#fo4dogmeat

[zirawrites]

companions react to a reader who is always there for them and comforts them whenever they're feeling vulnerable/hurt/sad.

To quote Taylor Swift… “Honey I rose up from the grave, I do it all the time.” Ya fave fic writer Zira is back with another reaction! I finished my last summer classes, I’m home from England and ready to start being active again. I apologize if I’m rusty, I haven’t done a proper reaction in nearly six months. But I’m tryn’ for y’all!!!!

What really got me back in to reactions is reading some awesome fanfics recently. So as always, my inbox is open and I’ll be working away on my AO3 account for my first full-length fic!

TRIGGER WARNING: This post briefly mentions suicide in Preston’s reaction.

Cait: Before Cait met Sole, she only saw herself as someone who deserved the shite hand she was dealt. Almost immediately after they left the combat zone, it became apparent that Sole didn’t just see Cait as a companion: they really cared about her. Whenever Cait threw a bottle against the bar to pick a fight, Sole was there to defuse the situation. After Cait got them thrown out of Diamond City for calling Myrna “a right ol’ synth fucker,” Sole didn’t get frustrated (probably they were just relieved neither were arrested). Even in her darkest hours of getting sober, Sole was there to stroke her hair and keep her hydrated while she shook in bed.

It took time, but eventually Cait got used to Sole’s gentle touch and soft words. In fact, sometimes Cait acted out just to feel Sole brush the coarse hair from her sweating forehead to place a chaste kiss on it. Cait learned to bite her tongue over minor things like a drifter from Goodneighbor rudely asking for a shag, which pleased Sole. It made the moments Sole embraced her bruised and bloody body after a fight that much sweeter.

Codsworth: Being a Mr. Handy didn’t exempt Codsworth from the woes of life. In fact, the poor robot was probably the most likely companion to be frazzled in Sole’s company. Every time Sole ran too fast or used their fist over a silver tongue in tough situations, Codsworth blew a fuse. Well, not really. He was General Atomic’s finest, thank you very much. The reason Codsworth let Sole get away with so much mayhem was because he knew they always soothed his aching metallic heart after the fighting was over.

When Codsworth was stressed over being dragged along on a dangerous quest, Sole would stop in the shadows of the city and place their hand on his metal side. They let him rant about how foolish they were being. Weren’t they afraid of raiders? Radscorpions? Rogue synths? He would ramble on, his shaky words eventually trailing off as Sole’s thumb ran over the rust stains on his paint. They would tell Codsworth that they always came back unscathed, didn’t they? Codsworth would sigh and say that was debatable, but he trusted their judgement. How could he stay cross with his master/mistress?

Curie: Since becoming a synth, Curie would get overwhelmed with the new emotions she felt. The others in Sanctuary would poke fun at her for constantly overreacting, but Sole knew she just needed a little more tender love and care. When Curie was mad, she was beyond consolable. She would stomp around Sanctuary with balled fists and snap at the slightest transgression (a moment of silence for Sturges asking Curie to help paint the workbench). If Curie was wrapped up in a romance novel Sole had snatched her from a mission, she would curl up under the blankets and sob in to a box of pre-war tissues. For someone with such grace and poise, Curie was a wicked hurricane of emotion.

Sole could always get her to calm down with a voice of reason. They would remind Curie that the characters in her novels weren’t real. That you can’t solve every injustice in the world. And sometimes an innocent Sturges really did need help painting. Curie would take some deep breaths, and occasionally asked Sole to hold her hand. After thinking the situation over, Curie was back to her normal (albeit odd) self, and Sole would prepare for her next confusing emotion to surface.

Danse: Unfortunately for Danse, he really thought he could hide away his emotions. He had a terrible habit of scrunching his unkempt eyebrows when frustrated. If Danse was hurt by someone’s words, he ducked his head down for a few moments to fight back tears. For someone who guarded their heart so closely, Danse was in some ways an open book.

Whenever Danse needed to be vulnerable around Sole, he would try his damnedest to use words. Instead of shrugging his pain off, Danse would grit his teeth and talk about a depressing failed mission or recent nightmare. His favorite response from Sole was when they leaned in to listen closer and he could feel their breath on his neck. He wasn’t the cuddliest in the Commonwealth, but just seeing Sole being attentive to his needs put him in lighter spirits.

Deacon: Everybody’s favorite Egg Man was the hardest companion to crack. Deacon went out of his way to make sure Sole didn’t notice his sour mood. There were times a situation exasperated him, and he’d slip up to make a soft sigh. But those moments were rare. Usually if Deacon felt upset, his first instinct was to crack a joke. He needed other people to laugh as if his life depended on it. Maybe then they wouldn’t see his lips quiver. His posture stiffen. The grey cloud forming over his head.

However, that didn’t mean he didn’t always let Sole in. When his partner pried enough, Deacon would sit them down to vent. Sole would keep a respectable distance, but occasionally placed a reaffirming hand on his shoulder. Minor physical contact, but all of their attention on his story. Just knowing that Sole gave a shit was enough for him to collect his thoughts, boop his partners nose, and tell them it was time to get back to work. He was truly an enigma.

Dogmeat: The lucky German Shepherd had the most attentive master in the world. Sole knew what every individual bark or whimper out of Dogmeat’s mouth meant. When he couldn’t find an irradiated animal to chase on their walk? Sole would start sprinting to Red Rocket truck station for him to go after them. A crack of lightning during a rad storm? Sole was already on the ground supplying an ample amount of bully rubs. There was never a moment the dog felt unloved. After all, Sole was constantly reminding him that he was a good boy.

Gage: The first few times Sole tried to calm Gage down they were met with a prompt, “Aw, fuck off, boss!” Gage really only had one emotion, and it was anger. He took the longest to warm up to Sole, especially because whenever he did show his softer side it made him feel… vulnerable. Gage couldn’t punch his way through a heavy heart.

Whenever he did tell Sole about his childhood, he would stop every few minutes to make sure they were listening. Despite Sole’s initial assumption, Gage did like the occasional physical touch. When Gage was in a mood, Sole would run their hand down his arm or give his hip a light bump. He would blush, and Sole tried their best not to smile like an absolute idiot at their triumph. Gage always scoffed at his Overboss going soft on him, but it did keep him out of a few unnecessary bar fights.

Hancock: Mayor John “Puppy Dog Eyes” Hancock. Hancock never wanted to bring down the mood, but he felt completely comfortable sharing his feelings with Sole. His favorite tactic Sole used was when they ran their finger tips up and down his arm while he wore his coat. Hancock never relished in Sole having to touch his scarred flesh, but the feeling of Sole’s fingernails over the fabric of his favorite outfit was strangely calming. 

Hancock always had a flair for the dramatic, and Sole used this to their advantage to calm him down. Whatever exaggerated story he had to complain about, Sole always offered a crazy solution. Were raiders trying to extort money from the Goodneighbor drifters? The two of them should sic the entire Minutemen army on them. When Hancock was insecure about his ghoulish appearance, why didn’t Curie just whip up an anti-ghoulification serum? Sole’s antics always made Hancock chuckle, and then purr when Sole gave him an affectionate squeeze. They reminded him the two of them had time to sit down and think of a plan, and worrying didn’t exactly help his “King of the Zombies” reputation.

MacCready: Unbeknownst to MacCready, his boss had seen through the tough guy act at The Third Rail immediately. But over the course of their friendship, MacCready learned to let his guard down. He was more emotional than he let on. Every time MacCready broke down in front of Sole, he was reminded that he wasn’t alone. Most of MacCready’s rough nights were losing sleep over Duncan. Sole would lay down next to him and talk about their plans for pre-war Shaun. About how Nate/Nora insisted on homeschooling, but they wanted to send him off to private school. How they hoped he inherited their light freckles and sense of humor. MacCready would start to talk about how Duncan had his eyes, and then the conversation would go off from there. As long as Sole kept MacCready calm and distracted, he was able to relax his rugged shoulders and drift off to sleep. 

Preston: Despite his soft demeanor, Preston is battling an arsenal of demons. When Sole learned about his suicidal past, they made sure that they always approached his low mood swings with care. Sole knew those types of feelings don’t always immediately go away, so they made sure whenever they talked to Preston about his depression in a safe space. It sometimes was the chambers of the Castle, or even at the picnic bench behind Sanctuary. Whenever Sole wanted Preston to feel loved, they took the time to get him alone and really listen to his troubles. Whenever Sole squeezed his hand and told him they were proud, Preston couldn’t hide his swelling chest.

