A/N: Written for the Fallout Kink Mme on Livejournal. The prompt was to write out Hancock ODing or dying from a bad batch of chems. Well, here you go. Enjoy the feels.
Extreme spoilers if you haven't completed Cait's personal quest!
The settlement of Sanctuary was noticeable on the horizon. After a successful mission of clearing out a group of raiders from Hangman's Alley, Nora was glad to be nearly home. It may not be her original home before the war with a husband and son, but it is as close as she will ever get it to be without going back in time. With good friends and people that look up to her residing there, she was content and that was good enough for her.
Nora hummed an unknown soft tune. Getting back to Hancock would be nice. She felt the need to do this mission alone, mainly so that she could pick up a surprise for him. It'd been about a year since they'd met and four months since she got over her fear of rejection to take their relationship further. They've been around each other long enough to know what they really like. Hancock obviously loves chems, so that's what she picked up. Straight off of a raider's dead body. And it was a lot of them. Nora would be glad to have a nice trip later that night with her beloved. It was not often that she would partake in the usage of chems, but tonight was special.
She soon approached the bridge connecting to Sanctuary. The whirring of the turrets welcomed her at the end of the bridge. Preston Garvey left his nearby station and approached her. "General, how did it go?" They shook hands.
"Not a single trace of the scum left," Nora smiled. "I set up a radio beacon there as well."
"That's great news! People wandering around will be glad to call a place their home if they're willing to protect it." Preston handed her a sack of caps. "Here's some caps for your work. You should take it easy for the rest of the day."
Nora chuckled. "Thanks for the advice, but I want to get a few things done, like fix that busted up generator behind where Marcy and Jun are staying since I still have some daylight to work in." She walked off to the cul de sac where the couple lived. Neither of them were home, so Nora got straight to work.
The generator finally starting up gave Nora a warm feeling of satisfaction. The sky was gaining its purples and oranges as the sun began to set, soon to be replaced with a blanket of stars and a bright moon. She gathered up her tools and supplies to drop them off at the workshop. On the way there, she passed by Marcy and told her that the generator was fixed. Marcy thanked her in her own usual sour way.
Nora finished organizing the materials that she picked up from her morning adventure before heading to her own house. She turned the doorknob, walked inside, and was met with a peaceful sight. Hancock, with eyes half-lidded, was lounging on the couch with a cigarette in one hand and his other hand gently petting a resting Dogmeat next to him. The door creaked as Nora closed it, causing Hancock to turn his head. "Well, look who it is," he smiled. Hancock smudged the cigarette onto the ashtray, putting it out. Dogmeat walked out the open backdoor after receiving one last pat on the head, leaving the couple to themselves.
"Yeah, here I am." Nora strided eagerly to him to receive a short embrace and kiss. After breaking from the kiss, Hancock lightly caressed her cheek. The rough texture of his hand made her feel content mixed with something else. Nora could never find a single word for it. It was a unique feeling that she had felt with only Hancock and Nate. They had a long moment of eye contact and smiling before she started grinning.
"Oh, I know that look," Hancock smirked as he slowly pulled away and sat up. "What kind of crazy thing did you do now, sister?"
"Nothing much. Just looted a shitload of chems." To prove her statement, she emptied her bag of the chems onto the coffee table.
Hancock's dark eyes widened. "No shit. That is a lot of chems." He looked at the pile for a few seconds longer before looking back at her nervously and asking, "That's for us to share, right?"
Nora giggled. "Of course they are! Why would I show all of this off in front of you before keeping it all to myself? Now, I may be a slight bitch occasionally, but not this time."
Hancock kissed her on the forehead. "You're my bitch though."
"Darn right I am, sweetie. I'm going to change and put a few things away, alright?" Nora stood up and walked towards the hallway. "You don't have to wait for me!"
"I didn't plan on waiting anyway," he commented to himself. Studying the pile once more, he decided to start with a couple doses of Med-X. Hancock removed his red coat and placed it on the back of the couch. He rolled his shirt sleeve up to expose his inner elbow. He pressed the needle against his skin and injected the opioid into his body. "This is going to be a damn good night," he sighed as he removed the needle from his arm, preparing for the next dose.
Even after being out of Vault 111 for a year and a half, she still refused to look into Shaun's old room. It always brings back upsetting memories and an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, knowing that her son is still out there but not as the baby that she remembered. Yet again, she decided to ignore the room as she continued to her own room. Nora tossed her backpack next to the dresser in the corner of the room. She removed the buckles and leather pieces of armor that decorated her vault suit that still clung so tightly to her body, showing every curve and indentation that she had. She then unzipped the vault suit, removing it to set aside with her armor. Nora opened one of the dresser's drawers.
"Maybe I'll wear something besides the usual oversized shirt and boxers," she mumbled to herself. Nora pulled out a pair of lacey grey panties (that she swore used to be black) and a rosy pleated slip. The slip may have a few holes here and there, but it was the best condition she's seen one in since she got out of the Vault. She changed quickly, wanting to get back to Hancock before he's too stoned to appreciate her looks.
Nora strolled out of the room. Hancock was in the middle of injecting what seemed to be Psycho when she sat next to him. He removed the needle, set it to the side, and finally looked at her. His eyes traveled all over her body, until stopping at the exposed cleavage. "That's a good look for you." Hancock's comment made her smile and blush.
"Only for you." Nora glanced at the various chems laid out on the table, trying to decide what to try first. Her hand grabbed at the Jet. She brought the inhaler to her mouth and inhaled. Her head began to feel light and she felt looser.
