A Visit Between Friends II
Part one here.
Pairing: Edward Deegan x Nora/Female Sole Survivor
Word Count: 15,335
Warnings: smut (18+), groping, nipple play, lingerie, tit job, oral sex (sort of), mild cum play, some horror elements/disturbing imagery, discussions of grief and death, shitty marriage dynamics
Notes: Call me what I am, y'all: a big, fat liar. I said when I posted the first chapter of this that I'd try to keep the subsequent chapters shorter, and I did not. Honestly, I didn't even try, because I love portraying the growing tenderness and domesticity these two share so much. Plus, I've really been enjoying exploring Nora's complicated grief, and what it's like to be in a healthy relationship after spending a long time in a not-so-healthy relationship.
John and Daisy both have a fairly big presence in this chapter, and they were a lot of fun to add into the story. The opening bit is a little dark, but nothing too crazy. I should write horror stuff more often. Also tit jobs.
Please enjoy.
Nora's entire body ached worse than she'd ever known it could.
It was late—far too late for her to be awake, based on the silence and the pitch black outside. Even the mid-October crickets were long retired for the evening. In fact, the only thing she could properly hear was the rumbling of the heater kicking on and Shaun's fussing in the nursery across the hall, the little sputtering sort that meant he was trying his best to wake himself and succeeding. She grimaced, her sore breasts beginning to leak at the sound. Carefully, she massaged at one to try and soothe the sudden pang, her other hand sweeping across her greasy, exhausted face.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"Nate." she murmured, voice thick and groggy.
The figure beside her, tucked away under the duvet, didn't so much as stir.
"Nate, the baby." she repeated, clearer, louder.
Still, there was no reply, only the growing mewls of the needy newborn and the continued, steady patter of a slow leak nearby.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Great, another expense. she thought, dread tying yet another knot in her already clinched guts. Bet the fucking washer's leaking again.
"Please get the baby." she begged, her voice broken and hoarse as she raised it another octave. "Nate. Don't make me get up. I can't."
The man in her bed didn't respond, not even as a snore rising from him as she pulled herself up to sit on the edge of the bed, her stomach rolling with nausea at the pain in her chest and core. She took a deep breath, waiting for the ominous saliva filling her mouth to abate and deciding whether she needed to make a beeline for the nearest vomit-friendly receptacle.
Fighting back a thick swallow, Nora could taste the bile of resentment in the back of her throat as she gave her spouse a hard shove in the side, right where he'd broken a rib falling off the roof a few years prior for good measure. He seemed to absorb the impact easily, and she seethed for a moment at his lack of reaction, but then flinched away hard when he sat up stiff as a board, almost unnatural in the way his lax-seeming head guided his whole body upwards. The sudden movement startled her, sending her fumbling for the lamp on the table by her side of the bed. There was a heavy metallic stink in the air as she fumbled for the switch, her palm sliding across the tabletop.
Shaun's crying continued to grow louder.
The light blared harshly into her face as it clicked on, making her blink hard as she struggled to force her eyes to adjust. As they did, she could make out more and more of the details of her husband's corpse where it sat leaned up against the sturdy headboard of their bed, a steady trickle of crimson running from the open bullet wound in his forehead, down the crooked bridge of his nose and dribbling along his dry, cracked lips. Round drops landed in a steady patter where they fell, staining the front of the cobalt-and-yellow Vault suit he wore with the same blood that covered her hands.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
She threw herself as far away from the thing as she could without even thinking, sending her aching body sliding across the bedroom floor, her sticky-wet palms slipping as she tried and failed to catch herself. Her head smacked against the hardwood, leaving her ears ringing and her eyes struggling to focus again as she stared down the carcass that now leaned haphazardly against the headboard.
Though its eyes were only partially open, one further than the other, they seemed to pin her to the wall accusatorily nonetheless, milky and crusted. Maggots crawled forth from its rusted, slack mouth, their fat, white forms tumbling down onto the bedspread and writhing towards her. Its pallid skin was suddenly dotted with black flies the size of marbles whose droning seemed to vibrate her entire being. Blood ran down the sheets and walls and dribbled from the ceiling, pooling around her. It was ice cold.
Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip...
She couldn't open her mouth, but the air was filled with the sound of her terrified screaming, morphing with the high-pitched cries already piercing her ears.
"Nora." she could hear a voice calling. She threw her hands over her face and sunk further onto the floor, trying her best to hide from the carcass in the bed, which felt as if it were creeping ever closer with each passing second. The grisly tide seemed to rise higher and higher, covering her mouth and nose until she was choking on the it.
"Nora!"
When she finally jolted awake, Edward's big, warm body was pressed tight into her side, one arm curled around her shoulders as he tried his best to gently shake her back into consciousness. She gasped for air for a few seconds, fingers gripping tight to the side of the mattress as she pulled herself upright, her feet dangling over the edge.
"Shit." she whispered, her stomach lurching as the phantom of the iron taste of blood still coated the inside of her mouth.
"Hey, hey." her companion said soothingly, petting at her back as her gagging scaled down to coughing. "It's alright."
He stood and made his way around to her side, his weight sinking deep into the mattress when he sat down and put one of those long arms around her. She leaned into his side, and it felt easy. Her cheeks were humiliatingly wet as she wiped at them with the palms of her hands.
"Poor thing, you're shaking." he noted, giving her an affectionate rub along her arm and shoulder and touching his thin lips to the top of her head. Her heart beat thunderously against her rib cage, a rhythm she could feel in her face.
"Do you drink tea?" the former servant asked.
She nodded wordlessly, her mouth a grim line. Though he assured her that she could rest, that he'd bring her the stuff in bed, she didn't want to be left alone, and so followed on his heels downstairs to the kitchen. Cool air pooled on the tile floor, licking at her ankles. She drew her legs up into the chair she'd tossed herself down into and rested her arms on her knees, watching closely as Edward went about what he was doing in silence. The well-maintained gas stove lit easily, the blue flames of the burner dancing gracefully in unison as a slight draft caught them. He seemed to study the water that came out of the tap for a moment before filling a slightly worse-for-wear silver kettle and setting it to boil. For a few minutes, he disappeared into the adjacent pantry.
"Do you ever have nightmares?" she asked when he returned, mostly to break the silence.
"Mm. Not so much anymore." the tall ghoul replied, rummaging through a cabinet for something and not finding it. The kettle began to work up to a boil—hissing, but not quite whistling. "I did for a while, though, those first few years after the bombs. Now maybe once in a blue moon."
Despite how desperately she wanted to find comfort in that idea, she didn't. The kettle began to whistle.
He'd brought something from the pantry, wrapped in heavily crinkled wax paper. She'd never seen tea from a brick before, but her host didn't say anything about it as he grated some off the corner and gathered it into a dented silver infuser. It sat steeping on the counter as he poked through a lower, smaller cabinet, seeming to acquire what he'd been searching for. It was a metal canister of some sort, the remaining label bits orange and yellow-looking, but the thing was far too well-worn to determine what it had ever been.
"Do you want anything to eat?" he asked. She shook her head wordlessly, her stomach still knotted up like a fist. His eyes narrowed just barely, but he didn't say anything more as he gave the metal stick a final stir and sat the mug softly on the table in front of her. She felt his hand swipe affectionately between her shoulder blades before he stepped away.
The drink smelled a bit like a swamp, rusty red-brown in color and steaming beautifully, but Nora didn't bother to ask what it was made from as she lifted it to her lips. She wrinkled her nose for a moment as an earthy taste coated her tongue, but the warmth spreading through her chest was soothing enough to push her through a second sip, then a third. By the time she'd nearly drained the mug, she didn't mind the flavor anymore. Things were quiet again as Edward fussed with whatever he was making for himself, throwing a generous scoop of it into his own cup and topping it off with some more of the kettle water.
"Do you have them a lot? Nightmares?" he inquired as he took a seat beside her, stirring away once more.
Shame draped over her like a suffocating curtain. She kept her eyes on the mostly empty mug in front of her.
"I didn't used to. Ever, hardly."
"Well. Fair enough, wouldn't you say?" he asked, blowing across his drink measuredly and not quite making eye contact. "You've been through a lot in the last year. And a lot before that, it would seem...you know, if we're being completely honest."
He was being delicate with her in a way that he usually wasn't, and she couldn't tell if it was having the comforting effect he likely intended. She was quiet for a beat that seemed to last forever, pondering if she should say what she really wanted to.
"I keep dreaming about waking up in my house with Nate's corpse next to me in bed." she said, plain and flat and as detached as she could manage.
The ghoul across from her pulled a face as he swallowed down a sip of his own beverage, but she couldn't tell if it was thanks to the flavor or her confession.
"Yikes." he said.
More words spilled from her lips before she could stop them.
"Sometimes he's on top of me instead."
She studied his reaction closely, but found nothing that would betray his inner thoughts.
"Hm." he replied, a deep, troubled sound. However, he didn't ask any questions or remark on what she'd said. Instead, he waited to see if she'd go on. She surprised herself by doing just that.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Of course."
