Chapter Specific Characters: Porter Gage, Doctor Sun, Irma, Doctor Amari, John Hancock, Fahrenheit
The next morning Gage was woken up at what he could only assume was an ungodly hour by a yellow-orange light shining on his face. When he cracked his eye open, he realized it was Ash's eyes and grunted, Ash tensing up in his arms as he realized Gage was awake. "Were you watchin' me sleep, you fuckin' creep?" Gage muttered sleepily, frowning at Ash's guilty smile.
"Maybe." Ash muttered, having not realized his eyes were even glowing until Gage had moved and broken him from the trance he'd fallen into while indeed watching Gage sleep.
Grunting again, Gage put his hand on Ash's face and pushed him back a bit. "Your eyes are brighter than the sun." He grumbled, rolling over to face away from Ash.
Snorting, Ash hugged Gage from behind, holding him close even though he was smaller in every way than the older man. "Sorry, Mr. Grumpy." He muttered, snickering when Gage halfheartedly elbowed him.
"We're goin' t'see a doctor once your alarm goes off." Gage grumbled, smiling tiredly when Ash huffed.
"I thought I was the boss here." Ash mumbled, nuzzling into Gage and breathing in his smell.
"G'back t'sleep." Gage slurred sleepily, the sound of his heavy breathing shortly after lulling Ash back to sleep as well.
Several hours later, Ash's alarm went off and he and Gage got out of bed. After they were both dressed and were having breakfast, Gage looked over at Ash. "So, was you watchin' me sleep last night a dream or did that really happen?" He asked, sounding mildly amused and smiling when Ash choked on his stale Sugar Bombs and had to wash down the mouthful with a large swallow of Nuka-Cola. It was a wonder Ash hadn't gained more weight than he had with how bad his diet was. He ate three meals a day, and dinner at least was always substantial, but more often than not, Ash ate sugar, lots of sugar.
"No, uh, that- you dreamt that." Ash stammered, smiling shyly and looking away when Gage gave him a look that clearly said "really?". "Alright, so maybe I like to watch you sleep sometimes." He muttered, still looking away. "You wouldn't have ever known if it weren't for my traitor eyes."
"What got 'em glowin', anyhow?" Gage asked, finishing off his squirrel, corn, and potato hash.
"I was thinking about how happy I am that I didn't shoot you for being a dick when we first met." Ash admitted, smiling at Gage. "Then I got to thinking about how happy I am in general and I guess my eyes got up to "brighter than the sun" while my mind was wandering." He finished, mimicking Gage's accent on "brighter than the sun".
Snorting softly, Gage shook his head, his cheeks pink under his stubble. "You're the only person I know who could make "I'm glad I didn't shoot you when we met" into somethin' so damn sappy."
"I think you could manage it if you tried." Ash said, finishing his breakfast and pulling his backpack close. He started going through it, sorting out what he needed and didn't and setting aside what he didn't. That took another several minutes, Gage marveling the whole time about how much shit fit in Ash's pack, and then Ash and Gage were ready to head to Diamond City.
A relay later and Ash was walking up to the doctor in the Diamond City market. "Hey, doc." Ash greeted, ignoring how stiff the doctor became and hopping onto his surgery table. "I need your expert opinion on something." Before the doctor could respond, Ash removed his hat and got his eyes glowing. "I feel fine, but my eyes starting doing this recently and it's concerning my better half." Gage choked and the doctor glanced his way before stepping up to Ash.
"Tilt your head back for me." The doctor ordered, leaning in closer when Ash obeyed and humming in thought. "Where exactly were you when they started glowing? What were you doing?"
"I was standing in radioactive fog and killing giant mutated salamanders." Ash answered, snrking when the doctor looked at him incredulously. "I had a respirator mask on." He defended, shrugging.
"And no other forms of radiation protection?" The doctor asked, leaning back.
"My clothes have a lead lining." The doctor's eyes went right for Ash's exposed midriff and he looked back up at Ash's glowing eyes, an eyebrow raised. Pursing his lips, Ash looked away. "Yeah, okay, good point." He muttered, switching some tabs on his Pip-Boy and showing it to the doctor. "This says my radiation levels are fine, though."