Piper: It was no secret that Piper was high-strung. Not only did she have a business to run, but there was a little sister always nipping at her heels. Sometimes the responsibility got overwhelming, even for Diamond City’s greatest reporter. During the times Piper felt like the world was crashing down, Sole got Nick or Ellie to babysit Nat. They would turn on the radio, grab a bottle of (albeit cheap) wine, and let Piper unload on them. The reporter would pace around her office screaming about a false lead or uncooperative interviewee, then take a gulp of her drink. This would go on until Piper felt a little buzzed, and she was forced to retire to the couch.

That was when Sole would soften the mood. Sole would play with Piper’s hair or hum a pre-war song that made Piper sigh in to her friend’s shoulder. “Damn, Blue,” Piper sometimes whispered. “Life’s always a little lighter with my favorite popsicle around.” Her jests didn’t phase Sole, who returned their friend’s joke with an elbow to the arm.

Nick: Nick only likes to show his ruffled feathers around Sole when they’re alone in the office. He’d lean back in his chair, hang his hat on the nearby rack, and blink up at his partner with concerned yellow eyes. Sole knew that was Nick’s way of saying he needed some reassurance that the world wasn’t going to blow up (again).

During Nick’s vulnerable moments, Sole would try to talk about anything positive. Literally anything. Maybe Dogmeat had sat still for his weekly bath, or Shaun drew them a fridge-worthy picture. Nick’s posture would visibly relax, and he would get lost in some happy news for once. Sometimes he wouldn’t notice Sole was trying to calm him down. When he occasionally did catch on, Nick would never call Sole out. Instead, he’d add an anecdote of his own, like how he caught Ellie humming his favorite song as she cleaned the office.

Strong: Strong was easy to piss off, but just as simple to calm down if you knew the right thing to say. Whenever Strong got upset it was obvious to even the dumbest supermutant. He would try to get a rise out of Sole by calling them weak, or charging out ahead of them during a fight. To settle Strong down, Sole just needed to tell him in layman’s terms he wasn’t completing his mission. They couldn’t find the milk of human kindness if he kept acting out.

Strong never actually sought real emotional advice or showed any signs of being discouraged, but if he did Sole would be ready with open arms.

X6-88: Just because X6 is reserved doesn’t mean he doesn’t share his feelings. In fact, X6 is blunt about everything, including his current state of mind. Whenever X6 comes to Sole and says his morale is low, Sole reminds him of what an asset he is to the Commonwealth. How strong his passion for making the future safer helps Sole’s own optimism. When X6 feels useful, he almost always feels better. There was even an occasion where Sole almost heard X6 thank them for a pep talk.

[zirawrites]

Ok, ok, so companions react to finding Sole spent ALL NIGHT hanging up Christmas lights on every single house and tree in Sanctuary. (Even going so far as to build a separate generator exclusively to power said lights)

I wrote this as Sole showing companions this at night. I hope that still captures your vision when you sent this reaction! Wish I could have posted this closer to Christmas. Sorry for the wait <3

Cait: Sometimes when Cait drifted off to sleep in the cages, the lights would blur together as she closed her eyes. It was the only time she felt calm in those days. For those brief seconds before blissful sleep, the world was nothing but twinkling white lights, and she was safe. That was what the decorations in Sanctuary reminded her of. When Sole asked how she liked them, Cait cursed under her breath. She realized how much Sole really cared for her. When words failed, Cait gave them a hard slap on the back. “You outdone yerself, darln’. I’ve never seen anythn’ more beautiful. Besides me-self in the mirror, ya know?”

Codsworth: His metal body shook with glee, and Sole had to hold him steady. The last thing either of them wanted was for him to blow a fuse. “This is just like before the war!” Codsworth exclaimed. He could picture Sole and their spouse holding baby-Shaun as the naughtier children of the town ran up and down the street. The Rosa family would be playing Christmas music through their new record player, which would wake up half the neighborhood. Codsworth would fix Sole hot chocolate, and listen to them tell him what a great help he was. 

When Sole noticed Codsworth had fallen silent, they placed their hand on his side reassuringly. “Me too, pal,” Sole said. “I see it too.”

Curie: Curie had read about this tradition back as a Miss Nanny, and it was something she assumed Sanctuary couldn’t afford. She was mostly impressed that Sole made an entire new generator. Her friend was both kind and savvy. Curie walked under the twinkling lights, and ran her fingers over the warm bulbs. She wanted to feel every sensation. She wanted to see every light.

“This is… so wonderful, Sole.” When Sole frowned, Curie tilted her head inquisitively.  Sole reached out to brush away the tears that fell down Curie’s cheeks. “Oh, not to worry, madame/monsieur. These are happy tears. You have given Sanctuary a wonderful Christmas present. All I got you was a textbook. I hope it will still suffice, yes?”

Danse: Maxon occasionally allowed soldiers to decorate the Prydwen. The festivities were usually confined to their share quarters, and consisted mostly of a small fake tree and a few fairy lights. When Danse took in the old magazine-worthy spectacle, even his stoic demeanor couldn’t hold back a beaming smile. “Outstanding, Sole,” he said. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the lights, so he placed his hand on Sole’s shoulder to let them know they had his attention. “I can’t believe you did all of this by yourself. I’m impressed.” The handful of settlers in Sanctuary were just stepping outside to take in the view, and pride swelled in Danse’s chest. Their faces were so joyous; eyes widening and smiles tightly stretching. “So is everyone else. You seem to find a new way to make the Commonwealth a little brighter every day. Um… literally.” Sole snorted at his unintentional joke.

Deacon: Sole managed to evade Deacon’s watchful eyes long enough to give him a surprise? He didn’t believe it until he saw Sanctuary lit up in every color imaginable. He had seen what Diamond City put out on Christmas Day, and a few pre-war holiday catalogs. But a neighborhood covered in festive lights? This was uncharted territory. He was conflicted with the urge to run down the street like a little kid, or badger Sole about how they sneaked out of HQ for an entire night without him knowing.

“Okay, for once in my life, I got nothing.” Deacon’s fingers lingered hesitantly at the edge of his sunglasses. He wanted to take them off and get the full effect, but couldn’t risk someone seeing his eyes. Couldn’t risk being vulnerable. “You outdid yourself, Sole. I’m in awe of your awesomeness. Aghast at your flabberghastedness. Amazed at your ama-” Sole cut him off with a soft punch to his arm. Deacon winced, and went to reach for the tender spot. When Sole had turned their head away, he instead used his hand to grab their shoulder. “When everyone goes to bed, let’s go back out here, okay?” Deacon furrowed his brow. He seemed so serious he might actually be sad. “I wanna come out here without my shades, you dig?” Sole definitely did, and responded with a quick side-hug that Deacon actually reciprocated.

Dogmeat: The puppy absolutely lost his shit. Dogmeat barked over and over again as he ran up and down the streets. Sole gave up on trying to corral him, and let the pooch run out his energy. The twinkling lights along the houses and in the trees both confused and excited Dogmeat.  He knew it couldn’t be the work of enemies. Look at how happy Sole was. Since Sole was happy, so was Dogmeat. He tried to nip at the strings in the bushes, but Codsworth shooed him away. What a great night to be a dog.

Gage: When Sole eagerly led him in to Sanctuary, he got the same feeling when they had restored power to Nuka World. The sudden explosion of light across the park made each bulb twinkle. He hadn’t expected such a warm feeling in his chest as the rides started up and raiders explored their bases with childlike wonder. And as he watched the other settlers gaze up at the houses with amazement, he couldn’t be more impressed with Sole if he tried. “Well shit, boss. I dunno what to say. Every time I think you’ve outdone yerself you pull something like fucking… like… well, like this, I guess.” Sole noticed Gage was blushing. Their raider friend wasn’t usually flustered. The fact that he trailed off to explore the settlement reaffirmed how comfortable he felt around his Overboss. Too proud to show Sole he cared, but contented enough to flash them a smile before he walked away.

Hancock: “You did all this by yourself? Shit. All I got you were some socks.” Hancock stood in the middle of the road to get the best view of all the houses. He had tried to decorate Goodneighbor before, but the lights usually were stolen by the end of the evening. It was hard housing the kinds of ruffians he ran with; especially when they were particularly ungrateful guests. Seeing Sole smile under a soft spotlight of red and green made his chest swell. Hancock didn’t know what he did to deserve a friend as selfless as them. “I’m putting you in charge of our little Christmas party in The Third Rail. Unless…” Sole cut him off with a curt wave of their hand. They were not moving the drifters of Goodneighbor in to Sanctuary for the night. Even if it was Christmas.

