, he was endearingly embarrassed by her blunt words. Vega felt her heart pound as he floundered to collect himself, the large man looking away.

He's really nothing at all like Nate.

"Danse." Her voice was gentler this time, unmistakable affection bleeding through. "I would have to ask Shaun, of course, and I'd like to have an adjustment period before I do so that he can get comfortable with the idea on his own, but…" The young woman swallowed hard. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? Oh sure, she could handle the vulnerability of being naked and fucked with absolute abandon but this? This was where her brain drew the line? Unbelievable, Backhand grumbled at herself. "I think the odds are in your favor." She concluded with a grin.

"You...even though I'm not-?"

"He's probably the last person to care about that kinda' stuff, Danse. C'mon." Vega chided, running her fingers through his sweaty hair. "Now. We are...absolutely disgusting. We need a bath big time."

"I...you're right, of course." Danse agreed absently, still seeming shocked at the whole scenario. "I should...w-we should bathe. Er, at the same time. To save water." He didn't meet her eyes, his attention focused somewhere by her left shoulder.

Elizabeth laughed, bumping their foreheads together before carefully scooting up the bed. His cock slipped out of her and she couldn't help her sigh, the noise echoed by the paladin who tilted his chin to catch her with a kiss.

"You are amazing." He breathed when they parted, his smile small but sincere. "I'm...I'll be hard-pressed to keep my hands off you, Elizabeth."

"Why bother?" Vega asked, chuckling as he ducked back in for another kiss.

...

Hours later, Danse laid awake while Elizabeth slept peacefully on his chest. The paladin stared up at the ceiling, his mind running rampant.

The future.

He hadn't really dared to think about it since discovering his true identity. Hadn't felt like it was something he deserved. After all, if he was just a machine, it hardly mattered. But Elizabeth…

She thought it mattered. She wanted him. Wanted him to stay with her. Wanted him to act as a father. Pending Shaun's approval, of course.

It was surreal how much his life had changed, how far they had come in such a short amount of time. Danse was a little overwhelmed by it all, if he was being honest. Scared, yet hopeful at the same time. And, he thought as he wrapped his arm around Elizabeth, incredibly, immensely grateful.

This new world was unforgiving, the universe coldly testing the mettle of a man time and again. But Danse had finally come out the other side, and he liked to think he had changed for the better.

Whatever the future held, they would face it together.

Ad Victoriam, General Vega. Thank you for having faith in me.

#fallout 4 #fallout four #paladin danse #paladin danse x sole survivor #paladin danse/sole survivor #paladin danse imagine #fallout fandom #fallout fanfic #slow burn #Eventual romance #The Happy Ending #that's right #paladin danse x f!sole #fo4 companions imagine #fo4 companions #epilogue #the gang's all here

83 notes · View notes

gold-and-rubies · 4 years

Note

Companions and Sturges, Proctor Ingram and the Minuteman Radio Freedom guy (we call him Saxon in this house) react to Sole giving them a gift on a special day, please!

I decided to go with a mix of anniversaries and birthdays. It’s a bit long, so I’m doing this in two parts, and everything is under the read more thing. It’s in alphabetical order from Cait to Dogmeat. Don’t worry, MacCready will be in the next one.

Part two can be found here

Cait: Cait sat on the couch of her and Sole’s shared home, unwrapping her hand wraps. Sole had insisted that she use them when she fought or practiced. Cait had scoffed at that. Bruised knuckles were the least of her worries, but she complied. After all it was to protect her, and Sole was the one who asked.

She hummed quietly as she inspected her hands. She looked up as someone opened the door, ready to fight. She calmed when Sole walked through. No one but them ever just walked in, but she was still getting used to that.

“Hey, I got something for you,” they greeted, holding up a somewhat long box.

She raised an eyebrow at them. Sole getting her stuff wasn’t out of the ordinary, but there was never an air of mystery to it.

Sole stepped over to the couch and sat beside her. They set the box on the coffee table in front of them.

“Open it,” they smiled, “but be careful. It’s sharp.”

Cait sat forward and took the lid off of the box. Inside was an aluminum bat with metal spikes welded to it. It looked like it was brand new. She picked it up by it’s leather wrapped handle. It was heavy in her hands, but not too much. It felt like it was the perfect weight to do some real destruction.

“Happy birthday, Cait. I hope you like it. Took me a while to find what I need, and to make it. I was worried it wouldn’t be done in time,” they explained.

Birthdays. She never understood why someone would want to celebrate them. Just another year they survived in the wasteland, but this...

She set it back in the box, close to tears. She fought them back. They were happy tears, but tears nonetheless. In her mind she had spent enough time crying. So instead she enveloped Sole in a bone crushing hug.

“Thanks, love. I’m sure it’ll be put to good use. Raiders will regret lettin’ me live this long.”

Codsworth: Codsworth floated around the kitchen in the old home in Sanctuary. Although the definition of clean changed, his job had gotten a bit easier now that Sole was living in it again. He actually had things to clean up now.

Sole poked their head through the glassless window. They had installed shutters to keep out critters and the elements, but it was a nice day so they were open.

“Hey, Codsworth. You know how you were complaining about some of your joints needing work, and your thruster needing an upgrade,” they said.

“Yes?”

“Well I found the parts, so If you want, I can do those repairs now.”

He paused, unsure how to respond, “Now? But I am in the middle of cleaning the dishes.”

“Yes, now, that is if you want. The dishes can wait. Especially today.”

“Today?”

“You don’t remember? Today is the day I brought you here,” they explained.

Codsworth swore if he was a human or synth he would have blushed.

“That is very kind of you. If you don’t mind, I will finish the dishes, then we can get started on the repairs”

Curie: Curie stood in her makeshift lab trying to get some work done, but her mind was elsewhere. Sole had been gone for about a month with Mister Valentine. While she trusted him to keep them safe, she still missed them dearly.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” she said.

Maybe it was someone who needed help. Maybe she just needed to try to focus on a different task.

She did not look up right away. She tried to make a final observation on the stingwing venom she was working with.

“What? Giving me the cold shoulder?” a familiar voice asked.

She looked up to see Sole Standing in the door frame smiling at her. She gently set down the vial of venom, then rushed over to greet Sole with a hug.

“I’m sorry, my love. I did not know it was you.”

“It’s alright. Looks like you were in the middle of something. I got you something, by the way.”

“What? A gift for me? Oh, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I felt like I needed to. I was gone for a while, and today is a very special day.”

“Special day?” she repeated.

They reached around to one of their back pants pockets and produced a small box that made a rattling noise as it moved.

“Happy anniversary, Curie. They’re aster seeds from Far Harbor. I know it isn’t much, but I thought you’d like to study them, and some living flowers.

“Oh my love, they’re wonderful,” she gasped, “I’m sure they will look beautiful as well.”

She smiled fondly at the box. Observations, discoveries, and experiments were waiting to be made.

Danse: Danse sat at the weaponry workbench at the Red Rocket just outside of Sanctuary. It had been a little over a year since his departure from the Brotherhood. Most of the people there had come to accept him now, but he still preferred to be alone most of the time. Well, alone with Sole.

But Sole was not there at the moment, instead it was just him and the project he was working on. Sole had talked him into joining the Minutemen, and he had some time off so he decided to make some adjustments to his personal laser musket.

He was so focused on his work that he did not hear Sole approach. He jumped slightly when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see them smiling at him.

“Hey,” they said, cocking their head to the side. A soft smile was on their face.

“Hey,” he said back. His voice cracked slightly. He was still adjusting the casual affection.

“How’s the project going?” they asked.

“Good. Luckily, I think we already have the parts to make a stronger beam. How’d the trip to Diamond City go?”

“It went well. I got you something.”

He raised an eyebrow at them. They produced a small box, and handed it to him. He opened it and his eyes widened. Inside were old school dog tags. They looked brand new. His eyes started to tear up as he picked them up. He looked up at them.

“I know your old holo tags meant alot to you. There’s a jewelry maker in Diamond City now, so I got him to make these for you. I hope you like them. Happy anniversary.”

He put them back in the box and set it down on the workbench, before standing up and pulling them into a hug. He kissed the top of their head.

“They’re great. Thank you so much.”

Deacon: Deacon was sitting in their current hideout that doubled as a sniper's nest. He was up against the farthest wall from the vantage point, so the glowing end of his cigarette.

He heard someone starting to approach the door to his right. As he reached for his rifle he heard the knocking pattern that he and Sole had agreed upon as to not startle each other.

Sure enough, they stepped through the door, but they were carrying a box they had not left with. It was somewhat flat and medium sized. It didn’t seem to be heavy. He wondered what was inside.

“A present? For me? Aw you shouldn’t have,” he joked.

“Actually, it is a present. For you,” the responded, mimicking his tone. Despite that they were completely serious.

“Wait, what?” he blinked. It was hard to surprise him, and this certainly did the trick.

“Here,” they handed it to him, “open it”

He took it, suspicious of what they were up to. While he didn’t think it would hurt him, neither were strangers to playing pranks… on each other.

When he opened it, it took him a bit to realize what he was looking at. For a terrifying moment he thought it was some sort of dead animal, but when he picked it up he realized it was actually a rather high quality wig. It was dark brown styled into a simple hair style.

“What…?”

“Figured you could use a new one. One that doesn’t stand out as much.”

“Uh thank you, but why do I think there’s more to this,” he narrowed his eyes at them.

“I don’t know when your birthday is, so I figured I’d use the anniversary of us meeting to celebrate you surviving another year,” they shrugged.

“You know, today is actually my birthday,” he said. He kept his mask up, but he was incredibly touched. No one had gone out of their way for him like this in a long, long time.

“I don’t buy that for a second.”

“I taught you well,” he laughed.

