Nick's little office was considered cluttered and cramped by most, but there was something about it that Nora loved. It was homey with so much furniture crowded around the little desks, ornaments and paperwork scattered across every available surface. The fact that Nick was there probably helped, too.
It was pretty easy to say Nora spent every available waking hour with Nick. She hadn't meant for it to happen really, but they just felt so good together. She hadn't felt like this since... since Nate.
A soft smile graced her face as she gazed over at Nick. They had found an old, battered loveseat outside of Diamond City and Nora had immediately claimed it as her own. From her position, sprawled across it like she lived there, Nora could see Nick perfectly. No, she wasn't watching him work - but she had to admit he looked pretty cute, engrossed in his files the way he was.
He was none the wiser, golden eyes narrowed in concentration as he scribbled something down in a battered notepad. He muttered something under his breath and crumpled the paper into a ball - then tossed it into the trash by his desk.
"Something wrong, Nicky?"
Nick's bright eyes met hers, but instead of giving her his usual lopsided grin, he just frowned. "Fine doll, don't worry about it."
"I know a lie when I hear one, sweetheart. Is it that Violet kid's case again? You know, I reckon her soulmate just bailed on her, couldn't take the pressure of being soul-bonded to an ex-raider." Nora huffed out a sigh and pushed herself into a sitting position. "It sucks, but sometimes it just happens."
Another sheet of paper was tossed into the trash, bouncing off the edge and landing on the floor. He was starting quite the collection. "It's not that. This is something more personal."
"Oh." So not a case, then? Biting down on her lower lip, Nora ventured further. "Do you want to talk about it? I know I'm not great with the emotional stuff, but I'd like to help." Nick had so much on his shoulders already - if there was anything she could do, all he had to do was say the word.
Except Nick hated accepting help as much as Nora hated dealing with emotional troubles. They were at an impasse.
"I'll figure it out eventually, don't you worry. Let's just say there's something I should tell someone, but I might have left it too late."
Nora's eyes widened, heart skipping in her chest. No, surely not... did he know? Automatically her eyes dipped down to her wrist - and although it was always concealed by a thick leather bracelet, she knew what was written there.
In a thin, scratchy font was the name of her soulmate, looping its way around her wrist. The name was Nicholas Valentine.
Surely he couldn't know. She had told him her name was Nora Dyer. Never mind that Nora was her middle name and Dyer was just something she had read in a book.
"...anyway, aren't you supposed to be babysitting Nat?"
"Huh?" Dark eyes flickered up to meet Nick's face. Her soulmate's face. Well, maybe. The whole synth thing was still throwing her off.
"You're supposed to be looking after Nat tonight. Or did you forget?"
Nora just blinked, brain struggling to catch up. "Oh shit! Is that tonight? What time is it? Piper's going to hate me." Suddenly her mind was a buzz of activity, stumbling over itself to do the mental math of where her stuff was, how long she had left, when she had to be there by. She could worry about her secret later - if she didn't get to Piper's, she would kill her before it mattered.
She grabbed her battered leather trench from the coat rack, barely fitting both arms through before scooping up the equally ancient rucksack. "Okay, I'm out! See you later, Nick." She cast him one last fond smile, hand dancing across her face as she blew him a kiss.
"Bye, doll." There was a laugh in Nick's voice, but as she swept through the door and slammed it closed behind her, Nora thought she caught the smile slip from his lips.
She barely stepped out of the cover of Nick's agency before the first drop of rain hit her. It was cold, tingling a little as it rolled down her nose. Radrain.
Pulling the hood close against her head, Nora set off for Piper's home. She knew the streets of Diamond City like the back of her hand; as well as any pre-war city she had frequented before cryo.
It only took a few minutes to dash through the winding streets, heavy boots sliding on the flooded pavement. Before she knew it, Nora was skidding to a stop outside the metal shack. Raising a hand, Nora barely even knocked before it was swung wide. With a yelp she jumped back, only just avoiding a metal door to the face.
"Oh, Nora! I was starting to think you weren't going to show. I didn't hit you in the face, did I?"
