Archive of Our Own

Danse sat in one of the large re-purposed armchairs. His team had talked him into coming for a few drinks. Haylen and Rhys were squeezed in together on a small two seater sofa across from him, beers in hand.

He felt incredibly out of place. No power armour, no uniform, no titles, just a team spending time together. That’s how they had pitched it to him, and still he had come. A small table held the various drinks that the group had brought to share between them. Danse swigged at his beer as the recreation area filled up.

By the time Nora arrived there were no more seats. He saw her standing at the top of the stairs struggling with a large crate.

She looked…different. Danse realised he had never seen her wear anything other than her vault suit. She was wearing a pair of high-waisted slacks and a low-cut blouse that was certainly not standard issue. Danse swallowed hard.

“No it’s okay I’ve got it.” She called sarcastically as she lugged the large crate down the stairs. Danse stood, frowning at the scribe sat on the floor eagerly eyeing his vacated seat.

“Don’t even think about it.” He warned gently. The scribe reddened and shrugged an apology before turning to talk to his companion.

Danse strode to the staircase where Nora balanced the crate on a railing. She stopped and huffed, blowing her hair from out of her face. She saw Danse at the bottom of the stairs looking up at her strangely. He looked good. She was so used to seeing him in power armour she sometimes forgot there was a man underneath all that metal. She was always surprised by how tall he was. He was dressed simply in jeans and a white t-shirt, and she let her eyes travel across his broad chest.

“You scrub up well Paladin” She grinned, “What do you think Haylen?” She called down and Danse heard Haylen laugh behind him.

“He looks beautiful Nora.” She called back. They were two of the most confident and capable comrades he had the pleasure to have worked with, but they were unbearable when together. He started to speak and found that Knight Rhys had beaten him to it:

“That is inappropriate Knight!” Rhys barked, but it took a moment before Danse realised that Rhys had joined in with the women in tormenting him. Danse said nothing as they laughed, he often found that any attempt to defend himself only served to provide the women with more ammunition.  Instead he walked up to meet Nora and lifted the crate from her, it was heavy, but bearable.

“Oh.” She said simply when he lifted the crate away as if it weighed nothing. She thanked him and pointed next to the small table at the centre of the recreation area. Danse placed the crate down and returned to his seat.

Nora produced a crowbar, seemingly from nowhere, and prized open the lid of the crate. The chatter and clinking of glasses fell to a gentle murmur as people leaned in curiously.

“Holy shit Nora!” someone exclaimed excitedly as the contents were revealed. The large crate was filled to the brim with Nuka-Darks and an assortment of other delicious looking alcoholic beverages. Where had she got it? Was she sharing? Who did she have to bribe to get it aboard? Nora waved off the flurry of questions. She held her hands up and the room hushed.

“Okay.” She smiled “It’s probably best if you don’t know where I got it from.” She laughed gently, and Danse felt a strange mix of irritation and affection for the Knight in front of him.

“There’s more than enough to go around,” she said, and there was a sudden rush towards the crate but she held her hands up higher and tutted. “But there’s a catch.” She added mischievously. A collection of groans echoed in the small space. Nora reached into her back pocket and Danse found his eyes lingering on the curve of her ass. She pulled out a pack of cards, the cardboard casing pristine and unopened.

“I’ve got a little pre-war drinking game I’d like to teach you.” This was met with cheers and a few excited squeals from some of the younger scribes.

“It’s called Ring of Fire, or Kings, and it goes like this…”

Nora placed a large glass in the centre of the table and shuffled the cards before organising them into a circle around the glass. She explained how each card had a corresponding rule or task, and gave examples in humorous anecdotes from before the war.

“-and so if you draw a King you have to pour your drink in this glass.” And she tapped the large glass. “The person who picks the fourth and final King gets to drink it.” The group groaned good naturedly and Danse grimaced at the thought.

“Any questions?” She asked as someone clicked the radio on, a pleasant hum of background noise filling the small space in the lower decks of the Prydwen. There were no questions, they were soldiers after all, and orders and instructions were easily memorised, especially when alcohol was at stake.

