Summary~ You're stuck reminiscing on a life that could have been if things had turned out different in life, its a good thing MacCready can read you like a book and provide some comforts. You and your found family makes you whole (GN pronouns)
Warning~ None <3
A/N ~ Not gunna lie to you guys this isnt like the best thing ever, but its the first thing ive written since the pandemic and I think its good to try to pick this hobby back up. feel free to leave requests!
AO3 Masterlist
A little over three years ago you climbed out of the frozen hell hole that was vault 111, and stumbled into a fully settled sanctuary. Apparently what was supposed to be a few seconds of decontamination turned into a 200 years worth of a nap, and resulted in your spouse being murdered in literal cold blood in front of you and the kidnapping of your child.
You couldn't believe how much things had changed for you in just three years. You had gone from returning soldier to savior of the commonwealth. It's hard to put into words the knowledge that your own son had been the boogie man of the commonwealth and that you ultimately were the one who did him in, blowing up everything that he had worked for and becoming in your absence as a guardian. There were days that you could do nothing but sit on your patio bundled up just stare blankly into the forested backyard dwelling on what could have been.
You lived in a sanctuary with a lot of the folks you've helped over the years. This used to be your home before the bombs and the general thought it was only fair that you gotta keep it after everything that you did to help them. And while Preston no longer lives in sanctuary, his group of survivors still do. He’d taken up to training recruits in the Castle and only stopped by to visit if you requested it.
It would grow lonely up here after three years of being disconnected from your old life, as terrible as it was to be a soldier in Anchorage, if it wasn't for the small bustling family you've happened to make.
You had your eyes closed, leaning back into your bench wrapped up in your duster and a familiar scarf snug around your neck and you were humming along to the tune of diamond city radio. Your face scrunched as you focused on the sounds coming from your home. Dogmeat’s nails clicking on the laminate, Codsworth muttering about in the front room, wooden toy cars rolling against the dining room table, and the patio door opening, the weight of someone settling down next to you.
MacCready was well versed in your moods, it was something he took pride in. So when he felt you leave the bed early in the morning after a restless night he knew better than to show up empty handed. He had two mugs of tea, one of which he handed to you as he leaned over to kiss your forehead. You shifted how you were sitting lean into his side, he wrapped his arm around you and leaned his head against yours pressing his lips into your hairline.
The patio door slammed open and crashed shut as Dogmeat bolted outside yipping playfully with Duncan following close behind the ball in hand. You both watched as Dogmeat bounded after the ball and returned it to the boy, and you both laughed as Duncan's face twisted when the ball was slimy in his grasp.
You sat for hours in silence watching them play together and eventually fall asleep in the shade of a long mutated apple tree that you had planted when you first moved to this house. You leaned back from MacCready's grasp to stare at his face which had grown soft over the year you've both stopped being mercenaries. He turns to look at you for a moment before looking back at his son.
“They have grown so much, it’s hard to believe how little they used to be.” he whispered down to you, before he fussed with your scarf. You smiled back at him before turning back to look at Duncan, and for a moment if you closed your eyes and didn't think too hard he could have been Shaun under an apple tree. You shake your head and turn back to MacCready pressing a kiss to his jaw.
“Trust me I know.” You placed another kiss on his cheek and squeezed his arm before standing up, you moved to stand between his knees as you took off your scarf and put it on him, tucking it back into its proper place. You leaned down to whisper to him “Keep an eye on them for me, i'm going to make lunch”
Going inside you paused after closing the door behind you, looking at Codsworth who now started in the front yard. Three years ago you couldn't imagine this, but now your small family made you feel whole and you really didn't want to change that.
Waking up to 10 notifications bc Someone read and like all parts of your fic!!! I’ll be updating soon I have lots of airport time coming up and I’ve finally fixed my busted up computer!!! Thank y’all so much!!!
This work is about a discharged soldier named Riona, who’s marriage was failing and never wanted a kid until she saw her baby. Upon the end of the world as she new it she placed too much trust into her Husband Nate and now awoken 200 years after the bombs shes trying to make her way and find her son. In the process she found MacCready
This work does get violent and graphic but that is the extent of the warnings for this, I will update this as I go.
