Authors note: This is a shameless self insert with a non binary protagonist. It might not be just everyones cup of tea,
but I hope it brings some enjoyment to people equally in love with everyones favourite ghoul mayor.
Coarse language and later mildly sexual themes might abound. Mentions of drug use, as common to the Fallout universe,
especially when in company of this charming raisin.
English is not my first language but for accessibility I prefer using it, bear with me if spellcheck didn't catch everything.
Now please, buckle up and join me for the ride...
The sun rose over the Commonwealth bringing a golden glow to the dry grass of the wastes.
The world looked almost ethereal, almost peaceful with the daylight soaking the broken asphalt and the earth softly crumbling under the soles of his boots.
Standing at the edge of Sanctuary Hills was a single figure, red frock gently swaying in the breeze.
His dark eyes saw the remaining blue and yellow colour of the houses that still held up bravely after more than 200 years.
He saw the settlers between the houses going to work on the fields that grew mutfruit and tatos, carrots and gourd.
Lately they had even started on melons to the apparent delight of their repairman Sturges.
Sanctuary Hills had grown fast since the sole survivor from the nearby vault, a man who called himself Dancer, started to make it his home.
He had helped the last one of the Minutemen here, who along with his group of settlers gave this place life again.
The walls and turrets he had installed, the water supply and increasing influx of settlers had made Sanctuary Hills indeed a sanctuary for many
and one of the safest places in the Commonwealth. Safe and boring.
The man in red rubbed his eyes. Being outside on a sunny day like this was annoying.
In the city the high houses and constant dust shielded the inhabitants from the brunt of the sun. There was also not a lot of clean air to be had but in a way he liked that.
He had almost forgiven Dancer for blowing a hole into his strongroom, almost forgiven him for stealing from him,
almost forgiven him even for killing his bodyguard. He had promised him adventure, to take the mayor of Goodneighbor out of town,
away from the duties and position of power he had grown too comfortable in. He had promised to take him,
John Hancock along so he could sharpen up the old killer instinct alongside another formidable fighter and where had it gotten him?
After unsurprisingly getting sneered at by the Diamond City guards for being a ghoul he had been sent here.
It had been nice to see private eye Nick Valentine again, despite their differences both had always gotten along well,
but it had become clear very quickly that Dancer valued the company of the synth detective over that of the most charismatic ghoul in town.
His loss. But still, to be stuck in a settlement, just waiting for the man who recruited him for adventure,
hoping he might make good on his promise after all, was far from what Hancock had signed up for.
He slowly sauntered down to the area around the settlements workshop where some people where usually hanging out.
Maybe he could catch some gossip or find out if the scavengers found anything worthwhile to trade.
It had only been a couple of days so far but Dancer had taken most of his chems when they parted, for combat reasons,
and even though he suspected the old woman they called Mama Murphy might have her own stash asking anything of her was far from his mind.
One just doesn't bother sweet old ladies even if one is bored out of their mind and can't even catch a high to pass the time.
When he passed by the scavenging station, unexpectedly a bottle of beer was thrust into his hand. Even more unexpectedly it was cold.
Hancock squinted at the bottle, then at the pale hand still gripping the bottleneck.
It was connected to a leather clad arm, which belonged to one of the scavengers Dancer had assigned.
They were of middling height and middling build, didn't look like much, but their slightly lined face suggested that they at least survived their twenties
and were planning on doing some more aging still. The most vibrant thing about the guy was that short teal hair they wore in an old fashioned sidecut.
Their broad hips but flat chest had given him pause at first when puzzling over how to address them, but Hancock was not a man to tell anyone
how to live their life and if it meant referring to someone in gender neutral terms he could do it.
What was their name again? "Elij, was it? Thanks.", he rasped, but the hand holding his beer hostage still didn't release its grip.
Hancock raised his eyebrows and looked at the other person quizzically.
"Yes, sorry, of course." the scavenger averted their gaze. "I actually wanted to ask you something."
The ghoul grinned. "Actually, I have a question first: This is cold. How?"
Elij pointed to a robot standing close by. "Drinking buddy. Dancer brought it in during the night. It produces cold beer.
I have no idea how it does it, I have never found anything remotely that amazing and I'm telling you, I'm out there a lot.
It's also been ages since I drank anything this fresh. Sure, there's Bobrovs moonshine and that's pretty decent and basically
everything tastes better if you're on something, but that stuff here, that's the real deal and .. and I'm rambling. Sorry."
Elijs grey eyes widened like they just stepped on a tripwire.
They had never been to Goodneighbor but Diamond City was close and most people there had at least heard the stories about Mayor Hancock.
While other guys like Sturges or good natured Preston might put up with their enthusiasm they decidedly doubted this man would have much patience for that.
