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its-in-the-woods · 5 months

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Chapter five, Life's Too Short

Chapter one , two, three, four <- if you missed it.

Cooper howard/The Ghoul x Lucy Maclean

Post end of season 1

No beta.. I tried to edit 🫠

Ninety five percent written just tweaking

⚠️ Warning ⚠️

There will be canonically typical violence and eventually smut. Things will deviate from canon. Angst/fluff, self-hatred so on and so forth.

🚨+18 only - MDN🚨

Slow burn sorta kinda

Please be nice this is my first fic in almost a decade 🫣

Will eventually post on AO3 once I can get access... or where suggested 🤷🏻‍♂️ Like please tell me I am old and don't know things anymore.

“You asshole.” She whispered leaning down to kiss the top of his bald head “I am not leaving you, I don’t care. You’re gonna wake up.”

Grabbing a stim pack and painkillers she finally injected herself. The world is fading into darkness.

***

The Ghoul groaned, a splitting migraine was a hell of a way to wake up. He blinked a few times expecting to find himself outside only to be met with grey and black. He was in a building, blinking a few more times he could see a slit of light from around the doors. He closed his eyes, groaning. What the fuck did he get up to last night, his foot moving to hear the clinking of glass viles. That was never a good sign. Opening his eyes again he tried to take stock of the space. Some kind of military warehouse maybe.

Flashes of a Deathclaw exploding made his head spin. His left hand went up to rub over the spot where something had hit him. His fingers felt ridges of a good-sized hole that had started to heal over, probably why his right arm was still a little limp. It always took longer for the ligaments and what was left of his nerves to catch up. As he felt the hole his hand grazed over the top of his fingers. Freezing in place he forced his eyes look. Two bloody hands and arms were draped over him almost possessively. He went to push them away only to catch sight of a purple-grey finger. Lucy. Realization hit him as he was resting against her, the feeling of her heart pulsing against his back. She had made it and had dragged his ass the whole way.

Getting himself up proved tricky. The drugs were still making him a little woozy on his feet. Rubbing his face with his good hand he looked down at his companion. It was hard to tell with the lack of light but she looked pale and feverish sweat had broken out across her brow. Looking around he saw a light switch, chances of the lights working were low but he flipped it anyway. A small amount of light blinked on. Had to love fusion cores. It wasn’t a lot but enough for him to get a good look at the women. Crouching down he could see that her vault suit was covered in blood. A lot of blood and it wasn’t all his.

He needed to lay her down and see what was going on. He eased her down as best as he could with one arm. Her left thigh was full of birdshot, and the top part of her right shoulder had a gaping wound. Getting her wounds clean would be vital if he wanted Lucy to live. He tried the zipper but between the blood and dirt, it wasn’t moving. Rummaging into his saddle bag he pulled out a smaller knife, one usually used for making some ass jerky. Taking the curved edge he ran it down beside the zipper opening it up. Pushing the sticky clothing away from her was tricky, everything kept snagging. Growling he gave up and used the knife to cut the rest of the suit off. It would be useless to her now with all the holes anyway.

He examined the wounds. The shoulder wound was long and ragged but it would be fine with stitches and some gauze. What was really concerning was the puss-filled, bright red wounds on her thigh. He’d need to dig whatever she’d been shot with out. As he dragged the suit out from her he noticed holes in the back of it, rolling her limp body over he saw that her back was covered in a mapwork of marks. They were just as red and pusy as her thigh. He ungloved his hands and could feel how hot the skin was.

“Fuckin ‘umb-ass smoothskin’.” Ghoul hissed out. “Gonna end up lookin’ like me.”

He grabbed everything he could, the linen bag full of various meds was also dragged over. He took out a thin metal skewer and the same skinning knife. He cut the rest of her top and bra off so he had better access to the work ahead. At the same time, he hit her with two shots of med-x for good measure. He did not want her waking up while he did this. Torture wasn’t what he was looking to do right now. A non-moving body would be the easiest way to clean up this disaster. He doused everything in some moonshine and began to work. Halfway through the process his right arm finally started to cooperate. Once her back was done he poured the moonshine over the wounds. Grabbing the last stimpak he shot her up with that. Rolling her back over his eyes didn’t stray. Well not entirely. It was hard not to look at the sprawled-out naked women. He licked his lips and went back to the thigh, it had far less shrapnel but it was deeper. Blood seeped out, the smell made his mouth wet. The thought of running his tongue over the wounds made his fingers itch. He grabbed the inhaler and took a puff.