MacCready: MacCready squealed like a kid on Christmas Day as he ran across the bridge to Sanctuary to look at the lights. When he did work for the Gunners, he sometimes found himself perched up high on a building. He could see Diamond City sparkling in the distance, and thought that had to be the brightest thing left on Earth. As he walked through the streets and gaped at Sole’s handiwork, MacCready knew he was wrong.

“This is amazing!” MacCready was so excited that his voice cracked at the end; his pitch so squeaky Sole thought he was having a panic attack. “God, what I would have given to see this as a kid. Can we show this to the tykes in Diamond City? I know a handful of ‘em that could really use this. Actually, just last week -” MacCready was telling Sole something important, but they had stopped listening. It was the first time Sole saw him want to give something back. They knew he had a soft spot for children, but to sacrifice their settlement just to show some strangers holiday cheer? It was the best present MacCready could have given Sole for Christmas. 

Preston: Preston had wondered why Sole wanted as many Minutemen to report to Sanctuary up until the moment he saw the colorful lights. Every house and tree was decorated in holiday cheer; something only Sole could ever pull off. Since the first time they met, Sole did nothing but give and give to the people of the Commonwealth. When they asked Preston if he liked their work, he took off his hat in awe. His reaction was humble; Preston’s gaze softly fell on Sole to show tears running down his flushed cheeks.

“You’re really something, you know that?” he whispered. “I didn’t think I’d be this choked up. I just…” Sole pulled Preston in to a hug as the accompanying Minutemen left to explore the town. “Thank you, Sole. For everything.” Preston didn’t know how to make it up to his General, but he knew he would do anything to prove his loyalty.

Piper: “Jesus…” Piper didn’t know what else to say. As soon as Nat saw the bright lights, the little girl ran off to explore. Piper was left behind with Sole to express their gratitude, but for the first time in her life the wordsmith had nothing to say. Sole watched Piper spin around several times to take it all in. When she finally soaked up the gravity of just how far Sole was willing to go to spread Christmas cheer, her expression changed from stoic to elated. “This is the coolest thing ever!” Was Piper actually giggling? The reporter threw up her arms and twirled in a circle; her red coat fluttering and picking up an array of Christmas colors. “So what do you want the article to be called? Ooh! How about: Blue saves Sanctuary from a Blue Christmas. Get it? No? Okay, I’ll work on it.”

Nick: The old synth had memories of Christmases he never took part in. Not really, anyway. Pre-war Nick opened presents. He drank hot toddies and nuzzled with his wife by the fireplace. His new self usually spent Christmas alone in his office because Nick always gave Ellie the day off. When everyone went to bed, Nick walked around Diamond City to admire the lights. It was peaceful. Tranquil. Lonely.

Sole had covered his eyes to unveil their decorations. As soon as Nick caught the first sheen of light on the roof in front of him, he knew Sole had decorated for Christmas. For the first minute, Nick was utterly speechless. Sole poked at his arm and asked if everything was okay.

“I finally have my own Christmas tradition,” he said. Sole wasn’t sure if the flicker in his yellow eyes was supposed to represent a tear. “And it’s with you. My partner.” Nick snaked his arm around Sole’s waist as they watched a handful of Sanctuary children run past them. “My best friend.”

Strong: Strong didn’t know what Christmas was, even though Sole explained the tradition multiple times. They figured the best way for Strong to grasp it was to show him just how festive the holiday could be. Surprisingly, Strong’s face lit up at the colorful decorations. It was the most expression he had ever shown. Sole almost wanted to cry.

“Human cover shelter in bright lights. Easy for bad guys to find human’s home.” Before Sole could interject, Strong added: “But Strong has never seen such color. Everything is glowing. Very bright. Makes human happy. That makes Strong happy.” It was a compliment Sole was more than willing to take.

X6-88: Electricity wasn’t hard to come by in the Institute. X6 couldn’t imagine the massive amount of drifters that went without it in the Commonwealth. Every room underground had their own lighting, and every person had basic necessities like running water. It took a lot to impress him outside of combat skills. And Sole seemed to always be pushing his limits.

As Sole watched X6′s expression, they almost thought he didn’t care for the bright lights. It took a trained eye to notice his mouth slightly agape. Sole knew if he really disliked it, he would have immediately voiced his dissatisfaction. Instead, X6 stayed silent for a long time.

“It’s beautiful,” he finally said. And X6 meant it. Part of him was curious enough to venture away from Sole and take in all the decorations, but the part loyal to them wanted to stay close. “May we look at all of them? I’ve never seen Christmas decorations before.” His voice was so eager that Sole just couldn’t resist.

[zirawrites]

Compainsions react to accidentally walking in on Sole taking a bath/shower. Because, honestly, we all know Sole would have a hard time in the wasteland and it's nice to get clean every once in a while.

Cait: It’s a rarity when Cait actually bathes, and she likes to make the process go as quickly as possible. While Sole and her were held up in an abandoned neighborhood, they were both shocked to see it still had running water. Cait wasted no time throwing open the curtain to get the shower over with. She let out a scream as Sole hastily tried to cover themselves. “There are better ways to impress me, ya know!” Cait yelled as the closed the curtain. When she caught her breath, she added: “Not that I didn’t like what I saw.” Cait smiled when she heard Sole scoff.

Codsworth: While Sole was away for over 200 years, Codsworth was used to puttering around the house. He would absentmindedly clean the counters and fix the plumbing. Being so caught up in routine, he didn’t realize his master was showering in the bathroom. When he opened the door to see an equally surprised Sole, Codsworth shut his three eyes and backed out of the room. “Oh, mum/sir! I’m terribly sorry for barging in. I should have knocked.” Even as Codsworth sped down the hallway, he was still apologizing. It made Sole chuckle when she could hear him continue to groan outside.

Curie: Curie wasn’t used to regularly bathing. As a Miss Nanny, she could get away with occasionally oiling herself to get rid of excess rust. Sole had to constantly remind her to keep up her hygiene. Curie had planned out her shower meticulously after Sole salvaged her a book on puberty. It advised pre-teens how often they needed to brush their teeth, comb their hair, and change their clothes among other hygienic advice. She had a towel, fresh undergarments, a washcloth… The only thing Curie hadn’t planned on was staring Sole in the face when she opened the shower. Sole tried to cover themselves up while Curie stared back curiously. “Are mine supposed to look like that as well?” Sole wasn’t sure what part of their body Curie was referencing, and they shooed her out before giving themselves a chance to ask.

Danse: The Prydwen was a hub of activity, especially before nightfall. Recruits were returning from training, and officers were in charge of corralling every soldier to their quarters. It was never the ideal time to sneak away for a quick shower, but Danse needed it. He had been stressed all day over various missions. 

When Danse opened the door to the communal showers, a mortified Sole stared back at him. Danse’s eyes widened, and his cheeks turned redder than a tato. It took a few seconds for Danse to finally form words. “I-I apologize s-s-soldier,” he stuttered. Danse turned his back to leave when Sole reminded him that this was a communal shower. He was allowed in there with them. Danse pretended he didn’t hear, and left. They were set to head out together in the morning, and he didn’t want to make things any more awkward.

Deacon: Deacon’s skin was set ablaze; the rash spread up from his fingertips and slowly consumed his chest. As he ran for the shower, the thin fabric of his shirt agonizingly rubbed against him. It hurt so bad Deacon tore it off mid-sprint. He wasn’t sure what the hell he touched rummaging through that dumpster, but he was clearly allergic.

He threw open the shower door and jumped in. In his painful haze, he didn’t stop to wonder why the water was already running. He was still oooh-ing and ahhh-ing as he shred away the last of his clothes. As he tossed his wig off, he silently promised never to help Tinker Tom again. Never, ever, ever, ever -

Sole just blinked back at him. They were both naked in the shower only inches apart. It was hard to read Deacon’s expression from under his shades, so Sole gave him a curt wave. “Howdy, boss,” he said. “Be a dear and hand me that sponge.”

Dogmeat: Getting Dogmeat to bathe was more difficult than taming a Deathclaw. The pooch absolutely HATED water. Most times Danse had to hold him down as Sole scrubbed his fur, which left both soaked and frustrated. Dogmeat hated making Sole tense. He was only a dog, but clearly knew when his master was upset with him. When he heard running water in Sanctuary, he assumed his master was preparing another bath. This time, Dogmeat would not let Sole down. He ran full-speed towards the house, and jumped straight in to the bathtub. It elicited a squeal from Sole, who tried to sit up in the water. Why was his friend also in the bathtub? Sole was so silly.

