***Gosh, sorry guys. I didn't notice the text crud messed up like that. I dunno why always does this to me... I'm used to the way it works on Archive and forget i need to change it to make it work proper on here...All fixed now though. Again, sorry!
My eyes fluttered open. I found myself staring up at a blaring white light, causing a surge of pain to shoot through my head as the world around me blurred. There was something covering my face, making a quiet whirring sound. "Where am I?" I tried to speak the words out loud, but all that came out was a strained wheeze. The pain I felt in my throat was unbearable. What happened? Why did I hurt so badly? I searched my mind, trying to connect the pieces. The last thing I could remember was sitting in the diner with Charon, Jebs, and Smash. Then, nothing. It was as if my memory had completely shut off from that point. It wasn't only my body that felt broken. I felt an overwhelming sensation of sorrow in my heart. Despite myself, a painful sob escaped my chest. I laid there helplessly as my head swam, my throat throbbed, and silent tears fell from my eyes. I allowed my heavy lids to clamp down once more and before I knew it, I slipped back into the darkness.
After regaining consciousness once again, I decided to keep my eyes closed. I could feel the intensity of the lights above even then. I heard someone speak, though I couldn't make out any words. Once again, I tried to open my eyes. I was greeted by the invasive sensor of a Mr Handy unit, which was hovering inches from my head. Oh, great. One of these things again. I scrunched up my face and attempted to swat it away. "I would suggest you give yourself some time to recover, madam. You have suffered a significant blow to the back of the head. That, coupled with the damage from the strangulation, is a cause for concern." Mr Handy brought up a handheld mirror for me. In the reflection, I saw a large, purple bruise across my neck. My brows rose in shock. "I have seen to your injuries as best I could. The medex should take effect rather soon, but I'm afraid many tests could not be performed. The facility is rather limited."
Strangulation? None of this made any sense. I needed to find Charon and make sure he was alright. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to him. I shoved the Mr Handy's mechanical eye out of my way and pushed myself into a sitting position, tearing away the mask on my face as I went. The room around me was just as unfamiliar as my predicament. I heard a shuffling sound and my gaze darted to the source. My heart felt like it was going to burst. There stood Charon, his mouth parting slightly as he looked me up and down with pained eyes. "Charon." I choked out his name despite my throat's protest. He seemed perfectly healthy, but his face was filled with anguish nonetheless. My lip quivered, I wanted nothing more than to leap into the safety of his arms, but as I moved towards him, he backpedaled away from me. Charon looked as if he wanted to speak, but instead his mouth snapped shut. Gently, I pressed my hand against my throat. "What happened?" I managed to get the question out.
Charon seemed perplexed by my inquiry, then his eyes darkened. "You don't remember?" The grimness in his tone was alarming. In lieu of speaking, I simply shook my head. At his side stood a scrawny mutt who wagged his tail as my attention fell on him. He trotted over to me and happily lapped away at one of my hands that hung loose at my side. A smile spread across my face. What a sweetie. If I could talk without feeling like my throat would collapse, I have given him a name.
Then a light bulb went off in my head. I shuffled over to the Mr Handy's medical tables. Amidst the surgical equipment, I spotted a dirty old clipboard with several sheets of paper. I swiped it up and continued searching for a pen or pencil. The Mr Handy unit floated my way. "Do you require assistance madam?" I nodded holding my hand aloft and miming the action of writing in the air. "But of course!" The robot flew to the other side of the room then quickly returned, offering a small object to me. I took it graciously and pressed the object to the paper to begin writing.
It didn't take long for me to realize that I had been handed a thin, silver flashlight. My eyes narrowed. If anyone ever wondered why I disliked robots, this would be a prime example. Well, perhaps I was being too critical of the thing. That bucket of bolts had healed me, after all. I calmly set the flashlight down and shook my head. Mr Handy's sensors turned sideways. "I'm sorry madam, perhaps I misunderstood. What is it that you need?" I held the clipboard up to him, tapping my finger against the pages. "Of course! An excellent idea madam. Best to allow your voice to rest a while." Mr Handy glided passed me to get to his medical table. He opened a drawer and after sifting through the contents, pulled out a small black pen. I plucked the instrument from his pincer and brought it down onto the paper, scribbling out a few letters then facing it Charon's way.
Charon squinted as he read the word out loud. "Boog?" The moment the name fell from his lips, the mutt's head cocked to the side as he looked Charon's way, his tail wagging excitedly. "I don't know what that means." Charon said, crossing his arms. I sighed in exasperation. Had he even 'looked' at the dog? Clearly, Boog was the perfect name for the little cutie, and he seemed to already be taking a liking to it. It wasn't really important right now anyways, so I decided to move on.
