Somehow Surviving

Ask/RP blog for Sole Survivor OC Kellar Curtis from @memepipboy ‘s series: Dependent

[o-rusted-heart]

@askkellarcurtis​.

“You got some, uh…”

“You got some Schmutz in your hair.”

[askkellarcurtis]

“Some Schmutz-“ Kellar mimicked his drawl, looking up towards her forehead. “If I had a cap for every time you told me that, only for it to be how my hair looks...“ Slowly, she reached up and pulled rubble out of her perpetually shaped hair.

“Oh.” Kellar pulled the piece closer to her face, examining it before flicking it away from them. “You survive a super mutant bomber and suddenly you’re covered in grime. Who woulda thought, huh?” She wiped herself down briskly before turning back to Nick, other particles of dust and dirt flying off her.

“Okay! Am I good now?”

[askkellarcurtis]

(Send some starters or just say hi to Kellar!! I’m feelin a little role play-y tonight)

[morememesforall]

word prompts compilation

complies THIS MEME // THIS MEME // THIS MEME

ADD ++ FOR REVERSE

[ attention ] for your muse to touch mine as a way of getting their attention

[ wake ] for your muse to wake mine

[ cover ]  for your muse to cover mine with a blanket or a jacket

[ lift ] for your muse to give mine a hand stepping up or over something etc.

[ kiss ]  for your muse to come up to mine and kiss them without warning

[ run ] for your muse to run their fingers through mine’s hair

[ braid ] for your muse to braid mine’s hair

[ embrace ]  for your muse to hold mine

[ smile ] for your muse to smile at mine from across the room

[ wave ] for your muse to gesture to mine to come closer

[ panic ] for your muse to grab mine’s arm or get behind them in a moment of danger

[ touch ] for your muse to rest their forehead against mine’s

[ weep ]  for your muse to catch mine crying

[ eat ] for your muse to offer mine food

[ hit ] for your muse to attack mine

[ love ] for your muse to touch mine as a show of affection or reassurance

[ nap ] for your muse to fall asleep against mine

[ rest ] for your muse to rest their head in mine’s lap

[ look ] for your muse to catch mine staring

[ seduce ] for your muse to touch mine sexually

[ help ] for your muse to lean on mine for support

[ give ] for your muse to offer mine their arm

[ entwine ] for your muse to hold mine’s hand

[ laugh ] for your muse to laugh at something mine did

[ dance ] for your muse to dance with mine

[ sit ] for your muse to pull mine into their lap

[ yell ] for your muse to calm mine down

[ cry ] for your muse to wipe mine’s tears away

[ dream ] for my muse to share dream with yours

[ nightmare ] for your muse to wake mine from a nightmare

[ surprise ] for your muse to show up at mine’s house without explanation

[ fix ] for your muse to treat mine’s injury

[ sacrifice ] for your muse to get hurt protecting mine

[ guard ] for your muse to step between my muse and danger

[ taste ] for your muse to cook for mine

[ sing ] for your muse to sing to mine 

[ goodbye ] for my muse kissing and/or hugging your muse goodbye

[ secrets ]   my  muse  sharing/confiding  a secret

[ bloody ]   for your  muse  coming  to  my  muse  with  blood  stains 

[ drunk ]   your  muse  takes  care  of my very drunk muse 

[ bed ]  my  muse wakes up in  the  same bed as your muse with little  recollection  of  the  night  before

[ scream ]   my  muse  hears  your  muse  scream  and  runs  to  them

[ trail ]   my  muse  watches  as  your  muse  traces  one  of  my  muses  scars,  asking  them  about  it

[ piggyback ]   my  muse  gives  yours  a  piggyback  ride

[ jump ]   my  muse  holding  yours  up  by  their  thighs

[ carry ]   my  muse  carries  your  muse  to  their  house

[ lighter ]   my  muse  pulls  out  a  lighter  and  lights  it  for  your  muse  to  use  to  light  their  cigarette

[ shot ] my  muse  gets  shot  and  struggles  to  your  muses for aid

[ wound ] my  muse  patches  and  bandages  a  wound  your  muse  has  gotten

[ fight ]   my  muse  stops  your  muse  from  getting  into  a  physical  fight  with  someone  else

[ arrest ]   your  muse  finds  my  muse  arrested  in  cuffs  

[ hospital ]   my  muse  awakens  in  a  hospital,  finding  your  muse  by  their  side,  asking  what  happened

[ betrayal ] my  muse  finds  out  that  your  muse  has  betrayed  them and  confronts  them  about  it

[ nude ] my  muse  walks  in  on  your  muse  accidentally  seeing  them  naked

[ karaoke ]  for our muses to sing together

[ wet ]   your muse  strips  down  to  their  under  garments  and  runs  into  the  water,  motioning  for my muse  to  join  them

[ crawl ]  for  your  muse  to  crawl  into  bed  with  mine .

[ flower ]  for  your  muse  to  offer  my  muse  their  favourite  flower

[ gift ]  for  my  muse  to  surprise  your muse  with  a  gift

[ homemade gift ]  for  my  muse  to  make  your muse  a  gift

[ bestow ] for your muse to give my muse a gift, bought or handmade ( bonus if you add what it is )

[ serenade ]  for  my  muse  to  sing  to  your  muse

[ caress ]  for  your  muse  to  gently  run  their  hand  down  my  muse’s  face

[ caught ]  for  your  muse  to  catch  my  muse  wearing  their  shirt .

[ love letter ]  for  your  muse  to  give  my  muse  a  love  letter  they  wrote  for  them

[ boop ]  for  your  muse  to  boop  my  muse  on  the  nose

[ date ]  for  my muse  to  ask  your  muse  to  go  on  a  date

[ confess ]  for my muse  to  confess  their  feelings  to  your  muse

[ sleepy ]  for  my muse  to  slowly  fall  alseep  on  your muse

[obsessiveandirritable]

Try to fluster my muse.

I’ll react, and rank you out of ten.

(reblog the thread to try for a higher score)

[coyoats-deactivated20220108]

Gonna be trying to get myself to draw, sooo send me some fallout OCs? I'll pick a handful to do for my warmup later ✨

[roleplaymemeworld]

𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 & 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 🇹​🇴​ 🇨​🇱​🇦​🇷​🇮​🇫​🇾​﹕ 🇹​🇭​🇪​ 🇲​🇺​🇸​🇪​ 🇼​🇭​🇴​ 🇸​🇪​🇳​🇩​🇸​ 🇹​🇭​🇪​ 🇲​🇪​🇲​🇪​﹐ 🇮​🇸​ 🇹​🇭​🇪​ 🇴​🇳​🇪​ 🇦​🇨​🇹​🇮​🇳​🇬​. 🇹​🇭​🇪​ 🇴​🇳​🇪​ 🇷​🇪​🇨​🇪​🇮​🇻​🇮​🇳​🇬​ 🇹​🇭​🇪​ 🇲​🇪​🇲​🇪​﹐ 🇮​🇸​ 🇹​🇭​🇪​ 🇴​🇳​🇪​ 🇼​🇭​🇴​ 🇭​🇦​🇸​ 🇹​🇴​ 🇷​🇪​🇦​🇨​🇹​

[ 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 ] My muse gently touches a bruise on your muse’s body [ 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 ] My muse brushes a strand of hair behind your muse’s ear [ 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇 ] My muse tries to make yours laugh when they are sad [ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐓𝐇 ] My muse wraps yours in a warm blanket [ 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐏 ] My muse boops your muse’s nose [ 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐄 ] My muse laces their fingers with yours [ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐎𝐍 ] My muse cuddles up in bed to yours [ 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃 ] My muse sits by your muse’s bedside while they are sick/hurt [ 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 ] My muse takes your muse’s hand and slow dances with them without music playing [ 𝐖𝐄𝐓 ] My muse helps yours out of soaking wet clothes [ 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄 ] My muse gently runs a hand over your muse’s back/arm [ 𝐇𝐔𝐆 ] My muse hugs yours tightly after not having seen them for a while [ 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃 ] My muse steps protectively in front of yours [ 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃 ] My muse holds yours while they cry

[askkellarcurtis]

If you receive this you make somebody happy. 💕

“Oh—pff. That’s sweet of you, thank you.”