A slow, calming breath hissed through her nostrils, and she clasped her hands together. They trembled still, though less than before.
"I don't miss him. As a person, I mean. And I miss being married to him even less. But I feel terrible about what happened to him."
"That's fair. I probably would, too." Edward remarked when she paused.
"I think about it constantly. Dream about it. I have since the day I walked out of the Vault. Ever since then, I always sort of assumed I'd go back at some point and, you know...put him to rest. But it's such a daunting thing to think about. If I even have to go near Sanctuary for anything anymore, I feel sick for days afterwards. Physically. I can't eat, I can't sleep, and when I do, I have nightmares about seeing him dead, or watching him die all over again."
"And you're hoping going back and tying everything up, so to speak, will help with that."
She nodded.
"What do you think is stopping you?" he asked. "Is it having to...move him?"
Despite how her nodding turned to shaking, she didn't think that prospect sounded particularly enticing, either.
"I don't..." she began, but she stopped herself short, rubbing her palms down her cheeks. "God, this sounds so stupid to say, but I don't want to see him."
The older man's almost nonexistent brows knit together slightly.
"His body, you mean?" he clarified.
She shook her head, suddenly staring at the broom in the corner, the pans hanging on the wall, anything but him. The familiar tingle of nascent tears beginning to form made her squint.
"No. I don't want to see him the way I wouldn't have wanted to see him at a divorce hearing or a custody hand-off if we'd never gone into the Vault." she explained. "My brain just keeps telling me that I'm gonna have to brace myself for another guilt-trip about how I wasn't there for him when he needed me. Obviously he isn't going to yell at me or anything, but I know I'm going to feel...blamed. Not just guilty, but blamed. I don't know if I can handle it."
She was quiet for a few long, quiet seconds, but Edward remained silent, studying her with a measured, patient gaze.
"He's dead. I shouldn't be worried about his anger anymore." she said, avoiding the word afraid with herculean effort. "And god, I try, but..."
He nodded, seemingly waiting to see if she'd continue. She couldn't find it in her to say more, so he set his drink aside.
"I understand. And I know this is pretty rich, but don't be so hard on yourself about how you feel, Nora. You can't control it, no matter how badly you might want to." he said, leaning a few inches closer. His hand inched forward, too, but he didn't touch her. "Let me tell you something. There are more people who were there the day the bombs dropped still around now than you'd think, and I've met a lot of them. Not a single one I know had it easy trying to figure out how to keep going, even the ones who thought they would."
"Everything you ever knew before is different now, or else it's just completely gone. That's a lot of change to wrap your mind and heart around, especially all at once. Part of you knows that right now, but not all of you. It takes a long time to settle in, that level of change." he went on, a certain sad wistfulness in his voice for a brief second. "And you didn't really have time to focus on your grief after he died, either. I'm sure that's a whole separate wrench in this situation. Hell, if you'd told me you still loved him, I wouldn't have been surprised. Feelings are complicated and very frequently contradictory, in my experience. Particularly feelings about someone you had such a long, difficult relationship with."
Nora felt a fat tear laying a wet trail down the side of her face. Quickly, she wiped at it.
"I didn't love him when we were still together." she chuckled, but it was a bitter sound. "Even when he was deployed, I just hated hearing from him. I spent the entire time wishing I'd never have to see him again, actually."
She opened her mouth to say more, but hesitated, feeling suddenly like she'd already exposed herself as a terrible wife and person. Pressing her mouth into a thin line, she chewed her bottom lip until she could nearly taste blood again, afraid to look in the big ghoul's direction. Her vision was blurry when she dared, but he gave her a small, understanding smile, his massive hand extending to carefully wipe the wetness from her cheek before wrapping around her own. It was gently calloused and comfortingly warm.
"But you want to bury him? It's important to you?" he asked.
She nodded, small but clear.
"I just...don't feel right leaving him there forever. He was not great to me, so otherwise I really might not care, honestly. But he was only trying to protect..."
She found it impossible to say Shaun's name out loud, her vocal cords seizing up in protest as the whole thing ran through her mind yet again.
"...our son. When it happened." she continued, just barely able to keep her voice steady. "And as much as I dread the idea of it, I feel like I owe him that."
Her entire being was hot with embarrassment as she finished. Goosebumps tickled along her arms.
He probably thinks you're nuts.
"I'm not sure you owe him anything." Edward said delicately, those deep green eyes searching her own. "Though that's just my opinion."
For a silent moment, she tried to refine her own words into a more coherent point.
"I think it'll give me closure. On a lot of things." she explained in a tone that she almost believed. Her companion's reaction to this was strange, though, his warm, patient demeanor shifting at the eyes into what looked like...pity? Or maybe despair? The look was gone before she could pinpoint exactly what she thought it was. He swallowed visibly, his slender Adam's apple bobbing at the peak of his throat.
"You don't have to do it alone. I'll help you, if you want. You know, when you're ready." he said after a beat, giving her hand a light squeeze. "Wouldn't be the first corpse I've handled or the first grave I've dug."
His voice had a note to it she couldn't quite decipher, but it didn't feel like the proper moment to investigate. Besides, the day had only begun and she already felt wiped.
"Is it weird that hearing that actually makes me feel a little better?" she inquired.
Edward laughed soothingly at that.
"Frankly, I don't think my gauge for 'weird' is very accurate these days." he said.
Nora nodded in a slow, sage way, his words resonating deeply. For a moment, she felt every moment of the time she'd missed pressing down on her.
"What're you drinking? Maybe I want some." she asked with a small sniffle, offering him as playful a smile as she could muster.
"Nah, you don't want any of this." he replied, holding the still-steaming thing under his chin once more as he leaned against the back of his chair. "It's shitty instant coffee I found in a warehouse on the edge of the Glowing Sea years ago. Pretty radioactive."
"Ah."
"Also, it's decaf."
"Yuck!"
They both shared a much more easy laugh at the indignation in her tone, some of the tension building in the air broken. That strange sad look was back in Edward's eyes when they met hers again, though much softer and harder to see. She tucked it away in the back of her mind to ponder over later.
"You sure you won't eat?" he asked. "Long day ahead, surely."
She smiled at his consideration, the most genuine one she'd been able to muster since she'd risen.
"I could try."
After breakfast (and a few steadying breaths confined in the bathroom while she dressed), Nora headed out back down the road towards the old Taffington place, face warm as the early morning clouds thinned away, exposing the still-rising sun.
The large old colonial had likely once been an incredibly expensive property, complete with waterfront access, some decorative fruit trees, and a full-sized boathouse. The open acreage across the small two-lane road that ran past the place had once been a vineyard, if she could recall correctly. Now, the proximity to the water proved to be more of a liability than a selling point, between the bloodbugs, the nearby mirelurk nesting ground, and the low-grade radiation. Fortunately, all of those things were mediated with a little dedication and foresight, and the place had gained quite the reputation as a safe trading post and a place to catch some rest from the road since she'd helped sort it out.
She received a decidedly warm welcome from the small team that ran the place, though a short one, each member eager to discuss various needs the place had. The tall, ghostly pale older woman who oversaw renting out the beds required fresh guards to sit the overnight watch after two of the old ones had decided to strike out on their own as prospectors. Her younger, dark-skinned compatriot, who wore her tight curls in a high bun, tended to the rows of of crops that had been installed and was in need of new tools. The trading outpost was managed by a man of similar age to the farmer, severe-mouthed and lanky. He was very soft spoken as he explained to her that he wanted new signage to guide people along the road. Briefly, she wondered exactly how she'd picked up so much responsibility.
Nora made meticulous notes of each request, jotting down a few ideas about vendors or locations where supplies might be obtained. She'd likely have to hire out some folks to do the actual fetching, but that was a matter to think over tomorrow. As she listened to the proprietors discuss their plans for expanding the house, sunk into a plush, mildewy chair in the corner of the busy lower floor, her mind repeatedly wandered back to Edward. They'd shared more affection in the previous few days than she'd had in the last few years of her marriage, physical or otherwise. He was endlessly flirtatious and increasingly handsy the more comfortable they got with one another, constantly in search of new ways to demonstrate his interest in her. Thus far he'd progressed, though somewhat slowly, from lightly brushing against her to rather openly grabbing her when he felt like it. Once, he'd even tweaked her nipple through her shirt before he'd headed out for the day, chuckling at the way it had made her squeal.
She adored the attention, no matter how coy she tried to be about it. It made her feel sincerely desired, and it was addictive. Despite how she wanted to repay him for the good time he'd shown her the first night she'd slept over, to feel that exquisite heat between them again, each subsequent day had been long and full of physical and mental labor, leaving her completely exhausted and collapsing into bed at its end. Today she meant to keep short, to make it back before sunset so she would still have energy for him.
