closed rp Post

[assjerky]

CLOSED RP POST with okiedokies art by pignk

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[okiedokies]

Lucy could recognize that he wasn't going to accept her apology right off or that maybe this was as close as she was going to get to it. She knew that sometimes people weren't comfortable with apologies, so she nodded without saying more just as he had pretty much instructed her to do.

Once they had gathered their new possessions, complete with some radiation medicine that she had found, they were on their way. Their new dog even followed when she gave a little clicking noise with her tongue like she had seen The Ghoul do plenty of times with Dogmeat. She didn't want to keep walking but she knew the Ghoul was right as they didn't need more of those guys on their heels. Not only that but the bodies would draw in any predators from nearby.

So she forged ahead without complaint or noise with their new companion on her heels.

[assjerky]

The Ghoul pushed them to keep going past sundown, powering through the drop in temperature until they spotted some lights in the distance. He'd have preferred reaching the NCR outpost on the other side of Searchlight, but it was late, cold, the Vaultie wasn't doing great, so the trailer park on the outskirts would have to do. He picked the most stable looking, unoccupied and unlocked one, climbed up the handful of steps and held the door open for Lucy. The fuckin' hound didn't seem keen on following when he was in sight, so he heaved a sigh and waited until Lucy could hold the door open herself bedore he moved further in with Dogmeat.

[okiedokies]

By the time they had reached the place he was looking for, Lucy was drained, feeling like each step was like slugging through mud but she kept pushing herself. It was getting easier to keep going over time but the fight had done a number on her, so she was relieved when he found a place to stop for the night. Following him, she stopped at the door as he went in, glancing over her shoulder to click her tongue so the new dog would follow her inside.

Shutting the door, she looked around while pulling out a bigger piece of jerky she tore in half. Offering one piece to the dog, she pointed to a spot and urged him to go lay down. After that, she trailed off in the direction the Ghoul had gone. "Are we stopping until morning?"

[assjerky]

The Ghoul had gone into the kitchen and was messing with the sink to see if the water was working. It was--cold as shit, but it was. Honestly, cole as shit might be better. "Yep." He reached behind him and dragged a metal chair closer. "Sit."

[okiedokies]

Lucy walked over to the table that was tucked in the corner of the room and set down the bags she had been carrying. A little sigh of relief escaped her almost as soon as she set the weight down, rolling her shoulders to relieve some of the aches until he instructed her to sit. Giving a curious look, she wandered over to the metal chair and sat down. "What are you doing?"

[assjerky]

"Does talking make your crushed windpipe feel better, or have you considered, I don't know, shuttin' the fuck up," the Ghoul drawled, only half serious, wringing out a water soaked towel. He turned to her and layed the cold cloth carefully over the bruises, encircling her neck. "Ice'd be better, but I ain't got it. Can't remember the last time I even seen it. This and a shot of Med-X will have to do."

[okiedokies]

There was a flicker of something akin to hurt before she pursed her lips, lowering her gaze again. She wanted to point out that she had been quiet during the walk, probably quieter than she had been since she had met him but maybe he was still mad at her?

She drew in a breath through her nose when he laid the cold cloth against her bruised neck but it did feel good, calming some of the heat. Then she nodded as she glanced towards the bag, silently asking if she should get the shot or if he wanted to.

[assjerky]

He wasn't mad at her. He was mad at himself. And he was, in the only way he knew how to anymore, trying to take care of her.

The Ghoul was already digging through his saddlebag and the growing collection of chems he'd been squirreling away. He came up with a single dose syringe, thumped the side and squeezed out any air bubbles, then unceremoniously tugged her sleeve up and stuck it in her bicep. Bad news, it stung like hell. Good news, the sting lasted for about two seconds, and the effects were almost instantaneous, soothing all throbs and aches.

"There." He pulled the needle out and tossed it carelessly in the sink. "Should let you get some sleep at least." While the chems did their thing, he started sorting through the bags they'd liberated from the Legion, whistled softly as he unearthed some sort of flat meat pies wrapped up in butcher paper. "Guess there's upsides to being in militant cults," he observed, passing her one and hungrily tearing into one himself.

[okiedokies]

Maybe he was being a little rough around the corners about it but Lucy recognized that he was trying to take care of her. Despite the harshness of his words, his touch was surprisingly gentle.