Hancock popped a couple Mentats in his mouth before leaning back in his seat to stare at the ceiling."Hey, Nora, I have a question for you."
"Mmm. What is it?"
"Did you ever take chems before the bombs dropped?"
She was just reaching for something else before she suddenly froze and brought her hand back to settle on her lap. "No." Nora paused, turning her head from him and the chems. "If my parents or even Nate knew of this, they probably wouldn't be too happy."
"Hey, don't get so down, sunshine." Hancock ran his fingers through her hair and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Let's not think about that right now, okay?"
Nora's lips turned slightly upwards. "Yeah, I should just enjoy myself." She scooted closer to him and their lips met. She tasted Mentats. Grape flavor to be exact. Their hands explored each other's bodies. Hancock's hand reached up for her hair, and he pulled it gently. Nora let out a quiet moan. His hands let go of her hair as an expression of confusion crept onto his face.
"Nora?"
"Yes, John?"
Hancock put a hand over his forehead. "I...I really don't feel well."
Hancock abruptly stood up with a hand over his mouth and ran out the back door to empty the contents of his stomach onto the dirt. Nora jumped from her seat, still a little wobbly from the Jet, and followed him, not caring who saw her in what she was wearing. When she got outside, he kneeling on the ground, holding his stomach. She gasped when she saw blood.
"John, sweetie, you need help."
He let out a dark chuckle. "I think it might be a little too late for that, sister."
Nora got on the ground next to him so that she was eye level to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Don't you let me catch you thinking that way again. Ever," she said with a stern voice. "I can get you help. Let me get a Stimpak from inside."
"Nah, ya don't have to," he protested, but she was already gone. Here he was, 30 something years old, possibly dying. From what? He has no idea what chem was that was making him feel this shitty, but he's glad Nora wasn't the one to take it. Hancock thought that since he became a ghoul, he was invincible. What he forgot is that he is still basically human. He can still die. "I suppose this is what I get for...fucking around so much all these years." He coughed up more blood as a sharp pain shooting through his stomach caused him to lie down on the concrete, curling up in pain.
Nora returned to his side with the Stimpak. "Okay, where does it hurt?" she asked worriedly, panic clear in her face.
"It's not going to help me," he struggled out with a pained expression..
"I...I can at least try," her voice cracked. "You never know until you try, right?" Tears began to gather in her eyes, a few drops becoming loose. It was like losing Nate all over again. Nora wasn't sure what she would do if she lost him too. Losing one love of hers in front of her eyes was enough, losing another? She didn't want to think about it. She took his rugged hand into one of her own smooth ones, squeezing it.
Hancock tried focusing on her face, but it was getting blurry. "Just... let me look at your beautiful face, okay, doll?"
He attempted to reach for her cheek to wipe off the stray tears before she pulled back. Nora's nose wrinkled as tears began escaping from her eyes. She yelled in frustration. "FUCK you! Just stop it! You're probably just messing with me." The denial stage was already settling inside her system. She let go of his hand to wipe her face of the tears and snot.
Some of Sanctuary's residents grew curious about all of the ruckus. Others continued on with their business.
"The hell is goin' on here?" Nora looked up to the distinct voice of Cait. As Cait approached the distressed couple, she saw what was really going on. "Darlin', what in the world?! Is that blood?"
"Cait, he's going to be okay," Nora smiled sadly.
"He doesn't look okay. Tell me what happened, maybe I can do somethin'."
"We were just...having a little fun. I brought home some chems and thought-"
Cait glared at her. "Thought what? It would be a dandy good ole' time? What is wrong wit' you?" Her glare was incredibly intense, it made Nora feel cold. Cait's voice rose in volume and venom as she continued on. "You helped me wit' my Psycho addiction, yet you let 'em still go at it wit' that shite? I thought you cared 'bout him!"
Nora looked away from either of them. "I do care, Cait."
"Well, darlin', it sure don't seem like it."
Denial left Nora as guilt came in to replace it. She helped both Cait and Mama Murphy with their chem addictions, but she did nothing to stop Hancock's problem with them. If anything, she had encouraged it. Especially with tonight. She practically murdered him. Her eyes were dry from wiping them so much. No more tears dared to leave her eyes. Her face was pale with red covering her cheeks and puffy eyes. Nora really did love him, she thought she did. Every night that they had spent cuddled next to a campfire after clearing out a base of super mutants, every tight grip of their hands as they walked side by side, and every passionate moment. Was it really not love if she was watching and letting him pop those Mentats or shove that needle into his arm?
"Just...one last...trip, yeah?" Hancock murmured. This time, he succeeded in touching Nora's face. So smooth, so gorgeous, so warm, and real. He can never forget what she is to him. She's his other part of him that he was missing. The two of them were two terrors to the masses of vermin in the wasteland: ferals, raiders, super mutants. Hell, he even recommended that she become a ghoul as well so they could keep the Commonwealth safe for a long time. He wanted to protect her and keep her safe. She was a magnet for trouble, yet she still manages to survive quite well. Having someone else by your side just makes things a little easier and joyful.
His vision was getting worse, darkening with each passing second. Hancock's hand fell from her face as he felt limp. He felt arms wrap around his chest and hands clutch his shirt. He couldn't quite hear what Nora was saying, but god damn was he lucky to have her. He smiled at that thought as he no longer felt pain. Everything was blissfully silent.