Chapter Specific Characters: Porter Gage, Daisy the Deathclaw, Nubs, Shank, Tabs, Mags Black, William Black, Lizzie Wyath, Nisha, Savoy the couch cushion, Mama Dixie
Chapter Specific Tags/Warnings: Ash is a thot, Gage is an amazing husband, heavily implied forniphilia (human furniture kink), recreational drug use
Forgetting all about what had just happened aboard Armageddon, Ash and Gage rushed up to their room and knelt beside the nest. The egg was shaking frequently and cracks had appeared all over the rough, mottled surface. Every now and again a claw would poke through and Ash grabbed Gage's hand as they watched excitedly, Gage giving him a squeeze.
In minutes, Daisy had busted through their egg enough to look upon their new world. The first person their eyes landed on was Gage and then Ash. The two raiders held their breath as Daisy cracked through their egg a bit more and stumbled out of the remains of the shell. They stumbled a bit more and then finally seemed to get their legs working the way they wanted. Much to Ash and Gage's surprise, and delight, they started chirping and trilling and then ran up to Gage, jumping onto his lap and stretching their face up to his face.
Laughing happily, Ash watched as Gage quickly leaned away in time to avoid being snapped at by Daisy's fully-formed, if small, teeth. "I think they're hungry." Gage muttered, leaning forward again only to jerk back as he was snapped at once more. Daisy's trilling became impatient and they sniffed the air, suddenly turning their attention to Ash
Running to him instead, Daisy went for the tatters of his coat sleeve, trying to eat it. Ash bit his lip to keep from laughing as Gage got up and went to the fridge where Nubs' food was kept and got out some cubed brahmin. Daisy quickly realized they couldn't eat Ash's sleeve and went to his face to snap at him demandingly. Ash allowed Daisy to bite him but instantly regretted it as it actually hurt. Pulling back and covering his bloody lip, Ash nodded. "Definitely hungry." He confirmed through his fingers, wondering now if he could get any infections or other assorted health problems from deathclaw spit entering his blood.
Laughing a bit, Gage opened up the package and Daisy got off of Ash as soon as they smelled the meat. Ash started cleaning his lip and Gage got another surprise when Daisy started climbing him. "Jesus Christ!" He swore loudly, holding the food out of Daisy's reach as they made it all the way up to his head before wailing noisily. "I was tryin'! You're impatient!" Gage shouted back, crouching to put the food down and rubbing at the light scratches on his face when Daisy leapt down to get it. Ash was laughing again.
"They're so fucking cute." He said happily, coming over and looking Gage's injuries over. "At least they didn't draw blood."
"Got you pretty good though, huh?" Gage asked, running his thumb over Ash's lip.
Poking his tongue out, Ash licked Gage's thumb and smiled at the surprised look that earned him. "I'll live." He replied, looking down as Daisy bumped their head against his leg. The container was empty and when Daisy realized Ash was looking at them, they started trilling at him. Laughing, Ash got another container out and opened it close to the floor so Daisy didn't try to climb him. "I'm gonna have to increase food gathering."
"They are a growin' murder-lizard." Gage said, wrapping his arm around Ash's shoulders and watching Daisy eat. "They're a little more rambunctious than I thought they'd be."
"Yeah." Ash agreed, laying his head on Gage's shoulder. "I was sort of hoping they'd be more cat-like than dog-like."
Humming, Gage shrugged and got another container as Daisy finished the second one, opening it up for them and watching them go to town. "Always liked dogs better myself." He admitted, glancing over and laughing at the shocked and offended expression on Ash's face.
"The betrayal." Ash muttered, cracking a smile as Gage laughed at him.
"Don't get me wrong, I still love Nubs to bits. Just always found cats kinda- I dunno, coy for my taste." Gage said, making a face that made Ash smile more as he fished for the right word. "With dogs, it's easier to tell how they're feelin'. Less guess-work."
"I guess that's fair." Ash muttered, shrugging off his coat and sighing down at the shredded arm. "Don't think that'll be salvageable."
Frowning a bit, Gage took the coat and tossed it aside, helping Ash out of his belts and shredded shirt next. "Don't worry about all that. Let's focus on Daisy for now."
