Maverick was filled with something greater than rage as he stared at Johnathan Barrington.
All of the pain, confusion, and blind hatred he felt toward the man came rushing back at full speed and he was starting to see red.
Barrington started to walk towards them, looking small without his power armor.
Maverick started to stomp forward, but a small hand grabbing at his sleeve stopped him. He glanced down at Leyah, who looked just as pissed but her blue eyes looked up at him pleadingly. Maverick knew he should just leave. He knew they should just move on and avoid any more conflict than they already had. He knew he shouldn't piss off this group of exiled Brotherhood soldiers.
But he just didn't give a damn.
He pulled out of her grip and turned toward Barrington, who was now not even three feet away from him. "Maverick, I—"
Maverick didn't hesitate to smash his fist into his father's face. He could feel the nose break under his knuckles and he knew he was going to be feeling this tomorrow, but he didn't give a shit. "You motherfucker. You think you can just talk to me after what you fucking did?!"
The steely anger Maverick was used to seeing his Barrington's eyes quickly returned and the former Head Paladin wiped away some of the blood dripping from his nose. "No, I didn't. But I owe you an explanation."
Maverick scoffed and lifted his gun again. "An explanation? I get what happened. You were trying to get people who wouldn't like your ideas out of the picture so you could all eventually take over. Fuck you."
Maverick could hear the whine of Leyah's laser rifle firing up and he lowered his gun. He hoped to see the bastard turn into green goo if he so much made a move towards them. John Barrington sighed and Maverick just became angrier when he put his hands on his hips, looking at him like he was a child.
"Elder Lyons was going to name you the new Head Paladin and name his daughter the leader of the Lyons Pride. We knew that if that happened, our goals and hopes of overthrowing him could never be achieved, so we took action. I'll admit, we were rash and didn't come up with a good plan. And now we're paying the price for it."
Maverick felt as if a bucket of radwater was just poured on his head. He felt sick and his blood turned to ice in his veins. "You…had me exiled because I was going to take your fucking spot?"
The barely there glint of guilt in his father's eyes was enough for Maverick. "You had me—your own son—banished from the only life he knew, because he didn't agree with your ideals? You had me exiled because you fucking didn't want to give up your title?"
Maverick's throat started to close up, but he would be damned if he cried in front of these bastards. "I'm glad your dumbass idea wasn't thought out. I'm glad it was so horrible that the Elder saw right through it. I'm glad you're far away as possible from my fucking mother and sister. You were never good for them."
John opened his mouth to argue, but Maverick wasn't going to listen to excuses. "Mom loved you so much you fucking piece of shit. She defended you for years as she took the hits that were meant for us." He lifted his gun again. "And this is for her."
He quickly pointed down and shot the bastard in the leg.
Maverick's heart turned cold as he turned and walked away, trying to block out the sounds of his father's screams.
He kept walking until he couldn't see straight because of his tears. He finally stopped and he almost jumped when he felt Leyah's fingers intertwine with his.
And for the first time in years, Maverick broke down.
hr
Everything made sense now, and Leyah wondered if knowing the truth was better or not.
She always thought the excuse Maverick's father and the other men made to have him exiled was stupid as shit. It just didn't add up, but what was Maverick supposed to do when the Lyons Pride was on the line and that bitch Morgan had a gun to his back? And she had a feeling that Johnathan Barrington would have had no problem using Maverick's friends and family against him to get his way and she knew Maverick knew this.
But now…the real reason was a thousand times worse than the fake reason.
Leyah was almost in shock when she heard Barrington admit that he wanted Maverick gone because they wanted to overthrow Lyons. She almost shot the asshole when he said the other reason was because Maverick was going to be promoted into his spot.
She didn't say anything as she stood with Maverick and just held his hand. Angry tears were running down his face and he just seemed…hollow. It scared Leyah to see the man she was so used to being headstrong and confident be this worn down.
She noticed a small house near the old highway and she gently tugged his hand. "Come on, we can rest for a little bit before we have to get moving again."
Maverick nodded and wiped at his face. "Sorry," he managed to croak out.
Leyah cupped his cheek and made him look down at her and she shook her head. "Don't say that again, okay?"
Maverick reached up and touched her hand and curled his fingers around hers, leaning into her touch. "Okay, let's get the fuck out of here."
They made it to the shack with only a mole rat as a surprise and they set up mines outside before finally relaxing.
Maverick had sagged down into a random chair at the wobbly table and he buried his face in his hands.
Leyah sat in the chair next to his and started to rub his back, resting her head on his shoulder. She wanted to ask questions and see if he was okay, but she knew that was the last thing he needed right now.
They sat there for about an hour, not focusing on anything but each other's presence. Maverick finally spoke and he was speaking so softly Leyah almost didn't hear him. "He hit my mom all the time. I wasn't stupid. And I noticed he hit her more whenever I talked back or if Rachel didn't do well in training. I felt so fucking guilty, knowing that she was stopping him from hitting us instead." He swallowed heavily and looked down at the ground. "And my mom kept defending him, even when I told her she could move closer to where the Lyon's Pride was so she could be safe. But she said no. She fucking loved him."
He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "And you know, I'm kind of glad I know the truth. I'm glad to know that what I did exposed every single fucker that was involved. I'm glad Lyons was able to see through them because of what I did."
Leyah leaned against him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I'm sorry you had to find out that way."
Maverick sighed and Leyah felt a warm, fluttering feeling settle in her belly when he rested his cheek on her head, despite the situation.
"Yeah, it fucking sucks," he said, tightening his hold around her. "But I'm glad you were there. I was hoping to see him turn into green goo."
Leyah snorted softly. "I wanted to see it too."
She didn't know how long they sat there, holding each other, but Maverick finally sighed and picked up her left arm, looking at the Pip-Boy. "We better get our asses moving. Hopefully your dad is less dramatic."
Leyah wanted to talk to him more about what happened, but she also wanted to get going to find her dad.
"Mav, I know you don't want to talk about it now…but promise you will, okay?"
She just wanted to let him know that she was there and was willing to listen. And she felt that was all he needed right now. But she also knew this trip could help take his mind off of it by focusing on getting to Vault 112.
Maverick put his fingers under her chin and lifted her head up to meet his gaze. "I promise, Ley. Thank you."
He said it so softly and tenderly and Leyah felt her heart thud in response. He pressed his lips against hers for a chaste kiss before standing up and wiping his face on his sleeve. "Alright, lets go find your son-of-a-bitch dad."