[askkellarcurtis]

@talk-to-the-synth When she found Nick, he was in... really bad shape, enough so that she almost didn't regognize him at first. He was tied to a steel beam on his knees, his signiture coat and hat long gone, with his shirt and tie were nowhere to be seen as well. His skin had been torn open in many places, exposing the metal and wiring underneath, and what skin was left was burnt, black and ruined, his head hung low in shadow like a man dead. It was terrifying, how still he was...

Her eyes frantically checked the premises, and her shaky hands wiped her face for any spare splotches of blood that may have lingered after what she had to fight through to get where Nick was.

Earlier that day he explained investigating some...things known as the Scorched appearing in the what used-to-be-Boston area, and reports of them being last seen about 10 years after the bombs. Ellie, as per the usual, thought it wasn’t a good idea, “You’re always throwing yourself into the lions den and expecting to come out without a scratch,” she had said, more sternly than usual. “What are you supposed to do when you find them? What are you gaining from this?” However, Kellar was willing to follow him, wherever it may have led, usually no questions asked.

But Nick wanted to go alone. God knows why, but he was insistent, to the point where Kellar was nearly offended that he was so. He left without much of another word, saying he had to get an early start.

A wild look still pulsing in her eyes, she almost dropped her gun with how frenzied she ran to him, and dropped to her knees in front of his slack body. “Nick—! Nick, oh god,” her hands grazed over the new unfortunate openings on his body, trying to calculate if they were fixable, and if he was still salvageable. More of Ellie’s words echoed in her ears, someday, death is gonna laugh back— “FUCK! Nick, please. Please, please please open your eyes, it’s Kellar!” Her hands scooped his limp head up towards hers, holding it like a frail bird while her thumbs stroked his cheekbones. “C’mon, it’s me, man. C’mon—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

As she lifted his head, she felt nausea rise, because the sight of what they had done to his face was somehow worse than before. The bastards had ripped off most of the synth skin, exposing most of his jaw and his left eye, and where his nose had been was just an empty hole, cut off by the looks of it. The remaining synth skin was also burnt, with circular marks where they had snuffed out cigarettes around his mouth, cheek, and eye.

And god, his eyes... The left one dead, a switchblade lodged into where the yellow glow would have originated, and the right, half closed, flickering faintly like a dying candle.

He didn't respond to her words, what was left of his face slack, only the faint sound of his motor puttering weakly along in idle mode to show that he could be saved.

[askkellarcurtis]

Her hands shook even more and she started to see red. Whether it was a mixture of the nausea that had overtaken her, or the sheer, uncontrollable anger that boiled over as she looked at the damage, specifically the cigarette burns...she hoped she had killed every last one of them. And if she didn’t, she would. But that was to worry about later, Nick was and had always been priority number one. She had no time to waste, no time to celebrate, she had to get this man help. Now.

She fumbled with the zip ties that held his hands to the steel beam behind him, hearing an imagined but looming tick, tock, tick, tock in the back of her mind. “It’s not even that bad,” she repeated, over and over and over. Both to Nick, if he could hear, and herself. “It’s not even that bad.” She opened his chest plate, and tried to see if there was anything she could fix momentarily to give her more time to get him...anywhere. Amari, Ellie, the damn Railroad, anyone. A few times she had to help patch him up in the Commonwealth if there were any really bad attacks or explosions, though he would normally walk her through as she worked. Anything to hear his voice, for now, if it were possible.

[talk-to-the-synth]

His internals didn't look much better than he did on the outside, unfortunately. Ash covered a good portion of the mechanisms, battery acid had done some damage to the outer casing to the artificial organs, and a few exposed wires had burnt out from overheating, his fans clogged with yet more ash. Though his internal motor looked okay, despite being low on power, and his head looked intact, so if she at least fixed the wiring and cleared the fans, he might be able to power up long enough to talk to her, until his power ran out.

[askkellarcurtis]

As nimbly as she could she delicately scooped out the ash from her friends insides, taking the end of her scarf and wiping the extra parts that she couldn’t quite get the first time. Like tweezers her fingers carefully connected and patched wires as best she could, rearranging them if needed, and it definitely was.

“Nick I swear to fucking God.” She cursed under her breath. “Now I know what Ellie is ranting about all the time. Why don’t you take other peoples concern for you into consideration—damn you. Damn you. Please be okay—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

Once the ash was out and wires reconnected, it was only a matter of waiting for his system to realize it wasn't as completely a disaster as it had been a few minutes ago, and dear lord, waiting was agonizing. Seconds passed like minutes.

Then his fans turned on, motor coughing loudly like a half-rusted car struggling to come back to life, and his functioning eye resumed its usual glow a moment before he spasmed sharply, a broken static noise coming from his throat.

And then he was sagging back against the beam he'd been tied too, gasping for air as his vocal processor began to reset with audible clicks. For a moment, he didn't seem to realize where he was, eye darting around in fear.

[askkellarcurtis]

She jumped with him, changing from sitting on her knees to throwing herself back on her rear. Going from thinking he was a goner to see him move so spastically was heart stopping, but she would let it stop a thousand times over if it meant he would see another day.

Quickly, she clambered for Nick, her hands once again cupping his face so she could direct his attention to her. “Hey! Hey—Nick it’s Kellar. It’s me. You’re gonna be okay, alright? I’m here, I got you. You hear me? I got you.” She looked him over, memorizing how he moved, how he was just...existing. It would motivate her, no matter how far she had to carry him, she would remember this and it would push her to move faster.

[talk-to-the-synth]

He froze at her touch, focusing on her with a wide, startled expression before relief crashed over his features, and then alarm. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, voice clicking uselessly as it continued to reset. The effect of half the skin missing from his face made it difficult to see what he tried to tell her, but the frustration and pain in his eye as he held up his skeletal hand to rest over hers was clear as day.

Click. Click. Click. Whirrrr. His vocal processor kept clicking for another twenty full seconds before he was finally able to speak, voice a rough croak.

"Kellar..."

[askkellarcurtis]

“H-hey, hey buddy. Listen, I’m gonna take you to Amari or the Railroad or—somewhere, but you’re gonna be fixed up, okay?” While she talked she tried to keep her voice steady, staying as calm as she could for him, because she knew he’d do the same for her.

When his hand covered, she smiled just a bit, mostly out of sympathy for how painful it looked for him. “Save your power okay? I’ll take care of everything—“ she leaned forward and touched her forehead to his, comforting herself with the gesture and making sure he felt the same. “I’m gonna keep you safe, alright?”