Examining the stats on the Pip-Boy, the doctor nodded slowly, stepping back. "And you said you feel fine?"
"Yeah. I've had radiation poisoning once or twice so I know what it feels like." Ash said, lowering his arm.
"I'm afraid this is beyond my area of expertise." The doctor sighed, looking slightly annoyed. "You should go see Doctor Amari in Goodneighbor. She has more experience with radiation exposure than I do. She may be able to help you."
"Ooh, a trip to Goodneighbor." Ash mumbled excitedly, nodding and getting off the surgery table. "Thanks, doc, I'll do that." He said, relaying back to Sanctum with Gage before the doctor could notice the pouch of caps Ash had left on his table. If his past experience with the doctor was anything to go off of, he'd try to convince him to keep the caps but it wasn't as though Ash needed them. He had more caps than he rightly knew what to do with what with so many settlements bringing in tribute and two towns under his control.
"What are we doin' back here?" Gage asked, frowning at Ash and raising an eyebrow when he started stripping.
"We're putting on clothes that are a little less recognizable." Ash replied, stripping down to his underwear before fishing a t-shirt and jeans from his bag.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want anyone in Goodneighbor to panic." Ash replied, shimmying into his jeans and fastening them before tugging his shirt on. "It's a shoot first, ask questions later kinda town. I stabbed someone there once and the guy who I assume was in charge told me I was gonna fit right in." After fiddling with his Pip-Boy a bit, Ash looked at Gage expectantly. "Strip."
Sighing, Gage stripped down to his underwear, a synth bringing Ash a bundle of clothes just as he was tugging his jeans down. Ash handed him some pretty basic-looking clothes and Gage put them on with little fuss but then Ash held out a simple black eyepatch. "Seriously? That too?" Gage asked, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly.
"Yes. That yellow crime against fashion, which you pull off and look very handsome in, is very recognizable." Ash argued, frowning at Gage and practically shoving the eyepatch into his arms so he could put on some less-fabulous shoes.
Sighing even more dramatically than before, Gage traded his usual eyepatch for the new one, the burn scars under his blind eye and on his brow visible with the smaller patch. Ash collected their clothes from the floor, including his boots and coat, and stuffed everything into his pack, the bag not looking any more full than it had before all the clothes had gone into it and making Gage purse his lips. He officially hated that stupid bag. When Ash started to put his mask back on, Gage snatched it from him and held it out of his reach. "Think that might be a little too recognizable. A one-eyed man and a man with a mask? Sounds an awful lot like that raider duo I been hearin' about." He said, grinning as Ash glared at him.
Much to Gage's surprise, Ash's glare softened after a bit and he nodded. "Good point." He muttered, taking the mask back and putting it in his jeans' pocket. "Guess I'll just have to risk people thinking you're my dad instead of my boyfriend."
"You'll live." Gage replied, looking Ash over and appreciating the view. "Just keep tellin' everyone in the Commonwealth that I'm your "better half" and the news'll spread eventually."
"You liked it." Ash retorted, slinging his pack over his shoulder and grabbing Gage's hand before triggering the relay that would take them to a bit of street that Ash hoped wasn't within view of Goodneighbor's wall. When they came out, they caught the attention of some super mutants who didn't know what they were getting themselves into, but the wall surrounding Goodneighbor was indeed out of sight.
Using his Pip-Boy to orient himself, Ash led the way to Goodneighbor's "gate", smiling happily as soon as he'd stepped through. He'd missed the seedy little town and was happy as could be to find it hadn't lost any of it's sleazy charm since he'd been away. Taking a deep breath of the less-than-pleasant air, like cigarette smoke with a hint of piss and splashed with old trash, Ash walked further into the town with Gage trailing close behind.
"Always liked Goodneighbor." Gage mumbled, smiling a bit himself. "Haven't been in too damn long, but it hasn't changed even a little."
"Don't suppose you know where Dr. Amari is then, do you?" Ash asked, looking around the town. "Cuz none of these buildings say "hospital" on them."
"Last time I was here the only doctor in town operated outta the Memory Den but that was years ago." Gage replied, pointing the building out to Ash.
