Julie took H2’s mind-wipe pretty badly. She still listens to his goodbye holotape far more than she’d like to admit - especially post-Blind Betrayal, because she wonders if Danse felt the same way he did. Scared and alone.
H2 is one of my favourite characters despite only appearing briefly, so I knew I had to include him in my art! A little comfort for my (second) fave synth.
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omg just had a thought that your writing would be perfect for: a railroad sole who secretly finds where they sent h2-22 after his memory wipe, and goes and visits him. (with or without a romanced Deacon, up to you) Maybe watching from afar and then tries to talk to him but of course he doesn’t remember, but she finds a little bit of closure despite that. I just get mad you can’t say proper goodbye!! He was so cute and friendly and all we got was a holotape!!
While the following is considered safe for work for all ages, there are possible spoilers for the quest “Boston After Dark”, please proceed with caution!
Nora was glad that deacon had simply asked to tag along rather than going for some elaborate disguise and trying to trail her instead. It would make the entire situation a lot less awkward for everyone involved, but especially for Nora.
After all, how would it look if she were to simply try and slink off to meet another man?
"Remind me where we're headed again, babydoll?"
"A new settlement," Nora explained patiently as she adjusted her bag, trying to even out the weight across her shoulders subtly. "Rumor has it there's an old friend there."
"A friend," Deacon asked before lowering his voice and leaning in, "Or a friend?"
"A friend," Nora repeated with a little less patience this time. "Do you really think I would have let you come if it was an ex?"
"Maybe not," Deacon responded after a moment. "Or maybe you're letting me tag along because you know I'll find out anyways and you want to throw me off the trail."
"Seriously, Deek?" Nora let out a dry laugh and shook her head. "I'd have Dez send you out somewhere and bring them to the Railroad if that was the case. Y'know, get him inducted. Then offer to show him the ropes, perhaps. As well as the knots one can use with them."
"You sound like you've thought about this before," Deacon said after an even longer moment of silence. "Have you?"
"A girl has to have her secrets," Nora purred as she stopped and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Not that I would be able to lie to you even if I wanted to. Right?”
“Right,” Deacon agreed with a sly grin and a quick kiss. “So, who is the ‘friend’ we’re off to see?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
----
The settlement that H2-22, or Same as he called himself now, had found his new life in was a beautiful one, just outside the Commonwealth, but not so close that he would have to worry about anyone from the Institute finding him.
Assuming he would have to remember to worry about that, Nora thought as she watched him milling about in the small garden outside the place he presumably called home. She was so focused on him, so eager to see how he was doing, that she barely even remembered Deacon was with her until he spoke.
“Isn’t that one the people we helped last year?”
“Yeah. His name is Sam now.”
“Huh. You know, we really aren’t supposed to approach them after.”
“I know,” Nora sighed, shifting her weight to one leg and crossing her arms over her chest. “I know, I just wanted to make sure he was doing okay.”
“Then why don’t you go say hi?”
“Because we’re not supposed to approach or engage with them after we get them to safety?”
“That’s really only if you’re not sure if you were followed or not.”
“I’m not sure--”
“We weren’t, baby. Promise. Now go. Go say hi.”
Nora nearly took a few steps toward the house, eager to catch up with someone she had once considered a friend, but stopped. “Why don’t you come with me?”
“Oh, I didn’t bring my ‘meeting my girl’s friends’ disguise.” He might have winked at her from behind the shades, but she couldn’t be sure. All she knew was his teasing smile as he nodded forward again. “Go on. Go say hi.”
Nora took a deep breath and dropped her arms to her sides, taking off in long, sure strides with confidence she wasn’t feeling.
There’s still time to turn away, she told herself as she walked even closer. You can turn away now before he notices you. You can tell Deacon you don’t want to risk anything and leave. You can--
“Hello,” Sam said as he looked up from the dirt he had been working at. “Can I help you?”
Nora froze in her tracks, knowing that it was too late to back out then, and that she was going to have to make up her story on the spot. What other choice was there?
“Hi! I know you don’t remember me because you were a synth that had your memory wiped but I helped you escape from the Institute! Do you mind if I come in?”
He would shoot her on the spot if she said that. Or he might run, Nora realized, remembering how gentle he had always been before. So gentle, sweet and trusting that it was no wonder she had been so worried about him. So instead of reminding of things that he would never remember anyways, she forced herself to smile and remained at a respectable distance.
“I was looking for an old friend,” she explained, deciding to tell as much of the truth as she could. “I was told he was staying here.”
“Oh.” Sam straightened, holding the tool like his might turn it into a weapon at any moment and offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, it’s just me and my partner Jordan here.”
“No worries,” Nora managed, trying to keep her smile from spreading too much at how Sam’s eyes seemed to light up at the mention of his partner's name. Glancing towards the house, she spotted a face peering out the window, a much smaller face just visible above the sill. “No worries at all. Might be he lived here before you did. I’m sorry if I startled you.”
“That’s alright,” Sam laughed nervously, the happiness in his smile turning back into suspicion. “I hope you find your friend soon, though!”
“Yeah,” Nora agreed, taking a step back. “Yeah, take care, Sam.”