Hancock: There weren’t a lot of reasons for Hancock to bathe. His leathery skin seemed to repel average dirt and grime. It only took a quick soak to get him completely clean, so bathing to Hancock was more of a method of relaxation. He had the entire evening planned out. Light some candles. Play Diamond City radio. Shoot up a little Jet. Tonight was about pampering himself.

Unfortunately for him, Sole was already using the bathtub. He walked in completely naked - radio and candles in tow - and looked down at an equally bare and confused Sole. “Oh shit, sorry there, Sunshine!” he chuckled. Sole didn’t find it funny, and sunk deeper under the water. “Aw, don’t be shy. You telln’ me I can’t come in and join ya?” Sole said no.

MacCready: Someone should regularly clean this trash panda themselves, because MacCready was the grimiest in the Commonwealth. With his rotting teeth and bad breath, he still considered it a miracle Lucy had ever wanted to marry him. However, when MacCready started to notice his own funk, he figured it was time to man up and get a shower. He knew it wouldn’t do much to eliminate his natural smell, but at least he could breathe easier without being covered in so much dirt.

“Damn, Sole!” MacCready cursed. He childishly covered his face as Sole splashed them with water. Both of them were screaming at each other like bratty kids. Neither would back down. Sole ended up pruned, and MacCready still smelled.

Preston: Nothing made Preston feel more accomplished than hanging his hat up in the Castle at the end of the day after a long day of helping settlements. He had traveled from Taffington boathouse to Croup Manner delivering supplies. He set up several generators in Starlight Drive-In. Hell, he even fixed a recruitment beacon that was still picking up the Institute’s old station (which was unsettling). All Preston wanted to do was take a long, hot bath.

And definitely not walk in on Sole shaving their legs. He screamed. They screamed. He asked why they even needed to shave when they wore pants all the time. Sole rebutted with something to the effects of “because I actually get laid.” It put him in a sour mood the rest of the night.

Piper: Piper’s guilty pleasure was reading her latest issue in the bathtub. There was something about soaking in warm water that made reading more pleasurable. She already had her shirt off when she entered the bathroom; unaware Sole had just ran themselves a bath. Piper shrieked and dropped her newspaper. Sole shook their hand dry and picked it up from where they sat. Piper rushed out of the room - face blushed red - insisting they absolutely did not read their own stories in the bathroom.

Nick: “You don’t even bathe!” Sole shrieked as Nick slammed the door behind him. “How does this even happen?” Honestly, Nick was just trying to investigate the weird moaning coming from behind the door. He never thought it would be Sole singing in the shower. They were awful. He assumed geeky Travis would have a better voice. He let that be known as Sole increased their profanity at him.

Strong: Strong wanted to know why Sole liked to take off all their armor and lay in a bed of water to relax. Didn’t they know it made them extremely exposed? He confronted Sole in the bathroom as they were absentmindedly scrubbing their arms. As much as Sole shouted for him to leave, Strong continued to question them. Were’t they cold?

X6-88: Nakedness wasn’t something to be embarrassed about. X6 was more worried Sole’s lack of armor would put them at a tactical advantage, but he knew hygiene was an important part of survival. Sole asked him to stand watch outside of the bathroom while they took a brief shower. They had entered an abandoned home in Concord, and really needed to get the super mutant blood off of them.

When the water turned off, X6 asked how long it would be until they moved out again. The sun was setting, and he knew Sole’s eyesight was lacking in the dark. To his concern, Sole didn’t answer. He opened the door to make sure they were okay, and saw Sole half-naked; struggling to pull their shirt over their head. He stood in silence, trying to figure out if he should offer help or shut the door. However, there was that one time Sole told him he looked like a rejected extra from “The Matrix,” and a little payback seemed appropriate.

[zirawrites]

Hi ~ Companions reacts: Finding out FSole is crying quietly (trying to hide that they’re sad).. Thank you !!

Trigger warning: Brief mention of Preston’s past with suicide

This is exactly 3,591 words of pure angst. I didn’t mean it to be so wordy, but I hope you all enjoyed the various scenarios I put female Sole and her companions in.

Cait: Cait was always eager to scavenge buildings with Sole. They got to steal some useful shit, and occasionally rough up a few raiders. Sole liked getting the scum off the street. As for Cait, she got to go home with arms full of things that were now her own. She didn’t get a lot of those moments back in the cages.

“Clear!” Cait had swept the top floor of the department store for enemies. This was usually the part when Sole ran up to meet her, but they didn’t make a sound. “Sole?” Cait called down from the top of the stairs. “I said the floor was - shite. Do I gotta do evrythn’ by myself?” She made her way downstairs and combed the isles for her partner. Something quiet was mewing from another isle. Cait readied her gun. It could be an inured animal, and Cait wasn’t beyond eating it as long as it wasn’t too irradiated.

Instead, Cait saw Sole whimpering and staring at the display. “Wuts with the tears?” she asked. There wasn’t any sympathy in Cait’s expression until she realized they were in the nursery isle. Sole stared at a new crib; its tiny mobile covered in layers of post-apocalyptic dust. Slowly, Cait placed a gentle hand on Sole’s shoulder. She wasn’t good with words, so she let Sole have a moment. “It’s okay, dear,” she whispered. “You take yer time. I’ll be here.”

Codsworth: The power in Sanctuary had cut off again. Sole and Codsworth had worked diligently with the other settlers to restore it, but as night fell, they figured it would be safer to save the problem until morning. After Sole instructed more guards to be posted by the bridge, they told Codsworth it was time to reward their hard work. Sole had plans to go home and drink a bottle of wine by themselves until their sore body drifted off to sleep. Codsworth laughed at Sole being “cheeky as always,” then bid them goodnight.

Though Codsworth didn’t sleep, he liked to spend nights with Sole back at home. His mistress made excellent company, and he felt better knowing she was safe. After an adequate amount of time had passed for Sole to get drunk, Codsworth went home to tuck them in.

“Hi honey! Listen… I don’t think Shaun and I need to tell you how great of a mother you are. But, we’re going to anyway.”

Was there a man in Sole’s house? Codsworth pushed open the front door to see Sole sitting by candles in the dark, holding her pip-boy on her lap. She listened to a holotape Nate must have left her before the war. Again. And again. And again. Hi honey. Hi honey. And again. But everything we do no matter how hard, we do it for our family. And again. Now say goodbye, Shaun. And again. Bye bye, say bye bye.

Codsworth floated next to her. Sole was crying so hard she didn’t even notice. When Sole tried to place the holotape in for the twentieth time, Codsworth softly used his arm to take it from her hands. “I think… I think we’ve both heard enough of the master for one night, mum.” His voice seemed equally as mournful as Sole’s. “Why don’t we sleep off this hangover? You can visit Mr. Nate in your dreams.”

Curie: One reason Curie admired Sole so much was because she always let her ask as many questions as she wanted. If Curie thought of something she needed to ask about philosophy or human anatomy, Sole always tried her best to give her an answer. Once the two women were being pinned down by gunners and Curie wanted to know which philosophical discipline did dualism belong to. She had been reading a textbook in the caravan that took them to their current outpost, and Sole stopped lighting her Molotov cocktail to answer her. That just was the kind of friend Sole was.

It wasn’t strange for Curie to pop in to a settlement she knew Sole would be tending to. Curie had been reading “The Great Gatsby” and wanted some aspects of symbolism clarified. By the time Curie made it to Starlight Drive-In, Sole was already packing up her gear. Suddenly, Sole dropped to her knees behind the counter. Thinking Sole had hurt herself, Curie rushed through the door and knelt down. Sole looked up with tearful eyes; obviously not expecting anyone to see her. Curie moved a strand of hair from Sole’s eyes and smiled. “Madame, if you need me to listen for a change, I can.” Curie sat down next to Sole and held her hands. “If you don’t mind me saying so, I learned from the best.”

Danse: It was obvious that Sole hadn’t want to leave the Prydwen. She was usually excited to go off on an impromptu mission with Danse, but Sole had dragged her feet all morning. Honestly, the paladin was taking it personally. Danse knew he wasn’t the most exciting man to spend the day with, but he assumed he and Sole were friends. Instead, Sole complained the entire vertibird trip across the Commonwealth. She antagonized Danse at every raider outpost they took down. Hell, she even questioned his choice of shelter as night fell. He was so frustrated he insisted they sleep on opposite sides of the gas station.