"Heh, don't worry kid." Hancock smiled. "Some rambling is preferred to that infernal silence these past days. Being holed up in here gets at least a bit better
when someone's doing some talking sometimes. You feel me?"
"I ... feel you?" Elij was taken aback a bit by being called kid, but glad the ghoul humoured them.
"You also gave me beer, so I'd say we're good." Hancock took a swig from the bottle, clearly surprised.
"Actually good beer, you were not lying. Usually that stuff tastes like piss." They both grinned.
Elij had only arrived to Sanctuary Hills a couple of weeks before Dancer sent Hancock there.
They had pretty soon made a bit of a name for themselves as a decent scavenger but making friends was hard, especially when being out and about in the woods and ruins so much.
Sturges was always busy fixing appliances and structures of the settlement, the steady sounds of his hammer against one of the buildings walls being reassuringly present now too.
Preston Garvey sat on the edge of the old carport not far from the scavenging station also drinking one of the beers that the new robot provided and through the door Elij could hear the soft creaking of Mama Murphy's chair in which the old lady sat, snoring slightly in the morning sun streaming through some holes in the wall behind her.
"So, your question for me? Shoot." Hancocks voice broke Elijs contemplation of their surroundings.
"Aaah, yes. I know it's probably dumb and I'm probably wrong but..", the next words came out very fast and almost inaudible:
"You seem kinda bored." Hancock laughed loudly. "Hah, and here I thought I was being subtle. What gave it away? Was it the frequent yawning?"
"That maybe and you hanging around the scavenging station trying to get a hold of any alcohol or chems we brought in to kill the time."
The ghoul narrowed his eyes at Elij. "Hey now, if there's nothing to do there's nothing to do, can't fault a man for looking for a little way out and I trade you fair and square.
So if you're done judging..."
"I'm not judging", Elij interjected, "I'm offering a way out."
Hancock inclined his head. "I'm interested."
Fumbling nervously Elij explained their troubles with small bands of raiders being present in the woods recently.
Nothing big enough to start an assault on the settlement but enough to make scavenging alone more dangerous than usual.
So, they proposed, if Hancock felt like doing something to distract himself, maybe he'd like to accompany Elij out there.
Even if there was nothing to shoot out there it at least opened up the possibility to find some more materials and ingedients and more pockets could carry more loot.
It would be a change and at least be better than just sitting around waiting to get bored to death or go feral, whatever came first.
Smiling the ghoul put an arm around the scavengers shoulder. "You got yourself a partner, friend."
Of course this companion was being a far shot from the impressive figure Dancer cut as he fearlessly stood before him in Goodneighbour,
confessing theft and easily taking out the one who planned the heist afterwards.
Still, making small trips beyond the walls with a friendly face at his side might be the next best thing to saving the world or whatever Dancer was up to
when he was not procuring beer making robots from god knows where.
Finishing his beer Hancock fell into step next to Elij, leaving Sanctuary Hills through one of the gates.
There were indeed raiders in the woods and together they took out a small band of three that had set up camp in a small pit between the trees.
They had not concealed their smoking firepit well and were taken by surprise when Elij and the mayor attacked them.
Going through the loot revealed some positive surprises in the form of four hits of jet and a pack of mentats in addition to the more useful weapons,
ammunition and armour their three unlucky victims possessed.
Elij passed the chems to Hancock. "Couldn't have done it alone. I usually just do coffee myself and the stuff is not essential to running the camp so..."
The ghoul nodded and the chems disappeared in the pockets of his coat. "Coffee eh? I guess it keeps you awake.
Always been more of a mentats ghoul myself, makes me feel intellectual." For a second it seemed Elij gave the chems a wistful look,
but it was gone as fast as it appeared and even remembering their earlier words about everything tasting better with a bit of a high Hancock didn't give it much consideration.
If they wanted to share something later, they could still ask. For now there was more to explore, maybe more to kill even.
Their continued exploration rewarded them with another small group of raiders, a couple mole rats that almost took a chunk out of Elijs leg and a decent amount of hubflowers
which Elij swore they could make something useful out of. When they returned to Sanctuary Hills the sun was setting and their pockets where heavy.
"Held yourself well out there pal." Hancock smiled. After a second of consideration he then shoved one of the inhalers they found in Elijs pocket.
"Thanks but," Elij started but Hancock interrupted them, "You do with that whatever you want and if you need more of anything you just ask,
and if it's just more of the company of a charming ghoul. You know where to find me."
Elij laughed nervously. The man was indeed charming but they had a feeling he would enable the worst of their habits.
Back in Diamond City chems had been expensive but every now and then they enjoyed taking some.
Still Elij was mindful of the dangers addiction could prove so they tried to not indulge in that kind of activity too often.
Elij decided to forgo any more comments on the jet sitting in their pocket now. "You know what," they called after the man in the red frock walking towards one of the houses.
