"Catch!" The explosion threw up dirt and stones making them fly like shrapnel and this time Elij was really glad they had kept their head down.
The raiders had holed up well and the cave seemed to stretch endlessly into the depths. Elij couldn't help but read some terminal entries on the way down
and they sent shivers the scavenger couldn't quite reasonably account for down their spine. Their dread grew increasingly the deeper they plunged into the quarry.
"I'll need some jet after this." Hah, you and me both Hancock, Elij thought, laying down coverfire.
They had come upon some pockets of gas earlier and Elij almost singed their eyebrows off their face when they started shooting at yet another raider.
But all things considered they had made good progress. It's hard to account for the passing of time when you're crawling through dark passages
only lit by a meagre number of dim lamps the raiders had set up for their operation. Elij didn't know what they had been searching here and really didn't have any intention to find out.
In the end they came upon some feral ghouls again but with their rifle already firmly in their hands and Hancock at their back
those were much less of a problem than they could have been. The events of the day Elij lost their caravan and their lover would never completely fade from their memory,
but they were easier to bear now. Protecting the good things that are felt much more important than regretting those lost.
They had gazed into the small pool of irradiated water in the cave the ferals had been contained in but none of the both was eager to find out
if there were indescribable treasures at the bottom. The oppressive feeling of dread that had gripped Elij before and that they just couldn't shake was even worse down here.
Even Hancock seemed relieved when Elij turned away from the pond with a decisive "Fuck this. Let's get outta here."
When they finally emerged back into the daylight Elij squinted against the sun. "Holy shit, has the Commonwealth always been that bright?" They shielded their eyes with their hand.
"Brighter now with these guys gone." Hancock said, and indeed he sounded much happier now that they were both breathing fresh air again.
Elij sighed. "That was fucking scary. What was this place even?" Hancock shrugged. The fights had been hard, the raiders determined not to give up a good spot like this
with defenses that would have deterred almost every attacker that might have thought of contending their claim.
Yet they had not been prepared for the sheer death defying arrogance with which Elij had marched in and probably even less for the man having their back.
He was proud of the scavenger who seemed to have found a new sense of confidence now. It was good to be trusted like this, to fight together,
at least as long as one managed not to think about losing each other. The lower areas of the quarry had been unsettling, here he agreed.
But common sense had come back to Elij before they shrugged off their coat again to take a swim in entirely unreasonable conditions.
That watery grave was better off without another corpse adding itself willingly. Nothing down there could have been worth taking that risk.
Anyway they had found quite a bit of loot on the raiders and in the tunnels. Again they were well stocked on ammunition and had even found some mini nukes.
The glint in Elijs eyes when they picked those up had been simultaneously unsettling and appealing.
It might have been nice to make some caps from that but Hancock sensed it was more likely there were some exciting explosions in their near future.
Elij had turned on the radio on their pip boy and leafed through a magazin they had found on a workbench. Astoundingly Awesome Tales, in astoundingly awsome condition.
Elij grinned. Lately it felt like luck was on their side and success quite possible. This magazine was great, the music was wonderful,
the sun was shining and the man at their side was … well giving them some rather quizzical side eye right now. But it was lovely side eye.
They gave Hancock a bright smile and received one in return. The straight white teeth in his scarred, noseless face seemed so weirdly out of place and yet,
everything still fit together perfectly. To Elij he was perfect. To have this man not only as a friend but agreeing to pursue a relationship,
to get so close to his heart was more than Elij would have dared ask for. It was painfully obvious how badly he had been struggling, fighting,
running for so long just to be disappointed again when he just decided to trust a new acquaintance. Just when Hancock thought he might be able to call someone a friend again
Dancer had betrayed his trust. Elij's heart felt close to bursting, to be found deserving of this trust, deserving of love.
Now they were walking side by side, leafs rustling gently as the wind drove them down the sides of the derelict road like they too were travelling somewhere.
Some radstags could be seen in the distance, but they disappeared into the bushes quickly when they sensed the proximity of the wanderers.
Their next stop would be Greentop Nursery, a place Dancer himself had brought into the fold for the minutemen.
But that had been some time ago and after those had found themselves unable to send up help in time during a raider attack
the settlers there had decided to rather fend for themselves again. Still it couldn't hurt to check in with them,
maybe they could be convinced to support the Minutemen again or use some help with the fortifications for their settlement.