However, after several more hours of discussions and making notes, she'd failed miserably in her goal. She departed the boathouse with very little sunlight left, tagging along with a small group of traders who were moving south towards Jamaica Plain. They were all kind, if a bit rough around the edges, and the conversation flowed rather easily as they made their way along the old asphalt trail— discussions about good drinking spots, deathclaw hunting, which Nuka Cola was the best. Nora, chatted out, didn't contribute much, save to say that she'd always been a Nuka Cherry fan. Her new friends kept her company all the way to Cabot House, far more confident moving in a band than she previously had been moving through the same area alone. It was fully dark by the time they parted ways, Nora lingering on the stoop to wave to them as they disappeared down the hill and out of sight. Briefly, she wondered if she'd ever see any of them again.
After dragging herself inside and dropping her heavy bag, she didn't even have the energy for a proper shower. The deep disappointment she felt at her own lack of proper time management was soothed when she realized Edward simply seemed happy to see her, occupying himself sweeping when she appeared. Upstairs, she wetted a rag with some hot water at the sink and gave herself the sort of bath she'd become accustomed to over the last year, putting in just enough effort that she wouldn't feel guilty when she crawled into the clean sheets. Once she'd managed to rid herself of at least most of the grime of the road, she joined him downstairs for a simple supper comprised mainly of some sort of polenta-like dish made from cornmeal, as well as the rest of the fried Cram from the night before. It was warm, a touch sweet, and very filling, leaving her sated and sleepy-eyed.
The pair forewent their usual evening sitting room time, instead opting to retire to the bedroom early. She'd meant to have a chat with him, to listen to him talk about his day, but the moment they settled under the warm blankets she began to lose her battle with fatigue. Yet another failed intention. Edward seemed to hold her extra tight as she drifted off in his arms, her head tucked up under his chin.
Mercifully, she slept a deep, dreamless sleep, and woke the next morning feeling more rested than she had the day before. In fact, she'd managed to sleep in later than she'd intended, the bedroom filled with soft, growing daylight. Her bed partner was gone, his side cold, but she could hear some faint rumblings from the kitchen. She gave her stiff back a long stretch before padding into the bathroom.
Although the night had passed seemingly without incident, her cheeks were still sticky with dried tear tracks, which she chased away with another warm rag, frowning. Wriggling back into her freshly dried trousers, she dipped down into a couple of gentle squats, careful to not lower herself wrong as she worked the tight, stiff denim loose again. She wore a lightly patched flannel over her grey-white long-sleeved undershirt, which would hopefully help keep her warm while she was out. When she made her way downstairs, Edward was sat at the kitchen table, some sort of component disassembled in front of him. Unidentifiable parts were strewn all about, mixed with screwdrivers of various sizes.
"Good morning." he greeted. "Sleep better?"
"Nice and uneventful."
"That's good." he responded, smiling at about half-power. "Can I get you something?"
Yawning, she gave him a politely dismissive wave.
"Keep on doing what you're doing. I'll just grab something myself, if you don't mind."
"Be my guest." he said, eyes already focused back on his task.
The pantry around the corner was apparently not the main place extra food was stored, but it was always full nonetheless. Many of the foods were sealed, canned goods from before the War, but almost as much was forage and various vegetables you could still grow or purchase, some dried, some fresh. There was also a canister of some sort of jerky, but it smelled gamey and she didn't like to imagine what it might be made of.
A minute or two later, she was settled into the chair across from him with a small punnet of tarberries and another canned ration of water. After over a year out of the Vault, given the choice, she'd always take water. You never knew when you might run out.
"You know, I've come around on these. Didn't care for them at first. They'd make a nice jam." she noted, rolling one of the fat purple fruits between her fingers.
"We'll have to try and make some. They grow all over the place around Parson's, so there's a ton in the cellar. I know I've got some pectin down there somewhere. Wonder if it still works." Edward mused, still not looking up from whatever he was tinkering with.
Sinking her teeth into the thick flesh, she gave a small titter at the image of the large older man schlepping through bogs, dragging a burlap sack overfilled with berries behind him like an irradiated Santa. The fruits were still snappy, and not quite as ripe as she might have liked them, but they were juicy and mildly sweet and filled the empty space in her stomach with perfect adequacy. The ghoul across the table watched her as she ate, his task suddenly abandoned. He seemed to be enjoying the show, eyes fixed on her mouth. Once her eating slowed, however, he seemed to study her closer.
"So...that thing we talked about. I've been giving it some thought the last couple days." he said, tone delicate as he fiddled with one of the loose screwdrivers on the table.
"Oh?" Nora asked, trying her best to avoid stiffening up too much.
"I dunno what sort of timeline you were thinking of, but if you're feeling motivated, I figure we can either do it soon or wait about six months." he said. "The ground will be too hard to dig without a lot of extra effort if we wait much longer."
She drew in a steadying breath.
"Hmm. I'll give it some consideration." she replied, resisting the urge to fidget.
"No pressure. Just thought I'd let you know so you could think it over." he said, tone reassuringly casual.
There was silence between them as Nora finished her meal, though not the uncomfortable kind. She was contemplative, nervous, but not due to anything her associate had done. Instead, his even-tempered presence helped her keep her heart from pounding too loudly in her ears as she weighed her options in silence. When she was done, she moved to the entryway to pull on her boots and coat, shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot.
"So, how soon is 'soon', exactly?" Nora asked, eyes scanning the pane of glass over the entry door where the muted grey sunlight of earliest winter filtered in. Her limbs felt tingly and numb.
Edward let his head wobble gently from side to side in a show of uncertain estimation as he held her bag out to her.
"A few weeks, tops. First big snow usually comes with a hard freeze, and it'd be slow goings after that."
"Hmm. Maybe soon, then. I'll think about it a little more." she said, far more earnest this time. Very carefully, he settled the pack onto her shoulders.
"Well, what's on the agenda for today, beautiful?" he inquired, turning to fiddle with something.
She smiled at his broad back, her face warm.
"I'm gonna walk down to Goodneighbor and do some trade, check on a settlement near there to see how they're doing. Probably visit with John and Daisy." she answered, honest. Edward didn't seem to react to her mention of the younger man, busy searching through a number of key rings that hung on the wall.
"I'll be around there, too. Maybe we'll run into each other." he winked, fishing a set from the bundle and shoving it into his pocket. "You coming back tonight?"
She hesitated, fiddling with her straps. Nora was starting to worry that she might be overstaying her welcome off of what was supposed to be a one-evening visit, but he certainly didn't seem to mind having her around.
"If you're not kicking me out, sure." she half-joked, eyes on his shoes.
"Never." he beamed, not joking at all. The two shared a lingering kiss, his hand brushing at her lower back, before she headed out into the morning mist.
Fall was rapidly coming to an end, the cold, dry kiss of winter riding on the breeze that blew across her face, which she instinctively hid in the collar of her coat. The morning was brisk, a glittering coat of frost clinging to what remained of the browned strips of lawn. Dead leaves chittered across the old brick street, dancing and hissing. Nora felt noticeably lighter as she walked along the abandoned shop fronts, her mind running through the long list of things she needed to accomplish.
The walk to Goodneighbor was surprisingly uneventful, save for a minor detour she took to avoid what seemed to be a nearby group of super mutants. On the other side of the block, she could hear some sort of skirmish (or ambush) going down, the sounds of gunfire echoing between the old buildings. Crouching low again, she hid behind the traffic barriers as she crept past. One of the grisly pots of flesh they'd hung over the signal arm bled steadily onto the pavement, and the smell turned her stomach.
When she felt it was safe, she crossed over to the river side of the road. The water was plenty dirty with pollution and junk, not that it hadn't been before, but it still smelled better. For a brief second, she watched a junky baby doll float down the old Mystic, swirling in the occasional hidden rip tides, its face melted and warped. Without even touching the water, she knew it was ice cold. It wouldn't be long before it was frozen over completely, she thought.
Once she hit the edge of the front gate of what had once been Scollay Square, she relaxed noticeably. Even if she did run into trouble, at this distance she would have easy backup, should things get truly hairy. Thankfully, though, the last bit of her walk was as boring as possible, and soon she found herself stepping into her favorite place in the whole neighborhood.
Daisy was around two-hundred seventy years old (when she was honest, at least), meaning she'd been almost twice Nora's age when the bombs fell, but she felt a sisterhood with the older lady nonetheless. From the very first time she'd stumbled her way into Goodneighbor, Daisy's place had been a friendly spot for her to hang her hat a while, exchange some gossip and feel welcome. She was also one of the best merchants Nora had ever done business with, crafty and reliable and able to obtain nearly anything she asked for if she was willing to be patient.
"How goes all your duties?" the pixie-haired ghoul asked after they'd exchanged greetings, rearranging a few things beneath the counter.
"They're plentiful, as always. I've got a few things on my list that I wanted to do today." Nora replied, playing with her fingers nervously. "But, overall, I'm sort of taking some time off. Kind of."
"Kind of?" her friend teased. "You're about as good at taking time off as I am, Nora, so I'm not sure 'kind of' means anything."
