"You want some of this?" Hancock smirked, waving the inhaler of Jet back and forth rapidly in his hand.
"No, thanks. First time I ever touched chems was my last." Nick chuckled, thinking back both fondly and disdainfully on that particular memory. The Mayor had already taken the hit of Jet, and was leaning forward in his seat, looking almost childlike, just waiting for the Synth to continue. "I tried Berry Mentats. Thought I could handle that sharp of an increase in intellect. Boy, was I wrong...I holed up in a factory for three days, scribbling nonsensical equations on whatever papers I could find. I even found some chalk, and drew complex, geometrical diagrams on the walls and floors."
"Ho-ho-holy shit, man!" Hancock laughed boisterously. "What happened next?"
"I blacked out for a while, and when I came to, I realized some settlers had taken me to their homestead. They must have put two and two together, realizing why there was a Synth in detective garb passed out on the floor with an empty box of Berry Mentats nearby. I never found that factory again, though, so I don't know if my handiwork still exists." He paused, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "I still don't know what I wrote and drew, but I remember it had the settlers pretty worked up for some reason. It's like they knew something I didn't, but they never talked about it. I couldn't get them to. They refused to tell me where the factory was, too."
"Well, that took a turn for the creepy." The Ghoul shivered visibly.
"Yeah, no kidding. That's the kind of thing I would only trust Jill with."
"Why's that?"
"She's got a real weird but real strong handle on all things...well, weird." The detective paused, smiling to himself just for thinking about his lover. "She's crazy smart, too. And just between you and me...I think she has connections to strange, maybe even unspeakable things. If there's anyone that could figure out what I did, and why those people were scared over it, it's her."
Hancock took another hit of Jet, exhaling deeply with a stuttered moan, showing his enjoyment of the substance. "You really admire her, don't you?"
"Yeah, I...I really do." The detective sighed quietly, his mind turning back to Jill. He wondered if she was okay. "You sure I should leave her be?"
"Why? What's on your mind?" The Mayor wiggled his eyebrows, giving the Synth a suggestive smirk.
"That depends, what's on yours?" Nick felt himself getting slightly defensive. Was that...insecurity? Perhaps jealousy?
Hancock lowered his voice, leaning closer to Nick. "I think you wanna get busy with that girl of yours." Nick's eyes widened at the Ghoul's bold claim. He sat up quickly, his eyes darting about, hoping no one had heard Hancock. "Relax, man. These guys are too busy to pay attention to what we're saying."
"Wh-what makes you think that?" Nick hissed back, glaring at the Mayor. This was not the kind of conversation he ever wanted to have in public.
"What? You think I didn't see you two eye-fucking the hell out of each other?" Hancock threw an arm around the Synth's shoulders, unwilling to back down just yet. "Gonna be honest with you, man...Jill seems like a hell of a woman. If I were you, I'd totally jump on that as soon as possible."
"I...I can't." Nick wasn't sure whether he should be upset or not. Hancock had no filter, and the detective couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to make a pass at Jill. "The Institute didn't exactly equip me for...that."
"You have a hand, dummy!" Hancock exclaimed in a hushed tone, grabbing Nick's left wrist and shaking it a little. "You can still give her a good time. I think she needs it, you know...after everything she's been through."
"Why are we having this conversation?" Nick sighed heavily, covering his eyes and rubbing his temple. Sometimes, he was grateful he never had to deal with blushing.
"Because it's pretty obvious to me that you two have this mystifying attraction to each other. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."
"I'm sure you do." Nick rolled his eyes, taking another puff of smoke. He thought back to all the times during his travels with Jill that he'd thought about wanting to make love to her. She definitely seemed interested, but he had no way of knowing just yet. He didn't want to risk overstepping his boundaries with her, and managed to convince himself it was too soon. "I'll leave her be for now. She does need to rest."