Elij's fingers brushed lightly against the back of Hancock's hand as they had been walking closer and closer to him, while still reading the comic book.
"You wanna take that break now?" he asked, his voice raspy, teeming with barely conceiled amusement and oh so close.
Elij looked up from the magazine and considered the position of the sun. The way ahead wasn't terribly long but they'd probably want to make camp at the settlement once they arrived.
They'd easily be there before nightfall even if they took a break now. Their packs were full and heavy and it had been a while since they had eaten so Elij gave an affirming nod.
They found a smooth patch of grass a bit to the side of the road and Elij let themselves plop down into a sitting position, immediately starting to examine the contents of their pack.
The magazine lay abandoned on the ground. The ghoul sat down next to them slowly and arguably more graceful, regarding Elij thoughtfully.
"So, what's for dinner?" He asked, a smile playing around his thin, chapped lips. Elij raised an eyebrow at him. "Dinner? Isn't it more like lunchtime?"
They furrowed their brow in thought. "Linner? Dunch? Ah, I guess it doesn't matter. I have some cram here and salesbury steak, also fancy lad cakes, but it's the last box so I dunno.
I don't want to waste it." They carefully laid out the aforementioned items but thoughtfully held on to the sweet pastries. Hancock laughed. "You don't want to waste it?"
Elij looked down at the sweet prize in their hands. "They're better for breakfast aren't they? With some coffee? It just seems like there might be a better time or use for them."
"Oh, like I didn't catch you feeding cake to the rats at the old statehouse before." Hancock remarked dryly.
Elij shrugged: "They were more adorable than about 90 percent of the people around there, I think they earned their share of the goods."
The ghoul inclined his head. "And the other ten percent?" "Were spying on me apparently." Elij laughed and tossed him the box of cakes.
Hancock caught it just to lean over and make it disappear into the bag again. "The steak then, and those for breakfast.", he acquisced and they began eating in companionable silence.
Elij had failed to notice how hungry they had actually been. The low terror that had held them in suspense during their exploration of the quarry, the fighting,
high adrenaline and subsequent trek back to the settlement had them exhausted and frankly ravenous.
They could feel the amused glances of their companion on them but didn't really care. The food was soon gone and Elij tentatively leaned their head against Hancock's shoulder.
The radio was still playing, one of Magnolia's songs and Elij thought back to the celebration of their library adventure in the Third Rail.
Goodneighbor might have been full of drifters and drugs and crime but it was also surprisingly peaceful and against all odds it felt safe.
Hancock was still respected and beloved there, chances were the citizens would want their mayor back at some point. And Elij?
"My home is with you.", they whispered, almost inaudibly, their ear leaning against the ghouls firm shoulder, the ancient fabric of the coat with it's often mended
but still sturdy texture pressed against their cheek. Hancock grasped Elijs hand firmly, inclining his head towards them.
His breath ghosted over Elijs face as he spoke sincerely: "And with you is where I belong. I'm done running. We do this together."
It was reassuring, the low rumbling of his voice, the sound of his breathing next to them, all the while insects were dancing in the golden rays of the sun
filtering through the sparse vegetation. A warm and friendly autumn day and a warm and comforting presence next to them, Elij felt like they could almost just fall asleep.
But it was not the time for napping and very soon they packed up again, heading out towards Greentop Nursery.
They fell into step as comfortably as before, walking in silence that didn't stand between them but rather bound them together, reassuring and familiar.
Not many words were needed, so why fill the air with idle chatter.
In the settlement they'd have to speak again, ask for accomodations and offer help. Reassure the settlers, that the minutemen were still out there and caring,
even if their capacities often didn't stretch that far north lately. Then rest. Elij glanced over at the ghoul walking down this dusty road barely an arm's length away.
If they stretched out their fingers they could touch his shoulder. And it'd be good, a welcome thing. To be able to do that, search that contact and find it
in someone who'd not push them away, not malign them for their weakness in looking for that connection, that escape from the homelessness in their heart,
it was a gift of unmeasurable worth to Elij.
They thought about sharing a bed again and their heart beat faster. Sure, they had slept close together before, that attraction unspoken of,
an innocent companionable closeness, but now things were different. Were there expectations? Why was it so hard to keep their breath slow and steady all of a sudden?
Must have been all that walking. Elij coughed and tried to concentrate their attention on the road. The nervousness was still with them all the way to the settlement.