Smiling softly, Ash nodded. "Yeah, alright." As Gage got Daisy yet another container of food, Ash changed into something more casual and cleaned the blood off his arm before he tagged out with Gage so he could also change. While Gage changed, Ash cracked open a can of water and filled one of the empty bowls with it. Daisy finished the bowl they were working on and then drank half the bowl of water. Finally, they seemed sated, making a low rumbling noise that Ash could only compare to a purr.
"Wonder how long it'll take us to figure out if we got a son or a daughter." Gage said offhandedly beside Ash, watching Daisy explore the room.
"Yeah, I don't know how to tell with a reptile." Ash admitted, tilting his head slightly. "I've never gotten a close enough look at a deathclaw's crotch to know if they even have genitals."
"They don't." Gage answered, like it was the most casual thing in the world to know that. "They got one of them crotch-slits. Makes 'em all look female 'til the red rocket comes pokin' out."
Blinking slowly, Ash pursed his lips and tried, tried so hard not to, but when Gage looked down at him, he couldn't help it and started laughing.
Frowning in confusion, Gage nudged Ash. "What's so funny?" He demanded, smiling a bit at Ash's laugh. It was nice to hear it even when it was at his expense.
"You called it a red rocket!" Ash wheezed, calming down enough shortly after to elaborate. "I'm so angry that survived but it's also hilarious."
Chuckling softly, Gage shook his head, looking back over at Daisy as she explored their bed, having apparently climbed up there when he and Ash weren't looking. "You find the weirdest shit funny."
"I am a teenager." Ash replied, walking up to Daisy and giving them his hand. They sniffed it and then bumped their little head against it and Ash smiled, petting down their bumpy back and getting a rumble for his efforts.
"They're more cat-like than you thought." Gage said behind Ash, reaching around him and huffing when Daisy climbed his arm. "Dammit, not again." He grumbled, pausing when Daisy perched on his shoulder, their tail coming around his neck to keep them steady as they got comfortable. "Huh." Gage muttered, glancing over at Daisy and smiling when they trilled lightly and bumped their head against his cheek.
Making a high-pitched sound that caught both Gage and Daisy's attention, Ash covered his mouth, looking away to hide his huge smile. "They're a daddy's lizard." He muttered, gasping suddenly and scrambling for his camera. Gage got Daisy to bump his cheek again and Ash took a picture, making the same high-pitched noise as he hugged his camera. "This was one of the best ideas you've ever had."
Chuckling softly, Gage rubbed Daisy under the chin a bit. "Yeah. Sure was." He agreed happily, getting happy lizard rumbles from Daisy.
An unholy yowl from outside the door broke up the scene and Ash started laughing again, going over to the door to open it and watching Nubs as she came in. "That's new." He told her, crouching to scoop her up as she rubbed his shins. "Guess you were just excited to meet your sibling." Walking over, Ash held Nubs close to Daisy and they immediately started sniffing eachother.
There was a tense moment where both Ash and Gage were ready to quickly separate them, but then Nubs bumped her head against Daisy's and Daisy, after a moment of looking stunned, trilled excitedly and leapt from Gage to Ash so they could get a closer look at Nubs. Nubs stretched up to Daisy and Daisy bumped her back, Nubs meowing at Daisy and Daisy chirping. They seemed to come to an understanding while Ash and Gage watched in surprise and both of them settled down on Ash facing eachother, Nubs purring contently and Daisy rumbling happily.
It was Gage's turn to snap a photo and then he joined the picture when Ash motioned for him to do so. Ash instructed him on how to angle the camera and Gage got a great picture of all of them. After that, Nubs was over being held and Daisy decided to go exploring past the now-open door and into the rest of Sanctum. Ash quickly sent out the command to treat Daisy like royalty and also to keep and eye on them and Nubs just in case. He still didn't want his cat to get eaten, after all.
Now that the excitement of Daisy's hatching was over, Ash looked to his coat and sighed again. Picking it up, he examined the sleeve again before taking it and his Nuka-Girl shirt to his workshop. Gage was busy feeding Nubs but then he followed Ash, watching as he cut the sleeves off the coat up to the elbows and completely off the shirt before sewing the edges up to create new seams.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Gage leaned against the wall. "First your stomach, now your arms. Pretty soon you'll be runnin' around naked." He joked, smiling when Ash glanced up him and getting a small smile for his efforts.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, you dirty old man?" Ash asked quietly, glancing over again and raising an eyebrow when Gage looked thoughtful instead of offended like he'd expected.