Dogmeat (From Soles perspective): Sole picked up the leftover brahmin meat, and put it in a bowl. It was the good stuff. Stuff that cost a lot that they hardly ever got to have. They placed the bowl in front of a very excited Dogmeat. They had never seen such a happy dog.

“Happy birthday, buddy.”

“Is it really his birthday?” MacCready asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I have no idea. Today’s just the day I found him. Rather celebrate that than think about the War.”

“Right, well I think celebrating his birthday is a great alternative,” he laughed.

#fallout #fallout 4 #fo4 #fallout 4 companions #companions react #fo4 companions #cait fallout 4 #cait fo4 #codsworth #curie fo4 #curie fallout 4 #paladin danse #deacon fo4 #deacon fallout 4 #dogmeat

43 notes · View notes

marvilus-magpie · 4 years

Text

OC Interview

Tagged a couple of eons ago by @slothssassin and @ronqueesha (sorry it’s taken so long!) thank you :D

name ➔ Charlotte Elizabeth “Charlie” McKay

are you single ➔ No. *fidgets a bit with the ring on her finger* I’m not.

are you happy ➔ I...yes. Happier than I have any right to be probably.

are you angry ➔ Angry? Yeah, sometimes. There’s a lot out here to be angry about. Trying to learn to manage that anger and turn it into motivation to try to fix things though.

are your parents still married ➔ My parents are dead. have been for a couple of centuries. They were still married though...if you could call what they had a marriage.

NINE FACTS

birthplace ➔ What used to be know as Washington DC. I believe it’s called the Capital Wasteland now.

hair color ➔ Dark brown. It lightens to more of a caramel color in the summer though.

eye color ➔ Grey, blah.

birthday ➔ August 20, 2048

mood ➔ Right now? Happy, content...and cautiously optimistic.

gender ➔ Female

summer or winter ➔ Summer. I...I don’t like the cold.

morning or afternoon ➔ Hmmm, I’m not really a morning person, but lately I find myself rather liking them. There’s just something about waking up in the arms of someone you love that makes them bearable ;)

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

are you in love ➔ Very much so. It wasn’t something I was looking for, thought I’d ever find, or even wanted, but I’m very grateful that I did.

do you believe in love at first sight ➔ Love? No. I think love has to grow. I believe in infatuation at first sight though, it’s not always a good thing.

who ended your last relationship ➔ A fucking asshole with a gun working for a bunch of other morally corrupt assholes.

have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ Yeah. I never wanted to, but I know I did.

are you afraid of commitments ➔ No. I don’t commit to things lightly, not usually, but once I’ve made up my mind I have no problem committing to things whole heartedly.

have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ Oh yeah, lots!

have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ I don’t know? If I did, would it still be a secret?

have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ *stops for a minute to think and then says very quietly* Yes. I had to.

SIX CHOICES

love or lust ➔ Love. It’s so much more rare and precious.

lemonade or iced tea ➔ I’ve experienced a few decent iced tea replacements, but I what I wouldn’t give for a REAL fresh squeezed lemonade. Great, now I’m going to crave that for the next week, thanks a lot.

cats or dogs ➔ Ha! Like I’m going to choose between them. Next question.

a few best friends or many regular friends ➔ A few best friends I guess. Having people in your life that you can trust with anything is priceless.

wild night out or romantic night in ➔ Oh, romantic night in for sure. Once upon a time I would have been all about the former, my mind has been irrevocably changed now though.

day or night ➔ I love the daytime, but it’s usually full of work to be done. Give me the night where my time is my own. *gives you a wicked grin*

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

been caught sneaking out ➔ Yup.

fallen down/up the stairs ➔ Yeah, but c’mon, who hasn’t tripped a time or two?

wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ Yes, absolutely.

wanted to disappear ➔ I have. *pauses and takes a deep breath* Learning to go on when everything you’ve ever known is gone...it’s hard.

FOUR PREFERENCES

smile or eyes ➔ Eyes. Dark, expressive eyes.

shorter or taller ➔ Taller, but I think that I’m biased to my current circumstance.

intelligence or attraction ➔ Intelligence, but mostly because I am, in fact, attracted to intelligence.

hook-up or relationship ➔ Relationship.

FAMILY

do you and your family get along ➔ My family isn’t in the picture, but when they were still around, no, we did not get along.

would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ *let’s out a short sharp sounding laugh* Yeah, you could say that.

have you ever ran away from home ➔ No. But if I was half the person I am today, I would have.

have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ No, but again I kind of wish I had the guts back then to do something bold enough to get me kicked out

FRIENDS

do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ What? No. Why...why would I hate my friends? If I don’t don’t like you, you know it and I don’t call you a “friend”.

do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ Yeah, I’d say so. I’m extremely lucky to have the friends I do. They literally saved my life.

who is your best friend ➔ I mean...it’s Danse. He was my friend long before he was anything else. But I also consider Preston, Piper and even MacCready best friends. They’re all different, but all super important to me in their own way.

who knows everything about you ➔ Again, probably Danse. I don’t like to keep anything from him...not now anyway. Piper probably knows way more about me than she should too, lol!

Tagging: (again I’m sure I’m tagging people who’ve already been tagged, so feel free to do another OC or just ignore lol!) @purple-martin111, @from-the-stone, @sharonaw, @prezs, @mars-colony, @tarberrymentats, @saltsealed, @mayihavethisdanse, @scorpio-skies, @mrninjapineapple, @hydroflorix, @boarix, @radbeetle, @andremarshallwhite and anyone else who wants to do this!

#Fallout #Fallout 4 #sole survivor #Fallout OC #Charlie #Charlotte Elizabeth McKay #Minutemen #Paladin Danse #Danse #Preston Garvey #Piper Wright #MacCready #thanks for the tag guys I love these interview style ones!#sorry it took so long #I had to do art lol!

115 notes · View notes

gohnnyjuitar · 4 years

Text

20 OTP Questions

tagged by @sunset-cassaparilla ( i am in love with myra & danse’s dynamic btw wow) this took me so long bc my little brain was like Hm.. make pic for them........

i’ll tag uhh @benny-gecko-official, @saddeniq, @theartofblossoming if you haven’t already!! otherwise i mean if you see this just pretend i tagged you bc i’m bad at tagging hlhlfh

anyway, here’s Anthony and Deacon bc i’m Hopeless!! under the cut this time bc i talk a lot jfkgfj

1. Who can out-drink the other?

Deacon’s by no means a light weight, but Anthony’s got that patented Prewar Liver™ and some fancy Vault Tex nanites cleaning up his blood.That being said, they’ve never actually attempted to get drunk together; they’ve had a few beers together, sure, but they’re usually too busy or too antsy to get drunk.

2. Who says “i love you” more?

Deacon, and usually in private. They both know all too well that the Wasteland can take just about anything from you if you aren’t careful, but Deacon especially. After Barbara and working with the Railroad- the Switchboard- he wasn’t even expecting to get close to anyone like that again. Now, he won’t let himself take that for granted. They do pick up kind of a “code” when it comes to wanting to say it in public.

3. Who has trouble sleeping alone?

Anthony’s had issue with this since leaving the Vault. Not only was he used to sleeping next to someone, he was used to sleeping in a room with three other people.Travelling on his own is the only time it gets really bad. Nightmares come more often and, at its worst, insomnia. If he’s having a particularly bad day, he likes to tuck his head under Deacon’s chin and press his face into his shirt as if to reassure himself that there is another presence there.

4. Who swears more?

Deacon does. Anthony was usually in sight of a camera prewar so usually had to watch how he acted and what he said. He’s so used to it, that when he does swear, it catches him off guard a little. Always gets a good chuckle out of Deacon, too, who usually threatens with a swear jar.

5. Who does more of the housework?

Got me thinking of them settling down now oof.. I think it would end up being both of them pretty equally. Anthony did his own housework when he lived in his own apartment prewar and Deacon just doesn’t like Mess.

6. Who forgets their anniversary?

Deacon takes pride in being able to remember, well, a lot. Anthony insists he’s been around long enough that things tend to blur together. Deacon will tease Anthony about it on different days, but they don’t really take the whole ‘anniversary’ thing too seriously. What’s one day matter when the next could be your last in the Wasteland?

7. Who steals the duvet in their sleep?

Deacon, absolutely. Anthony’s always run pretty warm and doesn’t usually go for a blanket unless he’s sick or it’s actually cold out. When winter rolls around, it wouldn’t be uncommon to see Deacon wrapped up in whatever blanket he could find with Anthony all but draped over him.

8. Who keeps the other awake at night with their snoring?

Deacon will never admit it- and Anthony will never tell him- but he snores whenever he’s actually sound asleep. Anthony thinks it’s endearing, not to mention he lives for when Deacon gets some actual sleep. He’ll take watch all night if it means the poor man gets some rest.

9. Who finds stray animals and begs the other to let them keep them?

Anthony is, unfortunately, allergic to pet dander so Deacon knows better than to hold onto a stray dog or cat. That definitely didn’t stop him from presenting Anthony with a pristine Deathclaw egg and nearly killing him on the spot.

10. Who usually makes dinner?

They take turns! When they can remember whose turn it is, anyway. Sometimes it’s decided with some good ol’ fashion rock paper scissors. Neither of them are terrible cooks, but it’s always better than some of the prewar food left behind.

11. Who plays their music out loud?

Anthony carries around an Elvis holotape that he likes to play whenever he finds an intact holotape player. Otherwise, it’s not uncommon for him to end up humming a song that might’ve gotten stuck in his head when visiting say Diamond City. Deacon doesn’t mind. In fact, sometimes it helps lull him to sleep at night.

