This is a Fallout 4 Fic featuring my FSS/ Amelia and everyone's favorite ghoul mayor post "The Big Dig" quest. Rated M for language and maybe other stuff later. I own nothing, I'm just playing in Bethesda's sandbox. Please read and review! More chapters soon, if I get some positive feedback.

Amelia wasn't entirely sure about her new companion. Hancock was a very interesting man…ghoul…guy.

She was still feeling embarrassed at being tricked by Bobbi-No-Nose into breaking into the mayor of Goodneighbor's personal stash, but luckily he had believed that she was an innocent pawn in Bobbi's failed plan. Surprisingly, he seemed to like Amelia so much that he offered to travel with her. She was a little stunned, but overall pleased since he was obviously capable of watching her ass as well as his own. He proved this shortly after leaving town when they stumbled upon a shit storm of Gunners in the Postal Square. Afterwards she was still a little shell shocked while he picked through the bodies for loot, muttering to himself, "Well, at least they tried…"

Now he was currently sitting on a rusted stool at Power Noodles in Diamond city, flinging rubbery pasta at the back of Takahashi's chrome head. He chuckled softly to himself with every direct hit, and tilted his tri-corner hat lower over his eyes. Amelia kept watching him as he reached back to scratch at his ribs through his heavy, red wool coat. She wondered if he wore it all the time. Sure, it was fine now in October with a chill in the air, but he would sweat to death in the warmer months, or did ghouls have some weird, anti-sweat mutation?

She finished her transaction with Arturo, the full boxes of .308 a comforting weight in her pack, and motioned to Hancock that she was ready to head out. He leaned his head back and raised the bowl to his lips, tipping in the remaining noodles and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Hang on one second." He told her in a scratchy voice, and ducked under the yellow sign of Commonwealth Weaponry. He emerged a few moments later with shiny new .45 combat rifle.

"I figured I would buy myself something nice to celebrate my new job as a roving bodyguard." He patted the gun with a gnarled hand and winked at Amelia as they left the city walking north towards the river.

"Bodyguard?" she gave him a playful grin. "What makes you think I need guarding?"

Hancock gave her a lurid glance from head to foot, and whistled low.

"Sister, with that body, I should probably be guarding you from myself."

He kept walking, with a definite swagger in his step, leaving Amelia standing still with her mouth hanging open. She definitely wasn't expecting that.

A couple of hours later they strode into the Red Rocket where Amelia had made a small, but heavily fortified safe house. They were greeted by a very waggy Dogmeat, who was excessively pleased to see Amelia. He sniffed cautiously at Hancock, but didn't growl or bark, so Amelia figured it was safe to leave them together while she took a much needed shower. She retreated to the back room where she had rigged a shower nozzle connected by rubber tubing to a large barrel of water on the roof. The water was heated by the sun and fed into the nozzle by gravity, resulting in a pretty authentic shower experience…for the wasteland anyway. She took her time and enjoyed the warm water, rinsing the grime from her skin and her long, chestnut hair. She dried off and zipped herself into a clean vault suit, leaving the armor off for now.

She returned to the small living quarters in the garage bay and found Hancock draped across the tattered sofa, his face hidden behind the Grognak comic he was reading while scratching Dogmeat between the ears. He caught a whiff of soap and peeped covertly over the top of the comic book, taking in the sight of her tight fitting suit and the cascade of dark, damp hair. He though had been joking when he said she needed to be guarded because of her looks, but now he was feeling that he may have been right after all.

Hancock had become pretty used to being alone in the past several years. He had spent most of that time convincing himself that he had all he needed in Goodneighbor. He was respected, even idolized by the citizens there, and he was proud of what he had accomplished in making a safe place for the outcasts of the Commonwealth. He had moved past any longings for female companionship by going on short 'clean up' missions with Fahrenheit to keep the riff raff well away from his town. Not that she hadn't offered on occasion to engage in recreational activities, but somehow seeing the tall woman blast raiders and super mutants into tiny pieces with unbridled glee curbed any potential romantic feelings he may have had.

Amelia was different though. While she was no less deadly with that sniper rifle she loved so much, she didn't seem to thrill in the killing like Fahrenheit did. She still had a deep, warm, caring aura of humanity about her; even after losing the two most important people in her life in a way that would have had most people irreparably broken, or at least forever altered into a different, harder, being. She wasn't lost yet, and more than anything he wanted to make sure she never got there.

She was leaning over an open footlocker and pulling out a dingy yellow sleeping bag, which she carried back into the office area of the Red Rocket. He breathed in her clean scent more deeply and held it in his lungs, anticipating the proverbial boot he was about to receive to other sleeping quarters. When she came back she stood silently for a moment before clearing her throat to get his attention.

"Ok, I've got you all set in the office." She said, pointing in that direction. "Shower is in the small room to the left, sleeping bag is behind the counter, and the outhouse is around back past the Nuka Cola machine." She smiled in a way that politely said get out of my space, so he did just that, giving Dogmeat a final pat and tipping his tri-corner to her as he went out.

He found the sleeping bag along with a clean pillow and even a damn teddy bear on the floor behind the counter. So, she had jokes. He kicked the teddy bear into the corner, sighed heavily, and hit the shower.

Fucking friend zone.