Grinning, Nora shook her head. "Nearly but not quite. I get to live another day free of black eyes and broken noses. Anyway, can I come in? It's fucking freezing!"
Piper stepped aside, lips tugging up in a matching smile. "Sure, but don't get rainwater on the furniture. There's not enough Abraxo in the Commonwealth these days."
"Then stop wasting it all trying to make the place look nice. No one ever comes in here except Nora and Nick, anyway." Nat poked her head around the corner, dark eyes sparkling.
"Hey you, enough sass. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
As Nora busied herself with shucking off her jacket and shoes, Piper lifted her own coat from the rack by the door. "You know the drill; Nat's to be in bed by eleven at the latest; and you aren't to go taking any sneak peaks at next week's newspaper when no one's looking." Brushing her hair under her cap - for all the good it would do, the rain was going to soak through it in seconds - Piper headed to the front door.
Nat cupped her hand around her mouth and mock-whispered, "it's fine, I'll let you read it as soon as Piper's gone." Then with a burst of laughter she disappeared up the stairs before Piper could utter a word.
Piper just rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Thanks again, Nora. See you when I get back." Her eyes flickered to the mezzanine - which was really little more than an upstairs balcony made of shoddy metal and wood. "Bye Nat! Don't stress Nora out too much."
She appeared again, sticking her tongue out before laughing and ducking out of view.
With that, Piper was ready to go. She left with a goodbye hug and cheerful wave - and then disappeared into the darkness of the evening. Within seconds the thundering rain had hidden her completely.
So now it was just Nora and Nat. Babysitting was hardly her thing - in fact, she really didn't enjoy it at all. Who wanted to spend the evening looking after other peoples' kids? But Nat was pretty cool, and it gave her an excuse to actually talk to someone that didn't involve a case with Nick. Especially since there were no more leads on the Institute.
With a huff, Nora plopped down onto the sofa. With her leather jacket removed she was almost dry, but the remnants of radrain were beginning to soak into t-shirt. Not enough to hurt, but it left a weirdly tingling feeling down her arms. With a quiet groan Nora tugged the t-shirt off and tossed it aside - where it wouldn't dampen Piper's sofa. It was kind of chilly in just her tank top, but it was better than needing a rad-away later.
The little mezzanine was pretty unstable, and as Nora turned to lift her pack she saw the supportive beams shake - right as there was the loud crack of something slamming against wood.
"Fuck!"
Nora's head snapped up, but she couldn't see a thing from so far below. "Nat, you okay?"
"Uh yeah, fine! Just-" her words were cut off by another thud. It almost seemed to shake the room, the support beams shuddering uneasily. "Just trying to get something... aha! I knew I could reach it." Moments later she came trotting down the stairs with something large and square held tightly in her arms. "Piper found this a couple weeks ago when she was cleaning up, but we've never had the chance to play it. Want to?"
When she set the object down on the table, Nora had the perfect view of a nearly intact game of Blast Radius. Huh. She was pretty sure her sister owned a copy of that when she was young. Two hundred years in the future and nothing had changed.
"Okay, let's play. I'm warning you though, I won't go easy because you're a kid." Nora leaned over for a better view of the box, hand reaching out to slide the game onto the table.
"Good! I'll still beat you. Just because - hey, what's that?"
"What's what?" Nora looked up, only to see Nat pointing at her wrist with a knowing grin. What? Oh. A glance down confirmed her suspicions - without the long sleeves of her shirt to hide it, the bottom of her soulmark peeked out from underneath her leather wristband. "It's nothing." Nora dropped her arm, holding it close to her body as if to shield Nat from the sight of it.
Unfortunately for her, Nat was the persistent type. She must have gotten it from Piper. A bright smile danced across her face as she leaned over, swiping at Nora's hand with a chubby one of her own. "Yeah, then let me see! C'mon, everyone has a soulmark. Why don't you want me to see yours?"
"Because it's none of your business!" Nora's heart jumped as she scooted away from Nat, the uneasiness swelling inside of her.
With a pout, Nat rocked back on her heels. She was wearing a short sleeved dress herself and didn't need to roll up the sleeves when she shoved her wrist in Nora's face. "See, here's mine. Some guy named Billy something-or-other, his handwriting is a mess."