This is a master list off all of my Fallout Fics, Its very likely I will start taking request soon for this fandom and I think its safe to say it will be my main fandom I write for from now on.
Riona was ill, the radiation and the cold left her with a cough that rattled her bones, stole the color from hair skin and left her freezing. She was furious. She couldn't stand long enough to leave without her vision going black and she couldn't keep anything down. The doctor kept insisting that whatever she had caught wasn’t serious to literally anyone else and was struggling to treat her. It was like the damn radiation again, she wasn't from this time and obviously didn't have the same resistance to common things.
She was asleep anytime she wasn't coughing, but it was never for long. Fever dreams and flashbacks drove her near insane. The sound of heavy boots started making her anxious again and the dark was quickly becoming unbearable, but she couldn't stand up and light a candle. Instead she was trapped by her own illness, of which limited her contact with others.
She nearly sobbed when the room filled with dim light as someone walked in, the sound of boots on the ground had her curl in on herself, covering her ears, she was coughing again. She felt the foot of the bed dip and felt someone put warm leather in her hands. Gloves. The general was here. She opened her eyes to see boots set neatly near the door.
“Preston?” Her voice was scratchy and almost nonexistent, she heard a lighter being flicked and a small bloom of light filtered from the night table.
“I brought you food” he kept his voice low, he helped her sit up against the headboard and fixed a blanket that slipped off her shoulders. She brushed loose strands of hair from her face and she looked down at her hands, shaking her head slightly. He let out a sigh. “Riona you even tried eating since yesterday morning?” he placed a rather small bowl of stew in her hands.
It was some sort of thicker broth, with dark chunks of meat and small bits of carrots and skinned tatos, a piece of dense bread leaned against the edge of the bowl. Her spoon clinked against the bowl as she slowly ate, specifically making a point to not look at Preston.
“Please don’t look at me when I eat.” He hadn't realized she was still saying something. He was worried for her health, but was glad that she was eating. The stew was almost cold by the time she finished eating. She was anxious to keep it down, her stomach had been in knots since she had woken up. He took the bowl from her hands when she started shaking again, another coughing fit coming. She curled up against the headboard clutching a blanket to her pressing her forehead to her knees.
Preston moved to sit next to her and waited for her to stop coughing, making note to bring her some tea next time he was out.
“He's awake.” Her head shot up from her knees her eyes piercing his and he could see the tears welling up there.
“He is?” she wiped the heel of her palm against her eyes before taking her fingers through her hair.
“Yes, you did a good job getting him back here in time.” he shook his head a small smile ghosting his lips. She was crying in full her body shaking with half coughs before she got a hold of herself.
“I have to see him.” She was trying to get out of the bed and half stumbled having to grab the bed for stability as her vision fades in and out. The ground was cold and it sent a shiver up her spine. Preston was already down and next to her helping her stand straight. She wrapped a blanket around her and dug around her closet to find a pair of slippers. She heard Preston pick up his boots. “Please not in my house.” she turned towards him to see him nod his head in apology. They were about to head out when she saw herself in a mirror.
Her hair was a mess, it was out of the bun almost completely, her hair hung like a limp halo around her face. Her face was battered, her lip was cut and her eyebrow was too and for the life of her she couldn't remember what caused it. She was pale, dark circles sat under her eye and she had some remaining blochyness from the rain. She was dressed in baggy pants and a thick long sleeve, her blanket wrapped tight around her shoulders. She frowned.
A gust of cold air hit her face the moment she opened the door, the cold air cut her lungs as she breathed it in, coughing as she waited for preston to step out. He was adjusting his scarf tighter around his neck before escorting her to the doctors building.
The doctors building was a moderate two room building marked with a sign that hung from a post near a door. It was one of the only buildings fully outfitted with electricity and a fireplace, which is currently close to burning out as the sun started reaching the warmest point in the sky.
