((Chapter heading from Once We Were from the DA:I tavern songs.))

Chapter 6
Not Afraid of the Night

Deacon was panting, a big smile on his face. Whisper had an arm and a leg thrown over him, the sticky mess of their lovemaking bothering neither of them. Shaun and Connor were with Nick Valentine, the synth child building something obscure even Deacon had no clue about, their mutual son delighted that he was old enough to stay away for a night. Even if away was only next door. 'God. I'm scared,' Kalyna said.

Deacon pulled her on top of his chest and a cover over them both. 'Don't be. Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to. For me it's now or never, you've got all the time in the world.'

'Will you do it if I say no?'

For a moment, he considered lying. He could pull it off so that she believed him, but then he realised it would be a betrayal to do so. It wasn't an option, not with her. 'No. I'm not going to watch you wither and die. Especially die. The wither part isn't entirely off the table.'

'Well, then how much time do we have if we don't follow through with our plan?'

'I have no idea. A few years before it scatters and my body and my mind are too broken for any quality of life. Fucking radiation. I'm glad we asked Curie to do her research way back when. I'd be scared it's too late now if she hadn't told us she's ready any time.'

'Then our pact's still on.'

'Obviously.' He framed her face in his hands. 'You sure you're up for such a long ride with me?'

'I'll be your wife right until the next apocalypse and past it.' She laughed, and it seemed real. He'd have known if it wasn't, his Whisper was an open book to him. 'What a family we are. A kid that won't grow up, and us … Just wonderful.'

Deacon smiled and kissed her, gently and full of all the affection he had for this woman. 'Actually, when you think about it, it kind of is. Now we just have to stay sane. Piece of cake. Curie seems confident enough.'

'I have one request.' Kalyna shifted a bit and his cock twitched in anticipation, trapped underneath her. 'You said it was time you got a new face. I … ask you not to.'

Deacon's fingers tangled into Kalyna's hair. 'I don't know, Whisper. I start getting too used to seeing this mug in the mirror.'

'The war's over, Deacon. The only reason why you'd do this is because you're running from yourself. You don't need to, not anymore. I'd like you to burn that … mug into my mind some more.'

He gave a low hum. 'I have a huge problem,' he said, hands travelling down her body, cupping her buttocks. 'Recently, I seem to give in to you in the most outrageous things.'

'Very outrageous, me asking you to not become a stranger in the blink of an eye.'

'Yeah.' He positioned himself at her entrance and locked eyes with her. He was still unable to take her for granted, waited for permission. 'Let me think about it?'

'Not now.' She straddled him and slid down on his length.

Deacon's eyes closed with a soft sigh, his hands resting on her knees. 'Only one thing I'm thinking right now.'

'Brahmin steak.'

Deacon snorted and smacked her hip lightly. 'Nah. Logistics, of course. What do you think I am, a hedonist?'

Kalyna circled her hips, forcing the laughter from his face and an abandoned moan out of his chest. 'Could've fooled me.'