Afire Love- Paladin Danse x Reader (COMPLETE)

hunter // hunted, part 1

You woke up by yourself and yawned.
No wonder the elder had given you a break. The three of you had spent all evening yesterday planning an attack on the Courser. You had said it would be better to just stay prepared, since you had no idea where you would find the synth or how dangerous it would actually be, but he insisted that you go over every worst case scenario, since he didn't want to lose his most valuable soldiers.
It was a late night.
You stood from your cot and strectched, popping a few joints, and rubbed your eyes.
A few beds were empty, so you guessed it was a bit later than you usually woke up nowadays. You slid your bag out from under the cot and dug around for something to eat, finding only 200 year old, even more, actually, deviled eggs. It was all you had, so you started peeling open the box. You pulled one out and popped it in your mouth. It tasted... good. What do they put in this to make it last this long? you thought, immediately wanting to un-think it. You left the room, leaving the box on your bed, and went out to the Flight Deck.
They morning sky was closer to sunset orange today. You pulled up a hand to block the sun in your eyes. You made out a tall, armored silhouette across the ship and smiled to yourself. You started walking.
"Good morning, soldier," Danse said, turning around. He smiled affectionately, the metal of his armor catching the morning rays.
"Good morning," you replied.
"Are you ready to head out?" he asked. "It's going to be a long day. Might as well start early."
"Sure," you said. "Are you sure you're ready to go? What if one of the stitches rip?"
"I'll be fine, as long as I have my armor," he said, tapping on the chestpiece. It was completely repaired. You could hardly tell what it, or even he, had been through.
"Okay, if you say so," you gave in. "Where's Elder Maxson? Does he know we're about to leave?"
"He said we can go when we're ready."
"Okay. Let me go get my armor," you said. "I'll be right back."
"Take as long as you need," Danse responded.
You hurried up the ladder to the Main Deck and through the long hallway. You found your armor where you had left it. It was shining now. Repaired. You entered it and walked back to where you started.
"Ready now?" Danse asked as you approached him. The Elder had joined him, standing at his side with his hands behind his back.
"Just say the word," you shrugged.
"All I can tell you is good luck. But I know you won't be needing it," Maxson stated.
"Thank you, Elder," Danse said.
The Elder broke his serious demeanor to smile. "There's a vertibird waiting for you. Ad Victoriam."
"Ad Victoriam," you echoed in unison.
You followed Danse to one of the aircrafts and let him go in first. You joined him inside and heard the engine kick in. It detached from the ship and started flying due west.

You heard Danse's heavy footsteps walking over to your side, but this time you decided to meet him in the middle. You stood, turned around and met his gaze. He was standing right in front of you. With a half smile, he took your hand and led you to the empty space in the middle of the vertibird, where you sat with him. Your back pressed against the metal wall. Your leaned into Danse, your cheek resting on his shoulder. His arm wrapped around your waist, his hand fitting perfectly over your hip bone. He leaned over to kiss the top of your head. You gazed up at him. His cheeks were rosy, his eyes sparkling. He kissed you again, this time on your lips, and harder than he ever had before. You liked it. When he leaned back out, he looked concerned. His brows were knitted, and his eyes squinted the slightest bit. "T-this is okay, right?" he stuttered. You responded by pulling his rough face closer and kissing him the same way he had. He let out a grunt in shock, but soon went along with it and started playing with your hair.
"Here we are. The Commonwealth Institute of Technology. Or what's left of it, anyways."
You both jumped at the pilot's announcement.
"We should get up," Danse whispered in your ear. You nodded in agreement and stood from your spot, positioning yourself at the minigun.
The vertibird descended, kicking up dust and spraying it in every direction. You squinted so none of it would get in your eyes. It touched ground, your cue to jump out. Danse joined you as it flew away.
Danse looked at you. "You ready?"
You felt a rush of excitement all of the sudden and couldn't help but crack a smile. You took out a pistol and loaded it.
"Hell yes."
Raising your Pip-boy to eye level, you fiddled with the dial until you heard a steady beeping.
"Okay, now what?" Danse asked, tilting his head.
"Now we... follow the signal, I think," you guessed. You poked around the ruins with him, but the signal didn't get any stronger.
"I think it left this place," Danse said.
"Yeah, me too. Let's start spreading out," you suggested. He nodded and let you take the lead.
It was when you started going east that you picked up a stronger signal. You followed it through winding alleys, Danse at your side, until you reached a tall, greenish tower. Greentech Genetics, a sign said. The tower had originally been a brighter shade of green, you guessed, but time alone was enough to fade its color. Now it was hardly tinted. The pulsing emanating from your radio was rapidly beeping.
"This must be it," you reasoned. You walked up the steps to the door and pressed a hand to it. Just then, you felt a soft contact on your free hand.
"Wait."
Spinning around, you saw Danse standing behind you. A few steps below you, his height was even with yours. "Listen," he said. He looked concerned, almost frowning. "No matter what happens in there, I love you. Okay?"
You furrowed your brows. "Danse? Is something wrong?"
He shook his head. "No. Nothing." He smiled. "Let's go."
"Wait. If something was wrong. You would tell me, right?" you asked, your stomach in a knot. What was going to happen in there?
His halfhearted "of course" made you even more uneasy. Nevertheless you trusted him and nodded. You pivoted back around and slid the door open, stepping into the facility, with Danse at your heels.