"Maybe we could keep the boots. Get rid of the rest." He said, grinning when Ash looked at him in surprise. "I can play that game too, ya brat."
Scoffing, Ash looked away, shaking his head. "You're gonna feel funny when I take you up on that one day. Stroll through Nuka-World naked while we take care of business or some shit."
Snorting, Gage shook his own head. "It's your body, boss."
Blinking slowly, Ash looked over at Gage uncertainly. "You'd let me run around naked?"
"I wouldn't want you fightin' naked, but if we're just takin' care of business around Nuka-World, you can wear whatever you want." Gage replied, shrugging. "If what you wanna wear is nothin', that's your business." He smirked then, looking quite smug. "Give me a chance to show off what's mine."
Flushing darkly, Ash looked back to his clothes, double-checking the seams while he tried to will himself to stop blushing. "Maybe I should make myself something slutty to wear around Nuka-World, then. Some little shorts to go with my boots, skip the coat and belts." He glanced over again and found that Gage was blushing now.
Clearing his throat, Gage looked away. "I mean, I wouldn't be opposed." He muttered, looking up again as Ash excitedly got something from the trunk where he kept all the clothes he hoarded. Much to Gage's surprise, Ash pulled out a vault-suit.
"Time to butcher this crime against fashion." Ash said excitedly, laying out the suit and taking a pair of scissors to it.
"Have you- have you been worryin' about how you dress cuz of me?" Gage asked, watching Ash cut the sleeves off first and then cut the legs short.
"Not worrying, really, I just thought you were the jealous type and I know you're a fan of practical clothes, so, y'know." Ash replied, measuring the suit against himself before making a couple of small cuts where he planned on separating the bottom from the top and cut out the stomach of the top.
"Well I wouldn't want you to wear somethin' too skimpy durin' a fight cuz that's dangerous, but if it's just out and about, that's different." Gage explained, watching piece after piece of fabric fall to the floor. "I am sorta jealous, but only when it comes to touchin'. Lookin' ain't never hurt nobody."
"Wow." Ash said, making seams where he'd cut before dying the new clothes black and setting them on a rack to dry.
"Ain't like all of Nuka-World don't already know you're mine. I ain't worried if you wanna make 'em jealous." Gage said, smiling when Ash came over and pecked his lips. Ash opened his mouth to say something but then Gage jerked and made a face that made him snort. Looking down, Gage frowned at Daisy as they climbed him, perching on his shoulder like earlier and bumping his cheek. "I don't like that. I ain't never gonna be able to not wear jeans around you." He told them, getting a happy little trill for his efforts.
Smiling, Ash shook his head. "They almost dislocated my shoulder earlier trying to get at Nubs. I can't believe how heavy they already are."
"Yeah." Gage agreed, unable to help himself and giving Daisy scritchies under the chin. "Won't be small enough to be perchin' on me for long."
"Speaking of, when do you think they'll be old enough to start training them?" Ash asked, reaching over and scratching the top of Daisy's head gently. Their horns hadn't come in yet, two little stubs on the top of their head marking where they would be once they did.
"Probably right away. They seem pretty smart already, bet they'd pick up some basic commands real quick." Gage replied, following Ash into their room and admiring the view as Ash bent over to get a container of meat from the fridge. Ash had finally gained enough weight that there was a view to admire.
"Wanna start now?" Ash asked, straightening up and shaking the container a bit. Gage gave a shrug and they got started. In about a week Daisy knew their name, and seven basic commands: sit, stay, come, stop, up, no, and yes. Apparently, deathclaws were very smart and very motivated by radstag meat. Particularly, Ash and Gage had found, organ meat. Since it had been over a week, Ash was overdo to make sure Nuka-World was still running smoothly so he whipped up a harness for Daisy and attached it to a length of chain so they could take Daisy out with them.