I turned the clipboard back around and began scrawling out more dialogue for him. 'Where are Jebs and Smash?'
"I don't know." He replied with a shrug. Well that was discomforting. I couldn't afford to lose my team at a time like this. I had just started working out names for our little company. Minx and Co. was obviously out. In fact, I was thinking of doing away with the alias all together. It seemed to cause me nothing but trouble anyway.
'Where are we?' I wrote.
Charon squinted, trying to decipher my chicken scratch. "Not far from the vault."
'How did we get here?'
Charon's mouth fell open, but he hesitated for a moment, motioning towards the chairs behind him. I moved to sit in one as he took the other. He brought up his hand to rub the space between his brows. "It's a long story." Then he told it. I sat in quiet shock as Charon explained. He told me about Mr Anders, the brainwashing, everything up until the moment I'd woken up. He'd tried to kill me, and would have succeeded had he not snapped out of it at the last possible moment. "I wasn't strong enough to keep you safe." His words were filled with sorrow. I couldn't believe it. The aching in my body, the dwelling pain in my heart: it was because I had let Charon down. I was supposed to protect him just as much as he would do for me and I failed. I couldn't imagine having to experience what he had. To lose utter control of your own mind, to be forced to act against your own will, and then to live with those actions forever. Would his mind ever really be free? Charon was strong, but the toll that had been taken was clear. The fatigue he felt was worn into the lines of his face. His broad shoulders were slumped, his eyes glassy as he held his gaze on the floor.
The clipboard clattered to the ground as I grabbed hold of the back of his head, pulling him down until his face was inches from mine. My eyes slowly began to shut as my lips brushed against his. The sensation brought comfort to me in a way words never could. He moved in closer. Our lips fit together like a completed puzzle, like they were made to connect with one another. Everything around me could change, but there would always remain one constant, and it was him. I would never let him lose himself again.
We indulged in the taste of one another until he finally pulled away. He seemed conflicted, his brow creasing as he slowly shook his head. "How could you kiss me after everything I just said?"
The question seemed silly to me. I replied without missing a beat. "Because I love you." The medex Mr Handy had given me was finally starting to kick in. I couldn't feel a thing. Charon wouldn't be able to get rid of me so easily, I was known for being stubborn. I nudged his shoulder playfully. "I don't mind kink, but take it easy on the erotic asphyxiation next time."
"That is not funny." Charon scolded with a frown. "You aren't taking this seriously."
I ignored him and brought up the map on my pipboy. The entrance to the vault wasn't far off now. I would have preferred to find Jebs and Smash first, but even Charon didn't know where they had run off to. With any luck, they would be waiting for us there. I turned my wrist and shoved the screen in Charon's face. "Priorities, my big grumpy teddy bear. Priorities."
"Don't call me that." He grumbled, deep lines appearing on his forehead.
"Call you what?" I replied nonchalantly as I hopped up from the chair and began examining the room for my belongings. I paused, my body growing stiff. My hand fell to my side, searching for the hilt of my treasured weapon and finding nothing but open air. The blood drained from my face. "Where's my sword?" I whirled around to face him.
Charon looked from side to side, then back at me. "How would I know?"
Panic began to set in. My fingers twitched uncontrollably as I tore around the room, opening every container, searching through every drawer. The Mr Handy followed in my wake, crying out in distress as I dismantled his pristine med bay. "No, no, no! It can't be gone, what did you do with it?" I stamped over to stand before Charon, pointing an accusing finger down at him.
"I didn't touch it." Charon rolled his eyes. "Besides. You're the one that tossed my shotgun off the radio tower." That sounded like something I would do.
"Fine." I conceded. Boog spoke up with a loud bark and both mine and Charon's attention fell on him. His scraggly little tail wagged as he began trotting down the hall, turning his head after taking a few steps. I understood what he wanted and followed him along. He brought me to the console room and stood before a closed door, pointing to it with his nose. As I opened it, a huge stockpile of weapons began pouring out, my sword along with it. A smile broke across my face as I reached down to scratch Boog behind the ears. "Clever little thing, aren't you?" The dog panted away happily, it's rotten breath filling the air around us. Charon walked over to the pile of weaponry and picked out a new shotgun for himself. As he held it aloft, his brows furrowed. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"I don't like the idea of having a weapon around you."
"I'm not worried about it." I stated, waving the toxic fumes out of my face. "You have terrible aim."
