Bleeding Steel

Chapter Seventeen: Dear Hearts and Gentle People

Danse sat bolt upright with a gasp, the roar of the gunshot still ringing in his ears. There was a flash of light and he made to roll away, but there was resistance, his legs trapped. Wrenching his body violently, he found himself sprawled on a carpet. There was another flash of light and another.

His eyes wide and heart hammering painfully in his chest, he caught sight of hundreds of lights dancing over walls, passing over a Brotherhood flag hanging over a messy bed and dressers. He raised a hand to his chest, the black T-shirt damp beneath his palm. He could feel the wild pounding of his heart and closed his eyes, trying to focus on the sensation and ground himself. But the lights kept flashing across his eyelids and each time he flinched, expecting to hear a gunshot, to feel pain.

He heard footsteps approaching and fresh beads of sweat broke out across his skin. He turned sharply, eyes flying wide as a shadow appeared behind a partitioning curtain at his back.

"Danse? Is everything okay?"

The curtain rippled as Nora eased a corner back, peering inside the makeshift 'room'. Seeing him on the floor, she slowly entered, letting the curtain fall back into place. He didn't know the time, but she was already wearing a dress, her dark hair tumbling about her head in damp curls.

She lowered herself onto the floor beside him. His eyes searched her face, eventually focusing upon her calm blue gaze. The lights chased over her skin, giving it a warm luminescence and catching her eyes like starlight. He felt something warm lay upon his hand and when he glanced down, it was to find her own resting upon it.

Slowly, the echoes of his nightmares faded as he focused on her fingers, paler and more slender than his own, yet bearing the same calloused patterns from her time spent honing her combat skills in the Commonwealth.

He exhaled slowly, turning away to focus upon the sheets tangled about his legs. As he pulled his hand away to free himself, Nora removed hers, but remained crouched at his side. Finally, he began to ease himself to his feet, raising his eyes to observe the disco ball rotating overhead, glittering as it cast light refractions about the space. He sighed heavily, reaching up to run a hand through his sweating hair, feeling like a fool.

The skirts of Nora's dress rustled and he watched from the corner of his eye as she rose.

"I was just about to sort out breakfast. Do you want sugar bombs or a fry up?"

He busied himself remaking the bed, focusing his attention upon the task at hand.

"A fry up would be a welcome change." He managed, his voice hoarse as he raised the mattress and tucked the sheets in. He heard her move away, the curtain drawing back.

"Nora?"

More light poured into the cubbyhole as she paused, holding the curtain in her hand.

"...Thank you."

"Mm."

She let the curtain fall back into place as she walked away.

He clenched the sheets in his fists until his knuckles shone white through his skin.

*****

The food was good, but Burke couldn't wait for breakfast to end. Not one word had been said at the table since he had arrived, the only sounds being the scraping of cutlery on plates and the music of Diamond City radio, playing at a low volume in the background.

Beside him, the Paladin kept his eyes glued to his plate, shovelling the food into his mouth whilst Nora silently prodded the meagre portion she'd given herself, her gaze distant.

Burke found himself missing Deacon. The man might be an enemy of the Brotherhood and synth sympathiser, but he was chatty and upbeat, full of amazing stories. Unfortunately he had only walked them as far as the front door yesterday, insisting that he needed to go to the security barracks instead.