The Vault Child (A Fallout 4 fan fiction)

Semper Invicta: Part 2

It was a moonless night, the stars spread out across the sky. Just as beautiful as last night, but I wasn't paying half as much attention.

The roof had a vertibird pad with some steps leading down to it and I sat on them. In front of me was Cambridge, behind me the sparse woods, beyond which was the river. Cambridge was filled with shadows. If I looked hard enough, I could see dark shapes moving among the buildings and across the yards. Whether they were looking for prey or merely wandering was unknown to me. Perhaps it was a combination of the two.

I heard the door creak and a high-pitched whine. Dogmeat had followed me.

"Hey, boy," I croaked. "Just needed some alone time." I felt him nudge my arm and I rubbed his head. "... Good boy."

He curled up behind me on the top of the steps. I lay my face in my hands.

"She didn't deserve all that," I whispered to myself. 

'One day, you're going to have to tell someone about it.' I thought to myself. 'It really was a simple question. You treat it as something that needs to be locked away and untouched, but you're going to have to open up that box of bad memories someday. Probably sooner than you expect. Maybe once you start talking about it, you'll find that the words flow out.'

Sometimes, I forgot that my thought process when I was alone was vastly different than my thoughts and verbal conversations when I was around other people. I hated it, because it had taken me years to realize that I was intelligent and not some ditz, but my verbal communication skills were like a big banner across my forehead that read 'DUMBASS'. It felt like I was meant to be clever only when I was alone and within my own mind. But then... maybe that was how dumb people tried to convince themselves that they had some form of intelligence, however small.

I was so immersed in my own world that I didn't hear the door creak again. 

"Initiate?"

I jumped and gave a small scream. It was Danse, standing next to Dogmeat.

"I didn't mean to frighten you." He hesitated. "Do you mind if I take a seat?"

"... Go ahead."

We sat in silence. Then he asked, "Desrosiers, what happened between you and Haylen?" 

"..."

"This will be off the record in case you were wondering."

"Is Haylen alright, sir?"

"Yes, she's fine. She seemed surprised and perplexed after emerging from the room the pair of you were in. I would like to be aware of any issues that may have arisen."

"I overreacted to a question she asked me. At the time, I thought it was too personal a question for her to be asking me... but now that I've had some time to think about it, it was something I should've expected to be asked at some point."

"And what was it?"

"What seeing the detonation was like."

"I see... I believe I can understand why that would be a sensitive subject. I mean, I'll never be able to fathom what that event was like, but I will respect that it is a distressing memory for you, Desrosiers."

"Thank you."

We sat in comfortable silence again for a time.

"... If you would like to discuss it, I will listen. I'm not good at handling emotions and psychological trauma, but I'll make an effort."

"Not now... But thank you for the offer, sir."

"Very well." Danse stood up. "Get some rest, Desrosiers. Tomorrow you begin your obligations as a soldier of the Brotherhood."