[talk-to-the-synth]

He shuddered at the contact, eye closing for a moment as he leaned a little into her, his whole being seeming to scream gratitude and stress.

Then he lifted his good hand, covered in ash and tears, resting it gently over her cheek, so incredibly gentle.

"What about you?"

Damn him. Always thinking of others before himself.

[askkellarcurtis]

“About me?” She repeated back, trying to understand the question. “Nothing. I’m fine, I can do it. It’s not that bad-“ Catching herself sounding like a broken record, she gentle grabbed his hand and hoisted one of his arms over her shoulder, careful not to hurt him. Her other hand landed in a grip on his belt, keeping him held up. She stumbled a bit at the sudden weight added, but she began to tredge on, her legs already telling her she may not last long.

“It’s not even that bad.” Again. “We’ll get there. Somewhere. Youll be okay. Stay with me as long as you can—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

He feebly protested, grabbing for the wall for balance, anything to get his weight off her. "Kellar- Kellar, stop, I'm too heavy for you, you can't-"

Her knees let them crash to the ground, his metal frame screeching against the concrete as he clumsily held out his arms to catch her so the fall wasn't bad.

"You can't carry me all the way back," he finished, artificial organs hissing inside his chest as he gently touched her face. "You're hurt. If you took a stimpack, you could he up and go get help to bring me wherever you like, but you can't do it on your own."

Funny, thats what she had told him before this whole mess began.

[askkellarcurtis]

“God, fuck you Valentine!” She blurted suddenly, giving the ground a solid punch as if it did anything. Scrambling back up, she wiped her face downwards as if to squeeze the emotion out of it. Gathering herself she helped him back up before going anywhere else, wiping him down gently and biting the inside of her cheek.

“I told you-“ she said, almost too calmly. “To not go by yourself. Ellie told you to not go by yourself. So I’ll be damned if I take advice from a man that won’t listen to me in the first place, do you hear me?!” Despite saying this, she did stick a stimpack in her arm, because while she didn’t want to listen to him at them moment she knew he was right about that much.

“Can’t do it on my own,” she mocked, as she began to try again, his arm over her shoulders once more. “Fuck you.” She began to try and stand, realizing that her strength started to fail her in her legs, and her eyes starting to well tears. “Fuck you.”

[askkellarcurtis]

❄?

❄ Our muses huddle together to stay warm.

Kellar let out a deep breath, watching as it froze and dissipated into the chilly winter air. She rubbed her arms for friction and looked over toward Frost as she worked on a fire for them both. Wandering the wastes again. Lost, again.

Quickly she sat next to her and pressed herself against her arms as she worked. “How longs it take to build a fire?” Kellar asked, a small vibration in her voice. “As much as I like the cold I feel like you’re gonna let me freeze out here. Has that been your plan this whole time?”

[askkellarcurtis]

@talk-to-the-synth When she found Nick, he was in... really bad shape, enough so that she almost didn't regognize him at first. He was tied to a steel beam on his knees, his signiture coat and hat long gone, with his shirt and tie were nowhere to be seen as well. His skin had been torn open in many places, exposing the metal and wiring underneath, and what skin was left was burnt, black and ruined, his head hung low in shadow like a man dead. It was terrifying, how still he was...

Her eyes frantically checked the premises, and her shaky hands wiped her face for any spare splotches of blood that may have lingered after what she had to fight through to get where Nick was.

Earlier that day he explained investigating some...things known as the Scorched appearing in the what used-to-be-Boston area, and reports of them being last seen about 10 years after the bombs. Ellie, as per the usual, thought it wasn’t a good idea, “You’re always throwing yourself into the lions den and expecting to come out without a scratch,” she had said, more sternly than usual. “What are you supposed to do when you find them? What are you gaining from this?” However, Kellar was willing to follow him, wherever it may have led, usually no questions asked.

But Nick wanted to go alone. God knows why, but he was insistent, to the point where Kellar was nearly offended that he was so. He left without much of another word, saying he had to get an early start.

A wild look still pulsing in her eyes, she almost dropped her gun with how frenzied she ran to him, and dropped to her knees in front of his slack body. “Nick—! Nick, oh god,” her hands grazed over the new unfortunate openings on his body, trying to calculate if they were fixable, and if he was still salvageable. More of Ellie’s words echoed in her ears, someday, death is gonna laugh back— “FUCK! Nick, please. Please, please please open your eyes, it’s Kellar!” Her hands scooped his limp head up towards hers, holding it like a frail bird while her thumbs stroked his cheekbones. “C’mon, it’s me, man. C’mon—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

As she lifted his head, she felt nausea rise, because the sight of what they had done to his face was somehow worse than before. The bastards had ripped off most of the synth skin, exposing most of his jaw and his left eye, and where his nose had been was just an empty hole, cut off by the looks of it. The remaining synth skin was also burnt, with circular marks where they had snuffed out cigarettes around his mouth, cheek, and eye.

And god, his eyes... The left one dead, a switchblade lodged into where the yellow glow would have originated, and the right, half closed, flickering faintly like a dying candle.

He didn't respond to her words, what was left of his face slack, only the faint sound of his motor puttering weakly along in idle mode to show that he could be saved.

[askkellarcurtis]

Her hands shook even more and she started to see red. Whether it was a mixture of the nausea that had overtaken her, or the sheer, uncontrollable anger that boiled over as she looked at the damage, specifically the cigarette burns...she hoped she had killed every last one of them. And if she didn’t, she would. But that was to worry about later, Nick was and had always been priority number one. She had no time to waste, no time to celebrate, she had to get this man help. Now.

She fumbled with the zip ties that held his hands to the steel beam behind him, hearing an imagined but looming tick, tock, tick, tock in the back of her mind. “It’s not even that bad,” she repeated, over and over and over. Both to Nick, if he could hear, and herself. “It’s not even that bad.” She opened his chest plate, and tried to see if there was anything she could fix momentarily to give her more time to get him...anywhere. Amari, Ellie, the damn Railroad, anyone. A few times she had to help patch him up in the Commonwealth if there were any really bad attacks or explosions, though he would normally walk her through as she worked. Anything to hear his voice, for now, if it were possible.

[talk-to-the-synth]

His internals didn't look much better than he did on the outside, unfortunately. Ash covered a good portion of the mechanisms, battery acid had done some damage to the outer casing to the artificial organs, and a few exposed wires had burnt out from overheating, his fans clogged with yet more ash. Though his internal motor looked okay, despite being low on power, and his head looked intact, so if she at least fixed the wiring and cleared the fans, he might be able to power up long enough to talk to her, until his power ran out.

[askkellarcurtis]

As nimbly as she could she delicately scooped out the ash from her friends insides, taking the end of her scarf and wiping the extra parts that she couldn’t quite get the first time. Like tweezers her fingers carefully connected and patched wires as best she could, rearranging them if needed, and it definitely was.

“Nick I swear to fucking God.” She cursed under her breath. “Now I know what Ellie is ranting about all the time. Why don’t you take other peoples concern for you into consideration—damn you. Damn you. Please be okay—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

Once the ash was out and wires reconnected, it was only a matter of waiting for his system to realize it wasn't as completely a disaster as it had been a few minutes ago, and dear lord, waiting was agonizing. Seconds passed like minutes.

