#but then i knew Hancock would go out and find a child

[aro-pancake]

@silurisanguine

Why you hiding these in the tags?

It's accurate. Don't hide them!

Shaun is never escaping those “I fucked your mom” jokes

[transparentkinks]

I wanna know what Hancock thinks about the neighbor encounters.

Dead ghouls and angst ahead.

Hancock never gave a whole lot of mind as to how people react to feral ghouls. He knew most held resentment. If a ghoul didn’t keep their mind, they would likely go on to take lives. He couldn't really blame people for their fear, he just wished people could understand not every ghoul was feral. 

He really appreciated the acceptance he got from Nora. She treated him just like she treated anyone else, even occasionally got offended on his behalf when someone tried to deny him entry or said something particularly awful to him. He had a crush on her from the moment she strolled into town, but when she cussed out a new member of vault 88 for their comments towards him he knew he was in love.

He asked her once what shaped her radically accepting attitude, and found himself a bit confused by the answer. 

“Well, you know when we still had mass media we had lots of science fiction. When I got unfrozen I had lots of ideas in regards to what could have happened to people stuck on the surface. I half expected people to have five arms and ten eyes. Or like, be yellow. But most people are just people, or maybe big and green, and you’re basically some dude that got radiation zombified. I'm not gonna be like ‘Ahhhhhh this dude got no nose’. I feel like people should just be grateful that ghouls can keep their sense and get over it”. Nora smiled through her explanation, especially when he started cracking up. 

“Just some dude with no nose huh?” He chuckled once he could speak without laughing again. 

“Yu-p” She popped the p. 

“Well, I can appreciate that sister” he chuckled. Her worldview was certainly unique. He really appreciated it though. In a world where a lot of people thought him a monster, Nora hardly gave him a second glance. Treated him with friendliness and compassion. She found their differences more fascinating than disgusting. He enjoyed traveling with her, protecting her, spending time with her. Loved making her laugh. 

He was surprised when her acceptance went so far as to harbor feelings for him, but he wasn’t about to start questioning her when she was giving him his wildest dreams. She’d give him an earful, he knew, if she ever caught wind of him doubting why she loved him. They were practically a family now, with the institute gone and a synth child to care for. Still, he didn’t quite understand that she really just saw them as people until he saw her crumple to the ground after a fight. 

It was an easy fight, just some ferals. He still found himself looking her over after the fight for injury, because she was sobbing.

“Sunshine, what’s wrong baby?” He tried to hold her, realized she was holding the feral’s mangled hand. It was heavily decayed, with a locket fused into its eternally clenched hand. Nora shook her head, gasped, let him rub her back till she could find words. 

“Sarah-” She sobbed, voice breaking with the word. Dissolved into tears again. Sniffed loudly. “Sarah Donoghue.” 

“That’s her name? You knew her?” He questioned. She nodded, sniffed again and turned. She pulled off her pack, dug through to a small pocket in the interior lining. Pulled out a gold locket, one that looked almost exactly like the silver one clutched in the feral’s hand. He gave her a squeeze, let her lean on his shoulder. He gave her time to talk. 

“We went to university together. We wrote each other while Nate and I served, worked together on sanctuary. Kept the community together when everyone started suspecting each other. She was-” She started crying again. “She didn’t deserve this”. He took her hand, eased it away from Sarah's. Wrapped Nora in a hug. She cried, long and deeply into his chest. He desperately tried to think of something he could do or say to help her feel better. He knew she grieved, but she always seemed to handle it so well. He’d never seen her so deep in it before. 

“She died a long time ago baby, she hasn’t felt nothin for a long time.” He tried to reassure. Nora nodded, heaved in his arms. 

“I know, I know it was so long ago and god-” She paused, sobbed, sniffed and took a deep breath. “I hope you’re right but”. Her voice dropped to a whisper, he could feel her gripping the front of his coat tight. “-It’s been a year for me”. 

And fuck, it had been a year for her. He had always respected her, didn’t really know if he could admire her any more, but it really had been a year since she woke up from what felt like a nap to the end of the world and her family, and walked it off. Managed to avoid dissolving into grief long enough to make the commonwealth an objectively better and safer place to live. He didn’t know how anyone did that. 

“Can I see the locket sunshine?” He wanted to get a glimpse of her life before the war, of who this Sarah was. She nodded, pulled away enough to open the locket, let him see the picture on the inside. 

“Hers has the same photos” It was a photo of the two of them on a lush beach, holding each other wearing bikinis and making a heart with their hands together with the sunset lighting them. Nora was plumper than she was now, paler too with a light speckling of freckles. Her hair was longer, tied back with a braid. Sarah had cornsilk blond hair and more freckles than Nora, with bright green eyes. She wore a large beach hat and held an open wooden fan behind Nora. they both looked incredibly happy. 

“She helped me with shawn too, helped make sure Nate didn’t go insane. Always brought her guy Buck along to help.” She turned the little panel in the center of the locket to show the photo on the other side. A man who must be Nate pressed a kiss to the head of a sweaty and flushed Nora, a rather muscular clean shaven man with brown hair and a few scars, wearing a sweater and holding what must be baby Shawn. Nora was beaming, eyes on her son, holding a finger up to the child so he could take her finger in his tiny grip. Kneeling by the bed, Sarah held up a peace sign to the camera, her other hand in Nora’s grip. A redheaded man with long curly hair and a goofy smile seemed to be holding the camera, himself at a very awkward angle. 

“She sounds like a lovely person” Hancock spoke, ran a finger over the edge of the locket. 

“I should have never gone in that vault”. Nora spoke in one quick breathe. 

“Don’t say that sunshine” Hancock pulled her close again quickly, ran a hand through her hair. “You’re the best thing to happen to this joint in centuries-”. Nora pushed at his chest.

“But maybe the whole place would be better if the past could stay dead. I mean, making super mutants, half of the creatures out in the wasteland, even the bombs, it was all to protect people stuck in the past. If-” He hated this line of reasoning. It felt eerily like the time Nora came back from the Institute. Another way for her to blame herself for the world. 

“Baby, it was your old world ideals of decency, your old world family loyalty, your old world education and cleverness and experience, that made it possible for you to do what you do. You didn’t cling to that, you used it, shared it. Brought us all a little closer to that ‘common decency’ you talk about all the time. You-” He used the space Nora created to hold her face, brush some tears away. Made her look at him. “You’re a fucking miracle baby. I know it hurts, I’ll always be in awe of how you handle it, but I am so glad you made it.” Nora nodded, closed her eyes and leaned back into his arms. 

“I wish anyone else could have made it too”. She sighed, turned her head to look at Sarah once more. Nora had calmed her sobbing, just looking at Sarah with wet eyes.

“Do you wanna bury her?” Nora nodded immediately, trying to get up on shaking limbs. He pushed her back down. “I’ll dig, you cover me, yeah?” Nora nodded. 

“Thanks, John” Nora spoke quietly when he turned to set to work. 

“Ain’t nothing baby.” He spoke calmly. “Ain’t nothing”.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

To Hell...: Part Two

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.9k

Summary: A man intentionally admits to murdering ten people he didn’t kill all because his sister is missing. The facts take you to a pig farm where a world of horror is waiting for you.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated

x

Everyone heads back to the conference room to talk about the new evidence while Will stays in the interrogation room. You play the voicemail for everyone to hear.

"William, are you there? Something bad is happening. It's dark. I don't know where he's taking me--"

"After that, the signal cuts out."

"Is this the same night she left her mom's house?" Spencer asks.

"Yeah. Will called in an army favor. They triangulated the call to a cell tower in Canada just over the border in Port Huron. It explains why he crossed into your jurisdiction."

"It's also a surefire way to get the FBI involved. He knew we'd investigate an American citizen being held on multiple murder charges."

"You believe him?" Jeff asks you.

"I do." Penelope calls and you place her on speakerphone. "Go ahead, Penelope."

"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I've got IDs on multiple border crosses for the dates in question. The trouble is, I've got hundreds, and as far as I can tell if your license doesn't ping for any prior felonies, you're pretty much gonna pass go and collect two hundred Canadian dollars."

"She's right. That's the busiest cross in North America. There's a lot of commercial traffic, trucks mostly. Stop and searches would cause too many delays."

"He's got a virtually free pass, and once he crosses, there's nothing but woods to hide whatever he's doing."

Rossi and Hotch managed to get Jeff to release William so that he's under the FBI's jurisdiction. Hotch wants him patrolling the streets like he's been doing. He has a rapport with those people, so he's the best bet in noticing if someone is missing. If something comes up, then there is a lot more manpower to deal with it than what Will's been given.

You and Spencer walk into the conference room where JJ is on the phone.

"Yes, ma'am, right now we just consider them missing. The second I get more information, I'll be in contact with you."

"How's it going?"

"The majority of the people on the street aren't even from Detroit. We don't have last names or hometowns on most of them. Unless there's a missing persons report on file somewhere, it's almost impossible."

"Most of these people's families probably gave up on seeing them long ago," Spencer sighs.

"A mother would never give up." You have to agree with JJ here. If your child went missing, you'd do anything to find them. "Can you hand me William's arrest report?"

Spencer does, and she leaves the room just in time for Penelope to call.

"Yeah, Garcia?"

"Sherlock, it's Watson. I think I've got something."

"What do you have?"

Rossi enters the room to hear what Penelope has to say.

"I checked Detroit crime reports over the last month because Derek and Emily astutely thought there might be some sort of assaults or disturbances having to do with our unsub. Well, it's tres weird but on five of the abduction nights, Detroit PD reports a break-in or a robbery at some type of medical facility."

"What type of medical facility?"

"We got a hospital, blood bank, medical supply company, and the Red Cross. He's not even stealing narcotics. The stuff he took is anesthesia, sterilizing equipment, and syringes."

"Where were these places located?"

"Putnam Street, St. Antoine, East Hancock, and Martin Luther King Boulevard."

"Those are all in the Cass Corridor."

That's where everyone seems to be disappearing from.

"Do you have a list of what else he stole?" you ask and grab a pen and paper.

"IV tubes, an infusion pump, units of O-negative blood, chest tubes, O-silk sutures, and Elastoplast."

"Thanks, Pen." Spencer hangs up. "You don't just randomly know how to hook a line up to an infusion pump, or that O-neg is the only safe blood type for any victim."

"I'll tell Hotch we think we know what he's doing with them," Spencer says.

Rossi and Jeff gather the men and women of the police force so that you can deliver the profile. Something about this doesn't make sense to you, but with all the evidence in front of you, you have no choice but to go with what everyone else is saying.

"We believe the man we're looking for is a sexual sadist. What this means is that for him, torture becomes a substitute for the sex act. The fact that he's stealing medical equipment like sterilizing agents and anesthesia tells us he may be performing experiments or surgeries on his victims," Rossi begins.

"We believe this unsub gets gratification from his ability to keep his victims alive in order to endure more torture. The choice of items stolen is extremely specific, which makes us believe he's got a medical background, so check disciplinary files at hospitals, med schools, and community health organizations. People would have noticed his behavior."

"This is someone who would volunteer to perform painful procedures," you state. "He would spend extra time probing a broken hand or a distended abdomen, and after a long day when everyone else is emotionally drained from multiple traumas and mangled bodies, he'd be the one pushing his coworkers to go out for a drink and talk about their day."

"Now, we know what you're thinking--a profile is fine, but our best shot at stopping this guy is still to catch him in the act. This unsub is extremely smart and obviously organized. He's managed to abduct very different victims with very different abilities, all with no witnesses. That's why we're coordinating with the police and our agents on the ground in Detroit."

"We've also asked Sergeant Hightower to act as a guide on the streets in Detroit while he's in our custody," Rossi says.

Everyone looks at Will who is silent at the table.

"That's it. If you have any questions, you find me or one of the agents," Jeff says to his people.

William is about to get up when he sees someone enter the station with JJ. He goes rigid like he's not expecting someone he knows to show up here.

"What's she doing here?" he asks angrily.

"We've notified all the family members we can locate."

"You have no right."

"It's her daughter," Rossi says. "She has a right to know."

William looks at the picture of his sister on the board and lets a tear roll down his cheek. If he's getting this emotional, then that can only mean the woman with JJ is his mother.

"It's one thing to believe Lee is lost on the streets, but I don't want her to know that there's a killer out there. We know how this is gonna end."

"No, we don't."

"Look, everything I have done is to find the truth so I can spare her. I don't want her living off hope."

"There are worse things," Jeff says.

"You're wrong. Bad news stops us for a while, but then you move on. Hope is paralyzing."

"He has a point," you say. "Hope in situations like this drains you of the person you are. I'd rather the bad news."

His mother stands at the doorway so that when he looks behind him, he sees the look on her face. He gets up to greet her even though he can't seem to say anything. She doesn't say anything but opens her arms for him, to which he hugs her back.

"Oh, my God," she whispers and pulls away from Will to approach the board with all the victims on it. "Are all these people missing?"

"We believe so."

"Do you have any suspects?"

"No, but we have a strategy to try to catch him. William is helping."

"My daughter... Is there any chance she could still be alive?"

"It's possible."

"Do you know what he's doing to them?"

"It's difficult to say."

JJ escorts Will's mother out of the room to sit somewhere else to answer a few questions. You, Hotch, and Will are going to join Derek and Emily down at the station in Detroit while the rest stay in Canada. You reach over to grab Spencer's hand but he quickly moves it away from you.

"Please don't touch me."

"Oh, okay."

"I mean, not my hands," he stutters.

"You don't have to explain yourself. It's okay. I'll call you if we find something."

You leave Spencer with that and head to Detroit with Will and Hotch. Spencer is still probably freaked out about what happened with the whole Anthrax situation, so you'll give him as much space and time as he needs to heal. In the meantime, you have a case to worry about. Emily and Derek meet you at the station when you arrive in Detroit.

"Thanks for believing me," Will says to you and Hotch.

"You don't have to thank us," you say.

"William, I want you to understand that even if we catch him, you're probably gonna end up doing some time in Canada."

"I can live with that."

You three get out and walk over to Derek and Emily who is with a woman.

"Detective Tay Benning, this is SSA Aaron Hotchner and SSA Y/N."

"Hi, this is William Hightower. He's gonna help us on the ground. Will, these are agents Prentiss and Morgan. We should split up and cover male and female potential victims."

We'll take the men," Derek says.

"I'll make introductions for you," Will offers.

"Stay close to your phones. If anyone's out of place, Detective Benning can get a name and a description of our patrol cars as quickly as possible."

You, Emily, and Hotch go off to talk to the women while Will, Detective Benning, and Derek talk to the men. This unsub is going to strike again with someone in this area soon whether that be tonight or tomorrow. He's stuck to a tight schedule in the past and you don't think he's going to deviate from that. Yes, it'd be much easier to approach a prostitute rather than a homeless man, so how is he doing it? The question is, why does he alternate victims in clusters of men and women? Why take the men at all if this has a sexual component to it?

The unsub sees these people as disposable, it doesn't matter if they're male or female. For a sexual sadist, male or female isn't important because the torture itself is the sex.

Unless sex has nothing to do with this.

With the photos that Will provided you with, you're able to go around and check off who is working on the street. There are only three people who have not been accounted for, and you go to Hotch once he's done with his section. Will had come back to Hotch after he made an introduction to Derek, so he is in the car with Hotch.

"We have three unaccounted for."

Hotch and Will get out of the car and approach some girls on the street with you and Emily by their sides.

"Excuse me, ladies, did you see any of these girls leave with customers?"

You show them the photos of the three girls.

"I saw Monica and Sasha leave with two men, but I don't know about Kelly."

"Do you know where they would go?"

"There's a parking lot down at Cass Park. The girls have their Johns park there."

Hotch walks away and dials Detective Benning to confirm this.

"What about Kelly? Is there a reason why you wouldn't have seen her leave?" you ask.

"I don't know. I could have been distracted."

"So, she was here before? Was there any reason she would sneak off?" Will asks.

"I don't know what she does. She's fresh meat out here."

"Okay," Hotch returns, "Detroit PD confirmed two prostitutes with Johns in the parking lot at Cass Park."

"We're short one girl."

"Did you know his sister, Lee Hightower?" you ask.

"Yeah, I knew her."

"Is there any place where she would have taken clients? Maybe somewhere the other girls wouldn't go?"

"She didn't do it normally. She'd try to get a real job but then she'd slip. Then about a month and a half ago, she said she was leaving."

"That's when I took her to my mom's," Will says.

"I haven't seen her since."

x

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[blacklegsanjiii]

I love the warlord!Sanji acesan shovel talk sm <3 also this is really sad but what would have happnd if sanji's execution had succeeded and he really did die? i nkow the warlords prbly wouldve still declared war on the wg and the straw hats would wreak havoc as wle, but do you have any thoughts? how does each parent grieve, how do the crew react upon finding sanji's secret only after his death? can sanji ever be brought back- maybe reiju pulls through again somehow with germa tech that somehow revives sanji- or is he gone forever? these thoughts are haunting me

JESUS OW! THAT HURTS I LOVE IT!

First, his execution if succeeded, would have been taped and possibly broadcasted after the fact, ensuring the fact his death is in fact truthful. The only person up on the platform who looks pleased is Akainu the fucker. Kizaru, usually so unbothered, and Sengoku watched this kid grow up in Warlord meetings but justice comes first and Sanji is a pirate. When Sanji is asked if his parents would be proud Sanji just smiles and in a way similar to Ace and says his parents would be proud, but not the ones the Government wants. After all, he was raised by five Warlords. He's smiling at Akainu, smiling in the face of death and stabbed by the spear/trident things they use in the executions.