Once that was out of the way, Ash put on his new outfit, the shorts barely long enough to cover everything that needed covering and the shirt being more of an accessory since Ash barely zipped it enough to close it. He was aware it was early November and it was gonna be cold out in the 'Wealth, but the expression on Gage's face when Ash allowed him to open his eye was worth a few goosebumps and a couple hard nipples.
Just in case his opinion on that matter changed, though, Ash packed his coat and even though he didn't put on his chest belt, he kept the one that went on his waist so he could keep Blasphemy and Damnation on him. Once Sin was strapped into place, Ash was ready to go and he took Gage's hand to relay them to Nuka-World. He wasn't wearing his mask but he did have his hat on, though it was tilted back like it was meant to be worn. It wasn't that Ash didn't think someone might realize how young he was and say something so much as it was that he didn't give a shit anymore. He'd already proven himself many times over, if someone still wanted to question him based on his age, he'd just stab them and prove himself again.
Shank was certainly surprised when the trio appeared in front of him and it took him several takes before he composed himself enough to give Ash a raised eyebrow. "Good to see you, boss." He offered, clearly still surprised even as he tried to keep his voice neutral.
"Got anything to report?" Ash asked, glancing over to check on Daisy and seeing that they were exploring as far as their leash would let them but were being good. When he looked back at Shank, he caught him staring at Daisy and grinned, clearing his throat and getting an almost sheepish grin from Shank.
"Cute dog." He joked, clearing his throat softly and getting his book out. Shank flipped through it and gave a shrug, looking back up at Ash. "Nothing pressing, just the usual boring shit that goes in the monthly."
Nodding, Ash pulled a bracelet from his belt and held it out to Shank. It took Shank a moment of staring at the offering before he took it tentatively. "Gage and I talked about it and we've decided you should have access to our place. It's called Sanctum and that device will take you there and bring you back when you hit the button."
"Oh." Shank said, the surprise clear and unmasked on his face. He looked down at the device again and clipped it into place on his left wrist past his glove. "Uh, wow."
Smiling a bit, Ash seared the mental image of Shank at a loss into his mind for later enjoyment. "When you get there, just pick a room and let a synth know, they'll make sure it stays yours. You can store your shit there or whatever. Think of it as a second home." Before Shank could respond, Ash walked off, taking Gage's free hand and smiling up at him as they walked further into Nuka-Town. "That went well."
"I'm gonna remember that face for as long as I live." Gage said, grinning and glancing down at Daisy every now and again to make sure they were being good.
"Right? Bet he's never been so speechless in his life." Ash agreed, walking to the entrance of the Zoo and catching how every Pack member in the vicinity was staring at Daisy. It was hard to tell what their expressions were for the ones wearing masks, but the ones whose faces Ash could see looked awed at the leashed deathclaw happily walking along beside them.
Walking into the Zoo with a grin, Ash passed up quite a few Pack members who were actually brave enough to wolf whistle him. He didn't pay them any mind, simply walking past them and up to Tabs. When she saw him, her eyes widened and she herself whistled, grinning broadly and jumping down from her throne to stand before Ash.
"Damn, boss!" She said, looking Ash up and down a few times. "That coat was not doing you any favors."
Laughing a bit, Ash nodded. "Yeah, the whistles I got coming in here tipped me off." He said, walking around Gage and picking Daisy up with some effort. "This is Daisy."
"Holy fucking- is that a deathclaw!?" Tabs shouted, coming closer and examining Daisy closely. "It is! Holy shit, can I hold it, please!?" She asked excitedly, peering around Daisy to look at Ash.
Smiling, Ash nodded and handed Daisy over. Daisy for her part sniffed Tabs curiously as the built woman held them easily. After a bit of sniffing, they trilled happily and bumped their head against Tabs, their stubby little horns scraping her cheek. Tabs laughed in delight and gave Daisy a squeeze.
"This is the greatest day of my life." She said, grinning brightly at Ash as Daisy explored her bright green dreadlocks. "How'd you catch it? No, how'd you get it from its mom?"
"They were still an egg when we found them. We didn't even know the deathclaw was a mom until after we killed her." Ash explained, smiling as Daisy climbed onto Tabs' shoulder and curled around her happily, making those content rumbling noises.
"They're so docile." Tabs remarked, reaching up to pet Daisy and grinning more when Daisy bumped her hand. "How long have you had them?"