“Great!” She clapped. “Right then everyone, pull in. And if you’re not playing, push off.” She laughed and winked at Knight Prior causing him to blush furiously. Rhys and Haylen pulled their small sofa closer to the table as the group crowded together.

Haylen went first and pulled at a card, careful not to break the circle.

“Three. Me!” She showed the group her card before taking a large swig of her beer. Rhys went next.

Nora handed Danse a fresh beer before opening a Nuka-Dark for herself. They watched the game continue in silence until it was Danse’s turn. He leant forward and pulled a card, wondering why he was engaging in such a ridiculous game.

“Eight.” He called out.

“Mate.” Nora reminded him gently. “Someone who has to drink whenever you do.” Danse shrugged and nodded towards her nominating her as his partner for the night. Nora bent towards the table and picked up a card, she suddenly dropped to the floor and put her hand on the ground. A few of the eagle-eyed soldiers quickly followed suit and Danse looked on in confusion as individuals slowly realised what was happening before jolting down to touch the floor.

“Danse!” Haylen called out gleefully pointing at him. Danse sat perplexed as gentle laughter rose up around him.

“It was a four.” Nora shook her head at him, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Ah…floor.” He said simply in return.

“Drink!” Someone shouted, and soon it was echoed by others in the group, the music drowned out by their chanting.

Danse looked at Nora and raised an eyebrow at her. “You too soldier.” He said as he tilted his drink at her.

“Aye aye mate.” She clinked the neck of her bottle against his before they both took large swigs.

The group had swollen to a small party as the game went on. No doubt word had travelled about the free drink on offer. Nora had told Danse to budge before she sat on the left arm of his chair, one of her legs in-between his, her right arm resting on the back of the chair behind Danse’s neck. At one point Danse thought he saw Haylen smirking at them from across the table.

He had sat stiffly at first, and then he found himself relaxing, enjoying the company of his fellow soldiers. Soon, he found his left hand inching towards Nora. And then it was on her hip. He could feel the warmth of her skin underneath his hand and he felt a swell of heat and excitement run through him. A few moments later he felt a delicate tickle at the back of his neck and he fought to stop his cheeks from reddening as he realised Nora’s long fingers were playing with the short scruff of hair at the base of his neck.

They sat like that for a few rounds, neither acknowledging their excitement and nerves at the closeness and intimacy of these gentle touches. Danse felt himself loosening up as the beers took effect.

He hated to admit it but the game was incredibly amusing. A Jack required the holder to declare something they had never done, and require those around them to admit if they had done it. Nora had to intervene when the first Jack drawn caused a scribe to admit that they had never eaten a Salisbury Steak.

“No, no.” She laughed gently, “it’s got to be a bit more interesting than that. Who cares if Danny’s eaten a Salisbury steak? Not me-” She laughed and apologised as Danny, Knight Pelzer, gripped his chest in mock offense. “No,” she continued “try and phrase it so we can get a juicy secret out of someone.” This was met with nervous laughter and the scribe grinned mischievously as he looked at his neighbour.

“Never have I ever had someone in my bunk after-hours.”

There was a roar of laughter and a few shocked and questioning faces as a large proportion of the group drank sheepishly. Danse saw the scribe’s neighbour punch his arm and heard someone else exclaim “who?!”.

Neither Nora or Danse drank, and they both blushed heavily at the implication when they caught each other’s eye. Nora bit her lip as she watched the game continue. Suddenly Haylen burrowed her head in her hands wailing good naturedly as Rhys laughed loudly.

“She got the final King!” He shouted joyously. Haylen looked up and smiled as she shook her head at the large glass in the centre of the table. It was an awful mix of beer, Nuka-Dark, and some strange, slightly ominous, green mixture that a scribe had gleefully called ‘the fallout’.