"I'm making a very genuine effort this time!" she insisted.
"And how's that working out for you?"
Nora fiddled with one of the knobs on her Pip-Boy.
"Effort is consistent. Results vary." she said. "I have a request."
"What's that?"
"What do you have by way of actually intact pre-War women's stuff?" she asked, splaying her hands across the counter top and leaning in conspiratorially. "Anything with a skirt."
Daisy grinned, straightening up to her full height.
"Lookin' to show off the gams, huh? Are you sure you wanna discuss that in present company?" she asked, a knowing glint in her eyes as she turned them towards the entrance, where Nora caught a glimpse of a familiar silhouette.
"Oh, maybe not." she replied quietly, her tone falling to almost a whisper as the slim, short-statured ghoul in the red coat made his way into the makeshift storefront.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite Vaultie!" he greeted as he quickly approached Nora from behind, clapping her good-naturedly on the back. Beaming, she pulled his hand into a sloppy, playful sort-of handshake that was more like an arm jiggling competition.
"Hi, John." she said.
"We still on for that excursion to Hangman's later?" he asked, a playful emphasis on the word 'excursion'.
"You know it. I just need to get some stuff squared away with Daisy first." Nora said. "I won't be too long."
John nodded in a show of understanding, expression and tone nothing but casual as he went rummaging around in his coat pocket for something. "Sounds grand. You know where to find me when you're ready to head out." he said. "See you later, Daisy."
"Until next time." Daisy replied. When she was satisfied he was gone, she turned back to Nora, an eager light in her eyes. "So...does your search for pretty dresses have anything to do with you 'sort of, kind of taking some time off'?"
Nora's eyes dropped down to the counter top, studying an especially deep gauge in the wood. A little grin touched her lips, though without her permission.
"Maybe it does."
"And does that have anything to do with a certain steward from down the road?"
Nora's jaw dropped, and Daisy grinned slyly.
"Come for a smoke with me. Kleo, I'm stepping out for a second."
"I suspect it'll be far longer than that." the assaultron robot replied from the adjacent stall, saucy as ever.
The two women squeezed into the narrow alley out back, where the wall were only far enough apart to lie down between, and barely, at that.
"I already know the answer is yes, so you might as well spill the details." Daisy said as she dug a rumpled pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lit one.
"How'd you find out?" Nora asked.
"Oh, he's mentioned that you two hang out." the shopkeeper grinned, taking a quick drag as she leaned against the worn brick. "Several times, actually."
"Is that right?" the younger woman probed, her best poker face carefully applied.
"Sure is."
She waited for her to say more, but the other woman only took another drag and brushed some loose ash from the lapel of the business-type jacket she wore, her lips pursed like she was fighting off a grin.
"Daisy!" Nora exclaimed.
"What?" she responded playfully.
"There's something you're not saying."
The brunette ghoul gave a not-quite-convincing indifferent shrug, fanning some smoke away from her face.
"Nothing! Just that he really seems to like you. He's had his pen in quite a bit of ink around here, and in all the time I've known him he's never been one to bring up someone he's fooling around with over trade. Or ever. But we've talked about you maybe a half-dozen times in the last few months."
Nora felt her eyes narrow, but her heart took off at a sprinter's pace at the same moment.
"How much ink?" she asked, eyeballing the glowing tip of the cigarette. Though she'd known about his reputation, she disliked the way Daisy phrased it.
The ghoulish shopkeeper gave a sincere, hearty chuckle at that.
"That's what you took away from what I said?" she asked, stubbing out what was left of her cig against the wall behind her and tucking the butt away into her pocket. "I mean, he gets around. Not quite with Hancock's frequency or carefreeness, but you'd be hard-pressed to cross Goodneighbor without running into someone who's taken that tumble in the hay."
The younger woman sucked her teeth.
"Hmm."
"Oh, Nora. Don't judge too hard." Daisy said, leading her towards the back entrance of the shop once again. "Two centuries is a long time to put notches in the old bedpost. He's a sweet guy, if a bit ornery from time to time."
"How many notches do you have in your bedpost? You've been out and around just as long as him." she asked.
"He and I are definitely different people on that front. Reminds me of my dear old husband that way."
Nora snickered as they stepped back inside.
Half an hour later, they'd nosed through Daisy's entire stock of adult women's clothing in search of the right outfit. Several potential candidates had been selected, but most so far had been rejected for various reasons—fit, unforeseen damage, odor. The item she was crossing her fingers the tightest about was up next, leaving her quite literally holding her breath while both women worked together to tug it up over her hips and the little curtain of belly fat she had.
She fixated on what she saw in what was left of the mirror affixed to the wall as Daisy tugged the zipper up into place.
"Aww. It's very pretty on you, Nora." the older ghoul praised. For a moment, she sounded just like her mother. Her chest ached.
Generally, she agreed with the statement. The dress was full-skirted, running just past her knee, but tight at the waist and in the chest. The neckline was very conservative, running in a long, low slope from one collarbone to the other. The fabric was satiny, shiny and sort of sleek, but heavier than she'd expected. It felt a bit more formal than she'd been shooting for, but she was especially taken with the earthy green color. However, there was a glaring flaw she couldn't pull her eyes away from: it actually flared a bit more than she's expected at the hip, making her look even wider at her widest point than she really was.
"God, my body's shaped so weird now." she complained as she fiddled with the sleeveless shoulders to distract herself.
"Now?" Daisy asked with a short chuckle.
She felt her face instantly become hot with discomfort.
"I gained and then lost a bunch of weight." she said, not technically lying.
"Oh, I see. I get what you mean." the petite ghoul responded, obviously thinking nothing of it. She was too busy looking at the dress and pulling at the looser spots. "Probably needs taken in a bit, but that shouldn't be too hard. I know a gal who does alterations a few buildings down. I'd do it myself, but I haven't done any sewing since I still had a nose, so I might mess it up pretty badly if I put my mind to it."
"You 'know a gal who does alterations'?" Nora asked, puzzled, as they worked the zipper back down.
"Of course. It's a pretty highly sought-after skill these days, since you can't just go to the store and buy stuff in your proper size anymore."
"I see." she hummed, processing the information. A shiver ran up her spine as a chilly breeze licked across the floor. She huddled closer to the burn barrel in the corner in search of heat while she finished peeling the thing off.
The older, non-ghoul lady down the street traded information about some local merchant gossip with Daisy while she flitted back and forth with her tape and pencil, taking various measurements and jotting them down meticulously. Her hands were impossibly small, her fingers sharp as she used them to absentmindedly tease at her shock of white hair. The two other women were deeply engrossed in their conversation for the bulk of their visit, so Nora was left alone with her thoughts. As embarrassing as it was, she was still fretting over what Daisy had said.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked as they walked back towards the shop when they were done, her voice low.
"You can ask me many somethings, provided you're nice about it." Daisy replied.
There was a long pause. She instantly sort of wished she hadn't opened her mouth.
"Did you ever...? With Edward?" the former Vault-dweller finally managed to spit out incompletely.
"Will you be mad if I say yes?" she asked, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of her almost lipless mouth.
"I don't know." Nora admitted, openly sheepish. "I don't think so."
Daisy gave a silent, sly grin, but opted for mercy instead of drawing out the silence.
"No, I didn't." she admitted. "We flirted some, but I never really let it go past that. I enjoy his friendship, and hookups like that aren't really my thing, anyway."
"Ah."
She tried to make it sound like she wasn't completely relieved, but she missed the mark by a mile. To hide her shame, she busied herself pulling a tin of caps out of her pack to pay with. Intentionally avoiding looking towards the shopkeeper made her miss the rifling around in the back closet that was happening, and she was greeted with a brown paper sleeve on the counter when she lifted her head.
When Nora reached out to touch the thing, though, Daisy suddenly snatched it away, her strike viper-fast as she tossed it beneath the counter.
"Sorry. We have company." the other woman said under her breath, pursing her lips. Only a moment later, another familiar man entered the shop, though he had to stoop to pass under the door frame as he did.
"Well, hello there, ladies." Edward smiled, tilting his chin upwards to fully expose his face.
"Fancy running into you here." Nora smirked, leaning against the edge of the counter.
"Hi, Edward." Daisy said. "I've got all the parts off that list you gave me, save for one I'm still waiting on. Do you want the rest in the meantime?"
He nodded, dropping his pack at his feet and tugging his cap off.
"Sure. Makes for less to carry home next time." he nodded, eyes not looking in the other ghoul's direction.
"No problem. I'll go grab them. Nora, would you be a peach and come help me?" Daisy asked.
Caught off guard, she followed her lead and tailed her to the back closet. When the door shut behind them, Daisy pulled something from the inner pocket of her suit jacket; in the dim light of the single bare bulb the closet had, Nora could just barely make out the same paper sleeve, just noticeably more rumpled than before.
