Chapter Text
Everything ached. Everything.
His head, his back, his neck, his shoulders.
But, god, especially his head.
There was a heavy, constant pulsation right behind his eyes and just above the base of his skull; it felt as if he’d been repeatedly struck. And with the way his arms were positioned, his chest and shoulders felt tight. Not to mention that he couldn’t even move.
Lifting his head, Arthur groaned, though the sound was muffled. His mouth was dry, the taste of fabric thick on his tongue—a gag? And his eyesight? Gone. Restricted.
Fuck.
He’d fucked up.
“Somebody go get the General; looks like our new friend here is awake,” a voice said from outside the cell. Footsteps echoed down a hallway; it sounded like stone. It didn’t take long for the sound to return, slower this time. There were a few moments of silence as they stopped right outside his cell.
“This is him?” a woman’s voice asked.
“Yes ma’am. Caught him skulking around the southwestern wall.”
“Open the door.”
A metal door creaked open.
“Mathers, Andrews, if he gets free, don’t worry about me. Just lock the door, got it?”
“… is that a good idea, ma’am?”
“I don’t want him getting out, understood?”
“Yes ma’am.”
The blindfold was ripped off.
The world was suddenly bright and Arthur rapidly blinked as his pupils shrank to adjust. It took a few moments before he finally managed to settle his gaze on the woman in front of him, though the sight of her was blurry.
Still, even through the fog of his vision, she was recognizable.
Nora gazed down at the man in front of her. He was- huge. Probably easily six feet tall if he stood up, and built like only military men could be. Her mouth went dry but she ignored it completely, taking a deep breath.
“Pretty insulted that the Gunners sent a novice to spy on us,” she drawled, tossing the blindfold onto his lap and folding her arms. “You don’t even have a blood-type tattoo yet. How old even are you? 18? Maybe 20? Too young for this bullshit. Inexperienced enough to get caught, anyway.”
“Gunners?” he echoed, the word muffled into the gag. But she wasn’t just insulting his allegiance, she was also insulting his ability, experience, and his age. What a package.
Narrowing his eyes, a heavy exhale left his nose.
Her eyes couldn’t help running over him again. Seriously, whoever thought they could sneak this guy past anyone was probably dumb enough to be in the Gunners in the first place. “If I take that gag off you, will you behave and co-operate? Or do I need to shoot you in the head? Because one less Gunner in the world is always a good sign.”
The way she was speaking to him—like he was a child—was making something churn deep in his gut. His face was turning a darker shade of red, but even still, he knew better than to pick a fight over it. At least for now, while his life was on the line.
Arthur nodded his head, agreeing to behave. Nora moved behind him to untie the gag, not wanting to risk him biting her fingers, and let the cloth gag drop so it was settled around his neck, then made her way back to stand in front of him, her hands on her hips.
Finally, he could breathe. And not only that, but he could also see, too, as his blurred vision cleared up; it meant he was able to get a look at her. He knew what to expect from the outfit—she was reported to be wearing a vault suit, the Minutemen hat and coat, and thigh-high boots—but not much else regarding her appearance. Yet, he sure wished he’d been warned, because he’d found his eyes slowly taking her in, trailing down her body and then back up.
Maxson cleared his throat. “General,” he started, meeting her gaze, “My name is Arthur Maxson. I am the Elder of the east coast Brotherhood of Steel. I’ve been trying to reach you for quite some time.”
She stared at him for a few moments, and then she burst out laughing. “I was expecting threats and belittling, not bullshit. Oh my god.” She wiped her eyes. “Try again, young man. Who are you and what are you doing here?”
His face was tato red, mouth agape. He’d been treated poorly by wastelanders before, but it was nothing compared to this.
“Arthur Maxson,” he repeated in frustration. “You haven’t answered my attempts to reach you, so I came to meet you in person.”
Nora paused. “Your attempts to reach me,” she repeated. “And how have you been trying to reach me?”
“Letters sent via couriers,” Arthur explained.
Nora cocked her hip. “I haven’t seen them.” She looked him over again. “Besides, you could still be faking them, even if you did send letters.”
With a quiet groan of frustration, his head fell back. “I have my holotags on. Take a look.”