12. Who hogs the bathroom?

Listen, a man’s got to know just how well a disguise works. Deacon only hogs the mirror whenever he’s putting on a disguise and Anthony usually couldn’t care less. He likes to make sure his hair doesn't look absolutely disgusting, but he can usually get enough space to do that while Deacon’s changing. It has ended with an elbow to the ribs or stepping on feet in smaller bathrooms, but they end up with a good laugh if that’s the case.

13. Who gives the most compliments?

Oh, they’re obnoxious. They like to shoot increasingly dramatic or outrageous compliments at each other whenever they’re somewhere safe and around others. Especially at HQ. It grinds Carrington’s gears and they think it’s hilarious. The more sincere compliments are said only when it’s just the two of them. They’re said with soft smiles and gentle voices and they’re as sincere as could be do not attempt to fight me on this.

14. Who usually starts/causes arguments between them?

That definitely depends on the argument. They’re both generally pretty laid back dudes so not a lot gets them really heated like that. When they do argue it’s usually a brief, angry thing. They have to find separate corners of HQ or even go a couple days with radio silence before they come back together and apologize. It’s never words intended on hurting, it’s usually concerning the other’s well being.

15. Who isn’t afraid to embarrass the other in public?

Deacon is really good at that. He can do something completely asinine and still keep a straight face. His favorite thing is to say something incredibly specific and a reference to something only Anthony would understand in front of him and whoever he’s talking to. Anthony will embarrass unintentionally, usually by way of complimenting Deacon to someone else like Desdemona or Carrington while he’s in earshot.

16. Who gives the other cringe-worthy pet names?

File this under one of the things they do to get on Carrington’s nerves.’Stars’ and ‘Deeks’ are the go-to nicknames, but man can they get creative if they’re bored enough. Deacon leans towards the more outrageous, ‘that’s not even a real word’ names while Anthony will absolutely break out the prewar slang. If Carrington has to hear Deacon be called ‘one chrome-plated pussycat’ one more time, he’ll lose it.

17. Who fusses over the other when they get sick?

Anthony doesn’t get sick often at all, so when he does it’s usually pretty bad. The Vault Tec nanites in his blood can work to clean out his system, but that can mean Anthony’s body going comatose while they do their job. The first time that happened since coming back to the Commonwealth, he’d contracted Vault 81′s Molerat disease and given the cure to Austin. Deacon, who didn’t know much about his nanites at the time, was absolutely beside himself when Anthony suddenly just dropped.

18. Who finds it impossible to stay angry at the other for long?

They’re both, as mentioned, incredibly laid back about most things. Deacon can manage to stay ‘angry’ longer than Anthony, given the reason. Anthony’s attitude leans towards ‘I don’t know what’ll happen tomorrow, so let’s fix this before then’. Deacon has the potential to ‘stay angry’ longer simply because he can avoid and throw himself into work if he really wants to.

19. Who clings to the other for comfort when they’re sad or scared?

Anthony’s more likely to actively seek out comfort when he’s upset. He’ll end up in a funk for a day or two, realize he’s Upset, then go find Deacon and pull him away for a hug. Sometimes he can get away with just being near Deacon and listening to him just talk, other times he likes to be Held.

20. Who is more ‘physically passionate’? (hugs, kisses, or maybe more…)

Probablyyy Anthony, if only because Deacon’s more of a private guy so only displays affection when there aren’t any prying eyes. I like to think that eventually, in places they’re both comfortable, they’re more likely to be seen holding hands or lingering touches. In times of celebration, Anthony has the potential to get carried away and Scoop Deacon up into a big ol’ hug.

#fallout #20 otp questions #oc; anthony rosario #deacon #otp; thick as thieves #my doodles #it is Soft Hours fellas

19 notes · View notes

claimedbytheearth · 4 years

Text

tagged by @jackredfieldwasmyjacob ! thank you so much, I love song tags TT.TT I also liked the idea of commenting them so I’m doing it too hehe

playlist shuffle rules: hit shuffle on your media player and write down the first 20 songs, then tag 10 people, no skipping!

1. Together - Ryan O’Shaugnessy (Eurovision realness forever)

2. Estáis aquí - Sidonie (I haven’t heard much of Sidonie but a uni friend recommended this one to me and I liked it)

3. Rocket man (I think it’s going to be a long, long time) - Elton John (In this house we’re Rocketman stans first and people second)

4. Sadderdaze - The Neighbourhood (Not my fav Neighbourhood song but I do quite like them!)

5. Complicated - Scott Bradley’s Postmodern Jukebox, Annie Bosko (I love Postmodern Jukebox !!!!)

6. Honeybee (Piano version) - The Head and the Heart (This version of the song is the most heart-wrenching song ever, I love it so much TT.TT)

7. Perfect places - Lorde (Fun fact I don’t really like this song from the album but the First Aid Kit cover is A Masterpiece)

8. The Ballad of Fiedler and Mundt - Disparition (Not news that I’m a WTNV fan haha)

9. R U mine? - Arctic Monkeys (I have vibed with this song so much ajdfhsadfjk pining hours)

10. Doubt - Radical Face (I’m not saying the Therapy ep is better than going to therapy but it spells out so much of how I feel, please listen to Radical Face I’m begging you)

11. Mama do (Uh oh, uh oh) (Acoustic version) - Eli Rosex (I really liked Eli okay!! Her first single wasn’t good but I really hope she’ll do some gay 50s-like songs at some points)

12. Finesse - Scott Bradley’s Postmodern Jukebox, Will Jay, KORY (I love this cover!!! I have many favourites but this one is probably one of them)

13. Elsewhere - Young the Giant (Probably not one of my favourites from them but they only release bops! It’s insane!)

14. Nothing compares 2 u - Radical Face (not my fave from the Radical Face Covers album but, here it is!)

15. Alors on danse (90s remix) - Stromae (I’m a big Stromae fan, he’s finally getting another album out and I’m really excited !!!!)

16. Poet - Bastille (again, not one of my faves, but it really sets the Bastille mood haha)

17. Ain’t no sunshine (Cover) - Passenger (why aren’t my favourites coming up ajfaskd anyways I like this but if you want to hear a Passenger cover, Space Oddity is my favourite!)

18. Never enough - Loren Allred (hate this film, love this song)

19. Hit the road Jack - Ray Charles (reminds me of doing the “end of school year” festival we did at out school. We had a number where we danced to songs from different decades and I obvs chose the 50s-60s bc <3)

20. This is the last time - The National (this sounded during the tipping point of my mental state in quarantine)

(Yes, this is another tag I had started doing and never finished but here it is, again, I’m just avoiding responsibilities at this point)

I’m tagging my faves again heehee sorry <3 @agent-astronaut @looselysealednerd @tegenkracht @lessthanthreelalli

#tagged

6 notes · View notes

guiltyfandomtrashwonderland · 4 years

Link

Here’s this thing. Look Arthur shows up in the flesh in chapter 6 I stg we are EARNING that Slow Burn tag.

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4 Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Arthur Maxson/Female Sole Survivor, Codsworth & Female Sole Survivor, Paladin Danse & Female Sole Survivor, Paladin Brandis & Sole Survivor (Fallout), Captain Zao & Female Sole Survivor Characters: Arthur Maxson, Female Sole Survivor, Preston Garvey, Sturges (Fallout), Robert Joseph MacCready, John Hancock (Fallout), Codsworth (Fallout), Captain Zao (Fallout), Scribe Haylen (Fallout), Knight Rhys (Fallout), Deacon (Fallout), Paladin Brandis (Fallout), Proctor Quinlan (Fallout), Original Characters (Fallout) Additional Tags: Tags Contain Spoilers, Past Relationship(s), Past Female Sole Survivor/Captain Zao, The Slog, Ghoul Politics, One Night Stands, Brief Female Sole Survivor/Knight Rhys, Arthur Does Not Get Cheated On, Dysfunctional Relationships, ADHD Character, Character with depression, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Falling In Love, Background Relationships, Attempt at a Likeable Proctor Quinlan, Brandis is Wasteland Tequila Grandpa, Brotherhood of Steel (Fallout), Religious Discussion, Soulmates Can Be Gay, This Story is Too Damn Long, Emotional Slow Burn, Pining, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Female Soul Survivor is Shaun's Aunt, same age au, Younger Female Sole Survivor, Paladin Danse Needs a Drink, Author Horny for Comments, Science, Background Paladin Brandis/Proctor Teagan, Gay Wasteland Grandpas, Emmett the Cat (Fallout), Protagonist Goes by Multiple Names, Codsworth Presents False Pavlova as Real Pavlova, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Referenced Drug Overdose, Recreational Drug Use Summary:

Hadassah Sarkissian has not been having a great life. The last time she got a soulmate, the world ended. An immediate and direct correlation? Well, no, but it sure felt like it. And now that she has something of a second chance, it feels like the world wants to end all over again.

It wasn't enough that she woke up to find her family dead and her nephew stolen. It wasn't enough that all the good food is gone and there are squatters living in her sister's old neighborhood. Now she has to deal with a NEW soulmate on top of everything else.

#sole survivor #female sole survivor #fallout #fallout 4 #fo4 #arthur maxson #fanfiction #fallout fanfiction #female sole survivor x arthur maxson #northur #bos #brotherhood of steel #soulmates au #soulmates

5 notes · View notes

scorpio-skies · 5 years

Text

Bless me with your OTP!

I know everyone’s expecting Noranse, but I’m going to shake things up with Nara because why not! I love em just as much and they have an interesting dynamic! ;D

I was tagged by the amazing @slothssassin !

Tagging; @eluvisen, @mrninjapineapple, @beckiboos, @ariejul, @sociallyacceptablemadness, @lothrilzul, @val-rampage, @solesurvivorkat , @metalforhands, @mars-colony, @lookbluesoup , @tarberrymentats @marvilus73 and anybody else who’d like to do this! ♥

Do they fight often? If so, what is their dynamic like?