"Good place to start." Ash said, walking into the Memory Den and looking around at all the- chairs? around the room.
A woman in a dress that would be lovely if it weren't the gaudiest shade of red ever sat up from the couch, that would be fabulous if not for the same reason, that she'd been lounging on when she noticed Ash and Gage. "Oh, a two-for-one." She said excitedly, getting up and meeting the two men halfway with a grin on her lips. "Don't tell me I get the pleasure of seein' what kinda skeletons both you handsome boys have rattlin' around in your closets?" When Ash and Gage shared a look, the woman laughed and waved her hand at them "Just teasin', you two. Goodness. C'mon now, what can I do for y'all?"
"Right." Ash said, trying to look neutral since he didn't have his mask to hide his face and being a dick, as good as it felt, wasn't going to get him anywhere quickly. "We're here for Dr. Amari."
Pouting a bit, the woman sighed dramatically and motioned behind herself. "She's just down those stairs over there, sugar."
"Thanks." Ash muttered unconvincingly, walking past the woman and heading down the stairs she'd indicated.
Considering it was the wasteland, the office downstairs was pretty nice. When the woman in the white lab coat, Amari, presumably, noticed them, she set down the file she'd been looking at and stood from the stool she'd been sitting on. "Hello. Can I help you?" She asked, her professional tone and odd accent a massive difference from the overly-flirtatious tone and southern drawl of the woman upstairs.
"The doctor in Diamond City said you might have better luck figuring out what's causing my eyes to do this." Ash said, making his eyes glow as Amari looked on, neutrally at first and then in wide-eyed surprise.
"Did Dr. Sun tell you why he thought I'd be more qualified?" She asked, looking uncertain.
"Apparently whatever's going on with my eyes has something to do with me coming into contact with radioactive fog." Ash said blandly, shrugging. "At least, that's when it all started, so he figured that's what caused it."
"Ah, I see." Amari said, nodding. "Yes, alright. That makes sense." She turned and motioned behind herself to a chair. "Take a seat, please, I have some tests I can run."
Glancing at Gage, who was leaning casually against a cabinet, Ash sighed and sat down. This all felt too normal. Like a day in his old life. He liked raiding a whole lot better than doctor visits. Before Ash could get too fidgety, Amari returned with two vials. One held a brown liquid and the other held a glowing green liquid. Ash eyed the green one in particular suspiciously.
"Hold out your hand." Amari ordered, dripping a drop of the brown liquid onto Ash's hand once it was outstretched. "How does that feel?"
"Like slightly too-thick water." Ash said, shrugging and lowering his hand when Amari wiped the drop off with a rag.
"Alright. Raise the other hand now." Amari said, holding Ash's hand steady this time and dripping a drop of the green liquid on. Ash hissed and tried to jerk his hand away, but Amari quickly swiped the rag over his hand and the burn was gone instantly along with the drop. "I take it that one burned?"
"No shit." Ash grumbled, glaring petulantly at Amari and rubbing his hand despite it not burning anymore.
Raising an eyebrow at Ash, Amari decided to let that slip and set the vials down. "Well, we can rule out ghoulification." She said, picking up a clipboard and scribbling some notes down. "Which makes sense, I suppose, I've never seen a ghoul with glowing eyes." Amari muttered that part more to herself as she looked over her clipboard. "How long were you exposed to the fog?" She asked, looking up from her clipboard at Ash.
"I dunno, like, ten hours total, maybe." Ash answered, eyes roaming the office and leg shaking a bit.
"And you didn't take in any significant radiation from all that?"
"Not according to my Pip-Boy." Ash said, holding his arm up when Amari came over with the clear intention of taking a look.
"Interesting." She muttered, scribbling down more notes as Ash lowered his arm. "Have you been in contact with any radiation besides the fog since your eyes started glowing?"
"Yeah."
"But still nothing significant enough to warrant using a Rad-Away?" Amari asked, glancing up at Ash.