"'Bout a week." Gage answered, watching Daisy ham it up with Tabs and smiling a bit. He usually tried to look intimidating when he was around the bosses and usually tried to stay out of it if they were talking to Ash, but he couldn't help his smile. Daisy was so damn cute and Tabs really did have good energy; it was hard to feel like he needed to act intimidating around her.
"Damn. They're big for a week old." Tabs said, glancing at the huge reptilian cat on her shoulders. "Have you figured out if they're a boy or a girl?"
"We don't really know how to check." Ash admitted, watching curiously as Tabs wrestled Daisy from her shoulders and held them like a baby. She checked her index finger and then, much to Ash and Gage's confusion and surprise, stuck the finger into Daisy's crotch-slit. Tabs felt around for a moment before removing her finger and wiping it off on her pants. Meanwhile Daisy reclaimed her spot on Tabs' shoulders, going right back to rumbling like nothing had happened. "She's a girl." Tabs informed, offering Ash and Gage a smile.
"Did-did you just finger our pet deathclaw?" Ash asked, trying to decide whether he wanted to laugh or not.
Snorting, Tabs shook her head. "I was checking her cloaca for a penis. It's the only way to tell 'til they get older."
"Huh." Ash muttered, shifting a bit and nodding. "Good to know, I guess." He glanced over at Gage and snickered at his surprised expression, finally deciding on amused for his own emotions. "Anyway, I mostly came by to give you this." Ash said, holding out a bracelet to Tabs. He explained what it was like he'd told Shank and Tabs looked just as surprised as she took the bracelet.
"Wow. Thanks, boss. Surprised you trust me enough to give me this." Tabs admitted, snapping the bracelet into place.
"It'll be easy enough to revoke your Sanctum privileges if it turns out I can't trust you." Ash replied, giving a shrug. "Got anything to report before I head out?"
"There were a couple of attacks on Pack outposts this week but we didn't bother calling it in since the defenses you set up took care of the other raiders before they even got close enough to start making threats." Tabs replied, handing Daisy over to Gage and smiling as Daisy trilled happily at him once he had her. "I put it in the monthly, of course. That's pretty much it. It's been real smooth sailing since I took over."
"Good." Ash said, giving a nod. "Later then." He offered, going to leave before Tabs made an "ooh" noise and dashed up beside him, pointing to the bracelet.
"One question: can I paint this?"
Snorting softly, Ash shook his head. "Yeah. Don't paint over the little screen. The rest is fine though. Even the buttons."
"Sick. Thanks, boss." Tabs said happily, not waiting for a response and hurrying off to break into the paints.
Shaking his head again, Ash left the Zoo and started making his way to the Parlor. "That went well too. I think I like Tabs."
"She's definitely an upgrade from Mason." Gage agreed, watching Daisy sniff at every person who passed her. People had meant treats and attention before but now that seemed extra reinforced after Tabs had given her so much attention so now Daisy was interested in everyone they passed. It was cute and funny when someone glanced down only to realize it was a deathclaw sniffing them and they had a moment of primal panic before realizing she was leashed and Gage held that leash.
"Oh yeah, it's not even a comparison." Ash agreed, walking into the Parlor and finding Mags and William quickly. There was another woman with them who didn't leave when Ash approached and he assumed it was the "co-conspirator" whose name he'd forgotten.
"Ah, Overboss." Mags greeted, smiling pleasantly and standing to greet Ash. "We heard you were back." She gave him a subtle once-over and motioned to the other woman at the table. "You and Lizzie never got to meet formally." Looking over, Ash nodded once in greeting and Lizzie gave him a nervous smile and shy wave. "Good enough." Mags mumbled, sounding amused and motioning to the chair Ash was standing near before sitting down herself. "To what do we owe the pleasure, Overboss?"
Taking a seat and motioning for Gage to do the same, which he did, Ash set three bracelets down on the table, one in front of each Operator. "I come bearing gifts." He informed, going on to explain the function of the bracelets as Daisy took a liking to William and climbed him in order to bump his face. William looked very tense but Ash and Gage were smiling. "She likes you." Ash informed, watching as William tentatively reached up to touch Daisy and let out a breath when she bumped his hand instead of mauling him like it looked like he was expecting.
