It was dusk of the next day that they made it back to Sanctuary.
Blue of course was diligent enough to report back to Preston before taking any time to herself. Only once she'd informed him that they'd checked in on the Nordhagen Beach settlers while on the coast did she retire to what used to be the laundry room of the central yellow house and finally close the door—literally—on responsibility.
She'd scrapped the washing and drying machines and repurposed the room as a bedroom a long time ago. It was now home to two beds and a steamer trunk, one of which currently supported Piper's splayed frame.
"It may be constantly trying to kill us, but the Commonwealth never lacks for excitement," she grumbled to the ceiling as Blue walked in. Now that she was stationary, the ache of travel and combat was seeping cruelly into her limbs, and she wanted nothing more than to pass out right then and there. Except—she did want something more. As Blue shut the door behind her and effectively rendered them alone, her heart sped up.
"I could do with a little less excitement around here, to be honest," Blue admitted in the same tired tone as she crossed to the steamer trunk. There, she deposited her heavy pack without bothering to sort through its contents first and began to rifle underneath for a more comfortable set of clothes. She came up with a Gunner flannel with patches on the elbows and a pair of worn jeans and stripped to change into them on the spot (which Piper did not watch, of course). They practically hung off of her lean frame, but must have felt loads better than the combat armor she'd had on.
Piper stood to follow suit, sliding off her red trench coat to lay it in the trunk beside Blue's stuff, exposing her bare arms to the chilly Commonwealth air. It was really just an excuse to get closer to Blue and she knew it. Piper was just so sick of waiting.
And Blue seemed to feel it, too. She turned as Piper came up beside her and reached to tuck a lock of dark hair behind the reporter's ear. "How are you doing?" she breathed into the mostly-dark, eyes roving over Piper's face before catching on her own.
"Considering I'm safe at Sanctuary, with you, alone, I'd say I'm pretty damn good," Piper whispered back with a smile coming to life on her lips. The past several days while they'd been out traveling, fighting, surviving, navigating the nuances of the Commonwealth's factions, and providing for startup settlements all over the map, the tension between them had again grown higher and higher, in a new way this time. It was thrilling, in a sense, if absolutely frustrating that they could not do anything about it until they reached a lull in the action. Now that they'd reached that lull, well…neither of them had to say much before all that suppressed feeling was rushing to the surface, ready to be lit aflame like oil on water.
Blue moved first. With a long, drawn-out inhale like she was steadying herself, she took Piper by the hips and pressed her back a step; two, three, until her back hit the blasted-out wall. The reporter felt her own breathing quicken, deepen, as those peerless gray eyes pinned her with warm intent and all she'd wanted since laying eyes on this dashing wastelander careened toward her like an oncoming vertibird.
Piper wasn't scared, necessarily, but her heart still felt like it was climbing up her throat as Blue inched in further; bringing them almost nose to nose. The air between them practically hummed with electricity as their bated breaths mixed across the tiny distance. The vault dweller's face was dimly lit on one side by the last remnants of the sunset streaming through the battered wall. The luminance turned her gray eyes bronze, and Piper lost herself in them through heavy lids. Blue hadn't even kissed her yet and Piper's insides felt like a plucked cord sending shockwaves through her form. She hadn't realized how much she needed this.
But still Blue held back, hovering just on the verge of letting their lips touch as if giving Piper the chance to back out.
Piper had no idea why she would ever do that.
Instead she did just the opposite, taking Blue's face in her hands and closing the final distance to mold their mouths together.
And—
This was so different from their kiss from before. The one they'd shared in this very house what seemed like ages ago. That had been perfect for its time, short and sweet and meaningful, but this—
The best word Piper could think of to describe it was thorough. As they leaned into each other across the ruins of their impatience, neither wasted a single motion; a single breath; a single second in their exploration of one another. Blue's lips locked firmly with Piper's and her tongue was swiping, uncertainly at first and then more boldly, into her mouth and somehow it wasn't gross at all; only exciting, and Piper could only fumble along in Blue's wake, trying to make up for her inexperience with enthusiasm. She fell obviously short, but she wasn't embarrassed; her nervousness was gone; dashed aside by the sensation of absolute security she felt in Blue's embrace. Blue was patient, and, needless to say, she was a great teacher; guiding Piper's efforts by shining example.
The reporter couldn't stifle a pleased hum as Blue's hands slid deliberately up from her hips to her ribcage, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Then they kept going, coming right up to the bottom edge of her bra, and Piper jolted at the contact.
