Codsworth absentmindedly hummed as he dusted the last of the shelves in Nate's Diamond City home. When he first arrived, the entire complex was a pigsty, he would've fainted if it was possible. Mutated rats crawled along the floors and in the walls, dirt and dust covered every square inch, and the furniture was in such terrible condition that a super mutant wouldn't sit on it.
But after strenuous days of hard work, the place looked like something out of the old world. Codsworth felt a hefty amount of pride fill his circuits, before hovering up the stairs and realizing he'd forgotten Nate's office only the third floor. "Oh..." Codsworth would've cursed if his programming allowed him to. Instead he settled for unintelligible muttering as he moved up the stairs to the office.
He overlooked the room, trying to decide what to work on first. His sensors settled on the desk, which was covered in dust and stains, where they came from was something Codsworth didn't dare imagine. He stopped for a moment and remembered he needed the cleaning spray and rag downstairs. Sometimes he seriously questioned why his creators had given him a flamethrower instead of something more practical. Sure, it was useful nowadays, but back when he was built? What possible use could it serve?
He picked up the spray bottle and rag off the table with his pincer and floated back upstairs. He set his tools down and moved to clear the desk before wiping it down. There was an old typewriter, the mister had half a paragraph written already, something about caravan routes between Outpost Zimonja and Oberland Station. A petite Vault-Tec bobblehead stood beside it, Codsworth had no idea why Mister Nate would keep this, surely it gave him nothing but bad memories. The only other item on the desk was Nate's journal. Codsworth grabbed it and moved it away, unfortunately he lost his grip and the book hit the floor.
"Oh for goodness sake." Codsworth shook his malfunctioning pincer. "I'll have to ask the Mister to repair this." Codsworth grumbledas he bent down to pick up the journal. "What the?... Codsworth zoomed in on the writing.
Codsworth read the heavily descriptive passages about the journalist, Ms. Wright. Apparently Mister Nate had a bit of a crush. Codsworth curiosity got the better of him and he flipped to the next page. Okay, Nate had a HUGE crush. If Codsworth had a human face, he'd be blushing profusely. He heard the door open downstairs, he immediately felt immense panic. He closed the book and tossed it back on the desk before zooming downstairs. Oh bugger Codsworth thought as he saw who had arrived.
"Hey Codsworth." Piper greeted with a cigarette between her fingers, "Blue around?" She asked.
"W-who?" Codsworth stuttered.
"Blue... you know, the two hundred year old super soldier. The guy you basically worship." She mocked as she put out her smoke in a nearby ashtray.
"Oh! Oh oh oh oh right. I- um... I forgot that's what you call Mister Nate." Codsworth cursed his creators for given him a "nervous" setting in his voice box.
"You alright Codsworth?" Piper questioned.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?! He he... ha..." He laughed anxiously. Oh maker.
"Codsworth..." She whispered as she got closer to him. "What do you know that I don't?" She asked.
"Whatever could you mean?" He denied, though it did him no good.
"You've clearly got a secret. And I'm clearly the one making you so nervous. So you know a secret that has something to do with me. Spill." She demanded. Codsworth saw her take out a stun baton from her back pocket. Goodness! She didn't plan on using that did she?!
"There's a journal upstairs!" Codsworth gave in. "I'll let you read it and find out, just don't use that one me!" He begged.
"You really think I'd use this on you Codsworth?" Piper asked hurt. "Just an intimidation tactic. You're too adorable to hurt." She mocked as she rubbed his spherical shell. She hopped up the stairs to the office. She instantly saw the journal Codsworth was talking about and opened it up to the most recent entry.
February 17, 2289
Piper borrowed my bed tonight. Got a knock on my door at eleven pm from an unhappy Yefim Bobrov. He told me that a certain reporter had gotten drunk at the Dugout and refused to leave. I couldn't say no and be able to sleep at night with the guilt of leaving her for security, so I quickly redressed and went to the Dugout.
Piper chuckled, she remembered what lead to her drunken stupor at the Dugout. She had been celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Institutes destruction. She had been disappointed when Nate didn't come along, now she didn't think he even remembered.
When I got there, she was a mess, but still managed to make my heart race.
Wait what.
She had removed her usual red coat and scarf, leaving her in a thin white shirt, with the two top buttons unbuttoned. She stood on top of the counter, dancing to no music and singing along. It was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen.
Piper felt her heart rate increase. Nate thought she was cute? Even when she was drunk?!
She felt butterflies fill her stomach. It would be a damnable lie to say she didn't feel something for the vault dweller. The same could be said for any woman who'd set her eyes on him!
I got her to calm down and head to my place. She passed out the second we got inside. I carried her up to the bed and set her down on the mattress. Then... I did something I probably shouldn't have. I leaned down and kissed her forehead. She smiled in her sleep and she mumbled something I could only assume was "goodnight."
God, I hope she never finds this journal. I'll tell her... eventually. I just want her to find out from me. Not a piece of paper.
Why the fuck am I even writing this down?
Piper closed the journal and sat down. Holy moly she thought.
One hour later
Nate walked through the gates of Diamond City, the familiar smell of plywood and mutfruit filled his nostrils, the two scents creating an strange yet welcoming combination.
He walked through the market, listening to Solomon preaching to the chem-heads of Diamond City and Arturo talking with the folks who needed weapons, or as they were called these days: everyone, and Myrna... she just yelled at people to go away.
He pulled his house key from his pocket and opened up the door. The lights were off, leaving him in the dark as he stepped inside. He could hear the whir of Codsworths engine in the garage area as he flipped on the lights, the figure of Piper illuminated on his couch made him jump and yell in surprise.
"Jesus Piper! You scared me." He tried to catch his breath as the woman smiled ear to ear at his expense. Nate looked her over, and his eyes drifted towards the coffee table. Where he saw his journal...
"Have you read that yet?" He asked calmly.
"No." She said, "But I-" Nate plucked the book of the table, dropped it on the floor, pulled his pistol from is holster and shot it three times.
"Blue?"
"Yes?" He asked as if he had done nothing weird.
"I did read it."
Nate felt his heart rate increase in fear and a little bit of hope. "How much?" He asked her.
"The last few entries." She told him as she stood up. Nate didn't need to double check to know that she had found out how he felt about her. He chuckled and holstered his gun. She stood closer to him now, barely a foot of space between them.
"I'm sorry. Listen... I wanted to tell you bu-" she pushed him against the wall and pushed her lips against his. Nate's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe that she was kissing him! The sensations he felt were something he couldn't hope to describe. The woman he'd been dreaming of since he saw her was shoving her tongue down his throat.
When they pulled apart to catch their breath, Piper smiled and whispered in his ear "Apology accepted." As their encounter continued, Piper thought I'm gonna have to thank Codsworth for being such a bad liar.
Does anyone know an app or website like where you can publish non-fanfiction stories? Have a few ideas but haven't found a good site yet.