Work Text:
The crowd gathered in the Third Rail was thrown into applause as Magnolia finished another song. Cecil clapped from his seat at the bar, giving her a fond smile as she did a little bow then walked his way, taking a seat next to him. Whitechapel Charlie set a drink of purified water in front of her before turning back to cleaning the other side of the bar.
“Another beautiful performance, as always.” Nick Valentine said from Cecil’s right side, smiling at the singer.
“Thank you, Nick. Means a lot coming from you.” She took a long drink from her glass of water. “Voice is getting a bit sore, though.”
“Well, you have been singing nonstop for about an hour now.” Cecil mused.
“The crowd’s been aching for a good dancing night for weeks now, and who am I to deny them?”
“Don’t lose your voice doing it.” Cecil said, concerned for his friend.
“Well, if someone could take over for a minute while I let my voice rest, then I would probably be fine for the rest of the night.” Magnolia smiled at him. “How about you, dear? You have quite the voice, after all.”
“You sing now?” Nick chuckled, the smoke from his cigarette billowing out as he did.
“Yeah. I’ve always loved to sing. You haven’t heard me singing around Sanctuary?”
“I’d had a feeling that was you, but I never knew for sure.”
“So would you take over for me for a bit, dear?” Magnolia asked, taking another drink.
“Sure, I guess. Anything specific you want me to sing?”
“How about… your favorite song from before the war?”
“Dear god, it’s such an old song. Cheesy, too. But alright, I guess.” Cecil chuckled, downing the last of his bourbon before taking the stage.
The audience looked at him curiously, wondering why Magnolia wasn’t up there. He smiled and shoved his thumbs in his front pockets. Nick and Magnolia watched him, waiting to hear what the Sole Survivor was going to sing. Magnolia knew about his voice, as he and her had had private nights exchanging melodies and practicing together. Nick, on the other hand, had no idea what to expect. Sure, he had heard someone singing in Sanctuary, but they had always been to far away for him to really hear anything.
“Good evening. I’m afraid Magnolia needs a break, so I’m here to keep the music flowing while she rests.” He said clearly into the microphone, a sheepish grin on his face. “She’s asked me to sing one of my favorite pre-war songs, so I hope you all will enjoy this song as much as I do.”
He cleared his throat before motioning to the band and waiting for his cue to start singing.
“Fly me to the moon
And let me play among the stars.
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars.” His deep voice sang, immediately capturing the audience’s attention.
“In other words, hold my hand.
In other words, darling, kiss me.
Fill my heart with song
And let me sing forever more.
You are all I long for,
All I worship and adore.”
Cecil threw a glance Nick’s way, smiling as he did so. If the synth could blush, then he would have in that moment. Yet, he maintained his calm composure.
“In other words,
Please be true.
In other words,
I love you.”
Several of the audience members had grabbed a partner and begun dancing, twirling around in front of the small stage. Magnolia smiled, tapping her fingers on the bar to the soothing beat of the song. A genuine smile was on Cecil’s face as the band played, eyes continuing to glance Nick’s way.
“Fill my heart with song
And let me sing forever more.
You are all I long for,
All I worship, and adore.
In other words,
Please be true!” He held the note, gaining a small round of applause, before he continued, locking eyes with Nick.
“In other words,
In other words,
I love you.”
As the song came to a close, the audience cheered and clapped, causing Cecil to laugh nervously. Mild anxiety was clear on his features, but he seemed to be happy. Nick smiled and clapped along, watching as Cecil bowed really fast before beginning another song.
----------------------------------------------------
As the two walked out of Goodneighbor, Nick couldn’t help but glance over at Cecil. That song… Surely he must have been joking. Just singing a song he loved. He couldn’t have been singing that song for him , right? He wasn’t so sure. But he had locked eyes with him a few times. Quite frankly, Nick was stumped.
Cecil stared straight ahead, not wanting to look at Nick out of embarrassment. Holy shit, he had just sang a love song and stared right at Nick while singing it. How was he going to get himself out of this one? Say he was talking platonically? He says he loves his friends all the time. Nick wouldn’t want a relationship, and he seemed to prefer women anyways. Cecil was not about to back to lying about himself just to win Nick’s affections.
He shivered in the cold night air, regretting leaving his favorite jacket at Nick’s office and crossing his arms over his chest. Nick noticed this, and hesitated before slipping off his coat and draping it on Cecil’s shoulders. He jumped, looking up at the synth.
“Nick, you don’t have to, I’ll be fine!” He quickly said, trying to give the jacket back.
Nick shook his head. “You’re freezing there, bud. Besides, I’m made of metal, I’ll be okay.”