Then his fans turned on, motor coughing loudly like a half-rusted car struggling to come back to life, and his functioning eye resumed its usual glow a moment before he spasmed sharply, a broken static noise coming from his throat.

And then he was sagging back against the beam he'd been tied too, gasping for air as his vocal processor began to reset with audible clicks. For a moment, he didn't seem to realize where he was, eye darting around in fear.

[askkellarcurtis]

She jumped with him, changing from sitting on her knees to throwing herself back on her rear. Going from thinking he was a goner to see him move so spastically was heart stopping, but she would let it stop a thousand times over if it meant he would see another day.

Quickly, she clambered for Nick, her hands once again cupping his face so she could direct his attention to her. “Hey! Hey—Nick it’s Kellar. It’s me. You’re gonna be okay, alright? I’m here, I got you. You hear me? I got you.” She looked him over, memorizing how he moved, how he was just...existing. It would motivate her, no matter how far she had to carry him, she would remember this and it would push her to move faster.

[talk-to-the-synth]

He froze at her touch, focusing on her with a wide, startled expression before relief crashed over his features, and then alarm. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, voice clicking uselessly as it continued to reset. The effect of half the skin missing from his face made it difficult to see what he tried to tell her, but the frustration and pain in his eye as he held up his skeletal hand to rest over hers was clear as day.

Click. Click. Click. Whirrrr. His vocal processor kept clicking for another twenty full seconds before he was finally able to speak, voice a rough croak.

"Kellar..."

[askkellarcurtis]

“H-hey, hey buddy. Listen, I’m gonna take you to Amari or the Railroad or—somewhere, but you’re gonna be fixed up, okay?” While she talked she tried to keep her voice steady, staying as calm as she could for him, because she knew he’d do the same for her.

When his hand covered, she smiled just a bit, mostly out of sympathy for how painful it looked for him. “Save your power okay? I’ll take care of everything—“ she leaned forward and touched her forehead to his, comforting herself with the gesture and making sure he felt the same. “I’m gonna keep you safe, alright?”

[talk-to-the-synth]

He shuddered at the contact, eye closing for a moment as he leaned a little into her, his whole being seeming to scream gratitude and stress.

Then he lifted his good hand, covered in ash and tears, resting it gently over her cheek, so incredibly gentle.

"What about you?"

Damn him. Always thinking of others before himself.

[askkellarcurtis]

“About me?” She repeated back, trying to understand the question. “Nothing. I’m fine, I can do it. It’s not that bad-“ Catching herself sounding like a broken record, she gentle grabbed his hand and hoisted one of his arms over her shoulder, careful not to hurt him. Her other hand landed in a grip on his belt, keeping him held up. She stumbled a bit at the sudden weight added, but she began to tredge on, her legs already telling her she may not last long.

“It’s not even that bad.” Again. “We’ll get there. Somewhere. Youll be okay. Stay with me as long as you can—“

[starprompt]

SEND A SYMBOL FOR…

Our muses to be caught in one of these situational tropes! (These work well for ships, but could be used for all kinds of characters.

❄ Our muses huddle together to stay warm. ☽ Our muses having no choice but to share a bed. ✚ My muse carries yours due to an injury. ☂ Our muses get caught in the rain together. ☃ My muse gives yours their jacket in the cold. ♡ Our muses almost kiss, but are interrupted. ☹ My muse is jealous over someone else showing interest in yours. ✦ My muse bandages yours due to an injury. ✗ My muse confesses their love to yours as they die in their arms. ✓ Our muses share a hug after being separated for a long time. △ My muse shows up outside your muse’s door after being presumed dead. ❖ My muse accidentally falls asleep against yours. ⁕ Our muses hold hands for the first time. ⎔ Our muses say goodbye to each other for the last time. ⚑ Our muses are mistaken to be a couple by someone else. ♧ Our muses see each other in formal wear for the first time. ⚠ My muse sacrifices themselves for yours. ⎈ My character pins yours to the ground while fighting/sparring.

[askkellarcurtis]

@talk-to-the-synth When she found Nick, he was in... really bad shape, enough so that she almost didn't regognize him at first. He was tied to a steel beam on his knees, his signiture coat and hat long gone, with his shirt and tie were nowhere to be seen as well. His skin had been torn open in many places, exposing the metal and wiring underneath, and what skin was left was burnt, black and ruined, his head hung low in shadow like a man dead. It was terrifying, how still he was...

Her eyes frantically checked the premises, and her shaky hands wiped her face for any spare splotches of blood that may have lingered after what she had to fight through to get where Nick was.

Earlier that day he explained investigating some...things known as the Scorched appearing in the what used-to-be-Boston area, and reports of them being last seen about 10 years after the bombs. Ellie, as per the usual, thought it wasn’t a good idea, “You’re always throwing yourself into the lions den and expecting to come out without a scratch,” she had said, more sternly than usual. “What are you supposed to do when you find them? What are you gaining from this?” However, Kellar was willing to follow him, wherever it may have led, usually no questions asked.

But Nick wanted to go alone. God knows why, but he was insistent, to the point where Kellar was nearly offended that he was so. He left without much of another word, saying he had to get an early start.

A wild look still pulsing in her eyes, she almost dropped her gun with how frenzied she ran to him, and dropped to her knees in front of his slack body. “Nick—! Nick, oh god,” her hands grazed over the new unfortunate openings on his body, trying to calculate if they were fixable, and if he was still salvageable. More of Ellie’s words echoed in her ears, someday, death is gonna laugh back— “FUCK! Nick, please. Please, please please open your eyes, it’s Kellar!” Her hands scooped his limp head up towards hers, holding it like a frail bird while her thumbs stroked his cheekbones. “C’mon, it’s me, man. C’mon—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

As she lifted his head, she felt nausea rise, because the sight of what they had done to his face was somehow worse than before. The bastards had ripped off most of the synth skin, exposing most of his jaw and his left eye, and where his nose had been was just an empty hole, cut off by the looks of it. The remaining synth skin was also burnt, with circular marks where they had snuffed out cigarettes around his mouth, cheek, and eye.

And god, his eyes... The left one dead, a switchblade lodged into where the yellow glow would have originated, and the right, half closed, flickering faintly like a dying candle.

He didn't respond to her words, what was left of his face slack, only the faint sound of his motor puttering weakly along in idle mode to show that he could be saved.

[askkellarcurtis]

Her hands shook even more and she started to see red. Whether it was a mixture of the nausea that had overtaken her, or the sheer, uncontrollable anger that boiled over as she looked at the damage, specifically the cigarette burns...she hoped she had killed every last one of them. And if she didn’t, she would. But that was to worry about later, Nick was and had always been priority number one. She had no time to waste, no time to celebrate, she had to get this man help. Now.

She fumbled with the zip ties that held his hands to the steel beam behind him, hearing an imagined but looming tick, tock, tick, tock in the back of her mind. “It’s not even that bad,” she repeated, over and over and over. Both to Nick, if he could hear, and herself. “It’s not even that bad.” She opened his chest plate, and tried to see if there was anything she could fix momentarily to give her more time to get him...anywhere. Amari, Ellie, the damn Railroad, anyone. A few times she had to help patch him up in the Commonwealth if there were any really bad attacks or explosions, though he would normally walk her through as she worked. Anything to hear his voice, for now, if it were possible.

