Hello everyone! I've slowly been getting interested in Fallout 4 again and wanted to try my hand at writing a Piper x Male Sole Survivor fanfiction! This is really just kind of a test run chapter to see if I wanna continue this, and see if people like this as well, so I'm unsure if I'll be continuing this, or if it'll remain as is. Also, as a small sidenote, the large section in italics represents a flashback, since I don't really like putting author notes in the middle of stories since I find it ruins the immersion. But anyway, critics/reviews are greatly appreciated, but I'm honored that you'd even give my story a read! Thanks a bunch, and I hope you enjoy!
Piper let out a sigh as she played with the maroon press cap in her hands, pacing around her apartment in Diamond City. She'd been aimlessly walking around her apartment for around two hours now, her nerves not allowing her to sit down for more than a few minutes. But this time, Piper wasn't nervous about future rent payments, or if her next article would be good enough to publish; she was worried about Blue. Her Blue.
For weeks, Nathan and the Minutemen had been building up to eventually strike the Institute and destroy them once and for all. While it also required the help of the Brotherhood and the Railroad, they finally had enough manpower and resources to siege The Institute. The massive explosion heard a couple hours ago was proof in of itself that they were successful, with word already spreading throughout the Commonwealth that the Institute was no more. And although Piper was ecstatic that "The Boogeyman" as she liked to refer them as, was gone, she was nervous as hell for Nate.
With the sun disappearing more and more over the horizon as minutes passed by, Piper plopped down on a ragged old couch, trying to calm herself down. She looked down at her hands and continued twisting the press cap in them, worrying for Blue's safety. What if Blue got injured and was trapped in the Institute? What if he lost a limb and lagged behind the rest of the Minutemen? What if he got killed trying to destroy the organization Piper told him she was so afraid of?
Piper felt her heart race as she thought of all the different situations Blue might have gotten himself in to, even feeling tears begin to form. She immediately rubbed her eyes with her gloved hands, wiping away any tears that might have formed. She had to calm down before she had a panic attack. As she slowly inhaled and then exhaled, Piper re-directed her thoughts to two days ago, what she considered one of the happiest days of her life.
It was two days ago that Nate told her that he and the Minutemen were ready to take on the Institute, making her panic back then. Ever since first meeting him outside Diamond City, Piper felt a spark between her and Blue, and those feelings developed over time to the point where she now loved him. She was too scared to act on her feelings, afraid Nate wouldn't love her back, or might reject her. But with him going off to fight and potentially destroy the Institute, she had to admit her feelings. Piper didn't want Blue going off without knowing how she truly felt about him.
"Oh. So, uh, when are you leaving?" Piper asked, trying hard to accept the news that Blue was about to run right into the greatest danger in the Commonwealth.
"Probably in a day or two." Nate responded, gesturing towards the large swathes of Minutemen that were standing or running around Sanctuary."The sooner we destroy the Institute, the sooner the Commonwealth can get better."
"Yeah. Yeah I guess that's true" she half heartedly agreed, looking down at her boots as she shuffled them in the dirt.
"Pipes, what's wrong?"
"Nothing" she quickly responded, feeling herself blush slightly at his nickname for her.
Piper suddenly felt Nate's strong, but gentle hand reach under her chin, bringing her head up to his.
"What's wrong?"
Piper bit her lip as she looked up into Nate's concerned eyes, making her blush even more.
"I uh." she began, trying to find the right words. "I need to tell you something. In private."
Piper grabbed Nate's arm and led him away from the group of settlers that was near them, approaching his house. The two of them stopped right outside the front door, the sun slowly setting to the right of them. Piper stood on her toes and looked behind Nate, checking to make sure no one could potentially eavesdrop on them. Once she was certain no one was nearby, Piper let out a sigh and looked up to meet Nate's gaze.
"Listen Blue, I want to thank you. For everything" she began, nervously shuffling her feet. "Having someone I can count on, someone like you, it's meant a lot to me. Not a lot of people wanna hang around with the nosy reporter".