"More company it is. If you don't mind. Another run, tomorrow, back here at sunrise."
They were met by a smile and those black eyes winking at them with a mischievous glint.
They went out again the next day, and the day after that. It quickly became a routine, a comfortable companionship and the steady influx of building materials,
food and other useful items had never been as good in Sanctuary Hills since Dancer had taken his attention elsewhere.
The humming of small insects, light filtering through the trees while dust motes danced, familiar heavy steps next to them,
feeling their own breath going in and out again, being out there was where Elij found living easiest.
They had enough of cramped environments for a lifetime and Sanctuary Hills was the most free they had felt in years.
The tatos where coming along nicely and they knew any day now they'd have to assist with the harvest.
In their mind they already contemplated the dishes that could be made with the amount of fresh fruit the gardens now produced.
Maybe they could try to make roasted carrot strips with a tato mush like their mother used to make.
Mother, wherever she was would probably shudder at the company her child kept nowadays.
Elij glanced over to Hancock who just stuffed some more hubflowers into his pockets. Probably crushing them awfully with that attitude, but it mattered little.
The first time Elij saw a ghoul they had been shocked by their unfamiliar looks.
The rough, pocked skin and most importantly lack of a nose had been startling but they had quickly found themselves fascinated by the resilience of many of these people.
Disfigured by radiation they had the benefit of being almost immune to its damaging effects. Furthermore their changed state seemed to grant them a longevity
that was unheard of for mere humans. Some ghouls where even human before the war, over 200 years old and lived to tell their stories.
Not Hancock though, the stories he recounted where much more recent and mostly anecdotes of his life in Goodneighbor.
The way he told it he had formed a peaceful community out of drifters and others, everybody was welcome. It sounded nice.
Other times he told of bloody altercations with raiders and gunners, who just seemed like a slightly deadlier type of raider, of excess and indulgence. That also sounded nice.
"One day I might have to visit Goodneighbor, you know." Elij spoke up through the comfortable silence that had settled between them since heading out that day.
"And here I was wondering if you swallowed your tongue." A low raspy chuckle came from the ghoul. "I could show you around. A soft thing like you might just get eaten up otherwise."
Elij grinned, "We can't all have your enviable affliction. I suppose the lack of a nose helps with the smell of the place at least."
Hancock considered them wryly, "You'd be surprised how little it does. And watch your step if you actually don't want to look like me."
It was too late though, distracted Elij had missed the signs of a small sinkhole opening up before them and unceremonously tumbled into the dirty water collected at the bottom.
The tails of their leather coat floated up, their undershirt plastered tightly to their chest in the puddle they now sat in.
"Well fuck." Elij pulled themselves up on one of the barrels stuck in the muddy ground next to them, then pulled their hand back quickly.
The faded yellow and black of the hazard symbol indicated nuclear waste.
"Lots of rads down there, so if you don't want to collect a healthy green glow..." Hancock reached out and Elij gladly took the offered hand to climb out.
Quickly putting some distance between themselves and the dangerous pit they started stripping off their wet clothes.
"If that's for my benefit I can only say: I'm benefitting." Hancock laughed.
"Ha-fucking-ha." Elij struggled with their pants, coat and shirt discarded on the forest floor.
"I'm just trying not to turn ghoul over here, getting that irradiated shit off of me is the safest option, so if you got any other suggestions let's hear them."
The man of course knew that Elij had a point, but couldn't refrain from teasing them.
"You wouldn't turn ghoul anyway. Most people just die. Not that it wouldn't be a good look for you." He winked.
Elij threw him an exasperated glance as they shuffled through one of their packs for a spare and dry set of road leathers pulling them out with a flourish.
"Auf jeden Fall vorbereitet."
"Come again?" Hancock squinted. "Ah, sorry, the pun doesn't work in english." Elij smiled wryly, "Prepared for every every matter, or well fall. Literally a fall in this case though."
"Doesn't explain the language but I know better than to pry." The ghoul shrugged. "Now you might want to change the outfit emperor, I like the clothes, but there might be trouble up ahead."
Indeed, only a little distance from the irradiated sinkhole they found a small bunker in which raiders had set up camp. With practiced routine the two of them took the raiders out.
Deeper inside they uncovered a rusted door with a simple lock that nevertheless had proven too much for the raiders before apparently.
Grabbing a bobby pin Elij made short work of the lock, revealing a small stash of ammunition, but also saw them confronted with two feral ghouls.
Elij screamed and scrambled backwards as the creatures ran towards them.
"Had to be Ferals." Hancock sounded a tad remorseful shooting his unlucky ghoul brethren whose brains had deteriorated under the radiation to put them into a state of mindless frenzy.
There was never much to be done for these former people, not many options other than to put them out of their misery.
Elijs heart was beating hard and fast, still on the floor looking in horror at the disfigured bodies lying on the ground mere inches from their feet.