[talk-to-the-synth]

His internals didn't look much better than he did on the outside, unfortunately. Ash covered a good portion of the mechanisms, battery acid had done some damage to the outer casing to the artificial organs, and a few exposed wires had burnt out from overheating, his fans clogged with yet more ash. Though his internal motor looked okay, despite being low on power, and his head looked intact, so if she at least fixed the wiring and cleared the fans, he might be able to power up long enough to talk to her, until his power ran out.

[askkellarcurtis]

As nimbly as she could she delicately scooped out the ash from her friends insides, taking the end of her scarf and wiping the extra parts that she couldn’t quite get the first time. Like tweezers her fingers carefully connected and patched wires as best she could, rearranging them if needed, and it definitely was.

“Nick I swear to fucking God.” She cursed under her breath. “Now I know what Ellie is ranting about all the time. Why don’t you take other peoples concern for you into consideration—damn you. Damn you. Please be okay—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

Once the ash was out and wires reconnected, it was only a matter of waiting for his system to realize it wasn't as completely a disaster as it had been a few minutes ago, and dear lord, waiting was agonizing. Seconds passed like minutes.

Then his fans turned on, motor coughing loudly like a half-rusted car struggling to come back to life, and his functioning eye resumed its usual glow a moment before he spasmed sharply, a broken static noise coming from his throat.

And then he was sagging back against the beam he'd been tied too, gasping for air as his vocal processor began to reset with audible clicks. For a moment, he didn't seem to realize where he was, eye darting around in fear.

[askkellarcurtis]

She jumped with him, changing from sitting on her knees to throwing herself back on her rear. Going from thinking he was a goner to see him move so spastically was heart stopping, but she would let it stop a thousand times over if it meant he would see another day.

Quickly, she clambered for Nick, her hands once again cupping his face so she could direct his attention to her. “Hey! Hey—Nick it’s Kellar. It’s me. You’re gonna be okay, alright? I’m here, I got you. You hear me? I got you.” She looked him over, memorizing how he moved, how he was just...existing. It would motivate her, no matter how far she had to carry him, she would remember this and it would push her to move faster.

[talk-to-the-synth]

He froze at her touch, focusing on her with a wide, startled expression before relief crashed over his features, and then alarm. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, voice clicking uselessly as it continued to reset. The effect of half the skin missing from his face made it difficult to see what he tried to tell her, but the frustration and pain in his eye as he held up his skeletal hand to rest over hers was clear as day.

Click. Click. Click. Whirrrr. His vocal processor kept clicking for another twenty full seconds before he was finally able to speak, voice a rough croak.

"Kellar..."

[askkellarcurtis]

“H-hey, hey buddy. Listen, I’m gonna take you to Amari or the Railroad or—somewhere, but you’re gonna be fixed up, okay?” While she talked she tried to keep her voice steady, staying as calm as she could for him, because she knew he’d do the same for her.

When his hand covered, she smiled just a bit, mostly out of sympathy for how painful it looked for him. “Save your power okay? I’ll take care of everything—“ she leaned forward and touched her forehead to his, comforting herself with the gesture and making sure he felt the same. “I’m gonna keep you safe, alright?”

[askkellarcurtis]

@talk-to-the-synth When she found Nick, he was in... really bad shape, enough so that she almost didn't regognize him at first. He was tied to a steel beam on his knees, his signiture coat and hat long gone, with his shirt and tie were nowhere to be seen as well. His skin had been torn open in many places, exposing the metal and wiring underneath, and what skin was left was burnt, black and ruined, his head hung low in shadow like a man dead. It was terrifying, how still he was...

Her eyes frantically checked the premises, and her shaky hands wiped her face for any spare splotches of blood that may have lingered after what she had to fight through to get where Nick was.

Earlier that day he explained investigating some...things known as the Scorched appearing in the what used-to-be-Boston area, and reports of them being last seen about 10 years after the bombs. Ellie, as per the usual, thought it wasn’t a good idea, “You’re always throwing yourself into the lions den and expecting to come out without a scratch,” she had said, more sternly than usual. “What are you supposed to do when you find them? What are you gaining from this?” However, Kellar was willing to follow him, wherever it may have led, usually no questions asked.

But Nick wanted to go alone. God knows why, but he was insistent, to the point where Kellar was nearly offended that he was so. He left without much of another word, saying he had to get an early start.

A wild look still pulsing in her eyes, she almost dropped her gun with how frenzied she ran to him, and dropped to her knees in front of his slack body. “Nick—! Nick, oh god,” her hands grazed over the new unfortunate openings on his body, trying to calculate if they were fixable, and if he was still salvageable. More of Ellie’s words echoed in her ears, someday, death is gonna laugh back— “FUCK! Nick, please. Please, please please open your eyes, it’s Kellar!” Her hands scooped his limp head up towards hers, holding it like a frail bird while her thumbs stroked his cheekbones. “C’mon, it’s me, man. C’mon—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

As she lifted his head, she felt nausea rise, because the sight of what they had done to his face was somehow worse than before. The bastards had ripped off most of the synth skin, exposing most of his jaw and his left eye, and where his nose had been was just an empty hole, cut off by the looks of it. The remaining synth skin was also burnt, with circular marks where they had snuffed out cigarettes around his mouth, cheek, and eye.

And god, his eyes... The left one dead, a switchblade lodged into where the yellow glow would have originated, and the right, half closed, flickering faintly like a dying candle.

He didn't respond to her words, what was left of his face slack, only the faint sound of his motor puttering weakly along in idle mode to show that he could be saved.

[askkellarcurtis]

Her hands shook even more and she started to see red. Whether it was a mixture of the nausea that had overtaken her, or the sheer, uncontrollable anger that boiled over as she looked at the damage, specifically the cigarette burns...she hoped she had killed every last one of them. And if she didn’t, she would. But that was to worry about later, Nick was and had always been priority number one. She had no time to waste, no time to celebrate, she had to get this man help. Now.

She fumbled with the zip ties that held his hands to the steel beam behind him, hearing an imagined but looming tick, tock, tick, tock in the back of her mind. “It’s not even that bad,” she repeated, over and over and over. Both to Nick, if he could hear, and herself. “It’s not even that bad.” She opened his chest plate, and tried to see if there was anything she could fix momentarily to give her more time to get him...anywhere. Amari, Ellie, the damn Railroad, anyone. A few times she had to help patch him up in the Commonwealth if there were any really bad attacks or explosions, though he would normally walk her through as she worked. Anything to hear his voice, for now, if it were possible.

[talk-to-the-synth]

His internals didn't look much better than he did on the outside, unfortunately. Ash covered a good portion of the mechanisms, battery acid had done some damage to the outer casing to the artificial organs, and a few exposed wires had burnt out from overheating, his fans clogged with yet more ash. Though his internal motor looked okay, despite being low on power, and his head looked intact, so if she at least fixed the wiring and cleared the fans, he might be able to power up long enough to talk to her, until his power ran out.

[askkellarcurtis]

As nimbly as she could she delicately scooped out the ash from her friends insides, taking the end of her scarf and wiping the extra parts that she couldn’t quite get the first time. Like tweezers her fingers carefully connected and patched wires as best she could, rearranging them if needed, and it definitely was.

“Nick I swear to fucking God.” She cursed under her breath. “Now I know what Ellie is ranting about all the time. Why don’t you take other peoples concern for you into consideration—damn you. Damn you. Please be okay—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

Once the ash was out and wires reconnected, it was only a matter of waiting for his system to realize it wasn't as completely a disaster as it had been a few minutes ago, and dear lord, waiting was agonizing. Seconds passed like minutes.