“I can’t. I’ll be sick.” She exclaimed, but she was laughing and Rhys was whispering encouragingly into her ear. Danse wondered briefly if that flame had truly been extinguished. Haylen knocked back nearly half of the drink before stopping, bringing her hand to her mouth. A silence fell across the group as they waited for her to vomit. Instead, she let out a gentle burp before swallowing the remainder of the drink in a few mouthfuls.

There was uproar as she slammed the glass onto the table in victory.

“Ad Victorium.” She shouted before descending into a fit of giggles as the group around her cheered and laughed.

“Again?” Someone asked and another cheer went up as one of the Knights gathered up the cards, shuffled and laid them back out.

Danse kept his hand on her hip. There was a small gap between her blouse and slacks and Danse’s fingers grazed the exposed skin. She gripped the back of his neck gently and he felt a heat in his abdomen as the realisation hit him. He wanted to touch more of her…all of her. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and feel every last part of her. He felt his heart beat faster as he wondered if the hand on the back of his neck meant she felt the same way. He drew the first King of the round and poured the majority of his beer into the glass in the centre of the table.

Nora bent forward to pick up a card.

“Would someone care to explain what’s going on?” Elder Maxson’s voice made Danse start in his chair nearly spilling the remainder of his beer. He made to get up, to explain, but Nora beat him to it.

She turned and smiled broadly, card in hand.

“Elder Maxson.” She smiled, and Danse winced at the overly familiar tone of her voice. “I was educating the troops sir.” She giggled and gave him a sloppy salute, apparently oblivious to the awkward silence that had fallen over the others.

“I see.” Maxson said darkly. Someone switched off the radio leaving the painful silence to fill the room.

“I can show you?” She smiled, and touched his arm, drawing him into the circle of soldiers. Danse felt an unfamiliar lurch in the pit of his stomach.The tension was palpable as Maxson’s eyes drifted over the large glass of alcohol and scattered playing cards.

“What are the rules?” he asked with the smallest hint of a smile.

It was if the spell of stunned silence had been broken, and Danse jumped again as Scribe Haylen let out a small whoop. One of the scribes had found a chair and brought it into the circle for Maxson, placing it next to Danse. Someone turned the radio back on and a gentle background noise filled the space again.

“Well, it was my turn just as you arrived, and I picked an Ace.” And she showed him her card as if offering proof. “Aces mean waterfall. That means I start drinking, and then you start, and then Paris, then Riker, and so on and so on.” She pointed to the men with the neck of her bottle as she spoke. “And you can only stop when I stop, and Paris can only stop when you stop….and so on and so on.” She grinned. Maxson raised an eyebrow, a small smile dancing at the corner of his serious mouth. Nora explained the rest of the rules as the others chatted around them, the discomfort of the Elder’s presence slowly petering out as people continued to drink.

“So that’s it.” she laughed gently, and then a look of mock-seriousness crossed her face. “As you’re late to the party you have to drink double.” She smiled imperiously.

“Is that an order soldier?” Maxson growled good-naturedly.

“Yes, Sir.” Nora grinned.

Was he flirting? Was she? Danse knocked back the remainder of his beer and motioned to Haylen to throw him another. Haylen was frowning slightly, her eyes flitting between the Elder, Knight and Paladin.

“Everyone ready?” Nora called, holding up her Ace. “I got waterfall. Remember to keep up!” And she began to drink. After a few moments she spluttered slightly and brought the bottle away from her lips and wiped her mouth apologetically, a small flustered blush rising on her cheeks. Danse drank slowly as he watched her turn to Elder Maxson who was managing to smirk whilst drinking.

And drinking, and drinking, and drinking.

“Elder please!” someone called between gulps. Maxson didn’t break eye-contact with Nora as he drank, and when he had finished he shook his head at her.

“I had expected more of a challenge, Knight.” He rumbled.

They were definitely flirting. And while Danse had often encouraged his superior to act his age and enjoy his youth he now regretted that Arthur had chosen to do so with Nora. Her hand was no longer touching the base of Danse’s neck and, aware of the Elder’s presence, he had not replaced his hand on her hip. Maxson drew a 5 and all the men in the circle had to drink.