"Well, my geiger counter clicked a couple times but it was mostly quiet, so no, not really." Ash answered, leg full-on bouncing now as he picked at the skin of his arm where his burn scabs used to be. Suddenly there was a warm hand on Ash's shoulder and he jolted as if electrocuted, looking back in surprise to see Gage standing behind him, looking concerned. The older man gave Ash's shoulder a squeeze and Ash let out a breath, looking back at Amari and finding it easier to not fidget now. He reached up and laid his hand over Gage's as Amari was looking up to ask another question.
She raised an eyebrow at them, but kept whatever was going through her head to herself. "Well, I do have one more test I can run, but you may find it uncomfortable." Amari said, getting a syringe from a first aid kit on a counter. "I'll need to draw some blood."
In answer, Ash simply stretched out his arm and watched as Amari drew a bit of blood from the first vein that looked promising. She walked over to a microscope and immediately began to examine the blood, looking to some notes on the counter and mumbling to herself occasionally in between looking into the microscope.
Sighing softly, Ash looked up at Gage, his head fully craned back in order to do so. "This is your fault." He muttered, sounding tired. "I was content to just let my eyes glow, but no, there might be something wrong, we have to see a doctor." He said, voice mocking for everything after "no".
Smirking, Gage leaned over and pecked Ash's lips. "Thank you for doin' this for me." He murmured, loving how he could actually see Ash's face turning red since his mask wasn't in the way.
Pouting, Ash straightened back up and started grumbling to himself, shutting up when Amari stood and came back over, still looking at her clipboard. "So, am I dying?" Ash asked, making Amari frown and feeling Gage's disapproval via the smack to the back of his head.
"Not any faster than the rest of us from what I can tell." Amari answered, keeping up her professional frown even when Ash muttered a "damn" and Gage smacked him again, getting a giggle from the grouchy teen. "From what I can tell, the glow is a minor radiation mutation." Amari explained, looking down at her notes in time to miss Ash's amused grin as he mouthed "radiation mutation". "It seems to be benign, but I'd be surprised if it was the only mutation you ended up with." She said, looking back up to find Ash's neutral face. "So if anything else odd springs up, you may want to come see me again. In the meantime, avoiding radiation as much as you can or flushing your system with a Rad-Away every now and again would probably be your best bet to avoid further, more drastic mutations."
"Huh." Ash muttered, processing that for a bit before looking up at Gage. "So, remember when I said cosmetic surgery still existing was the weirdest thing I'd heard since thawing out? I think this tops that."
Shaking his head, Gage forced Ash's head upright and looked at Amari. "Your sure it ain't dangerous, doc?" He asked, tone considerably more polite than Ash's.
"As far as I can tell." Amari said, giving a nod. "Keep an eye on him, though. Don't let him go too long without another visit if his eyes start to hurt or if something else comes up."
While Ash gaped at being talked about like he was A. not there, and B. a stubborn child, Gage nodded. "Sure thing, doc."
Huffing, Ash got up from the chair, leaving another pouch of caps in his wake. "Thanks, doc." He muttered, leaving with Gage before Amari could reply. Once they were outside, Ash pulled Gage into a nearby ally and pushed him against the wall, frowning at him. "I don't appreciate being discussed like I'm your kid." He grumbled, the slight upward curve of his lips letting Gage know he wasn't really in trouble.
"Well, maybe if you behaved like an adult." Gage mumbled, grinning when Ash looked shocked and offended.
"Listen here, you s-" Ash was cut off as the sound of a gun cocking nearby drew his and Gage's attention.
"Mayor Hancock has requested a meetin' wit' you two." A ghoul in a three-piece suit and fedora said, a machine gun in his hands.
"Shit. I guess they recognized us." Ash muttered, sighing and walking forward when the ghoul motioned for him to do so. Another ghoul guarding a door motioned them forward and then they were being ushered up a winding staircase and into a sitting room of sorts. The ghoul in the red coat from Ash's first visit was there, his feet propped up on a coffee table littered with drugs. There was also a woman with a minigun nearby. Neither of them looked very pleased.
"Have a seat." The ghoul, Mayor Hancock presumably, said, motioning at the couch across from him.
Plopping down, Ash leaned back immediately, looking a mix of unimpressed and annoyed. Gage sat beside him, considerably more tense. For awhile nobody said anything as Ash and Hancock stared eachother down but then Hancock grinned. Not a friendly grin, more like a grin that was meant to show that he was relaxed, a show of dominance, that he was in control.