The next the newscoo brings reports of Doflamingo and Boa Hancock declaring war on the World Government, the day after Mihawk, a few days later Crocodile and those he rounded up from Baroque Works. Jinbei doesn't but the crew sees how stricken he is. It is immensely heartbreaking to hear Jinbei cry about Sanji, his son, which rocks the crew. They plan a funeral and send out the calls to inform everyone when and where.

Everyone turns up, Law and his crew, Vivi and Karoo, Ace and the White Beard fleet, Perona, and the four warlords who declared war against the government. Law and Vivi are immediately ready for a fight but Jinbei stops them, reminding them they're all here for the same reason. They don't entirely let their guard down and when Zoro asks Perona how she knew Sanji she looks at him like he's dumb.

"We grew up in the warlord meetings together, dummy. He was my baby brother basically." Perona huffs and Mihawk sends a glare at them both.

"Does Moria know you're here?" Crocodile asks her.

"He let me go to Mihawk's for weeks on end to see Sanji, I don't see how his funeral would be different." Perona says solemnly and Crocodile nods. After the "service" if you could call it that everyone parts ways. The crew deals with the fact Sanji was raised differently. Zoro and Nami are angry at the secret, Franky and Robin understand the necessity of such a secret. Brook tries to comfort Jinbei but no parent should have to bury their child. Luffy is angry that Sanji is dead, furious, he doesn't care who Sanji's parents are, doesn't matter. Usopp and Chopper are crying, they've always been pretty free with their emotions so more secrets are just more tears for them.

As for the warlords grieving? Crocodile has always been a workaholic so he's definitely rebuilding his empire while waging war. Boa retakes Amazon Lily and builds a shrine to Sanji that's private, for her and Sanji's fathers. She sits by it every time she gets home and just sobs and lets her anger fester until she goes out again. Doflamingo lets his fury guide him, he's never really had to mourn before. He doesn't understand it and so he just kills whoever is in his way to get to whoever sanctioned the killing of his child. Similarly Mihawk has never really had to mourn before, but he understands the process in theory. He probably calls Shanks up at one point to ask when he stopped crying about Roger and Shanks admits he still cries about it, not as often, maybe a couple of times a year but in the beginning it was a lot and often.

Below is if Sanji is saved, miraculously.

IF SANJI is brought back by Reiju, or in my beautiful world of all the siblings defying Judge because the brothers are learning emotions, 0124 bring Sanji back I can't imagine them bringing Sanji to the Sunny is a safe option. Nor is Amazon Lily or Kuriagana and Doffy doesn't even have a ship which leads to four genetically modified siblings dropping off the least modified sibling in front of Daz, Croc, and a few others as they rush to explain they saved Sanji and revived him and they can't see their brother's crew because of the pact Judge has with Luffy. Sanji is also probably a mess because he died and now he's not dead and is having several issues with that and being away from crew.

Croc's first thought is to get his dumbass kid re-acclimated to being alive first and reuniting him with his crew second. The first does involve some of the best doctors Croc knows running tests on his kid to make sure he's alright because he knows Sanji has been revived before when he was a kid in Germa, also they used Germa tech to do it which makes it worse. But once Sanji is relatively calmed down and used to being alive again Crocodile calls the parents and lets them know A. Sanji is alive thanks to Germa tech and his siblings and B. Is taking him to his crew.

His crew is ecstatic to see him and there's happy tears all over but also he's alive. Reiju explains everything and Sanji is tucked away in a pile of Strawhat Pirates.

[fallout4-reacts]

Can you give your idea about every important npc like you've done about the companions ? (by important npc I mean Sturge, the long family, diamond city mayor, Fahrenheit and etc)

Interesting one and I am so eager that you will just hm... jump the list

(I will be so hated)

Part 1

Sturges - Fahrenheit - Tinker Tom - Irma

Sturges had to be gay. If not, he needs to be an ace/aro. It would be shame if he isn't.

Because you absolutely need Sturges as your gay best friend. The gay best friend of everyone.

Yes, he is a modest, ingenious man who comes up with his own words when none exist to express what he wants to say—not quite as intense as Tinker Tom, but you get the picture.

Everyone, even homophobes, needs Sturges as their gay best buddy. They just don’t know he is. They’ll appreciate him.

Furthermore, presuming he isn't Ace/Aro, Sturges is, secretly or not, attracted by Preston. And if he is Ace/Aro, he still has to have a platonic crush on Preston.

Well, that's all there is to it.

Although Preston is charming, the ragtag group of Quincy survivors would be severely lacking in charisma if it weren't for Sturges, our gay neutral buddy who possesses an excess of verve that overwhelms our feeble minds.

It is canonical that Fahrenheit is Hancock's daughter. It's in the code. That's it.

Why didn't Bethesda have the guts to include it in the game? No idea. Still, she's.

Now that we've covered that, let's move on to the two headcanons in the game.

To start, no one has mentioned the fact that she is actually Hancock's daughter.

It is clear that Hancock knew her mother before he turned ghoul. For one, Fahr wouldn't exist if it weren't for this. Second, she would be younger than five years old.

With this being, it's plausible that Fahr hasn't spent much time in Hancock's company, even given she's between the ages of 25 and 35.

For the most part, I'm fine with the 2-3 year time frame that's commonly used in fan fiction.

On the other hand, I have my own headcanon.

Fahrenheit was born out of a fleeting encounter with a girl, a bar, and a reckless young Hancock. Totally careless to the point where the pregnant woman wanted him to know absolutely nothing about her pregnancy.

An affair with the stunning McDonough for just one evening? Of course. Sharing parental responsibilities? At no point.

However, Hancock had found the truth in some way. Perhaps his own brother was aware of what was happening and wished for him to suffer hardship.

"You are such a disaster; Alyssa has fled Diamond City so you will never find out you are a father!"

When it happened, Hancock's havoc level skyrocketed. So much so that his friend Nick, who was becoming famous for his sleuthing abilities, once suggested he go after the girl and the child, who was probably a toddler by then.

And he found them.

Here's another set of diverging head canon. Some where Nick is unable to rescue the mother but the child, while others have Hancock watching after his ex-girlfriend from a distance as his daughter grows up.

But eventually, mom either dies or vanishes. And the Wasteland is no place for Fahrenheit to be alone.

Next, we have two more variances.

1. Similar to Piper and Nat, Hancock takes in and raises the girl as best he can. In contrast, Fahr is more of a rat street and does not receive much direct attention from Hancock. Nevertheless, compared to the Wasteland, being Diamond City's rat street, or kind of drifter, is greater.

Or

2. Fahrenheit is bestowed upon a family that Hancock has confidence in.

Whatever the case may be, Farh eventually shows up at Goodneighbor after Hancock turns into a ghoul and is almost definitely involved with Vic's expulsion. The still, small voice that encouraged Hancock to do it.

Fahr already sees her father's potential—with a little guidance—as a Master of Chest, and she wants to help him reach it.

She is quite helpful.

Rather than deal with a symbolic authority that she leaves to her father, she chooses to focus on the military corpus.

That concludes her relationship with Hancock.

Now let's talk about her personality.

The character Fahrenheit is more nuanced than her lines suggest, as is typical in Fallout.

An observer, she is.

She avoids bonding herself with anyone, as they are just pawns on her board.

No matter how fond she is of Hancock and how dedicated she is to his goal, she still looks down on him.

The wickedness she experienced as a child is largely to blame for this. She could have been led to believe by her mother that her father had abandoned the family. Or something.

Also, her mother perhaps has been cold and distant as she struggled to provide for her family. Perhaps she felt this way because her daughter was a bittersweet reminder that she will never get her heart's desire.

Whatever the case may be, it's given a Fahrenheit that doesn't connect to anyone or open to anyone.

She prefers to follow her own path and isn't interested in sharing it with anyone.

This is something that Hancock acknowledges and values.

That is why Hancock has her respect.

That is why they make a great duo to lead Goodneighbor in the right direction.

One of Deacon's greatest secrets is Tinker Tom.

Yeah, you heard me well.

Of Deacon.

There is an unstated origin story behind Tinker Tom. He was rescued by Deacon, who then integrated--hide--him in the RailRoad. That is precisely why Tinker is so incredibly paranoid. Simply put, he has an absolutely compelling reason to be so.

Everything he experienced and learned is a thousand times worse than anything you can ever fathom.

A timid young prodigy who was relentlessly exploited until Deacon came along and provided him with a safe haven.

Now, most people respect him; those who seek his assistance must first prove they deserve it.

He is under no more any sort of obligation.

Yet, he keeps a subdue attitude in face of the "RailRoad leader", but it's all a joke between Deacon and Tom, and Tom KNOW that no one can command him anymore, be mean with him in any meaner. 

Should one go on, Deacon would expose his worst traits, leading to the person's doom...

And somehow, everyone in the RailRoad realizes that.

Irma is a woman of power. While they were younger, she flirted with Marowski and took advantage of him.

Simply put, she is a woman with the big W.

A stunning lady.

But she refuses to be a pawn for anybody.

She had brought the Memory Den long before it became significant. It wasn't just anything; it was plainly a brothel.

Bawd suit well to Irma. A clever matron.

And Amari is a very wise lady as well.

Akin to Irma, she has seen the property's potential. The proposal was made by her. They have associate.

And that's Irma that tricked Nick Valentine in the Memory Den.

Because it was not otherwise.

After following the trail of a runaway spouse once, Nick arrived at the Third Rail. He was quickly spotted by Irma.

At that time, he was not quite as battered as he is today. Everything about him—his handsome style, his deep, cool voice, and his gentlemanly behavior—was exquisite for someone with an open mind.

His charms have captivated Irma.

She has exhausted every possible means to lure him into her clutches. However, he still manages to gracefully sidestep her traps.

And her attraction has just intensified. Nevertheless, she possesses an elitist aspect that should not be lowered. Never she would have kneel for him.

After that, a status quo of sorts. Just like him, she's a gamer.

However, if the SoSu are successful in their romance with Nick, Irma will go absolutely wild. SoSu, be careful with your drink if Irma serves it to you.

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 10

It's a shitty episode, that's what this is.

Why does this episode suck? Well, we start off with Kaji taking Asuka shopping for bathing suits. She's going on a school trip to Okinawa, you see. She asks him if he went on any school trips when he was her age, and he says he couldn't because Second Impact was happening back then. Anyway, Kaji sucks and I hate him.

As it turns out, she can't even go on the stupid trip, because NERV wants the Eva pilots on standby in case of an Angel attack. You'd think this would be a standing order year-round, but Asuka is gobsmacked to find out she's not allowed to just do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. You're in the army now, kid.

Here's the thing about Asuka. I was kind of looking forward to her introduction into the story, because Rei and Shinji were practically comatose throughout the early episodes of this show. At least she would bring some energy to this thing, I thought. And she does, but mostly it's a whiny, bratty, irrational energy that gets old pretty quickly. When Misato tells Asuka she can't go on the trip, Asuka demands to know who gave the order. Well, Misato did, dummy. She's your commanding officer. When she can't argue with that, she argues with Shinji, expecting him to say something to resolve this, like he has any control over the situation. But Shinji kind of expected this to happen, so he never got excited about the trip in the first place.

This is the origin of that "so you've given up?" meme. I always took it at face value. That is, I assumed the scene was Asuka asking Shinji if he was quitting something hard, and he just casually admits that he's collapsing in the face of adversity. But the actual context is that Asuka is trying to cajole Shinji into the impossible task of getting them a furlough from their indispensable child soldier jobs. When that doesn't work, he insults his manhood, then asks Misato why they don't just find the Angels and destroy them first, so they're not always on stand-by to defend against an attack. Misato's like, kid, if we knew how to do that, don't you think we'd have already done it?

Misato points out that both Shinji and Asuka can use the downtime to catch up on their studies, seeing as their grades haven't been very good. At this, Asuka tries to claim that the school's grading system is irrelevant. Kid, just shut up. You're not gonna win this one.

Anyway, Big Rigg Mahoney sends his regards from Okinawa.

So at the base, Shinji studies, and Asuka tries to do scuba diving in the pool, since she can't do it at Okinawa. Turns out Asuka's already graduated college? She claims the physics problem Shinji is working on is easy, but her grades were poor because she hasn't learned enough Kanji to read the questions. Also Asuka wonders aloud if thermal expansion would make her bust bigger. I wasn't going to say anything, but I think the animators on this episode already made her bust bigger, because Asuka looks like Boa Hancock in this turkey.

Meanwhile, a joint NERV-SSDF mission discovers a juvenile Angel inside a volcano. This is a huge opportunity to study the things and learn more about them, so the Eva pilots are mobilized to go in and retrieve it.

Asuka insists on being the one to actually made the dive, because I guess she drank like fifteen cups of coffee before this episode started. Settle down, dammit.

Asuka is chosen to make the dive, but her Eva will have to wear this dorky looking exosuit to withstand the temperature and pressure.

Also, Asuka herself has to wear a modified plugsuit that looks like this for... some reason? It's supposed to protect her from the heat, but she's going to be surrounded by the Eva, which will also be surrounded by an exosuit. How much more protection does she need? And why does inflating the plugsuit make it safer?

Asuka whines about these intolerable conditions, until Rei offers to pilot Unit 02 in her place. Asuka quickly changes her mind, since she can't bear the thought of getting left out of the mission. Geez, she's like a toddler!

So we go on the mission, and Asuka asks if Kaji will be here to see her in action, and Misato informs her that this is none of his damn business. It's called "professionalism", Asuka, look into it.

As they prepare, Misato explains that if the Angel can't be captured, or if it matures into adult form, then they'll have to destroy it. And if they fail, the UN will blow up the whole volcano, and all of them along with it. Shinji asks who would order such extreme measures, and duh, it's his dad, the guy in charge of the whole organization.

From here, most of the episode looks like it was filmed inside a Nintendo Virtual Boy. This probably was considered pretty badass in the late 90s, but no, it looks like crap. They just keep lowering Asuka further and further down in search of this thing, and then she finds it and puts it in some kind of rectangle.

Rectangle secured, mission accomplished, OR IS IT?

Turns out the Angel hatches just as Asuka starts heading back for the surface, and the device she used to contain the Angel can't handle its adult form. Misato orders her to release it and head back to the surface as quickly as she can.

The fight sucks because you can't see anything. Asuka had a "progressive knife" when she went down, but she dropped it during the descent. So Shinji tosses down his own and she catches it and fights back, but the thing is still incredibly strong and durable, becuase it lives inside a volcano for crying out loud.

At last, Asuka remembers that conversation about thermal expansion and uses that to win. Something about diverting the coolant in her Eva while she attacks with the progressive knife, but I can't see what she's doing and I probably wouldn't understand it anyway. The Angel disintegrates... I guess? And she returns to the surface.

So Misato takes them to a hot spring near the volcano to celebrate a job well done. The girls ask Shinji to toss them a bottle of shampoo over the retaining wall, and then he hears them... tickling each other? And he gets a boner? I guess that's a joke? A plot point? Why the fuck is this in the show?

There's also a cryptic exchange between Misato and Asuka. Misato has a scar on her abdomen which she says she got during Second Impact. Asuka asks Misato if she knows about her past, and Misato does but assures Asuka that they need to put it behind them. So I guess we'll find out what that means one of these days.

And there we are. This was dumb. Most of the show was Asuka babbling like an idiot, or people watching machines lower other machines into lava. The show continues to drop all these hints and clues about the characters' backstories, but it never puts any of the pieces together. It just gets really formulaic, and I think the best evidence of this is the fact that I got mixed up while playing this DVD, and I accidentally watched Episode 11 first, thinking it was 10. So I had to go back and watch this one, but I could have just as easily skipped it, because nothing happened that had any long-term consequences.

[hancocksspouse]

Ch. 11

—

It was the green fog rolling around ahead of them that tipped them off before they were even close enough for the Geiger counter to read it. A sickness began to coil around in Doll’s stomach the same as the radioactive air ahead of them and she had to stop and gather herself before they got any closer. At first, she thought it was the rads making her feel sick but realized it couldn’t be, recalling the lack of sound from her counter.

She knew this feeling. It wasn’t a good one.

“You gonna be okay, sister?” Hancock asked, still holding her helmet firmly under his arm as he promised he would, looking up at her. She swallowed, her throat clenching tightly.

“Have you...ever been here? In the Glowing Sea?” She asked, staring ahead of them. Hancock looked in the same direction and frowned.

“Personally, nah. Never had a reason to. But I heard about it from all kindsa people. Scavvers, settlers, drifters. Even came across a child of Atom that told me about it”, he said, lighting a cigarette.

“Ground zero”, she murmured quietly. He nodded in response.

“Yea”.

A silence floated between them for a moment, neither one moving from their spot and Hancock knew why.

The commonwealth had always been like this for him. He grew up in the aftermath of the war, knowing nothing but the wastelands as they were now. Shacks built of scrap metal and rickety boards and dusty, dingy mattresses were a norm for him. Bugs the size of full grown dogs and super mutants was just another day in the ‘wealth as far as he was concerned and everyone carried a gun on them, if not more and a few molotovs.

