Work Text:
SOMEWHERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH...
The fire crackled as she started to unwind for the night. She just finished raiding a nearby house and found some canned food, but the labels were all long gone.
She dug through her bag for her portable shortwave radio. She didn’t need to flip to the channel she was looking for, as she had permanently set it to the only one that she listened to. She caught the Silver Shroud radio show in the middle of the broadcast. She only half listened to the drama, as she cracked open the can with her knife.
Corn, again… She laughed but placed it next to the fire anyway.
She tilted her head back. The sun would be setting soon and she’d need to put out the fire and find a place to tuck in for the night. But right now, everything was perfect. Everything was right. Being alone out in the Commonwealth was a great way to clear the mind, if you were careful of course.
But it was nice to be close to loved ones in the settlements. That’s why she always tuned into the Silver Shroud radio every afternoon when she was out. Hearing the broadcast meant that Kent, her best friend, was safe and everything was as it should be in Goodneighbor. He and all her other friends were a lot safer than she was at the moment. However, she never felt completely at ease until she’d hear him speak.
She’d even listened occasionally while she stayed in Goodneighbor, just to hear Kent between episodes. Sometimes he would talk about news, or give detailed sessions of comic book trivia, or, the best ones in her opinion, were when he would talk about himself. She didn’t know much about life pre-bombs before meeting Kent. It was his favorite thing to talk about, and coincidentally, her favorite subject to listen to.
Her heart ached. Despite the constant chaos, she found that she was feeling a little homesick for Goodneighbor. She’d wrap up this scavenger mission quickly and get back. She had a lot of friends there. Once she’d looked past the crime and the ruin, she found a lively community of all kinds of people.
The prerecorded story turned off, startling her back to reality. Then she heard Kent.
“As some of you may know, or at least those of you still keeping track of the days, today is July 4th! Or well, it would’ve been.” Kent was always enthusiastic about everything he said. A true diamond in the rough. “Here in Goodneighbor, we’re putting on a celebration, complete with fireworks just like in the pre-war days!”
She had completely forgotten. A few weeks ago, some of the more enthusiastic and caring folks in town had rallied up an idea to have a celebration. Someone had mentioned that they knew how to make fireworks out of gunpowder, and then the supporters couldn’t be stopped.
Everyone worried so much about whether Hancock would be on board with it. The community even held a town meeting to discuss it. Those in favor thought it would boost town morale. Those in opposition worried that it would attract raiders or super mutants to the town. However, others felt that it was already easy enough to find Goodneighbor, and that the walls should be enough to keep them out. In the end, Hancock was indifferent, claiming that though he was mayor, the citizens had every right to put on whatever event they wanted without needing his permission to do so. And, a party was a party after all.
She smiled at the memory, feeling a tinge of guilt for leaving out on a mission long enough to miss it. Though, if she headed out now, she might make it in before dark.
“You’re gonna want to spend it with someone special. So even if you’re outside the walls, keep your eyes to the sky!” Kent continued. “There’s someone I want to spend it with, who’s probably listening right now. If you are, meet me at the top of Hotel Rexford.” He signed off, flipping the radio back to the next installment in the Silver Shroud, probably too nervous to say anything else.
She was already packing up her belongings into her backpack.
AT THE ROOFTOP…
She opened the door to the rooftop to find Kent Connolly sitting in a chair overlooking Goodneighbor. Though the hotel and the entire town were in ruins, it strangely looked beautiful to her. She let out a deep breath. It’s so great to be back.
Another chair sat next to him. He turned to face her. “You made it! I wasn’t sure if you were nearby,” he said without directly mentioning what he said over the radio. Maybe he thinks I didn’t hear it but came anyway or he’s embarrassed about it, she thought.
“Of course I’d come. Especially after…” she trailed off. “I, um, heard your message on the radio.”
He looked down at his feet. “Oh, that, I was worried you wouldn’t hear it, or worse, that you would.”
She rested her hand on his. “Kent, I love spending time with you, you know that.”
His eyes darted back down, not wanting to meet her gaze. “I’m glad you c-could be here,” he stammered.
She grinned. Secretly, she liked it when he got a little flustered around her. “Then it’s a date then!” He still didn’t look up at her, but she saw that he was smiling too. She plopped down in the chair next to him. “What were these celebrations like before everything?” she asked, wanting to get him talking again.
Finally, his eyes met hers. He always felt most comfortable when discussing the past. “They were great! Families would get together for big dinners in their backyards. Fireworks started when the sun went down. Someone in every neighborhood would have them. Sometimes just about every house, especially in a big city like Boston.”
She rested her head back in her chair, closing her eyes. She imagined it the best that she could, but she didn’t even know what a firework looked like. Rather, she pictured her friends in Goodneighbor getting together for a big celebration in nice clothes eating food she had only ever heard about. She’d love it if she could peer into Kent’s mind. She wanted to know everything.
She opened her eyes and noticed Kent staring at her. He darted his eyes away back towards the horizon.
“What do they look like, Kent?”
He thought for a moment about it. “They’re explosions of color! They fly high in the sky and then burst, sending balls of light everywhere. Oh, and they’re very loud.”
“If all goes well, I guess I’ll see for myself.” She peered down at the people below. Hancock lit something on fire and then quickly ran away. He looked silly. “Kent? Do you think we could do more stuff together like this? Stuff like besides hanging out in your room.” It was her turn to not be able to look him in the eyes after having a brief moment of bravery.
“You mean like more d-dates?” He hesitated with the last word, stuttering a bit.
The makeshift firework didn’t do anything but burn out. She looked over at him and nodded. “Yeah, more dates.”
“I’d love to.”