Nora and Nate often bicker over little things, though they’re usually harmless and end fairly quickly. However, when they have real fights, things can escalate and their home become a place of glacial silence and tension. The cause of these fights usually boils down to three things; Nate’s alcoholism, Nora’s rigid morals vs Nate’s social circle, and Nate’s perfectionism.

They both have the bad habit of bottling things up and not talking to each other, silently stewing until they calm down. They try to never sleep on an argument however, and always tried discussing things before they fall asleep.

The only exceptions were when Nate would get too riled up and do what he’s done throughout his life; run away and seek solace at the bottom of a bottle. When he goes sober, Nate walks their dog and has a few smokes to clear his head instead.

Angry Nora prefers to cook out her rage, taking it out on the chopping board loudly enough that Nate instantly knows when she’s angry. The cooking is still delicious and edible, and they often talk out their frustrations over the food -- if Nora has calmed down. If she hasn’t, she’ll comfort eat all the sweets she made herself!

Who is the most skeptical of the two?

This is a tough one -- neither of them are skeptics, really. Nate has more of a feel for people however, because he’s friends with all types. He knows there’s good and beauty in the world, but he’s also seen the worst of humanity, which really comes out in his PTSD following Anchorage. I’d say Nate’s the most skeptical, though post-war Nora definitely has a reality check and hardened up, although she still lucked out by meeting some of the good people in the sea of bad.

Who would be most likely to suggest a night of dancing?

Nate 1000% -- he’s the guy who knows everybody and can queue jump like a V.I.P! Nora’s a bit more shy and awkward (until she’s had a few drinks) and would only join Nate sometimes, though she’d head home fairly early. When out on his own however, Nate would be out until the morning rush hour, typically heading to bars long after their closing hours and hanging with the special regulars. He also loves to dance and sing so it was always a great time for him!

If they’re alone or in a quiet venue however, Nora’s always up for a quiet slow dance between them.

What would they do if the other was injured in battle?

Nate would fall back on his military training, dealing with immediate threats before tending to Nora. He’d then prioritise her safety over the mission and work to cut them a path out of there.

Pre-war Nora wouldn’t know what to do (in the battle, or first aid wise), but post-war with Brotherhood training, Nora would do the same, patching him best she knew how and retreating to the nearest medics ASAP.

Unless innocents were endangered, they would stay by the others bedside until they were stable.

How do their fighting styles complement each other?

Nate and Nora adopted completely different styles -- Nate prefers combat armour and moving stealthy but fast. He’s great with assault rifles, though he’s always shone when it comes to CQC being a big guy. He moves a lot faster than most can guess and with lethal precision, though if he can drop enemies at a distance, he prefers it.

Nora, on the other hand, was trained by Danse. She adores power armour and feels near unstoppable in it. Whereas Nate would rather slip in, Nora would rather kick the door down and bulldoze any in front of her, followed up by ashing with her rifle.

In battle, the pair function rather poorly because Nate becomes obsessed with Nora’s safety to the detriment of both of them. They could work well together with Nora being the big, steely distraction allowing Nate an opening to flank enemies, but Nate’s fear clouds his judgement and all he sees is his wife in danger.

Do they want children? Does it frighten them? How many do they want?

They both want children and to have a family together. Nora would be happy with two children as being an only child she felt lonely. Nate would be happy with two, though he would love to have more as he has a very strong paternal instinct.

Pre-war, Nate had a very strong fear that he would fail as a father due to his mother’s influence, and lack of a caring father in his own life. He’s also petrified that his mother would find out and want to come into his children’s lives, which he would not stand for.

Nora worried about being a good parent too, but her fears weren’t so deeply rooted as Nate’s because she knew she had her family support network to fall back on.

Post war, they’re both frightened at the thought of raising their children in such a dangerous world, but it also serves as a powerful drive for the pair of them to make it as secure for their children as possible, that they might enjoy a childhood in spite of the threats. Chances are they’d also adopt alongside having their own child if they met an orphan who needed them.

What happened when they took them home to their families? If their families aren’t in the picture anymore, how do they feel about it?

Nate has complete no contact with his family. His situation is complicated to say the least. His mother fell pregnant out of wedlock and had a hasty wedding to a man who was clearly not Nate’s father -- and his mother played cruel games with that fact, preventing Nate’s (secretly step) father from ever bonding with him. As a result, he and his ‘father’ were more awkward housemates than family who were often pitted against each other.

Nate’s younger half-brother made more of an effort, but as he was the ‘favoured child,’ Nate harboured a lot jealousy and bitterness towards him that poisoned their relationship. It grew worse when their mother had them competing, and suddenly began fawning over Nate when he joined the military.

His mother he hates like nothing else. Part of him still craves her love and validation, but he fears that she’ll poison his new family with her toxicity and knows her affection is born purely from what she stands to gain.

His mother comes from old money, and her family disowned her after her shock pregnancy and sudden marriage to a ‘lesser class.’ Initially they pretended ‘the bastard’ didn’t exist, but when he joined the military he suddenly ‘made them proud’ and his lack of a known father was suddenly a boon because his father might not be so common after all -- and the family wanted a male heir who would take their name and continue the lineage. Because of this, his mother saw Nate as her meal ticket back to the good life and the family bank account and suddenly cared about him again.

She did meet Nora once, wheedling Nate’s latest home from one of his friends -- but it wasn’t for long. Nora was wary of her following what Nate had confided, and he came home partway through her visit. He exploded and chased her from the building, feeling furious and terrified. Shortly after, he and Nora moved to Sanctuary Hills, telling no one but Nora’s family where they had gone.

Nora’s family loved Nate immediately. He’s a natural charmer, and as a patriotic soldier her parents warmed to him quickly -- it also helped that neither Nate or Nora mentioned he was couch surfing and had no address of his own at the time.

Evangeline, Nora’s cousin and BFF, liked Nate but was also initially wary that he might be a player and she, as a police officer, was less than thrilled at his many murky contacts and friends. Seeing his genuine adoration and loyalty for Nora as well as his good heart, she was won over, which eased his welcome into the extended family.

He now attends every family gathering and is honestly sometimes more enthusiastic about them than Nora.

Nate adores Nora’s family and feels honoured and touched that they accepted him and go out of their way to make him part of the unit. He finally feels like he has a real family with them.

How does each person show affection towards the other?

They’re both casually intimate with each other - little touches, embraces, kisses and snuggles. When out in public, they’ll walk close with their fingers entwined and when they sit they naturally lean into each other. There’s thoughtful gifts between them, and, especially on Nate’s part, big romantic gestures.

Who cries the most? Who is better at comforting?

Nate cries more than Nora -- he’s suffered a lot in his life, and is typically more open with his emotions. When Nora cries, she always tries to hide it while Nate struggles to. Nate comforts through hugs and gentle pep-talks, whilst Nora comforts much the same way, but with added comfort food. When the time’s right, they’ll attempt to distract whoever they’re comforting with something fun -- Nate’s likely to offer to talk over drinks, or go for a drive when he’s sober, while Nora will suggest movies and more food til they’re ready to talk or cheered up.

Who is the bigger flirt?

Nate. Nora’s quite shy about flirting and a hopeless romantic. Nate however is a casual flirt -- he’d never stray from Nora or cheat on her, but he’s naturally flirtatious and can’t help himself. He loves making people feel beautiful and confident, and sometimes it doesn’t quite register that he might have gone too far and led someone on. It’s definitely led to problems, and at times Nora’s gotten jealous and angry at him over it, though she’s come to the understanding that that’s just who he is - -and at the end of the day, it’s her he loves and comes home to, no one else. No one else. >:3

#nora hart #nathaniel hart #fallout 4 #sole survivor #female sole survivor #is it the case that nora's wrath has reared its head in some universes when other people have tried to make a move on nate?#yes! yes it has!#and both Nate and Danse are ;O-O when they see it!#as soon as i get money I'll have to get a nara pic done #I do love em!#also this is ancient and I found it mostly written in my drafts so finally finished it today yay!

33 notes · View notes

purple-martin111 · 4 years

Text

OC Interview

Tagged by @marvilus73 and maybe @kittinkanin I don’t remember. Again, I was tagged ages ago, so if you haven’t done and want to, please tag me so I can learn more about your OC!!

name ➔ Jacqueline "Jackie" Marie Dixon

are you single ➔ No.

are you happy ➔ I am now. I was in a bad place for a long time. There was a lot of healing that had to happen, but I'm so very happy now.

are you angry ➔ I used to be. I have a lot to be angry about and for a time, I let it get the better of me. I wasn't a nice person. This life isn't easy, but I've done a lot of good, helped a lot of people. I find myself less and less angry everyday.

are your parents still married ➔ They were, but they're dead now. They weren't exactly happily married, but they were married until the very end.

NINE FACTS

birthplace ➔ New York City, specifically the Bronx.

hair color ➔ Blond. Danse says it looks like the razorgrain fields back at Sanctuary.

eye color ➔ Blue and brown. I mean I was born with blue eyes, but I have an eye condition that caused a loss of pigment in my right eye.

birthday ➔ January 29, 2046

mood ➔ You know, I worry a lot. About Danse and Shaun and also that I'm not doing enough to help people. But mostly I'm happy. God I'm so happy.

gender ➔ Female

summer or winter ➔ Neither? Fall is my favorite season.

morning or afternoon ➔ I like twilight. Dusk and dawn are so beautiful. I love watching the sunset and how all the colors bleed together as the light dies. Like when you look out at the horizon and the trees are just shadows against a sea of orange.