But she was pre-war. 200 years on ice with only the memories of her life before. She woke up to find everything as she remembered gone. It had only been a few months for her and despite their constant running around, she never saw the extent of the destruction from the bomb site itself. She only saw the fallout afterwards and she was about to step foot into the crater that wiped out her home state as she knew it.

“Listen, Doll”, he said, dropping the butt of his cigarette and stomping it out before turning fully towards her, brow furrowed. “Before we go in there, I want you to know that...nothin’ you’re about to see in there is gonna be particularly...nice. Not a whole lotta people go in there on purpose but regardless of whether it’s the rads or somethin’ else, no one comes outta there the same.”

Her jaw clenched as she felt every muscle in her body tense enough to make her physically incapable of responding, but she didn’t need to.

“However, no matter how this goes, what you see, if this Virgil guy is even in here, or whatever the hell else happens, I got your back, sunshine. I promise”, he said, a small smile on his thin lips. It almost reassured her enough to distract from the sinking, overwhelming dread that had settled into her heart as she nodded back, trying her best to smile. Hancock held up her helmet to her and she took it from him and latched it into place, taking a shaky breath as her eyes adjusted to the crosshairs now in her line of sight and her stats in the lower corner.

“Thanks, Hancock”, she finally choked out before gathering her nerves and walking slowly through the veil of green, rifle in hand. He chuckled as he followed with his shotgun.

“Not a problem, sunshine”.

-

The quick change of scenery between where they stood now and where they were not even 5 ft ago was jarring to her. Everything was dead. From the very ground itself to the husks of trees scattered throughout. Her pace had slowed a bit as she took in the destruction surrounding her, trying to ignore how hard her throat was clenching and how difficult it was getting to breathe.

As much as she hated confined spaces, she was now thankful for the helmet covering her face so Hancock couldn’t see the way her jaw lightly quivered as she took in everything she was seeing. The decimated bridge, the pools of radiation and the feral ghouls that stood in it.

“Are they even aware of what happened?” She asked out loud. “Do they even know they’re here? Or that they were normal people once?”

Hancock’s brow rose in worry as he looked from her to the ferals in the distance, sighing.

“I can’t say they do. But maybe they’re better off for it”, he said. “So, what do you wanna do? Go around ‘em or...?” She lowered her weapon slowly.

“Let’s just...keep a low profile and try to avoid getting their attention. We aren’t here for them”, she gently said, continuing their pace. Hancock swung his shotgun onto his back and followed along behind her.

“Heh...you’re too kind, sunshine”, he chuckled. The shoulders of her armor slightly rose in a shrug.

“I won’t attack anything that isn’t trying to hurt me first. Feral or otherwise”.

The rad count began to bounce rapidly and she stopped for a moment, looking at her pip boy. Locations were showing on her map of the area. Not many, given where they were, but a few. Enough for her to consider finding them to see if they could find any leftover supplies or at least a resting spot.

“Things goin’ wild. Shouldn’t be too hard to find where we’re goin’ but we gotta make sure that suit holds”, Hancock said, walking a few steps ahead of Doll. “There’s a buncha nasty stuff out here could make a dent in that”.

The twists and turns currently taking place in her stomach were nothing to ease her and the farther they went, the worse it got. Gangly, skeletal bodies shuffled through puddles of glowing radiation, unaware of who they were, what they were, or why it even happened and all she could see in the deteriorating bodies were victims of a war that nobody won. The walk continued. It had to. Her feelings told her to grieve, to stop and cry and mourn. Her logic told her to keep going for now until she was at least safe to do so.

When she finally comes back to herself, she notices how Hancock has stopped ahead and seems to just look down into the crater below him. It gives off a brighter green and she frowns, knowing it can’t be anything good if he’s stopped there.

“Hancock...?” She asks and when she joins his side and looks down, she sees what he sees. A small group below of people that are willingly living in the radiation. Their hair is patchy and falling out, frames becoming thin and gaunt. Some are on their knees, facing the pools of radiation and praying to it. “Are they...?”

“The Children of Atom”, he nods, frowning. “I don’t really want us goin’ down there but they may know where your scientist is lying low out here”.

She doesn’t look at them the same way she looks at the ferals. The way she looks at them is of resignation to the fact that they chose this. That they’re willingly wasting away in worship to the same thing that took her life away. Their reverence reminds her of the same people that at one point would demonize and harass her for things out of her control, but she reminds herself that these aren’t the same people. They’re worse because they’re armed.

“Don’t have much of a choice”, she says, slowly making her way down. “Stay here-”

“Nope”, he interrupts, matching her pace. “Especially not here”. A small smile comes over her and she nods as they approach one of the worshippers.

It’s obvious how wary she is upon seeing Doll and Hancock approach, but she meets them calmly.

“You approach Atom’s holy ground. Why? State your purpose or be divided in his sight”, she states. She makes it clear she’s the leader of this group and Doll steels her nerves.

“I’m looking for someone named Virgil”. The woman raises a brow for a moment.

“Virgil? Yes...we know this Virgil”, she responds. “What do you want with him?”

“I just need some information from him”, Doll says. Her tone sounds mildly hopeful and Hancock can hear it, remaining silent by her side. A suspicious look comes over the woman’s face.

“He has sought refuge with Atom. I would know more before I tell you where he is. What do you want with him?”

“I need his help reaching the Institute”, Doll says. She’s desperate now and mentally kicks herself for making it so clear.

“I have heard of this Institute. They hide themselves, trying to avoid the power of Atom. A futile effort”. The woman shakes her head in a menacing manner, only making clear how their ‘faith’ is rooted in cult mentality. “In truth, this Virgil has caused some concern. Some believe his presence is an affront to Atom. Though he came to trade with us on a few occasions, we have had little other contact with him. It was quite clear he wanted to be left alone”.

Doll swallows the forming lump in her throat, scared of their lead growing cold and their journey being for nothing, but the woman continues to speak.

“You can find him southwest of the crater, living in a cave. I would approach cautiously, were I you. I feel he does not want visitors”.

The sigh that escapes Doll is louder than she thought but she simply shakes her head.

“Thank you. We’ll leave you be now”, she says, checking her compass and immediately heading southwest, eyes peeled for a cave. Hancock glances around at the other worshippers that had since been shuffling around them but keeps pace with Doll as they continue on their search, having learned what they needed. 

“Well, now you’ve met some of the Children of Atom. Whatcha think?” Hancock asks. Had it not been for her helmet, he would see the way she throws her brows upward.

“I think they’re a cult that doesn’t realize all they’re doing is worshiping science but if that’s what lets them sleep at night then that’s their business”, she says. Her tone makes Hancock chuckle a bit at hearing the slight relaxation in her voice.

Their path begins to take them up a rocky hill and they both draw their guns and slow their steps.

“Can’t be too far from a cave now”, he says. A low rumble reaches their ears and they freeze upon hearing thundering footsteps and falling rock from the hill ahead. Horns peek out from a pile of rock and a deathclaw roars, seeing them below.

“Fuck”, Doll mumbles, taking aim. The gauntlets of her armor are too large to reach into her bag for explosives and they both slowly back up from the monster. “Hancock, we’re gonna need grenades, molotovs, something to slow it down and weaken it”.

“I got it”, he says, pulling a grenade from his bag and biting the pin before throwing it. The sudden explosion makes it stagger and slow down but it lunges towards them anyway. Both continue firing at it until it gets close enough that a shot from Hancock’s shotgun fires off while it’s mouth is open, hitting the soft spot in the roof of its mouth and blowing its brains out. The behemoth crumbles to the ground and both take a big breath of relief, reloading their guns.

“Bet that’ll be a good story to share when we roll back through GoodNeighbour”, she chuckles. Hancock nods with a smirk.

“Oh, believe me. That one’s gettin’ told more than once”. He looks up at where it was perched and points. “Wouldja look at that? I believe that’s exactly where we need to be, wouldn’t ya say?” Doll looks up and sees a cave entrance a few feet from where the deathclaw stood.

“I do believe it is”, she says, keeping her nerves under control as she makes her way towards it. Hancock catches up to her and stops her for a moment, confusing her.

“Lemme scout ahead for this one. If he’s hostile and hurts me, I’ll be fine but if he puts a dent in your armor, you’re toast and we’ll be stranded out here”, he says. She frowns but nods, allowing him to enter the cave first as she follows.

The cans hanging from the ceiling let them know he’s not one for company and so do the turrets but oddly enough, they don’t fire in their direction. A few steps further and Hancock’s brows furrowed as he turns to Doll.

“There’s no radiation in here”. He looks confused but Doll realizes he’s telling the truth when her Geiger counter makes no noises. She hesitates as she reaches up to unlatch her helmet but does it anyway, trusting Hancock and when she unlatches and removes it, she’s surprised to find it true.

“That’s...but how?” She asks but he can only shrug while she exits her power armor with a sigh. They hear footsteps further down and slowly follow the sound as a towering green form comes into view. Doll stops suddenly, making Hancock walk into her on accident. Her arm quickly shoots out and stops him from falling, pulling him against her before jerking her chin towards the figure.

The gargantuan form made it clear they were a super mutant but they’re dressed in what looked almost like a lab coat, stitched together piece meal to accommodate their body. The room itself is neatly arranged and even includes a terminal and a lab that looks well used.

“I...I think that’s Virgil”, Doll says as he looks their way, seeing the ghoul and wanderer in his doorway. He turns to them, chin up, small glasses balanced on his nose.

“Hold it!” he says, making them back up slightly. “Take it nice and slow, no sudden moves. I know you’re from The Institute, so where’s Kellogg? Huh? Trying to sneak up on me while you distract me? It’s not going to work! I’m not stupid, I knew they’d send him after me!” 

Doll raises her hands slowly, her guns still holstered as she takes a breath. 

“Take it easy. Kellogg’s dead”, she says. The look on his face does not relax, maintaining the air of suspicion and distrust. 

“Dead?...He’s...dead? Don’t you lie to me!”

She closes her eyes for a moment and looks back up at him. 

“I’m not lying. I killed him myself”, she calmly states. Virgil’s shoulders slowly begin to relax. 

“Did you? Kellogg was ruthless...There’s a reason The Institute used him to do their dirty work for so many years. I knew they’d send him after me; tried to prepare for it. But I still wasn’t sure I’d make it...” 

Virgil’s gaze and mind go elsewhere for a moment but he quickly recollects himself and looks up at the two wanderers that are now standing in his cave, boldly claiming to have killed The Institute’s lap dog. 

“And so you. You killed him, eh?” he asks. “Then what do you want with me?” 

A number of thoughts begin to race through her head all at once at the sudden question and for a second, she’s afraid she’ll take too long to answer him, but her racing thoughts soon grab a question from the air and force it from her mouth. 

“Why did you leave The Institute? I know you came from there”, she says. The question makes Hancock almost raise a brow at the boldness of it but he can’t help but agree that it’s still a good one. It wasn’t often they came across someone that escaped from The Institute that wasn’t a synth escapee, but instead, a scientist. An employee. One of their own. 

Doll, however, didn’t see it so much as bold but invasive. However, ever since hearing of his escape, she had to know what it was that had suddenly changed his mind about being there.

“You know about the escape? But how?” he asks her, but quickly shakes his head. “No, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going back...I can’t go back. Look at me!” 

It’s clear he’s getting frustrated and he turns his back to them, walking to the other side of his cave as Doll and Hancock slowly follow behind him. 

“Why are you even here? What do you want?”

“Relax”, Doll says. “I just need to know how to get in there”. 

They can almost hear the bones in his neck pop by how quickly he suddenly turns his head towards them. 

“Wait, what? Are you serious?” He turns back to them and she does not miss the pseudo judgmental look that comes over his face. “You want to get IN to The Institute? Are you insane?”

“Sometimes”, Hancock mutters quietly to himself, staying on guard. He doesn’t yet trust that things will remain peaceful but he will not deny how crazy they sound when they tell people what they’re setting out to do. Doll glances back at him, a brow raised and he puts his hands up before she turns back to Virgil, who continues to tell her just how impossible their mission is. 

“Never mind how nearly impossible that is, even if you were to succeed it’d almost certainly end in your immediate death”, he says, trying to make sense of what Doll has just disclosed to him. “What reason could you possibly have for taking that kind of risk?”

At that question, she can feel her throat tighten up but she clears it and sighs. She’s already revealed their intentions to him, she may as well tell him the why.

“I’m trying to find my son...The Institute kidnapped him”

Virgil’s face visually softens and he quickly understands.

“Oh. Oh no. I had no idea. I’m sorry”, he says, his attitude suddenly far more sympathetic to them. He lets out a deep sigh and awkwardly looks away.

“Yeah, the Institute has taken people from the Commonwealth in the past”

And with that, she knows they’re on the right track.

———

Damn, this update took a long ass time but in my defense, lotta shit has happened since I started this one. I do love this chapter however because i remember playing this part of the game and just wandering the glowing sea and finding all of the factories and just having so many questions with so many grim answers.

But hopefully, the wait was worth it!

Enjoy and as always, all interactions are welcome. Just be polite 🖤

-Hancock’s Spouse 🖤

[aith-art]

Falloutober 2023 - Day 18

"Respite"

Prompt by - @falloutober

Word Count - 1093

Smoke filled the air, people drifted to and from seats. Magnolia’s singing echoed throughout the old subway tunnel. She wasn’t quite loud enough to drown out the thrum of the lights. THe subtle hum of power coursing though the establishment. Even from the shadows at the back it was all becoming to much. 

My hands started grasping for something to hold onto, anything. My head hurt, everything was too loud. Leaning against a piller, I tried to ground myself. ..Placing my back flush to the wall and embracing the chill that came with it. But nothing helped. I could feel my body starting to shut down, my mind absorbing to much information. My breathing became raggedy, my hands shook. 

Pushing it all down as best as possible, I tried to formulate a plan. Find somewhere private that I could allow myself to collapse in. Leaving the Third Rail would take too long, risk too many people seeing me. My eyes landed on a doorway. THe VIP room. Noone had been using it. 

Without a second thought, I beelined for the room. Closing the old maintenance door behind me I let myself shake. Jumping and stimming and realising all the energy from the last few days. I’d done more than I should have. Pushed my limits further than I had in a long time. As I passed the manakins my legs gave way. Closing my eyes I let the flood of stress and anger and fear wash over me. My cheeks dampened. I couldn’t breath. It had been so stupid for me to come all the way out there. 

Even in the VIP room the lights were too much. My hands grasped at my ears wanting to remove all sensory stimulants. 

I don’t know how long I was like that, But it had been the respite I’d needed from the world. In a world like this it was so hard to keep everything bottled up and not go insane. 

Footsteps. 

Someone had entered the room. 

Wiping my face with my shirt, I shuffled towards a chair. My body still shook.

“Huh, Hadn’t thought anyone had been in here. Sorry.” Hancock. The Mayor of Goodneighbour. Great, I thought to myself. 

A second voice piped up from behind him, “Everything okay in there?” THis voice was younger. Not broken by chem use and ghoulification. 

Taking a deep breath, I tried to haul myself up. If I was atleast sitting it would be far less embarrassing. As my arms gave up on me, a figure I didn’t know was there to catch me. 

“Careful there. Don’t want you to hurt yourself.” His arms were hooked under mine, he helped me into the chair I had tried to sit in.  

With a shaky breath I tried to thank him, tried to appologise for being in the way of something. But the words couldn’t come out.  

“Well, well. You okay, Jules?” Hancock stood in the doorway. 

The stranger stood over me, he seemed to be studying me. I tried again, “I’m…” I took a breath, “Sorry, Hancock. Um…” I looked up at the stranger. 

“MacCready.” 

I knew that name. His face wasn’t one I recognised. But his name. MacCready? Where did I know that name from. Through the clouded memory of my past, I tried to find the missing peice. He wasn’t from the Mojave, he haddn’t recognised my name so he was someone I knew from the Capital Wasteland. MacCready. Capital Wasteland. I had the fleeting memory of a child, maybe 12, living in a cave and swearing worse than most of the travellers I knew. 

“You gonna keep staring at me?” He stated. 

I closed my eyes, turning my attention away from him and to the room. “I’m sorry. Just dazed.” I stood. He was there, making sure I didn’t collapse. Hancock hadn’t moved form the door. 

“Hey Jules, Me and the Merc here need to do some business. But if you’re looking for work, I might suggest enquiring with Charlie.” 

I gave him a nod, leaving before MacCready had chance to question who I was. 

Noone was supposed to see me like that, with all my walls down. Hancock had said he was a merc, maybe I could buy his silence. 

I watched as Hancock left the VIP room, alone. There hadn’t been screams, or gunshots, so maybe MacCready wasn’t dead. During the convosation with Charlie, I’d let my mind wander down the road to who he was, and I’d come out with an answer. And a reminder of my guilt. But that was an inescapable reality when I moved back out east. With my tip from Charlie tooked into my belt, I walked back into the room, leaning where Hancock had when he’d walked in. I was more myself than I had been moments before. 

MacCready sat, cleaning his gun. It was a well practiced motion. 

“You know,” I started, “I am sorry for how I was when you found me.” 

He looked up at me, still studying me. He still didn’t know who I was. But nearly a decade had past and I’d been through hell and back. 

“It’s fine. Guessing you ain’t with the Gunners, so you looking for a hired gun?” 