"She's, uh- she's real cute, Overboss." William said, still sounding nervous. Both Mags and Lizzie, however, were watching curiously.
"You're training her?" Lizzie asked, looking at Ash.
"Me and Gage, yeah." Ash replied, reaching over to grip Gage's hand.
"Wow." Lizzie breathed, looking back to Daisy. "Does she know any commands or anything?"
"Daisy." Gage called, motioning to his shoulder when Daisy looked at him curiously. "Up." Daisy wiggled her butt a bit and then launched herself off William's shoulders and onto Gage's, her leash miraculously avoiding getting tangled on anything or anyone. She wrapped around him and he gave her a treat from a bag on his hip. "She's knows some other stuff too." He said offhandedly, smirking at the awed look on Lizzie's face.
Looking to Mags, Ash found she was examining her bracelet. "So, Mags, did you have anything to report to me while I'm here?"
Looking up from her wrist, Mags offered Ash her usual pleasant expression. "Nothing of any interest, Overboss."
Nodding, Ash got up. "We'll be on our way, then." He informed, leaving with Gage after some brief goodbyes.
"Saved the best for last, huh?" Gage asked playfully, letting Daisy stay perched on his shoulders while they walked to Fizztop. She was kinda heavy but she was also warm and it was nice having her rumbling, leathery body against him. Speaking of warm, Ash hadn't given into the late fall chill yet, looking like he was doing just fine in his tiny clothes. Gage idly wondered if he was cold and just determined or if he was fine but decided not to ask, decided to trust Ash to put his coat on if he got uncomfortable.
"Just going in order." Ash replied, glancing over and smiling at Gage and Daisy. "I don't have any reason to avoid the Pack anymore so I can finally do that."
"You know, when you came back to the Grille that second day, I thought for sure you were limpin' cuz of Mason." Gage mentioned, taking a step away when Ash stopped abruptly and smiling at the way he slowly turned to look at him.
"You thought I let that hulking dick-head fuck me?" Ash asked quietly, sounding quite offended.
Shrugging, which jostled Daisy enough that she realized they were in a new area and jumped down to explore, Gage made an almost apologetic face. "Was willin' to bet my gun on it."
Making a disgusted sound, Ash shuddered and kept walking. "It was Pickman." He admitted after a bit, glancing over in time to catch Gage's scrunched nose.
"Yeah, that would explain the limp." Gage muttered, walking into Fizztop Mountain and scrunching his nose again at the smell. The Disciples were the first group you went to if you needed a fight to end with no one standing on the other side and that made them real valuable allies and not someone you wanted to end up fighting against, but Gage had never liked them. To focused on the kill and too proud of the aftermath. It wasn't until he'd started getting close to Ash that he'd gained an appreciation for that way of thinking. The smell was still a bit much though.
Humming in acknowledgment, Ash looked up at the ramps he'd need to climb to get to Nisha and sighed. He was about to start when he heard Dixie laughing nearby and followed the sound into the shack on the ground floor. Ash walked in on Nisha and Dixie having a conversation, Dixie sitting on a chair and Nisha- well, Nisha was on a couch but the only male Disciple Ash had ever seen, the one who struck him as broody his first day, was between her and the couch, laying on his back perfectly still while Nisha sat on his stomach.
"Well, hey there, boss!" Dixie greeted cheerfully when she noticed Ash. "Got the boss lady to come down for you when I heard you were makin' the rounds."
"Oh." Ash said, his surprise showing on his face. "Uh, thanks, Dixie." He smiled when Dixie waved a dismissive hand at him. "I came for a couple of reasons." Ash said, taking out two bracelets and handing one to Dixie and one to Nisha. He explained the purpose and then looked to the guy under Nisha, looking uncertain. "Did you want him to have one?" Ash asked, looking to Nisha. "I don't mind if he's part of the leadership or whatever."
Scoffing, Nisha settled against the back of the couch, definitely adding more of her weight to the guy under her. "He's not part of the leadership, but I suppose I might need a footstool or something while I'm there." She replied, taking the bracelet Ash handed her and setting it casually on the broody one's face.
