🖊!!!
Manny is too good for him; he’s known this since the first day they met. The warm smile, the genuine laugh, the way his brown eyes light up whenever he sees Haley approaching. Much too good for Haley but that doesn’t stop him.
Haley’s not a hero—doesn’t like getting involved. Not the type to rush headfirst into danger just for a pretty face. But Manny asks him to clear out some ghouls and not even two hours later Haley’s at the REPCONN facility, dodging ferals and nightkin and goddammit he should have probably stopped the second he saw the shimmering outline of a stealthboy. But he kept going, got the ghouls their rocket fuel, ventured into that nightmare of a basement, nearly got his head smashed in fighting Davidson.
Why the hell are you doing this? He asks himself several times.
Cause Manny looked at him like he was something special like he was more than a quick lay, more than someone to fuck and forget. Haley doesn’t know quite what to do with that, so he clears out the ghouls; at least that’s straightforward.
Manny is kind. Kindness is not something Haley’s used to, sought it out with uncertainty at first, sure that it would eventually give way to something else, but it never did. Cause when Haley comes back to Novac, tells Manny he’s taken care of the problem, Manny smiles so wide, so real and Haley can’t help but smile back.
“See, I knew you were nice,” Manny tells him, clasping Haley’s shoulder.
I’m not nice, Haley wants to tell him. But instead, he finds himself stammering like some kind of teenager, like this genuine flattery is something he’s never heard like this innocent touch is something he’s never been shown.
“You ever need anything, just let me know,” Manny adds and he’s not even leering.
“I could use a drink,” Haley says.