Danse was a light sleeper, so at the first sounds of sniffling, he sat up in his sleeping bag. That alerted Sole, who immediately stopped crying. “Sole?” Danse asked. Even though he was whispering, his voice sounded booming in the empty room. Sole didn’t stir, and he figured they were pretending to be asleep. He called out her name again to no avail. When it was clear Sole was going to fake being asleep, Danse stood up and walked over to where she lay. “You don’t… have to talk about it, soldier,” he said. This time Danse’s voice was calm and sweet. Sole had never felt more reassured by him, even when he had her back in a firefight. “Just know I recognize you are going through a difficult time. When you’re ready to talk about it, I’ll be here. Not as your superior, but as a friend.”

Deacon: It was a shitty time to get split up from Sole. A dark storm had unleashed an ungodly amount of heavy rain, and the two partners somehow were split up in the confusion. Deacon took refuge in a shed, but as the wind howled and poked holes in the wood, he knew it would blow off the ground any minute. That wasn’t anything he wanted to get trapped inside. He took a deep breath and sprinted for a nearby church just in the distance. The mud from the graveyard he ran through was up to his knees, and sucked his left boot right off his leg. Soaking wet and out of breath, Deacon crashed through the door and barely had the strength to push it closed.

His shaking hands wiped his face clean of water, and he took off his sunglasses that were smeared with sludge. His shirt was too wet to clean it, so the accessory would need to air dry. What Deacon wasn’t planning on in his disheveled state was meeting Sole’s sorrowful gaze. She was sitting in the front pew, and had been staring at a large cross on the wall. Her hands were folded in her lap as she shook from both the freezing rain and her own tears. Sole had never seen Deacon without his glasses, and Deacon had never seen her as anything but the fearsome Charmer. Both of their facades were crumbling.

“Did… did something happen?” he asked softly, trying to forget she could see his naked eyes. Sole tried to answer him, but her lower lip began to quiver, and he just… Well, shit. Deacon couldn’t just leave her hanging. He set his sunglasses on a counter and sat down next to his shaken partner. He angled himself in her direction and hesitated briefly before taking her hand. Deacon ran his thumb over her knuckles and forced a smile. He was such a liar. “We’re both okay,” he soothed. Deacon wasn’t sure if Sole was crying over him or if it had something to do with the church, or maybe she was cracking under pressure. Either way, he held her hand until she eventually rested her head on his collarbone and drifted off to sleep. They couldn’t go out in the storm, and Deacon wasn’t complaining. 

Dogmeat: It was a damn good day to be a dog. The sun was shining over Sanctuary, and Sole took Dogmeat out in a patch of grass to play fetch. She threw the baseball as far as she could, and the mutt faithfully returned it each time. With every throw, Sole got the ball to go further. With every catch, Dogmeat ran faster. On one particular throw, the baseball went out of sight. How exciting! Dogmeat sniffed the ground to find it, but to his horror the ball was stuck in a tree. He jumped and snapped at it, but the branch was just too high. This was a problem Sole could fix.

Dogmeat sprinted back to his master, but instead of the usual smile she greeted him with, Sole was wiping tears from her cheek. Dogmeat stopped in his tracks, tilted his head, and let out a sad whimper. “Oh no,” Sole sniveled, and crouched down to pet Dogmeat behind the ears. “You didn’t do anything wrong, boy. I’m just having a bad day.” Dogmeat returned Sole’s words with a hearty face licking, which elicited some giggles from her. The two headed back home to take a nap; the baseball in the tree long forgotten by both friends. 

Hancock: Hancock knew he wasn’t the best influence, but even he had standards when it came to exposing others to chems. Sole had never even taken Asprin before the war, so he was hesitant to let them puff Jet with him on a hot, sticky Friday night. It was so bad outside that people were walking around Goodneighbor without shirts. Sole just needed to take her mind off of the disgusting weather, so the two of them sat in his office - Sole in shorts and Hancock without his jacket - discussing how much she should take her first time.

“Darln’, I really don’t think this is a good idea,” he said. “You’re way tougher than me, I won’t deny that. But chems can be a slippery slope. You sure you’re ready?” Sole teased him about not really knowing what he was doing, which made him scoff. He knew the exact dose she should take for a small trip, so he handed her the canister and told her how hard to inhale. Of course she messed that up. At the first gravely feeling in her lungs, Sole sucked in too deep, and Hancock ripped the Jet from her hands. She was laughing and coughing as he pat her back, and both of them knew she was in for a wild night.

After an hour of Sole, well, tripping complete balls, Hancock went downstairs to make snacks. When he returned, Sole was dabbing her eyes with the handkerchief he left behind. He watched her from the open door for a while, until his heart couldn’t take it anymore. Hancock offered her his hand, which Sole struggled to take, and led her to the couch. He sat down and let Sole rest her head in his lap as he absentmindedly stroked her hair. She wouldn’t remember this in the morning, and he wouldn’t bring it up. But for now his best friend needed him. It was time to be a good influence.

MacCready: MacCready and Sole didn’t have a lot of downtime to talk about non-survival stories, so whenever the opportunity arose to be lazy, they gladly took advantage of it. Preston was handling the settlements, Nick and Piper were running errands in Diamond City, and even Danse was helping with repairs around Sanctuary. The two partners decided to spend the evening at the Third Rail drinking booze and watching Magnolia sing. 

Sole saved MacCready a seat on the couch as he handed her a drink from the bar. He casually slung his arm behind her, and the two talked about personal matters they never got to bring up. Sole told him about her career as a lawyer. MacCready explained how Little Lamplight worked. Sole reminisced about the day her and Nate bought Codsworth. MacCready, now tipsy, pulled out a picture of Duncan from his coat pocket. “This is my boy,” he slurred. “This… this is Duncan. Isn’t he -?” MacCready let out a sharp hiccup. “Isn’t he cute? He loves to draw. He’s gonna be an artist, Sole. Just wait. Duncan once drew a picture of Lucy and I when he was four and holy crap did it look just like us. If we were stick-figures, of course. But it was still really good.”

When Sole didn’t respond, MacCready looked down at where she was snuggled in to his arm. She was looking down at her drink which rippled from her tears. When her shoulders shuddered from her soft crying, MacCready knew she was thinking about Shaun. He pulled her closer to his side and placed a hard, chaste kiss to her temple. “M’sorry, Sole,” he said. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. You just let it out. Nobody’s watching, okay? I promise.” Even if they were, his glare alone would definitely scare them off.

Preston: Preston had bared his entire past to Sole, so there wasn’t much she didn’t know about him. Sole knew his favorite song on Diamond City radio (it was “One More Tomorrow,” he thought the song was romantic). They knew about his morning routine habit of needing to get out of the right side of bed for good luck. Hell, Sole could tell you everything from Preston’s favorite color to why he has a small scar shaped like a hook on the back of his neck.

But sometimes Preston wondered if he knew anything about Sole at all. He was walking the Castle when he heard a muffled noise behind Sole’s chamber doors. Even though she might get upset, Preston had to check on her. He was shocked to see Sole wiping away tears as they looked in the mirror. She was wearing her general hat, and didn’t seem to like the reflection in the mirror staring back. Preston knew what that felt like; he had his share of demons that Sole knew all about. It always made him worry about losing Sole. Depression was so easy to fall in to, and he didn’t want Sole to get as lost as he had been.

Preston lightly knocked on the door frame, which startled Sole. Before she could yell at him, he took off his own had and smiled sheepishly. “Need some company, General?” he asked. “It’s about time I start asking you about your day.”

Piper: Both women couldn’t believe they had never had a girls’ night in together. Piper cleaned up her office and Sole brought the booze. The two gossiped about the snobs of Diamond City, ate Fancy Lads, and braided each others hair. Piper never had a female friend like Sole, and she felt as carefree as a pre-war child when they snuggled up on the couch to read each other’s palms. Sole said it was a fun child’s game she used to do at sleepovers.

“The heart line on your right palm is curved. That means you freely express your feelings,” Sole said. “And your life line swoops in a semi-circle. That means you are full of strength and enthusiasm.” Piper wasn’t sure if Sole was just blowing smoke up her ass, but she appreciated the compliments anyways. “You also have a fate line. Not a lot of people have that.” Sole held Piper’s hand closer to her face and softly ran her fingernail along the indent in her skin. “It’s joined to your life line. You’re a self-made individual whose always had aspirations.”

“Okay, okay, your turn!” Piper laughed. She flipped Sole’s hand over and bit her lower lip as she concentrated. “Your heart line begins in the middle of your hand. Doesn’t that mean you fall in love easily?” Sole nodded and rolled their eyes. “I’m flattered, Blue. Really.” Both women chuckled. “Your life line, it… breaks in the middle. So… you’ve had a sudden change in lifestyle.” Sole said ‘no shit,’ but it was hard to lighten the mood. “Hey, Blue! You have a fate line, too.”

