Trust Issues

Sexual Comfort

A/N: This chapter contains smut.

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"Easy, easy. How are you feeling?" Dr. Amari asks as Sole climbs out of the memory pod. Hancock and MacCready are there, ready to catch her as she grips the pod with a wobbly stance. Sole has just seen snapshots of Kellogg's life.

"I feel... Conflicted. On one hand, this man murdered my parents in cold blood, murdered countless others. On the other hand... He had his wife and daughter killed. All because he was making a living for them." Sole sighs, leaning her head against her arm on the pod.

"It's a lot to take in, dear. Come, sit." Dr. Amari says, pulling up a chair. Hancock and MacCready take Sole's arms, and help her sit down. Sole stares at the floor. She's still angry at Kellogg, and doesn't regret taking him out. She is saddened by the life he had though. She looks up at MacCready, who hands her a can of purified water.

"Did you find out how to get into the Institute?" Hancock asks. Sole nods.

"The reason no one has found the entrance is because there isn't one. They teleport in and out." She tells them. MacCready walks away and slips up, yelling out a fuck.

Hancock massages Sole's shoulders, processing. He, MacCready, and Dr. Armari witnessed the same things Sole had, and they saw what happened in the Vault. Sole's father trying to protect Shaun, her mother breaking open her pod door and being shot between the eyes by Kellogg. Poor Sole, banging on her pod door, screaming for her parents and brother. Kellogg looking her in the eye, then walking away.

MacCready sits on the other side of the room, head in his hands, elbows to his knees. In his mind, Lucy and Duncan replace Sole's Father and Shaun. He shudders, then his mind conjures a new image. Sole in Lucy's place, being torn apart by ghouls as he runs with Duncan. His heart freezes in fear.

"Mac?" He hears faintly. His mind is stuck on Sole's dead face, her scream frozen. A warm hand on his brings him out of his mind, and he sees a very much alive and conserned Sole kneeling in front of him. "You ok? You spaced out on us for a moment." She smiles warmly at him. He looks at her in awe. She just relived what could be either the most horrible, or second most horrible moment in her life. Yet here she is, making sure he's ok.

MacCready doesn't think, he just grabs her and holds her tightly. Her arms are pinned between them. "Sorry," he shudders again, "I... I spaced out for a bit. Just... Processing I guess." He lets her go and she nods, still smiling.

"Valentine is upstairs, when you're ready, Sole. I hope you have your answers." Dr. Armari tells her. Sole nods, then stands and holds her hand out to MacCready. He takes it and Sole pulls him up. Hancock grins at the two, already planning.

"Come on, we need to find a way to teleport into the Institute." She smirks, then walks up the stairs. MacCready watches her, until Hancock bumps his arm.

"So, you like her." Hancock states more than asks. MacCready scoffs and walks away, not in the mood to entertain Hancock.

MacCready and Sole decide to call it a night after speaking with Valentine, and rent a room. In their room, Sole was glad she had helped fix the air-con, the room nice and cool. She strips down to a tank top and her panties, ready to collapse and not caring that she's sharing a room. She just wants to be comfortable for once. She hears glass break behind her, and turns to see a slack jawed MacCready, and a broken cup at his feet.

"You ok?" She asks. MacCready says nothing, his eyes roaming her body.

"That vault suit is a grave injustice to you. Damn you're hot!" He says, licking his lips. Sole blushes, and gets into the bed, covering herself quickly. MacCready comes to his senses, and cleans up the broken glass. "Sorry. I just.... I'm not gonna lie, you got a gorgeous body. I'm only human, after all." He explains, looking down at the glass he's cleaning as he speaks.