Characters: John Hancock, Female Sole Survivor, Male Sole Survivor, Winchapel Charlie

Relationships: M!Sole/F!Sole, M!Sole/John Hancock (Bromance)

Tags: Het, Gen, Bromance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Reunions, Ghoul!Nate

Summary: Sometimes even the impossible becomes entirely possible.

A/N: This piece was written for the Fallout kink meme and for once it's not smutty, it's cute and fluffy lol

The original prompt was as follows: Nate wasn't home with Nora the day the bombs dropped. Nora went to the vault with Shaun. Fast forward 200 years and Nora emerges from the vault, alone and looking for whoever stole her kid. Meanwhile, Nate has been running around for 200 years as a ghoul. He's ventured to sanctuary only once, and with no signs of Nora he assumes that she's dead - he didn't know about her signing up for a spot in the vault. Nora ends up in Goodneighbor, where she meets Hancock. Hancock recognizes Nora from an old photo that is bestest bro Nate packs around, and he arranges their reunion.

Part One of the Love's Bitch Series

"Nate! My man! What'cha you doin' bro?"

At the sound of Hancock's voice Nate smirked crookedly. He flicked the mask up, looking up at his best friend.

"Are you smoking and welding again? Fuckin' hell, you're going to blow yourself up one o' these days."

Nate shrugged, "You'll find someone to stitch me back together."

Hancock chuckled, "Listen I -"

Nate frowned as he caught a snippet of something Travis was saying on the radio, "Hold up John." He placed down the welding torch and turned the radio up,

- I mean everyone's seen a vault suit before but - I guess the weird thing is - it was Vault 111 -

Everything faded to white noise and the cigarette dropped from Nate's fingers. He continued to stare at the radio in shock. He heard Hancock's voice call out his name and then everything went black.

Consciousness came back in stages, first he could here the nervous tap of someone's foot on the ground, that could only be John, then he was aware of the intense pain in his head.

Nate groaned and struggled to sit up, hissing as his torso burnt like a branding iron, "What happened?"

Hancock was sitting in a chair a few feet away, arms crossed, looking distinctly unimpressed. "You blew yourself up."

"Damn." Nate rubbed his haggard face, "I feel like it too. How many pieces of me are missing?" He joked.

"None. You're fuckin' lucky Nate. You got a mean burn on your chest so you'll have to take it easy for a while."

"Shit. Ah well, when it heals it'll blend in." He smiled at John. Hancock didn't smile back. "No? Not funny? Ok -"

"What in the fuck happened? You just froze like a goddamn statue man."

Nate flexed his left hand, looking intently at the ring there. "Vault 111. That was the vault near my house. We never signed up, at least we hadn't yet, a man keep pestering us about it. Nora and Shaun - they - they could've made it in there. I just - I dunno, it was stupid. I just thought maybe -"

"That it was her?"

Nate snorted, "Stupid I know. It's fuckin' impossible, but I thought for a second that it could be. Kinda just froze up."

"Two hundred years and you're still in love with the same girl. Damn that's dedication for you. It's sickeningly romantic brother."

Nate smirked, "Yeah well you can just shut up John. You're just as pathetically romantic as I am."

He looked away, "Am not."

Nate scoffed, "Are too. Remember Leila?"

"Low blow man."

"You were so fuckin' smitten. The way you'd get all awkward and blush a whole heap and that chewing on your lip thing? Damn adorable John."

Hancock glared, "I was twelve you asshole."

Nate raised a brow, "Then there was Michelle, you were fifteen, Tara when you were eighteen and let's not forget the lovely Adriana. You were already ghoul then so you had to have at least been twenty, and you may not be able to blush anymore, but you still do that cute lip thing."

There was a pause, "You know I'm not above hitting an injured guy."

"Come at me bro."

John threw his hat at him, "Don't be an ass." There was a brief pause, "Gimme my hat back."

Nate placed it on his head, "No you threw it at me, it's mine."

"Child."

"Miscreant."

"Asshole."