“No.” I walked further into the room, “Just trying to work out what a Mungo like you’s doing all the way out here.” 

MacCready froze. “You?” He stood, watching me intently. “Who are you?” 

“As Hancock said, my name’s Jules. Courier for anyone who can pay.” 

“That’s not… How do you know me? How do you know that word?” 

“What? Mungo’s? Met a bunch of kids bout a decade back. Leader was a little shit but they were alright. Why? You think you know me?” I was playing with him. It was evil of me. But it was fun. 

“I was not a little sh-” He stopped himself. “Okay maybe I was to outsiders. Doesn’t answer why you, why I…” His mind went into overdrive, thinking about all the strangers they’d let into Little Lamplight over the years. It wasn’t an expansive list. “Page?” It felt as if he was testing the name, like it had never been said before. 

“Once upon a time maybe. But it’s Jules now.” 

He stared a me, confusion mixed with resentment and awe. 

“It’s good to know your doing good for yourself RJ.” I managed. 

He kept staring. His eyes welling with tears. “We thought you were dead.” He whispered as we stood oposite each other. I put on a smile. 

“Suprise.” I whispered back.

[bottlepiecemuses]

Free Physically But Not Inwardly

We have seen that that King has hidden himself behind a mask for decades due to the government hunting him and any other Lunarians for experimentation. As a result he has done what he can to make sure that no one can see his own face and go to the government to tell them. 

It doesn’t help when a reward for just telling someone about a Lunarian’s whereabouts is about 100 million beris which is enough that any subordinate would be tempted to sell out their own superior so that they can enrich themselves. 

And looking back at the flashback as a child it’s evident that it’s no wonder he tries not to risk ever being captured again. He was barerly treated better than a lab rat and probably still has mental and emotional scars from that time. And one could say while he’s physically free he’s evidently can’t be mentally free since ever since he was free he has been doing his best to always make sure no one sees any hint of his most notable features with his wings being the sole exception. The government might not have him anymore but I don’t think he ever has truly lived a peaceful day since he left and probably still doesn’t know how to process what he’s gone through. 

Despite being different reactions, I do think King’s reaction to being formerly enslaved reminds me of Koala’s time with the Sun Pirates post-slavery. Despite being free for three years she still had the same false smile mechanism turned off due to the trauma. It really says something about how the Celestial Dragons did a number on her that it took her that long to recover. And again it shows that even if you are enslaved those who have harmed you can make you become enslaved in your mind to the point you can’t function as a human until you can rehabilitation. 

This can be seen also with Robin who although wasn’t imprisoned permanently by the government she still was for years on the run for years because of them never know a day of ease and just knowing that one wrong move would put them into their custody and her fate would be sealed. The result would lead Robin to eventually be self-enslaved to the idea that she couldn’t find anyone in the world to rely on and that she can’t be open to anyone lest they rat her out which is not unlike King. Until the Enies Lobby arc where the gang risked everything to get her back and finally show that no she’s not a burden and that she will always be supported by them. In this way the shackles that the world government had on her mind were finally chipped away and she knew she finally found companions. 

Despite being introduced as the arrogant and haughty vain piratess she is in the present, she harbors a dark secret that she wishes no one can know which is the fact that she used to be a slave to the Celestial Dragons. She and her sisters ow their freedom to Fisher Tiger who freed her and many from bondage. However the results of their time there can always be seen with their powers and their mark which they always have to lie that they are gorgon eyes to hide being possibly exiled. On the surface Hancock might seem nothing phases her due to being beautiful, but remind her of anything of her time due to slavery and she will shiver. Before ever meeting Luffy she had to coat herself in this cruel and cold demeanor and showing only softness towards he sisters, but other than that she still shows she’s still is the vulnerable girl that was abused for four years and treated less than human. However, due to Luffy not giving up her sister’s secret even after they tried executing him and he didn’t care about her past she began to slowly thaw out and realize that there was a man out there who wouldn’t hurt her like the rest of the Dragons did.  

And underlooked is Fisher Tiger who was the captain of the Sun Pirate who was also the great liberator of the slaves of Marie Joise which freed tons of people including Boa Hancock. The man is considered the equivalent of Malcom X in the Fishmen/Seafolk world and is revered today. However until his own death, he held a great secret which is he was a slave himself and he escaped but due to his own sense of morals he felt he couldn’t let other slaves still suffer and freed them including humans even though he felt no love. And later even though he grew to have some love for humans in the form of Koala he still felt enslaved in his mind to humans through the Celestial Dragons because even at death he refused to have human blood because of his torrent feelings for humans. He wished for peace but still couldn’t allow himself to have something like an ounce of it in his veins because he was traumatized. It shows how the demons that shackled his minds ultimately cost him his life because he couldn’t find a way to fight them sadly. 

In the case of King, one of thing that makes him tragic is that unlike those other examples who have managed to break free somewhat from the shackles enslaved upon themselves inwardly there has nothing been really done for him except the promise by Kaido himself that he would never sell him out. A promise only he made. Yeah, unlike the other examples he’s mostly a villain who has done his own shares of atrocities, but there is a layer of tragedy that the only way he could truly be free from the government physically is under Kaido and it drove him down the path where in some ways he’s somewhat not so different from the government. Overall, he’s a man who will do anything to never be found again and in some ways it makes me think he’s more scared of the world than he seems which makes his situation sad especially when you think unlike many other examples who knows if he ever will fight off those shackles. 

[brainfuzzz]

Old Truths Ch. 2 "What If?"

Yep, another Crocodile learns that he's Luffy's mother fic because why not? Also, I'm making him the Snake Princess before Hancock because I'm already in Crocomom hell so why not pile on more to it, right? Expect a reunion with Dragon as Crocodile goes on a journey for the truth and eventually finds peace.

There it is. The words he knew to be true even before he set foot on this island, even before he set sail for Amazon Lily, even before the end of the battle at Marineford. His legs tremble beneath him. The image of Granny Nyon is blurring from the tears swelling in his eyes. He wants to wipe them away, to force himself to stop. But he can’t. He’s to far gone to care about his appearance anymore.

            “You told me that the baby had been stillborn.” Now every part of him is shaking. Granny Nyon refuses to meet his eyes. “You never even let me hold him!”

            That night, the night that had nearly destroyed him, the night he has purged from his mind, comes rushing back in one fell swoop. He had spent hours suffering the throes of childbirth. Screaming and cursing Dragon’s name with each painful contraction. Only for when it to finally be over and discover that his baby had been stillborn. Except he swears with every ounce of his being that he had heard a cry shortly after the final push. A cry that has haunted him all these years.  

            “Let me see her.” he had demanded after they told him of what happened.

            “It will only make it that much more painful. I’m sorry.” Granny Nyon had tried to gently push him back on the bed, but he had refused.

            “It’s painful now! Let me see her!” but his demands would go unanswered. He would spend years wondering why he was never even allowed to look at his child’s face. But now he knows. It was because his child had been born a boy.

            In a fit of rage, he swings his arm, summoning sand to slice through the spot where Granny Nyon stands. Despite being a wrinkly old hag, she still has the speed and agility of a young Kuja warrior and dodges his attack.

            “Then tell me,” His words come out as a snarl. The tears won’t stop. The pain from that night has returned and sends him down the same path of rage as it did before. “What did you do after that night? I heard that he was raised by Monkey D. Garp so he must have found his way to Dragon. How?”

            Granny Nyon dodges another attack, landing on a stone a few feet away. She wipes away the sweat from her brow and waits for Crocodile to cease his attacks. He does, if only to hear the full truth of what happened.

            “Yes, we hid the truth. But it was only to protect you!” she cries. Crocodile’s sand swirls wildly around him.

            “Bullshit! Tell me the truth!” he’s screaming now. Even Daz had to have heard him. Granny Nyon winces and looks down.

            “I was afraid. Afraid of what this could mean for Amazon Lily. What it could mean for our future. In all our history a boy had never been born from one of our people and from our Princess no less. I was afraid your love for him would make you leave us. So, I took the ship and carried him away.” She grabs hold of her cane with both hands squeezing tightly, her face full of mournful regret. Crocodile wants to wipe the expression off her face. She doesn’t have the right to feel sorry for what she did.

            “And what good did that do you, huh?” he rasps. Learning that his child was stillborn sent him into a fit of madness. He wouldn’t sit still long enough for his body to heal and would scream and cry out for hours at a time, throwing anything in reach leaving the palace in ruin. He had shattered any mirror he came across and refused to eat. When the madness finally subsided into rage, he set out and became a menace on the sea. He raided and terrorized countless islands, eventually acquiring a bounty of 300,000,000 berries. Making the Snake Princess a force to be reckoned with. Eventually his path of hatred and self destruction lead him to Kamabakka Kingdom where he would meet Emporio Ivankov. Ivankov had been waiting for him on the shore. They must have predicted his war path would lead him there. But instead of reaching the island and wreaking havoc like he had done to all the other islands, he had stumbled onto those shores, dropped to his knees, and begged Emporio Ivankov for help. It was the only time in his entire life where he begged someone for anything, and it was most certainly the only time he has ever let anyone see him in that state. His face had been filled with grief and streaming with fat tears and snot. He had even gone as far as to cling to their cape begging for their help.

            “Please, fix me!” he had pleaded. He must have looked quite pathetic in that moment. He would cringe at his behavior in the future, but at that point in his life he had nothing else to lose. While most would have turned away, Ivankov had looked at him with sympathy.

            “You poor dear. I can’t fix you because there’s nothing broken to begin with! Though I would appreciate it if you don’t try and burn my Kamabakka Kingdom to the ground.” They had reached down and forced him to meet their gaze. “But I can help if that’s what you want?”

            After that, the Snake Princess was no more, and Crocodile was born. Though that isn’t necessarily true. He had always been Crocodile but could never truly admit it. Rather, that was the day he stopped lying to himself. 

            “Yes, I see now that there was nothing I could have done to stop you from leaving us.” Granny Nyon says. A tear drops from her eye but it only fans the flames of Crocodile’s rage. Her betrayal has opened old wounds and has done irreparable damage to both him and Luffy.

            “Tell me how he found his way to Dragon.” Crocodile demands, letting his own conqueror’s haki out, something he hasn’t done in ages. She waivers under its might but doesn’t submit like a normal person would.

She uses her cane to stable herself before saying, “That night, while you were distracted by your grief, I took the boy and set sail on the ship. I only planned to find the nearest village to leave him at orphanage or possibly even a family suitable enough to take him.”

Crocodile reels with this information, letting his sand slice through the surrounding trees. This doesn’t deter Granny Nyon as she continues, “But before I could even leave the Calm Belt, I came across a ship trying to sail through. It was under attack by countless sea kings that scattered the second they caught sight of our poisonous sea serpents. As fate would have it, Dragon was onboard that ship. Apparently, the rumors that the Snake Princess was pregnant had reached him and he assumed that the child must be his.”

“Dragon was coming?” the sand swirling around him slows until it finally drops to the ground. Dragon was coming to Amazon Lily. He lets that information wash over him until he’s suddenly lightheaded. He steps backward hoping to steady himself with the tree he had been leaning on, only to realize he had cut it down in his anger. Instead, he sits on the sliced tree stump staring down at the grass blowing in the wind. He runs a hand over his hair and lets out a strained laugh.

“I ended up giving the child to him. That is how the boy came to be in his family’s care.” She stamps the bottom of her cane on the ground as if to say, ‘that is the end of that tale’. As if this were one of her old wives’ tales and not the awful truth of Crocodile’s past.

“What did he say when you gave him the baby? What did you say?” while his anger is still there, it starts to be overshadowed with an even darker emotion leaving him with regrets and asking useless questions like what if? What if the labor had lasted only an hour longer? Would Dragon have made it to the island and be able to see the baby for himself? Would he had held their son, giving the same wide idiotic grin Dragon always wore in those days and say, “Come with!” just like he had done all those times before. Would Crocodile actually have said yes?

“All I said is that since he had come all this way, he could take the child, but he and the boy could never return to Amazon Lily.” Granny Nyon grimaces. “He had many questions, but I did not stay to answer them. Once I passed the baby into his arms, I left.”

“So that’s the truth,” the tears have stopped. The anger overshadowed by pain. The dark shadow that had restricted him to his bed for the past week washes over him stronger than ever. He stands on numb legs, swaying clumsily to the shoreline to signal Daz to come pick him up.

“You’re leaving?” Granny Nyon asks. Crocodile grits his teeth with shaking fists.

“I have what I came for. There is nothing left for me here.” But the second those words pass his lips, a scream from the opposite side of the island reaches his ears. Crocodile turns towards the sound. “Luffy.”

He takes a step in his direction but forces himself to retract it and turn his back towards the screaming. If he went to him now, it wouldn’t be a parent reuniting with his child. Luffy would only see the villain from Alabasta Kingdom.

“Listen, old hag,” Crocodile’s face is dark while keeping his back to the island, “he is a child of Amazon Lily whether you like it or not. Protect him.”

He doesn’t stay to hear her response. When Daz has the ship close enough, he leaps off the shore of Amazon Lily, landing on the deck. Daz says nothing as he directs the ship away from the island. Crocodile doesn’t look back. He stares forward, out towards the endless sea, listening to his child scream in anguish all while still asking the foolish question: what if?    

Read full story HERE on AO3!!!

[satans-left-asscheeky]

✨🌸hihi!~ hope you’re well!~✨🌸

✨🌸if you’re taking requests I have a simple one~^^✨🌸

✨🌸how would fallout 4 companions react to child sole being scared of the dark and asking to sleep with them?✨🌸

✨🌸I’m a sucker for Mac so if you could include him I’ll be happy! ^^✨🌸

✨🌸thank you love!✨🌸

Aww this is adorable! Thanks for the ask. Ps. Your theme is so frickin cute. Sorry this took so long for me to do 🤷🤷🤷

Maccready

"hmmmph? Oh you're scared? yeah sure come 'ere"

Macs a heavy sleeper once he's out and should he be woken up expect a lot of confusion and slurred words. He'd understand enough of what was happening lift the blanket and let the kid cuddle in, but after that he was back out like a light. Once he woke up in the morning to a pile of drool on his pillow and the kid absolutely passed out he'd chuckle to himself and think back to all the times Duncan had ran to his room because of radstorms or other spooky stuff. He'd tuck the kid back into the blankets and leave to go get them both some breakfast before starting their day.

Hancock

"Hey kid whats up? You can stay, but if you start snoring I might kick you out."

His words had no real bite and even the kid could tell by the smile plastered on Hancock's face. Hancock would do his best to roll over and go back to sleep, but he would secretly stay awake and worry about the kid. I mean what was a sweet little innocent child doing hanging around him? He knew he wouldn't ever leave them on their own because he knows first hand how cruel this world can be, but he just wishes he was a better role model for them. He wishes he could just protect them forever and ever, but for now he settle for keepin' em safe from the dark.

Cait

"Heh yeah scared of the dark? sometimes I forget how little ye actually are ya little scardy cat. Come on you better not kick me in yer sleep ya little shite"

Caits never known soft comfort, but she does try her damn hardest to be maternal towards the kid. Hell she's just doing for them what she wishes someone would've done for her. But that's life she figures trying to do the best ya can.

Danse

"Scribe what are you doing up at this hour?"

He'd quickly toss the rag he had been using to polish his power armour in favor of focusing his attention on the child in front of him. After being told the child had gone to his quarters to look for him and had been wandering the prydwen desperately trying to find him because they were scared of the dark he'd let out a deep sigh and scoop the child in his arms and carry them back to bed. He knew what the brotherhood thought about "babying" the scribes, but just this once he'd make an exception and besides if anyone wanted to bring up to him he'd tell them he was merely taking care of his kid.

Curie

"Oh hello! You're scared too? this fear really is debilitating how ever do you cope?"

She'd already been shaking in the darkness reminded of the years spent alone in the vault. These new feelings were confusing ESPECIALLY fear. She'd welcome the kid into her bed greatfully and after they both had snuggled up they'd both get a surprisingly great amount of sleep. Curie would later decide that co-sleeping was beneficial for both of them so they could actually sleep rather than stay up all night scared out of their noggins. This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she'd been feeling extremely maternal and protective of the kid and would worry about them all night anyway......

Deacon

"I know right? it's not really the dark either more what's in the dark though... Oh sorry-"

After he'd spooked the hell out of the poor kid he begrudgingly offered them a corner of the mattress. He can't really sleep all to well with people near by him on account of him being hella alof, but if it made the kid feel better.....

Piper

"Sure thing blue, wanna pull a mattress up next to Nats?"

Out of all the companions she's the best at handling kids on account of her being a big sister and all. Once she'd made sure both of her little siblings were asleep and well she'd probably get back to the paper she was writing coffee in hand and since of pride washing over her. She was raising two awesome mini people.

Nick

"I don't really sleep much anyhow, would you feel better with the light on?"

He'd turn the kid on a night light and wrap them up in his jacket and get back to whatever case he was working on occasionally looking behind him to make sure they were doing okay.

Preston

"I thought you might be scared so I came to check on you. You doing alright?"

Let's be honest the kid would never have to wake him up. His dad senses would go haywire long before that. Once the kid told him they were scared of the dark he'd give them a piggy back ride back to his little house and cover them up with a blanket making sure to wake up every now and again to check if they were doing alright.