“Let’s not read that one,” Sole said. She pulled her hand back, and Piper instinctively grabbed her wrist. The motion caught both of them off-guard. “I already know what it is, Piper. It starts at my thumb. It means I have the support of my family. Nate used to…” Her words were broken by an unexpected sob. Sole covered her mouth, but Piper wasted no time lunging forward to pull her in to a tight hug.

“Oh, Blue…” Piper said in to Sole’s hair. “This game is no fun. Let’s play a different one, okay?”

Nick: Sole kept complaining she was bored. Nick didn’t know how the busiest survivor in the Commonwealth could have any downtime, but they offered Sole a job at his detective agency. Sole jumped at the chance to help more people, which was part of why Nick loved her. From day one Sole was giving it her all. There weren’t a lot of people like that in Diamond City, and sometimes Nick wondered if they were the only pre-war souls left.

Nick forgot his hat on his desk, so he entered the office in a bit of a mood. He was supposed to meet Hancock in Goodneighbor to go over a case of a recent kidnapping that happened near the Third Rail. As luck would have it, Sole was thumbing through the file. “It’s a tricky one, isn’t it?” Nick noted as he grabbed his hat from the hanger. “Kid just goes missing wandering the streets while his mom was getting loaded. Some people just shouldn’t be parents. Who just leaves their son like that?” Silence, and then sniveling. “Sole? Are you alright?”

Sole looked up with tears down her red cheeks. Nick immediately cursed himself for talking about a mother that way. “I didn’t mean you, dear,” he said. “Honest.” Sole said something about knowing Nick didn’t mean it, but Nick pulled her in to a hug anyways. “You’re a great mom. And an even greater partner. I’m sorry fate would be so cruel to such a flower in a garden full of thorns.”

Strong: “Human is weak!” Strong roared as he picked the tire off of Sole’s chest. Sole caused an explosion when she accidentally shot a fuel pump aiming for some raiders. It certainly did the job, but an entire truck launched at both her and Strong. The car fell apart in the air, but its tire landed right on Sole as she tried to back away. Strong wasted no time freeing his companion, but he had some choice words for her. “You shot fire box. Human knows fire box makes fire. Why would puny human do something so stupid? Even Strong knows not to do that.”

He charged ahead of Sole to begin scavenging the truck. From experience, Strong knew sometimes humans stored food in there. As he ripped off the door, Strong heard a cooing noise behind him. It was Sole who turned her face in shame. She was crying - either from being in pain or having been humiliated - and that hurt Strong. The supermutant touched his heart because there was this aching he had never felt before.

Strong pat Sole’s head several times, which made her chortle through the tears. “Strong is sorry he yelled at his friend. You are good fighter.” Sole squeezed his hand, and Strong squint his eyes. It was the closest to a smile Sole had ever seen him give. “But human must stop crying. It makes Strong’s heart hurt.”

X6-88: It was official: Shaun was dying. The meeting went as well as X6 had expected. Most of the Institute scientists had absolutely no faith in Sole’s ability to become Father’s successor. Sometimes X6 doubted her whenever she used too many Stimpaks or was caught reading MacCready’s comic book collection. He wondered why someone who grew up without constant war could lead the future with Shaun’s vision. In fact, X6 was so concerned he decided to visit Sole’s private quarters and talk about it with her.

When X6 opened the door, he saw Sole crying in to her pillow. She obviously thought she was alone. X6 thought Sole was probably more upset over Shaun’s terminal disease than having to lead the Institute, though it was definitely a combination of both. Without warning, he sat down on the edge of her bed. Sole shot up and began rambling excuses about why she was crying, and X6 listened patiently. When Sole ran out of breath, X6 reached out to touch her knee. “I respect you a lot, ma’am. You don’t need to hide your feelings from me.” Sole blinked away some tears. “I’m upset about Father’s passing as well. He’s my mentor. And one day when you are long gone, I will be just as upset as you are now.”

[zirawrites]

How do companions react to seeing soles face for the first time and they are absolutely stunning?

Cait: Cait wasn’t thrilled about leaving her home in the cages… until she caught sight of the person taking her away. She had seen just about every walk of life come through for a fight, but Sole? Their pre-war skin was unblemished, their hair was full and clean. In fact, Sole carried themselves with so much poise that for a moment Cait wished she was a little more ladylike to impress them. “Well then,” she said, “I suppose this deal ain’t all bad. You just walk in front of me though, dear. Let me enjoy the view.” Just because Cait wished she was more refined didn’t mean she’d start acting that way now.

Codsworth: “I… I can’t believe it’s really you, sir/mum!” When Sole came in to Sanctuary, the Mr. Handy was floored. He had dreamed of reuniting with his master, but didn’t remember them looking so dashing. His tedious work of scrubbing floors and maintaining the lawn post-nuclear fallout was all worth it now that he knew Sole had kept themselves in wonderful shape. “Why, you look even more handsome/beautiful than the day you activated me, if you don’t mind my saying so. I hope your cleanliness rubs off on my old gears. I’ve managed to accumulate quite a bit of rust since we last saw each other.”

Curie: No one (or thing) was more enamored with Sole in Vault 81 than Curie. She had heard stories of people in the Commonwealth, and they were all the same. Survivors had scratchy skin that peeled from radiation exposure. Their voices were gruff, and their hands calloused. But Sole was the absolute opposite of all those tales. When they peered through the glass at Curie, she would have blushed if she were human. “My, I suppose the stories of the settlers up above were all lies. You are not scratchy or gruff.” Sole didn’t know what that meant, but they took the compliment anyways.

Danse: At first, Danse was just thankful for the assistance against the ferals that plagued the police station. He watched Sole snipe a few from afar, then close in at knife-point the remaining dozen. Both their agility and bravery impressed him. When he went to thank Sole, they took off their helmet and goggles. Danse was unable to speak; his cheeks flushing red when only stammering came out. “We appreciate the support, civilian,” he finally managed to say. He had never seen anyone in such perfect shape. Their broad shoulders, petite frame… they exemplified the entire Brotherhood appearance.  Danse found it hard to make eye contact the rest of their conversation.

Deacon: Today was the day Deacon’s baby would be born. Well, by baby he meant the vault dweller and by born he meant leave the actual vault. They had been a hard little science experiment to track, but he was excited to see the person frozen in time finally thaw out. He figured that they would need some guidance in the Commonwealth, so what better opportunity to shape a new agent?

What Deacon didn’t expect was for Sole to leave the vault early. He hid behind a tree as they rose to the surface; eyes squinting, legs trembling. Part of him wanted to burst from the shadows and help them, but he stopped when he saw how… perfect they were. Bright, hopeful eyes. A smile like on those old magazine covers. To Deacon’s horror, he was willing to follow them anywhere.

Dogmeat: Sole was not the first person to approach Dogmeat at Red Rocket. The dog had been hunkering down under the workbenches ever since his previous owner had run him off the property. Dogmeat’s first reaction was to cower. If a stranger didn’t leave him alone after that, he usually snapped. But when Sole approached him with a cheery “hey there, boy” he was instantly theirs. Sole wasn’t scary at all! Their skin was soft when they scratched him behind his ear, and their smile consisted of all their teeth. Someone as friendly-looking as Sole couldn’t possibly consider him a bad dog.

Gage: Gage had seen plenty of Overbosses come and go. They all looked the exact same. To give off a tough exterior, the raiders usually had deep scars, shaved hair, and chunks of their ears and fingers missing. It always scared off the settlers they wanted to raid, but never impressed Gage. He knew he was missing an eye, but the whole “tough guy act” needed to come from the heart, not the clothes. When he saw Sole come through the doors of Nuka World, his mouth hung open. They were the opposite of every raider and slaver he ever ran with. Their smooth pre-war skin glistened against the neon signs above them, and their healthy hair bounced as they walked towards Fizztop Grille. Gage was more than willing to introduce himself to Sole, but refrained from any flirtatious comments. He didn’t want himself actually catching feelings, and it was easy to get lost in Sole’s eyes.

Hancock: Hancock was always watching over Goodneighbor, and that night he was hanging back in the shadows when Sole walked through the gates. He noticed Finn lock on to the stranger, and figured he would have to intervene eventually. Finn was probably going to sell the poor schmuck some phony insurance, which Hancock warned him to stop whenever he came to his town.

Lucky for him, Hancock’s future damsel in distress was absolutely stunning. They had Magnolia and all the pre-war pin-up girls in the old magazines beat. Sole was staring at Finn with furrowed brows and their fingers brushed against their holster, which only made them more endearing. Beautiful and a badass, Hancock thought as he stepped forward with his knife. The first things out of his mouth after a warm welcome would definitely be a pick-up line.

