Work Text:
“So are you gonna put some clothes on or are we gonna end up real uncomfortable after this conversation?”
After realizing that the voice had most definitely NOT come from Hancock, Kathy shot up from her light sleep, clutching a blanket to her bare chest. The ghoul in question, who had been curled up with her less than an hour before, was snickering and fully dressed in the corner of the room. Fuckin’ traitor. After a moment of confusion, it became clear that Nick Valentine, detective extraordinaire, was the interloper.
“Jesus Christ, Nick, learn how to knock,” she muttered, lips pulled into a tight frown.
“Oh sweetheart, he knocked, you were just sleeping too deeply to hear it. Guess I was a little too-”
She cut him off by tossing an empty canister of Jet at his face while sitting up. Deep down somewhere she felt pity for Nick having to witness the awkward morning after her hookup with Hancock, but on the surface she just wanted to wipe the smug look off the ghoul’s face. Huffing and puffing the whole way, Kathy finally set out to find her discarded shirt.
“So, Nicky, what brings you all the way out to Goodneighbor. Is everything alright in Sanctuary?”
“Last I checked things were running smoothly. This visit isn’t recreational though.”
The more she looked, the less luck Kathy was having on her quest for the missing clothes. Not on the table, not flung over a chair, not under the couch… where the hell would it have run off to? Nick attempted to be polite, keeping his yellow eyes glued to the floor. Hancock, on the other hand, was thriving off the awkward mood.
“That’s a damn shame Nick, you could’ve stayed the night,” the ghoul chuckled, pulling out a cigarette, surreptitiously removing Kathy’s shirt from his coat pocket, and tossing it on a nearby chair.
“No thanks, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of… whatever you two have going.” Nick commented, looking coolly out the window. The room suddenly stood still.
“Nick we’re not-”
“She and I aren’t-”
Time moved slowly, as if both Kathy and Hancock had taken a whole inhaler of Jet. Nick just smiled a knowing smile.
“Oh shit! There’s my shirt!”
Just as suddenly as it slowed down, time found it’s regular pace again.
“Cut the fluff Nick, what’s important enough for you to spoil my morning,” Hancock still seemed uncomfortable, taking a long puff of his cigarette and filling the room with thin, grey smoke.
“An emergency meeting between the Minutemen and the Brotherhood of Steel, something about establishing uninterrupted trade routes out of the Commonwealth. Garvey sent me to escort Kath to the Castle, I can give her the more intricate details on the road.”
Millions of questions raced through Hancock’s head but none stayed long enough for him to process them. Kathy, on the other hand, was as diplomatic as ever, having just finished buttoning her flannel. “What about Hancock? He could travel with me.” She suggested it like it was the most natural thing in the world to be by his side, making his heart beat a little faster than usual. Hancock thought of opening some windows, because out of the blue his face was feeling hot. “We were already planning on heading south anyway, it would just be an extra stop on our list. Plus, you have responsibilities in Sanctuary, Nick. Who’s looking after the new settlers while you’re gone?” Looking up at Nick with all the confidence in the world, Kathy made her case. Unfortunately, the look he gave her back was one of pity.
“Sorry doll, no can do.” Nick said, straightening his ratty coat, “Nothing against you, Hancock, but Garvey asked me specifically to send you to Sanctuary. Deacon has been trying to reach you for a few weeks at least. I figure it’s a perfect time to go, seeing as once me and Kath get back you two can just head out again.”
Pure, unadulterated disappointment crossed Kathy’s face and it made Hancock sick to his stomach. Maybe he really did need to open a window…
She was sitting on his sofa, the perfect picture of temptation. It took a great amount of strength for both of them to ignore what had happened on that couch the night before, though neither would ever admit it. Her lips moved, plush and pink, so distracting Hancock didn’t listen to a word that came out of them. It was like walking through the streets of Goodneighbor after a night of drinking at the Third Rail when he looked at her. She was a blur of gorgeous bright colors and a smattering of stars in the sky. She was his universe. Nothing had ever scared him more in his life.
“Hancock? Does that work for you?”
Her voice broke through his haze like a knife.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, as long as it works for you,” His reply was a bit too enthusiastic to seem entirely honest, thankfully Kathy didn’t seem to notice. Nick, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to delete every painfully awkward memory he had acquired in the State House that morning. Hancock couldn’t blame him.
“Well then, me and Kath will head out before the sun gets too high!” Nick clapped his hands together, making a move toward the door. Hancock couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disappointed. Turning to Kathy, he saw she was firmly in the disappointed category, which did wonders for his ego.
“Will you be able to make it back to Sanctuary alone?” Kathy had stood up from her spot on the couch and was inching towards Hancock, looking back and forth between her beloved companion and the synthetic detective rushing her out the door.
“Who do you think I am sunshine, just any old gunner?” Hancock said, his voice laced with laughter, “Yeah, I’ll make it over to Sanctuary in one piece and I’ll be waiting for you when you come crawling back to me. Unless, of course, you’d rather be out having adventures with Nicky here?”
If robots could blush, Nick’s face would’ve been bright red. In response, Hancock wiggled his forehead, getting his point across even without eyebrows. Despite the stress, Kathy burst into peals of laughter. It was a lilting sound that went well with the soft smiles often adorning her face. Her laughter always made the dank walls of Hancock’s office seem more like a home. This time, though, it only dug a deeper pit into his stomach.