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

are you in love ➔ For a long time, I didn't believe in love. In my perspective, it just didn't exist. And then Nate happened. My world crumbled when I lost him and somehow I found Danse. He helped me put my life back together and somewhere along the way he became more than just best friend. I love Danse more than I can properly express... I don't know what I did to deserve a second chance.

do you believe in love at first sight ➔ No. Love and lust aren't the same. Lust is a feeling and love is a choice. Not that you can't feel love, but it is much more than just a feeling.

who ended your last relationship ➔ Nate, my husband... He was murdered.

have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ Um...maybe? I'm not really sure to be honest. Nate was my first serious relationship. Before that I saw a lot of people but didn't feel anything for them. Some of them probably felt something for me though...

are you afraid of commitments ➔ Yes. But not so much anymore. I was terrified when Nate told me he loved me. I guess most afraid of getting hurt. And then with Danse, I was terrified of losing him--of being without him. I don't know what I would do if something happened to him

have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ I hug Danse and Shaun every chance I get, so yes.

have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ Not that I know of, but how would I know?

have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ What does that mean? I've never purposely ended a relationship with someone I cared about. But I've lost plenty of people. My heart was broken after Nate died, but I had to move on.

SIX CHOICES

love or lust ➔ If you had asked me in my early 20s, I would have told you last. I didn't believe in love. Now though... Now I wouldn't trade anything for Danse, Shaun, and my friends.

lemonade or iced tea ➔ Ice tea for sure! I love any and all kinds of tea. Tea is probably my favorite drink.

cats or dogs ➔ I prefer dogs, but cats are cool too. We have a growing cat colony at the castle...I've heard Danse's power armor'meow' on more than one occasion.

a few best friends or many regular friends ➔ A lot of people look up to me, but I prefer a few best friends.

wild night out or romantic night in ➔ Romantic night in for sure. I avoid crowds at all costs.

day or night ➔ I prefer day time. It's fun to snuggle up with Danse at night and I do love twilight but I'm also prone to panic attacks at night, so...

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

been caught sneaking out ➔ Yes. Not so much growing up because it wasn't really sneaking out. No one was really watching me. Nate and I served under different commands but the army has their rules that Nate enjoyed bending

fallen down/up the stairs ➔ All the time. Once while I was in college I fell down a flight of stairs and messed up my leg real good.

wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ Yes. I try not to dwell in the past though.

wanted to disappear ➔ I attempted to...once. I...I’d rather not talk about it. Things are good now, really good.

FOUR PREFERENCES

smile or eyes ➔ I’ll notice a person’s eyes first, but I really love when someone smiles and it lights up their face.

shorter or taller ➔ Oh taller for sure!

intelligence or attraction ➔ Intelligence. I’ll always love a good conversation, attraction can fade though.

hook-up or relationship ➔ Well...I had fun when I was younger but now I prefer to be in a relationship.

FAMILY

do you and your family get along ➔ I didn't not get along with them, they just were around. I know my mother loved me, but my father... My father was a drunk.

would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ Messed up is strong language. My life isn't what I thought it'd be, but there are people who have it far worse than me.

have you ever ran away from home ➔ Yeah, but like I said, no one was really watching me when I was a kid.

have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ No. I left home a few times, but only because I couldn’t stand being in that house. Especially after my brother died. I enlisted and as soon as I had my diploma, I left and never went back.

FRIENDS

do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ That’s a stupid question. They wouldn’t be my friends if I hated them.

do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ I only have a few, so yes.

who is your best friend ➔ Aside from Danse? Geers. I’m pretty close with Piper and Preston too.

who knows everything about you ➔ Danse. And Preston, he helped me a lot after I left the vault.

#fallout #fallout 4 #sole survivor #fallout oc #my oc #jackie #jacqueline dixon #oc interview #tagged #thanks!!

16 notes · View notes

dansiere · 4 years

Text

FIVE SONGS

list five songs associated with your muse and its meaning to them as a character, or to you as the writer. this can be applied in-character or out-of-character. it can go as deep as looking at the song’s real-world origins or meaning along with the themes it carries to the muses’ story, values, or experiences, or as simple as if your muse would listen to this kind of music, or even if you just listen to these pieces for inspiration.

TAGGED BY: @handspoken, who kinda hates me? Just kidding I love you okay. TAGGING: @rosiqe, @citialiin, @absolutia, @huntershowl, @blossomingbeelzebug, @foxcharmed, @noirtux, @hiskniight, @ndeavor, @kissafist, @ahsterism (muse of your choice!), @carvedbones, @enshijou & @ettards. -- steal it, honestly. It is a great meme.

01. Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell Moons and Junes and ferries wheels, the dizzy dancing way that you feel as every fairy tale comes real. I've looked at love that way.

I have probably talked about this song so often already but BOY where do I start? I was watching “Love Actually” & Both Sides Now started playing; it’s the scene where Karen (Emma Thompson) almost breaks down & cries while realizing that her relationship is a farce, that she has been foolish & blind & delusional. It continues with her doing her absolute best to calm herself down, to not collapse but function instead; she pretends she is fine, fearing that she might ruin her family’s Christmas party otherwise. It’s a raw, emotional scene unfolding itself while Joni sings about how she came to realize that everything has two sides; the very thing we dream off, aka we imagine / how we wish things are & the harsh reality. No song could ever express Pearl’s delusion with life & love [but also realizing one’s naivity] better than this one; the aspect of pretending that she is fine in order to not ruin her family’s lives with her agony fits excruciatingly well too. -- in fact, the stanza “I have looked at love from both sides now, from give and take & still somehow it’s love’s illusions that I recall. I really don’t know love at all” has been my blog description for months & I won’t change it any time soon. Additionally, this song is about growth & personal change sung with a certain candidness that words can’t really describe -- this song single-handedly inspired me to create this blog, ngl.

02. Dernière Danse - Indila Oh my sweet torment, no point in fighting, you start again. I'm just a worthless being, without [her] I'm troubled. I wander around alone on the subway, a last dance: To forget my great misery. I want to get away, everything to start again.

Number two on my list is a bit of an oddity; it is the song that inspired me to change my URL & bottom header quote. I have always related this song to Pearl basically because it SOUNDS cheerful, has a more upbeat melody & seems positive enough on the outside; however, upon looking at the lyrics & understanding what the artist actually sings about you may or may not get chills. It’s literally a song about losing oneself, misery & the horrid feeling of loneliness after loss all wrapped up in some funky & cheery melody. It seems rather SURREAL at first & upon translating the lyrics you might believe Google is messing with you but... no. The cheery intro fools you, just how Pearl fools everyone in believing that she is a-okay. -- the song grows more & more serious / dramatic with the melody / beat becoming “heavier” over time. While still rather peppy, you can tell that something is wrong the second the background choir kicks in. -- needless to say, I consider the lyrics to be a reference to Pearl’s extreme directionlessness, her lack of purpose, severe lethargy & how she lost herself in her misery.

03. Dark Paradise - Lana Del Rey And there's no remedy for memory your face Is like a melody, it won't leave my head. Your soul is hunting me and telling me That everything is fine, but I wish I was dead.

At first, I wanted to use this meme as an excuse to gush on & on about It’s Over, isn't it? but then I remembered that Dark Paradise is a thing. Lana Del Rey simply had to be on here due to her habit of utterly & completely romanticizing tragic romance & death to an almost unhealthy degree. Pearl is guilty of the same issue. -- glorifying things you should absolutely not glorify. Dark Paradise deals with the loss of true love & the trauma that follows; not being able to move on, not being able to let go, blind devotion, stuck in the same grief, the same melancholy, the same subtle craving for death (through drowning). It’s haunting really, but these are topics that not only fit Pearl aesthetically but also motif wise. The largest part of her season 1 - 3 arc dealt with her grief over losing Rose & her inability to overcome her trauma in that regard. Dark Paradise strikes that nerve & expresses that despair rather accurately.

04. Blinding - Florence and the Machine And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack All around the world was waking, I never could go back Cause all the walls of dreaming, they were torn wide open And finally it seemed that the spell was broken.

I wanted to add a song that might describe Pearl’s mentality more; something from Sleeping At Last, Aurora or Sia maybe, but given how I have been gushing about Florence & the Machine lately, I felt like I had to include them because of their extreme Pearl-esque aesthetic alone. Blinding is massive. It shakes you to the core & drags you along, whenever you want it or not. Its heavy percussion & lyrics, the REALIZATION hit you like a truck; I have always associated this song with the moment Pearl realizes who she is. May it be before the war or after "Now We Are Only Falling Apart". It has a revolutionary feeling to it: she wakes up from her Homeworld induced trance & breaks her conditioning, she wakes up from her lethargy & takes a stand for herself. It works either way, really.

05. The Fantasy - 30 Seconds to Mars Do you live, do you die, do you bleed for the fantasy? In your mind, through your eyes, do you see? It's the fantasy Maybe, tonight we can forget about it all: it could be, just, like heaven. I am a machine: no longer living, just a shell of what I dreamed.

I needed a renegade song; something fast & aggressive; this one had the perfect vibe. The Fantasy it is loud, emotional, gritty & chaotic; it’s fast-paced, it’s desperate. It opposes all Past Pearl is supposed to stand for. It builds up, it swells, grows more & more apoplectic over time. -- “Dying for the fantasy” is another big motif on this blog; in fact, her dream / fantasy controls most of her early life to the point where it becomes an obsession. -- this song embodies the very compulsive drive she had, once. Reaching for a Golden Future that eventually turns out to be “just a shell of what she dreamt”; the fairytale that almost cost her her life in the end.