“You mean another thing that could be fake?” Nora drawled, even as she stepped closer, sliding her fingers down his neck and past the neckline of his shirt to pull at the chain. He smelt good. Clean. With a laser-weapon ozone scent. Her brow furrowed, even as she dragged the tags out from beneath the fabric.
MX-001E.
Well, the problem was that she had no idea if that was even real. She pushed them back beneath his shirt, sighing. Stepping away, she turned around, putting her back to him for a second with her hip cocked again. How did she verify this? If she got it wrong, there could be a Gunner running around her Castle. If she was also wrong about him being a Gunner, however, she’d just held the Elder of the Brotherhood at gunpoint.
Nora sighed. “Stay there,” she finally muttered to him, and left the room.
The soft touch to his neck almost had him wincing, his head turning to the side so he didn’t have to look at her as she was so close. But it was over before he knew it, and she was standing with her back to him, and his eyes were right on her ass.
At least until she just… left.
“Alright,” Arthur mumbled to himself. “Not like I really have a choice.”
Nora headed out into the courtyard, finding Clancy at his post as always, manning the radio. “We supposedly have a Brotherhood guest,” she told him. “But I need to verify it. Can you get them to call us?”
“Yes ma’am,” Clancy assured her, switching frequencies. “This is the Castle, calling the Prydwen. We have an urgent matter to speak to you about, over.”
There was silence for a few moments until someone finally answered. “This is Lancer-Captain Kells of the Prydwen. What is this matter you wish to speak of? Over.”
“Lancer-Captain, this is General Pendleton of the Commonwealth Minutemen. We need you to verify a description of your Elder, over.”
“Pardon my bluntness, General, but why in the world would you need a description of Elder Maxson?”
“Because there’s a man claiming to be him in a cell right now,” Nora replied. “And I’d rather be certain before I release him in case it’s a Gunner trying to lead us on.”
“… One moment.” There was another pause, this one longer. “Proceed with your description.”
“The man in our custody is tall, well-built, young, blue eyes, with a scar on his right cheek. He’s wearing a plain black shirt and jeans and his holotags are designation MX-001E. Is this your Elder?”
Kells heavily sighed. “Yes, General. That is Elder Maxson. Is he injured?”
“He might be a little woozy, but he’s unharmed,” Nora assured him. “He was captured along the southeast wall. We thought he might be sneaking in to try and obtain information for the Gunners, but that’s not the case. I’ll have him released. When can you collect him?”
“I will send a vertibird out immediately.”
“Thank you, Lancer-Captain. Minutemen over and out.”
Nora rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Thanks, Clancy. This could have gotten messy.”
“Do we really have the Elder in a cell?” Clancy asked.
“Apparently we do,” she sighed. With that, she headed back towards the jail, and nodded to the guards as she gestured for them to leave.
“He’s actually him?” Andrews muttered.
“He’s actually him,” Nora agreed. She unlocked the cell door and left it open, stepping inside. “You’re free to go,” she told the Elder as she made her way over to undo his bindings.
“I take it you called the Prydwen?” Arthur asked, watching her.
“Yep.” She tossed the rope aside onto a nearby table and moved away from him to let him leave first. “Nice to meet you, I guess.”
“Have you really not been receiving my letters?” Arthur asked as he stood and rubbed his wrists.
“If I’ve been getting them, they’ve been here when I wasn’t,” Nora told him. “Preston usually handles my mail but he doesn’t open it, and… well, I’m not really here all that often. I’m usually in the field.”
“Ah. That was the difficulty of reaching you via radio, as well.” He started toward the exit. “Then I suppose it’s good this didn’t end up any worse.”
Nora’s eyes flicked down to his ass, and then back up. “Absolutely,” she agreed. “Would you like a drink before the vertibird arrives?”
“Yes, actually, I would. Thank you,” he replied with a slight smile flashed in her direction.
“Follow me,” she said, and took the lead, walking towards her room.
There were a few whispers of surprise, and more than a few looks, but Nora just tipped her hat and kept going, pushing open the double doors to her quarters.
