Bleeding Steel

Chapter Twenty: Vadim Bobrov, Ultimate Wingman!

"That's about all we can do, given the materials on hand." Danse announced, wiping the last of the power armour grease from his hands with a rag. Nora finished fixing the last screw in place before stepping back beside him, biting her bottom lip as she scrutinised her armour.

There was no chance that it would stand up to scrutiny aboard the Prydwen, that was for sure, but thanks to Danse's expertise, it would be serviceable... provided she was fighting nothing bigger than radroaches.

"How am I supposed to make it through the Glowing Sea in that?" She groaned, gesturing at the battered steel. "It couldn't protect me from another Grogcat attack, let alone deathclaws and radscorpions!"

"Admittedly, you should probably buy new plating once we're aboard the Prydwen." Danse agreed, tossing the rag onto the workbench beside the power armour station. "Still, considering that we'll be calling in a vertibird tomorrow, it will suffice."

"I suppose it'll have to." She sighed, glancing enviously to where his power armour stood gleaming nearby. Burke had worked hard at polishing the steel, his efforts no doubt fuelled by his gratitude for Grogcat's rescue.

She turned to where the Squire was lying across one of the couches in the second living area, his new swatter leaning against the arm of the couch whilst Grogcat lay curled up under his arm, apparently fast asleep. Burke himself was looking drowsy, but as content as Nora had ever seen him.

"It was good of you to catch that cat for him." She said softly, unable to help but smile at the pair. "Even though you didn't agree to him owning Grogcat in the first place."

"Well, I couldn't see any more harm in it." He shrugged. "It was that or leave the cat out in the rain. I figured that I may as well let both of them be happy while they can."

He turned his eyes from the drowsing Squire to find Nora looking up at him, a gentle smile curling her lips and a warm light in her eyes.

"You're very kind beneath all that protocol, you know?" She asked him softly.

He didn't know how to respond, a faint blush beginning to colour his cheeks.

Her cheeks adopting a rosy tint of their own, Nora cleared her throat and broke their eye contact.

"So... I was thinking." She began awkwardly, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Why don't you just move back in here for tonight? It'll save you caps and I know for a fact that bed's cleaner than any at the Dugout."

"No." Danse shook his head immediately, running on auto-pilot. He stubbornly ignored the cold regret that was already knotting itself in his stomach.

A look of hurt flickered across her face before she composed herself, forcing the same tight smile that had ached her cheeks for days as she nodded, though she didn't meet his eyes.

"Okay."

There came knocking from the front door and Nora gladly took the excuse to leave, trying to ignore the stab she had felt when he had shut her down.

What was I hoping for, really? She scolded herself as she arrived at the door and turned the key. She took an extra moment to compose herself before opening it to find Piper and Marcus on her doorstep.

It was already dark outside, the heavy clouds illuminated by the floodlights lining the stadium.

Apparently tinkering with her power armour had taken a lot longer than she had thought.

"Hey, Blue! Had any luck finding Grogcat today?" Piper asked as she entered, Marcus following behind her. "Because if not, I've roped in probably the best sniper in the Commonwealth to help in the search!" As she spoke, she slapped Marcus' shoulder to emphasise her point, then kept her hand there to lean on him.