"Right." Ash said slowly, suspecting suddenly that Nisha and the broody one were into some kinky shit that he didn't want to know about. "Well, I also came to ask if there was anything you wanted to report to me while I'm here." He said, watching as Daisy sniffed around the table between Nisha and Dixie before jumping onto the broody one and getting comfy on his chest. Ash pursed his lips, getting ready to tell Daisy no but Nisha looked down at her, a small smile playing her lips.
"Well. Who's this?" She asked, reaching over and petting Daisy's head when she trilled and leaned over.
"That's Daisy." Ash replied, glancing over to the broody one's face but unable to tell what it looked like thanks to his mask.
"I see she already knows her place." Nisha said, glancing over Daisy to the broody one and looking very satisfied from what Ash could see of her face. "Good. A lady should always know where she stands." She finalized, giving Daisy a few more pets as she looked up at Ash. "Nothing to report that I haven't already. Nothing worth your time or concern."
Once Nisha was done petting her, Daisy jumped over to Dixie and stretched up her side to trill at her face. Dixie laughed in delight and scratched Daisy under the neck. "Never seen one of these up close. You be sure to bring 'er around whenever you come to visit, boss."
"Sure thing, Dixie." Ash agreed, smiling a bit and making a clicking sound with his tongue. Daisy looked over expectantly and Ash motioned over to himself with his head. "Come." Daisy obeyed, happily taking the treat Ash gave her for listening. "Anyway, later." He got a cheerful "see y'round, boss" from Dixie and a wave from Nisha and that was good enough for Ash. After exiting Fizztop, Ash turned to Gage. "Guess Nuka-World won't fall apart if I spend longer than a week away after all."
"Guess not." Gage agreed, smiling at Ash. "And now that the bosses can get to Sanctum, they can always tell a synth when somethin's up and they can come get you."
"Yep. Might be able to just drop by whenever I feel like it, not worry about a schedule." Ash said, holding his hand out to Gage. "Speaking of, wanna head back? I think Daisy's had enough excitement for her first outing."
"Sounds good, boss." Gage replied, taking Ash's hand and getting Daisy out of her harness once they were in Sanctum. He crouched and tapped her head gently, holding out a handful of treats to her when she looked at him. She trilled happily and ate the treats out of his hand. "You did real good today, Daisy." He told her, getting a few chirps before Daisy bumped his chin and ran off. Laughing a bit, Gage straightened up and wiped the deathclaw slobber on his hand onto his jeans. "Almost seems like she understands us."
"Maybe she does." Ash replied, shrugging when Gage looked at him. "You don't know how smart a deathclaw is. I definitely don't." Gage hummed in acknowledgment, giving a nod of agreement and they both went up to their room, getting settled in for a lazy day of crunching numbers.
A couple hours after lunch, all of the numbers had been crunched and Ash and Gage were just relaxing together, enjoying eachother's company while doing their own thing. Unbeknownst to Gage, Ash was starting to get a little antsy though and eventually, he set his sketchbook down. "Hey, Gage?" He asked, getting a "hmm?" in response and coming a little closer to his boyfriend. "Why do you hate it when I get high?"
"It's dangerous." Gage replied, glancing up from his book. "Letting yourself get so out of it that you stop noticin' shit is a fast way to get killed."
"But we're safe here in Sanctum." Ash pressed, taking Gage's book from him and setting it on the table. "I trust you and you trust me and the synths are around to keep us from doing anything too crazy."
"You wanna get high, don't you?" Gage asked after a bit of staring at Ash.
"So bad." Ash replied, setting down a handkerchief that opened up to reveal an assortment of drugs. "But I wanted to get high with you. It's not as fun getting high alone."
"I don't get high, boss." Gage said, reaching for his book again. "But I'll tell you what, you go nuts. No judgment, I promise. Not so long as we're here in Sanctum."
"C'mon, love, please?" Ash begged, tilting his head at Gage. "You don't have to take anything hard, just have some Jet and float with me."
"Don't like Jet." Gage replied, not taking his eyes from his book.
Shoulders slumping, Ash pondered that before perking up. "How about some Day Tripper? It just makes you happy." When Gage didn't shoot him down right away like with the Jet, Ash grabbed the little green bottle with the orange lid from the table and shook it at Gage. "Just one pill? It won't last that long."