The doctor sat at her desk looking over a notebook, her lab coat was neatly pressed and her hair was pulled up nicely to compliment a basic face, she stood from her desk as they walked in and nodded to her a tight smile pulling at her lips, she looked tired and mildly annoyed. She could hear MacCready being fussy in the other room, complains that he was fine and that she should leave. It was clear why she was stressed.
Riona just shook her head and pulled her blanket closer to her before stepping into the room with a stern look.
“Are you really being that fussy to the doctor?'' She tried her best to look stern and angry but couldn't keep a smile from reaching her lips. A tension deep in her chest unknotted and she breathed out, she was glad to see him safe. Even if he was a little battered too, she really must have walked into something in the storm. A smile split his face when he looked up from uncrumpling his hat.
“Riona!” his hat landed in his lap forgotten as he tried to sit all the way up, she tried her best to help him up but had to turn away to cover her mouth in a coughing fit that left her doubled over and gasping. Preston had stepped into the room and helped him sit all the way up before he handed Riona a mug, something presumably from the doctor. “Wait what's wrong?” Preston had started to explain but Riona stood up straighter, adjusting her blanket and waved him silent.
“I'm sick, radiation and the cold. Being an antique has its limits with modern illness.” the sarcasm was almost tangible, as she moved to sit at the foot of the cot. She waved Preston out of the room without looking up from the leather cord around her wrist.
“Are you okay?” She waited till she heard the door shut behind him till she spoke, her voice was teary and she pointedly refused to look at him, instead tried to wipe her eyes without drawing too much attention to it. He pulled her hand from her face and covered it with his other hand, slightly pulling her towards him.
“Yeah, im okay just banged up.” He spoke quietly and tried to pull her up closer to him,
She complied sitting up closer to him to where she could lean on him if she wasn't curled up into herself. He was running his thumbs over her knuckles, he could hear her trying to control her breathing trying to regain the solid stone she normally presented.
Instead her composure started to fall through like grains of sand. “I thought you were dead for so long.” her gasping turned into another fit some cough, “I thought I ODed you, and any effort to get us out of there was useless.” she had started stuttering unable to finish her sentences to finish her thoughts, she tried to pull her hand from his grasp, but he just tightened his grip and reached over and cupped her face raising it to his, resting his forehead against hers his thumbs wiping her tears away.
“It's okay, we can talk about it later. You did fine, everyone is okay, we’re okay.” She raised her hand to rest on his forearm and leaned into his hand. She tilted her head so that she could look him in the eyes, his we’re teary too and she felt her lips down turn at that, but she had to pull back before she started coughing again.
She pulled her blanket around her tighter and dug in her pockets for a tissue, she lifted her cup to her lips in an attempt to sooth her throat nearly gagging on the foul liquid. She heard him chuckle down at her.
“Move over,” he was already making room for her next to him, and she took up the spot carefully of his leg and pulled up the blanket around her head. She could feel her breathing become difficult, she made it a point to face away from him so that she could cough.
She was slowly starting to fall asleep when she felt his arms wrap around her and slightly pull her closer on the already tight cot and interlocking their fingers. She fell asleep to the steadiness of his breathing against her back and him running his thumb over her knuckles again.
Riona woke MacCready before the sun rose above the horizon line, it was incredibly dark the room only lit by the green glow of her Pipboy. She had taken the liberty of packing up the majority of their camp before waking him, she was antsy to get this done, to solve a problem, this was a quick fix in her mind and she just wanted a win.
“I'll be outside,” She whispered before stepping out of the shack, Dogmeat followed her out and had started jumping excitedly around her. She supposed he was getting antsy too after having been cooped up while she recovered from her last gallivant into danger.
“Let's get started” MacCready had stepped out next to her with a minor grim look on his face. Riona nodded and looked down at her map, they were pretty close to the interchange and she expected a ground base connected to the raised base.
It was a short trek, only about a half hour which was spent in mostly silence. It was her understanding that they were about to face a small army, normally she would be more confident but the fact that Cready was so on edge was bothering her.