"Ya got alot of nerve waltzing into Goodneighbor." He said, casually picking up a small switch that had been embedded in the table and twirling it around in his hand. "What, didja think just cuz you changed up your costume, no one would recognize you?"
"Works in the comic books." Ash deadpanned, sounding as unimpressed as he looked.
Sneering, Hancock tilted his head a bit. "Too bad this is real life, huh, raider?"
"Overboss, actually." Ash said, suddenly smirking and crossing one leg over the other at the knee, his eyes starting to glow. "I was under the impression you already knew that."
Eyes narrowing, Hancock stared at Ash for a bit before a sudden look of recognition dawned on his face. "You're that guy who offed Finn." He said, huffing out a laugh and looking almost impressed. "Movin' on up in the world, huh? Or down, more like, since you shacked up with raiders." Hancock paused, as if thinking. "I guess the king of trash is still a king though, right? Better than nothin'."
"Look, we can sit here all day comparing our dicks and trying to figure out whose trash kingdom stinks the least, but I actually got shit to do, so if you could get to the part where you tell me why you interrupted what was about to be some steamy public wall-sex, that would be great." Ash said, looking over with the rest of the room as Gage choked.
"Sorry." He muttered, not looking at anyone in particular, his face pink. "Just got a sudden hunk of regret caught in my throat."
Both Ash and Hancock snorted and then looked at eachother in surprise. Against all odds, they both started laughing, Hancock calming down first. "What the fuck?" He huffed out, shaking his head. "How the hell did you two conquer half the Commonwealth?"
"Would you believe me if I said it was with the power of love?" Ash asked, grinning.
Scoffing, Hancock shook his head. "It's Ash, right? I don't think we were ever formally introduced. I'm Mayor Hancock." He said, motioning to himself and then the woman behind him. "This is my right-hand woman Fahrenheit."
"Gage." Ash said, motioning at the man beside him. "My better half." Gage choked again and actually elbowed Ash which only made the teen grin more.
Shaking his head again, Hancock tilted his head, still smiling. "What the fuck are you doing in my town?"
"I came here to see Dr. Amari." Ash said, motioning at his eyes. "It might surprise you to learn this alluring glow wasn't something I got on purpose."
"Huh." Hancock huffed, eyeing Ash for a moment before nodding like that checked out. Before he could say anything else, Ash cut in, a massive, amused grin on his face and his eyes glowing brightly.
"What, were you nervous that I'm here casing Goodneighbor or some shit?" When Hancock's eyes narrowed, Ash laughed. "You were!" Rolling his eyes, Ash shook his head and got comfy, draping one arm lazily across the back of the couch, the other hanging off over the arm. "Look, I don't case places before I march on 'em, I just go for it. If I was here for Goodneighbor, I would've relayed in with a handful of synths at my back and declared myself. I'm dramatic like that." He motioned at himself with the arm draped over the couch, replacing it once he was done. "And I sure as hell wouldn't do it dressed like this. I have a reputation to uphold, you know."
After glaring at Ash for a bit, Hancock nodded again and glanced away, pretending to be interested in the far wall. "Yeah, I've heard about your reputation. Heard about what you did to Diamond City, too." He said, looking down at the table and picking up a tin of Mentats. Hancock rattled it a bit before taking out two pills and placing them on his tongue. "Heard you started crackin' heads when people kicked up a stink about you welcoming the ghouls back with open arms."
"And?" Ash asked when Hancock was quiet for a bit. "What, are you threatened that Goodneighbor isn't the only safe place for ghouls to stay anymore?"
"Maybe it's more like you're makin' Goodneighbor look bad." Hancock replied, toying with the tin of Mentats like he'd been toying with the knife.
There was another short stretch of silence before Ash sat up straight, brow furrowed. "This was not the way to ask for an alliance." He said, confused and annoyed. "Like, literally any other way would've worked better. I almost called in my synths. I have the command ready to go." Ash brandished his left arm as if to emphasize his point. "I was ready to shoot you!"