Even with the looks and whispers, Arthur remained unconcerned, instead following close behind until they were both in her room. He took in the sight of it, glancing around at the way things were organized in contrast to the way he set up his own personal space. She wasn’t messy but compared to him, there was just… clutter. Then again, he didn’t really have anything of personal value other than a couple items here and there, so anything more than that was clutter to him.
“I’m curious why you didn’t reach out to us?” he asked.
Nora paused as she considered the answer. “Well,” she finally said, “I… didn’t feel like I needed to. We had everything we could need by ourselves. I’m guessing there’s something you could use from us, though? If so, I’m happy to discuss it.”
“Not necessarily,” he answered, shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned away from her to curiously look around the room some more. “I assumed we had a mutual enemy in the Institute, which is why I wanted to offer allyship.”
She pulled a few bottles of alcohol out of her side cabinet, carrying them over to the table. “Very true,” she agreed. “In that case, we could arrange a meeting for, hmm, next week? To discuss this properly. I think this is maybe a little impromptu for an in-depth discussion.”
“Fair enough.” Turning back to face her, Arthur eyed the bottles. “We have only recently arrived in the Commonwealth, after all.”
Pulling a couple of glasses from the shelf above, Nora placed them both down, and then removed her hat and coat, followed by her gloves. “Take your pick,” she invited.
Arthur approached the table, glancing between the bottles, then immediately nodded toward his chosen drink. “Whiskey, please.”
Picking up the bottle, Nora pulled the cork out, and poured him some, then handed him the glass before she put the cork back in and set it aside, pouring herself a tarberry gin.
He took the glass, slightly raising it to her in thanks. “How long have you been the General of the Minutemen, anyway?”
“Six months,” she replied, taking a sip. “Since I saved the last one in Concord. How about you? How long have you been Elder?”
“Four years,” he told her, taking a drink of his whiskey. “Not long after I turned sixteen.”
She almost choked on her drink. “You’re twenty,” she wheezed. “I knew you were young, but… holy shit.”
That had his cheeks tinting pink. “Ah… yes. I am twenty. It’s what happens when you are the last of the Maxson bloodline.”
Nora put the gin down. That was enough of that. “I see. You have my sympathies, Elder.”
Her arms were folded loosely over her chest, not crossed, as her eyes ran up and down him once more. Twenty. God, he was built as fuck, and she tried not to stare. But as soon as her gaze was back up, it was met with his own, one brow cocked.
“See something you like, General?”
“Whu- no, I,” her cheeks were burning, “sorry, I… it’s hard to believe how young you are.”
“Do I look older than I am?” he asked, setting his glass down.
“… would you be offended if I said yes?” Nora asked weakly.
“Depends on how old I supposedly look,” he answered with a smirk.
“Closer to my age,” she said. “… maybe a little older.”
“And how old are you, hm?” he questioned, leaning on the table with his hands a bit.
“29,” she told him. Had something just changed? She sat on the edge of the table.
“Then, no, I don’t think I’d be offended,” he finally answered, his eyes almost magnetically darting down to her hips as she sat. “It’s the beard. That’s really the point of it.”
Nora laughed. “I see. It’s a clever ruse.”
“Well, when all your officers are at least fifteen years older than you and some of the new soldiers refuse to take you seriously because you’re young enough to be their son, you have to do something,” he said with a grin. “But I think it looks good, anyway, so it’s a win-win.”
“It certainly suits you,” she agreed.
Brow slightly quirking, his grin grew a bit as he glanced her over. “So, tell me,” Arthur began as he stood up straight, “Is there a Mister General?”
“Jesus christ,” Nora snorted. “Is there a Mrs. Elder? I mean I assume not. And no, there isn’t. He…” she paused, “didn’t make it out of the Vault with me.”
“Oh.” His brows furrowed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.”
She shook her head. “It’s all right. It’s one of the reasons I’m going after the Institute. They broke my family apart.”
“Well, in that case, all the more reason for us to pair up.” He paused. “As… allies, I mean.”
“Arrange the meeting, then,” Nora suggested with a small smile. “I’m usually free whenever and I’ll need time to get the farmers to come to meet.”
“It’ll be done by Kells. He handles the itinerary as my second,” Arthur explained before picking up his glass and taking another drink.