"Whatever you say, man." Hancock finished off his third or fourth glass of whiskey, shaking off the burning sensation. For the next several hours, he dropped the subject that was clearly making the detective uncomfortable, and instead struck up a conversation about Nick's various adventures with Jill. The Synth talked openly about them, looking back fondly on many of his memories. He reminisced about the day he'd met the young woman, and the day they finally took down Eddie Winter. His favorite stories to tell were of Jill, though...she was tough, yet compassionate, and she'd taken him on many, many wild rides in their time traveling together. He spoke of all the times they'd taken on raider gangs, and how they managed to survive walking into Supermutant territory on multiple occasions. Hancock listened with great interest, expressing his desire to leave Goodneighbor for a "walk," as he called it.
"We've had more than a few close calls." The detective mumbled, lighting a new cigarette. "One time, I was face to face with a suicidal Supermutant. Damn things have mini-nukes strapped to them. If Jill hadn't screamed at me to run, I might not be here right now. When I sprinted far enough away, she took the shot...with one bullet, she blew up the bomb attached to the Supermutant's arm. I still owe her for that one." He took a puff, exhaling a plume of smoke after tilting his head back. "Then again, we had an incident while visiting the Dunwich Borers that I really think evens the score." He paused, taking a lengthy hit. Hancock took his pause as a signal to talk.
"So...what are you going to do about Jill?" Unfortunately for Nick, the uncomfortable subject was back. The Synth raised an eyebrow, practically egging the Ghoul on. "You gonna just accept the way things are now? Or are you gonna man up and love her?"
"Seriously, Hancock?" Nick scowled, almost glaring at the Mayor. Hancock just smiled and nodded, almost like he was expecting something to come from this. Nick sighed, turning his gaze downward. "I don't know..."
"Come on...just go for it. Worst that can happen is she says no." It was then that Nick realized Hancock wasn't genuinely interested in Jill, but rather he was trying to get the two to take that next step. "I can hang tight for a while."
"Fine!" The Synth threw his hands up in defeat, sliding off of his chair at the bar. "I'll do it. I'll see what happens."
"Atta boy, Nicky!" Hancock laughed, raising his empty glass in approval. "I'll be here, probably until the fireworks start. Let me know how it goes."
"I...probably won't." Nick muttered under his breath, waving half-heartedly back to the Ghoul at the bar. His mechanical heart was sending intense waves of heat through his chest. He was nervous, and it was probably obvious. As he left the Third Rail, he could hear the faint tones of Magnolia's voice echoing throughout the old train station. He'd just missed her performance, much to his dismay, but he shrugged it off, his mind centered on his newest goal: talking to Jill about intimacy.
As the detective slowly climbed the stairs of the Old State House, his thoughts went wild with uncertainty. Would she reciprocate? Was her attraction to him purely emotional? Surely, he would have known if that was the case. During their previous night atop the Mass Fusion building, they'd put their sleeping bags together. Nick recalled every kiss, every touch, every suggestive glance from the both of them...he felt more and more like he needed to take away that last bit of distance between them. He remembered exactly how she looked at him earlier on at the bar, and he came to realize how that look made him feel. He knew he wanted her, and badly.
Hancock's guards led him to an isolated room. They'd told him Jill was inside, and she would only accept certain people as visitors. This made Nick wonder exactly how she was feeling. His first thought was to be concerned for her, knowing she's never usually like this. He pressed on through the door, despite his nagging inhibitions, shutting and locking it behind him. Much to his surprise, Jill was stationed in front of a mirror, trying to tame her short locks into a fashionable hairstyle. She wore a tight black dress that stopped just above her knees. When she turned to face him, Nick's jaw dropped. He'd never seen her dressed up like this before.
"Well, now...what's the occasion?" The detective just couldn't help himself. He waltzed up to her, placing both hands on her hips. She gave him a sly grin, leaning into him and allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist. Hers found their way around his neck. Before either of them spoke another word, their lips met feverishly. Soft moans and sighs could be heard throughout the room, and maybe if they were unlucky enough, outside the door, too.
"I just wanted to look nice for our date tonight." When Jill finally spoke, she was out of breath, and hanging off of her lover like he was the only thing keeping her grounded in reality. "We're still on for the fireworks, right?"
"Of course we are!" Nick chuckled quietly, holding the young woman tighter to him. "But...sundown is still a couple hours away." He bent over, kissing the side of her neck.
