Huh, three chapters in one night. Don't expect that to happen again for a while...
Nate cursed and fired the last round in his rifle. Throwing the long weapon over his shoulder he grabbed the bull-barreled revolver he'd taken from Kellogg's body what felt like so long ago. He called it Better Bitch as it reminded him of a weapon he'd given Nora before the war he called Bitch.
The feral ghouls were on them faster than he could take them out, even with Hancock firing his combat shotgun. They should have been more careful. They should have scoped out the area before just walking right in.
Teeth sunk into the cloth of Nate's forearm and he was thrown to the ground on top of the ghoul biting him by another that hurled itself at him from behind. He cried out and threw the gun as a blunted weapon at the face attached to his arm. It gave and sprayed blood and brains. The one on his back was trying to gnaw through his heavy blue jacket. Nate rolled over and used his weight to crush the chest of the sickly creature. But two more descended on him and he had to use both his arms and legs to keep them from reaching his face. The sleeves of his coat no longer were pulled down to shield his forearms and the teeth met his flesh.
"Son of a–" he called out in agony, arching his back in pain.
Generally ferals left Hancock alone, but when he started to engage them, they would defend themselves. They did not nearly put as much effort into with him as they did Nate, though. So when he shoved the other ghoul away and spattered its skull over the pavement, Nate shouldn't have been surprised.
John was bleeding, but he was nowhere near as bad as Nate was at the moment. "Hey, you good?" he asked, grabbing the man's arm to look at the wound.
"I'll live," he stood up with some help and noticed a man behind Hancock was kicking over bodies. How had he missed someone else joining the fight? "Who's this?"
"Said his name was Tony Spark," John said and glanced at him. "He came in right when you went down."
"Just in time, if you ask me," the man said and smiled. It was a hell of a smile, making Nate pause to gaze at it. He wore a long blue coat, similar to the one Nate had, but it was more dress like with a thick black scarf tucked into it. Black hair stuck out from under his fedora in natural curls. He came close to the other two and the General noticed his icy blue eyes lingering on him, causing heat to filter into his cheeks.
"Thank you, Mr. Spark."
"Oh, please, call me Tony," he smiled and Nate noticed the scar on his lip, the only one on his clean-shaven face.
"Tony," Nate nodded. "I'm Nate Walker, and this is Hancock of Goodneighbor."
"Yes, I've heard of you, General… Sentinel… Sole Survivor," Tony smirked, his eyes locked on Nate's mouth before meeting his eyes. "And the Mayor of Goodneighbor," he gestured to the ghoul. "It's an honor."
Nate stuck out a hand and Tony shook it, holding on just a little too long. "Where are you headed?"
"Just… around, I don't have a place I call home, so I just…" he made a gesture around. "Could I… travel with you?"
Hancock glanced at Nate, leaving the decision up to him. "We're in a bit of a bind. We're looking for a group of people who have been taking settlers."
"Oh," he frowned, his eyes bugging in surprise, "I've heard of some settlements going empty, I didn't realize they were being taken…."
"What have you heard?" Hancock asked, tilting his head at the young man. The man pulled out two purified waters from his bag and offered them before speaking. The general took it with a word of thanks, cracked it open, and poured some of the drink over his wound before drinking. John snapped his can open and tipped it back.
Nate felt something strange, the hairs on the back of his neck standing at attention as he listened to the man speak, his smile stuck on his lips, drawing his eye sinfully. Never before had Nate been so drawn to someone. It was so odd, he shouldn't be looking at this man like this, not with John just feet away. But… John was looking at him to, the way he looked at Nate when they were together.
Suddenly, Nate realized he hadn't paid any attention to the young man in blue. "That's all I know," he finished, the grin on his mouth crooked, wrinkling the scar on his lips.
Nate's head felt light and he looked at Hancock as he shifted, looking dizzy. "I…" the ghoul blinked.