Nora nodded. “All right then. Speaking of Kells… he said he was going to send a vertibird immediately.” She slid off the table. “Wait here while I see what’s going on.”
Nodding, the Elder drank as he turned to watch her leave, eyes on her ass. Again.
Nora headed out of the room. He was a frisky one apparently. She hadn’t been quite sure what to expect, but that hadn’t been it. Still, it was nice to know she was still appreciated, and as she made her way over to Clancy, she swallowed down a giggle.
“No vertibird?” she asked.
“Nothin’ yet, ma’am,” he said. “Shall I call them again?”
“No, leave it a little longer,” Nora decided. “It’s not going to kill him.”
“Yes ma’am.”
With a nod, Nora headed back into her quarters, shutting the door behind her. “No vertibird yet,” she apologised. “Not sure what the holdup is.”
“I apologize for taking up so much of your time,” he said, his left cheek upturning just slightly. “If you’d like, I can radio the Prydwen myself.”
“Maybe Kells is giving you a slap on the wrist for getting into this,” Nora teased. “I don’t mind. I like having an excuse not to have to run around.”
Really, it was unlikely Kells was delaying the pickup because of that. “Then I will be your excuse for whatever you wish,” he said, raising his glass a little while locking gazes.
“Mmm.” Nora felt her cheeks burning as the man’s eyes met hers and didn’t release her.
“And to answer your question from earlier,” he paused, glancing her up and down, “No, there is no Mrs. Maxson.”
“I didn’t think there was, based on your question,” she chuckled. “Hell, you’re barely old enough to get married anyway.”
“You’d be surprised,” he murmured with a quiet laugh.
“Now what does that mean?” she teased.
Arthur hummed in thought. “It means I’m old enough to know what I’m doing, married or not.”
Nora cleared her throat. “Oh, I see.” She was not thinking about it, she was not- she was. “That’s- good. For you.”
Leaning to where he was partially sitting on the table, Arthur smirked at her before he took another drink of his whiskey. “It could be good for you, too.”
“Is this how to seduce you?” Nora joked. “Arrest you for sneaking around my headquarters and then hold you captive until you talk your way free?”
“Not at all,” he answered with a laugh. “You would not find me bound in any sexual situation.”
Her face burned. “Noted.”
“So? What is your answer?” he asked.
“Uh, well, we might get interrupted at any point by an arriving vertibird, so, nothing… um… you know. Clothes-off.”
Swirling the liquid in his glass around, one arm crossed over his stomach as he thought, humming and slowly looking her over. “Hm. Alright, unzip your suit as far as it goes, then.”
The zip came down to just below her navel, and Nora quietly cursed, wishing it could go further. Maybe she would have to amend that at some point…
Setting his glass down, Arthur grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it out, then turned it around and took a seat. “Come here,” he ordered, patting his lap. “Back to me.”
She came over, and turned around, seating herself on his lap. What did she do with her hands? She placed them down on her thighs, in the end. Gently, he guided her backwards so she was leaned against his chest, more on his right side than his left, while his right hand slid along her bare stomach beneath her suit.
“When’s the last time you had sex? Or fucked around?”
“Over 6 months ago,” Nora breathed.
“So, you’re having quite a dry spell,” he commented, his hand slowly sliding between her thighs under her suit, grazing along her mound. “I bet you didn’t expect it to end like this.”
“Wasn’t expecting it to end for a lot longer,” she agreed.
“Then I’m glad I could be of service,” he chuckled, running his fingertips over her folds.
Nora let out a moan, her eyes fluttering shut. “Oh god. T-thanks for- mm, lending a hand.”
“Bad joke,” Arthur tutted as he pressed against her clit and started rubbing slow circles on it.
Her hips shifted on his lap. “Mmm, sorry.” She reached for the middle of her bra and tugged it down until her breasts spilled out.
Fuck. His free hand was immediately cupping one of them, groping and massaging and pinching her nipple, switching back and forth between her tits. “I want to see you without your clothes on,” Maxson murmured, pressing a light kiss to her neck. “At our next meeting?”
“Depends,” her breath hitched, “on what happens at the- meeting.”
