Afire Love- Paladin Danse x Reader (COMPLETE)

shadow of steel

guys guys someone actually voted for me i was planning on abandoning this book but it made me happy so i decided i'm gonna finish it yayyy
You opened your eyes to the early morning haze and sat up to stretch your arms. Danse had already left, probably to get something to eat. You left the room and started going down the hall, but you heard a girl's voice whisper- shouting in the room across from you. You got closer to listen through the door.
"You can't just do that! It's against our rules! What would Elder Maxson say if he found out?" You pulled your head away. Scribe Haylen? You leaned back in, but bumped the door a bit too hard, making a soft thump.
"I'm sorry, she was just-" a deep voice started.
"Wait, what was that?" Haylen said cautiously.
You pulled away. Caught. You tiptoed off to the table in the main room and sat down to drink a can of purified water. Moments later, Danse and Haylen came down the hall together with the same anxious look on their faces.
"Good morning," you greeted them.
Haylen gave you a smile, and Danse nodded at you.
"Rhys and I got that transmitter hooked up last night. You two should be ready to head up to the Prydwyn this morning."
"The Pryd-wyn?" You had never heard of it.
"Our airship. That's where we run all our main operations. Like a base, sort of," Danse explained impatiently. His mood had changed drastically from last night. He sounded at lot more strict. "We're taking you up today to get you settled in and started on your first mission."
"That sounds great. I can't wait to meet everyone," you said, smiling.
Later that afternoon, when you had gotten ready, Danse approached you.
"Time to go." He turned and started walking through a door and up a flight of stairs, not waiting for you.
You put down a bowl of noodles you were eating and jogged to catch up with him. You followed him to the top of the stairs, and he pushed open the door onto the rooftop. On the center of the roof was a steel vertiberd, just like the prewar ones. Its engines were already running, the propellers spinning.
Haylen was waiting beside it.
"All right, initiate. This is where your life begins," she shouted over the roar of the vertibird. "Get on, and we'll send you to the airport." She placed a firm first to her chest, saluting you. You mimicked her and started toward the plane. Danse had already gotten in. You boarded the aircraft and fastened yourself in on the seat behind a mounted minigun. There were butterflies in your stomach, and your heart was racing. What if the plane crashed? What if it crashed onto a settlement and killed people? You shook away the bad thoughts and focused on the present. You turned around and looked at Danse, who was staring into space.
"Okay, we are clear for takeoff," the pilot said over the intercom. With that, the vertibird began to hover. You clung on to the minigun for dear life as the aircraft angled your side to the ground for a turn.
You heard Paladin Danse laughing behind you. You turned around, mortified, and saw him standing upright, holding onto a strap attached to the wall. "Don't worry, nothing bad's going to happen. I've done this plenty of times," he said reassuringly. His words meant nothing, but put you at ease for some reason. As the plane increased in altitude, you began to hear more clearly. It seemed to fly almost dead silent.
"Danse," you said, not having to shout anymore, "why is it so quiet all of the sudden?"
He walked over at sat next to you. "Basically, it's easier on the engines just to cruise like this. They don't have to work as hard, so it's not as loud." He shrugged. "You can talk to Proctor Ingram if you want a real explanation. But I like to think of it as... peace."
"Peace?"
"Up here, it's quiet. There's nothing hunting you down, it's just... you. It gives you time to think. It's relaxing."
You smiled. You loved when he showed his sensitive side, especially since it didn't show that often.
"I owe you an apology. For this morning. I guess I was just stressed," he said, looking to his feet, which were dangling off the ledge.
"Why? What happened?" Your brows furrowed in concern.
"Nothing. Just... Scribe Haylen said something, and it's been on my mind all day."
"What did she say?" You knew what she said.
What would Elder Maxson say if he found out? You didn't know what it was about, but if Danse took it this seriously, it was important.
"She said-" he paused, contemplating whether or not he should tell you. "No. You don't need to worry about that. Not now."
"Okay," you said. "You don't have to tell me now." You leaned into his shoulder, the metal plate of his power armor cold against your cheek. You felt him go tense for a minute, but he relaxed and started to run his fingers through your dark hair.
You dozed off peacefully.

"Soldier?" A voice said quietly. "Wake up, we're almost here."
"...hmmm?" you hummed groggily. "Oh, we're here." The Boston airport came into view on the horizon. It was the same place you knew from 200 years ago.
You started down at your phone, waiting for a text. It vibrated in your palm. You opened the message.
Just landed.
You smiled to yourself. This would be the first time you've seen him in three years.
Someone behind you slapped your butt.
"Hey-" you were about to yell in protest, but when you turned around, you saw a tall man with a buzzcut, dressed in army fatigues. He held out his arms to pull you into his chest.
"Nate!" You shouted, your voice cracking. You hugged him, tears falling from your eyes.
"Hi, honey," he said, smiling ear to ear. He planted a kiss on your forehead.
Danse stood up and went back to the strap on the wall, pulling you back to reality. 
The vertibird was approaching a huge metal blimp. You stared at it open-mouthed.
"That's the Prydwyn!" Danse yelled to you as the engines began to roar again. As you came closer, you saw a walkway underneath with people all dressed in orange. There were wings coming off the walkway, a vertibird stationed at both sides of them. There was one open spot where the pilot decided to stop the plane. It hovered up to a level where you could jump off onto the walkway. You let yourself out first, Danse not far behind. "This is it," he said with a smile.