“Get the job done, fuckin’ monster,” He growled at himself fishing out the next few pieces of debris.

He sat back on his ass taking a swig of moonshine and another puff of chem. He rubbed at Dogmeat ears, the dog had been watching silently except for a few whines when Lucy would stir. The Vualtie was currently hooked up to some RadAway and covered in several different pieces of clothing. Most of them came off the skeletons that dotted through the warehouse. He needed to take stock of what they had, and where they were. His head spun a bit. He could still smell her blood on his hands. The girl had dragged him across the damn desert after blowing up a Deathclaw. He rubbed his bare head with a clean hand, realizing that somewhere along the way he had lost his hat.

“Should have left me,” He said out loud, still scratching Dogmeat. “What the fuck did I ever do for you to drag me all the way here. Save my ass, again. Stupid girl. Told you to leave me in the sand. Got to start saving your own ass. Cute as it is. Can’t be watchin' you die out there cause of me.”

He looked around the room, saddle bag, Lucy’s pack, the mostly empty med bag, a bunch of empty syringes, and a whole lot of tattered clothes. He had vials, some water, and not a whole lot else. Lucy stirred a bit mumbling in her sleep, they wouldn’t be moving anywhere for at least a day if not more. The Ghoul plus he missed his hat. As silly as it was, he had had it for so long that it felt wrong to not have it. With a reluctant sigh, he got himself up. His right arm still was struggling to cooperate, but at least he had some mobility. He put on a new shirt, slipped his bandoleer over his head, gun placed firmly in its holster.

Walking to the door he opened it, the smell of rain hit him, the sting of radiation tinged on his skin. Storm must have passed over while they were out, at least they had missed that. Looking out over the sand there was almost no sign they had even been out there. If he peered out he could see the edge of the cliff they had run to. He figured they’d probably made a direct line to this building. So if he headed back that way, the chance of him finding his hat and possibly whoever Lucy had pilfered from was high.

He rubbed Dogmeat’s ears. “You’re going to stay here girl. Watch’er, I won’t be long.”

The sand was hot as ever, he was still moving a little slower than he’d have liked. At least he was moving. His mind was trying to piece together the night before. Or had it been longer? His hat was stuck to an old dead cactus. Pulling it off he brushed the dust and needles off before placing it back on his head. As he continued to walk he also found Lucy’s shoes. Why she had taken them off was beyond him. Peering back towards the ridge he made out what looked like an upturned cart. Moving that way he came across what was left of the traveler. Bits and pieces of body lay strewn across the sand. Bits of ash were still near the center where a fire must have been. Deathclaw He thought absently, big fuckers were the scorn of the Mojave. Not as many as there used to be, but enough to make them a giant pain in his side. He rubbed at the scar, he could have looked like these poor unfortunate souls.

Scouring the place he found a couple of canteens of water, and a bag full of dried fruit and meat. Whoever these folks were, they had been well stocked. The wagon was covered in blood and gore, he tangled up some rope. It was always good to have on hand. As he went to go a long call came out of the waste. Standing about a hundred yards from him stood a Brahma. Tail flicked back and forth as it ate some scrub grass.

“You got to be the luckiest damn cow alive.” The Ghoul chuckled, he wandered over to the creature. Making a makeshift halter out of some of the pilfered rope. “You are going to come in handy.”

***

The Ghoul slipped inside the warehouse, cow was tied to an old lamp post. If all went well they could trade it when they got to the next outpost. Brahma where not common and often fetched a fair amount of caps. Caps meant lodging, food, and most important chems.

He sent Dogmeat out to watch the thing, the last thing he needed was their food ticket to get eaten by a roving critter. Walking over he took a look at Lucy, the girl was still pale but not nearly as bad as when he had left.