How easy it was to be a kid, when soulmarks weren't a big deal and meeting said soulmate felt a million years in the future. Nora remembered what it was like not to care about the name scribbled on her arm.
"Really Nat, how's Piper going to react when she knows you've been bugging me? Some people think soulmarks are private is all." Which was... technically true. Few people went around flashing their soulmarks - then again, few people went to such extent to hide them the way she did, either.
Nat's pout didn't budge. Instead she folded her arms and, like the sulking child she was, tried the puppy-dog eyes approach. Yes, she looked incredibly cute and yes, Nora was easily sucked into those huge chocolate eyes - but her resolve was not crumbling.
With a groan Nora dropped her head back, where it thudded against the back of the sofa. "Fine, but you can't tell anyone. Not even Piper. Got it?"
Immediately Nat flung herself over the side of the sofa, dropping onto the stain covered cushions with a smile so broad it might have broken her face. "Tell me! Who is it?"
Nora's hand drifted down to her left wrist, lightly grazing the tail end of the name marked there. "It's Nick." Dropping her hands back to her side, Nora sighed. Saying his name felt... right. She had been keeping this stupid secret ever since she met the man, never once giving away the slightest clue of who he was. And now she had just told an eleven year old. Fantastic.
"Nick? Our Nick! Oh my God." She was absolutely beaming. How Nat managed so smile so wide without it physically hurting was a mystery. "I didn't think synths had soulmates. I guess Gen 3's do, you know because they're based on real people." Sitting back, Nat tapped a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "So are you two like, dating now?"
Nora grimaced at the words. This was turning out to be a horrendous decision. "Not even in the slightest. He uh, doesn't know. Well he might, because he said something earlier that really sounded like he knew, but I haven't told him anything."
"But he knows who you are, so he has to know. Unless he doesn't remember; Piper said his human memories were kinda fuzzy."
Another grimace. Guilt settled heavily in her stomach as her eyes flickered away from Nat's imploring stare. Maybe not wasn't the time to tell the kid she didn't even know Nora's real name. "Let's just say he has no reason to know we're soulmates, and he's never hinted at knowing until today. Ugh, what if he's angry that I never said anything? Or worse, what if he doesn't want to be my soulmate? He's always so aloof and mysterious, a soulmate would ruin that image."
Nat's dark eyes bored holes into her skull, lips pursed. What was going on in her mind, Nora couldn't know for sure. Eventually she let out a small huff. "I think you should tell him."
"Uh, why? I think at this point it's just going to make things weird."
"Well, if he does know, then he won't be surprised. If he doesn't, then you'll finally tell him and it'll be all romantic and shit."
"Nat."
"Sorry. Romantic and stuff." She just quirked a brow, that ever present grin lingering on her mouth.
How easy it was to be a kid. If only things were that easy for Nora. She would have loved to solve all of her problems just by marching up to Nick and going 'hey, we're soulmates and I think I'm in love with you. Can I kiss you now?'
Except she wasn't in love with him, obviously. This was just an example conversation. Oh fuck, who was she kidding?
With a groan, Nora dropped her head into her hands. "I don't even know why I'm talking about this with you. You're a kid! You don't even know what romance is." She peeked at Nat from between her fingers, wishing for all the world she could go back in time and tell her former self not to start this conversation.
Nat just grinned at her, plopping her chin into her hands. Somehow that made her look even more smug.
"C'mon kiddo, don't give me that look. I shouldn't even be telling you this! I swear, if this appears in next week's Publick Occurrences..."
A shriek of laughter escaped Nat's lips as she clapped her hands together in delight. "Oh, there's an idea!" Then upon seeing Nora's narrow eyed glare she quickly added, "I'm kidding! Mostly."
"Seriously Nat, I won't be afraid to-"
The front door burst open, the shriek of metal against metal grinding into Nora's ears as it slammed against the shack wall. Then Piper, buried under a mass of soaking wet fabric, came rushing in - all but spraying freezing rainwater across Nora and Nat.