MacCready: MacCready was having a freaking terrible day. After Winlock and Barnes stopped nagging him about taking their work, there was a stranger hanging around the door. He assumed it was another scorned settler looking for a merc to off their ex lover, so MacCready already had an attitude. He said something sarcastic before he even looked at them, then immediately wished he hadn’t. Sole was all dressed up from their night at The Third Rail, and he could smell their cologne/perfume from across the lounge. Sole tilted their head and asked him who the two men were who had been bothering him. Even though MacCready’s words were low and uninterested, his heart nearly beat out of his chest. They were a total knock-out, and he would be more than thrilled to be their hired gun.

Preston: Preston thought his band of travelers were as good as dead until he heard the raiders outside go down with four loud gunshots. He rushed to the balcony to see a stranger take them down, then begin to scavenge them for supplies. “Hey, up here! On the balcony!” His voice was strained, but it caught Sole’s attention. When they looked up, the sunlight hit their face just right so that Preston could see every feature. He didn’t even notice they were wearing a vault suit. When Sole asked what was the matter, Preston almost didn’t want to involve them in his fight. It wasn’t every day he met an angel.

Piper: Danny Sullivan was getting on Piper’s last nerve. She knew the kid was just following orders, but what he was doing was still wrong. He was leaving her out in the open, and Nat without supervision. She needed a diversion… and the drifter rolling up at the gates would be perfect. Piper had it all planned out. She would tell Danny they were a trader from Quincy, and the town would have his head if he made them miss out on the supplies…

That thought was quickly derailed when she got a good look at Sole. There was no way they were from around the Commonwealth. Sole’s hair was clean, their eyes were still full of innocent hope. It made Piper’s stomach do flips. She hadn’t seen the kind of warm smile Sole flashed her since she got her hands on a pre-war movie. In fact, Piper clammed up so bad Danny actually went back on the intercom to ask if she died.

Nick: Two weeks of being kidnapped in a vault never seemed so worth it until Sole showed up to save him. Nick figured someone would have to set him free eventually, and he was hoping Ellie wouldn’t put herself in harm’s way. When Sole hacked the door to set Nick free, it took every ounce of him not to compliment Sole’s look. All the embarrassment about being a damsel melted away when Sole told him about their missing son. Now he had a chance to return the favor, and get to see a little more of that pre-war miracle.

Strong: Strong was actually unimpressed by Sole’s looks. They didn’t look as menacing as the beaten humans. He suggested Sole slash their face to get a scar.

X6-88: Maybe coursers weren’t designed to perfection after all. When Sole walked through the Institute doors, the synths had never seen anyone as flawless. X6 was certain Sole could be the only heir to Father’s legacy. They matched the intricacy of the spiral elevators; the unblemished gleam of the polished floors. Sole embodied everything the Institute wanted for the Commonwealth, and it made X6 even more honored to become their companion later that evening.

[zirawrites]

Companions react to Sole saying "i have to show you a picture of the most beautiful person in the world" then showing them a mirror

Cait: No one ever compliments someone without expecting something in return. Even though Cait trusts Sole, she’s hesitant to find it amusing. When Sole assures her it was just to lighten the mood, Cait’s expression softens.

“Well, it’s better than the usual pat on me arse I’d get at the cages,” Cait said. “You’re quite the charmer, aren’t ya now?” She still didn’t understand how Sole saw past her freckles and dirt, but appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

Codsworth: If Mister Handys could blush, Codsworth would be more red than a ripe tato. “You always were a cheeky one, sir/mum,” he chided. All of Codworth’s eyes blinked back at his hovering reflection. “I have managed to make this rust look good. Benefits of being the most brilliant invention to come out of General Atomics. No dirt gets past me!”

Curie: “Oh, this is a pick-up line, is it not?” Curie had read about that in a novel Sole had lent them. Sole explained they weren’t trying to “pick-up” Curie, but rather just compliment her out of the goodness of their heart. It was what friends did. That made Curie smile, and she took the mirror to show Sole their own reflection. “And this is the most brave,” she replied.

Danse: Though Danse outwardly showed discomfort, he was actually filled with admiration. Sole always knew how to make him smile, even in the midst of a mission. As his friend held up the mirror they salvaged from a pile of rubble in the city, Danse rolled his eyes and pretended to not be amused. 

“Keep your eyes on the road, soldier,” Danse seethed. “You’re distractions could get us killed out here.” Even though he seemed annoyed, Sole knew it cheered him up just as rain clouds rolled above them.

Deacon: It seemed silly, but Deacon’s own reflection still surprised him. He obviously didn’t look like his true self, which made looking in the mirror somewhat… difficult. Sole never seemed bothered with his past, which made their gesture all the more endearing. He placed his fingers on his chin and pretended to admire himself. “Can’t argue with that, boss,” he said. Deacon was so lucky to have Sole in his life.

Dogmeat: Dogmeat immediately recognized his reflection. Sole loved to hold him up to any mirror they could find and explain that he was seeing himself. Dogmeat barked appreciatively, and wagged his tail. He wasn’t sure what Sole meant, but he knew it was positive. He was a good boy.

Hancock: He was definitely high when Sole held up the mirror in his direction. Everything was… spinning? Blurry and out of focus. Sole tried to move the mirror closer to Hancock, and he uncomfortably leaned back in his chair. “Who the hell is that?” he asked lowly. Sole rolled their eyes.

MacCready: MacCready was always for some harmless flirting, but why did Sole have to hit on him in front of everyone in Sanctuary? If they had approached him anywhere else, he would have bantered back something sweet. Making Sole blush was his specialty. But since they teased him in front of other companions, he just scoffed.

“Real mature,” he huffed; slinging his gun over his shoulder. “Are we gonna head out today or are you just gonna keep commenting on how pretty I am?”

Preston: The comment caught Preston off-guard. He was so used to dealing with agitated settlers and other equally as anxious minutemen that any form of positivism made the hairs on his neck stand up. But when Preston realized Sole was trying to be cute, he couldn’t help but blush. “Thank you, General,” he said. “Feel free to hang it up in the Castle. We can use my handsome face as a way to recruit more members.”  

Piper: She wasn’t sure what Sole was going to show her at first. Her friend loved to pretend she found cool things on their walks to tease Piper. Once Sole picked up a crumbled, dirty napkin and asked her if it was the latest issue of Publick Occurrences. Piper didn’t find that funny.

Upon seeing Sole was actually being sweet, her nose crinkled. It was... unexpected. Nice, even. “Very cute, Blue,” she chided. “You come up with that one all on your own?”

Nick: Nick had been around long enough to hear every pick-up line. But seeing Sole be the one to deliver it? He couldn’t help but wink at his own reflection. “That’s a damn fine synth I see there,” he said. “But are you sure you got that caption right? Because where I’m standing, you’re the real piece of art.” And then - just so Sole didn’t get too comfortable - Nick added: “And the biggest piece of work.”

Strong: He didn’t get it. “That’s no picture! That is just Strong. Puny human must have hit head in last fight.” How were the two of them supposed to take on the Commonwealth if Sole didn’t know what a mirror was? Pitiful.

X6-88: X6 didn’t blink. Sole thought they may have offended him. He looked at the mirror, then to Sole, then back at the mirror again. Tension built. Was he going to chastise them? Lose respect? Did he think Sole had no idea what a mirror was?

“That was a good one.” It was all X6 said. Sole wasn’t sure if he genuinely meant it, because he kept on walking.

[zirawrites]

companions react to sole catching bullets mid air and sending them back

Cait: “Holy fuckn’...!” Cait was too in awe to finish her sentence. Sole stared back at her as their bloody hand squeezed a raider’s bullet. “No wonder you were able to get me outta those cages,” she said. “How long have ya been able to do that, Sole? Shite. We’re gonna make a lot of caps off this trick, I’ll tell ya that!” Cait then asked how hard Sole could throw the bullet back.

Codsworth: Stunned. Honestly, he wanted to deactivate himself. Every time Sole blew his proverbial mind, he told himself they couldn’t top whatever blasphemy they just did. Sole survived nuclear fallout. Their son was leader of the Institute. They played all the factions of the Commonwealth like puppets. But catching bullets? He had officially seen his master do it all.

Curie: “Can I do that as well?” Curie didn’t know humans were capable of catching something at such a high velocity and then projecting them back at a target. As the raider screamed in agony, Curie fixated herself on her friend. She hadn’t found a book that explained what Sole just did, but Curie was determined to find it.