She stirred a bit, her eyebrows furrowed together a wretched cough spilling out of her. The Ghoul crouched down at her side. She had gone from being on fire to being cool to the touch. He grabbed the bed roll from her backpack, laying it on top of her. He smoothed the hair out of her eyes, it had grown longer since they started walking. Lucy stirred her eyes looking up at him, those big damn eyes. Her hand slipped from under the fabric and grabbed at his.

“I am so cold.” She whispered out, her voice sounding raw and cracked. He grabbed her flask of water, it was almost out. He pressed it against her lips and let her drink.

She coughed again, her hand not letting go of his. Lucy pulled at his fingers, her eyes flickering shut as the young thing fought to keep herself awake. “Don’t be so stubborn.” She choked out trying to meet this gaze. “Please, I need to be warm.”

Cooper blinked at her, his drug-addled brain finally processing what she was asking. He let himself lay down on his better arm. He unbuttons his shirt some so she could lay directly on top of him. It wasn’t like he felt the cold much, but he could feel how cold she was. He moved the material and dragged the Vault-dweller against his chest. Her shuddering breath made him hesitate for a moment before he felt her cold hands wrap around him dragging herself closer. He bundled up some torn-up clothes and stuffed them under their heads. The girl sagged against him humming slightly as she pressed her lips against his scared chest.

Maybe he had died. The Deathclaw had to have eaten him, or he was still high on drugs or needed more drugs. More drugs could never be a bad thing, right? No way in all the wasteland, in all two hundred-plus years of being on this damn planet did he think he’d have a Vualtie curled up against his chest giving him. Tiny kisses? He did his best not to laugh out loud at the ridiculous situation. Too scared to move and wake this living daydream.

He couldn’t sleep, even with Dogmeat standing outside the door. If he let himself sleep it would mean he’d wake up with her gone. He was a no-good bounty-hunting piece of shit. He had done some fucking terrible things to just about anyone who had crossed him. Fuck, he regularly ate other people. He used the Vaultdweller as bait, cut off her fingers, and sold her for Chems. But as he felt her breath against his chest, her heartbeat with his. None of that seemed to matter. He knew he should slide out from under her, let her rest and recover. But when something good in the wasteland came it was better to hold onto it, even if it was only for a second.

***

Everything ached, a deep well of ache overflowing like the water she desperately wanted. The warmth she was currently surrounded by helped with that. It was the first time she could remember being somewhat comfortably warm. Even at the hotel, she had not felt comfortable like this. It wasn’t like being out in an irradiated wasteland under the sun. No this felt like being in a hot shower or cuddled under a blanket with hot tea. Her fingers traced over the rough surface of-. Her brain connected the like plugging in a lightbulb. Eyes opened just a crack to see that, yes, she was lying on top of the Ghoul. No, not the Ghoul. Cooper. The man she had dragged across the desert. The man she thought had died because she decided to throw a grenade that she stole from a vendor without telling him. She closed her eyes again. Part of her wanted to stay right here. But part of her also needed to move so that her aching bones would possibly stop yelling at her.

She opened her eyes and drummed her fingers against his bare chest. In an attempt to gain his attention without him shoving her away. She looked up to see him looking back at her. Those gold eyes were not blown wide like before, they were focused on her. If he had had eyebrows they would have been raised.

“Warm ‘nough yet?” The man growled his voice rumbling against her.

She shook her head, biting her lip and looking away as her cheeks flushed. The man chucked his leathery hands rubbing against her bare shoulders. Another lightbulb. She was stark naked.

“Where are my clothes?” She whispered quietly, almost trying to hide herself underneath the pile of material.

“Had to cut them off,” He said as if it was no big deal. “You soaked them with blood, I couldn’t get the zipper down.”

Her stomach flipped at the thought of him cutting them off. Part of her wished she had been able to see that.

“Didn’t think you were going to make it for a little while,” When did his voice get so soft?

“I thought you were dead.” She whispered her fingers, finding the now healed wound. “It didn’t want to heal. I kept giving you drugs and nothing would happen. Thought for sure I had killed you.”