However, the way he gave her the needle wasn’t and she hissed in a way that made her throat hurt but in comparison to what had already happened to her? The needle wasn’t that bad and she noticed how it eased the discomfort as well as the pain almost immediately. Relieved, she closed her eyes until he tried handing her a meat pie which she immediately shook her head to. She whispered as she started to stand. “I’ll eat later if you don’t want it.”

She wasn’t hungry at the moment, just tired, and so she picked up her pack before heading to the back of the trailer. She found the master bedroom where the mattress was surprisingly cleaner than the last one they had been on. Still, she took off her jacket and laid it down before she crawled onto the mattress. She had no idea if he was going to sleep with her but she left the right side, the side closest to the door, open as she curled up on the left side.

[assjerky]

The Ghoul frowned after her, because all things considered this was the best chow they'd hunted up in a while--as much as he could taste, anyway. He'd figured the chems would've eased the pain enough to let her eat. Still frowning, he wrapped the breaded concoction back up and stowed it away securely, away from curious hungry dogs, polished off the rest of the one he'd started.

He'd have left her in peace to sleep, but the temperature continued to drop, when it wasn't like they could start a fire in the middle of a trailer. He checked on Dogmeat and the hound, who were laying in opposites sides of what he figured was the living room, eyeing each other warily. "Yeah you keep an eye on that fucker," he murmured to Dogmeat, before stepping quietly into the bedroom and shedding his duster. He draped it over Lucy's still form, then tried to ease onto the other side of the mattress without disturbing her. Just making himself something warm to curl against. If she got cold.

[okiedokies]

It was true, the chems had helped with the pain she had been in but it was more the tiredness and the events that had made her feel not hungry at the moment. She was sure she would be hungry in the morning but all she wanted was sleep which was clear as she was pretty much out as soon as her head hit the mattress.

But the cold did start to seep in and she could feel it even in her sleep, making her tense until something soft laid over her. A little sigh escaped her as the heat that clung to his duster started to seep into her but she didn't feel truly better until she felt him lay down beside her. Then, without opening her eyes, she turned to him in her sleep. Not only did she turn to him but she immediately inched closer, tucking herself against his side as she slid an arm around his middle, shifting some of the duster over him as well.

[assjerky]

The Ghoul made a quiet, soothing sort of sound and wound an arm around her, tugging her half on top of him, and tipping his hat down to cover his face. This close to the NCR base, he felt confident enough they didn't have to worry about Raiders or Legion, and with two dogs posted up by the door, they had an alarm system and first line of defense in place for any other intruders.

So fuck it. A good night's sleep wouldn't kill them.

[okiedokies]

She seemed to register the sound and he would get a humming sound in return as she slid a hand up to his chest, almost half petting him for a second before her hand stilled and she seemed to sink back further into the darkness of sleep. She felt safe with him and the dogs there, so the exhaustion won out.

She couldn't be sure how long she had slept as it was still dark when she finally opened her eyes a few hours later. If she looked out the window through the tattered curtains, she thought the edge of the horizon might look a touch lighter but she wasn't sure. Instead, she lay there for a while, still half wrapped around the Ghoul as she stared out at nothing. The pain in her throat was gone but she imagined the bruises were there still unless the meds could take care of them too.

She was considering going back to sleep when she heard her stomach make a soft noise of complaint.

[assjerky]

The Ghoul never slept that heavily, usually, but he'd been taking the lion's share of the watch every night, and it was starting to catch up with him. Even so, he stirred a bit when she did, eventually rolling onto his side, facing toward her with his arm flung around her waist and his leg tangled in between hers, hat knocked askew in the process. Very cuddly of him. Much harder for her to disentangle herself from him now though.

[okiedokies]

Not only had he never slept that heavily but Lucy couldn't recall a time when he had actually ever rolled into her to cuddle her so willingly, at least not without there being some kind of intention. Peeking at his face, she realized that he was deeply asleep as he tangled their legs together and she found herself pretty much locked against his chest.

Oh well.

Biting back a smile, she tucked her head under his chin and closed her eyes. Maybe a little more sleep wouldn't be a bad thing as she ignored the small hunger pang to stay cuddling him so he could sleep.