Then his fans turned on, motor coughing loudly like a half-rusted car struggling to come back to life, and his functioning eye resumed its usual glow a moment before he spasmed sharply, a broken static noise coming from his throat.

And then he was sagging back against the beam he'd been tied too, gasping for air as his vocal processor began to reset with audible clicks. For a moment, he didn't seem to realize where he was, eye darting around in fear.

[askkellarcurtis]

She jumped with him, changing from sitting on her knees to throwing herself back on her rear. Going from thinking he was a goner to see him move so spastically was heart stopping, but she would let it stop a thousand times over if it meant he would see another day.

Quickly, she clambered for Nick, her hands once again cupping his face so she could direct his attention to her. “Hey! Hey—Nick it’s Kellar. It’s me. You’re gonna be okay, alright? I’m here, I got you. You hear me? I got you.” She looked him over, memorizing how he moved, how he was just...existing. It would motivate her, no matter how far she had to carry him, she would remember this and it would push her to move faster.

[askkellarcurtis]

@talk-to-the-synth When she found Nick, he was in... really bad shape, enough so that she almost didn't regognize him at first. He was tied to a steel beam on his knees, his signiture coat and hat long gone, with his shirt and tie were nowhere to be seen as well. His skin had been torn open in many places, exposing the metal and wiring underneath, and what skin was left was burnt, black and ruined, his head hung low in shadow like a man dead. It was terrifying, how still he was...

Her eyes frantically checked the premises, and her shaky hands wiped her face for any spare splotches of blood that may have lingered after what she had to fight through to get where Nick was.

Earlier that day he explained investigating some...things known as the Scorched appearing in the what used-to-be-Boston area, and reports of them being last seen about 10 years after the bombs. Ellie, as per the usual, thought it wasn’t a good idea, “You’re always throwing yourself into the lions den and expecting to come out without a scratch,” she had said, more sternly than usual. “What are you supposed to do when you find them? What are you gaining from this?” However, Kellar was willing to follow him, wherever it may have led, usually no questions asked.

But Nick wanted to go alone. God knows why, but he was insistent, to the point where Kellar was nearly offended that he was so. He left without much of another word, saying he had to get an early start.

A wild look still pulsing in her eyes, she almost dropped her gun with how frenzied she ran to him, and dropped to her knees in front of his slack body. “Nick—! Nick, oh god,” her hands grazed over the new unfortunate openings on his body, trying to calculate if they were fixable, and if he was still salvageable. More of Ellie’s words echoed in her ears, someday, death is gonna laugh back— “FUCK! Nick, please. Please, please please open your eyes, it’s Kellar!” Her hands scooped his limp head up towards hers, holding it like a frail bird while her thumbs stroked his cheekbones. “C’mon, it’s me, man. C’mon—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

As she lifted his head, she felt nausea rise, because the sight of what they had done to his face was somehow worse than before. The bastards had ripped off most of the synth skin, exposing most of his jaw and his left eye, and where his nose had been was just an empty hole, cut off by the looks of it. The remaining synth skin was also burnt, with circular marks where they had snuffed out cigarettes around his mouth, cheek, and eye.

And god, his eyes... The left one dead, a switchblade lodged into where the yellow glow would have originated, and the right, half closed, flickering faintly like a dying candle.

He didn't respond to her words, what was left of his face slack, only the faint sound of his motor puttering weakly along in idle mode to show that he could be saved.

[askkellarcurtis]

Her hands shook even more and she started to see red. Whether it was a mixture of the nausea that had overtaken her, or the sheer, uncontrollable anger that boiled over as she looked at the damage, specifically the cigarette burns...she hoped she had killed every last one of them. And if she didn’t, she would. But that was to worry about later, Nick was and had always been priority number one. She had no time to waste, no time to celebrate, she had to get this man help. Now.

She fumbled with the zip ties that held his hands to the steel beam behind him, hearing an imagined but looming tick, tock, tick, tock in the back of her mind. “It’s not even that bad,” she repeated, over and over and over. Both to Nick, if he could hear, and herself. “It’s not even that bad.” She opened his chest plate, and tried to see if there was anything she could fix momentarily to give her more time to get him...anywhere. Amari, Ellie, the damn Railroad, anyone. A few times she had to help patch him up in the Commonwealth if there were any really bad attacks or explosions, though he would normally walk her through as she worked. Anything to hear his voice, for now, if it were possible.

[talk-to-the-synth]

His internals didn't look much better than he did on the outside, unfortunately. Ash covered a good portion of the mechanisms, battery acid had done some damage to the outer casing to the artificial organs, and a few exposed wires had burnt out from overheating, his fans clogged with yet more ash. Though his internal motor looked okay, despite being low on power, and his head looked intact, so if she at least fixed the wiring and cleared the fans, he might be able to power up long enough to talk to her, until his power ran out.

[askkellarcurtis]

As nimbly as she could she delicately scooped out the ash from her friends insides, taking the end of her scarf and wiping the extra parts that she couldn’t quite get the first time. Like tweezers her fingers carefully connected and patched wires as best she could, rearranging them if needed, and it definitely was.

“Nick I swear to fucking God.” She cursed under her breath. “Now I know what Ellie is ranting about all the time. Why don’t you take other peoples concern for you into consideration—damn you. Damn you. Please be okay—“

[askkellarcurtis]

@talk-to-the-synth When she found Nick, he was in... really bad shape, enough so that she almost didn't regognize him at first. He was tied to a steel beam on his knees, his signiture coat and hat long gone, with his shirt and tie were nowhere to be seen as well. His skin had been torn open in many places, exposing the metal and wiring underneath, and what skin was left was burnt, black and ruined, his head hung low in shadow like a man dead. It was terrifying, how still he was...

Her eyes frantically checked the premises, and her shaky hands wiped her face for any spare splotches of blood that may have lingered after what she had to fight through to get where Nick was.

Earlier that day he explained investigating some...things known as the Scorched appearing in the what used-to-be-Boston area, and reports of them being last seen about 10 years after the bombs. Ellie, as per the usual, thought it wasn’t a good idea, “You’re always throwing yourself into the lions den and expecting to come out without a scratch,” she had said, more sternly than usual. “What are you supposed to do when you find them? What are you gaining from this?” However, Kellar was willing to follow him, wherever it may have led, usually no questions asked.

But Nick wanted to go alone. God knows why, but he was insistent, to the point where Kellar was nearly offended that he was so. He left without much of another word, saying he had to get an early start.

A wild look still pulsing in her eyes, she almost dropped her gun with how frenzied she ran to him, and dropped to her knees in front of his slack body. “Nick—! Nick, oh god,” her hands grazed over the new unfortunate openings on his body, trying to calculate if they were fixable, and if he was still salvageable. More of Ellie’s words echoed in her ears, someday, death is gonna laugh back— “FUCK! Nick, please. Please, please please open your eyes, it’s Kellar!” Her hands scooped his limp head up towards hers, holding it like a frail bird while her thumbs stroked his cheekbones. “C’mon, it’s me, man. C’mon—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

As she lifted his head, she felt nausea rise, because the sight of what they had done to his face was somehow worse than before. The bastards had ripped off most of the synth skin, exposing most of his jaw and his left eye, and where his nose had been was just an empty hole, cut off by the looks of it. The remaining synth skin was also burnt, with circular marks where they had snuffed out cigarettes around his mouth, cheek, and eye.