"You're slick, Dais. You'd make a hell of a pickpocket." she joked as she accepted the parcel and dug through it. Initially, she found herself confused as she dug out what seemed to be a scrap of red string. After a moment, though, her eyes adjusted, and she could make out very plainly that she was holding a pair of red thong underwear. The former lawyer gawped rather openly, her mouth gaping open like a fish as she turned the polyester garment over and over her hands. The main panel was made of a very fine see-through mesh, and the rest of the entire thing was made up of the same thin strapping.
"Daisy, I don't even know if my ass will fit into these!" Nora exclaimed, stretching the things between her hands.
She giggled, but almost immediately shushed her, her voice low.
"Shh, he'll hear! And does it really matter? I doubt they stay on long."
Her entire face felt-white hot, but she pushed the little paper bag down into the bottom of her backpack and quickly zipped it closed anyway.
"Thanks." she said quietly.
"You betcha." the older woman winked.
Nora was in desperate need of some fresh air, so she stood outside and let the sun warm her face while she waited for the other two to finish up their business. A handful of steps down the path, she could see John deep in discussion with one of the neighborhood watchmen, whose tommy gun was slung a bit too casually over his shoulder. She opted to not interrupt them and leaned against the outer brick of the Statehouse wall to wait.
"You about ready to head out?" he asked when he eventually flopped back against the wall beside her, a few inches between their arms.
"In a second. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Daisy." she responded, rapidly tacking on the 'to Daisy'.
Only a beat later, Edward stooped back through the doorway to the shop, the suited proprietor following closely behind him as they shared a laugh. Nora pretended she wasn't over-analyzing every move they made and studied the ground at their feet. When she dared to look back up, her friend was waving at her.
"Be safe out there." she called.
"I will!" she yelled back, returning the gesture.
Edward also waved to Daisy, and they had one more quick exchange she couldn't hear while he hefted his load back onto his shoulders. She tried to avoid staring, and was still searching for patterns in the cobblestone paving when he sauntered over.
"Alright, I'm back on the road." he said, standing head and shoulders over both of them. "Will I see you for dinner, Nora? I'm making soup."
"Oh!" she replied, making immediate and unintentional eye contact with John. Her face was on fire again. "Yeah, I'll be there. Not sure what time."
"No hurry. I've got a few more stops to make today, so I probably won't even make it back to the house until dusk, myself." the taller ghoul replied before turning to nod at the man beside her. "Mayor."
The duo watched as Edward made his way back across the big open square, waving to a few others as he disappeared around the corner.
"Traveling light today." John noted, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I'm staying down the road for a couple days while I do some stuff around here." she explained.
"Taffington?"
Not wanting to fib, she shrugged, wracking her brain for a topic to change the course of the conversation to.
"Thereabouts."
The look in John's inky eyes told her he was withholding some sort of joke or jab, but thankfully he kept quiet as they made their way to the gate. Despite his proclivity for deeply unserious behavior, he had a good sense of when to treat things with some gravity. It was one of the things she appreciated about him most.
"Tight on time today." she mentioned when they were about halfway to their destination, chatting about plans to get together with a few other people.
"Oh?"
She nodded, kicking at a crumbled piece of curb.
"I'm trying to have a bit of an early day. Have something I wanna work on when I get back."
"Oh, I see." he replied, obviously feigning offense as he clutched at his heart through his shirt.
Nora cackled, her laughter reverberating much too loudly off the walls around them. She covered her mouth to muffle herself as best as she could.
"I'm just warning you that if I seem impatient to get back later, it's not because I don't enjoy your sparkling company." she grinned when she calmed down. It was nice to hear genuine, warm laughter from him, the sound dissipating a large chunk of the unease she'd felt. John was no stranger to becoming lost in the dark, endless forest of depression, and it wasn't difficult to tell when he was actively fighting that particular battle, even if he said nothing. He sometimes reminded her of Nate in that way.
"Have you been back here recently? Seems like they're making a lot of progress." he inquired, jerking his head in the direction they walked and reaching up to secure his hat against the breeze.
She shook her head, rather contrite as she frowned.
"I keep meaning to, especially since I just sort of dumped them out here with some building supplies and some stuff to guard them and told them to make the most of it. But god, it's so hard to get around to everything, you know?"
Nora had tapped an older man she'd become professionally acquainted with, as well as his adult daughter and a few craftspeople she'd met, to oversee the development of the place into a livable community, having been impressed by their logistical acumen and kindness when she met them working as roaming traders. It had become rather apparent when they'd sized the place up, though, that it would be more of an undertaking than she'd initially anticipated.
Her traveling partner nodded enthusiastically.
"I get it. Nobody ever said leadership was for the weak, Nor." he grinned. "I'm pretty sure their caravan guards came with them, so they have more security than a couple turrets."
That became rather apparent as they rounded the final bend and were greeted with two armed men flanked the small entrance to the alley.
"Hancock. Ma'am." one of them greeted as they passed by, recognizing the pair. His companion said nothing.
What John had said about progress proved true as she took in the whole scene: there were several temporary shelters near the entrance they'd used, mostly covered places to sleep and a place to have a rinse at the end of the day. The rest of the narrow alley was in the process of a major clean-up, a couple people working slowly to drag some of the larger debris out. Several more were seemingly breaking up the old pavement to help lay a solid foundation for a more permanent structure, including a man in a wide-brimmed straw sun hat lugging bags of cement whom she recognized.
"How are things going, Vicente?" she asked, waving as she approached and grabbed a couple bags herself. John followed suit, and for a time all three of them moved the heavy sacks from the broken pallet they were haphazardly stacked on to a work area near the open hole. The old trader paused after tossing his down, pulling his dirty work gloves off and removing his hat.
"Things are good, Nora. We've made great progress getting the place cleaned up, and we've got a dozen beds now." he replied, running a now bare hand along his dark, bushy mustache that was flecked with grey hairs. "There's just one thing that keeps popping up. The generator's been on the fritz for a week or so, and nothing I try to fix it seems to stick."
Generators, as vital as they were, were the bane of Nora's existence. Most settlements generally had at least one, and the bigger ones could have several, yet she'd never seen a case of one functioning without issue on a long-term basis. She also knew very little about their repair, save for what she'd been forced to learn through the most rudimentary means.
"I'll send someone to see about it." she smiled, adding yet another item to her list. "But it might take a few days. Will you guys be okay until then?"
"I'm sure we can make do." he responded. Despite herself, she let a small laugh slip. His often frank, simple phrasing amused her, though it also caught her off-guard most of the time.
"Anything happens between now and then, send someone over to town and let me know." John reassured. "We can at least get something temporary figured out in a pinch."
"Sounds great." Vicente nodded.
"Where's Anna?" Nora asked, casting a longer glance around the place. Several men and women carried supplies and worked at digging out old asphalt, but she didn't see the short, stocky young woman she searched for.
"She took some folks to go out and scavenge for building materials a few blocks out. She'll be sad she missed your visit."
Vicente had brought his daughter to the Commonwealth as a little girl, all the way from what had once been Oklahoma, based on what he'd told her. He was never too keen on discussing exactly what had made him flee so far, but she'd heard things about raider clans in the area that made her completely incurious for once in her life. She also remembered him mentioning losing his wife. Maybe they were related.
"We'll see each other when I come back." she reassured him.
"She'll like that." he replied, tugging his gloves back on before stooping to grab the final bag of cement and toss it over his shoulder. "Well, I'd best get back to working on all this. Need to get everything set before the sun goes down."
"Of course. We'll get out of your hair." Nora replied, grabbing her friend by his sleeve to tug him along. "See you in a few days."
"See ya, Vicente." John called as they made their way to the mouth of the alley. For a bit, they walked in silence back towards Goodneighbor, the deep pinks of earliest twilight painting the road ahead of them. Her mind was almost entirely focused on this newest issue, wondering where she'd find someone reliable and safe to do the repairs they needed. She knew a few people at a settlement much closer to Sanctuary, but she had no way of knowing if they'd be willing to relocate for the work, nor if they'd even still be around when she got there. For all she knew, they could have moved on months prior. Finding out would mean an awfully long walk that might not even give her the results she wanted. She missed the telephone, she thought.
"Want a smoke?" the thin ghoul asked as they passed by the crumbling old mission, voice muffled by the way he pinched the thin cigarette between his equally thin lips.
"No." she replied after just a second too long. Her friend smirked mischievously at her.
"Wanna split a joint instead?"
Chewing at her lip, she eyeballed the little sliver of sun that had yet to disappear behind the horizon. She had time.
"...sure."
They opted to wait until they'd made it back, not wanting to risk drawing attention with the smell. She was quiet as they sat on the steps across from Daisy's place, watching him juggle the joint and a series of lit matches in an attempt to block the wind. After the third one blew out, Nora leaned forward and shielded him from the slight breeze the best she could, sensing his growing irritation.