“Why don’t we fuck first, hash out the details after?” he suggested as his middle finger dipped into her.
Nora groaned, biting her lip. “Just- meant that if it’s a- a diplomatic meeting, we- we might have trouble s-slipping away.”
“Then meet me somewhere else. Tomorrow.” Slowly, he fucked her on that single finger, letting her adjust to the feeling of it.
“Tomorrow,” she breathed, rocking her hips. “M-my place? Diamond- Diamond City?”
“Alright. Diamond City. Right after sundown. You meet me at the front gate,” he ground the heel of his palm against her clit, “And I’ll be there.”
Nora whimpered. “Oh, fuck. Yes. Yes. I’ll- I’ll be there.” Her ass ground against his cock.
Arthur felt himself pulsating in his jeans, his cock trapped beneath her. “But for now, I’m going to make you cum on my fingers, and then you’re going to suck my dick while you touch yourself. Understood?”
Nora nodded. “F-fuck, yes. Yes, Arthur.”
He paused. “You know, you never told me your name.”
“Roshanara,” Nora panted, “but- but I’m Nora.”
“Roshanara,” he repeated. “I like it.” A second finger was worked in.
She bit her lip. “Oh fuck.”
“And to think,” Arthur purred, kissing her neck as he rubbed his palm against her clit, “I was just tied up in a cell as your prisoner not even thirty minutes ago, and now you’re sitting in my lap, whining, with my hand between your thighs.”
Oh, god. He was one of those dirty talkers. The kind that made Nora want to slide down onto her knees and do anything they asked. “Please,” she breathed, “more, please.”
“More what?” he asked, his fingers searching for her sweet spot.
Her thighs spread wide as he touched up against that patch on her walls, shaking. “H-harder. F-faster. Please?”
Well, who was he to deny the General what she wanted?
Crooking his fingers so the pads were firmly pressed against that sensitive spot, Arthur started roughly fucking her on his fingers, neglecting to find a moderate pace and instead just going all in while the heel of his palm continued rubbing her clit at the same time.
Eyes rolling up, Nora let out a sharp yelp of pleasure as she gripped his wrist to anchor herself. Hips squirming into his palm, her ass ground into his cock, and more than anything she wanted him to tear her suit off and fuck her rough and hard. “Fuckfuckfuck,” she whimpered, her other hand gripping handfuls of her suit. “Oh god, oh god, yes, yes, Arthur, please, pl-please don’t stop!”
“Look at you,” he breathed, the hand on her breast sliding up to her throat and cupping it, gently guiding her head back to lean on his shoulder. “So damn desperate. If I didn’t let you cum right now, you’d just beg me to do it again, wouldn’t you?”
Fuck, would he really not let her cum? Nora trembled, nodding frantically, as heat started to build viciously between her thighs. “A-Arthur, god, please, please don’t- please let me-!”
“Alright, General.” He grasped her jaw, turning her so she was looking at him. “Cum for me.”
Eyes closing tightly, Nora hit her peak, trying not to scream as she came. The pressure between her thighs erupted, soaking her underwear.
The moment she tightened around his fingers, he pulled them out, instead choosing to rapidly rub her clit to help her finish tipping over the edge and ride her orgasm out even as he felt his fingers get much, much wetter than before. “There you go,” he breathed. “That’s it.”
Nora slumped against his chest, shaking. “Fuck,” she whimpered. “Oh god, I needed that.”
“You did,” Arthur agreed while gently kissing along her neck. “And I’ll be more than happy to do that as often as you like.”
When her legs had stopped shaking, Nora slid off his lap, getting onto her knees, and turned to face him, her hands going to his jeans.
He slouched down in the chair a little and spread his legs to give her more room. “Go on.”
Unzipping his jeans, Nora reached in to pull his cock out, immediately wishing it was inside her. She came closer, and dragged her tongue up and down the length of it, swirling it around the tip before she began to kiss where her tongue had trailed.
“Fuck,” Arthur breathed, one hand going to her hair to brush it out of her face. “You look so damn good, General.”