A fog took over Nate's vision and he met concerned icy blue eyes before hitting the ground, landing on his bleeding arm.
Nate woke to a splitting headache and the taste of… blood?
He choked and spat, looking around with blurry eyes. He couldn't make sense of what was around him. He could smell a fire, and that fire was the only light, he was somewhere dark. He coughed, trying to say something, anything, but it was stopped by the thickness in his mouth.
"Na…"
John's voice touched his ears lightly and he turned around to face it, trying to focus his vision. Nate choked again when he tried to speak.
"Oh, both of you need to just calm down," came a voice that Nate had to think about. He didn't know it well, but he'd heard it recently.
Tony.
After blinking a few times Nate could focus on the man sitting next to the fire. "I was starting to wonder when you'd wake up, Natie." The General's jaw tightened and he glared, half his face pressed into the dirt. "Yeah, there you go," Tony smirked, tilting his head so that his dark curls caught the light of the fire. He'd put his fedora on the ground next to him. "I like seeing that anger. It's different from you," he shifted his weight where he sat, pulling a leg up to his side and picked something off of a plate between him and the fire. "I think it's because you're prewar."
Nate tried to move his arms and found them bound behind his back, and this ankles were done up the same, bent so that they came to his hands. Tied like an animal at a campsite with the hunter sitting smugly just out of reach. He couldn't form words so he just stared the smaller man down.
"You know, I was worried about getting you," he pointed while he chewed, politely shielding his mouth so Nate couldn't see the food. "Not it, I figured I'd just… offer it some drugs or –hell– I could take it in a fight if I got around the shotgun." Tony gestured to John who was out of Nate's sight. He held a rib up from his plate and took a moment to swallow his current bite before pulling off another, dropping the clean bone to the ground. "You would have been much more difficult. I saw you go down from those ghouls. How many before they overwhelmed you? Twenty?" he whistled. "You really know how to handle yourself. I knew I couldn't bring you down without a little… help," he lifted a purified water and opened it, listening to the hiss. His and Hancock's hadn't hissed when they opened them.
Nate suddenly felt stupid. He'd gone to college, heard the stories about people putting shit in your drinks, how had he let this happen to him and John?
"Oh, don't feel bad," Tony swallowed and shifted to face Nate. "You had no reason not to trust me. You were just… being the General of the Minutemen. Not so much the Sentinel of the Brotherhood. Funny how the latter could have saved you… and your abomination boyfriend– Oh, wait, husband, right?" He smiled and lifted a golden ring, looking it over as it caught the light.
That burned hot in Nate's chest. His breathing picked up and sent puffs of dirt away from his face. This only made Tony smile more. That killer grin that showed off his teeth. He was unnaturally attractive. Then it clicked, and Nate's heart stopped.
"Oh! There it is! I knew you'd get it." The man jumped to his feet, pocketing Hancock's ring, and lying down so his face was close to Nate's. He smiled with more pride that Nate had ever seen in a single face. "Go on, say it. Say it, Nate."
"Rick." The word was little more than a bloody spit.
His smile widened somehow and he nodded. "Little Maddy told you all about me then right? Well, I had to tell her a name. I had to tell you one too, couldn't be the same, no, you'd catch on too quick that way," he shook his head and let his smile drift back into a more comfortable smirk. "I'm surprised you didn't know the moment you saw my clothes. Didn't she tell you how I looked?" Then he tilted his head, resting his chin on his fist. "Or did I distract you?"
Nate's glare hurt him with how much effort he put into it.
"So quiet. That's all right. I don't need you to talk yet. I have that… thing, over there when I need you to talk, I can make you talk," he gestured behind Nate again and John grunted in disgust. "Don't," he frowned passed Nate. "I don't want to hear you talk. If you say a fuckin' word, I swear to God I'll cut off one of Nate's fingers."
No noise came from behind him.