Recreational drug use hadn't been an especially regular hobby of Nora's in her previous life. She'd tried a single bump of coke exactly two times in law school, but decided she didn't care for the way the stimulant made her constantly fidget and clench her jaw. It also made her rather aggressive, something she wasn't too keen to flaunt around. It wasn't until she became friends with John and Piper that she even tried marijuana, the calming effects of which she was much more partial to. After a few hits, only one of which resulted in a massive coughing fit, to her surprise, she was spread out further across the stairs, giving her back a good stretch while John fretted at a loose button on his coat.
"You two delinquents had better be safe getting home tonight!" Daisy called from across the way, folding up the little chalk board she usually placed outside her store for the night.
"Want some?" Nora offered, waving the smoking thing over her head before pushing it at the man beside her. It was starting to burn dangerously close to her fingertips.
"Maybe next time." she said, holding one hand out in polite refusal before turning and making her way back inside.
"You always say that!" John chuckled.
"And I always mean it!" she shot back wryly before disappearing.
They both shared a chuckle before lapsing back into companionable silence, watching the traffic on the street thin to a trickle as most folks began to retire for the evening. John studied the dwindling roach in his hand.
"Want any more?" he asked.
She shook her head and held out her palm.
"Pass. I'm already good, and I have to get myself home." she chuckled.
"Well, lemme walk you back." he offered, pinching it strategically so he could take a long pull, reducing it to almost nothing. The remains disappeared into a fold in his boot cuff.
"It's fine. Don't put yourself out." she insisted, steadying herself, but her protests were waved away enthusiastically.
"C'mon, Nor. It's gettin' dark and you're high." John said, tossing his tricorner hat onto his head once more and standing. "You really think I'm gonna let you go alone?"
Her inclination was to argue, but in truth, she was glad for the company as they started off. She'd gotten a bit toastier than she'd intended to, and could tell her reflexes were slowed as a result. It wouldn't have been wise to cross this part of town alone in her current state. It was a quiet walk, both of them seemingly lost in their own individual thoughts while John actively scanned for danger.
She'd never told him she was staying at Cabot House, but he knew to stop anyway.
"Well, I suppose I'll see you in a few days." she started, shifting her weight nervously back and forth. Briefly, she wondered if she'd beat Edward back, but a burly shadow passing by the upper hallway window gave her a quick answer.
"I'll see you then." he nodded, hands in his pockets. He, too, seemed to study the old manor in front of them. "I'll see if I can't track down somebody who knows something about generators in the meantime."
Her shoulders sagged in relief.
"I'd appreciate that so much. One less thing on my plate to deal with." she smiled, giving him a tight hug. "Be careful getting back, John."
He gave her a crisp salute when she stepped away.
"Will do. See ya in a few days, kid."
"See you." she smiled before cutting across the yard, feeling eyes on her from what seemed like all angles. Like the night before, she hovered at the door and watched her friend start to make his way back home, the smoke of his freshly lit cigarette leaving a ghostly trail as he went. He seemed small as he continued to shrink into the distance, the buildings dwarfing him, but she knew he'd be just fine. There was an unexpected pang of guilt in her chest as she turned to make her way into the warm house.
"I'm here!" she called out.
Kicking off her boots, she left them up against the wall before dipping back into the coat closet and dropping her pack on the floor. As slick as she could, she slipped the red underwear from the paper sleeve they sat in and tucked them into her pocket. She could hear heavy, measured footsteps approaching as she straightened up.
"Welcome back." Edward said as he appeared behind her, wrapping his hands around her upper arms and giving her a soft squeeze. "Whew, smells like a party in here."
Nora pouted, disappointed.
"Is it that noticeable still?" she asked, tugging at her shirt to see if she could smell herself. She could. "I'd hoped I'd air out a bit on the walk. Sorry."
"Nah, it's nothing a trip through the wash for your clothes wouldn't fix." he smiled, leaning around to kiss her on the cheek. She pivoted quickly in place and caught him on the lips, instead. "What sort of soup is on the menu, chef?" she inquired. "I've been thinking about it all day."
The big ghoul's hands moved down to her waist, tugging her out of the corner he'd unintentionally boxed her into. "The miscellaneous, about-to-go-bad vegetable kind. With maybe a little fried Cram to go with it." he answered.
Her stomach replied before her mouth with a churning, impatient gurgle. She could already smell the savoriness on the air.
"Sounds amazing." she said, shucking her coat.
"It needs to simmer awhile still, if you wanna rinse off. I left one of my shirts on the towel rack in the bathroom for you to wear." he explained, taking the thing in his hand and hanging it up for her.
"That also sounds amazing." she grinned, moving up onto her toes to kiss him again.
"No rush." he hand-waved, giving her a playful swat on the ass before turning to make his way back down the hall. She lingered for a moment, studying the muscles in his back again as he went, before turning to climb the entryway stairs.
Taking her host at his word, Nora spent half an hour or so having an especially luxurious rinse, detangling her wet hair and drying it with the shirt he'd left her as she stared at herself in the mirror. She'd given the underwear as thorough a wash as she could in the sink before showering, sneaking a dab of detergent from the closet across the hall and rolling the things in a towel to dry them. They were still damp, and hence a little cold, as she pulled them on, but she was impressed with the view despite the shiver that ran up her spine at the feeling of the straps on her skin. She did a little dance in front of the mirror, watching her backside sway. It was hard to tell if it was the new garment or her lingering high that was boosting her confidence.
"Huh." she said, brows high in surprise.
Mostly naked and covered in budding goosebumps, she trotted across the room to his closet when she finished, digging through it rather clumsily until she found his drawer of undershirts. Despite being warmer draped in the thin cotton, she was eager to be back downstairs where the fire was burning. Keeping her eyes fixed on the door, she fished a worn shirt out of the hamper in the corner, taking a sneaky huff of his smell before tossing it back.
Downstairs, the big ghoul was standing over an open, steaming pot, the kitchen filled with a savory, onion-heavy smell that made her mouth water.
"I'm starving!" she exclaimed.
"Good. You're right on time."
Closely, she watched the way he moved through the kitchen with comfort. The longer she looked, the more she started to convince herself the room had been reorganized within the last day or so. Waiting for instructions, she pulled herself up to sit on the counter.
"So, how are you doing with the family gone now? You seem better than you did right after they left town." she asked, watching him stir.
In truth, she'd worried about him for a time after the Cabots had headed out to find somewhere more scenic to die, his injuries from the skirmish at Parson's a bit slower to heal than she'd expected, his demeanor more somber than usual. Recently, however, he seemed more like his usual cheeky self.
"I'll admit it's been a bit more of an adjustment than I'd expected. While I can appreciate the peace and quiet, I do get a little lonely sometimes." he responded, wiping his hands on the apron and giving her a gentle pat on the knee. "Having someone else to focus on is nice. Keeps me out of trouble."
"You still seem like plenty of trouble to me, no worry there." she quipped, leaning back against the cabinets.
Edward ladled the steaming stew into two porcelain bowls, and Nora's empty stomach snarled as she turned and made for the doorway.
"Where you going?" he called softly from behind her. She paused just as she reached the hall.
"Oh, you're not an 'eat on the couch' person?" she asked, a touch sheepish. "Like, ever?"
"Nope. I'm an 'eat at the table like a civilized human' person." he said, tilting his head a few degrees. "I already let you sit on my counter top, missy."
She threw her free hand up.
"I see. Alright, granddad."
"Watch yourself, stoner." he smirked at her before sinking down into his usual chair.
"Be nice. I've only recently begun to partake on occasion. I'm not a stoner, per se." she insisted, following his lead.
"I couldn't tell. Your eyes almost look like mine." Edward retorted before taking a small sip of his soup.
"Really?!" she asked, hands flying to her face to trace across her features self-consciously.
"Kidding." he chuckled.
Her only reply was an affronted sort of clucking sound, and she tossed her napkin at him in offense. His revenge was to refuse to give it back, though it made its way back to the side of her bowl when she looked away for a moment. Eyeing him, she smiled and ran her bare foot up the outside of his leg under the table before tucking into her meal.
The soup had a thin broth, but it was full of easily identifiable chunks of carrot, beans, jalapeno, and corn. Several slices of well-fried Cram sat in the corner, nestled together. The base had an oily sheen from the meat and a red color to it, and she could taste the sweet acidity of tomatoes and onions as she took a first, careful sip. As subtly as she could manage, she slid her forearm up onto the table to let her Pip-Boy's Geiger counter get a read on the bowl. If Edward noticed her checking the rad level of her food, he was gracious enough to not point it out.
The pair ate in silence for what felt like a few minutes, but eventually she set to asking him about what he'd managed to get up to, and the conversation began to flow.
"Excellent soup." she praised when she sat down her empty bowl. "God, I miss food that doesn't come out of a box or off of something disgusting."
He gave her a small, private smile as he finished swallowing.
"I'm glad you enjoy it." he replied, fishing out one of his final chunks of Cram. "It took me quite a while to get cooking down. A decade or two, I'd say. I definitely wasn't hired for my culinary skills as a young man."
She sat forward onto her elbows, moving into his space.