Her thoughts were a scatter for a moment. Shit was front and center, followed by keep going and then a jumble of memories that reminded her that Blue might not be up for that. And then, the one that stuck: how the hell is this real? How had Blue, the walking legend of the Commonwealth, chosen her? How had Piper ended up here, pinned against the wall in her room, the object of her affection? Surely it was just the radiation catching up with her.
But then Blue's hands skated higher along her ribcage; avoiding her breasts but for the slightest brush of her thumbs, and it felt undeniably real.
So real that Piper's next inhale was reduced to a shuddering gasp. She had to break away suddenly to get enough air into her lungs. It felt like she'd been punched. If being punched made you feel very hot and achy in new places as well as knocking the air out of you.
Instantly Blue backed off. The sunlight through the wall was fading, but her eyes still shined bright. There was concern in them. "Are you okay?" she asked, and Piper took another hit to the gut when the vault dweller's voice came out a little thick; a little hoarse.
She let out her breath in a shaky sigh. When she raised her hand to brush a strand of hair out of her face, just to have something to focus on besides oh, God, Blue, it was trembling just as hard. Her face grew hotter. "O-of course, Blue, I just—wow." Internally, she groaned. Trust the reporter to lose her grasp on the English language as soon as words got important.
Blue, understandably, hesitated, her brow furrowing. "What?" Her hands started to fall away, but Piper was quick to intercept them.
"You really have no idea how crazy this is for me, do you?" she managed. She cradled the vault dweller's hands in her own, holding them to her chest like they were precious—because Blue was—and went on: "You're the one who changed my whole world. The one who's saving the whole world. You're basically a living legend, and I'm—well, me, and—and—" Piper swore her ears were going to burst into flame if she blushed any harder. She met Blue's gray eyes almost bashfully, wondering if she was just sticking her foot in her mouth for the millionth time in her life. "Kissing you is like kissing, I don't know, God."
Blue let out a snort, but her lips curled in a little grin that revealed her pleasure. "I'm just a regular woman, Piper," she reminded.
Piper matched her smile. "A woman who can do everything."
"You know that's not true." Blue's voice fell to a murmur as they came within an inch of each other again, drawn as if magnetically.
Piper's gaze was glued to her lips. "True enough for me," she breathed, and she'd never felt so sure of anything in her life.
Blue leaned back in. It was harder, this time; more earnest. Piper threw her arms around the vault dweller's neck and lost herself in the feeling.
She was so caught up, in fact, that she didn't notice the way Blue was adjusting her grip and bracing her stance till she was suddenly hoisted into the air, weightless for a split second until her back came against the wall. A surprised noise jumped from her throat as the sudden change made their mouths lose contact, but a single look from her new perspective revealed that it was definitely better this way,
Blue gave her a hot, steady look before leaning in this time, and that look combined with the realization that the vault dweller's hands were now firmly gripping her thighs to hold her up stirred something in Piper that she hadn't felt since…ever. It was frightening, sort of, except this was Blue and she was the safest place in the entire Commonwealth and Piper was totally immersed in her. So she let herself feel it: the tension, the ache, and wondered exactly how far Blue intended to let her explore.
The growing pulse deep in her gut only intensified when Blue broke off the kiss to trail her lips down Piper's neck instead, earning an unintentional moan that the reporter quickly slapped her hand over in embarrassment. Of all things, Blue laughed against the crook of her neck—then nipped it with gentle teeth, jolting yet another noise out of Piper's throat.
Blue chased that response, attacking the same spot in such a way that Piper could barely breathe between suppressed groans of pleasure. Then her back was off the wall and there was nothing but air behind her as Blue stepped back and turned them toward the bed. Piper wasn't surprised, really, but a healthy shock still went through her as Blue dropped her onto the mattress.
Then, looking up, the vault dweller must have registered the haze in Piper's eyes because abruptly she deflated, stepping back and letting out her bated breath in a sigh. She dropped her gaze almost like she was ashamed.
Piper immediately sat up and reached for her hand, searching her face for a sign of what she'd done wrong, because that had to be it; she had a habit of scaring people away and even after everything—
But when Blue met her eyes she smiled, a little sadly but with so much raw affection that it took Piper's breath away. "I—I'm sorry," the vault dweller began weakly. "I should probably tell you now, I—"
"Don't really like sex?" Piper felt confident that those were going to be Blue's words. By the other woman's stunned reaction, she'd guessed correctly (thank God). She let a little smirk pull at her lips. "Yeah, you said."
Blue was wide-eyed. "Wh-what? When?"
"That night at the Third Rail. The one you don't remember."
