"Wow...that's quite a tale, Blue." Piper stated, staring at Nathan, who was currently sitting across from her within her office. After a tour of Diamond City's market, she had offered the vault dweller a place on her couch for the night. After being initially reluctant, he caved under Piper's puppy-eyes, and agreed to stay with her for the night.
Once they'd arrived at her humble little home, Piper asked if Nathan was interested in an interview for her paper. Sure enough, the dweller agreed, so the two settled in and started the interview, starting with Nathan telling his story.
He was born on February 18th, 2050. He lived in Boston for most of his life, before moving to D.C. for a year, where he met Nora. Another year passed, and the newly engaged couple moved back to Boston, and shortly after, Nathan joined the US Military. He was ultimately assigned to the regiment that took back Anchorage, Alaska after it was invaded by the Chinese, and was wounded in the process.
After that, he was shipped back home, just in time for Shaun's birth. After that, the world seemed so bright to Nathan. He had a family, people he loved with all his heart. The future seemed like it could only get better.
Then the bombs dropped.
His family was escorted to Vault 111.
Put into Cryo-sleep.
Years passed, 210 to be exact.
And then...then he lost it all. Nora died, Shaun was kidnapped.
The light he had seen in the world had been extinguished.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Nathan grunted in response, wiping his eyes of the few stray tears trying to escape. "I-I just need to find my son. Maybe then I can have a little bit of my old world back. Just a little."
Piper stared at the man before her, now slumped with his hands interlaced, a look of both desperation and determination on his face. Despite herself, she felt an unexpected feeling to wrap the man in a hug, and tell him it was going to be okay.
"Hey." She started, catching Nathan's attention. "It's...it's gonna be alright, Blue. I promise."
The two stared at each other for a time, before soft laugh slipped from Nathan's mouth, and he nodded in agreement.
"Maybe...maybe they will, Pipes."
Piper felt her cheeks warm up upon hearing the affectionate nickname, and even lost her train of thought for a moment. If the blue-clad man noticed, he didn't comment on it, instead deciding to pull up the blanket Piper had offered him, wrapping it around his body.
"Well, I am bushed. You mind if we continue this interview tomorrow?" He asked, breaking the reporter out of her stupor.
"O-oh, yeah! Of course, you must be pretty tired." She agreed, before slipping to the far side of the room and hitting the lightswitch, allowing darkness to flood into the room. "Night, Blue!"
"Goodnight, Piper."
With the simple exchange over, Piper climbed the steps up to her room...nearly stumbling into her little sister as she did so.
"Jesus, Nat! What are you doing?!" She whisper-yelled, shaking off the surprise of the younger Wrights appearance.
"Oh, not much." Nat answered, shrugging innocently despite the shit-eating grin was present on her face. "Just wanted to make sure that you and your new boyfriend weren't planning on getting busy while I was in the house."
Piper sputtered in surprise, her face once again flushing a bright shade of red. "N-nat! He's not my boyfriend, and I'd never...d-do that while you...ugh, why would you even say that?!"
"Piper, this is the first guy you've let into our house in two years." Nat replied, her smile slipping in a more genuine form. "At least admit that he's more than just a story to you."
Piper opened her mouth to retort, but allowed it close as she realized her sister was right. She had barely known this man for a few hours, and yet she felt an unexplainable fondness for him. Maybe they just clicked in a way she hadn't been prepared for, or maybe…
"Look, can we just talk about this tomorrow?" Piper finally conceded, moving over to her bed. "I just want to get some sleep."
"Ok, fine. But we are talking about it tomorrow." Nat asserted, before turning on her heel and walking to her own room. Piper sighed deeply, and allowed herself to sink into her mattress, and drift off to sleep.
What a day…
Line Break
Piper awoke to something she wouldn't have expected in a million years. As she sat up in bed, she was met with the unmistakable smell of something sweet wafting up from downstairs.
Did...did Nat learn how to cook? She wondered to herself, lifting herself off of her bed and starting down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she was surprised to see a certain blue-clad figure at her stove, waving off what looked like a pan of flat bread while Nat sat nearby, grinning excitedly.
"Um, Blue?" She asked, catching his attention.
"Oh, hey Piper." He greeted, offering her a smile. "Sleep well?"
"Wha-er, yeah." Piper sputtered, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. "So, what are you up to?"
"Oh, well...I still kinda felt bad about crashing on your couch, so I decided to make you and your sister breakfast!" He explained, rubbing his neck anxiously as he spoke. "Is that ok?"
"You kidding? This is awesome!" Nat interjected, the younger girl grinning happily. "We haven't had a proper breakfast in forever, we usually just get noodles from Takahashi. This is fantastic!"