X6-88

"Sir/ma'am is everything alright? ........... Yes you can stay here....."

Even though he said it was okay he'd never be able to relax enough to go back to sleep. The kid would gave their arms wrapped around his torso while X6 was just completely still and very tense. He'd think about transporting to the institute for the majority of the night, but chose not to in favor of not having to explain this. Imagine trying to cuddle with a brick... thats what X6 trying to be affectionate/Paternal is like.....

[danses-with-dogmeat]

romanced hancock reacting to pregnant sole? (obviously not his baby, but a donor's haha)

Hancock x Pregnant! F!Sole Headcannons:

Oh look! I've been enabled yet again! No, but this is great though, I love thinking about happy companions starting a family with Sole ❤

Also, if y'all want any headcannons or anything for companions as parents please hmu, cuz my brain just naturally seems to consider that after doing these pregnancy prompts anyway 😅

Anyway, thanks for the ask, I hope you enjoy!

The ghoul always wondered whether or not his tear ducts would still work after his whole ordeal, and the news that the love of his life was ready and willing to start a family with him would certainly seek to find out. As soon as she gave the word that the donorship had worked, Hancock would be grinning wide and tearfully, with upturned brows and a trembling lip. Unable to speak at first, he would pull an equally tearful Sole into the tightest hug he could muster, their bodies flush, his arms enveloping his love as his roughened cheek pressed insistently against her smooth one. “You just made me the happiest ghoul in the whole damn world, you know that, sunshine?” He’d say just before touching his lips to her cheek in a long, drawn out, tender kiss. (The action may or may not escalate into a long trail of kisses spanning across Sole's entire face as mirthful giggles escape her lips.)

Who would've thought that this was in the cards for him? Certainly not Hancock. He thought he was lucky enough just to be in the presence of someone like Sole, but for her to return the feelings he had for her? To enthusiastically agree to being in a relationship with him? To want to start a family together? Hancock was sure he was dead, or riding the wildest high of his life, for how could this be reality for someone like him? A junkie, a bachelor, a coward, a ghoul, a flimsy torn page with "bad news" written all over it. Nah, he didn't deserve this, but damn was he overjoyed at the fact that Sole thought he did, and who was he to question her judgement?

Hancock had never thought this would be possible, the whole "baby" thing… even though he knew about donors and such, he always thought it would be too painful for Sole to consider having a family again. And with him? Of all the folks in the Commonwealth and beyond, she wanted the infamous ghoulified mayor of Goodneighbor to be a father? To her kid? He was fucking ecstatic. He didn’t quite understand why she wanted to raise a baby with him, why she thought he’d be any good at it, if she thought that. He knew he wouldn’t be the perfect fit for this kinda lifestyle; that he knew for certain, but the fact that she wanted him to try… that shit made his whole body tingle with warm gratitude from the inside out.

He would try to be calm, collected, and altogether nonchalant about the whole process in order to keep Sole relaxed. From finding the donor, to the fertilization, to the pregnancy, and all the way through to Sole going into labor, he would try to be as calm and cool as a November night. And on the outside, he'd do a damn good job, but inside? Nah, inside, this ghoul's worried sick. If anything went wrong with his sunshine, he wouldn't know what to do, he's not sure he could take a blow like that.

So, he’d try not to think too much about what could go wrong, since he knew that would only make it harder for him to be there for Sole in the way that she needed, but occasionally he’d just have those kinda days. A bad trip, a fitful night fraught with horrific dreams, a bout of horrifying overthinking as Sole uttered a pained sound from one little thing or another, or a stint of morning sickness that seemed to last just a bit too long for his liking. All of these would have the poor mayor on edge. Normally, when he was stressed, Hancock would try to chill out with some jet, or calmex, but he really was trying to give up the junkie life to the best of his irradiated abilities. It was a vicious cycle of anxiety every once in a while, but Sole was always there to help him through it. To remind him that this wasn’t her first experience with having a baby, to tell him that he was doing a wonderful job, despite his anxieties, and to remind him that they were the Sole Survivor and the Mayor of fucking Goodneighbor, and that they could face damn near anything when they were together.

Those were only the bad days though. On the good days, oh, hon... Hancock was simply blissful. Sole really is in for a treat, as she is absolutely 100% pampered and loved on, coddled and looked after for 9 months straight, and then some (minus the couple of bad days, where she has to be the one doing the coddling, but really, how could she mind?). As soon as the pair finds out that Sole really is going to have this baby, Hancock is already offering her anything she may need in order to stay safe and comfortable for the next 9 months.

Hancock’s chill personality really shines when it comes to any mood swings Sole may have, and a lifetime of chem and alcohol use has rendered the ghoul particularly skilled at cooking foods that are comforting and easy to make/eat that come in handy after bouts of morning sickness. Who knew that all of his hangover experience would come in handy like this?

While Hancock loves nothing more than going on adventures in the Commonwealth alongside his beloved, he wouldn’t say it in so many words, but would be more reluctant than usual to leave Goodneighbor or Sole’s house. When, before, he would have leapt up at the prospect of hunting down some goons and making the world a better place through some good ole fashioned violence, Hancock couldn’t think of anything worse than having Sole get injured, or potentially losing the one he loves more than anything in the world, and the possibility of a future family with her if some shit went wrong. So, while he absolutely knows she is capable and an complete beast in combat, and he recognizes that Sole can’t stay cooped up indoors for the whole 9 months, (and let’s face it, he certainly doesn’t want to either, but he’s not about to leave his love behind so he can get outta the house once in a while) he definitely steers the pair away from the areas he knows to be more sketchy than others.

Hancock just loves showing Sole off. He did this before the pregnancy as well, but man, now if anyone comes up to the pair when she starts showing, you know Hancock is already beaming as he tells the inquiring stranger just how far along she is, whether it’s a boy or a girl (if they know), or even what they think the baby’s gender is if they don’t want to know/can’t find out, how often the baby has been kicking, and he may even ask for opinions on baby names from certain kind folks who come up to chat with the parents-to-be. It’s also quite likely that he uses these passer-byes as an indirect way to further compliment Sole, saying things to them like, “Doesn’t she look gorgeous?,” “Just look at how she glows,” or “It’s just incredible how you/these ladies do this, isn’t it? Damn it if she's not the strongest person I know,” just to showcase his admiration for her. Does it sometimes result in strange looks from the strangers? Of course. Does Hancock care, or even seem to notice? Not remotely. He's too busy gawking at the love of his life and her blushing, embarrassed glory.

The mayor tends not to be rude about it unless the person ignores him, but if he notices someone smoking nearby, he will ask them to put out whatever it is, or to simply move if he and Sole were there first. In addition to that, he will make quite the lifestyle change for himself, voluntarily giving up chems to the best of his abilities so long as withdrawals don't prevent him from caring for Sole, and when he does partake, Hancock won’t do it around her, he’ll move outside or to another room. He would also offer to give up alcohol, since he knows that she won’t be able to drink with him anyway, and leave it up to her if she wants him to go cold turkey like her. Even if she doesn’t mind, he still won’t drink in excess around her during her pregnancy. It's kind of a respect thing for him, and there ain't no one he respects more than the future mother of his child.

(little bit of NSFW content here) When it comes to sex, Hancock is even more generous than usual in the bedroom (if you can believe it's possible). His every movement acts as a tribute to his appreciation for the woman he loves more than life itself. He’d be sure to be gentle, but in all honesty, Hancock wouldn’t change anything too much (no need to fix what ain't broken, ya know?). He has always paid particular attention to Sole beneath the sheets, since he’s quite experimental, and comfortable with most kinks and things himself, so he tends to let her choose positions, location, duration, and pacing, and would definitely keep it this way during the pregnancy. You think this man used to really get into body worship before, this is just a whole nuther level. As Sole puts on weight later into her pregnancy, he takes full advantage of her swelling plushness, running his hands over her body, taking the time to squeeze and palm every bit of her growing softness, constantly complimenting every bit of her as his starving eyes eat up every inch of her beauty. Especially if Sole is self-conscious about any of the changes in her body, Hancock will be sure to constantly remind her that she’s the most captivating and gorgeous person he’s ever met. No stretch mark appears on her body without being lovingly kissed, no soreness will develop without the offer of a nice, long massage (this perhaps is just another excuse to get his hands on her), no tenderness will go unnoticed and will be accounted for when his hands are roaming her body. In general, he’s as loving and doting as ever, but he's also on high alert for any signs of pain or discomfort coming from his other half.

He’d be SO excited every time the baby kicked. For some reason, the babe seems to wait until he’s around to do it, and he’s thrilled. Sole is a little weirded out by it, but she honestly takes it as a good sign. But oh man, Hancock's hands will be all up in that shit, not wanting to miss a thing as Sole smiles at him like this isn't the fourth time this has happened in one evening (does he use this as yet another excuse to touch Sole? Hmm, who knows [the answer is yes]). Sometimes he forgets to be sympathetic when Sole can't sleep due to the fluttering in her belly, but his roughened hands smoothing rhythmically over her stomach throughout the night might just help her catch a few Zzs after all.

He’s admittedly quite nervous as she approaches labor, becoming ever more protective as her belly swells to its largest point, ensuring she avoids any kinda gun fight, crazy high heights or unneeded stress, and he would be adamant about Sole sitting out any outings, missions, or other activities in the dangers of the Commonwealth. But man, would he make an environment she didn’t want to leave. Pillows, snacks, dim lighting, good conversation, music, soft touches, compliments galore, and a man who is at her constant beck and call, willing and happy to do anything and everything she might need or want? Yeah, here’s to say, Sole didn’t really want to leave anyway.

By the end of the pregnancy, Hancock has a strange mix of apprehension and denial going on. He’s used to Sole being pregnant now, he knows how to deal with everything, how to take care of her, what makes her uncomfortable and how to fix it. But a kid? An infant? He doesn’t know how babies work, doesn’t know how to tell what they want from him. He’s excited beyond belief at the thought of being a father, but he just doesn’t know how to do it. He tries to think back to his own dad, and the way that he was brought up as a kid, (though, he's not sure that's a great frame of reference given the way he turned out) and definitely goes off of Sole’s judgement, but he can’t shake the feeling that he was never meant for this. To settle down and have a family. He isn’t his dad, he’s Hancock. He’s not a “family man,” not a picturesque pre-war looking man with a normal job and a cookie-cutter backstory; he’s a self-made ghoul, a junkie, a deadbeat whose earned his position of power by bathing in the blood of tyrants who died by his own hand, and shooting his veins up with every kinda poison the wastes have to offer. How do you explain that to a kid? That he made himself the way he is, cuz he couldn’t stand the man he’d grown up to be? What the hell kinda example is that? He wouldn't doubt for a second that his baby would be the center of his world from the moment he sees it, but if anything, that only ups the anxiety that he'll do something to mess the kid up. Hancock would be nervous as shit, but if Sole had confidence in him, well… he trusts her judgement more than he does his own, so if she thinks he’s "daddy" material, he ain’t gonna argue with that. All he can do is hope she’s right, follow her lead, take it one day at a time, and hope that him trying his absolute hardest will be enough.

[fallout-drabbles-n-stuff]

How do you think companions would react if a one night stand resulted in the miracle (read: horror) of pregnancy

(Idk if this is supposed to be with sole or not but I hope y'all enjoy!! If I didn't do this right, please correct me and I'll happily redo this!!)

Cait:

•Would be absolutely and completely horrified.

•This is her worst nightmare come true. Of course, she knew something like this had a chance of happening..but she didn't really think it would happen to her.

•Honestly? Probably falls into a depression. She can't bring herself to terminate the pregnancy, yet she feels miserable knowing that she doomed another child to go through the same hell she went through. She doesn't think she'll be any better...

•Doesn't even know what to do with sole..but probably will avoid them like the plague.

Curie:

•Doesn't quite grasp the magnanimity of the situation until much later. It's not because she is naive, because she isn't in that respect- it's more or less because she doesn't realize how much her body is going to change..or how much it COULD change.

•Feels rather..neutral towards it. She'd care for the child with every fibre of her being, and yet there is still a sense of disappointment knowing she'll soon be unable to spend as much time with her studies as she could've.

•Would try her best to establish some form of a relationship with sole- regardless of what that meant.

Danse:

•Would probably pass out as soon as the news is broken to him.

•Fully owns up to his part he played in the creation of the child and assumes full responsibility. He is by no means ready to settle down from his position as a Paladin, but he will do most anything in his power to be a decent "father" to the babe and provide for them, and at least help the woman he impregnated as much as he can. Only downfall is that his obligation to duty will come first..this will of course be much easier if sole so happens to be a member of the brotherhood as well.

•Would've preferred to have been in a more committed relationship before conception, but he understands there is nothing he can do about it now. Besides, maybe he can form at least some type of bond with the mother over time...

Deacon:

•Completely mortified.

•Deacon is torn into tiny little shreds whenever he figures out what happened. He knows he could never be a good father to any child, and frankly the thought of even trying makes his eyes go bleary from tears threatening to spill.

•Runs as far away as he can from the "problem", but eventually finds himself unable to stay away forever. He can't help but check in with the child periodically, just outside of view..outside looking in with a peculiar intense yearning that he tries as best as he can to ignore.

Gage:

•His initial reaction would be to be pissed. Not at the woman he impregnated, no, he wouldn't. The rage would be entirely directed at himself. Shit like this happens all the time with raiders, why would he think he'd be some miraculous exception? He was no better than any of them, that's for damn sure. Problem is, he can't make himself feel entirely fine with leaving the kid high and dry- he does, but it doesn't come second nature to him.

•Feels some strange obligation to check in with the kid, but's that's about as much of himself he can give. Just the thought of making it "right" makes him feel dizzy. He can't abandon a whole way of life- his way of life- for this "accident".

•Deep down though, Gage regrets not ever trying to connect with his mysterious accidental daughter/son.

Hancock:

•Wouldn't even think it's possible and might make the hasty decision to tell sole she's out of her damn mind.

•However when the evidence is presented to him and cannot be shaken, he nearly loses his shit. Not necessarily in a bad way either- just give him a moment..or day..to process and he'll come back to sole with a game plan.

•He's gonna respect whatever sole wants to do, but if given the chance- Hancock would handle this whole surprise parenting gig with unexpected grace. Just...the kid is going to have to visit in Goodneighbor.

Macready:

•Really thinks that whatever higher being is in control is playing a horrible joke on him.

•Is in disbelief for a while. He already has one child he can't even properly care for, now another one?? At least the first one came from marriage too- this one though? Oh dang.

• Occasionally wishes sole wouldn't have told him, but knows he must own up to his "accident" and be the father the child deserves....

Maxson:

•Is in utter shock whenever presented with the news. He doesn't even know what to feel- it's just a huge clusterfuck of emotions.

•On one hand, at least he finally reproduced and doesn't have to worry about being the only Maxson left alive so long as sole carries through with the pregnancy. (Don't worry, he'll provide care via brotherhood resources too if you so choose...)

•On the other hand though....Maxson now has to worry about how raising his children will be, his reputation, and finally..the harsh reality of knowing his shot at "family" ain't gonna work.

Piper:

•All bets are off. She'd lose her shit.

Preston:

•Would almost gain the sense of a renewed purpose, if you will.

•Really, really would've preferred for the child to have been conceived in a more.."steadfast" relationship (not just a one night stand) but regardless, Preston takes full accountability for his part he played and is more than willing to get to know sole so he can help her through this process.

X6-88:

•Much like Hancock, he doesn't even think he CAN do something like that. The surprise is welcomed with an alarming display of emotion.

•He goes through pure bewilderment, confusion, anxiousness, and terror all in the span of an hour once told.

[tooweirdforyou]

Okay okay okay so hear me out, Ik ik there a lot of dad propmts out there but I have never ever ever seen a Luffy one. I need dad Luffy 🥺🥺🥺🥺 thank you so much for doing this request 😘😘😘😘

Monkey D. Luffy As A Dad

A/N : this was absolutely so adorable and I hope you liked it! Sorry for the delay, though. But thank you for requesting!

Both scenario + headcannons—

Summary : just a typical day of Luffy as a father.

-

Luffy would be one chaotic father.

I believe Luffy would want his first child to be a boy. He wants him to be just like his father after all, and having a son would allow him to make him into a man!

When you tell him you’re pregnant, he’s a little confused because he’s not too smart on that. But then when you explain to him that you’re going to have his kid, hems ecstatic.

Immediately throws a huge feast in celebration and you receive many congratulatory words from your crewmates, and even other pirates that Luffy calls up to tell the news.

-

“OI, TRAFFY, GUESS WHAT?!”

“CREST-HEAD, CABBAGE! DID YOU HEAR?!”

“HEY HANCOCK! IM HAVING A KID!”

-

When you start showing more and becoming weaker, Luffy is extremely protective. He never leaves your side, no matter what.

He orders Usopp, Zoro and Sanji to bring in his food and keep careful on you as well when he can’t, and if you even move an inch and he hears the slightest sound of discomfort from you, he lectures you for not telling him if you want anything and forces you to stay still and in bed.

-

When you’re in the middle of giving birth, Luffy wouldn’t quite know what to do. He’d be so unprepared and hearing your screams of agony and pain fills him with so much pain as well and he feels helpless. Almost as if he’s having an anxiety attack.

He wishes he can be there with you but he’s too worried now. But eventually he does make it there and sits by your side until you’re done, holding your hand tightly and just allows you to scream into his ear.