“I-I’m sorry, do I know you?” His smile faded completely, clouded by a look of confusion. And then fear.
Dammit, Nora thought to herself, realizing her mistake as his grip tightened even more on the wooden handle. But before she could even open her mouth to backtrack, an arm was wrapping around her waist and pulling her against a warm body. Twisting her head to one side, she caught her own terrified expression in the shades that Deacon always wore.
“Nora,” he exclaimed as he pulled her back another step. “I’ve been lookin’ for ya! Sam’s over that way, now stop bothering this fine young man, would ya?”
“Y-you mean she didn’t know I’m Sam, too?”
“You’re a Sam, too?” Deacon gave Nora an extra squeeze before laughing easily. “Holy crap! Small world! And I guess not enough names to really go around.”
“I guess not,” the synth replied with a very nervous laugh. “Uhm, I guess you two had better get going now, right? To find the other Sam?”
“I guess so,” Deacon agreed, already walking Nora backwards away from the house. “Take care, buddy!”
“Yeah,” Sam said with a nod as he took a sidestep towards the door. “You two, too.”
----
“I messed up so bad,” Nora moaned as soon as they were out of sight of the house. Deacon was still holding onto her, so when he stopped so did she.
“Look at me, baby girl. Look me deep in my eyes.” Pushing the shades down so they could look directly at each other, and smiled. “You did great. You made a little slip, but nothing that’s gonna get him or his family hurt or killed.”
“I could have,” Nora protested, blinking back the tears. “He has a family, Deacon. And I messed up and said his name and--”
“And now he’s going to go in there and tell his family that they have a neighbor named Sam. They laugh, we laugh, his imaginary neighbor laughs, and then life goes on.”
“But one mistake, even one like that, could--”
“We got our people watching them, you know. I’ll tell Des that he overheard us talking about someone else and now expects there to be a neighbor nearby named Sam, she gives the orders, and boom! Your friend has a new friend.” Grabbing the sides of her face, Deacon wiggled his glasses back into place and pulled her in for a kiss. “I got this, baby girl. I promise.”
“I know you do,” Nora whispered, setting her hands on his shoulders as if to hold him in place. “But if something happens to him, I would never be able to forgive myself.”
“Maybe not, but he wouldn’t blame you. No one would. He knew what he was in for before the memory wipe. They always know. They know that there might be some danger that they won’t even know is danger, but they’re willing to risk it. And look how big of a payoff he got for that? He got a loving partner, looked like a child, a beautiful home, and even a garden. And all the protection he doesn’t even know he could ask for.”
“I know,” Nora agreed again. Deacon placed another kiss on her lips and pinched her chin lightly until she smiled. “Thanks for coming with me, Deeks.”
“Anytime, baby doll. Now, lets get back to HQ so I can show you the disguise I was talking about earlier.”
“Which one?”
“The ‘meeting my girl’s friends’ one.”
“That’s not the Western cowboy outfit with the sheriff badge on it, is it?”
“Pfft, no! No, that’s-- You know what? I got a different disguise I can show you instead. I call it the ‘taking my best gal out to a fine diner I got kicked out of once’ disguise. I think you’ll like this one. The feather on the hat is hot pink, and it really distracts from my handsome mug, y’ know.”
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I never realized how similar danse and h2 look! Lol, any headcanons on how they would interact if sole brought danse to the settlement h2 was settled at? (If you don’t mind)
The following contains possible spoilers for the quest “Blind Betrayal” but is considered to be safe for all ages.
Danse would be completely unsure of how to react, but he knows for sure that the resemblance between himself and the abo-- the man before him is undeniable. The hair, the bone structure, even some of the mannerisms reminded him of himself.
Danse doesn’t pick up on what exactly the other is, at first thinking Sole had dragged him all the way to the settlement to show off his doppelgänger, but once she reveals what little of the man's past she actually knew he felt as though they had stabbed him in the gut and twisted the knife
There would be absolutely no doubt in Danse’s mind that this man was meant to be him, that he should have been the one in the Brotherhood, he should have been the one holding Sole late at night, not Danse himself. He had lucked out simply because he had been programmed to be more human and less flighty than the other
It’s going to take a LOT of reassurance from both the former H2-22 and Sole until Danse feels he certainly did not cheat this man out of a better life. The former H2-22 had a loving, albeit slightly confused, partner-for-life and a life that he absolutely loved living that he wouldn’t trade for anything.
Yay! I’m so excited, idk why but I just love h2-22. That being said, what’s some General headcanons you’d have for him? Thank you!
Before his escape he worked as a slave at the institute, as was the fate of many synths there. He was originally designed to go out and “spy” on the Commonwealth but the idea was scrapped when his personality was found to be too flighty and the Institute decided it would be too much of a risk should he escape
After his escape from the Institute he did make some attempts to assimilate but failed miserably at it and was found out to be a synth. Luckily the people who figured this out were at least familiar with the Railroad, and began a chain of friends to ensure that he ended up safe with Mr. Stockton
Post-Boston After Dark, H2-22, under a new name, met and married a settler and has since settled into a happier life that is only occasionally wracked with nightmares of a place so pristine it can only truly exist in dreams
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