"Yeah, but you're my kinda nosy" Nate said with a smile that could light up the world. Piper couldn't help but smile back at the man in front of her, the man she had fallen really hard for.
"Heh, you're the exception. I haven't exactly made a lot of friends in this career. I just wanted to right the things that were wrong". "I started the paper more as an act of desperation than anything else"
Nate reached out and encouragingly squeezed Piper's shoulder, flashing her another smile that made her heart skip a beat. "You cleaned up Diamond City and made it better".
"When the first edition of the newspaper hit the stands, I felt like I'd finally done something worth doing, but afterwards, things, things changed" Piper continued glumly, letting out a sigh. "A lot of folks, they haven't treated me the same since. It started to feel like the only person I could count on was my little sis".
"You can always count on me Piper" Nathan said honestly, never wanting to see Piper be lonely.
"I know I can" she answered with a small chuckle. "You're not afraid of me like everyone else".
Piper stop shuffling her feet around and could feel butterflies in her stomach at what she planned to say next. She had to tell him.
"I was sure that the paper would be the best thing I ever did with my life. But being here with you, now I don't know". Piper looked away from her boots and looked directly into Nate's brown eyes, the butterflies in her stomach increasing. "I've needed someone like you in my life for a long time, Blue. I just never expected I'd actually get them".
"So, thank you. For being the friend I can count on" she concluded with a smile.
"It sounds to me like you're interesting in becoming more than just friends" Nate softly said, his face turning slightly red.
Piper quickly felt her face get hot and she became extremely flustered at hearing Nate's response. "Oh! I, I mean, I'd be lying if I said I never thought about you that way, not that I'm always thinking that way…" she replied, quickly glancing at the sunset before returning her gaze back Nate.
"It's just, Blue, I'm loud and pushy, and constantly getting in over my head. Why would someone like you ever want someone like me?"
Nate reached down and grabbed Piper's hand, making her skin tingle as he lovingly held it. "You don't need to be flawless Piper" he honestly answered, giving her hand a small squeeze. "You're perfect for me".
It took Piper a few seconds to understand what Blue actually said. The man she developed a crush on the first time they met just confessed his feelings to her. The man she fell head-over-heels for loved her back.
"Perfect, huh?" Piper said with a small laugh, the butterflies in her stomach having suddenly left. "That's a new one. Well… well, I think you're perfect too".
The both of them couldn't help but smile at each other, their faces pink with embarrassment. Piper quickly looked at the sunset again, the sky around them turning the same color as their cheeks.
"Goodness, Blue. I- I don't know what to say. You're everything I could ever ask for" she said, returning her gaze back to the man she loved.
The smile on Nate's face grew even larger as he wrapped his arm around Piper's waist, pulling her closer to him. Piper felt her face get even hotter at being so close to Nate, and as she looked up to meet his gaze, the two of them tilted their heads simultaneously and met in a kiss. It was a short, sweet kiss that lasted only a few seconds, but in those few seconds, Piper felt like she was on cloud nine. For the first time in a while, she felt safe.
Piper felt herself grinning like crazy as she remembered that conversation two days ago. The conversation where her and Blue finally became a thing. They hadn't told any of their friends yet, with Nate having been busy with planning the attack on the Institute, but Piper was sure they would find out eventually. She had a feeling that Nick would probably be the first to realize that she and Blue were a thing.
But now, now Piper was nowhere near cloud nine. She was on whatever cloud that people who were worried sick about people they loved were on. Piper glanced up at the worn clock on the wall to read that it was already getting close to 9:00 P.M. There was no way she could go to sleep in a few hours knowing that Blue could be somewhere in danger.
Piper went back to twisting her press cap, her nervousness quickly coming back. While now would've been a great time to write an article about the destruction of the Institute and what it meant for the Commonwealth, Piper was in no mood to write. Hell, she was so nervous she didn't even know if she could pick up a pen.