Making sure that her bra was still tugged down, Nora kissed down to the base of his cock and sucked on his balls, one hand stroking up and down the length of him as her mouth worked him before she finally kissed up to the head and slid her lips over it, slowly working him into her mouth an inch at a time.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just tear your suit off and fuck you right here and now,” he said, his voice quiet and starting to turn breathless.
Nora pulled her lips off his cock. “I want to do this for you,” she told him. “I like doing this.”
God, just hearing that made him pulse in her hand. “Alright. Get to it, then.”
Nora slid him back into her mouth and began to bob her head as she got more of him past her lips. One hand stroked his balls, the other wrapped around the base and pumped his cock as she pleased him. Her eyes found his.
“Fuck. Come on, General. You can suck harder than that,” he growled while bundling her hair into his fist.
Nora got her lips down to the base and swallowed, obeyed, sucking harder as she bobbed her head a little faster and keeping her lips closed around his cock. She moaned softly, the hand on his balls going to touch herself like he’d asked her to.
“You really do enjoy sucking dick, don’t you?” he asked, his voice just slightly taunting. “What, does it—“ Arthur’s eyes closed as a low moan escaped him, “—Fuck, does it get you off? Put you in that—mmmnn—that hazy space?”
Nora moaned out her yes, bobbing her head a little faster for him, swallowing around him, swirling her tongue over the tip. Would he take over, or would she do it all?
“I bet you like your face fucked, too, huh?” he panted, gently guiding her head a little.
She nodded, both hands pulling her suit down along with her bra so he got a better view.
Was that permission? He sure hoped it was, because Arthur quickly had both hands in her hair, holding it out of her face. “You will tap my thigh three times if you need me to stop. Do it now so I know you understand.”
Nora tapped his thigh three times and sucked.
“Fuck.” Maxson got to his feet without pulling free from her mouth, though was careful not to move too quickly or be too rough in that regard. But once he was standing, he kept a hand in her hair while the other went beneath her chin, and then he started thrusting. It was slow at first, gradually picking up in speed, much unlike how he’d fingered her earlier.
Nora took it, her own fingers moving faster as she let him use her mouth however he pleased. God, this was so good. She moaned around him, her eyes fluttering shut briefly as the wet noise of his cock fucking her mouth filled the air.
Heat was building at the base of his spine, growing tighter and tighter with each thrust he made. “Maybe tomorrow, I’ll have—fuck—I’ll have you tied up, instead,” Maxson panted before pulling her nose flush with his groin for a few seconds, moaning as he did.
Oh, fuck. Nora whimpered around his cock at the thought of being at his mercy the way he’d been at hers earlier. Her fingers moved faster, the heat growing in her core.
“I’m close,” he breathed, his gaze flicking between her eyes and lips as they stretched around his girth, though he briefly pulled back. “Where do you—where do you want me?”
Logically he needed to cum in her mouth. Tomorrow he could finish where he wanted. Nora swallowed and slid him back past her lips, wordlessly conveying what she wanted.
“Alright, alright,” he said with a breathless laugh, then went back to fucking her face. “Understood.”
It only took a few more moments until he reached that edge, though; the heat at the base of his spine was coiling tightly, and he found himself groaning as he tipped over the precipice, filling her mouth. Nora swallowed him down without complaint until he was done, and she sucked on him for good measure to clean him up. Both hands braced against his thighs.
“Fuck. Fuck,” he breathed, the hand in her hair tightening as that sensitivity set in, soon becoming a bit too overbearing. “Alright, that’s—that’s enough.”
Nora slid him out of her mouth, kissing the tip with a little smile.
“Shit,” he exhaled, running a hand through his hair before offering to help her up. “You alright, General?”
Nora accepted his hand, getting to her feet. She began to tug her bra up, back over her breasts. “Yes,” she assured him. “That was- that was good. Tomorrow, you can… finish wherever you want, though.”
“Wherever, huh?” he asked, glancing her over. That certainly presented a lot of options.
Zipping her suit up, she fixed her hair. “I’m not… fussy.”
There was a knock at her door. “Ma’am, the vertibird is here.”
“Perfect timing,” she murmured.
“Good to know,” Arthur said to himself while pulling up his jeans and situating them. “Do you want me to bring anything tomorrow?”
Nora paused. “Do you… have anything?”