Nate chuckled and threw the tricorn at his friend.

"You rest up kiddo, I got shit to do." Hancock got up from the chair.

"Kiddo?" Nate called after him, "Goddamnit John I'm older than your great great great granddaddy don't you dare - John! Get yer skinny ghoulified ass back here!" There was no response. Nate sighed, gingerly laying back down in the bed. "Cheeky sod." He muttered.

The next few months were slow going, the burn on Nate's chest still pulled painfully when he twisted the wrong way. He was bent over the console in Hancock's office. "I can't believe you still can't do ledgers John." He grumbled, "How you even get them this ass backwards is beyond me. Look at this shit. It's a fuckin' mess!"

"I told you. I said - 'Nate can you do the ledgers 'cause they're gunna end up all fucked up' but you didn't listen did you?" Hancock toyed with a Jet inhaler in his hand, "Besides, you're the only one ancient enough to know what the damn things are supposed to look like."

Nate gave him a sideways glance, "Hilarious buddy, go do your mayor stuff and quite botherin' me."

Hancock chuckled, "Aww Nate when did you turn into such a bore?"

He huffed out a gravelly laugh, "When we took over this damn town and you made me do all your damn ledgers because you wouldn't know the debtors from creditors if they bit you in your skinny ass."

Hancock smirked, "What do you expect? I've know you so damn long, you're like an extension of myself."

Nate battered his eyes and clasped his hands together. He pitched his voice way higher than usual, "Oh John, you're so romantic!" He ducked as an empty Jet inhaler sailed towards his head. Laughing, he batted the second one away with his hand. "What are we going to hold hands and take long windy walks in the - damnit John! Stop throwing shit at me!"

Hancock threw a straw pillow, it hit Nate square in the face.

Without thinking Nate picked up a pile of paperwork and lobbed it in Hancock's direction. "Shit!"

Hancock laughed, "That was dumb you - woah shit!"

Nate launched himself from the chair, John careened down the stairs and out the door. Nate chuckled, stooping down to pick up the paperwork. "Smarmy asshole."

"You remember that time my nose fell off?"

Nate snorted into his whisky, "Yeah. What of it?"

Hancock leaned back on the couch, "You told me it would always get worse before it gets better."

Nate raised a scarred brow. "Why you bringing that up now?"

"Got a feelin'. Something big is comin' ya know?"

Nate nodded, "Yeah man I feel you. Somethin' is gunna go down soon. It's been too fuckin' quiet, almost peaceful and the Commonwealth is always anything but."

"I need to have another talk with the folks, remind 'em what Goodneighbor stands for."

Nate smiled leaning across the table to clink his glass against Hancock's, "Of the people. For the people."

"Nate!"

He startled awake, "Whatsat?" He rubbed his face with a hand, "Yeah?"

Hancock leaned over the couch, "You fall asleep old man?"

"Nah. Was just restin'. Less o' the old, ya bastard."

Hancock leaned back, gripping the couch and stretching like a cat. "Whelp, I'm goin' to do the rounds. I'll see you later."

"Sure, you still owe me a game o' chess."

"Tonight, man. You're goin' down."

Nate scoffed, slowly raising his voice so it would reach the stairwell, "Bitch please, your poker face don't work on me."

"We'll see." Hancock called back.

Hancock wiped the blood on his pants.

The woman blinked at him, "You killed him."

He smirked, "You got good eyes."

She smiled at him and it was like a ray of sunshine. He was smitten.

"This - isn't Diamond City, is it?"

He chuckled, "No, no it ain't. Welcome to Goodneighbor."

"Thanks for dealing with that creep, well unless you're going to stab me too - you're not are you?" She looked panicked.

Hancock slid the knife back into his boot. "And risk killing the most beautiful woman in the Commonwealth? I don't think so."

She blushed all the way to the tips of her hair, "Flirt." She murmured quietly.

Hancock smiled. Nate called it sexy smirk number twelve, he just called it his charm. Needless to say she was still blushing.

"I - ummm - need somewhere to stay. Your town has a hotel?"