06. Honourable Mentions songs I need to list somewhere or I will burst.

Running Up that Hill - Kate Bush, Eight & Three - Sleeping At Last, Falling Infinite & Strangelove - Black Math, Everything I wanted - Billie Eilish, Send in the Clowns - Barbra Streisand, Bird Set Free - Sia, God is a Woman (cover) & Infections of a Different Kind - Aurora, Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benata, Beautiful Lie - 30 Seconds to Mars, Love Lockdown (Cover) & Pork Soda - Glass Animals, One Match & Romeo - Until the Ribbon Breaks, Over the Love & Hardest of Hearts - Florence & the Machine, Beautiful Crime - Tamer, Truth Is a Beautiful Thing - London Grammar, Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin, Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys, Far too Young to Die - Panic!At the Disco, Cut the Cord - Shinedown, The War - SYML & Reborn - Talos.

#[[ This took me years istg #I kept changing the songs around like a madwoman because I wanted to pinpoint a specific part of my portrayal?#Does that make sense?#I tried to pick songs I haven't rambled about yet. If I had the time I would fill twenty more meme templates of this kind ngl #hence why I attached the Honourable Mentions section. I just had to. Probably forgot half of my playlist BUT WELL ]]#vii. 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲.

10 notes · View notes

concussed-to-pieces · 4 years

Text

The Mettle Of A Man; Part Eighteen

Fandom: Fallout (4)

Pairing: Eventual Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Happy holidays, everyone! A little something to occupy your time this fine evening. Tagging @anonymouscosmos, @culturalrebel, @mercy-and-malice, @deepkittycollecto, @nelba, @mechanicalism and @commandershepardshtole. Enjoy!

Part One: ArcJet

Part Two: The Prydwen

Part Three: Orders

Part Four: Finding Brandis

Part Five: Weston Water And Oberland

Part Six: Meeting Preston And Matthew

Part Seven: Radstag And Radstorm

Part Eight: The Return To Sanctuary Hills

Part Nine: Domestic Ruminations

Part Ten: Institutionalized

Part Eleven: Two Weeks, Three Days

Part Twelve: Haylen’s Warning And The Glowing Sea

Part Thirteen: Under Fire

Part Fourteen: Dichotomy

Part Fifteen: The Litany Trial

Part Sixteen: Nice Try

Part Seventeen: Preparations

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains depictions of violence, emotional distress and child endangerment. Stay safe!]

The map on the table was worn and tattered, held in place by a few books and one large glass disc commonly used for magnifying purposes. Backhand paced to and fro, mentally going over her list of resources. Flanking her were Danse and Preston, the latter having graciously accepted an in-person invitation to their final strategy meeting. Her lieutenant's ability to remain levelheaded was, as ever, a relief to Vega. Not that Danse wasn't levelheaded, but she felt guilty about how much she had grown to expect of him. It would be much simpler to divide their workload if the three of them worked together.

Further over to the right stood Sturges, the man sandwiched in between Ingram and Li while he fidgeted with his goggles. This was no small task they were attempting and everyone was at least slightly nervous.

Elder Brandis cleared his throat pointedly. "Alright General, let's hear it."

Vega straightened up, coming to rest her palms on the ragged edge of the map on the desk in front of her. "We will be performing this op primarily with Minuteman troops. Brotherhood are enforcers and medical operations. We only engage hostiles as a last resort. We are sticking to the plan." She announced firmly. "Preston, Sturges and Nick will take Charlie squadron and work to recalibrate the mainframe. Delta squadron is with Danse, they'll secure the exit tunnel." Backhand gestured at the large paladin, who nodded. "Once Alpha squadron breaches their defenses, Delta squadron will be in charge of locating Liam and his group. He's promised to have the willing synths in a secured location, and he'll be awaiting further orders."

"Those are Delta squadron's official orders, General?" Danse asked, seeming to desire some sort of final confirmation. Deep down, Backhand hoped they weren't all making a terrible mistake sending him into the Institute.

"You're our main line of defense when it comes to that tunnel. I want you on high alert, but only engage if there is no recourse."

"Understood, General." Danse saluted her.

"Elder Brandis, you will be down at the staging area beneath the Prydwen with Pride squadron and Liberty Prime. You will be overseeing our operations on that end since I will be in the field with Alpha squadron." Backhand continued, chuckling when Brandis huffed.

"Oh certainly, stuff me into the supervisory role." The former paladin complained good-naturedly, already well-aware that his place was with the Prydwen.

"Beta will be staying over here by the teleporter platform," Backhand used her sheathed knife to indicate the area on their gridded map, just beneath the Prydwen. "We'll have the triage station there. This includes Curie, Scribe Haylen, Scribe Neriah and Knight Rhys for support." She then clicked her radio handset twice. "Echo, that is, MacCready, John D. and Lancer-Captain Kells, you're on long range and aerial securing Bunker Hill. I'm sure that if the Institute does decide to muster any sort of counter-attack, that and the Prydwen will be their main targets."

" Man oh man, this is pretty legit ," Deacon's voice crackled over her radio. " Never thought we'd be takin' the fight to these bastards. Nobody pinch me. "

"The Atom Cats crew will be at the Castle with Cait and a small cadre of Minutemen dubbed Foxtrot squadron, holding their position and shoring up any weaker areas. I'm counting on that being the Institute's third target. That's our radio tower and hub of operations. So Zeke , I'm depending on you to work together with the troops there. Keep my people safe." Vega said firmly into her handset.

" Hey alley cat, your people are my people, and Zeke always takes care of his people ." The greaser stated, his words drawling lazily through the speaker. " You just take care of my man Sturges, you feel me? He's a vital part of the Atom Cats. If I hear that he died because of some Institute square , my jimmies will be severely rustled ."

Sturges rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine , Zeke. Just keep up your end of the bargain."

" Roger that, cool cat ."

"Goodneighbor is still on standby for aid, and they will be observing Diamond City for any disturbances." Vega had barely gotten the chance to mention them before Hancock's rough voice was piping up out of the speaker.

" No way the Institute would be dumb enough to fuck with Diamond City ," he growled, " and if they are...well, there's plenty of us in Goodneighbor that got a bone to pick, ya' feel me? The boys of Golf squadron are prepped for a brawl ."

"There will be at least one of John's operatives staged with every squadron aside from Delta. Listen to them . I don't want any unnecessary loss of life here." The General of the Minutemen ordered. "Generation threes are indistinguishable from humans. Do not engage them unless there is no other choice. These are not soldiers. These are scientists and scared maintenance workers. With that being said, if you encounter coursers sing out with your position. I want to try and maintain eyes on them whenever we can."

"They are extremely effective and deadly combatants. You'll know them by their black gear. General Vega is the only one thus far who has survived any sort of tussle with them." Preston supplied, his words no-nonsense. "We do not want to engage them head on, but we only have a limited number of EMP grenades. So we gotta' be careful."

"That's why I'm countin' on you an' the detective to watch my back, boss." Sturges grinned at Preston. "It'll be a hell of a struggle hackin' into their mainframe an' such if they're tryin' to slice and dice us."

"Nick and I will do our best, but I believe it would be a smart choice for you to act real fast." Garvey said pragmatically. "After all, the Institute will have the advantage of numbers on their side."

"You'll all be under a time crunch once that reactor begins to melt down. Emergency relays will fire off shortly after that, so that's when everyone will have to be on their toes." Doctor Li mused. "Hopefully they don't think we would be dumb enough to actually go through with this plan and we'll get the drop on them."

"Fingers crossed, at any rate." Ingram chimed in, cracking her knuckles in her gauntlets.

"Last call to back out." Backhand announced across every frequency, "there's no shame in asking for a reassignment or to sit this operation out. We can always move things around."

" Pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say, fuck that ." Hancock rasped. " We're with you, General Sunshine. To the bitter end, and some of us even after that. "

" Yeah, gotta' say I'm throwin' my hat in with the freak show. " Deacon agreed, and Backhand could practically hear him winking behind those ridiculous sunglasses. " What's the fun of uninviting yourself to a party, after all? "

God, this was really happening. Vega felt nerves tighten her hands into fists as more and more voices came over the secure channels, more and more confirmations that she had a legitimate army at her disposal.

A large gauntlet gently brushed her hand, mechanical fingers toying with the lucky bandanna wrapped around her wrist. "Awaiting your command, General." Danse murmured when she turned to look at him for reassurance, the paladin giving her a stern nod.

Awaiting your command, General .

Elder Brandis straightened up, clasping his hands behind his back. "Alright, everyone get to your positions. Proctor, I believe you have a giant to awaken."

"Let's get to it, people!" Danse boomed, a boyish grin tugging at the corner of his mouth for a moment. Soldier to the end .

Everyone filed out of the room, Preston lingering awkwardly before he extended his hand to Elizabeth. "I need you to know that no matter what happens, I'm damn glad to have met you." He stated, laughing when Vega hauled him into a hug. "I'll see you on the other side, alright General?"

"Thank you so much, Preston. For everything." Backhand mumbled into his shoulder. Preston hugged her back tightly, then pulled away.

"It's the Commonwealth way, General. You'd know that better than anyone." The young man reminded her kindly, helping to straighten out her worn army helmet. "Now c'mon. Can't have you falling behind on your date with destiny. Still got that lucky bandanna?"

"Always." Vega said, tapping the cloth on her wrist.

"Good. We can use all the help we can get." Preston opened the door to the observation deck. Vega felt suddenly like her boots were made of cement, and she turned to look back at Danse one last time. The armored man appeared engrossed in whatever Brandis was saying to him, his helmet still tucked beneath his arm.

"Danse!" Vega called before she could think better of it, and the paladin jolted, looking up. "Take care, okay?"

"Ad Victoriam, General." Danse replied with a sharp salute, those brown eyes seeming too forlorn for someone who was merely wishing a contemporary good luck.

