Work Text:
Sole returned to Sanctuary, triumphant in her discovery of a pecan tree, a whole coffee can full of nuts tucked under her arm. It was not until she got them to her house that she realized she had no way to open them.
She sat down at the kitchen island and put her hand on her chin. It couldn’t be that hard to find a way, she thought. After all, she and Sturges had built a teleporter; how much of a challenge could opening a pecan be?
She decided to try the most direct approach first. She placed one on the floor and stomped it with the heel of her boot. The shell gave a satisfying crunch. When she moved to look at her work, all she found was a pile of crumbs and an oily spot on the tiles.
She pursed her lips. She glanced around the kitchen; maybe she could find a cleaner way of doing things. Codsworth was nowhere to be found. After searching the drawers and cabinets, she found a hammer hiding behind a collection of clean jars and milk bottles. Sturges was probably looking for it, she mused. She set a pecan on the counter and tapped it. She tapped harder and harder, careful to keep the nut in place, but the shell never so much as cracked. She huffed a breath, took aim, and whacked.
Pecan shells flew like shrapnel. She dropped the hammer and covered her face. When the danger passed, she glanced at the counter. There was a dusting of shell shards—and a large dent.
“Dammit,” she muttered.
She needed a gentler touch that still had enough force to get the job done. To crush it, but slowly.
She took another pecan and placed it under the can, then leaned more and more of her own weight upon it.
Nick came in the front door.
“Hey, Preston wants to talk to you—whoa!” He ducked as the pecan shot out at him from under the can. He composed himself and raised an eyebrow at her. “You know, if you want me to go, you can just tell me.”
“Sorry,” She said. “I’m trying to open these pecans, but I don’t have a nutcracker.”
“Oh. Is that all?”
He took one, put it between his teeth, and bit down. The shell split in two; he removed the shell and handed her two pristine pecan halves.
“Thanks,” she said, a little shocked. “Doesn’t that hurt your teeth?”
“If that’s all it took to break ‘em, I wouldn’t have any teeth left.”
She glanced at the can.
“In that case, would you mind helping me with the rest?” She said.
Nick rolled his eyes, then picked up a second pecan.