The Ghoul chucked a small smirk crossing his face. “Can’t get rid of me, that easy sweetheart. Pretty sure you blowing up a Deathclaw saved our asses. Was good aim.”

Lucy smiled at the compliment, “I will give you more of a heads-up next time. Maybe you could teach me about what other monsters are out here.”

He grunted a reply shifting slightly. Lucy realized he was probably uncomfortable, she had no clue how long she’d been out. She moved a bit sliding off the man’s chest, she grabbed the bedroll and covered herself as best she could. Cooper groaned a bit, his joint clicking and cracking as he sat himself up. The same crooked smile plastered on his face, it was near predatory.

Lucy looked down at her bare feet. Damn, she had forgotten to grab her boots. Cooper had stood up stretching his slim body. His skin looked closer to lizards, tight but it still stretched as he groaned, twisting back and forth. She longed to feel that textured skin under her hands again. Instead, the two of them turned away Lucy grabbing clothes that kind of fit and pulling them on. They’d need to get something better at the next outpost. Her jumpsuit on the other hand was completely done. Between mud, blood, and hundreds of holes it wasn’t worth trying to save. Her boots clattered to the floor beside her.

“Found them with my hat you conveniently forgot,” Cooper grumbled as he buttoned up his shirt.

Lucy was moving before she thought about it. If she thought about it too long she’d stop herself, right now it didn’t matter. Her fingers ran over his back and he stood up looking down at her. Lucy’s hands came up cup his textured face leaning up on her toes she kissed him. His whole body went rigid. Lucy pulled back his eyes wide. Oh, she had messed up.

He immediately pulled away from her, his eyes covered by his hat. Lucy went to move towards him again but he puts up a hand between them.

“Stop.” The Ghoul growls. “It’s just the drugs. Give yourself time to wake up.”

Lucy scrunches up her face and pushes his hand out of the way. “Do not tell me it’s just the drugs.”

She gets right up into his face, forcing herself to stare up into the hollows of his eyes. “You are all I have. I thought you were dead. You giant-t-” Lucy grumbles her fist clenching at her side. “I thought I killed you. And you know what, I didn’t want to keep going. I don’t care what you think of me, or what you think of yourself. But this-” She gestures between the two of them, “Is what we got. We got each other, and gosh darn it. I want to kiss you.”

Cooper looks down at her, his face tight as she stares him down. “You don’t want this Lucy. I am glad you’re alive. But you don’t want this. I am no good, I’ve been around longer than most have been alive. I’ve done things that would make you want to put a bullet between my-"

“Fuck you.” Lucy spits, she can see his shock at the curse. “I killed four men saving you, and probably an animal too. I didn’t even hesitate, I cut them open and shot them up so that-that thing would eat them instead of us. I don’t give two mating pigrats what you’ve done.”

He looked down at her his face falling at her words. “You should have left me in the sand."

“No. No. You don’t get to tell me what I do or want anymore. I may be some greenhorned Vaultdweller but I am sure as heck not taking any of that from you.”

“Lucy-” He whispered out, she could see he was trying his damnest to hold back.

“I don’t care what you did. I care about what you do right now. If you want I will leave. Go on my own. But you and I both know that neither of us wants that.”

She can feel his body relax, and take the moment to move herself closer to him. Her hands reaching up to cup his face. “You don’t have to be strong with me. ”

His eyes close and he leans against her hand. She can feel how warm he is under her touch, she rubs her fingers over his rough face. It feels more like melted wax than callouses. Cooper sighs and looks down at her.

“If you want this-” His eyes scanned her face, looking for some kind of disgust. “I don’t know if I will be able to let you go.”

Lucy’s face breaks into a grin, “I’d like to see you try and keep me.”

Last chapter

-I thought about ending it here but decided to write some smut cause fckit

-I think the next chapter will be the last.. as I have some other stuff I want to play with

-Let me know if you enjoyed it! if you have ideas whatever strikes your fancy

#cooper howard x lucy maclean #cooper x lucy #ghoulcy #the ghoul #fanfic #fallout #vaultghoul #ghoulvault

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