Zeelee-Vallen: Look, I am posting a story other than Naruto! So, I've been on a binge for fallout four. Both the game and fanfictions. Although I just adore what's been written, I'm slightly annoyed with the fact they are all relatively the same. (As in, it follows the story line really well) And with the fact near none of them have Valentine as a love interest! So here this story was born. It's an OCxValentine and OcxHancock. Although the other pairing won't happen till later.
Hope you enjoy! It is my first story outside of the Naruto fandom. Also, my updates might not be very stable, or frequent, because I have serious hand issues (Arthritis), and college can be busy.
We do not own the fallout stuff. Yuh.
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Valentine stared. Beside his door was a disheveled pile of rags. It smelled, and had hair sticking out is every direction. Perhaps a dead body? He watched as it shifted, and a cat romped out. A small hand reached out, before quickly being sucked back into the pile. It shifted again, and now a single green eye peered out at him, watching him with a keen-ness he only knew of wild animals.
He stared at it a bit longer, his circuitry processing the possibilities. Slowly he kneeled down, and the single eye seemed to glow. Fear, likely.
Such a disheveled child had to be an orphan. There were tons of them running around the commonwealth. Death was not uncommon.
"Hello, what are you doing here?" He tipped his hat slowly, watching as the child shifted, a blue eye showing now. How rare, to have such vivid eyes. Not only that, but for it to be bicolored.
Slowly he pulled out a Nuka-cola from his trench coats pocket. It was originally going to be for his assistant, but the child seemed to need it more. He held it out with the hand that still had some resemblance of skin. Just in case his robot frame scared it, like everybody else in the commonwealth. The eyes watched him carefully for one moment, then two. Slowly, two skinny arms emerged, swiping the drink. The rest of the child's face showed as it attempted to gnaw on the cap.
The poor thing. It was as feral as a mongrel.
And as skinny as one too. The poor thing had to be at least 14 judging by its skeletal frame, but was so unnourished it looked like a ten year old. It had sunken cheeks. It was almost like its skin clung to its bone like freeze wrap.
Damn his programing. He simple couldn't leave it alone. It looked up to him, its discolored eyes wary as it clung to the bottle. It may not be able to open it, but it must have known it was food of some sort.
He couldn't help his next sentence.
"How about you come stay with me? We must be bound by some sort of fate, seeing as you just so happen to show up on my doorstep." He stood up and held out his hand. He waited for one moment, then two. Finally the child seemed to unrumpled itself from the wall. It stood, it reached just barely up to his chest. It reached out its disheveled hand, eyes glued to his, as if waiting for something bad to happen.
Slowly, it grasped his hand, its small fingers locking lightly. "I… Am…" The small thing paused, its voice so light he wondered if it was just a whisper from down the alley. "Ratface…" Its small voice lowered even more.
"Huh, such a terrible name." He lightly pulled it along behind him, opening the door to his place. |The sign outside flickered as he closed the door behind him.
It nodded, clearly it was full of tension. Although he had to admit, he was surprised it could talk. Seeing as it couldn't open a bottle, he was wondering if it was mentally slow at first. Then, there was the possibility it never had the chance to try open one before.
Poor thing.
"It's what the raiders used to call me." He let go of its hand, but it quickly clung to his arm, its eyes going wide. It also had attachment issues it seemed. It seemed he got himself in quite the situation.
"Well, raiders, hm?" He watched the thing eye the room, taking in every detail. It would explain why it was so jumpy. He could only guess some of the horrific things the raiders did the little boys.
Ah. Boy. Yes, he concluded it was a boy by the way it carried itself, and spoke. Its face also was rather boyish. Due to its malnutrition, he couldn't tell by its skeletal structure, but he could guess.
"Yes…" He watched as he shifted closer to him, the child's eyes going wide as his assistant opened the door.
"Ah, Ellie. Welcome back." He tipped his hat to her, but she remained still.
"Valentine, did you… Pick up another orphan?" She looked almost mortified. Almost.
"Why yes. You see, it had to be some sort of fate, seeing as he happened to be outside our door." The woman just sighed, shaking her head slowly.
"He looks as disheveled as a skeleton." The woman walked in. It must have been too fast for the boy, because he dodged behind Valentine, before tightly clinging to his waist. How strange, the boy was already awfully attached to him. Ellie's face turned red, her shoulders going tense.