"Indeed it does, you're in luck, it's not often the mayor personally escorts people, but for you dollface - I'll make an exception." He held out an arm, she took it gratefully and he led her towards Hotel Rexford.

Hancock moved a pawn across the board. "I met a girl today."

Nate's hands were clasped in front of him, "Did you now?"

"Man you have no idea, she's fuckin' gorgeous! Pretty girl eyes, legs for fuckin' days and her tits! Holy shit, they're like from one of those pin up mags. She's so sweet too, all innocent like."

Nate moved one of his pieces, "Sounds like you're sweet on this braud brother."

Hancock grinned, "Yeah, she's different, like totally untouched by this insane world. I really like her."

Nate took a sip of his whisky, "What's her name?"

The grin dropped off John's face. "Shit!"

Nate nearly choked on his whisky, "You didn't ask her name? Oh man, you are a right dillhole."

John chewed at what was left of his lip, Nate knew from experience that if ghoulified skin had the ability to blush, he'd be as red as a beet.

"Belt up." Nate opened his mouth. "No. Not a goddamn word Nate."

He sniggered instead.

Hancock growled at him, "Don't make me repeat yesterday, the only thing that's close is an ashtray and it's fuckin' heavy."

Nate rolled his eyes, "Oh please, you know my head is harder than a can of Cram."

There was a pause as John took a draw of his cigarette, "Anyways I'm meeting her for dinner tomorrow night."

Nate stared at the chessboard then made his move. "Well I hope your date goes better than this game, checkmate."

John leaned forwards. "Bullshit!"

Nate waved a hand at the board silently.

Hancock sighed, "Damn. I hate this game."

"You look beautiful toots." The mayor of Goodneighbor slid gracefully into the seat across from her.

Nora blushed, "Hello Mayor Hancock."

He signaled for a drink from Charlie, "Please, sweetheart, call me John."

"Alright."

A drink was placed in front of John.

"You want anythin' guv?" The robot asked her gruffly.

"Water please, if you have it."

"'Course. Be right back."

"So," Hancock sipped his whisky, "What's your story?"

Nora tucked a lock of her deep red hair behind her ear, not really knowing where to start. "You want to know about me?"

"Sure, I asked didn't I?"

Nora smirked, "You'd be the first, without wanting me to do something for you so forgive my skepticism." His dark eyes were trained solely on her, giving his full attention. "The world now, it's so different. It's really hard to adjust."

"So you are from a vault then."

"Yeah, a vault with a twist." Charlie slid an ice cold water in front of her, "Thank you."

Hancock looked at Charlie, "Get us a noodle cup will ya bud?"

"Sure thing boss. Ya want one miss?"

"Yes thank you."

"So," he asked, once Charlie had moved off, "what was the twist then?"

"In Vault 111, everyone was cryogenically frozen, I'm over two hundred years old." She chuckled.

The cigarette Hancock was about to light dropped from his mouth, he slowly looked up at her. "What's your name?"

"My name?"

"Yeah toots, your name."

"It's Nora."

He looked disappointed for a minute, then a large grin split his face, "Well fuck me sideways and call me Freddy. I got someone you need to meet."

"What, now?"

"Yeah, dollface, now."

When Hancock opened the door, Nate was facing away from them, "You're back early. You strike out on your big date? I knew that charm of yours would bite you in the ass one day. Finally found a girl who's immune, huh?"

Nora gave him a sharp look, "Date? You're presumptuous."

Hancock chewed on his lip and gave her a sheepish look. "Bro," he looked over to his best friend, "I got someone you need to meet."

Nate began to turn around, "Oh so this is the girl huh? Nice to -" He stopped cold, the glass he had been holding slipped out of his hand, smashing unnoticed on the ground. "Nora." The name was barely above a whisper.

The woman's eyes narrowed, "How do you know my name?"

Nate ignored her, looking over her head at Hancock, "John. What the hell man?"

"She says the whole vault was a fridge, she's been on ice for two hundred years."