Charon gave me a withering glare. "I do not. You should take this more seriously." That was kind of hard to do when I didn't even recall what happened. Charon had a way of making everything seem grim, so there was no telling how accurate his account of it all was anyway. All that really mattered was we were both alive and relatively unharmed. Dwelling on past events just made people depressed, so why linger in painful memories?
"I wonder." I picked up my sword and slid it back into its rightful place, a huge weight lifting off my heart. "Did the brainwashed you still think I was pretty?" I batted my dark blue eyes at him, clasping my hands together.
He seemed taken aback by the question, his face screwing up in confusion. "I don't see how that's relevant." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'm just curious!" I replied innocently, twirling a lock of hair around my finger.
Charon blew out a gust air. "I was trying to kill you, Lily." Details, all unnecessary details. I closed the distance between us, gliding my fingertips across his muscular forearm.
"And I have to say, you have been the most attractive assassin sent after me so far, hands down." I finally got a glimpse of a smile from him. That was enough for me. "That's more like it. Now get your gun, the three of us are going to find ourselves a vault."
"Three of us?" He echoed.
"You, me and Boog. Duh." I pointed to each of us in turn.
Charon looked down at the mutt, who was too involved in licking his privates to notice anything going on around him. He sighed before shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "You want to take the dog?" To answer his question, I simply nodded. "He stinks."
"We all stink, Charon. When's the last time any of us had a bath?" That was one thing I was dying to find in the vault. A shower, a bathtub, a sink...it didn't even matter as long as it held water. I'd even take the irradiated stuff at this point.
After we finished supplying ourselves, we began heading for the vault. The air was filled with a thick morning mist, making it exceedingly difficult to see more than a few feet in front of us. Boog trotted along at my side, panting away happily. I had always wanted a dog. They were, after all, man's best friend and I needed all the friends I could get.
Charon kept quiet at my side, his eyes squinting as he tried to peer passed the fog. We had already been traveling for a few hours, and he hadn't uttered a word. I felt inclined to say something. "What was it like?" I asked, breaking through the silence.
Charon side eyed me before returning his attention to the road, the corners of his mouth turning downward. "Like being in a dream. More like a nightmare. You lose control of everything. Every muscle in your body, every thought in your head, they take it all away and leave behind an empty husk. Then they fill in the blanks with whatever they want. They give you orders." He grit his teeth. "And you follow them. No matter what." The muscles in his arms were bulging so violently, I could distinctly make out every vein. I placed my hand on his bicep and worked my way around to his hand, lacing my fingers with his.
"You didn't." I reminded him.
"I came close." He replied. He looked down at our hands and relented. "I apologize if I seem ungrateful for what you did. I never even thanked you for saving me. So thank you." He gave my hand a squeeze as we exchanged looks. "I love you. Do I say that enough?"
My heart swelled, a cheeky grin spreading across my lips. "You could stand to say it more." The moment I uttered the words, he spun me to face him. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he brought me to him. I laid my hands flat against his chest. He tilted his head down and planted a kiss on my forehead. It was such a simple action, but I still couldn't stop the warmth for rising in my cheeks. Was I ever going to stop blushing over this man? Embarrassing.
"I love you, Lily." His eyes were mesmerizing. "I am nothing without you." Being held in his arms was pure bliss. It felt like the entire world just melted away, only he and I remaining. I wanted that moment to last forever. Of course, that was when Boog began to growl. Charon quickly released me, his attention returning to the thick fog surrounding us. Squinting hard, I could start to make out a four legged creature slowly making its way toward us. Charon made a move for his shotgun, but I grabbed hold of his arm when I realized what it was.
The mongrel stepped forward. A feint memory flashed before me. "I think he's part of Boog's pack." I explained. Even still, Boog didn't stop growling. His beady black eyes began darting all around us, his hair standing on end as more dogs crept out of the mist. Their teeth barred as they began to snarl, saliva dripping from their mouths. "What are they doing?" I brought my hand to my sword.
Charon drew his shotgun. "Hunting." From behind, two mutts charged us. Charon made quick work of one as Boog slammed into the second, his jaw clamping down on it's neck. Two more attackers immediately followed up on the assault. Charon's shotgun rang out as I faced off against the remaining beast. It rushed forward, its mouth opening wide, prepared to snap at me. I drew my sword and sent my foot into the mongrels nose, sending it to the ground and giving me enough time to drive my sword into its chest. A heartbreaking whimper escaped its throat as its body lurched, then it went still. There was no time to mourn the mutts loss, for the rest of the pack was now converging on us.
