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“One order for the courier,” a waiter’s voice spoke in the mostly empty diner of The Tops.
Jamie turned off the radio on his Pipboy that he had been listening to at a low volume while he waited. A part of him wondered if he could find Mr. New Vegas and what kind of man he was as he never seemed to sleep. Perhaps he recorded his sessions ahead of time so the radio could run 24/7. But it was a curiosity Jamie could explore later.
“Thank you. And please send my thanks to the chef,” Jamie said.
He rummaged through his pocket for a few dozen caps and set them on the table. He then stood up from his seat and took the plate along with the silverware that was already on the table.
“Time to go see if the boss man is awake yet.”
The walk to the elevator was just as quiet as the diner. The late-night lifestyle of Vegas meant that most of its patrons slept in pretty late in the mornings. The smell of the breakfast plate became more noticeable to Jamie once he was within the small space of the elevator and waiting the ride up to the thirteenth floor. The scent didn’t bother him as there were far worse smells out in the wasteland where rot and decay were prevalent, especially inside old buildings. But the hot food wasn’t appealing to him either. Too much time had passed that he didn’t remember what food was supposed to taste like. A human experience that was long lost to him. From the elevator, it was a short trip to Benny’s suite. Jamie had to only crack open the door for the smell of cigarette smoke to hit him telling him Benny was already awake.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Jamie said as he fully opened the door.
Benny sat at the kitchen island, a cigarette in one hand while his other rested on top of a coffee mug. Judging by the unkempt state of his hair and his pajamas, he went straight for the kitchen after waking up.
“I got you something to eat,” Jamie said, placing the plate down next to Benny’s mug and taking a seat at the island.
“Baby, you’re full of surprises,” Benny said before he took a long drag from his cigarette.
Benny turned away from Jamie as he exhaled the smoke, a considerable gesture even while Jamie’s sense of smell was a lot stronger than the other man could comprehend. Benny snuffed the cigarette out in the ashtray and slid the plate closer in front of him.
“Who did you bribe to get half a brahmin steak this early in the day?”
“I had a talk with your chef yesterday and he let me put in a special request if I gave him enough caps in advance. And I may have mentioned it was for you.”
“Using that smooth talk you’re good at again I see.”
Benny jabbed his fork into the corner of the steak and began cutting at the meat. A part of Jamie still expected Benny to hesitate and wonder if the steak was tainted. Trusting each other was slow progress even after the day Jamie set foot into The Tops for the first time. Both of them had plenty of opportunities to kill each other and Benny was highly aware of this after he learned exactly why Jamie survived two rounds to the head at point-blank range. The lack of scars left Benny in disbelief at first that Jamie was the same courier he tried to put in the ground a few weeks ago.
“Can I ask you something about the day you met up with me here in the casino?” Benny asked as if he knew where Jamie’s thoughts had wandered. “There was something strange about the way you looked at me when you got close. It felt really off. Are you able to persuade people just by looking at them?”
“You mean like hypnotism? I suppose it’s something like that,” Jamie answered.
“You can brainwash people?” Benny sounded slightly alarmed.
“No, it’s not brainwashing. I can’t force people to do my bidding,” Jamie dramatically wiggled his fingers. “It’s more like I can make people feel relaxed if I concentrate enough while holding eye contact with them. Makes the other person feel like they can trust me if I can ease their unpleasant emotions. I don’t do it too frequently as it takes a lot of energy out of me.”
“How many times have you used it on me?” Benny asked.
“Just the day I confronted you. I saw your armed bodyguards and wanted to minimize the chance of facing a firing squad. I had already relinquished my weapons at the front desk.”
“Hmm,” Benny hummed to himself before taking another bite of the steak.
Jamie could see that he was chewing on those words more than he was on his breakfast. He hoped that Benny wasn’t suspecting him of taking away his free will during that encounter.
“I can do it again if you want me to, help remind you what it feels like,” Jamie suggested.