He wouldn’t know what to say but his presence is there enough for you, and his comforting and assuring grin to you is even better to help ease the process.

-

When it finally happens, Luffy’s a bit emotional. After the waterworks go which is somewhat quick, he has an never ending wide grin on his face as he sees your tired form cradling his new born.

He becomes extremely soft and spends the whole day by your side, making sure your comforted and watches as you take care of his son closely, like treasure.

It’s one of his happiest days and memories, and he couldn’t contain his excitement as he tells everyone once more and just shows you and your son off to everyone they meet while on the seas.

-

Luffy isn’t one to help out with the many chores that comes with having a kid, like changing the diapers and feeding them, but fortunately Nami and Robin are willing to help out. Even Chopper when he can.

But Luffy makes up for it by spending a ton of time with the baby while you rest. Which can be both good and bad.

It does take Luffy and LONG time to understand that the many things he used to do and play around with can be dangerous for [ Son Name ], and slowly learns to be much more slower and careful when he’s around.

It takes a couple rounds of ‘convincing’ from you, but you manage to get it into his head.

Luffy can be occasionally careless, or perhaps it because you were raising a child on the ocean, but with the support and help of the crew, you two managed and it was a pleasant experience. It was pretty fun.

-

And Luffy was always full of smiles whenever he saw you and his son together, reminding him of just how you two met and honestly,

He couldn’t love you two more than he already did. Every time he saw you both, his heart was filled with so much warmth and love.

-

“LUFFY, I SWEAR IF YOU HURT HIM, I-“

“Stop worrying so much and being so lame, [Name]! [ Son Name ] is perfectly- AH HE’S ON FIRE!”

“WHAT?!”

Sprinting into the kitchen, you slam the door open in a panicked state, just to find Luffy on the ground with Nami standing beside him with a fist out, and your son perfectly fine on the desk with Chopper and Brook watching him.

Heaving a heavy sigh of relief, flames suddenly bursted from you and a heavy dark aura enveloped you.

“Luffy..”

Clenching your jaw and fists tightly, you calmly and slowly made your way to the Captain, even Nami and Brook sweatdropping at your aura as you stopped in front of the collapsed male.

“Hey.. [Name]..” Luffy weakly mutters out and you glared daggers at him as you crouched down. “What. Did. I. Tell. You?”

Silence filled the air, other than Chopper’s soft pats on your son’s head and his little noises and giggles.

“Not to carry and take him to dangerous areas of the ship.” He responds, it a bit muffled due to the various bumps on his head from Nami.

“And what is included in those areas?”

“..Sanji’s kitchen..”

“And why?”

“.. because of fire.”

Like a child being reprimanded and lectured, Luffy slowly sat up and looked down at his lap quietly and you placed your hands on your hips, exhaling.

“That’s right. Yet, you still brought him into Sanji’s kitchen. And I specifically and literally just heard you yell, ‘AHH HE’S ON FIRE!’, just before I came in.” A very quiet and stifled laugh can be heard from him at the sound of your imitation of himself.

You scowl, raising your fists, ready to hit him once more before you heard cries, and your motherly instincts immediately kicked in.

Turning over to your son, you rush over to Chopper and picked him up, pulling him into your arms and smile softly, a complete 180 from earlier.

Kissing your son’s head, you sway softly back and forth, bringing the little toddler in your arms into a soothing quiet state.

Nami, Chopper and Brook smile at the sight.

“Yohohoho~ you really are indeed a great mother, [Name]-san!”

“How cute.~”

“Look how peaceful he looks!”

Luffy looks up from his lap and smiles softly to himself at the sight of his beautiful wife with his amazing child.

He then thought back to when you first gave birth. You were in so much pain, even Luffy started to tear up and he felt so bad because he didn’t know what to do nor help you.

Luckily, Robin and Nami were there to support the both of you when it happened and assured him that it was alright.

And after a couple years with your new son, and having to deal with Luffy’s crazy excitement and cheeriness of playing and spending time with his child, he couldn’t believe you were still able to handle and deal with him.

Much less, the two of them, since your 2 year old son seemed to be acquiring all of Luffy’s qualities.

Luffy stands up from the ground and dusts his pants before walking over to you. Going up behind you, Luffy places a hand on your shoulder and peers over, seeing the sleeping look of his own kid.

“Do you want me to take him in for you?”

Glancing at Luffy with a soft expression, you peck his cheek gently. “Sure, I have to clean up his mess here anyways.”

“No need. Already done.” Nami grins as she finishes wiping off the table whilst Brook and Chopper worked together to clean up the toys on the ground.

You smile at the three of them and chuckle. “Thank you, you guys.” You whisper, to not wake your son up and Nami gives a thumbs up.

“Go rest, you two. Sleep in. If you need anything, we’ll be here. We’ll keep the others down too.”

Nodding, you turn to Luffy and motion him to follow in which he does, heading over to the door first and opens it wide for you to exit.

And so, you both walk back to your bedroom in silence, allowing your son to sleep peacefully during this.

-

Gently setting down your son into the center of your bed, you sit on the edge and tucked him in, making sure he was safe and secure.

Luffy closes the door and takes off his straw hat, placing it onto the nightstand beside the bed.

Smiling softly at you, he walks over to you and sits beside you, placing a hand onto your knee and watches you.

“He looks just like you.”

Both of you turn to each other and blink a bit before sharing a laugh.

“No, seriously. He has the looks of his handsome father.” You smile gently, pulling away from your son to let him sleep and lean into Luffy a bit. The said male only chuckles softly and leans in to peck your nose. 

“He has your cute eyes and smile though. He may take after me but his kindness sure comes from you.” He reaches to hold your hand and grips it tightly, intertwining your fingers with his.

“I’m lucky to have given birth to your child..” You murmur, laying on his shoulder and Luffy pulls you hand to his lips to kiss gently. “..I’m lucky to have met you.”

Even though Luffy was still the crazy, reckless and weird captain that you knew so well, Luffy certainly has also matured over the years. It still surprises you but you loved him regardless.

“Thank you for being in my life, Luffy.”

“Of course. I love you, [Name].”

-

A/N: I apologize this took so long but I absolutely loved writing it! :DD thank you and hoped you enjoyed! I love dad! Luffy. 🥰🥺❤️

[wastelandlovingscenarios]

General reactions on how companions react to waking up to search for f!sole and find her playing/doing silly things/etc with their child in the early morning?

this is so fucking cute!! my heart can’t take it. i’m absolutely in love and this is the content i live for! please enjoy. <3 some are shorter than others but i hope you don’t mind.

i made nicks own a little different just because he physically can’t sleep.

-

he groaned, being pulled out of sleep and searched tiredly for his other half that usually cuddled up to him during this time of the morning. when his hand found nothing but empty space, he opened an eye to find that there was indeed no one occupying that spot. without another word, he sat up and grabbed a shirt nearby, throwing it on to find her. groggily, he quietly called soles name, rubbing his eye. as he peeked the corner of the hall going to the living room, he halted, watching the scene before him.

-

Danse:

his heart began to flutter at the sight of sole and his child sleeping peacefully on the couch together. their child laid comfortably on top of his wife, who wrapped their arms around their small, fragile body and god, danse could not think of a much more pure moment. the soft snores that left their mouth and the way the light shone from window and onto their faces was heavenly. danse found himself staring at them for a quite a while, silently admiring the scene before him. he wondered how he got here, how he got so lucky to have the things everyone yearned for in the kind of world. a happy family, a roof over his head, and a secured settlement- what more could he ask for? all those moments of pain, confusion, difficulties, and regret was all worth it, seeing that everything that he never knew he needed was right in front of him and he wouldn’t do anything in this world to change that. if he had to suffer through his downfalls one more time just for his life to end up this way, then he would do so without hesitation. silently, he’d walk over to his child and pick them up, placing them onto the middle of him and soles shared bed. then he returned to take sole into his arms and went to do the same, pressing a soft kiss to her temple while whispering a soft, “i love you”, as she snored under her breath. he went to his spot and wrapped his arm around both of them, closing his eyes as he let out a content sigh. out of all the moments in his life, this was one of the many that he wished to stay in forever. no responsibilities, worries, tasks- just him and his family together like this.

Deacon:

he’d grin at the sight of his child and wife cooking breakfast, both playfully arguing with each other. the sight of their food stained faces and clothes made his heart melt completely. hed walk up to them quietly, crossing his arms with a fake pout. “wow, you guys are having a party without me? thanks for the invite.” sole and their child turned around, their hands full of bowls full of ingredients. before sole could let a word out, their child threw the ingredients on the table and jumped to deacon, who caught them and twirled them around a bit. “daddy! you’re awake!” hed kiss their temple, continuing to carry them in his arms as they stared at him with excitement. “we were just cooking you breakfast.” deacon would grin down at him, now carrying them with one arm and ruffling their hair friskily with his free hand, “is that so?” their child would nod happily, pointing at the failed attempt of pancakes on the counter and sole would shrug, a laugh escaping her mouth. deacon would step forward to place a kiss on soles lips, his hand cupping the side of her face. the way his lips fell on hers was tender and she kissed back with a smile. after a few moments, he pulled away and shot a childish grin at his child who beamed back, “how’s about we go eat breakfast? i’m starving and i definitely wouldn’t skip a meal made by my star chefs.”

Maccready:

god, if he could describe what heaven was, this was it. there his family was, having a small pillow fight in the middle of the living room at 7:00 am in the morning. he saw how duncan ducked at shauns poor attempt to hit him with the pillow and proceeded to smack him with the pillow of his own. shaun fell back with laughter, pulling duncan’s leg so he could go down with him. duncan fell on the floor with a loud, “woah!”, escaping his mouth and was thrown into a fit of laughter alongside shaun and sole. his wife would be proudly standing, towering both boys with a smirk on her face, “guess i won, boys. all those years of practice did me good.” they’d pout, both talking at the same time as sole chuckled at their stubbornness. “hey!” “that’s not fair, mom! you’re twice as big as us!” they were so focused on arguing that they didn’t catch mac grabbing a pillow nearby him, carefully aiming for soles head. before sole could let out another word, a pillow had met her temple, knocking her down on her knees instantly. with shocked expressions, they looked over to the side to find mac crossing his arms with a shiteating confident smile on his face. “don’t forget who has the real sharp eye here, honey.” sole would pout playfully as their children cheered, running up to hug mac who happily returned their embrace. “totally wasn’t fair! you caught me off guard!” he winked at her, “remember to always keep your guard up.” she rolled her eyes and stood on her two feet to place a small kiss on his cheek. “whatever. still unfair.” he’d chuckle under his breath and stare at her with loving eyes. yup, this was definitely heaven.

Hancock:

he stifles a laugh as his child jumps excitedly with hancock’s hat on their small head. “mommy! look at me, i’m just like daddy!” they bounced happily, holding the hat up with both their small hands to avoid it from falling off. she let out a melodious laugh, which replayed in hancock’s mind, and straightened his hat out to balance it. “of course you do! i’m sure daddy would think so too.” they beamed up at sole who giggled when the hat fell over their eyes once more, “you think so?! i hope daddy thinks so!” that was his cue. hancock walked forward and grinned at his child who attempted to readjust their hat, not noticing his presence in the room. sole did though and received an affectionate kiss on her hair, winking towards her direction. “you bet, kiddo. almost thought i was looking at a mirror for a second there.” they looked up with a surprised expression, the hat tilting back as they did so. their expression would soon turn into one of happiness as an open smile formed on their face and they’d raise their arms at him. “goodmorning daddy!” he’d bend down and take them into his arms, carrying them off the floor. “and a goodmorning to you too, kid. rocking that hat, i see.” they giggled shyly and placed the hat back on his head, “it’s too big for me. it fits daddy better.” hancock shook his head, “not at all. it’s fits me better but you look better in it as per usual.” hancock heard sole laugh in the background and he let a small chuckle of his own escape. “no way, daddy looks better!” they crossed their arms stubbornly, “prove me wrong.” he let out a thoughtful hum and sent her a smirk as an idea popped into his head, “sure, but let’s get some breakfast first, alright? why dontcha grab that box of sugar bombs in the fridge?” they nodded happily as hancock placed them back down, running to the fridge as fast as they could. hancock walked over to sole, who snickered at the expression on his face. he hugged her from behind, placing a kiss on her neck. “know any tailors in town who can make a hat? perhaps a suit too?” she leaned into his touch and looked at her child who made their way to them. “maybe.”

Nick Valentine:

the sound of loud, childish laughter was the best way to come home. as he peeked through the doorway, he saw as sole read their child a book with a variety of silly voices. with every new character introduced, they changed their voice, going along with the story. not only was their child entertained, but nick himself was enticed by the sight in front of him. the beauty and innocence of the moment made his heart ache with love and different kind of happiness he couldn’t find elsewhere. after the book was over, sole had shut it with a smile on her face, “and the end! time to hit the hay, honey.” their child pouted, crossing their arms as they whined, “i’m not tired though, mommy!” sole hummed in thought, looking through the pile of books, attempting to find another story. nick knocked on the door softly to get their attention and they both whipped their heads towards his direction, a happy smile immediately plastering on his child’s face. they jumped up and ran over to nick with open arms and he bent down and caught them. “welcome home dad! i missed you!” he pulled back from the hug, ruffling their hair gently with a smile, “i missed you too, sweetheart. i got you a little something.” his hands fumbled in his pockets and he pulled out a clean teddy bear, their eyes widening in amazement as he placed it into their hands. “wow! you got me this?! thank you dad!” they hugged him once more tightly before going to admire their new toy. sole walked up to nick and placed a hand on his shoulder, tiptoeing as she kissed his cheek. “where’d you get that, love?” he rested a hand on her waist, “some vendor had it displayed and i knew i needed to get it for them. their name was practically written all over it.” her eyes would flicker to their child who spoke to the bear innocently and back at nick who watched them lovingly, “thank you, love.” he placed a kiss on her temple, “anything for you both.” nick released the hold on her waist and took his child’s hand in his own, “its past your bedtime, sweetheart. it’s best we get to bed now.” nick caught the pout on their face and reacted quickly, “i’ll tell you a story or two before you sleep, deal?” they smiled up at him excitedly, “deal!”

Preston:

the sounds of laughter was more than enough to pull him out of his sleepiness, a fuzzy feeling radiating throughout his body. it was music to his ears and preston swore he could listen to it forever, even when he’s long gone from this world. he watched as sole tickled their child mercilessly as they attempted to wriggle themselves out of the situation. the way his wife’s fingers danced around their stomach made them laugh uncontrollably, losing their breath while pleading. “mommyyyy! stopppp!” they begged, a huge smile plastered on their face. sole chortled, “or what? who’s gonna stop me?” before she knew it, preston grabbed her by the shoulder gently, pushing her down to the couch with a grin. “i will.” he held her down as she fought back with a hearty laugh, failing miserably at doing so. “pressstonnn! let me go!” he looked over at his child who caught their breath and wiped their tears away, “wanna help daddy tickle mommy?” without hesitation, they scrambled over to sole and pressed down to her stomach, tickling her. preston did the same but near her neck. her laugh was contagious, causing both preston and their child to do the same as she writhed underneath them. “stop!” she breathlessly yelled, “i give up! you win!” preston let her go and leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead, wiping her tears away. “that’ll teach you to mess with us.” he bantered against her skin and she hit him playfully on the arm, the smile never leaving her face. his child latched into his arm, happily staring up at him with a grin, “thank you daddy, i knew you’d save me!” preston grinned and ruffled their hair, “always. i promise.”

Sturges:

he watched with a small laugh as sole fought her sleep, her head leaning on the couch as she watched their child play with dogmeat. she kept snapping back awake and he couldn’t help but feel bad for not waking up early enough to take her place instead. she was often busy with so many of her responsibilities and duties, so it’s understandable why she’d be so exhausted so early in the morning. sole eventually fell asleep, letting out soft breaths as she was lulled into slumber. sturges would quietly bend down and place a soft kiss on his child’s forehead as they hugged him. “mornin’ bud. seems like you’re havin’ a good time.” they’d smile and nod, petting dogmeat next to them. “yup! mommas tired, so i brought dogmeat to play with me instead!” he smiled proudly, placing his hand on top of their head. “a gentleman just like your daddy, huh?” he’d scoot over to sole and take her into his arms, jolting her awake. “oh sh-“ she stopped herself, her eyes falling on their child who continued to play with dogmeat with laughter, “sorry, honey. i didn’t know i fell asleep.” he shushed sole, cradling her in his arms as he pulled her close to his body. “shh, sleep sweetheart. i’ll take care of them, just get some shut eye, ‘lright?” she’d be too tired to protest, the sound of sturges heartbeat pulling her to sleep. “love you..” she’d whisper against his clothes. he’d let out a hum, watching their child with an affectionate expression as he caressed her hair, “i love you too, sweetheart.”