Danse: Sole was a fucking synth, weren’t they? His mouth hung open as Sole threw the bullet back. Their enemies began to retreat as Sole searched the ground for fallen ammunition. Danse stood in his tracks and watched them. Sole was so casual about their... abilities. Yeah, he knew they had to be a synth.

Deacon: Deacon’s head tilted back as he brought his hands to his mouth to stifle a gasp. He watched like a little kid as Sole threw the bullet back and hit the Brotherhood soldier directly between the eyes. “It looks like you really are the Railroad’s secret weapon,” he gaped. “Can you shoot lasers out of your eyes? Do your fingers turn in to little chainsaws?” Deacon badgered Sole about superpowers the entire way back to HQ.

Dogmeat: He didn’t know people weren’t able to do that. Dogmeat just assumed Sole was being their regular badass self. Honestly, that poor dog has seen a lot of freaky shit in the Commonwealth. 

Hancock: When Sole hurled the bullet back at a thug in Goodneighbor, the crowd began to cheer. Hancock had been watching from his balcony. Outwardly, he cheered with everyone else. But when he got Sole alone? He had a lot of questions as to why they kept such a crazy secret weapon from him. He didn’t like not knowing every crevice of his best friend.

MacCready: “Did you really just do that?!” MacCready didn’t even listen when Sole tried to talk poorly about his sniping skills compared to their own agility. What Sole just did was some straight-up witchcraft. He kept them a reasonable distance away for the next few weeks, and definitely didn’t allow them to participate in a firefight.

Preston: Sole may have just impressed the group of Minutemen at the Castle, but Preston was extremely cautious. He knew Sole always exceeded his expectations, but catching bullets? “Look, Sole, I know that was very impressive. But how did you learn to do that? I’m... not sure you’re completely human.” He didn’t want to offend the General, but he needed to make sure they were the original Sole before he let them command a militia.

Piper: One second, Sole was catching bullets and sending them back. The next, Piper had a notebook and pencil shoved in their face. They had no idea how Piper pulled that out so quickly. They weren’t even near her office in Diamond City. “Okay, Blue, my first question for this article is...”

Nick: Nick knew exactly who was responsible for this. Sole didn’t even need to explain themselves. He made a little quip about Sole always blowing his fuse, but when he got back to Diamond City he was elbow deep in files. This had to be the work of the Mysterious Stranger.

Strong: “Puny human has unfair fighting advantage!” Strong yelled after Sole threw the bullet. “Humans cannot catch bullets and use them with fists. You are NOT a real human!” How could Sole lead him to the milk of human kindness if they weren’t even that species?

X6-88: X6 didn’t react. He didn’t say a damn thing. It unnerved Sole who actually wanted to talk about their special ability, but assumed X6 was just uncomfortable. Sole had no idea he was shedding a tear under his sunglasses. His companion was such a badass it shook X6 to his core.

[zirawrites]

How would the companions react to Sole getting stuck in a tree?

Cait: She was impressed her friend could climb that high, but embarrassed they couldn’t get down. As Sole called for her to help, Cait shook her head and dismissed them with the wave of her hand. “Sorry, darln’. I can’t do that for ya. I think some raiders stumbln’ upon you is the wake up call ya need to stop overextendin’ yerself.” Cait meant it, too. She actually walked away.

Codsworth: “Oh mum/sir! Please don’t move and I’ll fetch help at once!” The poor Mister Handy didn’t waste a second. Codsworth traveled to the nearest settlement and begged the survivors to help his poor master. He didn’t care if Sole felt embarrassed. Their safety was Codsworth’s main priority.

Curie: “I find it very interesting that you would do something so foolish knowing the risks.” Curie didn’t mean this to be insulting. She had watched as Sole climbed the tree to scout for raiders. Sole ensured her that it would save time on their mission, but Curie continued to inform them of the dangerous outcomes that could befall her friend. They could fall out of the tree and break a leg. The tree could snap. They could… get stuck. Sole had scoffed, because that would obviously never happen. “Is this irony?” Curie asked. That comment may have actually been sarcastic.

Danse: Danse was never, ever taking Sole out on another mission with other soldiers. They had always been capable when it was the two of them. Either Sole had been trying to show off their agility, or they had really lost it. The brothers snickered as Danse attempted to shake the tree for Sole to fall. Sole responded by holding on tighter and yelling for him to calm down and catch them. “I rather you break your legs, soldier!” Danse seethed. “This is humiliating. Now get down!”

Deacon: Sole figured that if they camped out in a tree before they were supposed to rendezvous for a dead-drop they could catch Deacon’s latest disguise. The last three missions, Deacon had dressed up as someone else and teased Sole in some way. He was a farmer who tried to chase them off his ranch. He was a lounge singer that threw a drink in their face when they hit on him. He was a bartender that watered down their drinks and only revealed himself moments before they almost started a fist fight.

“Deacon!” Sole yelled as he passed under the tree. Ironically, he wasn’t dressed up this time. “You have to get me down.” Sole explained what happened, and how they couldn’t believe Deacon had actually meant his apology and would stop his disguises. He did help them down, but inwardly refused to admit he just hadn’t changed in to his costume yet.

Dogmeat: Dogmeat was utterly useless as Sole asked him to go find help. To him, his master was just playing a game. Every time Sole yelled for Dogmeat to go back to Sanctuary, he wagged his tail. When Sole raised their voice, he barked happily back. He was a good boy.

Hancock: Honestly, Hancock couldn’t judge Sole for having a bad first trip. He knew his special cocktail of chems would wind the two of them in trouble. Hancock woke up on the floor of the Third Rail draped in nothing but curtains. None of the employees seemed to care because this definitely wasn’t the first time it happened. But poor Sole woke up with a wicked migraine stuck up in a tree almost a mile from Goodneighbor.

“Aw, I’m sorry, sunshine,” Hancock said as he stared up at poor Sole. They lazily rested their head on a branch. “I’m sure your head is killn’ ya. I’ll get someone to help you down.” He then promised to keep Sole’s chem intake under control the next time they partied the night away.

MacCready: Oh God, he could not stop laughing. Sole tried to prove that they could beat him in a sniping contest. The glass Nuka Cola bottles had been laid out. Sole had the perfect vantage point. They hadn’t beat MacCready from the ground, but he was impressed with how close they caught up. 

After a little gloating, Sole realized they couldn’t get down. “Oh come on,” MacCready whined. “Don’t be so dramatic.” But when it was apparent that Sole was really stuck, he fell to the floor crying. “Oh, boss!” he howled. “Oh, oh my God. I’m... I’m... soooooo telling everyone back at Sanctuary!”

Preston: Being such an empath, Preston was suffering from some serious secondhand embarrassment. He had followed Sole’s flare gun assuming they were in trouble. But this was not what he had in mind.

When Preston just stared up at Sole - mouth agape - they threw their general hat at him. Preston flinched, and then crossed his arms. “I’m not the one who got you stuck up there,” he hissed. “I’ll get you down, but you have to promise to stop throwing things at me.” Preston still had a small scar on his arm from an incident that involved a rouge Miss Nanny and a frying pan. Long story.

Piper: Piper stuck her fist up in Sole’s direction like she was holding a tape recorder. It was one of her favorite scenes in any pre-war detective movie. “Blue, could you please tell the press how you got yourself stuck in a tree?” Sole pursed their lips, but it only fueled Piper on. “Would you say this has anything to do with being caught stealing noodles from Takahashi on a dare from Deacon? Is this where you decided to hide? Would you like to make a statement?” Sole turned their face away and told Piper she couldn’t prove anything.

Nick: “Y’know, if I were blessed with beautiful smooth skin, I wouldn’t risk it doing something as stupid as climbing a tree. What if you fell and broke your back, Sole? Use your head.” Nick sounded annoyed, but he actually found their predicament hilarious. Someone had come in to his station to report Sole missing. He managed to follow their trail to the outskirts of Diamond City. “I won’t even ask how this happened,” Nick assured. “I just need you to come back to the station to put some minds at ease.”

Strong: The supermutant didn’t hesitate to immediately take Sole down from the tree. He didn’t even question them about it. Strong assumed it was a strange human thing. A week later, Sole found him in a tree as well. Strong told them he didn’t understand why Sole had done that, but he felt very tall.

X6-88: “I don’t think we should tell Father about this, sir/ma’am,” X6 advised. Sole looked down at him from her spot in the tree and was glad they were both on the same page. X6 seemed a little disappointed, but then again he always sounded sad. Sole tried to imagine what it would be like to find their hero in a tree, and it bummed them out as well.