“Can you two chuckleheads hurry it up? I’m pretty sure ‘urgent’ doesn’t mean we should take our sweet time getting there Kath,” Nick chimed in. Despite his urgency, Kathy didn’t make any move towards the door. It felt too sudden a goodbye for her and Hancock, who had become an extension of herself after months of traveling the wastelands together. She constantly reminded herself that it wasn’t as if he was dead, but her anxiety packed her head with thoughts of just that: Hancock, cold and alone, bleeding out somewhere in the Commonwealth because she left him on his own. Just the thought of losing Hancock was enough to bring tears to Kathy’s eyes, though she blinked them away as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, it didn't go unnoticed.
“Hey Nicky, can you give me a second with the little miss?” Hancock asked, earning a glare from the detective. Hancock didn’t notice, though, because he was too busy closing the gap between Kathy and himself, looking down into her big green eyes.
“I don’t know if that’s the best idea…” Nick said, eyeing Kathy carefully.
“She’ll be out in a second.”
In the end, Nick decided he didn't want to witness whatever Hancock-style debauchery was about to go down behind closed doors involving his favorite client, so he slipped out the door, closing it behind him with a soft click. That left Kathy and Hancock alone, mere inches apart, bathed in silence and the glow of the morning sun.
“So about last night…” She whispered, leaning against the wall behind her, eyes darting to the floor.
“Yes?” Hancock countered by boxing her head in with his arms. His face was so close to hers, and she could smell the smoke from his morning cigarette clinging to the lapels of his ridiculous costume. “As I recall, it started a little something like this. You asking for a little farewell fling sister?” His laughter was husky from radiation and too many smokes, but she couldn’t get lost in his charms now.
“I don’t want you to run from me this time Hancock. I want to know you’ll be there when I get back to Sanctuary.” It came out harsher than intended, but her meaning was clear.
“Damn sister, I thought you’d trust me by now.”
“Don’t call me sister Hancock, and I do trust you, but I don’t trust myself. We’re going to need to talk about what happened eventually. It’s going to be scary but I can’t lose you, you’re all I have Hancock.” There she was, pouring her heart out, while Hancock internally gaped. For a second, he let himself imagine a quiet life with Kathy by his side. They could settle down in Goodneighbor or Sanctuary Hills or anywhere she damn well pleased, because Hancock would move hell and high water for her if it meant he’d stay at her side forever. Not that he’d ever burden her with a lifetime of dealing with him. As soon as the euphoria came, it was gone, just like it was every time he let himself indulge in Kathy’s affections. Even after it faded, though, she was still there, warm and real and inches from him. Hancock would rather die than disappoint her now and have to watch it on her face.
“I wouldn’t dream of walking out on you sunshine, not even if the bombs were dropping all over again. As long as you’ll have me, I’ll be there.” Her face lit up like a neon sign, and it felt like a shot through the heart. In all honesty, it was an empty promise. He had no clue if he’d even head to Sanctuary once she was on her way out of Goodneighbor. His old fight or flight instincts were kicking in and he chose flight every single time. Thankfully Kathy was none the wiser.
“Thank you Hancock…” she whispered, eyes on the floor again as her heart fluttered in her chest. Somehow, caught in her racing thoughts, she didn’t notice Hancock’s arms dropping from their position against the wall and instead wrapping around her body, his chin coming down to rest on the top of her head. Shows of affection were incredibly rare between her and Hancock, with them walking the razor's edge between friends and lovers at all times. His soft embrace was more than she had dreamed it would be.
Too much more, evidently, because Kathy’s first instinct was to pull away. The second she did she regretted it, but it hurt worse when she looked up and saw the surprise in Hancock’s eyes. Face flushed with shame, she decided it was a great time to study how many splinters stuck out of the uneven floorboards.
“Nick is waiting, you should go,” Hancock breathed, licking the thin remains of his lips as he strode towards the door to his office. Before she could even stammer out an explanation or apology Nick was already in the doorway, looking at her with his ever expectant yellow eyes. There was no way out in sight, so Kathy just took a deep breath and tried not to look at Hancock as she made her way out his door.
“Well you two certainly seem chummy,” Nick chuckled, making his way down the stairs. Kathy couldn’t muster up a laugh of her own, listening to the door shut behind her and trying to ignore the thoughts of a certain ghoul that were prying their way into her mind. They descended the rest of the spiral staircase in silence, only broken when Kathy tripped on the last step. She felt pathetic. She was a grown woman, a widow for god’s sake, but she felt unable to leave the side of a man she’d never even kissed.
In a split second decision, she bolted back up the stairs, calling after the ghoul she’d left behind. To her surprise, just as she reached the second floor she noticed him standing at the top of the stairs with a small container in his hands and her name on his lips. He looked wrecked at first, but the moment he realized she had come back for him his lips twisted into a smirk.
“Did you forget something up here or do you just miss me already?” Hancock quipped, smirking down at Kathy. She just walked up to him and hugged him as tightly as she could, refusing to let go until she felt satisfied. He responded by holding out the container to her, which turned out to be some berry mentats.
“Just thought you could use some chems for the road is all, no need to thank me,” He muttered, handing them off to Kathy who pocketed them quickly and responded with yet another hug.
“Stay safe out there Hancock. Meet me at Sanctuary in one piece.” She whispered into his ear before kissing him quickly on the cheek. She never told him she loved him and neither did he but it was intended. The words I love you were a ghost of a phrase, hanging off the end of their statements and drifting in the silence. Then, just as she had appeared, Kathy was gone and he was alone again on the staircase of the Statehouse. He rushed to his window, and down on the streets of his town the love of his life walked away from him and into the Commonwealth.
Slowly, as the morning drained away into afternoon, and afternoon tiptoed into evening, Hancock gathered up every possession that meant something to him into a large, pre-war duffel bag. When he left town that evening he told Fahrenheit not to follow him. He had some serious thinking to do.