Crossfire - Fallout 4 - [R J MacCready x Sole Survivor]

Chapter 20

The night air chilled MacCready's skin until it raised Goosebumps, but another chill shivered him as he saw Dawn just ahead. He quickly stuffed Duncan's drawing back into his pocket, careful not to crumple it further, but it ruffled audibly from his haste. Dawn perked up at the sound, a look of surprise upon her face as she suddenly craned her neck to meet his eyes.

His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth - purely at loss of what to say - and he hated the silence that followed. But he waited patiently for a response as he observed her, how her expression melted into something tight and indecipherable.

Then he felt his throat constrict when he realised that Dawn was alone.

"Hello," she said, tone clipped and strained.

MacCready exhaled a long sigh as he thought over what to say next.

"Hi."

God, he wanted to kick himself for such a bland reply. The silence stretched once more, and Dawn only stared at him with the same unreadable expression. She shook her head as her lips tightened in distaste, then she stared at the sunflower at her feet.

"Why are you still here, Mac?"

Mac? If he wasn't already shocked at the absence of her son, he would have jokingly reminded her of their first name familiarity. But he stopped himself when her words had finally registered in his mind.

"Sorry," he said. "I-I... I'll leave you alone."

His boots crunched against the dirt as he trudged down to the path to Sanctuary.

"That's not what I meant," she said.

He froze mid-stride, then turned to face her in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

An irritated scoff was her initial answer - an ugly sound that he did not miss - but she shook her head once more. "What I meant was," she stood up as she dusted her knees, "why are you still here in Sanctuary?"

He couldn't remember ever getting instructions from her about being somewhere else, and his jaw clicked as he clenched them in thought. "Was I supposed to be someplace else, or?"

"God damn it, MacCready!" She whirled on the spot from her outburst. A deep breath later, she composed herself again as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You shouldn't be here. You don't have to be here. You should...you..."

Another deep breath, and it hissed as she took in another. MacCready walked back to her, alarmed that she was beginning to hyperventilate. "Dawn, hey," he reached out, but she stepped back.

"Oh God - I can't..."

"Hey, easy there," he stepped back up to her with outstretched arms, not quite knowing what to do with the situation. "I'm here, c'mon," but she moved away, further this time.

"That's the problem!" She yelled. So many emotions flitted across her face, from anger to something raw and bitter. "You're here!"

"Dawn, you're not making any sense."

"You're here, MacCready," she spat out his name as she seethed. "You have your son waiting for you back home, yet you're still here in the Commonwealth!"

There it was, that horrible feeling which intensified as it roiled in his gut. As he heard those words come from her mouth, it stung him. MacCready clenched his jaw as he thought over her statement, and it only made him feel worse.

His throat felt thick, and he swallowed before he spoke up. "I don't want to talk about that," his voice wavered. He could feel his chest tighten at the thought of Duncan, but this time he did not want to talk about him. Didn't want to share the anguish he felt. Instead, he changed the subject. "Where's Shaun?"