And god, his eyes... The left one dead, a switchblade lodged into where the yellow glow would have originated, and the right, half closed, flickering faintly like a dying candle.

He didn't respond to her words, what was left of his face slack, only the faint sound of his motor puttering weakly along in idle mode to show that he could be saved.

[askkellarcurtis]

Her hands shook even more and she started to see red. Whether it was a mixture of the nausea that had overtaken her, or the sheer, uncontrollable anger that boiled over as she looked at the damage, specifically the cigarette burns...she hoped she had killed every last one of them. And if she didn’t, she would. But that was to worry about later, Nick was and had always been priority number one. She had no time to waste, no time to celebrate, she had to get this man help. Now.

She fumbled with the zip ties that held his hands to the steel beam behind him, hearing an imagined but looming tick, tock, tick, tock in the back of her mind. “It’s not even that bad,” she repeated, over and over and over. Both to Nick, if he could hear, and herself. “It’s not even that bad.” She opened his chest plate, and tried to see if there was anything she could fix momentarily to give her more time to get him...anywhere. Amari, Ellie, the damn Railroad, anyone. A few times she had to help patch him up in the Commonwealth if there were any really bad attacks or explosions, though he would normally walk her through as she worked. Anything to hear his voice, for now, if it were possible.

[askkellarcurtis]

@talk-to-the-synth When she found Nick, he was in... really bad shape, enough so that she almost didn't regognize him at first. He was tied to a steel beam on his knees, his signiture coat and hat long gone, with his shirt and tie were nowhere to be seen as well. His skin had been torn open in many places, exposing the metal and wiring underneath, and what skin was left was burnt, black and ruined, his head hung low in shadow like a man dead. It was terrifying, how still he was...

Her eyes frantically checked the premises, and her shaky hands wiped her face for any spare splotches of blood that may have lingered after what she had to fight through to get where Nick was.

Earlier that day he explained investigating some...things known as the Scorched appearing in the what used-to-be-Boston area, and reports of them being last seen about 10 years after the bombs. Ellie, as per the usual, thought it wasn’t a good idea, “You’re always throwing yourself into the lions den and expecting to come out without a scratch,” she had said, more sternly than usual. “What are you supposed to do when you find them? What are you gaining from this?” However, Kellar was willing to follow him, wherever it may have led, usually no questions asked.

But Nick wanted to go alone. God knows why, but he was insistent, to the point where Kellar was nearly offended that he was so. He left without much of another word, saying he had to get an early start.

A wild look still pulsing in her eyes, she almost dropped her gun with how frenzied she ran to him, and dropped to her knees in front of his slack body. “Nick—! Nick, oh god,” her hands grazed over the new unfortunate openings on his body, trying to calculate if they were fixable, and if he was still salvageable. More of Ellie’s words echoed in her ears, someday, death is gonna laugh back— “FUCK! Nick, please. Please, please please open your eyes, it’s Kellar!” Her hands scooped his limp head up towards hers, holding it like a frail bird while her thumbs stroked his cheekbones. “C’mon, it’s me, man. C’mon—“

[talk-to-the-synth]

(@askkellarcurtis) “  don’t look at me like that.  ”

He startles, hurriedly looking away as he reaches up to adjust his hat lower in an effort to hide his eyes. The way he'd been looking at her before... It had been unusually intense, heated even, yet unfocused, like he'd been lost in his own thoughts.

"Sorry," he apologized, a tad gruffly. "I was thinking."

[talk-to-the-synth]

Nick nodded, face set pensively, and followed.

It wasn't hard to find a good spot to camp, there were nooks and crannies everywhere that, if fortified, were great spots to take advantage of.

The detective made sure it was safe before they settled, though. Just in case.

[askkellarcurtis]

As Nick checked the parameter Kellar started on a small fire for herself, nestling in as close to the cliffside as she could. It began to sprinkle and slowly began to turn into a healthy downpour as the night continued on, a soft green tone taking whatever light was left. They were probably somewhere near the glowing sea, Kellar thought.

She could scarce think of anything else other than what Nick said earlier, though. She absentmindedly burned her fingers once or twice as she did so. As she got the fire crackling, she looked up to see Nick taking a long drag of a cigarette, back turned to her. She wondered if she had kept him waiting too long.

Kellar briskly got up and walked over to him, feeling the pressure on her chest get heavier and heavier. “I have to ask-“ she began, holding her fingers out, hoping he would share the cigarette. “Three and a half months ago. Did it happen before or after I ate a raw radroach leg by mistake and violently threw up in a Brahmin field?”

[talk-to-the-synth]

"After. I admit, I thought I might have to drag you to Amari after that little incident. You looked green for hours afterwards." He had a nostalgic sort of smile as he obligingly hands over the cigarette.

He also took note of the discomfort she was in, and gently squeezed her shoulder. "Hey. Relax. You look like you're might give yourself an aneurysm."

His face was as kind as ever, as if the topic wasn't about... them.

God, this was probably just as hard for him as it was for her. He just had more practice hiding it.

[askkellarcurtis]

She took a long drag of the cigarette, holding the smoke a bit before steadily letting it out into the humidity. A small sputter appeared in the smoke as she chuckled. “I just wish it was easier, yknow? In a world where things didn’t happen with Nate...the way they did, I could say hey, I love you too! And we could go from there.”

She handed back the Grey Tortise cigarette as she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. “I don’t want it to be so complicated. I don’t want to wrestle so hard with how I feel about you and how I still feel about Nate...whatever it is I still feel towards him. Is it weird to hold on to someone who’s been gone for so long?” She was aware how bizarre of a question that was, but she had never dealt with such great personal loss the way she assumed Nick had, being around for as long as he had.

[talk-to-the-synth]

Nick wrapped an arm around her in a comforting sort of way, gently supporting her without being overbearing.

"Its not weird at all, Kellar," he said quietly, gaze faraway, looking into his own memories. "I held onto Jenny for more than a hundred years, and she wasn't even mine. The death of someone you love leaves a wound, and it can take years to heal... If it does at all."

The detective leaned his head against hers, closing his eyes, the yellow glow of them vanishing, so only the fire blanketed them in flickering light.

"You have every right to feel the way you feel," he continued, tone soft. "As complicated as emotions are, we can't just shove them aside, though I admit its tempting sometimes. You've valid, Kellar, and I'm not going to push you to feel one way or another. I'm here to support you, not force you into something you aren't comfortable or ready for. Its alright."

[askkellarcurtis]

She nodded, silent. She knew Nick would never pressure her to do anything or go into a relationship she wasn’t ready for, maybe thats why she was so comfortable being so vulnerable with him about Nate...she hardly talked about him much otherwise. Truth be told, she felt fairly certain of how she felt towards him, but—she was comforted that he was going through the same thing she was, with Jenny, as selfish as that may have been.

“That’s true.” Kellar finally said, snuggling into his head. That’s all she could say for a bit, staring out into the rain with the detective. “Yknow I don’t think that I’m not ready I just...I was nervous with what I would bring with this.” She held up her left hand with her golden wedding band shining in the fire light. “But recently it hasn’t felt right. Like it’s too snug, or too bulky, but only after I’ve seen you.” Her head lifted from his shoulder, sliding the ring off her finger and gazing at it as she twirled it in her grasp.