Talking to the settlers brought some relief in the form of much needed distraction. Not far from Greentop Nursery Elij had marked an old trashcan to the side of the road
with a railroad sign and left a message for anyone who might be able to find it. Whoever read it would know roughly which settlements they were visiting,
some safe locations to camp and that they were willing to help with the safety of "packages" that might need transporting.
Elij hoped it wouldn't be the wrong kind of people to find this, but super mutants were notoriously bad at reading and they'd be able to deal with raiders
if that sort would decide to check out who was advertising courier services around here.
The area around Greentop Nursery had been relatively calm lately. Reportedly a heavily armed small team of mercenaries had cleared out a super mutant hideout to the north
lately which made everyone feel a lot safer. Whoever it was had not bothered to check in with the settlement though, so they just put it down to lucky coincidence.
The crops were coming along well too and Elij took the opportunity to exchange some caps, armour and ammunition for fresh mutfruit and corn.
A dark haired woman with calm hazel eyes helped Elij pick out some nice pieces of produce that would stay fresh a while longer while they traveled and assured them
that they could have use of a guest bed in one of the shacks they had set up next to the greenhouse.
Luckily nobody took exception to Hancock's presence either. The settlers were used to trading with the occasional visitor from the Slog nearby
and it was solely Hancock's reputation which would be cause for some unease. The ghoul only took to smiling at that, well aware of the name he had made for himself
in the Commonwealth. Holding back and having Elij do the talking worked out well enough for him.
He leaned against the metal doorframe of the greenhouse and watched as Elij gave away some freshly acquired raider armour and ammunition for fruit
that was only worth a fraction of the price the stuff would have fetched with a trader. How they held themselves straight and open, an amiable smile on their dirt streaked face,
their arms gesticulating and the corners of their grey eyes crinkling, laughing. The woman they spoke to laughed too, inclining her head just so.
Wondering probably, about that charming young man whose face was a bit too soft, voice a bit too high pitched, hips a bit too broad.
Of course the worn leather coat was hiding much of Elij's form from his eyes, especially when he just watched them from the back,
but he had seen them often enough in various states of undress to know the mixed signals they were sending to people who saw them for the first time and how confusing
those little bits of cognitive dissonance could be. People always tried to categorize something that didn't need categorizing, just needed to be left alone, not for anyone else to change.
"Hancock?" Elij had turned around looking at him with those bright eyes so prone to smiling. "We get to sleep in the shack over there."
They pointed at a rickety thing made from mismatched wood held together by rusty nails, tape and hope. "One bed in there but we have the sleeping bags too."
Hancock nodded. Sure, they had those. The shack wouldn't be so bad as long as it held together and didn't fall on their heads.
Being somewhat separate from the settlers wouldn't be that bad either, though it was anyones guess why they didn't suggest housing them inside the main building
which bespoke a somewhat better structural integrity.
"The traders we get usually sleep in there.", the settler spoke up. "We prefer it, especially when they come from, well, over there."
She vaguely guestured into the general direction of the Slog and shrugged her shoulders. "The two of you can still eat dinner with us of course.
Sally is making a vegetable broth that should be done soon, there's enough for everyone." And the smile she gave Elij was sincere and friendly.
The food was good and amply paid for by the supplies Elij had given up to the settlers before. They had also tinkered with the turrets
and claimed to have fixed some minor issues with the targeting systems, but Hancock didn't care too much about the particulars.
As far as it concerned him they were out here to help people. The best way he knew to do that was shooting at anything that threatened people's peaceful lives.
Building machinery was an area of expertise he was happy to leave to somebody else. He had slipped one of the more overworked looking guys a shot of jet earlier,
but wouldn't argue that the supplies and improved security measures would probably be of more help for the settlement in the long run.
When they finally retired to their assigned sleeping quarters both travelers felt tired, but accomplished.
"We did good today." Elij beamed at Hancock, carefully closing the wooden door, the creaking of the hinges almost swallowing the words.
"Well, at least we won't get surprised by anything trying to come in here that way." Hancock remarked before stepping up to Elij, slowly raising a hand up to their face.
His fingers were rough and cool against Elij's skin as they leaned into his touch.
"You helped these people. Gave them more than you needed to." Hancock's voice rolled over them softly, rasping, reverberating through his chest.