"Thanks," they hoisted themselves to their feet. "I kinda panicked there." "Yeah, right." Hancock turned the bodies over and went through the pockets of their rags.
"Let's see what they got and then get out of here."
Grabbing the ammunition and whatever else of worth they could find they made their way out of the bunker.
On the way back to Sanctuary Hills Elij grabbed the now dry leather coat they had hung over a branch earlier. "Not leaving that here, even if it gives me rad poisoning."
Hancock shrugged. "Let me carry it and we sort it out when we're back." He said and tossed the coat over his shoulder.
Elij, walking behind him couldn't suppress a shiver, remembering another silhouette carrying the very same coat in a similar manner, years ago.
In another life, a life forever lost. Catching up quickly they made it through the gate just after nightfall.
The area around the workshop was illuminated by a couple of electrical lamps, a rare sight in the Commonwealth.
"We've done well for ourselves here." Elij said, facing Preston Garvey who took the goods they collected off their hands to store them in the workshop.
Preston nodded, "I'd never have thought we could make another home for ourselves like this, set up safely, bring the Minutemen back, but Dancer really did it."
"He has done a lot, hasn't he?" Elij was impressed. The sole survivor had done so much for the people of the Commonwealth, even though his own struggles where mostly a closed book to them.
Garvey furrowed his brow. "Indeed he has. We're about to liberate another place soon, a big step for the Minutemen. We'll all be safer once it's done, every single settlement, but.."
"But? But he's out there and you have no idea when he'll grace you with his presence again, am I right?" Hancock interjected.
Garvey shrugged. "You're right but, he's the General. If he decides we're not ready yet we wait." He turned back to Elij. "Mama Murphy asked for you, care to see her?"
"I'm just gonna toss your coat over a pole over there, air it out a bit more." Hancock pointed, making his exit.
Elij went into the house with its faded yellow shingles. "Mama Murphy?" They said softly through the gloom.
The old woman raised her head and regarded them through watery blue eyes. "Ah there you are kid. Had quite a scare out there, didn't you?"
Elij looked at her quizzically but shrugged it off. Mama Murphy tended to say confusing stuff, seemingly knowing more than she ought to know,
but once you start to believe in visions and destiny you have to start asking yourself how much of your life is really your own decisions and how much is predetermined
and Elij was not going there. Instead they went a step closer to better address the old woman. "It was an exciting day." Elij acknowledged. "How can I help you?"
Mama Murphy looked at her hands folded in her lap, they were thin, dotted with the marks of age. "When you were out there, did you find anything?"
Her voice was very soft and low now. "Like, maybe you came upon some chems? Like a little bit of jet maybe?"
Elij had known the old lady was taking chems sometimes but so far hadn't been the one asked to provide them for her.
They felt conflicted giving an old woman something that might reduce the span of her remaining years further,
but on the other hand it was a blessing to grow that old in the Commonwealth at all.
Who would deny an old woman that little bit of escapism she could get from the cage of her old flesh and bones.
"In fact I do.", they said. The jet had made its way into their water tight pack days earlier and was quickly procured.
The thankful look in Mama Murphy's eyes made it quite worth it to part with the inhaler.
No high would ever beat giving someone a helping hand, Elij had resolved that for themselves years ago.
Tired they dragged their feet back to the wooden shack they had chosen as their sleeping place.
There were two other mattresses in the other room of the hut, divided by a thin wall from their own sleeping bag.
The two settlers who shared these were a young couple, maybe in their early twenties and it was sometimes hard to find sleep
when the sounds of kissing and barely restrained heavy breathing got too obnoxious.
Still, in this world you had to grab your pleasures when they presented themselves and going outside for a bit longer
to look at the stars overhead was preferrable to starting a fight over people just loving each other.
Sure enough the coat was hanging over a pole right next to the shack.
It was a dear memory even more than it was a protective piece of clothing.
Elij ripped the cover off a can of cram and started eating. Never think too much about that stuff being 200 years old or the rads you got just from eating it.
They had used one of the rare packs of radaway the settlement stored for cases of mild radiation poisoning earlier and were feeling pretty much normal again.
The scrapes and bruises from the encounter with raiders and ghouls were not too bad but Elij shuddered at the thought of what the ferals could have done to them,
just armed with a bobby pin, on the ground, shaken to the core by the distorted faces jumping out at them.
Tonight would be hard to sleep even after everyone else was silent again. Elij didn't know if the images of the past would ever stop haunting them,
but the old demons would definitely be more alive after a day like this. Now if they just still had that hit of jet.
Hah, they silently laughed at themselves. Elij had slept through more than one night full of nightmares and would do it again.
Another day survived, and the bad had always been paired with the good, the joy of reliable company was worth a lot when one knew they didn't have to face the dangers of this world alone.