She paled. "Oh, God. Please tell me I didn't—"
"No. You were perfect, same as always." Piper shifted her hands to run them soothingly up and down Blue's arms, pulling her gently closer so she had to brace a knee against the mattress to keep her balance. She swallowed hard at the position it put them in: Blue half-straddling her seated lap. "It was about Magnolia."
"Oh." Blue, relieved, let her head fall into the crook of Piper's neck. "I'm sorry, that must have been so awkward." Her voice vibrated against the sensitive skin there.
"I didn't mind," Piper replied. I really didn't. She reached up to stroke the back of her vault dweller's undercut. "And I still don't. I won't ever ask you to do something you aren't comfortable with, Blue."
The older woman raised her head sharply. Her gray eyes locked with hazel, her mouth dropped open slightly, and for a long moment she just stared at the reporter like she'd just won the lottery. Then she gave a little laugh of surprise and reached up to clasp Piper's hand in her own. "Piper, I love you," she confessed suddenly, like it was the most natural thing in the world. And—
Oh.
Oh.
It was Piper's turn to gape. How the hell is this real? was running through her mind again, on repeat at light speed.
Blue didn't seem to expect her to reply. Instead, she quirked a little smile and took the opportunity to lean back in and capture Piper's lips again; gentle but oh-so-powerful. The reporter didn't even try to hold back the helpless mewl that floated from her throat this time. Blue met it with a low groan and pressed into her with careful hands, and Piper gave in to her clear intentions.
She lost her breath again as her back hit the mattress and Blue hemmed her in with a knee on either side. It was different, looking up at Blue this way instead of down like she had moments ago. But it was different in a good way. With the cushion of the bed at her back and the softness of Blue's touch at her front, she was safe from the world. She was taken care of. And that, she realized, meant more to her deepest self than she had ever presumed.
"I love you, too," she said breathlessly. And as soon as it was out there; as soon as it hung in the space between them like the pleasant scent of growing things, she knew it had always belonged there.
Blue only beamed. Then she was leaning into Piper again, fingers finding the tangled locks of her hair, lips finding their matching pair like she wanted to know what those precious words tasted like. Piper was all too willing to show her.
They only paused long enough for Blue to pull back and ask softly, "Is this okay for tonight?" because of course she did. Of course she was perfect.
Always, Piper thought, but saved the word for another time. The air between them was warm enough already, tonight. Instead she simply hummed in contentment, reaching up to slide her arms loosely around the vault dweller's waist. "Better than I could have ever dreamed of," she said.
And she meant it.
…
Tuesday woke to warmth, and though that wasn't necessarily unfamiliar, it was a lot closer than she was used to.
It took her a few moments to rise to the surface of the grayish fog of unconsciousness. When she did, she let her eyes crack open gradually, intending to savor the sight that she woke up to—and savor it she did. Piper was passed out next to her, still rumpled from last night, hat gone and dark hair spilled over the mattress, her face practically glowing in the morning sunlight. In the beams that cut through the cracks in the walls, Tuesday could make out her faint spray of freckles and every pale scar that interrupted her skin's smooth surface. She had the urge to reach out and run her fingers over those marks, guessing at the history behind each one, but she didn't want to wake her companion too soon.
But Piper must have sensed her wakefulness anyway, because it wasn't long before a deep breath and a sigh marked her own rise to the land of the living. She took even longer to regain awareness than Tuesday had, and the process was nothing if not adorable. She furrowed her brows first against the sun in her face, and then her mouth twitched down in a frown. She tried to raise a hand to block out the light but her palm brushed Tuesday and instantly her sour expression eased.
"Hey, papergirl," the vault dweller whispered now that Piper had remembered where she was.
The reporter stretched, long and luxurious, and let her head tip to the side to regard her companion with sparkling half-shut eyes. "Lovely night," she remarked, lips curling in a half-grin, and all the fresh memories of those lips on hers hit Tuesday like a freight train.
Her breath came out in a huff, and she passed it off as a chuckle. "You can say that again," she murmured as she roused herself enough to roll partly on top of Piper and lay a kiss in the hollow where her collarbones met. The contact had the desired effect: the younger woman let out a pleased groan and let her head fall back against the mattress, her free hand coming up to slide into Tuesday's hair.
And—all this was so new and rather unexpected, and normally Tuesday would have felt frightened or at least nervous because people always pushed for sex, even after she explained herself, but she knew in her deepest self that Piper was different. Piper was better.
So she didn't feel any pressure to do anything besides lower herself back to the mattress, loosely tangled up with the girl she supposed she loved, and enjoy a couple minutes of leisure before getting up to start the day. Piper rested her head on her chest and shared in the simple contentment, and that, Tuesday thought, was what made this—all of this—so lovely.
…