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Frank stares at their reflection. It’s been months since they lost their eye and gained Elderhood and they’re still not used to it. Any of it. Their left leg is seemingly forever bruised from bumping into things they normally wouldn’t, which isn’t ideal for the Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel – they’re meant to be strong, confident, inspiring… not adjusting to new depth perception at an embarrassingly slow rate. They’re fairly certain some of the Brotherhood laugh at them, not that they can prove it. Danse insists that it’s in their head.
None of it helps their self-confidence. They sigh and run their finger over the new scar, frowning at the way the wound itself looks. Grotesque comes to mind. Disgusting. Unseemly. They sneer at the mirror and look down at the eyepatch in their right hand. They run their thumb over it, wad it up, and throw it at the wall with a frustrated grunt, then they sit on the bed, burying their face in their hands.
Cait watches it all from the door. She picks up the patch, playing with the straps as she walks over to Frank. “Rough day?”
Frank lifts their head, dragging their hands down their face. “Every day is a rough day.”
“D'you need to talk about it?” Cait asks. She tosses the patch onto the nightstand and sits next to Frank, on their right side.
Frank shakes their head. “It’s the same shit as always.”
Cait rests her arm around Frank’s shoulder and pulls them close, kissing Frank’s head as they rest it on her shoulder. They sit in a comfortable silence, Cait playing with Frank’s ponytail while they fiddle with their Pip-Boy. After several minutes they set it aside abruptly with their game still running.
“Are you still attracted to me?”
“'Course I am, handsome.”
Frank leans up, resting their right hand on Cait’s thigh and motioning with the other to their left eye. “Even with…?”
Cait smiles and grabs the waving hand, kissing Frank’s knuckles softly. “Yes.”
Frank searches Cait’s face for any signs of a lie or her just saying that to make them feel better. Finding neither, they smile back at her and kiss the corner of her mouth. They lay down and rest their head on Cait’s lap, first facing away from her, then rolling over to nuzzle against her stomach. Cait chuckles and shakes her head, resigning herself to her fate as a pillow.