Gage:

the first time sole announced she was pregnant, he felt a sense of happiness and fear- fear knowing that he was unfit as a father and had little to no idea on how to raise a kid. all of his doubts of whether or not he was a good father drifted into nothingness as he caught both his wife and child sitting on the carpet, drawing on a piece of paper with crayons scattered everywhere. their child was humming a soft tune, scribbling something with a yellow crayon as sole watched happily with a content look on her face. their child faced the paper towards his other half, who observed it with curious eyes. “what do you think, mommy? do you think it looks like daddy?” he paused for a moment, processing the words that left their mouth and slowly connected the dots. was he drawing him? he attempted to put on a serious expression as he walked into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. “does what look like me?” he couldn’t help it, curiosity was biting his ass at this point and he just had to see what they were referring to. their child shyly blushed at gages sudden appearance, hiding the paper from his line of vision. he’d crouch down, eyes still on the hidden gem that was held against their body, “don’t be shy on me now. it’s not like i’m gon’ bite ya or anythin’.” he teased with a small smile on his face. their shyness was so adorable and gage couldn’t help but be intoxicated by it. sole would nudge their child gently and they’d hesitantly show the paper to him with flushed cheeks. he’d take it into his hands and be pulled back at what was indeed a drawing of him and the words, ‘my hero!’ written horribly at the top. he’d be speechless at the wording on the paper as a small grin formed on his face unconsciously. “i know it’s not that great but i tried..” they meekly commented, growing uncomfortable at the silence. he’d look at sole and then back at his child with a soft expression, “quit it with the crazy talk. i love it.” the way their face lit up with happiness made his heart swell and they jumped in to hug him, muttering a small, “i’m glad you do”. his shocked expression would turn into one of tenderness and he smiled, using one arm to embrace them back. maybe he wasn’t such a bad dad after all.

[boarix]

Wraith in the Ruins: A Fallout 4 Story Part XXIII

Deepest Dark

Trigger warnings: canon violence/language/drug, alcohol and gun use. Mature/sexual content

Please enjoy!

…..

Strong was tireless in his pursuit. On and on he ran after Radiance; his single-minded grim determination cast out on all sides of him acting as a shield. So much so that even the wild and nasty denizens that lurked in the swamps to the south of Boston dare not interfere.

This time he would catch her!

This time he would wrap his hands around her slight form and twist the life from her.

This time he would destroy her and his Alpha would be whole again.

This time…

…..

…..

“MacCready…”

“AND WE WASTED ALL THAT TIME LOOKING FOR YOU!”

“Mac, I’m sorry I made you worry…”

“YOU’RE SORRY?! WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?”

Wraith was regretting her decision to walk into Sanctuary straight through the front gate rather than sneaking to her office. MacCready had seemed to materialize from nowhere to lecture her on personal responsibility and accountability. Worse still, the synth child that Father had made for her was holding onto the sniper’s ragged coattails; timidly peaking at her from around the irate merc. His perfect, little face - that looked so much like Nate’s - had a heart-melting combination of fear and hope that had her breathing heavily and fighting the urge to run, “I was thinking I needed some time…”

MacCready had started to lose his momentum as his anger at her absence transitioned to elation at her return, “Time?! Time… yeah, I s’pose you might. But that does not excuse you from not tellin’ anybody where you were!”

“Dogmeat knew.”

The child giggled and MacCready glanced down at him, “I thought you were here to back me up, traitor.” He responded in kind when the boy stuck his tongue out at him, “Hancock is a wreck, you know?”

“I… I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize to me.”

“I… I’m…”

He gestured toward the community showers and sighed again, “Look, jus’ go talk to Sofie then go take a shower ‘cause you reek, then come back to the house and eat with us.”

It honestly stung to have him tell her that she smelled, “What’s wrong with my shower?”

“There’s a pile of soiled clothing in it.” Shaun, his face angled low in shyness, spoke mostly to the street, “Mr. Sturges got called back to The Castle before we could finish any of the washing machines.”

“Laundry? Oh, I see.” Wraith wanted to ask him about a billion questions, but couldn’t work any of them past her lips, “I will… go do those things then.”

Her meeting with the ghoulette was very brief as it seemed that Sofie’s lack of an external nose didn’t preclude her from smelling. She handed Wraith a holotape and suggested she “review it at her convenience”, by which she meant “someplace else”.

Curie spotted her through the clinic window on Wraith’s way home and ran out to greet her, “Oh Madame!” She embraced her before holding her out at arm’s length, “Have you been drinking enough water?”

“Oh, baby bir… sorry, I meant Dr. Curie…”

“Oh, no, Madame. I much prefer the familial nickname you have given me.”

“You don’t find it disrespectful?”

She pondered this for a moment, “Do you respect me, Madame?”

“Of course!”

“Then for you it is not.” She gave Wraith a gentle shake, “You have evaded my question. When was the last time you drank water and ate something?”

“Define ‘something’.” She patted Curie on the back affectionately, “Don’t worry I think the boys plan on making me dinner.”

Curie made a face, “Monsieur MacCready’s cooking is very… utilitarian.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘bland’, baby bird.” She glanced around, “Have you seen Danse lately?”

“Non. Monsieur is not very social; he spends a great deal of his time in his apartment when he’s not with a work crew.”

“I see…”

Wraith put any thought of Danse to the back burner as she stepped through her front door. Dogmeat was in the hallway waiting and gave her an enthusiastic greeting. She plopped down on the entryway floor to give him a hug, “Hiya, puppers doggo!” She felt another presence looking at her and glanced up the stairs. To her surprise, she matched eyes with the biggest housecat she had ever seen, “Holy cow!”

The great cat was jet black and looked to weigh at least thirty pounds. Their amber-yellow eyes seemed amused and held an obvious intelligence. So much so, that when they gracefully descended the stairs, Wraith felt an unreasonable embarrassment at not knowing how to address them.  

“That’s Panther.” Shaun’s voice was soft, “Well… that’s what I named it. Doesn’t it look like a panther?”

“Yes.” Wraith tried to do better, “They sure do, honey. Where did you find them?”

Having finally achieved some semblance of a conversation, Shaun’s face lit up, “Oh, I’m not certain, but Mr. MacCready had said that it wasn’t here before I… arrived.” He pet the cat vigorously and it bumped his knee appreciatively.  

Wraith smiled at his formal way of speaking, “Well, they definitely seem to like you.” She reached down to pet the cat as well.

This is nice. Not a uncomfortable silence. Perfectly normal interaction between you and your… My…

“Mom? Are you okay?”

Wraith was dangerously close to hyperventilating but didn’t want to distress Shaun, “Ihavetogotothebathroom…” She ducked into the restroom off the hallway and sat on the floor.

“Mom? That toilet doesn’t work right now.” He knocked on the door, “I’ll… I’ll go get Mr. MacCready.”

After a few minutes she could hear someone slide their back down the other side of the door to sit on the floor, “Mac?”

“Yeah. The kid looks like he wants to cry. What happened, you still smell that bad?”

She smiled in spite of herself, “You’re hilarious. No, I don’t know how to… I have to accept the fact that that child thinks that he’s my son, but my son is… my son is…” Her head swam as she gulped air.

MacCready opened the door, took off his hat and handed it to her, “Here; breathe into this. I don’t have a bag…”

She set the hat over her mouth but almost immediately recoiled and involuntarily held her breath before letting it out in an explosive blast, “GAAAK! Mac, whoa…geerk…”

“Well, it helped, anyway.” He gave her a devilish grin and sat down next to her.

She sat, quietly counting breaths, “Thank you, Mac. Not… for the hat, but thank you for taking care of Shaun.”

“No problem. I’ve been taking care of kids since I was a kid.” He bumped his shoulder into hers, “Always liked kids better than mungos anyway.”

“Better than… what? What’s a ‘mungo’?”

“You. You’re a mungo.”  

Wraith managed to hold herself together through dinner and over the next few weeks she spent as much time working on projects as possible. The wall around Sanctuary was her main focus and she worked herself to exhaustion daily. When MacCready started fussing at her about boredom she redirected him to setting up his sniper school schedule and had him write her a wish-list of materials. Aliquoting resources and settlers, she distracted him further by putting him in charge of construction of the gun range and converting one of the warehouses to a munitions workshop.

Codsworth dutifully tended to Shaun, but soon voiced his concerns over Wraith’s lack of involvement, “The young lad is lonely, mum. Even with the cat and dog, he still needs a gentle word from you. There aren’t any children here for him to play with, unless you count MacCready… The boy’s quite savvy when it comes to technical things, perhaps he can work with you on a project?”

“The Peabodys should be moving here soon so Billy will be here. Oh, and I planned to have Shaun help Sturges when he got back…” She practically ran away.

His eyestalks drooped as he watched her, and he muttered to himself as he floated back to their house, “I think you know that’s not what I meant.”

It was well after midnight and most of Sanctuary was sleeping, but not Wraith. Working as quietly as possible, she was rearranging supplies in her new workshop next to her office. She had finished enclosing what used to be the carport the day before and in her mind she was making real progress. Truthfully, she was just moving the same boxes back and forth ineffectually.

She felt him even before he had a chance to speak, “Something I can help you with, Deacon?”

How the heck did you get in here?! I didn’t hear the door!

“You’re not supposed to notice me. Perhaps you’re not aware, but I’m very, very good at sneaking around. Kinda an expert. It’s a point of pride for me.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

He chuckled, and stepping out from around a stack of crates, he pulled his shades down to look at her over the top of them. “You didn’t listen to me.”

“Why start now?” She frowned at him, “About what?”

“You said you weren’t ready to rejoin polite society, so I told you to go to Goodneighbor. You didn’t.”

“That’s not exactly what I said. I’m doing okay…”

“Nope. I’m also a master on ‘not doing okay’.”

“I have a ton of stuff to do…”

“You can have someone else move these boxes from the right side of the room and back.” He sat on the workbench, deliberately in her way.

She blinked at him, “Was… was I doing that?”

He gave her a double thumbs-up, “Sure were, boss!”

“Deacon, I can’t keep running away from Shau… my problems.”

His demeanor abruptly changed, “What’s going on with the kid?”

“I can’t take having him call me ‘mom’.”

“Not much you can do about that…”

“Isn’t there?” She hadn’t meant to sound accusatory, but that’s how it came out, “Can’t Amari…”

“You are not seriously thinking of resetting that child, are you?” When Wraith didn’t immediately respond he let his tone sound harsh, “It’s not like you to be so fickle. If you didn’t want him you should have left him with us.”

“It’s not that I don’t want him!”

He pretended not to care about the tears welling up in her eyes, not to care about how great and obvious her pain was, “You know they aren’t unfeeling dolls! You can’t mind-wipe him just because you don’t like something he’s doing. You are not Father.”

“But I’m not ‘mother’ either, goddammit!” She was breathing hard, “I need him to know the truth. I can’t take the lie!”

“What is the truth, Whisper?”

“I care what happens to him, and he is a child of my son’s making. He’s closer to a grandson.”

“You’d be okay being called ‘grandma’?”

She blinked away tears and wiped her nose on the back of a flannel sleeve, “I think so. It’s pretty accurate. I am, like, a bazillion years old.”

“Whelp,” He clapped his hands together, “like I said; onward to fabulous Goodneighbor!”

…..

…..

“Deepest dark? Hmm…”

“Most likely the location of the artifact…”

“I bet it’s Dogmeat…”

“We should try the memory lounger again…”

“What happened with the memory lounger?”

After Mama Murphy had read them her vision and signed off, there had been a few seconds of total silence as the group digested her words. Hancock, Nick, MacCready, Deacon and Jack had all spoke in unison, and then the others - apart from Jack - collectively turned on Deacon for his suggestion.

Hancock wasn’t the loudest, but his threat carried through all the other calls of protest, “I’m going to stick that machine so far up your ass, you’ll remember your first ever shit! We went through this already!”

Deacon backed away, “If she can remember where she put it then we’ll be able to see…”

“NO!”

Deacon threw up his hands in the face of unanimous opposition, “Fine! Fuck!”

“As I was saying, I think Dogmeat knows where it is. She tells him everything.” MacCready nodded in agreement with himself.

“I second that notion.” however, Danse was looking closely at Hancock, “You think you know, don’t you?”

The ghoul cocked his head slightly before narrowing his eyes and placing a thumbnail to his mouth, “Hmm…”

“Don’t keep us in suspense, Hancock.”

“Don’t rush me, Nicky.” He took a deep breath in before fanning his fingers and letting it out in a blast, “She might not love me as much as the dog, but she’s told me one or two things here or there. And we’ve been all over ‘here’ and ‘there’…”

“Monsieur Hancock! I shall very nearly have a fit! Finish your thought, please.”

“Okay, okay.” He looked to Valentine, “Name the deepest, darkest, dampest hole in the ‘Wealth.”

“If this is a euphemism for…”

Hancock grinned, “Naw, I’m talking about the well at Dunwich Borers.”

While the others worked out the logistics on the trip to the quarry, Curie went back down the stairs to check on Wraith and to a lesser extent, Infamy.

The glowing one had regained consciousness, but when they made the attempt to stand, their obviously broken leg buckled under them and they crumpled to the floor in a ragged heap, “Fucking BITCH!”

“Do you require a bone set?” Curie had already moved to their side and offered them her arm, “I’m quite adept.”

“Might as well. It’ll be harder to kick Radiance’s fungus-ridden ass if we’ve only one good leg. Hahaha.”

“You are not discouraged by today’s failure?”

The ghoul gave her a sideways look; trying to decide if she was razzing them, “Nope. If anything this little display was due to the fact she views me as a threat. And of course she does! I am a mighty Necromancer! The most powerful of the five of us.” Regret passed briefly across their luminous face, “Four. There’s four now.”

Curie was finished by the time the rest of the household trouped down the stairs, “Has a plan been established?”

“Me an’ Deacon are going to take Nicky home and pick up the dog. We’ll trek up to Dunwich from there.” Hancock had real concerns that Deacon would make another attempt at the memory lounger if he was left without his supervision.

Curie glanced back and forth between the spy and the ghoul, thinking what an odd pairing it was, but politely keeping it to herself, “I will send a supply request along with you, if you do not mind. I also need an engineer to come and check on the fridge here.”

“Will do, doc.” Hancock stabbed a finger at Infamy, “You good or you done?”

“I’m fantastic, lover boy. Nothing like a broken leg to give one a deeper under-stand-ing. HA!”

Strong returned before Hancock’s group left and was in a foul mood. Radiance had once again slipped away from him and even MacCready couldn’t console him. He decided the safehouse wasn’t big enough for his anger - too many fragile humans - so he went out into the swamp again to tear up the sad remains of trees and throw them around.

…..

…..

Hancock was talking quietly with Shaun; his honey-over-gravel voice somehow soft and calming. Dogmeat was leaning on the sad child and would occasionally nuzzle his small hand for pats. After a heartbreaking session with Dr. Amari, the group headed up to Hancock’s apartment at the Old State House. The ghoul had made sure there was food and had already arranged rooms for them at Hotel Rexford for as long as they needed.

Wraith sat a little apart from them next to Deacon on the couch. She had her back to him and was curled up with her chin resting on her knees, watching them. Exhausted, her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, “Is he going to age, Deacon?” She spoke softly, “Is he going to grow, or has Father doomed him to life everlasting as a small boy?”

“I honestly don’t know, Whisper.” He took his sunglasses off and rubbed his own weary eyes, “But, if his growth rate is anything like a normal ten-year-old, his pants will be floods before you can blink. Just, maybe, don’t start the hallway growth chart yet.”

“He won’t even look at me.” She put her hand over her mouth and tried to calm her breathing, “I should feel better, right? He knows the truth… and… I got… what… I…”

Deacon reached out and took her hand without thinking, “Hey! Look at me.” He pulled her around to face him, “You’d never be able to build anything with him the way things were. I know you feel like it was all for you, but having you in his life will be beneficial for him too.” He gave her a crooked smile, “The best relationships are those that are built on a foundation of trust.”

“How did you say that with a straight face?”

He waggled his ginger brows at her, “Practice makes perfect, boss.” He looked over her head to make sure that Hancock was still keeping Shaun occupied, “What’s your next move?”

“We’ll stay here for a couple of days then I think I’ll take him to Diamond City. We can work on Home Plate together, just the two of us… well three if you count Dogmeat.”

Deacon stood, yawned and stretched with exaggerated arm waving, “HEERAWWW! I have had just about enough of all of you.” He walked past Shaun on his way to the door, tousling his hair, “Except you, kid. You’re a barrel of monkeys.”

Wraith smiled at his back, “Thank you, Deacon.”

“No problem, boss. I’ll catch you on the flip.”

Shaun waited until the door had shut behind Deacon before whispering to Hancock, “What’s a ‘barrel of monkeys’?”

“One thing I’ve learned in this life, kid: don’t ever take anything that man says seriously.”

Over the next month, Wraith and Shaun cleared and organized Home Plate. The awkwardness between them soon lessened after they spent time working and talking - truly living - together.

Wraith had it in mind that the large, warehouse-like space would be perfect for a Minutemen base, “I should move the Radio Freedom station from the Upper Stands here too.”

It didn’t take very long for Shaun to make friends with the other children in town, and after a while Wraith broached the subject of him attending school there, “It might be fun for you to all learn together.”

Shaun was excited but worried about the logistics of it, “How would that work? It’s too far away for me to commute from Sanctuary every day.”

“Piper and Nat said you could stay with them, if you wanted.”

He watched Wraith silently with his large green eyes for a moment but when he finally spoke he cast them downward and it was directed at the floor, “Won’t you miss me?”

Wraith immediately dropped the box she was holding and ran to embrace him, “Oh, honey, of course I would! You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I just think it would be good for you to have friends your own age…”

“And what age is that?” He sniffled.