Ellie was usually a calm woman. She liked to help people, and laughed often. She just didn't share him well.
"Careful now, the boy seemed to have escaped from some raiders." He said, raising his hands in a calming pattern. She steamed, before turning and going to her room.
"Well, find this one a home faster than the last." She yelled from upstairs.
It made sense why she was angry. They just barely made it by themselves. Another mouth to feed would put light financial strain on the duo.
But not by much, considering he was a synth. He didn't eat, nor sleep. He had a mattress out of habit, and to keep the towns people concerns of his synthhood low.
"The woman does not like me." The child was still clinging to him. "Are you sure it's okay for me to stay?" The poor child looked so sad! Just liked a kicked puppy. He lightly put his skeletal hand on the boys mudded hair before smiling. The child seemed to relax, but yet to show any emotion other than wariness and caution.
"My, it is more than fine! I think Ellie just so happens to be missing the last one, actually. A dainty little girl, yes. Was adopted by a merchant." The child blinked.
"Is… this an orphanage?" He smiled at the kid. He was a lot more intelligent than he would have guessed.
"No, it's a detective agency. Valentine Detective agency to be exact." He attempted to ruffle the child's hair, but it was just too knotted and dirty. A bath would be in order. Although they tended to be a huge luxury, the child seemed like it had not bathed since birth, seeing how dirt clung to him like a second skin.
"Ah…" The child nodded, but showed no recognition in his eyes.
"It means for a price, we solve many different cases. Ranges from missing people to locating objects."
"Ah." Now the child seemed to understand. Valentine attempted to take a step out from the child's arms, but it refused to let go.
"Hey, how long are you planning on holding onto me?" The child stared up at him, not answering. "Not all night?" The child blinked. "Well, you can't sleep holding onto me, now can you?" The child's lips pursed, as if it was thinking. Slowly, it let him go. "Atta boy." The child still stuck rather close to him as he led him to his mattress. "This will be your bed. Best you go to sleep, it's getting pretty late."
"Ah…" The child stared at him, as if staring at god. "Are… Are you sure I can… sleep here?" Valentine looked to the bed. It was a single dirty mattress he scrounged years back. It had a few springs sticking out, and had a few questionable stains. It wasn't the best, but it worked.
"Yeah, it will be yours while you're here." The kids face broke into a huge smile, the grime on his face cracking. A full line of white teeth showed.
"Thank you!" It sat down on the bed, bouncing lightly. He giggled, the sound light on Valentines ears. So light, he questioned the fact if the boy was a girl. The kid pulled out the bottle from its heap of rags, and began to gnaw on it.
His teeth wouldn't stay so nice and shiny if it kept biting that bottle cap. Valentine reached out his skeletal hand, accidently forgetting to use the better one. The child stared at his hand, fear filling its eyes.
Ah, a synth would scare him. That's not too abnormal. Then, it clutched the bottle to its chest, holding it tightly for a moment. Sadness emitted from him as he slowly held the bottle out, he looked absolutely defeated as he grasped the bottle. The sound of metal and glass tinged as the child shoved it into his grasp.
Valentine blinked owlishly. Was the boy scared of him taking the drink, rather than his hand? His synth hood was enough to send a few orphans running. Slowly, the child's face morphed to blank as he watched the bottle in Valentines hands.
He took the bottle and cracked it open. The child watched him, face now skillfully blank.
This would be a big test. He held out the bottle with his skeletal hand. The child looked to him, then the bottle, questioning.
"Are… you giving it back to me?" So that was what the child feared? He nodded, watching as the child light up. The child grasped the bottle, his fleshy hand touching his skeletal one. Not even a flinch, or a fraction of discomfort as the child took the bottle.
It in fact did not bother the child.
"Huh, you're a pretty interesting one." He grinned as the child clutched the bottle, holding it tightly rather than drinking it.
"I am happy." The child turned its bright smile to him, making his insides warm. Figuratively. If they really did warm, he would need to get a checkup with the local mechanic. "Thank you highly, Valentine."
He blinked. What high class words for a bumk- the child passed out, sitting, while clutching the bottle.
How comical!
He took the bottle from his firm grasp and placed it beside the bed, along with the lone bottlecap. Slowly, he laid the boy down. Once again, he looked like a pile of rags.
Perhaps it was a defense mechanism.
Either way, he looked forward to the boy waking up.