"Good," the blue-eyed man looked down at the General and smiled again. "Now. Back to you and me." He ran a hand through Nate's black hair, telling him his hat had been discarded at some point. "Now, tell me, did I distract you?" He tugged on the Sentinel's hair with too much force, causing him to clamp his jaw and tighten his glare. "Answer me, Nate."
He growled, his voice nothing.
"Now, as sexy as that is, I'm not really into men, so," the man pursed his lips and pulled harder on Nate's hair. "Unless you want one of –that thing's – fingers," he looked disgusted, his mouth turning down. "I suggest you start answering."
"Yes," Nate spat.
"Yes… what?"
"Yes. You distracted me." The words were thick with hate, the kind that sent a shudder down his own spine.
"Ooh," Rick felt it and grinned. "Very nice. I like that attitude. Tell me…" he sat up and crossed his legs to steady himself. "What was it like before the war?" When Nate didn't answer, he reached behind him near his plate and picked up a dirty knife. The General closed his eyes.
"Green."
"Give me more."
"It was green. Everywhere, even the sky was green, but not with radiation." Nate stopped and looked at Rick. "The people were too concerned with their opinions of others to help or be productive. Your life was to revolve around making others happy."
"Sounds… like you like it better here, is that so, Nate?"
"Sometimes," he answered honestly, and glared at the younger man.
"What about that pretty little wife of yours? You buried her right? And then that soldier next to her, yeah? Up by the Vault you came out of?"
Nate glared, not answering.
"What was his name? Paladin… oh, come on, what was it? Tell me?" His eyes flickered back to John as he shifted the knife in his grasp
"Danse."
"Yes! That's right! Paladin… Danse." He'd known, he just wanted him to say it. He laughed a little at a thought and then nodded. "You thought he liked you, shared your feelings." He shook his head. "Turns out he'd rather have a cunt around his dick, huh?"
Nate's jaw was tight enough he could feel his teeth protest.
"Tell me… did seeing that little Knight make it easier? Living with the guilt of killing Danse? Now that you know he didn't really love you?"
"Shut your fucking mouth."
"Oh, there's the cord."
"No, I'm just sick of listening to you speak."
"Oh, now, Nate, don't go talking like that, I'll get offended," he lifted the knife and ran his thumb across it to test the edge. "Tell me, Nate, if Danse was still alive… and let's just pretend he cared about you like you did him… would you have given this to him or would that thing back there still have it?" He turned John's ring in his fingers.
"What're you asking?" Nate's heart pounded.
"You know exactly what I'm asking: If Danse was still alive would he be the one lying behind you with this ring on?" He grinned and held the band in front of Nate's face. When he didn't get an answer right away he sighed, "That thing or Danse?"
"John."
Rick narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "See, I want to believe that, but I don't. Now, why would that be?" His icy blue eyes locked on the ring as he shifted it between his first finger and thumb. It was too small for either of those digits on him. "Tell me, Nate. Why don't I believe you?"
"You're a fucking idiot."
"Oh, see, now I'm offended." Rick stood up and dropped the ring to the dirt in front Nate's face, his grip on the knife tight.
"No, no, I'm sorry," Nate said immediately and rolled over so he could look back. Rick knelt beside Hancock who was tied up to a porch of a cabin, arms up above his head. His wrists were bleeding from how tight the ropes were, but he seemed fine otherwise.
Rick paused and glanced at Nate. He shook his head, "No, you see, if I don't do it now, you won't take me seriously." Then he grabbed the ghoul's bleeding hands. "Don't make a noise," he whispered close to Hancock's ear when he gasped in pain. "Or I'll do the same thing to Nate and stick his bleeding finger in your mouth."
The knife came to rest on John's hand, and then Rick shifted into Nate's view, blocking the sight. "Rick! Stop! I'll do anything!" he pleaded. Nate could hear Hancock's breathing pick up, and then he heard the slicing of flesh to bone. "No!"