Wraith teared up too, “I’m sorry I don’t have better answers for you.” She held him for a while and they both cried.

Before she moved on from the city, Shaun had Wraith commit to a regular visiting schedule and agree that he would come and stay in Sanctuary on breaks from school. The Wrights seemed enthusiastic about the arrangement but Wraith suspected it had more to do with Piper feeling like she - and everyone else in the Commonwealth for that matter - owed the General of The Minutemen every concession.

After settling Shaun in with the Wrights, Wraith stepped out the door of Public Occurrences to a very pleasant surprise. Sitting on a bench directly across from the doorway was Hancock. He had one leg up crossed at the knee and his head was bowed - tricorn obscuring his face - reading a newspaper balanced on his lap.

Feeling he was being stared at, he glanced up at her. The look of relief and genuine happiness on her face very nearly took his breath away. He was relieved as well; that his scaring would hide his blush. Rising smoothly to his feet, he smiled smugly at her and raised a hairless brow, “Well, look who it is.”

She laughed, “That’s my line.” She nodded at a nearby security officer, “Anybody give you lip?”

He scoffed, “Naw. They know better, these days.” He reached down to pat Dogmeat, “Hey there, puppy.”

“So what’s up? Did you need something of me?”

“It’s not about what I need, sister.” He made a show of folding the paper and tucking it under his arm, “The news today might suggest that some of the people are sufferin’ for lack of aid and others might benefit from a good ass whuppin’. Seems to me there was a settlement of yours calling out to Radio Freedom for the Minutemen to save them from the raiders at Dunwich. We could take a looksee and arrange a pleasant little mix of both.” He offered her a hand, “How ‘bout it, want to raise a little hell with me?”

She took his hand and let him lead them out of the city, “God yes!”

…..

…..

Wraith managed to look concerned when Infamy returned to void, “Well, looks like you survived. That’s something. I guess.”

“What’s a good toss between friends?”

“Still, I take that as a win, even though she almost got me to tell her where the artifact is.”

The glowing one shook their head, “No my barbaric friend, that was really your friends you disappointed by assuming they were Radiance’s manifestations. Ha! Hancock especially was heartbroken. You know,” They set their fist under their chin and batted their eyes at her, “he’s rather emotionally fragile for a grizzled ghoul.”

Wraith decided not to rise to their baiting, “I can’t seem to overpower her! I’m clearly at a disadvantage without my own piece of the artifact.”

“What is this thing you are all so covetous of? Hmm?”

Wraith shrugged, “A pain in my ass, mostly. Jack Cabot says it’s alien technology, but all I really know for sure is it’s dangerous. It gives you telekinetic powers, and a bad attitude.”

“I’ll say!” They cocked their head at her, “And yet, you have a piece of it? Don’t want to use it, though? Hmm, why would that be?”

Wraith gave them a cold look, “As you said, I’m already a barbarian.” She sat down in the empty space before flopping over to her back, “No, it’s out of the question. We have to figure something else out. I feel so cut off! I need Hancock and Valentine to brainstorm with me.” She suddenly sat bolt upright, “The memory lounger! Maybe if… The last time they tried to use it there was another ‘me’….”

“Thinking you can beat her with numbers?” They shook their head, “Multiple facets of you are still all just you. Hate to say it...”

“No that’s not what I meant. I can brainstorm with myself.”

“Seems egomaniacal, but who are we to judge?”

“Tell them to hook me back up.”

“That might be something I can arrange, now that the naysayers are leaving for a bit.”

“Naysayers?”

“Hancock mostly. Seems he didn’t enjoy hearing you scream in agony. Go figure.”

“Where is Hancock going? Doesn’t he know he’s just as much a target as me? He needs to stay wherever Strong is…”

“Tut-tut, Wraith,” They shook a finger at her, “you know I have no say when it comes to that old prune. All my words might as well be farts in the wind.”

…..

“What is it, boy? Timmy fall down the well?” Deacon frowned at the dark pool of water as memories of drowning swirled through his mind.

Hancock, frowning as well, removed his coat, folded it carefully and set his tricorn on it. It was when the ghoul started to remove his boots that Deacon, holding his arms out to block him, stepped between him and the well.

“You aren’t seriously thinking of jumping in there, are you?”

“Yup. Move.”

Deacon laughed, “As convenient as it would be for me if you drowned, I’m pretty sure Wraith wouldn’t be very happy. MacCready probably shoot me just ‘cause I was here and let you.”

Dogmeat reached up and very gently took Hancock’s right hand in his mouth, whining unhappily. When the ghoul tried to pull away, the dog tightened his bite.

“Ouch! Okay, okay. So maybe swimming around in pitch darkness isn’t a great idea. I’m kinda losing it here, fellas. We are definitely on to something and I don’t want to go home empty handed.”

“You keep trying to go cave diving and Dogmeat will make sure you go home one handed.”

“Alright! So, what do you suggest?!”

“Wraith’s just about the only one who’s capable of diving down and pulling anything up. We need lights and… air...” Feeling defeated, he trailed off.

“Like a diving suit.” Hancock dropped his head slightly, hand in Dogmeat’s mouth, and was still as he tried to remember where the last time he saw such a thing. Deacon jumped slightly when his head snapped up, “Got it!” He patted Dogmeat with his other hand, “You can let go now, puppy love. Everything’s copacetic.”

Deacon had to jog slightly as the ghoul speed walked toward the exit, “Now where’re we going?”

“It’s a surprise. Don’t you just love surprises?”

“I really don’t.”

…..

The memory lounger created a pyramid-like viewing screen in the prison void of Wraith’s mind: granting the white expanse flashes of color as she spun through her memories looking for versions of herself that might help her. Infamy, clearly bored, fidgeted just at the edge of her vision. Although she was grateful that they were able to convince Curie that she actually wanted to be hooked back up to the lounger, she would have preferred to not show the ghoul all of her private moments.

They yawned, “There’s a lot of sex stuff in here.”

“Probably because I’m trying desperately not to think about that.”    

“Oh, I know that one.” They waved a finger at one of the screens, “What’s this redhead’s name?”

“Hmm? Who what now?”

Infamy pointed, “That redhead.”

“That’s Cait. She’s a friend… captain of the Hounds…” Thinking of Cait, a whole new set of memories flashed across the void, “Dang it!” One memory lingered on the TV-like prism that showed Cait and Wraith in an intimate embrace.

“Friends, huh?”

“Look, if you’re going to be an ass, then get out.”

“Just saying, I don’t usually kiss my friend’s…”

“Oh, grow up. It was a good time.” Now focused on sex, a brief medley of her life’s sexual experiences played out on the screens. Embarrassed, she was able to wrench control and change the channel by thinking of early memories of her grandparents.

“Lots of good times.” They danced away as Wraith swatted at them. “Do you even know which of you you’re looking for?”

“At least one me where I was both strong and sane…”

Abruptly, a young version of Wraith materialized behind Infamy. She wrapped her arms around their waist, dropped her hips, deadlifted them while twisting and threw them both toward the ground.  Landing on top of them, the teenager shouted triumphantly, “Ura-nage!” before rolling off of the stunned glowing one and offered her hand to help them up.

Unhurt - apart from pride - the ghoul stared at the offered hand as if it were a viper, “What the fuck is this?!”

The teenager stuck her tongue out at them, “Don’t be a sore loser.” She turned to Wraith, “You are being so dense; you know what to do. Just don’t wanna, I guess.”

Lanky, with an enormous head of fluffy chestnut curls, Wraith judged her to be the seventeen year old version of herself, “What am I missing?”

Good lord, I looked like a dandelion.

Younger Wraith clicked her tongue at her, “D. E. N. S. E.”

“Wolf, please be helpful.”

“Ugh, you sound just like mom.” Wolf rolled her eyes and put her hands on her narrow hips. When she spoke, she bobbed her head, as if using her bouncing hair to punctuate her admonishment, “You want more power, right? Use. The. Artifact.”

“Absolutely out of the question; that thing will turn me into an uncontrollable…”

“Oh, cause you are soooo in control now.”

“She’s got a point, my very scary friend.”

“You walked all the way from Vault ninety-five to the Cabot’s and from there to Diamond City and from there to Dunwich with that thing in your pack and not once did you think about raging around the Commonwealth tearing shit up. And don’t say you did, ‘cause I know better. So there.”

“So, what? I just trade one master for another?” Wraith placed a palm across her own forehead, “I just stab the damn thing in my head like a goddamn unicorn and it’ll all be fine?!”

Wolf rolled her eyes again, “No, stupid, you have Sturges make a headband or…”

“A crown!” Infamy crowed triumphantly, “The Barbarian Queen verses the Queen of the Monsters. Ha ha!”

“Plus, you had the thought yourself that it lies and is probably easier to destroy than it tells you. Use it for this then grind it up.”

“Or, give it to me and I will use it to bring Atom’s Divine Providence down upon all the non-believers! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Wolf wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brow, “I don’t think She would like that very much.”

Infamy became very still, “Who…”

“You know who.”

Wolf’s clothes, skin and hair began to darken and her features became obscured. Soon she appeared as a dark, ghostly silhouette of a woman. Slowly she raised an arm and pointed at Wraith. When she spoke, her voice echoed, as if calling out from some ethereal plane, “Heed The Harbinger.”

Infamy cried out and dropped to their knees.

…..

“Look, I’m not going to send someone down there without running tests!”

“What’s the matter, Sturges, not confident in your welding skills?”

The Minutemen’s chief engineer ignored Hancock’s jibe, “I have no earthly idea what pressure that two hundred plus year old suit is rated for. Having no idea how deep the well...”

“Sacrificial well.” Deacon offered helpfully.

“The what?!”

“Yeah, isn’t that place supposed to be haunted?”

“Ghosts aren’t real, MacCready.”

“Fellas, I can’t see your faces over the radio like this. Y’all best not be pulling my leg!”

“The ghost factor aside, wouldn’t it be better to mod a suit of power armor?”

Danse knit his eyebrows, “It would sink like a stone and the operator would drown.”

“Not if we mod it, tin can. That’s what modding means.”

“I do not have the expertise necessary to offer an educated…”

“Nothin’ wrong with a little experimentation.” Hancock clapped his hands before rubbing his palms together, “Now… who’s going to fight with me that I’ll be the one to pilot…”

“ABSOLUTLY NOT!”

Curie came up from the basement to see what the yelling was about and was brought up to speed by Deacon. For his part, the spy had his own ideas on who should go and opened his mouth to put in his vote but was beaten to the punch by Danse.

“I am the logical choice,” his voice was only at conversational volume, but both combatants ceased their squabbling to turn and look at him, “I am the most capable power armor operator in the group.” He looked at Curie apologetically.

Determined to dive despite his being terrified of drowning, Danse now joined in the fight. Deacon opened his mouth, but was too slow once again. Dogmeat was barking his opinion as well, adding to the overall volume of the battle.

This time it was Jack Cabot who called the room to order. He grabbed a couple of pots from the kitchen and banged them together until the room paid him attention, “Well, I guess my mother was on to something; that does work pretty well.”

“What, Cabot?” Hancock was pretty well worked up and the strength of his question made the scientist take a step back.

“This is all well and good, Hancock; the retrieval of the artifacts remains. But once obtained, what are you planning on doing with them?”

“Well, for starters, considering all this mess can be traced back to you, I’m going to shove it up…”

“Before you delve into proctology,” Infamy had been standing, un-noticed, in the radio room doorway, watching the argument with no small interest, “The Harbinger has an opinion to share.”

“The who?” MacCready narrowed his eyes.

“Wraith.” Deacon grimaced after he spoke, feeling like he had revealed too much, and making sure not to make eye contact with Atom’s Assassin, he pushed past the glowing one and made his way down the basement steps.

If they linked Deacon with Harkness, the ghoul didn’t ask any follow-up questions, and instead simply led the rest of the companions down the stairs to stand before the cage.

Wraith was sitting cross-legged on a couch cushion and looked weary but alert. “Sit down for a minute, everybody.” She smiled wanly as she waited for them to get comfortable, “I’m not going to hug anybody because I don’t know how much time I’ll have before Radiance pushes me back down and takes over. I need to know what your plan is to see if it meshes with mine.”

“It’s good to hear you being you, sunshine.” Hancock wanted badly to reach out to her but stopped himself. He outlined, without revealing the location, how they planned to collect the artifact remnants.

“Okay, so you figured out where? Good on you.”

“Mama Murphy helped. Dogmeat too.” MacCready had pulled the dog onto his lap and was hugging him tightly to try and keep him from going to Wraith.

“Mama… Oh, I see.” Wraith rubbed at her eyes, “Who’s taking the plunge?”

“I am.” Deacon’s voice carried a note of finality that not even Hancock could argue against, “I’m the only one here with nothing to lose.”

”Stop being such a drama queen.” Wraith smiled at him, “You told me you were going to start a maid service after you retire. You’ll have plenty…”

Deacon abruptly stood up and smiled grimly down at her, “You. All I have is you, now. So, I’m going to save you. Even if I have to pass through the center of the earth, looking for something I’ve never seen, in total darkness.”

“No, there should be…” Wraith paused as she remembered something from a dream that seemed so long ago, “a glowing mushroom...” She stood up as well and leaned against the bars, eyes glazing over, “I think it’s supposed to be you… I’m sorry… I’m losing…”

Dogmeat wriggled free and rushed the bars to lick frantically at Wraith’s hand. He whined unhappily until she crouched down to snuggle him. The contact bolstered her resolve and her voice steadied, “Bring it to me when you get it. Have Sturges make it into a headband and bring it to me.”

“But, Madame, what will you do?”

“What I do best, baby bird.” Her green eyes flashed fire, “Fight.”

…..

It took longer than anyone would have liked, but finally, the dive-capable power armor got a green light from both Sturges and Danse. Hancock was oddly insistent that he would accompany Deacon on his way to the dive site, and had Danse lend him his less conspicuous T-60 suit for the journey. Danse and Sturges donned Dragoon armor for the trek as to further enforce the facade that they were just another long patrol unit.

“You look nervous.” Hancock was practicing his knife trick while in the armor as he watched Deacon suit up.

Deacon rolled his eyes and shook his head, “No kidding? With you waving a knife around; what have I to be worried about? Not sure how to be confident…”

“Heh. Just do what you do best: lie. Lie to yourself that…”

“That everything will be fine? That this whole fiasco isn’t just an enormous, unmitigated cluster of fucks?!”

The ghoul smacked him on the back hard enough for him to lurch forward, “Atta-boy!” He took his helmet off and matched eyes with the spy, “I need you to be successful. As many times as you’ve saved us in the past; this is the time that counts.”

Deacon straightened his spine. Hancock knew exactly what to say to him, and his acknowledgement of Deacon’s past contributions to Wraith’s inner circle bolstered his resolve and he continued his equipment check with steady hands.

There were safety contingencies: the modded power armor was attached to a pulley system and Deacon was assured that after thirty seconds of non-responsiveness, he would be hoisted to the surface. The life line also would allow him to descend slowly. He would be able to give them a second by second recount on all he was seeing thanks to an interwoven communication line that was housed in the same armored tube as his air hose. Equipped with the strongest headlamp they could find, the diver was the safest they could possibly construct within their narrow deadline.

Nice and safe.

“Nice and safe. Nice and safe. Nice and…” Deacon’s voice increased in octave as well as speed the further he descended, “Niceandsafeniceandsafe…”

“Just breathe, soldier. We are standing by to pull you up if you need us to.”

“I’m… NOT… a soldier, Danse. GHAAAA WHAT THE FUCK?! No… no it’s just my own, stupid arm. Jesus Tap-Dancing Christ!”

“How’s the pressure feel? Your eyeballs staying in place?”

“My what?! Why would my EYEBALLS… bad… NOT CORRECT… never… applesauce…”

Hancock narrowed his eyes at Sturges, “Did he just say ‘applesauce’?”

“He sure did.” The engineer shrugged and tried rather unsuccessfully to look unconcerned, “But, it’s Deacon. I don’t know the man well… but…”

“MY GODDAMN LIGHT WENT OUT! GHAAAAAhurk…”

“Deacon? Hello? Damn. One. Two. Three…”

…..

In a forgotten church, in the Glowing Sea, Our Lady of Perpetual Radiance - as she was so dubbed by Harkness - sat on a dais, raised for her by her entranced Children of Atom. She had nearly the entire complement of the Crater waiting on baited breath and seeing to her every whim.

Strong had doggedly chased her for miles through the wastes, but she had finally given him the slip and taken refuge in the mostly buried building. After waiting him out for a few days, she re-emerged with a few of the local ferals in tow, and made a bee-line for the center of the Children’s cult in the Commonwealth. As she moved she called more ferals to her and sent the first intrusive thoughts to ground zero. Calling, promising, and cajoling all to join with her. Upon reaching the Crater, Isolde resisted for what can only be described as a herculean amount of time, but even she submitted to the poison sirens call. Her army grew to a monstrous hoard as she continued to glide back and forth through the Sea; calling, promising and cajoling.

Now the church was surrounded by a massive host: The Great Army of Radiance the Monster Queen.

“Now, it’s time we retrieve our crown.”

.....

Thank you so much for reading! Like what you read? Looking for more? Please see my pinned master link post. As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns please feel free to drop me an ask. Anon too. I would love to hear from you. =^..^=