Backhand didn't dare dwell on it, instead turning on her heel and scrolling to the option to relay on her Pip Boy. The last thing she saw before relaying was the half-destroyed skyline of Boston, and her eyes narrowed in determination. So much had already been taken from her, what was denying herself one more thing?

The now-familiar crackle of energy met her ears as she teleported into the Institute for the final time. Sure steps led her to the control panel across from the teleporter, and steady hands fed the holotape into the slot beneath the screen.

'Institute relay targeting sequence' holotape accepted , the screen announced. Initiate remote relay sequence?

Backhand took a deep breath, her index finger hovering over the 'enter' key. All her conversations with 'Father', with X6, with the scientists and doctors and maintenance synths…

Was she really about to throw all of that away?

The woman shook her head at herself after a second. She could justify it later. Right now, she needed to be the one who could make the hard choices.

She pressed the key.

...

It was organized chaos at best.

Paladin Logan Danse, pride of the Brotherhood of Steel, continued to wave the shell-shocked synths on into the tunnel. He could dimly hear the sounds of booming musket artillery, which indicated that the main contingent of Delta squadron's Minutemen had encountered resistance. It was only a matter of time before their escape route was discovered, unless the Minutemen could hold them off.

Did they even need to, though? If the synths that wished to voluntarily escape had already done so…

Danse shook his head at himself. No . Everyone deserved the opportunity to flee from this technological tomb. Whether they took it or not was their own choice, but it was a choice .

The ground was littered with the plasticine remains of the guards that had been stationed by the tunnel. Their programming was so thorough that they could not be reasoned with, and Delta squadron had made swift work of them. Danse's stomach churned with unease as he assisted his troops, but he had carried on doggedly to complete their objective.

Liam indicated with a nod that the synth who had limped past them was the last of his little group. "I don't know how I can repay you-" he began to say tearfully, extending a hand. A laser ricocheted off the wall, tagging his shoulder and knocking him backwards.

Danse whirled, spotting the distant forms of a cabal of coursers storming their location. It seemed that the Institute had broken through their line of defense. Their only saving grace at the moment was just how long the hallway was. "The blast doors, can you close them?" He frantically barked at Liam, who was staring at his bloodied shoulder in silent shock. The younger man shook himself after a moment, all but toppling against the terminal mounted on the wall.

Danse lumbered in front of him, functioning as a shield while the young man worked feverishly. Doors began closing behind the coursers and Liam cursed under his breath, maneuvering into a different menu. With an almighty groan, the blast doors guarding the tunnel entrance began to close sluggishly. Then, the security doors leading to the hall also creaked to life.

"Go, your friends will need a familiar face." Danse ordered as Liam turned to him. "I'll maintain our position here." Lasers scorched off the walls overhead, and another bolt skittered along the ground while Liam just... stared up at him. " Go , soldier!" Danse demanded.

"Rip the terminal out, okay? Otherwise they might reverse it." Liam requested shakily, cupping the graze on his shoulder and then fleeing into the tunnel.

Rip the terminal out . Danse's massive gauntlet pulverized the machine, but he did tear it off the wall for good measure before returning to his bulwark position in front of the doors.

Some of the coursers had either peeled off from the group or cloaked themselves. That might prove troublesome. But the doorway was ever so slowly closing, and their chances of actually reaching him grew more and more slim. They seemed to realize this, as their fire came more frequently and aimed even more poorly than before.

Suddenly, so suddenly that Danse wondered if he was seeing things for a split-second, a small child came barreling out of one of the intersecting tunnels, barely ahead of the mob. The little boy tripped and nearly fell, screaming at Danse, "wait, please! Don't leave me here!"

If the security doors would stop the coursers they would absolutely stop this child, and God only knew what the coursers would do to the child. Danse's arm shot out before he could think about it and the door hit the side of his pauldron with a teeth-rattling shriek of metal, slowing the already tepid advance. Bracing his thigh and upper arm against the door, Danse stepped into the hallway, closer to the coursers, his free hand outstretched to seize the boy the moment he was within reach. He didn't dare try to thin the herd at this proximity, God forbid a shot bounce off the wall and strike the child-

His pauldron creaked audibly under the strain of holding the door open as the child flung himself into Danse's grip, and the paladin quickly withdrew into the small room behind him. The blast doors slammed shut and for a moment, everything was blissfully silent. Danse was vaguely reminded of he and Backhand's close call with the elevator, just resting most of his weight against the wall as he tried to process whatever the hell had just happened.

Then, "Th-Thanks!" the child panted, his entire body trembling from his close call. "Have you seen my mom, mister?" Danse cocked his head, bewildered. The child was maybe ten years old, his mop of dark brown curls matted to his forehead from the sweat of his wild sprint. Something about his eyes caught Danse's attention, though. They were startlingly blue, icy . Familiar. "She's got blue eyes n' freckles like me, and funny white marks on her face, right here!" The boy continued while indicating at his left temple. He drew a quick line from the top of his face to the bottom, ending at his chin.

Danse's chest went tight.

Elizabeth . This...was this Shaun? Had she been lied to? Or was this one last trick up the Institute's sleeve? She had mentioned getting duped by a child synth during her first visit. Was this the false child? Well, no more a false child than he was a false man, he corrected himself hurriedly.

"You need to come with me." The paladin said finally, extending his gauntlet to the child and beckoning for him to follow. "It's not safe here."

"Okay." The little boy actually took hold of his gauntlet, tiny hand wrapped around one large finger. "My name's Shaun. What's your name?"

Shaun . "Danse."

"Father said my mom would be comin' for me, but I already knew that. My mom is super tough, and she's not scared of anythin'!" Shaun prattled cheerily at him as they made their way to the spiral ramp upwards. "He gave me a tape to give her, said it was real important. My mission is to get the tape to my mom! Do you have a mission, Mister Danse?"

Danse was trying to decide how to answer when a muffled explosion echoed behind him. He stifled a swear, hoisting Shaun up with one arm. "Hold on to me," he instructed the child curtly, realizing that he had nearly backed himself into a proverbial corner. If the coursers caught him on the glorified staircase, he and this... boy , would be hung out to dry. "Hold on and tuck your head, alright?"

The servos in his greaves and cuisses whined as the paladin made a mad dash for the nearest hallway instead, desperately trying to recall the map that Backhand had made them of the Institute floorplan. Which level was it that would lead him back to the relay room? Damn it .

He took a gamble and darted off to the right, blundering through several doors, down numerous hallways that all looked the same until the paladin finally located an elevator, up a flight of stairs and--

Elizabeth .

Danse hurriedly cupped one large gauntlet over the synth child's head, effectively blocking his hearing and sight.

...

"Creation happened because of you, but you enslaved and hoarded that creation!" Backhand shouted hotly. "You didn't personally create a damn thing, Shaun , and you've been riding the coattails of people smarter than you your entire life! You self-righteous ass! " The young woman raged at the elderly, bedridden man in front of her.

"I don't expect someone like you to understand why I've done what I've done." Shaun wheezed, his tone bitter. "You've already thrown your lot in with those barbarians , Mother. The savages that dog the steps of my beautiful creations…"

"Beautiful creations? You treat them like they're slaves or pieces of hardware!" Backhand retorted. "You call them hammers, wrenches, cogs and gears in your magnificent machine. You've never been a father, Shaun, and you know it." Memories rushed forward, still raw after all this time. Nate, their arguments, the paperwork--

The dying man inclined his head, that sardonic smile that crossed his features so like the father he had never met. "Perhaps not. But then, you have also never been a mother, have you?"

She hated that he could get under her skin so easily, pick at her insecurities like fresh scabs. "How dare you ," was all she could hiss in reply.

Shaun chuckled, the noise dry. "Oh yes, you went through so much to get me back. Yet here you are, defiling the innards of the Institute's still-warm corpse while your son lies dying. How great and noble you are, General Vega." He sneered while she stood there, her knuckles white on the stock of her gun. "The compassionate leader, the prime example of virile, fertile pre-War stock."

"Shut the fuck up." Backhand snarled, skin crawling uncomfortably at his crude terminology. "You shut the fuck up. I've had enough. You can die quietly on your own or I can speed up the process, but I'm not sitting here and listening to you ramble." With steady hands, the laser rifle's muzzle pressed to the side of his head. "Which is it, old man?"

On the inside she was cracking, crumbling, hysterical with guilt and grief and the loss that had nearly driven her to the brink. But on the outside, she was every inch General Vega. Unbreakable veteran, savior of the Commonwealth. The one who got things done, no matter the cost.

"I've liberated all your forces and rendered you toothless , old man. How would you like to die?" She reiterated when he was silent.

"Leave me be. You brazen, detestable bitch , threatening to kill a dying man in his bed." Shaun snapped, his tone laced with venom, "I hope the coursers skin you alive!"

Backhand knew her smile was sad. "Funny, that's probably what your father would have said too. Have it your way, old man." She went to turn on her heel, then promptly froze.

Danse , standing awkwardly at the top of the stairs, one large arm wrapped around... something . "Vega?" He asked warily.

Elizabeth rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Gimme a second, okay? One more thing I have to do here and then we're gone." She said with a calm she did not feel. Danse nodded slowly, shifting his weight back as she moved to the terminal. Backhand couldn't be bothered to ponder his strange body language, the woman too busy trying to remember the passcode Sturges had given her. "I'm issuing the evacuation orders." She stated. Whether it was aimed at Danse or Father , she couldn't decide.

"Of course, General." Danse's voice was oddly soft even through the helmet's speakers.

Suppose that answers that question , Vega griped mentally, the keys clicking sluggishly underneath her fingertips. Other than that, the room was silent. She realized she was holding her breath and exhaled forcefully, pressing the 'enter' key for the confirmation prompt.