Boog had been victorious in his battle, but was now squaring off against two bigger opponents. Charon had his hands full as well. Bodies littered the ground before him. As he went to fire once more, there came a click instead. The ammunition had run out. Charon was already in the process of reloading, but the mutts were swiftly drawing nearer. I set my sights on the closest one and rushed for it, slashing my sword down with all my might into it's neck. The sword dug in, stopping the beast dead in its tracks.
Charon cried out as a dog clamped down on his arm. With his attention elsewhere, the pack leader took his opening, bounding for Charon's throat. I leapt forward and lashed out at it, but the creature must have anticipated the attack, for he quickly retreated a few steps backwards. By that time, Charon had freed himself from the now dead mongrel and finished reloading his shotgun. With him handling the leader, I turned my focus back on Boog and his foes. He had managed to keep both dogs at bay for the moment, until the pair attacked in unison. Unsure of which target to deter, Boog faltered.
One mutt managed to latch on to Boog's side, while the other found purchase on his throat. His cry of pain sent a ripple down my spine. "Let go of him!" I shouted, my eyes burning. I went first for the dog at his throat, chopping away at it's neck with three precise blows, severing it's head. Seeing it's ally fall, the second dog quickly released Boog, who collapsed to the ground, and began to flee. I stamped forward after it, but the dog was much too fast. It quickly vanished from sight into the fog. "Coward!" I screamed before replacing my sword. Boog was laying flat in the dirt, panting heavily. I went to his side and knelt down, stroking his head gently. The flesh on his neck and back was torn open, blood soaking his fur. "Don't worry, boy. I'm going to fix you up good as new." His eyes shut and he began to relax his body as I fumbled with my bag, pulling out two stimpacks and injecting them near the wounds.
After a few heart pounding moments, Boog began to wag his tail as the miracle meds took effect. I would still need to cover them with something, but what? My jumpsuit was still lacking sleeves from the last time I needed to patch someone up. With the pack leader taken care of, Charon made it to my side. I let out a groan while I stood back up. "I need you to rip my pants off."
Charon's eyes widened. "Now? This doesn't really seem like a good time."
"I didn't mean it like that!" My cheeks burned from his implication. "I need to cover his wounds, you know the drill." It wasn't the first time I had to sacrifice my clothing for the sake of others, and I was sure it wouldn't be the last. Charon's mouth twitched as he crouched down, his hands finding my thigh. Though it was warm, I shivered from his touch. He chuckled to himself. "Stop it!" I demanded, stamping my foot. He merely let out another laugh before yanking the fabric free, exposing my pale leg.
Charon slowly rose, his fingers dragging against my thigh as he went. "Here you go." He tore the fabric in two before handing it to me, a playful smile on his lips. I begrudgingly accepted it then wrapped it around Boog's neck and across his back.
Already feeling much better, Boog wobbly made it to his feet then gave me an extra slobbery lick on the cheek. I rose, looking at the corpses around us. The dirt was crimson, and the air was deathly silent. Although they had been the ones to attack us, I couldn't help but feel saddened as I looked at each mongrel in turn. They were just trying to survive. Had I food to give them, I would have done so without a second thought. A quiet whimper escaped Boog as he looked on at his fallen family members. I reached down to scratch him behind the ears and he seemed to perk up a little. He could have easily turned on us when his pack attacked, but he hadn't. if that wasn't destiny, I didn't know what was. "Shall we?" I motioned to the road ahead and we continued our trek, leaving the massacre behind us.
As the hours passed, the fog began to dissipate. I glanced at my pipboy and saw we were right on top of our destination. As we drew nearer, I noted a wooden shack and a small sign outside the mouth of a cave which said 'Little Lamplight'. Settlers must have taken up a residence around the vault. My mind wandered back to my attire. I was now sporting a sleeveless, one legged suit and it felt ridiculous. No one was going to take me seriously looking like that. Charon noticed me frowning down at myself. "What's wrong?"
"I look like a hobo." I pouted.
"I could even it out for you." He offered, acting like he was just trying to help, but I knew his game.
"That depends." My eyes narrowed at him as I came to a halt. "Can you try to do it less sexily?" Charon only rolled his eyes as he turned to face me, his hands falling gently on my shoulders, gliding down to my hips as he knelt. Then he took hold of the fabric around my thigh, pulling it off with one quick motion. He didn't rise immediately. Instead, he leaned forward, his lips grazing my tender skin as he moved towards my inner thigh. His mouth opened and I felt his teeth dig into me. I gasped in ecstasy as he sucked on my flesh. My body quaked, my legs feeling like they would fail me. I held on to his shoulders for support, the top half of my body drooping as I fought for balance against the assaulting waves of pleasure. He stopped too soon, rising to his feet and holding out the cloth to me, an innocent look on his face. I took it and slid it into my pack. The need inside me didn't disappear. My sights were drawn to the small shack near the cave. "Wait outside." I directed my command at Boog before grabbing hold of Charon and pulling him to the structure.