“Look. Cready’ are you okay?” She placed her hand on his shoulder just before the ground base came into view. He glanced away from her and up to the interchange, a flash of dread came across his face.
“Just a bad feeling.” He pulled his rifle off of his shoulder looking back at her. “It'll be fine, it's not like we haven't done a job this big before.” He gave a weak attempt at a smile then took the lead not giving Riona a chance to speak, she frowned and slipped her visor on.
They reached as far as they felt they could reach without being detected, sprawled on their stomachs they had a clear view of the lower base and the lift system to reach the interchange, she frowned. There was clearly no more cover in base, once they left where they laid there they would be in the open, and she didn't use rifles as well. It was evident that the best way to clear this would be to separate, allow her to get up close and for MacCready to clear out as much as he could be fore she reached them.
“ How many do you think you could take out from here?” She spoke in low tones in case there was an unseen patrol.
“Almost all of them right now.”
“Good. Distract them.” She slid out of their cover, edging backwards to round to the other side of the camp. He grabbed her wrist before she was completely gone.
“Be careful.” she nodded and pulled her hand away, and watch his face steel for combat as he turned away from her again. Dogmeat travelled low following her.
When she reached the other side of base she started to edge out of her concealment, she whistled and pointed at thee closest gunner. Dogmeat bolted and slammed into the gunner who let out a shriek which was quickly silenced by Riona’s sword. She heard a shot ring out and watched a gunner drop like a bag of potatoes off the guard post. The lift raised away from the ground base.
With a snarl she ran towards a gunner near the control panel, tearing them to ribbons. Another shot rang out and a gunner behind her dropped. They had been the last one on the ground base.
She was digging around the small buildings that made up the base waiting for MacCready to appear, she new going up on that lift would be a death sentence without backup, there was no way that they hadn't heard the firefight down below.
“We gotta teach you how to use a rifle” his voice floated over her shoulder, he stood behind her leaning against the door frame of the building she was in rummaging through one of the drawers.
“Maybe.” She laughed and pushed past him, walking over to the platform. “Once this gets up there we need to bolt, there's no way they aren't waiting for us.” She kicked open an ammo box on the platform and smiled. “Or we just take cover.” she bent down and picked up a grenade that was sitting in the box. He we caught a glimpse of what was in her hands he smiled, she pushed it into his hands. “Just make sure it's thrown before the platform stops.”
They stepped into the platform, Riona immeadly crouched down against the short wall covering her neck, Dogmeat settled between her knees pressing his head to the ground, she pressed the button for the lift to activate. It rattled on the way up, and she watched MacCready intently who was readying to lob a grenade, he gave no clue that he was about to throw it, it was a sudden thing. One moment he was kneeling and the other he had assumed the same position she was in and the lift swung with the force of the explosion mere meters away from them.
She called out in surprise when the lift swung outwards and immediately reached out for MacCready’s arm just trying to steady herself, he moved his hand on top of hers in a tight grip. It took a few moments for the lift to settle and to continue rising. She squeezed his arm before letting go rising to spring out of the lift when it reached its height.
The moment it got to the top she vaulted herself over the siding of the lift and rolled onto the interchange. She took a quick glance of what remained up on the base. She could see someone in a power armor frame, another official looking gunner, an assaultron and only a few remaining grunts.
She immediately launched herself at the assaultron who was recovering from the explosion the fastest, she attacked the joints of the Assultron knowing she could breakthrough the plating on the automaton. She had hated assaultrons whens she was in the army, they took too long to down and could wipe entire squads in moments with its laser. Its claw hand grasped her arm and pulled, Riona lurched forward with the force and crashed into the assaultron. She was frantic trying flailing her pistol, she could hear and feel the heat of the laser charging up, at this close there literally would be no way she would survive a strike like that.
“Riona! Hold still!” she heard MacCready call out to her over the din. She froze and closed her eyes and stood stock still, she could feel the heat rising and the claw on her arms tightened. A shot rang out and the assaultron sputtered, the bullet passed directly through the charging head, it had loosed its grip on Riona and started calling out error codes. She pulled out her pistol and empty it into its chest plate and she didn't stay long enough to see if it stopped moving.