The overhead announcement system crackled to life, offering the succinct information that the reactor was in a meltdown state. The evacuation order had been successfully issued, just like she had promised Preston she would.

Everyone deserves the chance to live the way they want to . "I wish that there had been another way." Backhand blurted out. "I wish that...I wish things hadn't gotten so stupid."

"You lying- "

Danse cut off Father's reedy voice, the paladin firmly stating, "you and I both know that the Institute would have continued to terrorize the populace ad nauseam, General Vega. This was the only solution. With time and effort, perhaps the Commonwealth will be able to work past their differences with synths." He sounded enviably hopeful and certain.

Backhand stole a shuddering inhale, blinking away her tears. Without so much as a glance backwards, she led the way out onto the spiraling ramp.

…

The General was dead quiet. The sounds of combat echoed up from far, far below. Where was the rest of her team? Why had she come here alone?

"Elizabeth." Danse finally said softly, drawing her attention to him.

Her lower lip trembled slightly as she made eye contact, but she bravely kept her composure. "Yes, Danse?"

The paladin wordlessly moved his hand and revealed the small boy tucked into the protective cradle of his elbow. Shaun blinked up at him, seeming a little dizzy. Vega's sob sounded painful, like it dragged through her ribcage and burst from her throat. At the noise, Shaun glanced over. "Mom!" He was obviously thrilled, struggling to get out of Danse's hold. "Mom it's really you! You did come for me, just like Father said you would!"

"Of...of course I did, baby." Backhand choked out, kneeling so she could hug the boy. "Let's get you out of here, okay?"

"I have a mission, just like Mister Danse. He's great!" The child prattled cheerily, taking her hand and pressing a holotape into her palm. "Father said you'd come back for me, and that I should give this to you! He said it was really important so I needed to keep it safe."

Backhand glanced at Danse, but all the paladin could offer was a shrug. God only knew what was on the tape. Hell, God only knew why 'Father' had sent this defenseless child synth out in the middle of a full-scale assault. A nasty suspicion took root in Danse's chest, but he shoved it down. He wouldn't voice such a notion at this point; Elizabeth was clearly in an incredibly delicate state. One more thing might send her spiraling. No , he would keep it to himself, ignore the terrible thought that had come to him the second he realized who the boy was. Because if Father had sent this child out to die purposely--

"I'll listen to it later, I promise." Backhand was saying to the child, her words thick with suppressed emotion. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I was pretty scared, but Father said I needed to find you on my own." Was Shaun's reply, his tiny hand safe in hers.

The sight caught Danse strangely in the chest, and he turned his head away before the lump in his throat could overcome him. It was just the domesticity of it all, he reassured himself. Elizabeth's own joy, fragile as it was, sent a current of longing through his body that struck his very core. Could he have made her happy, if things had been different? If he hadn't been a poor facsimile of a man, or maybe even if he had simply never learned the truth about what he was? Could they have enjoyed years of contentment, eking out a meager yet rich existence in the unforgiving Commonwealth soil?

Maybe. But maybe wouldn't do them any good now.

He felt a small hand grab hold of his huge gauntlet and he looked down at Shaun. "Thanks for helpin' me get to my mom, Mister Danse!"

With those familiar, familiar eyes trained on him, Danse couldn't formulate an appropriate response. The paladin settled for a thin smile beneath his helmet and a nod, cursing his own hangups and cowardice with every beat of his heart.

He had no idea why he moved when he did.

…

Danse's free hand flew upwards suddenly as the group arrived at the next doorway. Backhand opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, then her eyes widened as a blue laser struck his gauntlet with a loud tzark! .

"Nice try!" Danse snarled, broadening his stance in front of Vega and Shaun. Backhand felt Shaun's hand tighten around her own, the child pressing himself against her side.

The voice that met her ears made her blood run cold. "Ma'am, not to be forward but what exactly do you plan to accomplish here?"

X6-88 . The most fearsome courser the Institute had at its disposal. Vega closed her eyes for a brief moment, trying to formulate her thoughts. He had given her a warning shot. Clearly .

"I would appreciate a response, ma'am." X6 said through gritted teeth.

"Lower your weapon and she will attempt civility." Danse retorted, his own rifle trained on the courser. "We have you outgunned, synth."

"Wait, Danse." Vega placed a hand on his elbow, sidling out from behind the bulk of the paladin's armor. "X6-88, I understand that you must be confused." She began, her tone carefully measured. "I'm sure that this course of action probably seems...wild, or erratic. Extreme. And I know you prefer order, so I don't blame you for being distraught."

"I am not distraught." X6 seethed through clenched teeth. "I am disappointed." At some point during the assault, he appeared to have suffered a head wound. Blood was trickling down the side of his temple and he had lost his signature glasses. Unmasked gray eyes bored into her with a fury so intense it took her breath away. "You have betrayed the Institute, ma'am. Betrayed your own son -!"

"Father may have been my son, but he clearly did not wish to continue as such. He wanted to subjugate and conquer , X6, placing the burden squarely on the back of every synth that he had." Vega interjected. "I'm not letting it continue. Everyone can make their own choices now. Even you."

"Choice has led to nothing but suffering! " X6 shouted. "It was choice that killed--that decommissioned G5-19!" His grip on his rifle was trembling, those eyes wild with the emotion that he wasn't supposed to feel. "And then you , saying you could answer questions! Coming into the Institute like a snake! " He spat. "This is all your fault! You've destroyed Father's legacy, and now the Commonwealth will burn because of you!"

Vega closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose. "So what are you gonna' do about it?" She asked abruptly. X6 was silent, the synth obviously stunned. " Well , X6? Do you want to die down here?"

"Die?" X6 repeated, his brows furrowed.

"The reactor is melting down. The whole place is compromised." Backhand's voice faltered a little as the gravity of the statement hit her. Years of research, advancements, technological wonders...Vega suddenly felt like she was holding a torch in front of the library of Alexandria. "We have to leave, X6." Taking an incredible chance, she extended a hand. "You don't have to leave with me, but I want you to leave. I want you to get out of here."

" Why? " The courser snarled, jerking back from her hand.

"Because you were good to me while I was here! Shit, X6, you kept me sane in this sterile nightmare!" Backhand cried, "you're funny and you're terrifying and it was good to have someone around that wasn't going to sugarcoat all this bullshit!"

"I--" X6 floundered, taking another step back. Vega heard Danse shift his weight behind her, his armor wheezing slightly at the motion. "Ma'am, the Institute…"

"I know. It's been your home your entire life." Vega tried to maintain her level tone. "But you can't stay. If you come with me now, I can guarantee your safety. The teleporter is going to go down soon, X6. We're running out of time, and I don't know whether your emergency relay will cut it."

"What will you do to me, should I comply?" X6 asked warily.

"I'm not gonna' do anything. You'd be free to go."

"General Vega, I realize this is important, but we will lose our escape option if we linger here much longer." Danse spoke up stiffly.

"X6. I hope you'll come with us." Backhand surprised herself with her own level of bravery, calling Shaun forward so she could take his hand once more. X6-88 merely stepped aside when she cautiously advanced, the courser gone silent.

Danse was obviously slower to trek past X6. Vega could feel the tension between the two of them, drawing tighter and tighter.

"Danse, it's alright. He won't hurt us." It was halfway assurance, halfway order. The paladin obliged all the same, reluctantly turning his back on the black-garbed courser.

No sooner had they rounded the next corner though than Vega heard the sound of running footsteps behind them. "Wait, ma'am!" X6's voice rang out over the noise of Danse's armor, and Vega paused as the courser breezed by the paladin back up to her.

"Change your mind?" The general inquired dryly, raising an eyebrow.

"Ahead, you...you will encounter resistance." X6-88's teeth were gritted yet again, but he still forced the words out. "Coursers. Seven of them."

Seven . Vega's mouth went dry, one was bad enough. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Danse flick the safety off on his rifle. That he'd even had it on in the first place spoke volumes-!

"I'll go." The paladin muttered after a second. "Take the child and backtrack."

"They will kill you." X6 replied in his usual monotone.

"It doesn't matter. Our mission is too important to risk failure now. I'll buy you the time you need to escape. I'm a large target for a reason."

Backhand tried to protest, "Danse, no , that's--"

"General Vega," Danse interrupted her sharply, not actually looking at her. "The Minutemen cannot afford to lose you. You are instrumental in their operations." His salute was rigid.

Elizabeth wanted to scream. "Take my EMP, then." She forced herself to say instead, tugging the grenade from her belt and holding it out. X6-88 flinched visibly at the sight of the item and Vega wished she could apologize. God , this had all gone so wrong!

Was this going to be her existence? Constantly trading one life for another? Father for Shaun, Danse for her own, the Institute for the Commonwealth--

Danse accepted the grenade with a solemn nod, his massive gauntlet closing down around her hand for a brief moment before he turned to face the other direction once more. "Go. Take your son and the courser and get out of here ." He ordered urgently. "If you backtrack and hurry , you ought to have enough time."

Vega tore at the knot of her lucky bandanna and quickly tied the battered fabric around the top of Danse's arm just beneath his pauldron. "I expect to get this back, Paladin." She stated. Danse still didn't tilt his helmet to look at her, simply nodding his acquiescence. "Be...Be careful, okay?" Vega continued, her voice breaking.

Danse nodded again, and then he left without a word.

"We need to move quickly, ma'am." X6 sounded shaken, his hand on her shoulder unexpected. "Carry the small unit, and I will cover you."

"Th-Thank you, X6." Backhand hiccupped, desperately blinking back her tears. Shaun clung to her hand, the child silently burying his face in her neck once she picked him up. Vega stared at the ceiling for the world's longest second, struggling valiantly to maintain her composure. "Okay. Alright. Let's go."

Part Nineteen

17 notes · View notes