"Well, this didn't exactly start as that." Hancock said, smiling a bit despite Ash's threats. "This started as me needin' to know why there was a vicious raider boss tryin' to be all incognito in my town."
Shaking his head, Ash flopped back against the couch. "So, you want the D.C. treatment, then? You get a synth security force to keep your people safe and I get a cut of the profits from your stores? You stay a figurehead the people can look up to and I secretly own you?" Hancock ruffled at Ash's phrasing and Gage, who had just started to relax, tensed back up.
"Somethin' like that." Hancock grumbled, sighing and laying his head back. "Times are changin'. Ain't no denyin' you've got an iron-grip on the 'Wealth. Wouldn't be doin' myself or Goodneighbor any favors to pretend it ain't in my best interest to roll over for you."
"Sounds like a deal to me." Ash said, erasing the command he really did have ready to go and starting up some new ones. "You'll get a security force and all the perks that come with me owning your town and I'll make a few shiny caps and sleep a little easier at night knowing my favorite town is safe and sound."
Snorting, Hancock looked at Ash again, looking amused. "That easy, huh? Not even gonna make me ask nice for it?" When Ash looked startled and surprised, Hancock smirked at him. "I already told ya I've heard about your reputation. Word travels faster than you'd think in the Commonwealth. 'Specially when you got the connections I do."
Huffing softly, Ash entered the commands he'd been typing. "No, I'm not gonna make you ask me nicely for it." He grumbled, standing and slinging his pack over his shoulder before he started fiddling with his Pip-Boy some more. "Despite my crack about owning you, this situation is mutually beneficial enough that you're really more of a business partner than anything." Sighing, Ash stopped messing with his Pip-Boy. "I take it we're done here, Mr. Mayor? I wasn't joking about having shit to do today."
Huffing out a disbelieving laugh, Hancock waved a hand at Ash. "Sure thing, boss man, wouldn't wanna hold you up from your very important raiding or whatever." He said sarcastically, probably pushing his luck but finding that Ash wasn't nearly as threatening as the rumors made him out to be.
Then Ash was hovering over him, one foot on the couch next to his hip, the other on the floor on the opposite side so he was sort of straddling him while still standing, one hand on the side of the couch by his head, and the other pressing the tip of Damnation to the soft bit of flesh where throat met jaw under his chin. Every gun in the room was now aimed at Ash, but his bright eyes were firmly on Hancock. "That's Overboss to you. You should get used to saying it, I don't handle disrespect well." When Hancock tried to respond, Ash pressed the knife more firmly into his throat to keep him quiet, barely breaking the skin and drawing a drop of blood. "Don't. Just practice. You can show me how good you've gotten at saying it next time."
Moving back, Ash triggered the relay he'd set up and he and Gage were zapped away before anything else could happen. When the brief, flash-induced blindness of relaying cleared, Ash turned and noticed that Gage was frowning in confusion instead of the anger or annoyance he'd been expecting. "What's with the face?" He asked, raising a curious eyebrow as he sheathed Damnation.
"Always thought we had to be touchin' for you to relay with me." Gage muttered, eye narrowing when Ash was quiet for too long.
"I technically never said that." Ash said quickly, moving away as Gage swiped at him and giggling as he took off up the stairs, Gage hot on his heels. "Not my fault you never asked!"
Ash was quick and agile, but Gage's legs were longer so he was able to take the stairs a few at a time in order to make up the distance. Catching Ash's arm on a landing, Gage spun the smaller man around so they were facing and pulled him close, a grin playing his lips. "You just wanted to be touchin' me all this time, didn't you?"
"Not at first." Ash said, smiling and squirming just so Gage would tighten his hold on him. For some reason, he liked when Gage held him tight. It seemed like the sort of thing that would trigger his claustrophobia, but it never did, only succeeding in making him feel safe. Once Ash felt constricted enough, he gave up and laid his head on Gage's shoulder. "I was reading up on how the relay works one day and I found out it takes a few milliseconds longer for the relay to lock onto and transport several small objects than one large one. If we were touching, the machine counted us as one object and it relayed us quicker."