MacCready made quick work of the grunts and the only ones left where Winlock and Barnes. The one in the frame had moved towards her, she squared her feet and blocked his first swing at her, the electrified sword sent a jolt through his frame and he screamed out in pain before it twisted into rage and he swung at her again. She jumped out of the way and thrusted her sword through one of the gaps near his thigh, piercing it through, he partially crumpled, the frame working to keep him up. It took mere seconds for her sword to relieve him of his head.
At the same moment she heard another smaller caliber shot ring out and a distinctly MacCready sounding shout raised above. She turned to see him crumple clutching his leg. She was too far, too far to get to him, to far to kill the gunner with her sword.
“Hey! Bastard!” her sword clattered to the ground as she lunged towards an abandoned rifle, the moment she had it in her grasp she brought it up and fired it towards him, the first two shots had missed whizzing past him. But the third stuck his shoulder, he grunted and took aim at her instead of the downed MacCready, she ducked behind a dislodged jersey barrier. A few rounds bit into the cement, she waited still there was a pause before she sprung out again firing into the much closer gunner, once he had gotten close enough she turned the rifle around and slammed the stock into his nose, and kicked at his feet knocking him over. She stepped onto his chest and brought the stock down again through his head.
She stood there breathing for a moment pulling the visor away from her face, her chest heaving. She heard dogmeat whimper and she turned to watch him press his nose into MacCready's face.
“Cready!” she ran over to him. He was trying to push Dogmeat's snout out of his face, his movements were weak and he was paleing. He looked up at her when she entered his line of sight, and a smile crossed his face.
“Hey,” he tried to speak but was quickly shushed by Riona, who was scrambling for her med kit.
“Where you shot anywhere else?” she quickly ran her eyes over him, the most obvious wound was the shot through his thigh. He shook his head and tried pulling away from her. She pushed his shoulders back down roughly, she had pulled a tourniquet from her kit. She glanced at his face.
“I'm sorry.” she moved to in between his legs, and knelt on his leg on between the fleshy part of his thigh and his hip, sliding the tourniquet up his leg and tightening it above the wound. He cried out hands grasping into her jacket. Once she had it set she wrapped a bandage over the wound tightly and pulled his fingers from her jacket. She stood up and pulled him up partially, Dogmeat coming to his side allowing MacCready to lean against him. She checked her map again looking for close settlement or shelter. She cursed when she realized the shack that they had stayed in the night before was the best they could do right now. She tugged his rifle over his shoulder
“Look it didn't go all the way through I can't give you a stimpack, I promise you're going to be okay.” She spoke fast and didn't give him enough time to process what she had said before she grabbed his forearm and his leg pulling him up onto her shoulders, He yelped and dropped his head and she was worried he had passed out but she couldn't stop to check. Dogmeat ran to collect her sword and they moved to the lift and activated it. They traveled back downwards and she was getting antsy again, it was taking too long for them to make it down.
The moment she could step out of the lift she was off, keeping a steady pace to make it to the shack, Dogmeat was slinking between far in front of them to her side, keeping watch. She felt MacCready move, he pressed his hand into her lower back supporting it the best he could, she almost laughed she was surprised that he was conscious enough to know what to do and she took comfort in his consciousness.
“We’re almost there Cready”
“Better be.” his speech was garbled and she could feel him shaking.
Once she entered the shack she put him down on the thin mattress that was left abandoned. And went to re tighten the tourniquet, she cringed when he cried out in pain and tried to pull her hands away.
“Cready, you gotta be still.” she pushed his shoulders down back onto the mattress. Riona stood up and collected the medkit again, and pulled out some of the bottled alcohol that she had insisted on keeping. She dumped everything out next to him and knelt down, and took the time to clean all of the instruments that she needed.