"Heh, glad you like it kiddo." Nathan admitted, before addressing Piper once more. "I'm sorry if I overstepped."
"Oh, no. It's fine!" Piper insisted, offering the vault dweller a wide smile. "It was very sweet of you to make this for us...but...what is it?"
"It's called a pancake." Nathan explained, flipping the one he was currently cooking. "I figured they weren't exactly easy to come by anymore, but I did my best to do them justice."
As he spoke, he slid the hot cake onto a spare plate and offered it to the reporter. Tentatively, she picked up the fork that had been under the pancake and cut off a small chunk, popping it into her mouth afterwards. Her eyes widened as shockingly sweet flavor exploded in her mouth, eliciting a surprised chuckle.
"Damn, that's really good, Blue!" She congratulated, coexing a smile from her guest. "How'd you get them so sweet?"
"Oh, I just mixed in some of those gum drops." He explained, shrugging his shoulders loosely. "They melted right in."
"Well, I gotta tell you, you are quite the chef." Piper assured Nathan, coaxing out another laugh.
"Yeah, I always was the more culinary gifted one in the family. Nora has always been the more…"
He cut himself off as a look of realization crossed his face, followed by regret and pain. Piper made the wise choice of keeping her mouth shut as the vault dweller sighed and put down the skillet and plated the last pancake, turning off the stove and forcing a smile to face.
"Sorry about that. Would you mind if I stepped out for a moment?" He asked quietly, eyes tired and sad. "I...just need some fresh air."
"Of course, please." Piper mumbled, stepping out of his way and letting him pass, the sound of her front door opening and closing the final sound for the next few moments as the reporter and her little sister sat in silence.
"Sis?" Nat asked quietly, breaking the tense air. "Do you...think he's ok?"
"I don't know, Nat." Piper admitted, biting her lip as she attempted to concentrate. "Nat...do you think you'd be ok if I-"
"Helped him find his son?" The younger Wright finished, surprising her elder sister. "I'll be fine, Pipes. Really. We both know that he's gonna need all the help he can get, so...yeah. Go with him."
Piper pondered her little sister's words, and the prospect of helping Nathan. It was insane to say the least. Aside from the fact that they had no idea who took his son, the very premise of traveling with him was ridiculous! She barely even knew him! What if he was just some raider with a good imagination, or God forbid, a synth sent by the Institute?
The journalist's musings were cut short as the sound of her door shutting once again, looking around and realizing that Nat had just bolted outside. Knowing exactly what the little rascal had planned, Piper hastily exited the house as well. She stepped outside just as Nat finished whatever spiel she had planned, standing in front of a visibly perplexed Nathan.
"So yeah, if you're willing, my sister really wanted to travel with you, mister!" She declared, before noticing her older sister and smiling wickedly. "Oh, there she is now! Hey, sis!"
"Hey, Nat." Piper greeted between her clenched teeth, restraining her annoyance. She'd deal with her sister later, first she needed to clarify with the vault dweller. "You mind stepping back inside? I'd like to talk to Blue alone for a second."
"Sure! Bye, mister!" Nat chirped, mouthing a cheeky "good luck!" to her sister as she left. Oh, she was going to have double the chores for this, that was for sure. Still, to the matter at hand.
"Sorry about her." Piper apologized, rubbing her neck anxiously. "You know how siblings get."
"That I do." Nathan agreed, not seeming bothered anymore. "Had a step-brother growing up, he always went out of his way to make things more "interesting" for me."
The pair laughed for a moment, recalling their shared experiences with troubling siblings. Nathan sobered up first, though he was still grinning as he continued.
"Your sister was being serious, though? You really want to travel with me?"
Piper faltered for a moment, before straightening herself out and throwing on a casual smile.
"I'll admit, I've considered it. It'd be quite the series of tales to recount, good for the paper." She quipped, sparking another laugh from the suited man. She didn't notice the way his smile seemed to stiffen, however, and quickly added on to her previous statement. "Plus...you need help finding your son. What kind of person would I be if I didn't sympathise with that?"
Nathan seemed to contemplate her words, eyeing her in an almost skeptical manner. After a few seconds, he cracked a smile and released a breathy chuckle.
"Well, I'd appreciate the help." He admitted, tilting his head in thought. "You're sure your sister can take care of herself?"
"Oh yeah, Nat may not look the part, but she's the second most capable person I know." Piper confirmed. "The first is who we're going to visit right now, someone who could help us find your son...if I am coming with you."
"Alright then. I guess we're in this together now." Nathan concluded, a genuine grin rising on his face. "I'll grab my gear from inside, then we'll go visit this friend of yours. Sound good, Pipes?"
"Sure does, Blue." The journalist confirmed, wearing a matching smile. "Can't wait to hit the road."