"Piper!" Nat gasped, ducking out of the danger zone as more water showered down on her, courtesy of Piper shaking the rain from her bright red raincoat.
Unfortunately that left the entire spray to hit Nora directly in the face before she could move - before she even had a chance to react she was drowning in ice-cold water. It dripped down the back of her neck, tiny icicles stabbing at her. "Thanks, Pipes," she said dryly.
Piper turned to her, a sheepish smile curling at her lips. "Sorry Blue."
Probably a good idea to dry off. Heaving herself to her feet, Nora set off in search of a towel. "It's fine. Hey, why are you back so early anyway? I thought you and Ellie were going to be out till the early hours." Nora looked over her shoulder, casting them a grin. With Piper there, her conversation with Nat felt miles away.
Piper unceremoniously dumped her coat and hat on the rack by the door - right on top of Nora's own coat. "The weather was kind of a dampener on the mood. If that wasn't enough, Travis turned up so of course I ended up third wheeling. I keep telling her 'the two of you might be soulmates, but that doesn't mean you should ditch your friends.' Which she didn't actually do - but I wasn't about to hang around being the awkward tag along."
"Hey Nora, that means you can go now, right?" Nora could have sworn Nat winked.
There was a semi-clean towel tossed carelessly over a counter in what counted as the kitchen and Nora quickly wiped her face dry. The damp strands of hair were another matter. Patting them dry with the towel she wandered back to the sofa. "Thanks, glad to know you love having me around."
"Well, don't you have something you need to tell Nick?"
Settling herself down beside Nat, Piper sent her a questioning look. If Nora knew anything about Piper, it was her uncanny ability to sense gossip from even the tiniest scrap of information.
"It's nothing!" Nora replied instantly, waving a hand a little too furiously. Jitters ran through her body as she hopped from one foot to the other, eager to get away from Piper's unwavering gaze. "If you're back though Piper, I think I'll head off now. See you tomorrow!" Throwing the towel back onto it's home on the kitchen counter top, Nora swept up her coat, jammed her feet into her boots and ducked out the door. "Bye!"
Outside the rain pelted down, hammering bullets into the tin roofs of Diamond City. It was so heavy she could barely think - which was probably a good thing, in all honesty. Tugging her hood up - not that it made a difference, thanks to Piper - Nora sprinted for Nick's.
She was soaked the second she left the cover of the little canopy - the bone chilling cold made her teeth chatter as she hurried along the deserted steps. Wherever Ellie and Travis were, they were smart enough to stay away from the town centre.
The neon sign of Nick's agency glowed through the green-grey haze of the radrain; shining to her like a lighthouse to a ship. Nick stood outside under the shelter of the overhanging tin roof, cigarette hanging loosely from his metal fingers.
Nora paused as she neared him. The rain battered down, concealing the thud, thud of her wildly beating heart - but just the sight of him smiling lopsidedly at her made her mind go blank. Absently her hand dropped down to her wrist, tracing the concealed name scribbled there.
If she hadn't been so busy avoiding eye contact with Nick she might have noticed him to the same, although there was no soulmark on his synthetic skin.
"Nora, you should get inside before you get rad poisoning," he called, his voice oddly far away over the sound of the rain. Dropping his cigarette to the ground he stubbed it out with the toe of his shoes.
Taking a deep breath, Nora silently willed herself to calm down. It didn't help - as soon as her eyes flickered up to Nick's, she was lost in the gorgeous gold shining at her from the darkness.
Nick's hand was poised over the door, but he turned when Nora didn't follow him to shelter. "C'mon doll, you'll catch your death out here. Do you really want an emergency trip to Doctor Sun this time of night?" There was a smile playing at the corner of his tattered lips, but the deep concern in his voice was obvious. It was cute really, the way his lips curled up further on his undamaged side. What would it be like to kiss them?
Dammit, Nat, was the only thing that went through Nora's mind as she finally pulled her hood further around her face and sprinted the remaining distance across the street. Her feet splashed cold, irradiated water as she darted over, soaking her jeans all the way up to the knees. Actually, she was beginning to lose feeling in her feet.