It was Initiate Paris’ turn and he grinned as he drew a ten.

“Rule master.” He said and shot a sly look at the pretty scribe next to him who had joined the game only a few moments before. “Okay, how about this? After you draw your card you have to kiss the person to your left.” There was a roar of laughter and a few feigned shouts of disgust at the new rule. Danse’s stomach jumped as he glanced at Nora, and then at Maxson. The scribe next to Danse coughed and swapped places with his female friend while Danse pretended not to notice.

The scribe blushed prettily when Paris planted a chaste kiss on the corner of her mouth. The game continued around the large circle and Danse frowned as his thoughts battled.

He listened as Nora told a rather wild story about her experience at University before the war. Maxson leant back in his chair and swigged at the Nuka-Dark, his eyes never leaving her.

Danse was only mildly surprised when Rhys and Haylen kissed, and he fought back a smile as the soldiers around him cheered and clapped. The game continued around and the new rule proved a hit with one couple who kissed each other so aggressively that they promptly fell over. The scribe before Danse barely grazed her cheek against his when it was her turn to kiss him. He was grateful that the crowd allowed it to go unchallenged. Danse picked the label of his bottle as he tried to decide if he would kiss the Knight balanced on the arm of his chair.

He wanted to kiss her. Wanted to press his lips against hers and hold her against him. He wanted to wrap his arms around her waist and he wanted her to kiss him back.

He was going to kiss her.

But suddenly there was a commotion as a messenger appeared for Elder Maxson. A hush fell over the party as the initiate whispered in Maxson’s ear. Maxson stood and the party scrabbled to its feet.

“Duty calls.” He said simply. “Ad Victorium.” He finished the remainder of his drink and saluted. Maxson’s eyes found Nora’s and Danse stiffened as the younger man smiled at her, his eyes travelling down the length of her body. Arthur was a great many things, but much to Danse’s disappointment, Elder Maxson was no gentleman. Danse fought the urge to grip Nora’s hip and pull her against him protectively.

Elder Maxson left and the residue of tension at his presence dissipated. Danse could hear some of the knights debating whether to wake their sober comrade and convince them to requisition a vertibird to go down to Diamond City or Goodneighbor. He sat back down and pretended that he hadn’t heard. Nora was still standing, talking to some scribe that Danse had never met before. The Elder’s presence had sobered him up and he considered calling it a night when someone tapped his leg and pointed at the cards, indicating that it was his turn.

He drew a King. He stopped, perplexed, the glass in front of him was full and the soldiers were shouting and hollering. He had drawn the last king of the round. The game had ended, and Paris’ rule had ended with it.

He groaned as someone passed the nauseating concoction to him.

“I’m not drinking that.” He said firmly, holding the drink away from him as though it would bite. There was a collective groan and Haylen and Rhys booed him from across the table, laughing in-between jeers.

“Here.” Nora had appeared at his side and took the glass from him. “I’m your mate remember? I drink when you drink.” And she downed nearly half of the drink before handing the glass back to Danse, her fingers grazing his. He realised that she had been his mate in the previous round, and had no obligation to drink with him. But he was grateful for her support.

She hiccupped gently and raised an eyebrow, challenging Danse. He frowned and knocked back the remainder of the mixture, much to the pleasure of the small crowd around him. He kept his eyes locked on Nora’s, his eyebrows furrowed in irritation. He slammed the glass back onto the table, and imitating Haylen, he shouted the brotherhood salute, and the knights and scribes around him echoed his call. Another shout of ‘again!’ went up and the cards were gathered together.

Nora went to sit on the arm of Danse’s chair, but the drink had gone straight to her head and she misjudged the distance and nearly toppled over before a strong arm gripped her waist and pulled her to safety. She landed on Danse’s lap, perched on his thigh, her legs between his. They stayed like that for a moment, Danse’s hand gripping the small of her waist, her arm flung around the back of the chair. They stared at each other, the tension palpable. And then someone nudged her, breaking the spell.

