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She couldn’t remember where she was when she woke up. She panicked for a split second, taking in the oddly familiar walls with a strange sense of what almost felt like vertigo. There was another moment where she wondered if she’d just been dreaming, then she wondered what exactly she was referring to when she wondered that.
There was warmth near her back and a pull in her gut that made her afraid to turn over and investigate. If she’d been dreaming about the Wastes, then Nate should be lying beside her in what she now recognized as her old bedroom. If she hadn’t, then who…?
The longer she stared at the walls, the more she noticed how dilapidated they were. The Wastes weren’t the dream.
It was slowly coming back to her as she listened to the sound of quiet breathing and the pitter-patter of rain against the roof.
She’d been changing the sheets on all the beds, having found a fresh stock on her last supply run. The last bed she’d changed was Hancock’s, where he’d unwittingly set up shop in her old home. She was tired, and pretty sure she’d pinched a nerve in her shoulder, so rather than wander back out into the settlement and risk being asked another favor, she’d settled into the pillows and pulled out the copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone she’d found.
It hadn’t been much later when Hancock had wandered in. He’d paused in the doorway, before leaning against the frame and smirking. “You hidin’, sunshine?”
She hadn’t looked up from her book as she sighed and said, “You would, too. I know Preston means well, but sometimes I just need a break, y’know?”
Hancock had chuckled and said, “Sure. Any reason you’re hidin’ in here, though? I’m assumin’ you knew this is where I sleep.”
She’d hummed and lowered the book a little to stare around at the sad walls. “I did. I was changing the sheets and I got tired so I thought I’d stay in here for a while. Did you know this used to be my house?”
“…shit. I’m sorry. Look, if you want me to—.”
She cut him off, shaking her head as she finally looked up at him. “No, it’s a perfectly good place to set up shop. I don’t mind—it’s just been kind of hard, you know, coming back here. I’ve been trying to come to terms with it all, still, so I thought it might be nice to just sit.” She smiled a little. “Sorry for intruding.”
He shook his head, too. “It ain’t my house, love. You don’t got anything to apologize for.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, before she grinned and set her book aside. “Wanna take a nap?”
“With you?”
“You don’t have to sound so disappointed,” she laughed, setting her glasses aside and settling under the blankets. Whether he wanted to nap or not didn’t matter—she was tired. Naps were regarded as an old world luxury now, she knew, but it was a quiet day and Sanctuary was one of the safest settlements in the Commonwealth.
With everything she’s done for the world at this point, she deserved a few hours of respite.
“I won’t give you nightmares?” Hancock asked, his rough voice bringing her thoughts back to the present.
She snorted. “Haven’t so far. I don’t know why that would change just because you were sleeping beside me.”
After that he’d just shrugged and, after shedding a few layers, he’d settled into the bed next to her for a midday nap.
They’d fallen asleep facing away from each other, she remembered, but the warm weight around her waist and the breath on the back of her neck meant that he must have turned in his sleep. It was getting colder, and none of the buildings had much insulation. She’d either need to find more blankets soon, or everyone would have to find themselves a bed partner.
Careful not to jostle him too much, she turned in his arms so she could face him.
He wasn’t pretty, not by a long shot, but with his face relaxed like this, it was really easy to let her eyes drift. She wondered what his skin felt like—she’d touched his hands before, but they were callused and rough. Cautiously, she raised her hand and let her fingertips trail across the skin of his cheek.
It was softer than she was expected, with less give than her own. Not unpleasant, though, not unpleasant at all. She let her hand rest there, stroking her thumb idly, marveling at the odd texture. Her eyes trailed down to his mouth and she wondered, not for the first time, what it’d be like to kiss him. He must be a good kisser, she decided—the way people looked at him and talked about him in Goodneighbor suggested that he’d had more than his fair share of one night stands, and practice makes perfect.
It was odd that she found herself attracted to him, she thought. She’d never been one for the bad boy type, not really. Her husband certainly hadn’t been a bad boy—he was as clean cut as they came.
Of course, what she felt for Nate wasn’t really anything like what she felt for Hancock. With Nate, it’d—
Hancock shifted, reaching up to hold her hand to his face as he turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm. Black eyes opened to regard her warmly as he murmured, “Well, look at you. I must still be dreamin’.”
She smiled, warmth blossoming in her chest as he smiled back. She didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything.
She wanted to kiss him.
She didn’t think about it any more than she needed to, afraid of talking herself out of it. Hesitantly, slowly, she moved closer to him, watching his reaction in case he wanted her to stop.
He didn’t really react, though his eyes dropped to her mouth a few times as she closed the distance between them.
And oh, god, when their lips finally met.
Both of them inhaled deeply, and his arm dropped back down to tighten around her waist. It was everything a first kiss ought to be—soft and sweet. It stretched on for a while as they traded gentle, chaste kisses; the only sound in the room the whisper of lips on lips.
He got impatient after a little bit, his hand on her waist dragging up to the back of her head so her could tangle his fingers in her hair. He pressed her closer, deepening the kiss and making her sigh against his mouth. His tongue slipped past her lips and danced across hers, making her heart beat faster and harder in her chest. She stroked his cheek with her thumb as he pressed closer still, the kiss remaining slow and deep.
They kissed for a long while, lost in the feel of lips and teeth and tongue. She couldn’t quite remember the last time she’d been able to sit with someone and just kiss, with nowhere else to be and nothing else to do. Her face felt hot with how deep his kisses were, but they never increased in urgency. The heat was there, but it remained at a slow simmer instead of growing into a blaze. She appreciated that—she wasn’t sure she could handle anything more than this at the moment, anyway. Making out in the bedroom she used to share with her husband was strange enough. They didn’t need to do anything else.
When they finally broke apart, Hancock smiled softly and said, “Well, good evenin’ to you, too, sunshine.” He pressed another kiss to her lips. “We should do this more often.”
She giggled and stroked his face again. “I’m game if you are.”
He pressed his forehead to hers, eyes drifting closed as he groaned quietly, “Fuck yeah.”
She laughed, and he laughed with her, and she thought to herself that maybe it really had been worth it to climb into that pod all those years ago after all.