Once that was all settled she looked back up to MacCready who was struggling to sit up, she quickly helped him and pulled off his cap, carding her fingers through his hair as she inspected his face, which had a few cuts, She settled him against the wall,
“You know how this goes right?” He nodded and leaned his head against the wall with his eyes closed.
She grimaced and set to work, cleaning the wound before she used tweezers to pull the bullet out, she looked up when she heard MacCready produce a low whine, his face was twisted up and was likely close to drawing blood from his lips.
“Im almost done” she was pretty sure her fell on deaf ears, it took her a small entering to find the bullet and finish cleaning and closing up the wound but when she was done she administered a quarter dose of medx and a stimpack.
MacCready was significantly out of it while she cleaned up his face, and addressed her own minor wounds. He had settled into sleep once she had set up his bed roll against the wall, so that she could sit at the head against the wall and keep watch on the door.
She was cleaning her pipboy as it approached the dark hours of the evening, its sickly green glow lighting up the ever darkening shack, MacCready had fitful sleep almost the entire time she was on watch, and he had started again. He curled in on himself and had reached out for her hand, which she abolished but his face was still twisted in pain and mild panic. She frowned and drew up the blankets on him more, but when that had not helped, she moved closer and drew his head onto her lap and carded her fingers through his hair, he gripped her hand tighter but eventually seemed to calm again.
She looked down at him and felt the anxiety settle down on her, its icy fingers latching on to her insides and she wondered whose touch was comforting who at this point.
They had been walking some lonely street in the evening, the sun was starting to lower and the air was cooling. It had been most uneventful, the roads in this area were unusually clogged up with fusion cars, the side of the road was lined with small stands that were dilapidated and a small cluster of those battered blue tubes that used to be advertised on the TV. Nate used to talk about them non stop when she would call, it was something she quickly learned to tune out.
Currently MacCready and her were walking over to a settlement that the General had sent her a message about, something about needed to get a garden established so that they could worry about other things. Cready wasn't the happiest about having to help a settlement but was persuaded when Riona mentioned the possibility of getting paid.
Things had been going smoothly, they had been chatting lazily keeping a lax watch around them, Riona had sent Dogmeat ahead to meet them there. They had heard a crash from behind them as they watched a Deathclaw tumble into the roadway they were on. Riona had already drawn her pistol and meant to take aim but was startled when another one crashed into the one that had crumpled a car. It was huge and stood on its hind legs and let out a chilling howl. She felt MacCready grab her arm and pull her towards the side of the road, and she felt her blood run cold at the “Pulowski: Nuclear protection on a Budget!” And the closing of the door as he wedged them into the tube.
Deathclaws typically were not something that Riona would bother avoiding, she would much rather just deal with the creature than hide from it. Unfortunately there was one too many for her and MacCready to deal with at this moment.
Although she would have prefered to try instead of MacCready just pulling them into one of those old pre war Pulowski tubes. She nearly screamed when it closed around them, trapping them in cramped darkness that wasn't meant for two. She had gone very still and pressed herself into the wall of the container, unable to drop down into a smaller position, she could hear her breathing became erratic and could faintly hear MacCready asking if she was okay.
She could hear the faint clattering of chains against bolted shelves, could feel the stain on her wrist and her back from being forced to remain in a stretched crouched for hours on end could smell the room, and taste the blood in her mouth. It swarmed her. She needed to leave.
“Riona!” his voice a harsh whisper cut straight through. Her eyes twitched towards his, his face was etched with worry.
“Cready! Cready we have to go.’ She was shaking, her grip on her sword was faltering, she could hear it clattering on the walls of the tube. He shook his head and moved so that he was in front of the release panel.
“You know we can't do that.” He gave her a sad look, He couldn't let them leave, not until the Deathclaws left or there would be no returning anywhere. She had tears welling in her eyes, and she reached out to him. He settled her against his chest and tucked her head under his chin, his arms wrapping around her. He could feel her crying against him, and she was mumbling something that he couldn't catch.