"How old were you when you changed? Have I ever asked?"
"S'hard to say, since I didn't go all at once like some people do." he half-muttered, hand covering his still-chewing mouth. He paused to swallow. "I started working for Lorenzo when I was twenty-six, right out of the service. Did that for right about two decades before the bombs, then there were a few years before the rads really started to get to me. Fifty-ish by the time I stopped aging normally, if I had to hazard a guess. Fifty-five, maybe."
Nora's ears perked up at the older man mentioning military service, and not in the usual warm, ticklish way they did when she learned something new about him. She squirmed in her seat for a moment, eyes on the table.
"Ah." Nora hummed as she sipped at her water ration. The uneasy feeling began to pass.
"Well?" Edward asked.
"Well..." she trailed off, waiting for a hint.
"Your turn. How old were you when you went into the freezer?"
"I'll be thirty-four in a few months, thank you. Some of us still know our age for certain." she said haughtily, holding her chin up high.
"Mm, I don't think that's exactly correct." he replied, a mischievous, but slight glint in his eye. "There's about two-hundred and eleven years unaccounted for in there. And thank god, because otherwise I might have to feel a little insecure about still being old enough to be your father."
She laughed at that, at the genuine tinge of embarrassment in his voice, and felt bad for her previous 'granddad' remark.
"Well, I think I look damn good for such an old lady, then." she said. "And what's a couple decades between two-hundred-somethings?"
"You'll hear no arguments from me on either front." he agreed as he gathered their bowls up. He still wore that abashed sort of look on his face.
Nora followed him to the sink to help him wash the few dishes they'd left. Well, she attempted to help, but mostly ended up looming at his side while he washed the dishes and playfully slapped her hands away when she tried to intervene.
"Did you get what you needed from Daisy?" he asked, picking at a stubborn piece of debris on a spoon.
"And more." she replied, biting back a teasing tone.
"She's pretty reliable." he mused. "If you wanna go sit down, I'll just be another minute or two."
Nora nodded and made herself scarce. She'd need a moment to work up the courage she needed, so she didn't need to be told twice. The stereo had already been tuned to play some recognizable classics throughout the house while they dined (another thing she found amusingly old-fashioned about him), so she turned the volume down a bit and let it continue as she fed the fire another log.
When she settled down onto the couch, she felt silly just sitting there as if she were waiting to go back at the doctor's office. She tried a few different poses, pulling her legs up under her, leaning over the back, stretching out on her spine across the cushions. Eventually, she settled on lying on her hip, and not a moment too soon, as Edward appeared suddenly in the entryway, peering into the sitting room.
"What're you up to?" he asked, sizing her up rather openly from his place leaning against the wall.
"Why don't you come sit down?" she beckoned in as sexy a voice as she could manage, though the sound hit her ears strangely. Maintaining her poker face, she let the oversized shirt she wore ride up her hip as she stretched out across the length of the thing, allowing him a slight peek at her newly acquired panties. His scant eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he grinned wolfishly.
"Yes, ma'am."
He didn't adhere to what she'd asked very strictly, putting one knee on the cushion between her legs and bracing himself against the back of the couch with his arm. Looming tall over her, he bent at the waist and pinched the hem of the shirt between his fingers, tugging it up to her navel. Letting out a low, impish whistle, he gave one of the thin straps that ran across her hip a teasing snap.
"What's going on here?" he inquired, teasing at the median between her naval and her mound as he leaned down to lay a few light kisses into the crook of her neck. She ran a hand down his chest, huffing at the feeling of his warm tongue peeking out to tease her clean skin, but she couldn't reach her intended target.
A throaty groan bubbled past Nora's lips as he boldly rubbed those big, calloused fingers over the red mesh that barely covered her, making long strokes over her already sensitive nub.
"Oh." she groaned, rocking herself against his hand for a few delicious seconds. Edward hummed warmly in reply, the movement of his arm steady. After a few breaths, she managed to regain some semblance of control over herself, the heel of her hand stern against his chest.
"You'd better behave!" she scolded, face red as she closed her thighs around his hand.
"You make that difficult. Thought about this a long time." he replied, voice even huskier than usual. He turned his head and captured her lips in a soft kiss that quickly turned heated. As their tongues wrestled, she worked a foot up between their bodies and gave him a firm push with the heel of it. For the first second or so, it was like trying to move a wall, but rather quickly he straightened up and put a respectful few inches between them from the neck down.
"You're sweet. Think I asked you to sit, though." she murmured against his mouth, already swollen lips brushing his.
"Ooh, someone's strict." he cooed as he righted himself fully, sitting in the furthest spot and tugging her along to sit right against his side.
"What can I say? People have been begging me to boss them around for months now. You get used to it." Nora said, pulling herself into his lap and straddling his legs with her own. She let her trimmed finger nails scratch gently along the nape of his neck, and he sighed approvingly as his eyes fell shut.
"I know what you mean."
Edward's hands were almost instantly latched onto her thighs, hovering low to keep beneath the hem of the shirt. His thumbs massaged at the backs of her knees.
Continuing her ministrations for a few short minutes, she kneaded with increasing pressure at the muscles at the base of his skull. When she hit an especially tight, small knot, she dug her thumb into it carefully. He moaned, though very tacitly, at the sensation, and she bit her lip at the way it made her core tighten. The way she could feel him beginning to grow hard beneath her didn't help.
"Damn, these are sexy. Where you'd get them?" he probed as he pushed the shirt higher, tracing his fingers carefully along the exposed 'hem' of her underwear.
"Daisy." she chuckled. "This is the 'more'."
"Mm. Tracks." he said, running his hands in tandem up her thighs and flanks until they wound around her back and met at her shoulders. She didn't have enough time to fret over what he might have meant by it before he quickly followed up. "Can I take this off?"
There was only a moment of hesitation before she lifted her arms above her head and allowed him to pull the thing away, leaving her almost completely naked in his lap. The warmth of the fire at her back seeped nicely into her skin, but she still felt the expected sudden rush of shyness. Sealing her mouth back to his, she gave the collar of his shirt a tug. She didn't linger long, though, easing herself down onto the floor.
"Oh? Change in venue?" he asked, gazing at her in a way she wasn't sure she'd seen from him before.
"Mm." she hummed, delicately tracing her hands upwards from his shins over his knees where his legs framed her on either side. As they moved up to his thighs, she balanced herself carefully so her teasing wouldn't lose its effect.
"You look good like this." he murmured, reaching out to caress her cheek. "I should get you down on your knees more often."
She tittered at his bold comment.
"This is a very interesting side of you." she taunted, leaning into his touch and running her hand just past where she knew he wanted it most.
Her companion grinned wickedly.
"You haven't seen anything yet." he said, and her face and gut warmed simultaneously.
"Didn't I tell you to behave?" she scolded, pausing where she was slipping the tongue of his belt free to make her best serious face.
He ran his own across his teeth as he eyed her, not responding as he scooted his lower half an inch or two closer to her. A new song began as she started in on his fly, trying to ignore the way her hands shook.
Nora tried to not let her nerves get the best of her as she went about her task. Even though he'd seemed big several nights prior, she was still intimidated as she tugged at his zipper, lightly tracing the shape of him with her free hand. She'd always thought her first serious boyfriend in college had been well-endowed, but she was beginning to doubt her perspective the closer she got. Sitting up a bit taller, she hesitated, trying to determine the best way to proceed without managing to hurt him (or deeply humiliate herself, more like). Her shoulders heaved with a little sigh of relief when he lifted his hips and wriggled his trousers down by a few inches, making her goal much more achievable.
Embarrassingly, she felt immediately out of her range of expertise. What was worse was that she was positive her floundering could be read on her face, which only made her hesitate more. Edward's ability to read her the way she could so often read others struck again, though, and he flashed her that patient smile.
"Hmm..." he hummed in pleasure as she gave him an experimental pump with one hand, watching her closely. She fumbled a bit in the beginning—he was more of a two-handed project, she quickly discovered—but it didn't take long for her to find a comfortable rhythm, her previous nerves abandoned. In fact, the more relaxed she felt (save for the growing tension in her core), the more audacious she grew.
"By the way, I'm not sure I appreciate that move you pulled with John." she tutted, watching him tensely resisting the urge to move as best as he could.
He laughed at that, but the sound was sort of curt, choked and short.
"It's fascinating that you wait until you've got a guy's cock in your hand to address this particular issue." he said, jaw tight as he leaned back further into the cushions.
She shrugged, taking a luxurious moment to readjust the way her legs settled into the rug beneath her. Her hands didn't move all the while. From time to time, her breasts brushed against him, something that made his eyes light up.
"Mmm. I find it's convenient to have some leverage. Do you deny the charges?" she asked, drawing her fingers over the tip, but with pressure so light she hardly touched him at all.
The tense ghoul grinned, seemingly despite himself. His toes flexed, and he drew a long breath.
"I think you'll notice I stop and say hello often when I'm out and about, counselor. I know lots of people."