“It’s your turn Nora.”

Danse cursed inwardly as he glared at Paris, the knight seemingly unaware of what he had interrupted. And what had he interrupted? Danse thought, a rush of excitement running through him.

“They’re skipping this round!” Haylen called from across the table, frowning at Paris who put his hands in the air in apology. “Didn’t you see the state of that drink? We’ll have to carry them to their bunks if we don’t give them a rest!” She added, avoiding Danse’s eye.

Nora turned to look at Danse. Her cheeks were flushed a delicate pink and her hair, which had been pinned back, had started to come loose again, a few tendrils framing her face. Danse thought about moving the hair with the back of his fingers and holding her face so he could press his lips against hers. He must have been frowning because she placed a hand on his chest, just below his shoulder, a look of gentle concern on her face.

“Look alive Paladin.” She smiled, “You okay Danse? I’m not actually going to have to carry you back to your bunk, am I?” Danse wasn’t certain if it was his imagination but he could have sworn she blushed as she spoke.

“I’d like to see you try.” He grumbled, removing his large hand from her waist to remove the lid from a Nuka-Dark, his beer supply having finally run out.

“Still embarrassed the Elder caught you with a drink in your hand?” She teased lightly. Danse stared at her impassively and she wondered what had happened. Less than a moment before his hand had been on her waist, and now she was sat on his lap, and yet he seemed more distant than ever.

They watched on in silence as the game descended into chaos. Groups chattered and various individuals peeled off to make-out in the dark corners of the Prydwen. A scribe had to be carried off by his friends, and they all waved goodbye as they dragged him from the group. The music had got louder and Nora had to lean in to Danse’s ear so he could hear her. They spoke like that for a few more rounds, her breath tickled his ear and she smelt of Nuka-cola and perfume. Danse had to make a concentrated effort not to let his eyes linger on her chest for too long. Slowly, his hand wandered back to her waist and her hand found the back of his neck again.

He was still smarting from the way she had flirted with the Elder. Danse had never considered himself a jealous man, but there was no other way to describe the angry emotion that had bubbled up inside him when she had touched the younger man’s arm.

“I think I’m going to get some fresh air.” Nora squeezed the back of his neck gently and stood up, her hand covering her mouth as she yawned. She stretched and her blouse rode up to reveal the soft skin underneath. Danse wanted to reach out and touch it. He swallowed, pushing the mental image away.

“Care to join me?” She smiled and tilted her head towards the stairs. Danse nodded wordlessly and turned to the scribe and motioned at his chair:

“Guard it well, soldier.” He said sternly and Nora smiled reassuringly at the scribe. Danse’s eyes wondered over to the crate which still appeared to hold a wealth of alcohol. They ascended the stairs in silence and Nora lead the way through the upper decks of the Prydwen. The noise from the party followed them as they walked.

“So where did you get that alcohol from, Knight?” Danse asked.

“If I tell you you’ll get cross with me.” She grinned over her shoulder at him, her smile broadening as Danse frowned. “Paladin.” She added with a wink. Danse stopped and crossed his arms in front of his large chest. Nora turned, her eyebrows raised questioningly. They had stopped in one of the access corridors, nothing around them but steel pathways, walls, and stairs.

“Knight.” Danse said sternly. Nora laughed and closed the distance between them.

“Yes?” she challenged, her hands on her hips as she stared up at him defiantly.

“Tell the truth.” He commanded. He didn’t really know why he cared where she had got the alcohol. Nora had her own way of doing things and nothing he nor Elder Maxson had said had ever deterred her. Nora appeared to consider his demand before blushing and looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

“I’ve always liked a game of truth or dare.” She grinned. Danse’s stare faltered as he uncrossed his arms.

“State your terms.” He said, narrowing his eyes at her.

He was suddenly aware of how close she was to him. Even standing tall her head would barely graze his chin, but when she squared up to him like that she might as well have been a thousand feet tall.