“You don’t need to, I believe you.”
“Something’s on your mind to ask me about it though,” Jamie rested his crossed arms on the kitchen island surface as he leaned forward slightly.
Benny turned to look back at his plate with sudden rapt interest. And in the silence of the room Jamie could hear a quickened pace in Benny’s pulse that wasn’t from the nicotine of his cigarette. Yeah, something was definitely on his mind.
“I’m not sure why I’m still alive.” Benny finally said. “I left you in a shallow grave back in Goodsprings and not only do you show up to my hotel for a bit of hey-hey but you also sprang me from the Legion’s main Fort.”
Jamie could see why Benny was confused. Perhaps a different courier, one that was still human, would seek full revenge if they were fortunate to come back from the grave. Afterall, Jamie didn’t fully understand the importance of his delivery until he stepped inside the Lucky 38.
“Why you’re still alive. That’s… definitely complicated.” Jamie sat back upright. “The best way to put it is I forgot to stay angry about what happened in Goodsprings. You can thank Boone for that. I met him in Novac during my search for you and I got caught up in his personal vendetta against the Legion. His wife is dead because of them. And before I stepped into The Tops, I met Mr. House who explained to me why the Chip was so important. Realizing that you were just trying to cover your tracks felt so insignificant compared to the loss Boone has experienced.”
“You just forgave me that easily?”
“Benny, I’m over 200 years old. My perspective on things is different for being around that long. And…” Jamie paused for a moment, “there was a part of me who was ready to die that night. I’m not suicidal, at least I don’t think I am. But I’ve been wandering the country ever since the War, alone. It’s difficult for me to get attached to others with what I am. I could’ve broken out of the ropes you tied me in and taken you and those Khans out. But when I realized your intention I thought that maybe, just maybe, you could be the one to spare me from having to wander the land for another 200 years.”
Benny stared at Jamie for a long second, not even poking at his food to let Jamie’s words sink in.
“I’m fine now, I promise,” Jamie smiled reassuringly. “You dragging me into the Mojave’s political conflict has made me feel like I’m doing more than just surviving.”
Benny remained silent and Jamie could still hear the quickened pace of Benny’s pulse. He hoped the admission of accepting his own death wasn’t too much.
“What do you plan on doing once we free Vegas?” Benny was full of questions this morning.
We. There was a word Jamie liked a lot. After rescuing Benny from the Fort, Jamie explained that he had no intention of taking away Benny’s dream of ruling over a free Vegas.
“I was hoping to stay here for awhile, if that’s ok. I think I’ve grown to like the Mojave and there’s no shortage of people who need help. It’s been too long since a place has felt like home to me.”
“So this, what we’re doing,” Benny made a hand motion within the space between them, “Does this mean we’re going steady?”
Now it was Jamie’s turn to be stunned in silence.
“Are…you asking me to be your boyfriend?” Jamie asked.
Benny let out an amused laugh and stuck his fork back into the steak.
“You’ve been in my bed every night ever since we made it back to Vegas.”
This was true, for the most part. Jamie stayed with Benny most of the night and only wandered off to quickly hunt before the morning sun rose. He made sure to have enough time to wash up before returning to Benny’s suite.
“I heard a rumor once that you had a secret lover at Gomorrah,” Jamie said teasingly.
Benny choked on his steak and he thumped his own chest with his fist to catch his breath.
“Where did you hear that?!”
“I asked around about you after you took off towards the Fort,” Jamie said, keeping his source a secret.
“I may live in Vegas but I still have standards,” Benny replied in defiance to the rumor.
“Yeah and that standard seems to be the guy you shot,” Jamie laughed.
Not wanting to wait for Benny to finish his breakfast, Jamie leaned over and kissed Benny on the edge of his lips. It wasn’t their first kiss but it was a first with a deeper connection.
“Well, we definitely have an interesting story for everyone that asks us how we ended up together,” Jamie smiled.