Characters: John Hancock, Female Sole Survivor, Piper Wright
Relationships: John Hancock/F!Sole
Tags: Het, Gen, Fluff, Tickling, Ghoul
Summary: Scientific theories should be thoroughly tested, or so Pepper thought.
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: Hancock is somehow ticklish despite his ghouliness and SS takes way too much pleasure in it. Imagining that voice of his laughing is pretty damn great!
It started out as something innocent.
She had leaned over while they were cleaning their weapons side by side and her elbow had brushed his side. He had squirmed away, she was fascinated.
The next time she got an opportunity was in their home in Sanctuary, he was looking at the liquor bottles trying to decide what he wanted, she had come up behind him, reached through his arm and grabbed a bottle, brushing his side. A snort escaped and he moved away.
Pepper grinned - Hancock, Captain Zombie Pirate of Goodneighbor - was ticklish.
Being of a scientific mind, she decided this theory would take further research.
She decided to see what other places made him squirm.
Later on in the week she had reached up and brushed her finders lightly across his neck, he had shivered turning around and giving her a questioning look, she shrugged, "You had some guts on you."
Hancock was puzzled, Pepper was acting weird. Friendly slaps on the back had turned into something more - intimate - not that he minded!
Christ he was all for that road, but he was standing at the fork and he needed to know which way she wanted to go.
Were they friends or something more? He hoped to a God he wasn't sure existed that it was the latter.
He approached the fire, Piper and Pepper were sitting having a drink.
"Hancock! How's my favourite pirate?"
He rolled his eyes, "'m not a fucking pirate Pepper. I'm a revolutionary."
"Captain John Hancock, Zombie Pirate revo-reve- that word - of Goodneighbor!" She giggled madly.
He looked at Piper, "How much did you let her drink?"
"Enough that she started sprouting funny shit." He gave her a look. "What? This is great material!"
He sighed, helping Pepper up, "If you use any of this in your articles Piper, I'll rip your spine out your ass." To Pepper, "Come on toots, let's get you back in the house."
"Ok." She looked up at him dreamily and he swallowed hard. It was getting harder and harder to resist the temptation of tasting those pretty lips.
He managed to get her sitting on her bed, he bent down to remove her shoes. She leaned forwards and shoved squirming fingers under his arms.
A chuckle escaped him, "Hey! What are you doing?" He pushed her hands gently away. Pulling both shoes off he helped her lie down. He was leaning over her when those nimble fingers attacked his sides again. He snorted, "Quit it."
"I'm – I'm testing a scienfitic thoeremajig." She replied, her face the picture of concentration.
"Really and what would this scientific theory be?"
"You're ticklish."
"I'm bloody not."
"Are too!" Her hands reached up and wiggled against his ribs.
He tried to keep a straight face, he really did, but his body betrayed him. He felt his face twitch, a snort escaped and soon he was rolling around on the bed laughing so hard his eyes were watering.
"Pep-" he collapsed into fits of laughter, "Uncle!" He laughed "Oh God, uncle!" She relented, grinning like an idiot. He was heaving in great lungfuls of air. "You are pure evil." He said smiling madly.
"That was cool."
He pushed himself up on his elbows, "What torturing me?"
"No," she said, suddenly looking sober. "Making you laugh."
He was about to reply when she yawned, jaw popping.
"Come on, you need some sleep." He tucked her in and went to leave, she caught his wrist.
"Stay. Please?"
He sighed, pulled off his boots, he set his hat on her bedside table and settled down beside her. She snuggled against his chest, he wrapped an arm around her and drifted off into oblivion.
Pepper woke up the next morning with a hand protectively encircling her waist. She grinned, reaching for his hat on the side table she placed it on her head. She watched him sleep a little longer before reaching down and wriggling her fingers under his arm.
He snorted and settled again. She smirked and did it again, he started this time.
"What's'at?"
"Morning."
"Hey doll face." He rubbed his eyes before gesturing to the hat, "Looks good on you." She waggled her eyebrows. He snorted at her. His face turned serious, "Listen Pepper, I -"
She cut him off with a kiss.
"Yes." She said when she pulled back.
"What?" He was still trying to process what just happened.
"Yes, I'll be your Zombie Pirate Queen."
He rubbed the back of his head, "Ahhh, geez."
She leapt up on the bed, brandishing a knife from somewhere. "ARRGH!"
He laughed loudly, "You're bat shit."
"Yeah," she grinned, looking down at him, "but you love me."
He smiled up at her, "Yeah. I do. I really do."