[assjerky]

Dogmeat thankfully kept them from sleeping too late, as she wanted out to do business and find breakfast of her own. The Ghoul woke up to her tugging insistently on the cuff of his trousers, and when that didn't work fast enough to suit her, she grabbed the edge of his duster and tugged it off of Lucy. The Ghoul grumbled softly and lifted his head, squinting down at Dogmeat and heaving a sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I'm up," he grumbled, rolling onto his back and tugging Lucy with him in the process. "You 'wake, Vaultie?"

[okiedokies]

She must have fallen asleep because it was later when she was being jostled and tugged at. Not that she seemed to mind as she was already shifting closer to follow the heat of his body. Then she sighed a bit, peeking across him to Dogmeat. “Yes, I’m up.”

“I’ll let them out, you rest a little more,” she patted his chest before rising up and sliding over him, her body brushing against his before she stood and started down the hall. If he listened, he might hear her. “Come on, Caesar. You can go out too.”

She was answered by a yip as she opened the door and let them out, biting back a yawn. Then she shut the door and turned, heading back to the bedroom. “Did you eat the other pie thing?”

[assjerky]

"Rest a lil' more, the fuck am I, your grandpappy," the Ghoul grumbled to himself as he watched her get up, sitting up in the bed and pawing about the mattress for his hat. Truthfully he could've used a little more sleep, but he'd step outside, grab a handful of sand and chow down on it before he admitted it. He got up shortly after she did, pulling his duster on and moving over to one of the windows to look around, just to see if there were folk out and about yet.

"Naw. Wrapped it up and put it in the saddlebag, keep the dogs out of it. Couple mutfruits in the red bag too." He dropped the curtain once his curiosity had been satisfied and grunted as he stretched out his back. "Ya'll got coffee in the vaults? Bet you do. Bet it even tastes the way it used to 'fore the radiation fucked it all up."

[okiedokies]

"I didn't mean anything bad by it, I just know you're lower on sleep than I am," she pointed out reasonably, obviously having heard his mumble as she slipped out of the room. He tended to let her sleep longer than she should or get 'distracted' when he came to lie down after his shift. She thought it was sweet but she wasn't actually going to point that part out to him, just that he was lower on sleep and should get more where he could.

Turning to find his saddlebag, she fished out the meat pie he had wrapped up neatly and grabbed one of the mutfruits too. Making her way back, she nodded as she held out the fruit to him. "We do, yes. I might have a small can in my pack," she answered before blinking at his look while she unwrapped the pie. "What? You didn't ask me before."

[assjerky]

"S'fine, Vaultie, you need more'n me." Which was true. And furthermore, he had no regrets about all the 'distractions.' He took the fruit from her with a quiet "Thank'ee kindly" and pulled the stem off before taking a bite. His chewing stopped abruptly when she casually dropped the revelation that she'd been carrying around a tin of coffee this whole time. Fuckin' pre-war coffee grounds, too, all snugly protected from radiation. Boy that was tempting, but his conscious--irritating little fuckin' thing--kicked in. "Could trade that for a wad of caps to the right vendor, darlin'."

[okiedokies]

"I guess I do but that doesn't mean you don't need it sometimes," Lucy pointed out reasonably to him before taking a small bite of the pie. But yes, furthermore, she had no regrets about all the 'distractions' too. She took another bite, catching it when he paused in surprise at hearing that she had coffee before he seemed to catch himself. Her brows drew together as she swallowed quickly so she could speak. "Why? You don't want some?"

[assjerky]

The Ghoul leaned over to spit out a few mutfruit seeds and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Oh I'd love to have some, sweetheart, but you got a little goldmine of caps on your hands," he pointed out again, running the tip of his tongue over his front teeth. "Call it a stroke of conscience. Figured you should be aware of that."

[okiedokies]

"I have other things we can sell. Plus I don't think anyone would care if we took a little bit for ourselves," she told him with a careless little shrug because, for some reason, it felt important to her now to make sure he had some coffee. Finishing the last of her pie with a little bit of gusto, she turned to head back down the hall to the kitchen area. "Think we can boil some water?"

[assjerky]

"Mm. Maybe. NCR might've strung some power lines to the trailer park from Searchlight." There was working water, at least. He poked through the cabinets for something they could percolate coffee in. "You sure, darlin'?"

[okiedokies]

"Yes, I'm sure," she glanced at him with a small smile before she went back to searching through her pack. Sure enough, she managed to produce a small can of coffee and brought it over to him. It was a can of Colombian dark roast. "Here you go."