Piper also considered picking up a comic book from the stack she kept on top of her desk to distract her from Blue, but she knew that even that wouldn't work. She didn't care about the paper or a stupid comic book. She wanted her Blue. Piper stopped fidgeting with her cap and placed it back on her head, tucking the sides so it stayed on. But as soon as she was about to get up and begin another round of nervous pacing, a soft knocking on the front door took Piper's attention. It couldn't be Nat since she was in her room doing homework. And no one visited Piper this late at night except for one person.
"Blue?" Piper wondered aloud, getting up from the worn out couch and hurriedly making her way to the front door. She swung the door open and was greeted by her Blue, a large smile on his face.
"Blue!" Piper exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and giving him a loving hug. She buried her face into the crook of his neck before reaching up to give Nate a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"Someone really missed me, huh?" Nate jokingly said as Piper grabbed his hand and led him inside. She closed the door behind them and led the two of them over to the couch that she just spent remembering their first kiss on. The maroon couch creaked under them lightly as they plopped down in it, with Nate letting out a sigh of relief at finally being able to sit down and rest.
"Goodness, Blue, I was worried sick! I got so scared that something happened to you!"
"I know, I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, but I'm here now". Nate responded, scratching the back of his neck.
"I'm just glad you're alright" Piper said, reaching over to grab Nate's hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze.
"Yeah, so I guess you already know that the Institute is gone?" Nate commented with a small laugh, rolling his head over on the back of the couch to face Piper.
"You bet! I can already see the title of my next article! 'Boogeyman Banished!'" she said, turning her head to face Nate. The two of them sat there, smiling at each other for a few seconds before concern suddenly flashed across Piper's face.
"Jeez, Blue! You really got cut up out there" she commented, gently brushing her free hand against a cut on his face. Nate winced slightly, making Piper pull her hand away immediately. "Sorry" she said with a sheepish smile, letting go of his hand as she got up from the couch.
"I'll go get something to disinfect those cuts, but we're taking you to Dr. Sun tomorrow" Piper added, disappearing into the next room. Nate saw no reason to argue with her, deciding only to hum in agreement and smile at her generosity. A couple of minutes had gone by before Piper re-entered the living room, a few wet rags in her hands.
"This is probably going to hurt" she said softly, reaching over to hold Nate's hand. He only nodded and grasped her hand tighter as she took one of the rags and began cleaning out the wounds on his face. After many hand squeezes and trips to re-soak the rags, all of Nate's wounds were finally cleaned out, and the two of them collapsed on the couch again. Even though it was only 10:00 P.M, Nate was exhausted from all the fighting he did today, and Piper was just as tired from all the worrying she did.
"I'm just gonna go tuck Nat in tonight, and then I was thinking that uh, maybe you could stay the night?" Piper asked as she got up from the couch, hoping he would agree.
"Sure, I'll take the couch" he replied, swinging his legs up onto the couch and resting them where Piper was just sitting moments ago.
"Oh, I uh, I mean, it's alright if you wanna sleep in my bed. With me" she added, feeling the heat rise to her face.
"That's fine by me as long as you're alright with it"
"Yeah, it's fine" Piper replied, a bit too enthusiastically in her opinion. After she tucked Nat into bed and turned off the light in her room, Piper came out from Nat's bedroom, walking over to her own bedroom. She excused herself to change into lighter clothes for night, closing her bedroom door as she changed.
Nate turned off any remaining lights in her apartment and was more than happy when Piper called him into her bedroom.
He stumbled into Piper's bedroom and shed any non-essential clothing himself, leaving him in only a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The two of them collapsed on her bed, the both of them happy to finally get some sleep after the long day they had. Nate rested his head on Piper's chest and the two of them cuddled for a while, talking about his adventures at the Institute. Nate felt his eyelids get heavy as Piper played with his hair, feeling safe after spending practically the entire day of fighting.
He felt so safe in her arms, and as he drifted to sleep, Nate heard Piper softly whisper into his ear:
"I love you Blue"