When Rick leaned back on his heels he held the finger up so the blood dripped down onto the ground without touching him. Hancock's face was twisted in silent agony that tore out Nate's heart. His back arched with soundless cries. How he managed to keep quiet, Nate couldn't know. "There we go, now you know how serious I am, Nate."
"I'm so sorry, John, I'm so sorry," he breathed, looking at the ghoul's black eyes when they opened for a brief second. He bowed his head and seemed to focus on his breathing, not making any other sound.
"Oh, stop it, that's just disgusting," Rick stood up and came back over, sitting beside Nate where he had a moment ago. Nate didn't look at him, though, he watched John.
"I'll get us out of this."
"Look at me, Nate." Without needing another command he rolled over, looking at the man, then at the bleeding finger lying in the dirt next to the wedding band. He realized then it was Hancock's left ring finger he'd cut off, right below the center joint. "Now that that's done, you're going to be polite, yes?"
"Yes."
"Good." Rick shook his head, "I really wanted this to go down differently. I really wanted you to just… tell me the truth. I know it'll hurt… that thing, but I think it needs to know you would prefer a different 'abomination' over it." He used his fingers to make quotes around the Brotherhood's favorite term. "I don't blame you though, from what I gathered Danse was quite the looker, handy in a fight… a lot… like… you, actually. Was it like looking in a mirror?" Rick tilted his head.
"Sometimes."
"That's what made you two work so well together, right?"
"Yes."
"That's what made you fall for him, wasn't it?"
"…Yes…"
"Man, what a sight you two would have been," he shook his head. "Too bad I like pussy or I'd be getting a hard on," he laughed and then tilted his head. "Sorry, if I'm making you be polite I should at least do the same." He cleared his throat and composed himself. "I had a point to all this, I swear. I just… like being dramatic is all. It's why I'm so good at my job."
"What is your job?"
"No, none of that," he shook a finger at him, his icy eyes catching the light with an unspoken warning. "I ask the questions." Nate nodded once. "Good. Now, do you remember Deacon? From the Railroad?"
"Yes."
He smiled. "Good. I have a job similar to his. Similar. Now, refresh my memory, you killed him right?"
"Yes."
"After he trusted you? Tell me about that," he rested his chin on his hands, his elbows on his knees while his legs were crossed.
"I needed a Courser chip decoded and the Brotherhood couldn't manage it in a timely manner so I went to the Railroad. I told them what they needed to hear so I could get their help. Deacon… trusted me, and when the Brotherhood ordered me to, I hunted them down and killed them."
"How did it make you feel?"
"Like shit."
"No it didn't."
"No, I didn't care about the others. I killed them easily," he corrected, growling the words, his hazy blue eyes narrow. "I dropped a nuka grenade into their HQ and watched them die. But Deacon wasn't there. I had to… hunt him down, and I had to…"
"How'd you have to kill him?"
"Headshot. He looked right at me from my position on a rooftop."
"Good," Rick nodded. "Good, you're getting good at this. Just keep doing this and you might just make it out with a quick death." Nate resisted saying any more while Rick reached behind him and grabbed his plate. There were two more ribs sitting there. "What else do I want to hear about the mighty Nate Walker?" he pursed his lips and looked his captive over. "Oh yes, one last question," he smirked and shifted, seeming to want to get comfortable in his excitement. "Did you know Madelyn's lying to you?"
Nate narrowed his eyes at him and felt his teeth snap together.
"Oh, you don't believe me?" he chuckled. "She's not even supposed to be here in the Commonwealth. How cute, right? She snuck here on that airship. That's why she's so desperate to stay with you until you think she can get promoted. Soon as that young Elder finds out she's here she gets shipped back to the Capital Wasteland."
"How could you know any of this?"