In one swift movement Nick bundled her up and shepherded her inside - all but physically carrying her to the familiar ancient loveseat in the corner. Nora flopped down into a messy, wet heap of fabric and knotted hair.
"Honestly," Nick muttered, "what were you standing out there for? You've been here long enough to know the kind of stuff radrain does to you." He disappeared for a moment, rummaging for something in one of the cupboards by his bed. Why did he even have a bed, if he didn't sleep? Nora opened her mouth before it occurred to her how stupid a question that was - obviously the radiation had got to her. Or the cold. Probably both.
Besides, there were more uses for a bed than just sleeping. She wondered if Nick had ever used it. After all, there had to be some people in Diamond City who were into synths, and Nick was an amazing guy. Then again, it would be nice to be the first...
Ugh. That 'chat' with Nat had revealed far more than Nora would have liked.
The steady, quiet thud of footsteps reached her ears - and then Nick was beside her, gently pushing a towel into her hands. "I'll hang up your coat while you dry off. Do you have any spare clothes?"
Nora avoided his eyes as she shrugged off her jacket, letting it fall to the floor. As she shucked off her shoes she said, "yeah but my pack isn't waterproof. I've borrowed stuff from Ellie enough times that she has a stash of old clothes for me, though."
"You should change, then. I'll uh, be at my desk if you need me." A look crossed his face then, something awkward and unfamiliar and somehow vulnerable - and his eyes subtly dipped to Nora's wrist.
But not so subtly that she didn't notice. Her own dark eyes cast a glance down, heart in her throat because shit, he had seen it, seen her soulmark and now he knew for sure that she had been keeping this from him - but her thick leather wrist cuff covered any hint of the name looping across her arm.
So then why was she so damn sure that he knew?
Just as soon as the odd look flickered across Nick's face it was gone, leaving Nora wondering if she had imagined it all. With a smile he stood up, striding the small space between loveseat and desk in seconds. He settled down with a new folder of papers and got to work.
Trying not to think about those golden eyes, Nora went in search of clothes. She found them in the usual drawer Ellie kept just for her - there was a fresh set of capris, a faded checked shirt and clean (albeit too small) underwear. Hey, you took what you could get in the Commonwealth.
She tugged off her still dripping clothes and the relief from the clingy fabric was instant. She smiled as she pulled on the fresh clothes, taking in the scent of smoke that lingered on everything Nick went near. Before the war she had hated the smell of cigarettes, but now it was comforting.
From Ellie's little nook, Nora had the perfect view of Nick while remaining completely hidden. As she bundled up the wet clothes she watched him flick through his little notebook. He was as focused as ever, lips pursed and back straight as he worked. Every so often, though, he glanced up to where Nora was hiding, a frown tugging at the corner of his mouth. It was as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't quite bring himself to do it.
Nora had a fairly good idea of what was going through his mind. He knew. He had to. She had always been so careful to keep her soulmark hidden - right from the first day she crawled out of the vault and stumbled into Diamond City.
When she crept back into the office, boots soundless against the old wooden floor, Nick immediately looked up from his paperwork. He shouldn't have been able to hear her - not unless he was listening for her.
Standing there in Nick's office, wearing a pair of too-big capris and still damp from the rain, Nora felt weirdly out of place. Nick's had always felt like home, perhaps even more so than Sanctuary. What had changed?
Well, the answer to that was far too obvious.
The words were right on the tip of her tongue. Nick, we're soulmates. Look, I have your name right here. Her mouth opened, the words ready to spill - but instead all that came out was a feeble, "Hey Nick, is it all right if I stay the night?"
The way his mouth twitched, the way he deflated by just a fraction, told Nora that wasn't the words he was expecting. "Sure doll, you know you're always welcome here. Take my bed."
Only if you're in it, Nora thought. Instead she said, "thanks Nick. You know, I'll buy Home Plate eventually."
"No rush. You know I enjoy your company."
His voice was light, cheerful - but Nora didn't have the heart so laugh. With a wave and barely perceptible sigh she collapsed onto Nick's bed.
Tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow she would have the nerve to tell him. Yeah, she had been telling herself that for the last two months.