Jealousy in the Wasteland

Chapter 7 - Let's Talk.

*word count : 1114*

~Y/N's POV~

I wake up to the sound of gunshots, and my blood runs cold. I immediately jump up, grab my pistol, and run outside. I'm met with Nick, who just killed off some bloatflies. "Fuck me." I grimace, rubbing my eyes with my free hand. "What a wake up call." I say, before heading back into the ruined house.

I lay my pistol down once more, pulling my clothes and armor pieces on for the day. "Sorry for the alarm." Nick jokes, walking in shortly after I do. I let a small laugh escape my lips before going back to getting ready.

I glance at Nick, who is sitting in a chair, tightening the screws in his right hand. Once he notices my stare, he swiftly puts the screwdriver away and smiles at me sheepishly. I return his grin, before stepping into my power armor. "You 'bout ready? We should make it to the Nakano's by this afternoon if we leave now." He inquires, earning a nod from me.

I know asking him to lay with me last night was incredibly stupid, and he'll no doubt want to talk about it. I do not want to talk about it, though, so I speak as little as possible on our last stretch up north.

After what feels like centuries of walking, we finally make it back to the Nakano house. Nick heads inside to speak with the parents once more before our departure to Far Harbor. Kenji lets us borrow his boat, and we set sail.

It's about an hour and a half boat ride, which is nothing compared to the walking we had to do to get here. It's nice, honestly. I stand, letting the wind blow through my hair, smelling the ocean, and thinking about my life before the war.

My thoughts are quickly interrupted as we approach the island. "Alright, doll. You ready for this?" The synth asks, turning towards me. I snap out of my trance and give him a reassuring nod before we step off of the boat.

After some... interesting introductions and a fight against what I think were mutated sea creatures, we're told to head towards Acadia. Nick and I exchange a glance, knowing we're both far too tired to head up tonight.

"Is there anywhere we can pack in for the night? We've had a hellacious day of traveling. You understand." Nick says to Captain Avery in his signature charming voice, almost flirting with her. I feel a slight pang of jealousy, but put it aside.

Nick and I head into some old shack, me making quick work of a cot on the floor and Nick sitting on a couch. "Are we gonna talk about it?" He asks. I turn around to face him, "I just didn't want to be alone, I guess." I lie to the synth before turning back.

"You weren't alone, doll. I was three feet away." He says in a low voice, standing up from his place on the couch and slowly walking towards me. I stand up and turn to face him once again, but practically run into him since he's so close.

He trails a finger alongside my jaw, "You wanna tell me the truth, Y/N?" He asks, voice barely above a whisper, and not breaking eye contact.

~Nick's POV~

I can feel how nervous she is under my touch right now. "What's the matter, doll? Cat got your tongue?" She flushes red, turning away from me to lay down. "I figured as much." I chuckle, walking back to my place on the couch.

4 hours and 21 minutes later, Y/N shoots up, a terrified look on her face. "Y/N, what's wrong?" I ask, running over to her. She runs a hand through her hair, sighing deeply.

"Another nightmare. I'm fine, just go back to the couch." She mumbles, looking at me with tired eyes. "Are you sure you're up for this, doll?" I ask, sitting down beside her. The wood creaks beneath my weight, startling her. "I said I'm fine, Nick." She snaps coldly, turning away from me to lay back down.

I lay down next to her once more, holding her tight. She sleeps the rest of the night peacefully, and I feel a weird, warm sensation in my chest.

****Time Skip; They're Leaving Far Harbor***

"What a fucking week." Y/N says, sounding more exhausted than ever. "Yeah, that was insane." I reply, making sure we're all packed up and ready to go home.

"I'm just ready to go home and get drunk, to be honest." She says with a laugh. I open the door for her, and we head out of the wooden shack. "Let's go home and get drunk, doll." I say, wrapping my arm around her and leading her towards the boat.

~Y/N's POV~

After a long boat ride and an insane amount of walking, we finally reach Goodneighbor. I decide to just rent a room to drop my stuff off at before heading to the bar, big shocker.

Nick follows behind me, but the walk to the bar is quiet. We make it inside, Nick ordering a coolant and I a whiskey. "Little stronger than you usually go for, no?" The synth asks, laughing at me. I return his laugh before taking a sip, relishing the burn.

I look towards the ghoul and get a crazy idea. No, definitely just the alcohol talking. "You okay there, Y/N? You look a little.. distracted." Nick asks, leaning on the bar in front of him, staring at me intently.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I lie. "You got a thing for him, huh?" I snap my head back to look at the synth. "N-no. Well, I don't know." I lie, again. "Something's up, Y/N. What's wrong?"

I turn on my barstool to look at the synth. "Nick, It's nothing. I'm gonna go see Hancock." I say to him, standing up and making my way towards the ghoul, who is sitting with a few others.

"Hey, sweetheart!" He jumps up, enveloping me in a hug. "How'd it go? You find the kid?" "Yeah, we did. It was a long week, let's just say that." I reply, returning his hug. "Let me guess, here with the detective?" He asks, his words laced with jealousy.

"John, cool it. We've had a shit week, I just want to relax." He ignores me, instead walking towards Nick. I stay behind, wanting to avoid any embarrassment, but keeping a close eye on the two.

~Hancock's POV~

I walk over to the synth sitting at the bar, taking a seat next to him. "Let's talk, detective."