"She told Mac," he said with a sigh and shook his head. "I'm not answering any more of your questions. Next one you ask I'll cut off another finger." He picked up the digit, looked it over with a wrinkled nose, and dropped it back to the ground. "Anyway. She is only with you so she's not on the ship and she can get you to give her a recommendation that the Elder boy can't say no to." He sighed and shook his head, "Shame I've already got plans in motion that will ruin that little scam of hers."
Nate opened his mouth and closed it, stopping himself before he could ask what he was planning.
"Oh, good boy," he roughly patted Nate's hair. "See, that's why I cut off the finger, so you'd believe I was serious." Nate had nothing to say, so he kept quiet. "Don't worry, she won't be harmed. I couldn't bring myself to do that to her. Mac… well, I can't make the same promise for him." He shook his head and pointed to the scar on his lip. "I had a damn good face before… well, can't tell you exactly what, but that gunner asshole caused this, and… since then I just haven't been the same. So, he's not going to be spared."
"I'm starting to wonder about the point you're wanting to make."
"Oh, yes, of course," Rick picked up the rib and bit into it, looking up at the night sky. It was warm, no clouds or moon, without a breeze in the air. "I have to bring you back with me. The only problem is, I can't bring… that…" he nodded toward John. "And I know you won't leave willingly without it."
"That's correct."
"Yup, so," he swallowed and dropped the bone, picking the other up immediately. "I have a plan to make us both happy." He smiled and chewed, covering his mouth with the back of his hand after an awkwardly large bite. "You come with me willingly, and I don't kill it. Fair? I think so."
"You won't harm him again?"
He sighed and glanced at the ghoul, he seemed to be trying to decide if he should let the question slide. "Yes, I won't harm it again, all you have to do is come with me."
"Okay."
John's head snapped up, "Nate, don't–"
"What the fuck did I say?" Rick turned on him. Hancock's jaw set and he glared. "I'll fuckin' do it."
The ghoul's eyes narrowed. "I don't think you will," he said, a bite in his tone that Nate hadn't heard in months.
Rick's eyes narrowed and he shook his head, "There's no getting passed you, is there?"
John didn't reply to that, instead he just looked at Nate. He didn't have to say anything, he knew what he was thinking. Only one of them was going to make it out of this in the end. John wanted it to be Nate and Nate wanted it to be John.
"I'll go with you if no harm comes to him or anymore settlements."
Rick watched Nate's face and he nodded in thought. "See, I can't make the promise for the settlements," he shifted forward and held up the remaining rib in front of Nate holding the meat in front of his face. "You see, a man's gotta eat, and I got a lot of men needin' feedin'." With that he pulled the meat from the bone and chewed, not bothering to cover his mouth this time as his lips parted, allowing the sloshing sound to reach Nate's ears.
It only took Nate a second to understand those words and taste bile rise in his throat. Rick wiggled a brow at him and finished the rib before dropping it to the plate and standing, grabbing a rag from his back pocket of his jeans under his coat and wiping his hands and face. Nate's hazy blue eyes were wide in a mix of horror and disgust at the man in front of him.
"I knew I wouldn't have to spell it out to you, I just hoped you would have seen the pointers sooner. I mean, come on, Nate, didn't you see the body?" He sidestepped and Nate looked passed him. The glare of the fire had melded the shapes and colors into one mess that he hadn't given two previous fucks about until now.
Lana's face was the only part of her that was remotely recognizable. She'd been stripped, opened up, and gutted like a deer. Parts of her were missing –her left arm to her elbow, the right leg to her knee , ribs. Her eyes had been left open and were now a paled over grey haze. He couldn't remember what color they had been, but it looked so wrong.
"She was working with us," Rick sighed. "Started getting squeamish." He knelt down beside her and ran the back of his fingers over her white cheek. "She showed you our uniforms… was stupid of her. Might not have caught on to her if it wasn't for that. All she had to do was tell you." He shook his head in disappointment. "She made for a good meal though. I'll save what I can. Share with the others back at home."
"How many of you are there?"