Not judging but approving, praising. Elij was transfixed by the movement of his throat, his lips. They just stood there, watching him in the sparse light of the cramped cabin.
A chair in the corner, a bed, sufficiently broad with a mattress that was dry and comparatively clean, a small window with a metal lattice, no dust.
The interior was clearly cared for despite the poor look from the outside. Elij felt their heart beating in their own throat,
swallowing hard trying to silence that drum that made it hard to concentrate on anything but the tightness of their surroundings,
the incredible closeness of this man patiently regarding them with those deep, black orbs. Had they ever thought them unsettling? Those kind eyes of his?
How could someone who killed so effortlessly have eyes so kind?
They wanted to sink into him, lean into his chest and just close their eyes, forgetting about their own awkwardness and the fear that came with letting someone into their life again.
It wasn't even so much that he might realise how much better, more skilled, more capable than them Elij thought Hancock was.
He could turn around, walk out on them and it would break their heart, sure, but being out there, risking their life together meant that death was a constant companion,
a possibility that might lie just around the next corner. A stray bullet? A fist that hits just in the wrong spot? Another pack of ferals that might just get the drop on them?
Elij blinked away the tears they felt threatening in the corners of their eyes. Hancock knew how to protect himself. He might have been much younger than her lost love,
but where she had been a trader he was something far more deadly. They needed to trust him, not just with their life but also to take care of his own.
It was too late to decide not to care too much anyway, they had fallen for him long ago. Elij touched Hancock's chest with the tips of their fingers.
Sliding a hand in between the ruffled folds of the old fashioned shirt they were touching warm, rough skin. His chest was rising and falling as he continued to breathe steadily and deep.
"Bed?", he rasped and Elij nodded, stepping just a little bit closer. As his hand loosely slid down their cheek, the ghoul's fingertips were slowly tracing a line over their jaw,
down to their shoulder raising all the hair on the back of Elij's neck on their way down.
They leaned forward, softly pressing their lips to Hancock's collarbone exposed between the ruffles of his shirt.
He smelled earthy, of smoke and the road and something that was just him. It seemed like an eternity that they were standing there, holding each other.
It had been a long time since Elij had felt that vulnerable, like their soul had been laid bare, stripped and exposed and waiting for a knife to be thrust inside.
But instead they were met with acceptance and a heart beating so close to them, faster than they'd have thought, strong and open and as vulnerable as their own, waiting.
Their coats slid to the floor first, carelessly sinking into puddles of heavy cloth they half stumbled over while kicking off their boots.
How deeply ironic it would be to fall and crack open one's head here, now, while trying to undress, hungy mouths and hands and hearts trying to devour each other
in a dance as awkward and enticing as that of any newfound lovers. When they came to rest on the mattress side by side, Elij was breathing heavily.
It was to them as if they saw the ghoul for the first time, shirtless, just in his underwear his body looked deeply scarred, wrecked by the radiation that had changed him,
an enigma in its apparent fragility and the strength which he possessed despite it. The buttons of Elij's shirt were open, their flat, pale chest showing,
otherwise as naked and vulnerable as their ghoul counterpart. He regarded their gaze thoughtfully as Elij's eyes flicked over his body,
from the beloved familiar face down to his chest, the harsh and cragged skin that covered him, dry to the touch, lacking the softness one would know from another human.
Hancock smiled wryly, softly addressing the wide eyed scavenger before him: "Won't hold it against you if you changed your mind, you know.
We both know no one like me should be this lucky." His voice was full of understanding and regret, a polite offer to to forget about this.
As if his mangled, scarred body could be horrifying enough to erase all those feelings that balled up painfully in the other's chest. A strangled noise escaped Elij's throat.
How could their heart not break for him right there, to even think his appearance would deter them.
"I love you." Elij said. "I love you.", they tried not to sob, pulling the man close towards them, hands snaking softly around his neck, kissing his cheekbones,
his eyelids and down his jaw. Covering every inch of dry, flaky skin with kisses while the soft pressure of their hands left its warmth burning a trail down his neck and back,
pulling him into an embrace tender and strong. Hancock's hands parted the shirt loosely covering Elij's chest, tracing the pale scars there. There was beauty in imperfection.
Without urgency in their shared desire they treasured that imperfection with caressing hands and lips that whispered their longing into each others skin.
Under their blankets they fell asleep woven together, hearts beating a deep rhythm in the cage of their entwined bodies.