“Not much longer, everything is going to be fine. We’re safe in here, nothings going to happen.” He was working on settling them on the ground. It was awkward but they managed. She was practically sitting on his lap and his legs were pressed awkwardly against the walls but it was sounding like they were in for a long hall as he could hear the Deathclaws trashing the old fusion cars and the trees lining the road they were walking on.
Riona was slowly starting to get a grip on her breathing, her fingers were buried into his scarf and she had her ear pressed against his chest. He was running his hand over her back slowly and occasionally brought his other through the loose sections of her hair.
He hadn't thought he’d see the day when something like this could draw out such a reaction, almost everyone in the commonwealth today had to deal with cramped spaces, they were the only things left often times. He wanted to bring it up to her but didn't want to create a rift between them, she didn't seem like one to want to share much about her past and she would likely deny that this happened in the future. She built up frustratingly thick walls around her that MacCready desperately wanted access to but refused to pry.
Instead he took to playing with her hair, having pulled it from its bun so that he could run his fingers though its full length, he could feel her gradually slowing her breathing down and loosen up on his scarf. He had started braiding small strands of her hair repetitively and braiding those strands together and slowly undoing them. Riona silently adjusted herself that she was more comfortably straddling his lap, and had tucked her face into the crook of his neck and wrapped one of her arms around the underside of his shoulder, she could still hear the deathclaws moving about the cars and hoped that they would take their leave soon.
“How long do you think they'll be there?” She whispered and he could feel her talking. He shook his head and tried to stretch out his legs further.
“I don't know. I would have thought they'd leave by now.” He hadn't thought he’d seen them travel in very large groups but they way that one had callout out shook something in him, he knew it down in his bones that more were coming and it was best to just sit them out. They could stay in here till morning without trouble so long as they did not make too much noise or draw their attention. “I think we might have to stay here for a while, I think that one called others.” He felt her whine and her grip on him tighten, he just ran his hand over her back humming slightly. “We’ll be okay.”
She shook her head and tucked in against him more, trying hard to not think of the janitors closet, the chains or the month locked away. Instead she tried to focus on MacCready, the way he ran his hand up her back or through her hair, or how he immediately knew to wrap himself around her and settle them to the ground. How he let her rest on him and be a grounding force to her. She was grateful to him to know what to do in these moments and not to pry. She didn't know what would happen if he tried to delve into that right now while she's trapped her, but she was certain that it wouldn't be good.
She sat up momentarily, and tried to pull off her pipboy but had to let MacCready help her unlatch it from her wrist so that she could set it on the ground. She mumbled a thank you before turning on the dim screen to check the time.
It had been an hour and they could hear the Deathclaws become more rowdy, it was likely they were staying here for the night. And while she absolutely hated that she still had responsibilities to fulfill, one of them was messaging the settlement of their predicament. MacCready was watching her fiddle with the pip boy that lit the cramped area with a sickly green, which highlighted the stress and tear lines that contoured her face, and it took a lot in him to not clutch her back to him and try to relieve that stress but he didn't want to cross that line.
She sat up further leaning back on his bent knees to look at the surrounding tube with the light the pip boy cast, she noticed how banged up the tube was lots of dents littered the walls and loose wires hung down from the top and the fan that looked rusted still. It was completely different than the janitors closet, and she took comfort in being able to see the difference.
“Can I keep the light on?” she looked down at MacCready who was silently observing her as she looked around the room.
“Sure,” He nodded and took the pip boy from her hands to set it down next to them, pointing it upwards.
“I think you were right about having to wait till morning.” her voice was more steady than before but was clearly drained, She pulled her hair from out of her face and let it settle down her back before she tucked herself back into him. “Thank you” she spoke into his shoulder and was slowly starting to relax into him as he started running his fingers through her hair again.
“It's not a problem Riona,” he spoke into her hair and let the mostly quiet of the shelter settle over them.
MacCready had tried to stay awake as long as he could in case something happened or Riona jerked out of sleep, but the quiet of the outside, and soft breathing of Riona lulled him into sleep. His fingers still in her hair and an arm thrown over her back to keep her from moving too much, a faint peaceful smile graced his face.