Sighing after a bit, Gage set his book aside. "Oh, alright. One pill." He agreed, taking the pill when Ash excitedly gave it to him. What harm could one pill do anyway?
Smiling happily, Ash sat back and took two deep inhales of Jet, sighing happily as the feeling of relaxation settled over him. "This is gonna be great, but if you don't have fun, I won't ever ask again, I promise." He said, getting a soft chuckle from Gage.
"Alright." Gage agreed, watching Ash's pupils blow out while a light sort of happiness settled over him. It wasn't bad, it was sort of nice, actually. It wasn't manic or pressing, just a nice happy buzz, like he didn't have any worries and it was okay to just be for awhile. Gage lost all concept of time so he wasn't exactly sure how long it had been before Ash suddenly spoke up, but it pulled him from a pleasant daydream he'd been having.
"So if we got married would you take my last name or would I take yours?" Ash asked, getting to witness Gage doing emotional gymnastics as his face switched from neutral to surprised to confused to nervous to unsure and back to confused all in about two seconds.
"What's your last name?" He finally asked, the Day Tripper in his system making him smile with Ash even though Gage dimly knew Ash was smiling at his reaction.
"Reeves." Ash replied easily, laying back against Gage's lap to keep watching his face.
"Porter Reeves." Gage muttered, looking down curiously when Ash's eyes widened.
"I forgot your first name's not Gage." He muttered, biting his lip and snorting out a laugh when Gage did the same.
"Seriously?" Gage asked, grinning down at Ash.
"You go by Gage and you only told me once. I'm bad with names." Ash defended, stuck between being embarrassed and finding it funny. "When you told me it, I didn't know I was gonna need it so I just forgot it instantly. It's what I do. Then everyone, including you, called you Gage and that seemed familiar, so I forgot it was your last name." Smiling at the amused look Gage was giving him, Ash shrugged half-apologetically. "I'll remember it now."
Laughing, Gage shook his head and after a bit, decided to answer Ash's question. "Think maybe we'd just have to keep our names, darlin'. I ain't goin' by Porter or Reeves and I don't think you wanna be Ash Gage."
"What about Gage Reeves?" Ash hummed airly, taking another hit of Jet before continuing. "You go by Gage anyway, just make it your first name. My real name is Asher but I always go by Ash."
"Your full name's Asher Reeves?" Gage asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Ash sighed, looking away. "Nate and Nora had shitty taste. Asher and Shaun. At least I can work with mine, Shaun's was so bad he had to start going by a title instead."
Snickering, Gage pondered the suggestion for a bit before nodding. "Alright. Tell you what, you ever decide to make an honest man outta me, I'll take your last name."
"Wait, why do I have to be the one to propose?" Ash asked, frowning up at Gage. "Don't you know the man is supposed to do it?"
"We're both men." Gage laughed, looking down at Ash like he was weird. When Ash deflated, Gage laughed again. "'Sides, that sounds like some stupid, old-world bullshit. I don't think people even get married no more. Ain't nobody got the time. Ya just start livin' together, maybe get a family goin' if you're so inclined. That's that."
"Oh." Ash muttered, chewing on his lip a bit before smiling coyly. "So then we're already married."
Choking on nothing in particular, Gage shook his head. "Oh, no you don't, you don't get to start callin' me "husband" 'til you've gotten me a ring or some shit."
"But that's stupid, old-world bullshit!" Ash argued, grinning when Gage glared at him for using his own words against him, a small smile tugging his lips despite the glare. "Love you, hubby."
Sighing in defeat, Gage offered Ash a full smile. "Love you too, wifey." He replied, getting a happy smile from Ash and humming contently as he got comfortable against his thigh. Maybe it was just the Day Tripper, but he supposed Gage Reeves really did have a certain ring to it.
A few, considerably more delirious, conversations later, the Jet started to put Ash to sleep and Gage assured him it was alright to take a nap, that he'd be right there, so Ash drifted off, slipping quickly into wild, Jet-fueled dreams. Meanwhile, Gage daydreamed happily on the couch, idly stroking Ash's hair while he snoozed against his thigh. Getting high definitely wasn't as bad as he remembered it being. Maybe having the right company made all the difference.