Nate crossed his burly arms across his chest, "Bullshit! She's a synth!"

Nora put her hands on her hips, "Now wait just a fucking minute. Who the hell is this guy and what the fuck is a synth?"

"Synthetic people." Hancock supplied, "Man made, they're robots. You wouldn't know one if it bumped into you in the street."

Nora's jaw dropped, "They have those now?" John nodded. "Holy shit."

"She's dead John, this thing is nothing more than a bucket of bolts and programming."

Nora pointed a finger at him. "I am not one of those things!" Her tone was stern.

"Then who are you?"

Nora sighed, "I already told you. My name is Nora, I'm thirty-two - two hundred and forty-two - at least Codsworth told me it's been two hundred and ten years. I live in Sanctuary Hills. I lived there before the bombs with my husband Nate and our son Shaun. Nate - Nate wasn't home when the bombs fell. I didn't want to leave but - I didn't have a choice, I had to think about Shaun." Tears brimmed in her eyes and it broke Nate's heart, but he had to know. "It was the hardest decision I've ever made."

Nate stood staring at the woman that claimed to be his wife. "Why did your husband like vodka so much?"

Hancock frowned, Nate hated vodka, he opened his mouth to say something but Nate shot him a look.

Trick question. Nice going bro.

John nodded and kept silent.

Nora snorted, "He didn't. He hated vodka." Her eyes took on a far away quality, like she was reliving a memory. "I don't know why everyone thought he did. We ended up with bottles of the stuff. Every time my parents came over he would get a bottle from my dad." She laughed, "Then he would have to sit there and stomach through a glass of it with him. It was like a private joke between us. Neither of us had the heart to tell dad he didn't like it. Nate always said it tasted like -"

"Turps and ass."

She looked up, "Yeah how did you -"

"It's her John. Fuck, it's really her." He rubbed his face with his left hand.

She charged forwards snatching his hand away from his face. She looked down at his fingers. They were cracked and scarred and three of his fingernails were missing but there was the wedding ring she gave him on their wedding day.

She looked up into his icy blue eyes, tears filling her own rapidly. "Nate?"

He smiled kindly, "Missing some pieces but, yeah it's me."

She threw her arms around him, "Oh my God I thought you were dead! Oh Nate!" She kissed him deeply, he was shocked, he thought she'd have at least some aversion to his ghoulified state, but it was just like when he'd been human.

Hancock felt awkward watching the display. He was just about to make a sneaky exit when Nora pulled away from Nate.

"And you!"

John froze. "Me?"

"Yes you." She practically ran across the room and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, you're amazing, thank you."

Hancock stood with his arms out, he looked nervously at Nate, the other ghoul smirked and motioned for him to hug her. John wrapped his arms around the small woman, "Just my luck, the most beautiful woman in the Commonwealth is already married to my best friend."

Nate chuckled, "You always did have really shitty luck when it came to women."

Nora released Hancock and pecked him on the cheek. "Well I think he's wonderful."

Nate smiled, "John's my best friend, watched the little bastard grow up into this deviant, back when I lived in Diamond City. He's like an extension of me."

"You lived in Diamond City? Holy crap! You've got like two hundred years to fill me in on."

Nate sat on the couch and patted the spot next to him. "What do you want to know?"

She smiled at him eagerly. "Everything. Tell me everything."

Hancock took this as his queue to leave the lovebirds alone. He turned to leave when Nora grasped his hand.

"Come on."

"What, me?" Shock evident in his features.

"Yes, you, silly. I want to hear everything, and you're a part of that everything John. You're my husband's best friend, I want to know about you too."

Hancock chuckled, taking a seat and sandwiching Nora in between himself and Nate.

After a few hours Nora drifted off to sleep in between them. Nate looked at her fondly, her head in his lap, legs thrown over Hancock.

John hesitantly ran a hand up Nora's leg reaching out to grasp Nate's hand in his own, "You were right Nate, she really is something else."

Nate grinned, squeezing the fingers linked with his, "Yeah. She really is."