Sid slipped a hand behind her back, kept her eyes trained on the Megaton sheriff. She gave a secret signal, and Charon dropped Colin Moriarty’s legs. They landed in the dirt with a heavy thud.
Lucas Simms folded his arms across his chest. He craned his neck to look at the bartender over Sidney’s shoulder. Moriarty’s grey hair was matted against his face, his left eye bearing a hell of a shiner.
“Musta been sampling his own supply.” said Sid. She mimed raising a bottle to her lips.
Simms looked from Sid to Charon. The ghoul’s face betrayed nothing. Clouded eyes stared hard at the sheriff, but Simms didn’t take it personally. He looked at everybody that way.
“I see,” said Simms.
“We were just bringin’ him back home. Letting him sleep it off.” Sid bobbed her wide shoulders. “You know how it goes.”
There was a low, gurgling groan. It came from down below.
Sid stared at Simms.
Charon stared at Simms.
“Right.” said the sheriff. “That’s awful kind of you.”
A grin broke out across Sidney’s wide face. “I know, right? I mean...we better get back to it.”
She crouched, grabbed Moriarty around the underarms. Charon, once more, grabbed his legs. The sheriff stepped aside to let them pass. Moriarty’s head lolled to one side, and for a split second, in the glow of the lights of Megaton, he saw the dried blood at his temple.
Nothing to worry about, Simms told himself. The town scumbag just had too much to drink. Lost his footing. No big deal.
And a little while later, when he saw the shadows on top of Moriarty’s Saloon, he decided that his eyes were just playing tricks on him. There weren’t people up there, not at this time of night. And surely, they hadn’t just chucked something large over the high walls of the town.
The distant thump that followed wasn’t worth investigating.
🦀👑 - "You're welcome to stay, if you want." with Gob?
(Congrats on the followers btw!!)
Thank you!
And omg, more Gob, thank goodness <3 😩
"I don't know, Moriarty, are you sure--"
"Oh, dearie, it's fine." He waved a hand at you as he put the caps in the register, "Not a thing to worry about, the ghoul works through the night anyway, only reason he has the room at all is to... Well, to drum up debt from me, heh."
Moriarty mumbled out the last part, ending the faint words with a small chuckle.
"What?"
"Oh, nothin' you need concern yourself with." He closed the register with a slam. "The room's yours. Just for the night, a course, but Gob'll help ya with yer things. No worries there. Off ya pop, now."
You only blinked at the barkeep, still trying to process what you'd thought you'd heard him say before.
To drum up debt? Doesn't Gob work here?
"'Less of course you want ta buy a drink?" A tinge of impatience sounded in his voice, pulling you from your thoughts.
"N-no, thank you. I'll just..." You reached down for your bag without looking, and as your fingers brushed over something warm, you brought your attention downwards.
"Sorry." Gob pulled away from your touch swiftly, as though the feeling had burned him. Or... As though he imagined his touch suddenly paining you.
"No, I'm sorry, um... Gob, you don't have to--"
"Oh, yes he does. It's his job, laddie/lass. Don't you worry about carrying a thing up those stairs yourself."
Gob nodded at that, slowly reaching for the bag again, and this time you let him grab ahold of it.
You followed the ghoul up the metal staircase to your room-- His room. Your conscience reminded you, and a sudden pang landed in your chest.
"Hey, Gob?" You said quietly.
He looked at you meekly as he unlocked the door, allowing it to swing open in front of him as he stepped aside to let you through.
"What did your boss mean, about you renting this room? Something about a debt?"
His hazy blue eyes widened, and he motioned for you to step inside.
"It's not important." Gob said swiftly as he closed the door behind the both of you, setting your bag off to the side, before turning away from you.
"Now, if there's nothing else--"
"You can tell me." Unwittingly, your hand reached out to stop him, grasping firmly at his wrist. He froze at the feel of you.
"Please, Gob. I won't tell Moriarty that you said anything, I just... I want to help you."
Gob looked down at the floor. His wrist was limp in your grasp as he struggled internally with your words.
"You can't, Lone..." His voice came out dejected, even more raspy than usual. "Moriarty won't quit. It's been like this years now, he says he's paying me, but it's never as much as I owe him."
The grip on Gob's wrist loosened as you reeled backwards with shock. It was like he'd landed a blow on you, the way you felt fury rising to the surface.
"That's... Gob, that's diabolical. That's slavery, he can't do that, how are you ever supposed to be free of him?"
Gob looked down at his feet, a shrug weighing at his shoulders.
"I won't be, I guess."
"And you're okay with that?" Your whisper was turning to a low shout at this point, as your rage boiled over, heating every vein from your toes to your forehead and making your hands shake.
"It's just how it is, Lone." Gob looked at you with creased brows, defeat evident in every line upon his marred face. "Least I'm not dead, you know?"
"But you're not free. You're not living, Gob."
"I know..." He rasped, and you could see the way he wrung out his hands, picking at the skin there nervously. "But what else can I do? If I try anything, Moriarty would kill me without a second thought. Plus, I couldn't leave Nova behind..."
"You could leave with me." You said suddenly, the words even surprising yourself.
"W-what?"
"You could come with me." Both your hands reached for him, and Gob flinched as your touch landed on each of his shoulders. "When I leave to look for my dad, we don't have to come back here. You could come along with me, we'll go to Rivet City, or Underworld, wherever, but you'd never have to see Moriarty again."
"Lone... You would risk that?"
"In all my time here, all my time outside the vault, you're the only one who helped me without demanding something in return. I owe you. And... I want to help you. You're my friend, Gob, and I can't stand the thought of someone... owning you, the way Moriarty seems to think he does."
Gob's brows creased together, the emotion in his eyes shining partly with disbelief, but also with overwhelming appreciation.
"I-I don't know what to say..."
"You don't have to say anything," Your hands smoothed over his shoulders soothingly, and to your surprise, you felt the taut muscles there relax a bit. "Just... Well, if we're doing this, we should leave first thing in the morning. Before Moriarty wakes up."
He swallowed hard at that, fear shining in his eyes briefly; but ultimately, Gob nodded to you.
"First thing, then. I can wake you before the sun rises."
At that, he pulled away from your touch, turning towards the door as his hand reached to grasp the handle.
"Wait."
Cloudy blue eyes met yours as Gob turned back to you.
"You're welcome to stay here for the night. If you want." You felt your face heat at the way it sounded. But dammit, you meant it. And besides, if the two of you were to be traveling together in the future, you'd need to get used to the idea, right?
"Besides," you continued, even as you saw the breath catch in his throat, "It is your room, after all."