He shrugged while buckling his belt. “I have lube. No condoms, though, if that’s what you’re looking for. Those all expired a century ago.”
“Not- not the question I was asking. You asked if you should bring anything? I’m asking what you’re offering to bring.”
“Well… I have lube. And some, uh… toys. But they’re for impact play. Shit I picked up here and there—a paddle, cane, those sorts of things. I also have rope. But if none of that interests you, I’m sure I could find something that would.” He paused. “Well, maybe not by tomorrow night.”
Nora shook her head. “Don’t worry,” she assured him. “I’ll bring you a selection of things. I know the place to find them.”
One brow arched, but he conceded. “Alright. That works for me.”
Putting on her coat and hat, Nora headed around the table and over to the door, opening it. “You first, Elder.”
Leaving the room, Arthur walked with the General out to the courtyard where the vertibird was waiting, straightening his shirt when they neared it. The Lancer was still in the pilot’s seat, glancing at him nervously, but there was a large bulk of steel that stood at the door of the ‘bird, staring right at Arthur, accompanying him.
“Elder.” The man’s voice boomed even though he didn’t speak very loud.
“Great,” Arthur muttered to himself. “Paladin Danse. Why did Kells send you?”
Danse looked Arthur up and down, inspecting him for injuries, then glanced at Nora. “To ensure you made it back to the Prydwen. On time.”
Nora’s brow rose. “Well, he’s safe and unharmed. So I entrust him back to you.”
Arthur cleared his throat. “I am not… normally treated like this,” he quietly assured her, his face flushing. “Regardless. Tomorrow night, Diamond City, at sundown. Yes?”
“I’ll see you then,” she agreed. “And, Elder? Maybe next time you come to the Castle, you can wear something a little more… suitable.”
He glanced down at his clothes, then grinned and shrugged. “I tried to blend in. This was what I thought would work.”
“Ironically you would’ve had more success if you were dressed like your soldiers,” she teased. “Well, can’t be helped. You have a safe journey back and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, it is.” Turning back toward the vertibird, he was almost face-to-face with Danse.
“What about tomorrow?”
“What? Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” the Elder grumbled as he climbed into the ‘bird, his Paladin climbing in after him. “Why did Kells send you, Danse? Sending just a Lancer would have been fine.”
“He… was not convinced you would leave right away,” Danse admitted.
“Wh—“ Arthur’s expression was one of confusion, “Why?”
The older man glanced out the side of the vehicle to where the General’s retreating form could still be seen. “There were reports of her, um… appearance. And he was concerned you would be very physically attracted to her. And that it might distract you from returning to the ship.”
“That’s preposterous,” Arthur hissed. “I have never let my desires get in the way of my work before and I won’t start now.”
“Did you have sex with her? Or is that what tomorrow is?”
The Elder’s jaw snapped shut before he just glared off to the side, falling silent.
Nora watched the vertibird take off, and checked the time. 3pm. It wouldn’t be dark for several more hours, so she had time to go poke around the shop like she’d promised.
She headed over to Clancy. “I’m sleeping in Diamond City tonight,” she told him. “Tell everyone I’m not going to be in and only contact me for emergencies, got it?”
“Yes ma’am,” he replied.
Nora retrieved some spare ammo and a duffel bag from her quarters, then left the Castle, taking the boat up the river into the city. From there she drove up to the old open air theatre, and then slipped into the city quietly, heading for the old shop.
She probably spent a lot longer than she should have in the shop, given how she already had a few useful things back home, but eventually she was satisfied with her haul and left, making her way back to her boat before driving further up towards the old stadium. Parking by Hangman’s Alley, Nora passed her settlement with a wave, and then made her way over to the stadium, stepping past the gates.
The place smelt familiar; a bit damp, a bit musty, thick with the scent of people, but it was the closest thing she was going to get to proper civilisation, and she took a long breath before walking over to her house.
She was having a military leader over and he was hopefully going to completely break her six month dry spell, so she began cleaning the house from top to bottom, then went out and bought fresh food and the best wine she could find. Laying her findings out on a small table by her bed, Nora had dinner, and then went to bed.
It turned out that it was very, very hard to sleep when you were anticipating getting fucked.