Rick's icy blue eyes caught the light of the fire, reflecting orange. "Too many for just you to take. Your Minutemen aren't gonna be able to stop us either."
"I don't have just the Minutemen behind me."
"You think the Brotherhood gives two shits about my people?" He laughed out right. "I have Brotherhood in my ranks."
"Traitors," Nate said simply.
He smiled and came to sit in front of the Sentinel. "See, I think I like you because you have… this set of beliefs," he held his hands up so that they were spaced parallel and in front of him. "Shit falls within it, great, you like it. If it don't, then it's not worth your time." He tilted his hands so he had his palms up. "Minutemen have the beliefs you share," he lifted his right hand. "Brotherhood has that military family I'm assuming you had before the war," he lifted his left hand and then let them rest at equal heights. "Now, who do you really care about? You favor one, right? You have to." He played with the scales his hands made, and then lifted his right one higher. "It's the Minutemen, isn't it?"
"I lead them."
"You do…" he nodded his agreement. "But." He dropped the right hand to his knee and held the left up, "You were never really into being Top were you?"
Nate's jaw set and Rick nodded, having his answer.
"If it were Brotherhood soldiers going missing you wouldn't have fucked around so much, would you? Runnin' back and forth with that thing and little Maddy?" He shook his head, "Nope, you would have assembled a squad and been all over locating those soldiers."
Nate couldn't speak, he didn't understand how this man could know things about him he'd never realized. It was the truth. He wasn't trying his hardest to find those settlers. Why not? Why the fuck had he delayed so much?
"Oh, Nate," Rick ran a hand through the Sentinel's hair. "Don't beat yourself up."
"Get your hands off me."
"Hand," he corrected, but withdrew it. After wetting his scared lip he shifted and smirked. "Still going to come with me in exchange for that thing's life?"
"Yes." There was no question, even as Hancock grunted in protest.
"Perfect," Rick stood up and started to pack things together. "I would say sorry for what I'm about to do, but I can't… really trust you not to try to escape. But I feel better knowing that you would have gone willingly." Rick returned and had a little glowing pill. "Go on and eat this please, I hate…" he shuddered and gaged a second, "I hate forcing pills down people's throats."
Nate's jaw tightened and he rolled over so that he was awkwardly lying on his back with his arms and legs under him, protested the position, but he ignored them and looked at Hancock. "I love you, John."
"I love you, Nate."
"God I'm going to throw up, eat the damn pill, Nate," he grabbed the Sentinel's jaw and pressed the blue thing to his lips. Nate opened his mouth and allowed the pill in. "Thank Christ," he spat and stood up, allowing Nate to swallow the bitter, dry pill in his own time. "It'll take effect here in a moment." Rick went to his bag and pulled out a Vault-Tec lunch box with a few wires and lights duct tapped to it. A bottle cap mine. He'd seen a few before and almost got killed by half of them.
"What're you doing?"
"Making sure that this thing doesn't try to follow us," he said simply and flipped a switch, resting the box on John's lap. "I don't think moving would be in your favor," he said to the ghoul, and then stood up and came back to Nate.
Now Nate's head was swimming and he tried to keep awake, but the sluggishness he was feeling caused his blinks to turn into long, drug out black outs. He went from lying on the ground to being face to face with Lana, to facing the stars that were fading into a morning light, to being face down on something walking along the pavement.
He felt like he'd just thrown up. There was no taste in his mouth though.
He was numb.
He couldn't move.
Nate's last sight was John sitting with his arms strung up above his head with a bottle cap mine in his lap, illuminated by a dying fire. He wanted to tell him one more time he loved him, but he couldn't form words, and the darkness took him once more, only this time, he didn't wake up from it.
So it took one of my roommates making a joke for me to realize just how Hetero I accidentally made Rick (It was one hand! No homo!). Well, I guess that's my birthday gift to you guys who don't like Nate x Hancock. xD
Just how Hetero is Rick?
IT'S OVER 9000!