"By milliseconds!" Gage said, leaning in and nipping at Ash's neck when he tried to shy away. "I don't even know what a millisecond is, but it doesn't sound like the kinda thing that needs to be shaved down more." When Ash started to laugh, Gage nipped his neck again. "You had me holdin' your damn hand way before I even tolerated your crazy little ass let alone liked you." He grumbled, trying to sound mad even though he was sure Ash could feel his grin against his neck.
"You never complained." Ash pointed out, managing to wriggle enough that he was able to catch Gage's lips in a kiss. Much to Ash's delight, Gage sighed happily into the kiss and returned it.
Once they parted for air, Gage looked down at Ash with a somewhat more serious expression. "You're really bad at negotiatin', by the way. I thought for sure your smart mouth was gonna get us shot."
"One of these days you'll learn to trust your Overboss." Ash quipped back, smirking. His expression quickly morphed into a playful smile as Gage raised an eyebrow at him and leaned back down. Ash tried to squirm away but Gage simply kept his hold firm and nipped his neck again, getting a soft sound from Ash. While Gage sucked a hickey onto his neck, Ash managed to get his hands free and wrapped them around the taller man's neck, sighing lightly from the attention.
"For real, though." Gage mumbled against Ash's neck, lightly kissing the bruise he'd just left. "Next time I do the talkin'."
"We'll see." Ash mumbled, laughing when Gage pulled back to glare down at him. His expression softened almost instantly and for a bit, they just looked at eachother. "We should do something fun." Ash said softly, looking at all the individual green flecks in Gage's eye. There was just enough of them to perfectly speckle the light brown of the rest of his iris, making it appear either fully green or fully brown depending on the light and if you didn't look close enough.
"Jesus." Gage mumbled, squinting his eye a bit. "They almost hurt to look at, they're so bright." Ash's eyes were practically lighting up his whole face and they sort of pulsed when Ash started to blush. As Ash buried his face in his neck, Gage chuckled softly. "Is all that glowin' for me again, darlin'?" He asked softly, smiling more when Ash hugged him tighter.
"Yeah." Ash mumbled against Gage's neck, trying hard not to think about how desperately and completely in love he felt since it made his chest feel tight. It was overwhelming and Ash couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with him. If this was what actual love felt like, the kind of love that every couple felt, or if there was something wrong with his brain that made him extra attached. Surely normal people didn't just live their lives feeling like this all the time? Or maybe they did. Maybe that's why people cried during funerals and fell apart after break-ups. Crying and falling apart didn't feel appropriate for anything less than this incredible, almost sickening feeling that Ash simultaneously couldn't get enough of and desperately avoided dwelling on.
"Now, what kinda fun did you have in mind, darlin'?" Gage asked softly, the deep rumble of his voice wiping away everything in Ash's brain for a minute before he came back to himself.
"I heard of an old museum not too long ago that's supposed to be dangerous." Ash said, pulling back to look up at Gage. "We should go see why."
"That don't sound fun." Gage said, smiling down at Ash despite his assertion.
"It's a museum of witchcraft." Ash said, his tone implying he was tying to tempt Gage with that information though Gage looked thoroughly untempted.
"And?" Gage asked, raising an eyebrow at Ash.
"Do you know what they did to witches back in the day that was worth dedicating a museum to?"
"Can't say I do."
"They used to tie up convicted witches and burn them at the stake." Ash said, grinning when Gage looked at him like he was crazy. "Which means there's probably still some old rope and shit left. If we don't find anything interesting, I could always tie you up and fuck you against a bonfire display or something. I still want my steamy wall sex, after all."
Now it was Gage's turn to blush darkly. After his brain rebooted, which took enough time for Ash to start grinning like a little shit, Gage shook his head, chuckling despite himself. "Y'know, I'm pretty sure there's a rule somewhere about havin' so much nasty little freak packed into one person."
Grinning more, Ash pulled away from Gage and started to get dressed in his usual outfit. Gage followed his lead and Ash started looking around on his map for about where he thought the museum might be once he was dressed. "Good thing raiders don't follow rules well." He said once he'd found a good spot, holding his hand out to Gage.
Sighing, Gage took Ash's hand. "Yeah, good thing." He muttered, still smiling as Ash triggered the relay and they were whisked away to their next adventure.