"Mm...Nick..." Jill moaned quietly, holding his head there. His hat had fallen off, leaving his head exposed. She ran her hand over it tenderly, causing the Synth to almost purr in response to her loving ministrations. "I...I've been wanting to show you something." Without a word, Nick stepped back, giving her some space. What happened next was completely beyond how he imagined this meeting to go. She began to undress, letting that little black dress fall to a ring around her ankles on the floor. However, it wasn't this act alone that caused the detective's head to spin – it was the lacy black lingerie she was wearing...and the slits over her rib cage. There were three on each side below her armpits, and each of them seemed to "breathe" on their own. Somehow, Jill had acquired gills.
"What the hell...?" Nick couldn't help himself as he reached forward, brushing his fingers above and beneath them. They seemed to respond to his touch, opening wider and fluttering each time he caressed her bare skin.
"I think swimming a lot has, uh...changed me a bit." She laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "I just woke up like this one day, and since then, I've been able to breathe underwater."
"How long have you had these?" The detective was incredulous, almost unwilling to believe what he was seeing. He prodded at the gills a little more, watching them in fascination as they moved on their own.
"Probably about two months, now."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I didn't want to worry you, and...I uh..." Jill trailed off, glancing down at the floor. When Nick looked up from her gills, her face was flushed a deep red. "I...I didn't think we'd be...you know...together." Stepping out of the ring of fabric on the floor, she pressed herself firmly up against him. "And yet, here we are, Detective." Her deep, impassioned kisses, and the way she kept her tight yet curved figure firmly against him, were torture to the old Synth. "Nick..." She breathed heavily, meeting his gaze, staring longingly into his bright yellow eyes. "There's another thing I wanted to show you."
"Heh...does it involve something else that might require medical attention?" Nick tapped his forehead against hers, pulling her as close as he could, and giving her a charming grin. He wanted nothing more than to blurt out his feelings and desires right then and there, but he was willing to wait for her to finish.
"It might, come morning." She wiggled out of his grip, and bent over next to the bed, searching through her pack for something. He watched her inquisitively, wondering what would happen next. He couldn't help but stare, admiring her body. Despite all of the scars she'd acquired, he still thought she was an absolute knockout. When she stood back up, she was cradling something of medium size under a cloth. "Before you ask, I stole them from the Institute when they gave me the tour."
"What are you...?" Nick was rendered speechless as soon as she unveiled the objects. His eyes widened in both shock and joy, although he was a little more reluctant to display his happiness. Jill was holding two pelvic plates for Gen. 2 or prototype Synths, each outfitted with a flaccid, synthetic penis, and artificial testicles. "Oh my god..."
"It's experimental tech they admitted they probably weren't going to put to use. Attaches directly to the nervous system. You'd feel everything." She cast him a nervous glance, her face the deepest red Nick had ever seen it.
"Is it, uh...is it safe to assume you've...wanted this?" He was at a loss for words – rendered speechless by this sudden turn of events. She set the pelvic plates down on the bed behind her. He'd half expected her to turn him away, but instead, he found himself being kissed so sweetly, he felt as though he was floating.
"Yes...yes, I have." She ran her hands down his chest, sighing softly. "I can make it work. I just need to know something, first."
"Please. Anything. Just tell me." It was unlike the detective to beg, but his mind was racing, and all he could think of was finally making love to Jill. Kissing and holding her wasn't enough for him. He craved her in a way he never thought possible.
"I need you, Mr. Valentine." She grabbed the Synth's tie, and pulled him in for a rough kiss, eliciting a staggered, breathy moan from him. "Will you have me?"
"Do you even have to ask?" Nick shrugged off his coat in a hurry, letting it drop down next to her dress on the floor. In an instant, he picked her up and laid her down on the bed. "Didn't I say I'm yours?" His voice was almost a low growl as his face was pressed against her neck. His hands explored her practically bare frame, taking in and memorizing each curve she had to offer. He kissed and nipped at her neck and collarbone, sighing blissfully to himself. "You said you can make it work...so, please...make it work."
"Mm...ohh...yes..." The young woman arched herself up into the Synth, pulling him fully on top of her with his tie. She kissed him hungrily, moaning softly into his lips, and wrapping her legs around his waist. "Anything for you, Nicky."