Nora narrowed her eyes at his statement, but made sure to keep a playful smile on her lips as she looked up at him.
"Oh, I bet you do." she said flatly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he chuckled, but his questioning was abandoned as she gave him another long, slow stroke from base to tip with both hands.
"Shit." he grunted. The sound gave Nora the most delicious goosebumps. She shifted her weight from knee to knee, rubbing her thighs together. A fine sweat was starting to form on her face, a heat enveloping her entire body.
"Is that good?" she asked with a put-on innocence, batting her lashes up at him. It took more brain power than she'd anticipated to move both hands in tandem while she was so distracted with lust.
"God, yes. Am I outta the doghouse yet?" he laughed, airy and miserable-sounding. "I wanna feel you."
Feeling wicked, she decided to ponder her answer for another good, long moment, pursing her lips and letting her eyes wander to the ceiling as she pumped away at him lazily. He groaned, short and terse, when her hands came to a full stop again, still squeezed around him firmly. She could feel his pulse throbbing.
"Boy, you're kinda sadistic, eh?"
"You haven't seen anything yet." she smirked at his questioning, lobbing his own words squarely back at him with ease.
"Touche." he huffed.
"Besides," she went on. "you're cute like this, Edward."
He grinned again, though it read more like a grimace as he gave a shallow pump up into her grip, once, twice, before falling back again.
"Oh-ho, I am going to remember that." he chuckled pitifully. The thought gave her a thrill.
Slowly and deliberately, Nora leaned forward and nestled his leaking cock between her breasts again, letting them brush against him for a few strokes before moving her hands back to the sides, wrapping the plush flesh around him and moving up and down measuredly.
"Fuck. Just like that." Edward growled.
She pressed her thighs together even tighter, bouncing in place a little faster as her boldness grew. Experimenting a bit with the length and speed of her strokes, she eventually settled on a pace that seemed to keep him right on the edge without overwhelming him. The view of him all blissed out and pitiful was one she wasn't ready to let go of quite yet.
Despite the steady dribble of pre-cum running from the reddened tip of him, it seemed like he was beginning to chafe after a few minutes. In an effort to ease it and ensure he was comfortable, she worked up some saliva in her mouth and let it dribble down her breastbone to ease the friction. The worry she'd felt that he might find the gesture disgusting was immediately eased when Edward moaned louder than he had previously, his hips bucking hard against her chest. The knuckles of the hand that he used to grip the sofa arm were ghostly white.
"Oh Christ, Nora. You're gonna make me cum if you keep that up." he warned.
Whether it was how he moaned out his words or the way she was rubbing against herself just right, Nora was only spurred onward, panting as her heart raced. Her lover's head lolled back again, his eyes squeezed shut and his jaw slack. His length slicked back and forth against her skin, and, in a moment of fervor, she dropped her head and let her lips slip down over the fat head of him. The gesture only lasted for a beat, however, as Edward sat up ramrod straight and fisted his hand into her hair.
"Jesus!" he gasped, giving her a firm, lighting-quick tug to pull her mouth off of him just as the first pulse of his orgasm broke through him, painting her chin and chest. Between the strength of his release and her own lightheaded daze, she found him rather difficult to hold onto, especially with the sudden shock of him grabbing her, and his cock flopped upwards to lie against his stomach, still angry and still spurting. The trembling ghoul above her gave a hard shudder, his grip loosening as he seemed to fight to peel his eyes open.
"Sorry, didn't mean to pull your hair." he said, threading his fingers back in to massage at her scalp tenderly. "I didn't see that coming and we hadn't talked about..."
Still struggling to steady himself adequately enough to speak, he drew a lazy circle around his mouth.
"That's alright." she answered, leaning into his touch and studying his face affectionately. After a brief silence, he seemed more capable of comporting himself properly, looking down at her with intrigue.
"You're devious." he huffed, drawing a hand over his reddened face. "Also, pretty nasty."
The younger woman beamed up at him for a flash before turning it down to a small, affable smile.
"Mm. I may be a bit pent up. Makes me mean." she teased, leaning forward to rest her chin on his knee.
"I could help with that." Edward offered, reaching out to grip her forearm affectionately.
"I suspect as much. I've mostly fixed it for now." she said. She was growing tired rather quickly, all her muscles spent from the constant tension. "You could take me to bed, though."
"That sounds good, too." he agreed, eyes up towards the ceiling as he tucked himself away. "Hold on, I'll get you something to clean up with."
He was fast to return, clutching a lightly dampened bar mop in his hand. But when she reached out for it, he pulled it back, tutting. Wordlessly, she cocked her head and dropped her arms to the side, letting him run the warm cloth across her chest himself. They both had stupid grins painted across their faces, that tension between them very much still present. She bit at her lip as he dipped his hand between her breasts. For a moment, she doubted her decision to retire for the night, but then a huge yawn ripped through her.
"Alright, I'm turning in." she sighed, stifling another. "Shop all closed up?"
He nodded, still looking rather goofy and disheveled in the most charming way as he started towards the staircase.
"Christ, woman. I have to carry myself up the stairs now, you know that?" he complained, sagging himself against the baluster dramatically. "My legs barely work."
"I think you'll be just fine." she beamed, giving him a brush against his chest with her hand as she passed by, still naked save for the thong. She was all flushed again, but this time with pride. He slapped at her ass as he followed behind.
Exhausted again, Nora knocked out hard and fast once they tucked themselves into bed, something that seemed to reliably invite strange dreams. God, she was so tired of dreaming. Real life was surreal and frightening enough. She wasn't even aware that she'd already fallen asleep when she lifted her head, taken aback by her surroundings.
It seemed like she was sitting in her car in her driveway. That wasn't unfamiliar to her; many evenings when she came home from work, she would find herself unable to go inside. Sometimes she would put her head down on the steering wheel and weep for a while, and then she would have to wait even longer for the puffy redness in her face to go away so it wouldn't be so obvious she'd been crying. That would inevitably cause an argument when she didn't want to discuss it. Now, though, she wasn't crying, nor did she feel that oh-so-familiar stone of dread in her gut.
Typically, her car door would feel like it weighed a hundred tons as she struggled to push it open. Instead, it was if it weighed nothing as she extracted herself. Her entire being felt the same with each step she took toward the stoop, almost immaterial. When she turned to look back at what should have been the rest of the cul-de-sac, the buzzing street lights and the nosy neighbors with their lawn maintenance fees and their sympathetic looks, she saw nothing but a black void. Maybe the power was out. Her only choice was to go forward through the front door, it seemed.
Upon first glance, the house seemed...off. It was the same layout she'd always known, but some of the details were wrong. Her kitchen appliances were the wrong color, the walls decorated with art she didn't recognize. The furniture was similar, and even laid out the same, but it was all unfamiliar. Despite what her eyes told her, though, the place felt like home, like it was welcoming her in with embracing arms. That, too, was unfamiliar.
Shaun's bassinet sat on the floor at the foot of the couch, a dark brown wicker contraption sat on two walnut rockers that had been a gift from her parents, but it was too far away for her to see if there was anything inside it as it creaked back and forth. The rhythmic sound drew her eye, and that's when she became aware that there was also a man sitting on her couch...but not the one she'd braced herself to see.
Instead of her husband, slumped loosely into one corner while war coverage blared, Edward sat right in the middle, tall and casual, his arms spread across the back. He absentmindedly rocked the silent bassinet with his foot, staring at the television. There was nothing on it, though, only the "no broadcast signal" warning you got if you managed to turn one on since all the stations had been knocked out. Outside, from where she'd come, she could hear the chirping and droning of summer insects.
It was only when the door thunked closed behind her that he seemed to register her presence, turning his head to stare directly at her.
"Welcome home." he smiled, and she felt like the sun was washing over her.
Nora's heart didn't race like she might have expected it to as she righted herself in bed. Instead of springing up immediately, she laid wrapped up in the duvet, staring at the ceiling and listening to the sound of clanking downstairs. She didn't bother to dress when she pulled herself up, only hit the floor and immediately turned for the hall, pounding down the stairs much louder than usual because her whole body suddenly felt loose, like she might fly out of it if she wasn't careful.
Edward's head poked around the corner, confusion on his face.
"Oh, morning! I meant to come check on you." he said, drying his hands with a dish rag he then tossed over his shoulder. "You're up earlier than I thought you'd be."
Without pause, she threw her arms around his thick neck, dangling her weight as she buried her face as far into his throat as she could manage. The smell of cedar and tobacco and old book pages wrapped around her, and she took a deep, steadying breath. He supported her easily, those sinewy arms around her waist. Carefully, he lowered her to the floor, though he kept holding her close.
"Hey, are you alright? Nightmare?" he asked. There was a tangible worry in his tone, and his hands rubbed at her bare back carefully, attentively. Lovingly. That warm feeling was back.
"Let's do it." she said, voice muffled. She could feel a huge weight sloughing off of her shoulders. "Let's bury him. I'm ready."