“Ok, you challenge me to a truth? So I’ll tell the truth. Then I get to challenge you, and you get to choose whether you want a truth, or a dare.” She was smiling and Danse wondered if he had fallen into some type of trap. He gulped and nodded in agreement.

“I have a little side project.” She bit her lip in amusement, “A while back I stumbled into Nuka-World and found a bunch of raiders fighting for control of the park…and, I may have accidentally ended up as over-boss.” She held up her hands and smiled apologetically. The colour drained from Danse’s face as a wave of nausea and anger rushed over him.

“Wait wait, before you lose your cool just… wait.” She warned, putting her hands on his shoulders in a calming gesture. “I was absolutely fearsome, you know. I had a den on the side of a fake mountain! It was too good an opportunity to pass up. So, I played them against each-other.” She grinned and Danse relaxed slightly beneath her hands. “And I may have accidentally orchestrated a slave uprising.” She shrugged as if it was a common problem that everyone found themselves in. Danse let out a relieved sigh and Nora let her hands slide from his shoulders to the front of his chest. She hadn’t really drunk that much, but she felt brave. She looked up at him and willed him to kiss her.

“So they got the park up and running, and gave me the crate as a gift. A ‘thank you for not continuing to enslave us’ present.” She laughed gently and Danse looked at her, completely taken with this strange, kind, and beautiful soldier.

“So?” She prompted, her hands still resting on his chest. “Truth or Dare?” She asked. She hoped he would say dare, she wanted him to say dare so she could dare him to kiss her. But, as usual, Danse didn’t seem to get the hint.

“Truth.” He said.

Nora was silent for a moment, wondering just how brave she felt. As if in encouragement Danse raised his hand and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. She blushed at the intimacy of the gesture.

“After you drew your card…” Nora said softly, suddenly shy. “Would you have kissed me?”

“Yes.” Danse said with a shrug. He would have drawn more attention to himself if he had refused, and no doubt would have fuelled more jokes at his expense. Nora fought back an exasperated sigh.

“Where?” She asked. In the recreation area. Danse thought. Where else? But then the reality of her question hit him and his breath caught as he realised what she was asking. He looked down at her as she stared at him impatiently.

“Here.” He said simply.

Danse gripped her waist with one hand and brought the other to her face. He leant down and grazed his lips against her left cheek, tantalisingly close to her mouth.

 “Just there?” she asked breathily, her lips parted in anticipation.

“Here too.” And he pressed his lips against her right cheek, his stubble scratching her deliciously. Her hands gripped at the fabric of his t-shirt and her blush deepened. Danse felt as if his heart would burst from his chest. He waited for her to stop him, but all she had managed so far was a small “Oh”. They stayed like that for a moment, excitement and nerves battling for dominance.

The mixture of beer and Nuka-Dark had made Danse feel reckless.

“But,” He said, his voice low “Really, I would have just wanted to kiss you here.”

And he pulled her face towards his, their lips meeting tentatively. And then Nora’s hands moved from his chest to his neck and she pulled him in closer as she deepened the kiss. They broke apart for breath before their lips crashed back together.

Danse put both of his hands on her waist and pulled him against her, his fingers grazing at the exposed skin between her clothing. She sighed into him and Danse felt her tongue against his. A growl rumbled up from his chest as she leant back against one of the walls, pulling him against her. He trailed kisses from her mouth to her jawline and she arched against him. He was debating leaving a hickey on the tender skin of her neck when there was a noise from behind them.

They sprang apart blushing furiously.

Initiate Paris and the pretty scribe he had kissed earlier had stumbled along the poorly lit corridor and nearly bumped into the Knight and Paladin. Paris and the girl appeared completely oblivious to the scene they had interrupted. Spotting Nora Paris grinned drunkenly.

“Knight!” He hiccupped joyously. “That – That was some party. I mean, holy shit – sorry Paladin. But holy shit that was amazing. When’s the next one?”

Nora glanced at Danse and fought back a smile as she noticed the marks her lipstick had made on his mouth.

“Soon, Paris.” She promised. “Pretty soon.”