“Maybe...” Kellar breathed, turning her attention to Nick, her eyes meeting his keroscene ones again. Her gaze being much softer than before. “I’m ready to try to move on.”

[talk-to-the-synth]

Surprise flickers in that lamplight gaze before melting away into a deep, compassionate sort of glow, the detective smiling at her in mixture of awe, pride, and affection, before gently leaning his head forward to touch hers, the contact simple but sweet.

He doesn't say any of his words out loud, but its clear as day in the touch of their foreheads, in the way he holds her, in the way he looks at her: he's proud of her, for struggling through and not giving up, for doing her best, for keeping on going even though it was hard.

And he loves her. Now that she knew how he felt, it was hard to imagine how she had missed it, because the way he looks at her, holds her close to him like this, fought for her through thick and thin...

Its in every little gesture. Every touch.

Nick loves her.

[askkellarcurtis]

To say Kellar felt sparks through the tender gesture wouldn’t have done it justice. Fireworks erupted in her heart, explosions of red in her cheeks. The concoction of pure bliss and giddiness made her lightheaded, she couldn’t help but smile as her forehead rested against his.

She wondered why she never put the pieces together before, maybe she did and just ignored them, or was so deep in her own mentality that she couldn’t see through it. The man who helped her when she needed it most, the one who pulled her out of the weeds, the one who went through hell with her and came out on the other side.

Her lips slammed into his, so suddenly that it caught her by surprise. She pulled away, wide and face still flushed. “I’m-“ she started, “I hope that wasn’t too sudden, I’m sorry, I-“

[talk-to-the-synth]

The rest of her words were lost, because suddenly Nick was leaning forward and some part of her was melting into him, his lips finding hers like it was the sweetest, most natural thing in the world. He was kissing her, free hand curling gently against her face, his whole body against hers as he held her close, warm and sturdy like a shelter all on its own. It was sweet, heartfelt, the moment of intimacy lasting both an instant and an eon as he held her.

And then it was over, the ghost of a breath he didn't need brushing against her face as he pulled back a little to let her breathe, but not so far as to let her go, forehead still touching hers, thumb brushing lovingly against her cheek.

"Don't apologize," he murmured, the smile on his face making her heart do flips. "I liked it."

[askkellarcurtis]

Her face was Tato red as he pulled away, his kiss much more deep and intimate than her frantic one. Kellar let go of the spare breath she was holding, and squished her nose against his face again. “Then don’t stop,” she said, near desperate.

Pulling him in again, she tugged on his trench coat lapel to bring him closer. Once he was there, she cupped her hands on his face, making sure he would stay for a while. It was surprising how soft his lips felt against hers, and how easily Kellar was able to ignore the taste of the fresh cigarette. As the kiss became more fervent, now and again she would sneak a peek whenever she leaned back for a brief breath of air, making sure it really was happening.

She stopped again to catch her breath, realizing that he definitely could go on forever while she needed to pause for herself. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried in his shoulder, the bridge of her nose finding its fit comfortably against his neck.

“This is so surreal.” A giggle escaped her, still not believing her reality. “I’ve had Nick Valentine wrapped around my finger this whole time and I didn’t even know it.” She teased, meeting his gaze while still keeping her wrists criss-crossed around his neck. “I would’ve taken more advantage of it had I known.”

[talk-to-the-synth]

Nick laughed out loud, a warm sound akin to instant healing, one she hadn't heard in weeks, and gently bumped their noses together affectionately as his hands moved to smooth down her sides.

"Well, now you know. What you do with that information is up to you." He teases her right back, smiling broadly. "Though I will admit you've certainly done a good job of making it a damn pain in the ass to say no to you. Hard to say no to anything when you give me those eyes now and again."

God, it was so good to see him smile, hear him tease her again... He hadn't looked this happy, this relaxed since... Never, really. It was a good look on him, seeming to erase a few years of stress and worry from his face under a genuine smile that made her heart go fuzzy.

Nick clearly felt as giddy as she did too, because he didn't wait long before stealing at least one more kiss.

[askkellarcurtis]

She hummed into the kiss, her lips pulling into a smile as he stole them again, nipping his bottom lip a bit. Her hands slid down to his chest, gently moving over his white button down as they continued.

“Well, maybe subconsciously I knew,” she said with a cheesy grin, the detectives smile was contagious. “Maybe it was a mix of how you never said no to me, and the fact that Ellie was always sneaking glares at you whenever we were in the same room together. It’s good to know I have eyes I can get anything I want with though, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Her heart felt like it could jump out of her chest and run away, technically it’s been over 200 years since she had been with anyone like this, and she never thought she would be with Nick. Out of everyone in the world, she never thought she would be the reason he laughed like that, or smiled like that, or felt the way he did. He was always a safe space for her, and always will be, and she took comfort that it may be the same case vice versa, too.

“God, I feel like I’m not gonna get any sleep tonight.” She laughed. “How could I ever dream of doing anything else but this?” She closed in for a hug, having to stand on her tippy toes so her chin could make it over his shoulder. Her eyes closed, feeling she could fall asleep just like that.

[talk-to-the-synth]

Nick leaned his head against hers, chuckling at her delight as he ran his good hand over her hair while he held her close, metal hand resting on the small of her back in an intimate genture.

"We have all the time in the world, doll," he replied, pressing his lips to her temple. His tone was lower, quieter, the words like a promise just for her. Hot damn.

[askkellarcurtis]

A content hum came from Kellar, leaning her head into his kiss. “If I didn’t know any better, detective,” she moved her head so she could look up at him through her lashes, “that sounded like you may not want me to get any sleep.” Her eyes squished from the smile that was hidden in his shoulder. She figured she may as well test the waters, they had already gotten further than she ever thought they would.

[talk-to-the-synth]

Nick couldn't help an amused smirk at the tease, eyes brightening as he met her gaze with a heated sort of intensity. He looked like something straight out of a movie, handsome and striking all at once as he bent his head to kiss her again, long and lingering.

"Much as I value the importance of sleep," he murmured against her lips, "You're making it awful tempting to keep you up for awhile..."

[askkellarcurtis]

It was hard to ignore the immediate sparkle that shone in Kellars eyes, as much as she tried to hide her excitement to keep the mood. To hear Nick talk so suggestively...hit different. She felt selfish with how pleased she was that she was one of the few to ever hear it.

“W-well,” unintentional stutter. It’s okay Kellar you can come back from that, it didn’t happen. You’re not nervous. She led Valentine against the wall of the cliffside, pressing his back against it, playing and pulling at his tie. “I guess it’s good we don’t have any plans tomorrow, hm?”

[talk-to-the-synth]

His smirk only broadened as he let her push him back against the rock face, hands smoothing down her sides to rest on her hips, thumb teasing along the edge of her shirt, just barely touching skin.

"Maybe you don't," Nick teased. "Me, I was considering taking you upstairs in the office and showing a real good place to rest, if you know what I mean."

[askkellarcurtis]

“Maybe I do have plans then.” She shot back, giving him an intimate, deep kiss, biting his lip in the process. “Well,” Kellar began, pressing her body on top of his. “Since it seems like we’ll be busy, we’d better get a head start, don’t you think?” Her hands cupped his, guiding them s l o w l y further into her shirt.