Pushing the door open revealed what once must have been a convenient store. Several ransacked shelves lined the room, a checkout counter sat at the entrance. The room was bathed in a faint glow from the sunlight that shone in through the damaged roof. Not exactly a romantic setting, but at least it was private. Charon moved around the counter, examining the shelves behind it. "The place looks like it's been looted already." He said, looking my way. I slowly shut the door.
"I didn't come in here for supplies." I replied, scratching the back of my head nervously.
Charon tilted his head. "What for then?" He asked quizzically. I didn't meet his gaze, then he began chuckling again which sent that familiar heat into my cheeks once more. "Tell me what you want." He commanded, boldly coming to stand before me.
"Look I'm not good with all this-" I paused to think of a word for it. "Lewdness." I waggled my fingers as I spoke the word. Charon cocked his brow, an amused grin playing on his face. "But back there, you got me all flustered," I pointed an accusatory finger, "and I know you did it on purpose. But.." I faltered. What did he want me to say? My body was aching for him, but I couldn't just go and blurt that out. My mouth simple refused to cooperate.
"Tell me what you want." He echoed, cupping my cheek with his hand.
My voice was hardly a whisper. "I want you to... make me feel good." It was my best shot, he would have to take it or leave it. Apparently, it was good enough for him. Charon picked me up and set me onto the counter, his mouth sealing over mine. Our tongues intertwined as need overwhelmed us. He was intoxicating, his taste was something uniquely his and I couldn't get enough. He had begun to grab a fistful of my jumpsuit before I managed to pull myself away. "No spare clothing!" I warned. He understood and for the first time in his life, he used the zipper.
I wasn't as nervous this time around as he devoured me with his gaze. He laid me flat against the counter, my legs dangling over the edge. Ever so gently, he pulled down my underwear. I couldn't stop myself from jumping as he came in contact with my private. "Relax." He said, crouching down and moving his head between my legs. As his tongue pressed against me, I inhaled sharply, my body tensing. He massaged my legs as his tongue moved in small circles, gradually increasing in fervor until it became too much to bear. A tremor wracked my body as I gripped tightly to the sides of the counter. An uncontrollable moan escaped me as I allowed myself to get lost in the feeling. My back arched, an explosion of pleasure shooting from my head to my toes. Charon rose, his tongue running across his lips. "Do you feel good?" He asked. I nodded, my chest rising and falling dramatically as I tried to recover. "What else do you want?"
"I want you." I replied breathlessly.
"To?" He prompted.
He wasn't going to let me have it so easily then? Fine. I rose to a sitting position, my hand sliding slowly over the lump in his pants. He started at my touch, then his eyelids began to droop as he reveled in it. I drew in close as I spoke each word slow and deliberately. He wasn't going to get me to say this again, so he had better enjoy it. "Fuck. Me. Charon." I felt him swell underneath my hand. His jaw clenched as he loosened his pants. He lifted my legs over his shoulders before hoisting me into the air. My eyes widened as I secured my arms around his neck. I had no idea I was that flexible.
His eyes were burning into mine, the hunger he felt clearly shining through like flames as he held me aloft by my backside. I felt the tip of him press against me before sliding in with much less resistance than our first encounter. He lessened his hold, making me slam violently against his pelvis as I took in his entire length. A mixture of pain and pleasure flew through me, a loud moan leaving my lips. He reasserted his hold on me, lifting me into the air to drop me back down again and again. My eyes rolled back as I relished the feeling of him inside me. My entire body grew limp in his arms, goosebumps littering my flesh. Everything in my mind was wiped clean, replaced by this moment alone. I could hear his breath coming in shorter spurts and knew he was coming to climax. I could feel my body losing control as I cried out in orgasmic pleasure, the hot release of his cum filling me at the same time.
I allowed my head to fall back as we sat still for a moment, catching our breaths. Gingerly, Charon slid my legs off his shoulders and raised me off of him, returning me to my feet. Now that the surge of wanting had passed, I was a little embarrassed by my actions. "Lily." Charon tilted my chin up. I looked at him sheepishly. He pushed back my disheveled hair from my face, a sly smirk playing on his lips as he shook his head. "I cannot believe you said that."