Cecil seemed to look guilty, but slipped his arms through the coat’s sleeves anyways. It was way to big on his small frame, yet he was grateful for the warmth. The sleeve covered his hands, leaving only the tips of his fingers exposed. A dark blush had settled on his pale face, and he was grateful that it was somewhat dark out. Nick glanced back at him, smiling a bit at the red on his cheeks.
Cecil bit the inside of his lip, wondering if he should go for it. He could probably play it cool if Nick shook him off. His fingertips twitched before his pinky darted out and gently grabbed hold of Nick’s cold metal one.
The synth almost stopped in his tracks when he felt Cecil’s cold finger on his own, wide eyes darting over to the vault dweller. Cecil jumped, startled at Nick’s sudden movement. He quickly let go, looking down at the ground and cursing himself internally. His blush darkened, burning bright as he looked everywhere but at Nick.
“I’m so sorry, I just-I don’t know!” He muttered quickly, embarrassed beyond belief.
“Hey now, no need to be sorry. It was just an accident, right?” Nick tried to play it off, chuckling nervously.
Cecil didn’t respond, clutching onto Nick’s coat and chuckling nervously. Nick’s sheepish smile faded and his eyes widened further.
“Oh. Uh. You meant to do that."
The vault dweller slowly nodded, biting his lip.
“I-uh-yeah. Sorry…” Anxiety built up in his gut, and his chest tightened. His breathing quickened as well, and he was terrified to hear what Nick had to say. He’d surely say no, who would want to be with an anxious vault dweller anyways?
“There’s no need to be sorry, you just caught me off guard.” Nick smiled, resting a hand on Cecil’s shoulder.
“It’s just-fuck, Nick…! You’ve been so nice to me; ever since I found you in that vault you’ve been nothing but kind to me. You’ve been there for me when no one else was, when I felt like I was all alone, you were there. You’re so amazing, smart, funny, god knows I could go on for hours. I just- I like you, Nick. A lot…” Cecil said, eyes shut and brows knit together in fear. “And-and I know what you’re gonna say. “Why would someone want to be with a rusted synth like me?”, right? Well, I do. You’re a person, Nick, and a good person, despite what you might think. In fact, you’re more human than most of the people I’ve met here in this wasteland. I just want you to know that…”
Nick was speechless. There was a lot to process here. First, Cecil liked him. That was something he hadn’t been expecting, no matter how much he had hoped that it would be the case. Second, all those compliments… He didn’t want to believe them. And yet, hearing them from Cecil made him think they might be true.
“You-you don’t have to feel the same, I just.” Cecil continued, voice trembling almost as much as he was. “It was eating me inside, keeping it in. I was starting to think I might go mad if I kept it in any longer. I’m sorry, this is just bugging you, I should probably go-” He turned to leave.
Nick caught him on the wrist with his intact hand and stopped him, startling the young man. Nick’s synthetic eyes scanned Cecil’s face, trying to find any sign of a lie in his statements. Yet, he couldn’t find anything besides anxiety. His coolant began pumping, trying to cool down his overheating systems.
“You really mean all that?” He asked, voice hushed and soft.
Cecil nodded, awkwardly laughing to break the heavy silence.
“I do. I really do, Nick.”
Nick couldn’t help but smile, bringing Cecil in close for a hug. He was shocked, sure, but he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. The Sole Survivor, Savior of the Commonwealth, was interested in him. Just a beat up bucket of bolts. Cecil’s eyes widened, yet his arms wrapped around the synth and he rested his head on Nick’s shoulder.
“You sure you want to be stuck with a beat up synth?” Nick asked, rubbing circles on the small of Cecil’s back with his intact hand.
“Give yourself some credit, Nicky.” Cecil muttered, gently squeezing the synth tighter. “And yeah, I’m sure.”
The synth chuckled. “Alright then. If that’s the case, would you exactly mind if I were to do this?” He asked, pulling Cecil into a dip.
He yelped, surprised at the synth’s sudden movement, but once he realized what Nick was doing, he could only giggle. Nick smiled before closing his eyes and bringing Cecil in for a kiss. Cecil wrapped an arm around Nick’s shoulders to keep himself steady and used his free hand to cup his ruined cheek, his touch gentle against the rough texture of his skin. His lips felt warm against his organic ones, despite what he might have thought, and they matched his skin’s texture, and yet it felt right. He couldn’t help but relish in the feeling of Nick’s hands securely holding him in his grasp, especially the metal hand. For some odd reason.
The two parted after a moment, looking at each other with half lidded eyes. Cecil grinned, laughing quietly and causing Nick to chuckle as well.
“Love you, Valentine.” He muttered, looking into Nick’s synthetic eyes.
“Love you, too, Cecil.”