Chapter Text
The smell of ocean spray lingered in the air while Nick and Nora came to rest on a bank ledge near the Far Harbor coast. Nick utilized the peaceful moment to cut down his nonessential processes and run diagnostics. He got hit pretty hard by a gulper further inland and wanted to make sure everything was still where it should be.
Nora was used to these occasional brief stops by now and she'd never stray far from him while he was down. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to him because she had wandered off and left him exposed.
The area was safe, and Nick's body slouched slightly as he began. He wouldn't wake again for another ten minutes or so.
Nora sat on a large rock with one leg tucked to her chest near Nick's resting place, watching the horizon. Far Harbor really was a beautiful place. The sky was somewhat overcast and the promise of light rain was certain, but none had fallen quite yet. A gentle seaside breeze tossed her hair aside playfully. She could understand why the men and women of the island were so bullheaded about staying rooted here. Despite the relatively brief time she and Nick had spent ashore, there was something contagious about the place. Something one might consider adventurous, or even romantic.
She plucked an aster from its stem and hummed while examining it, swinging her other leg idly. Her humming at one point or another became song. It was an old song that she knew by The Platters.
She didn't realize how much time had gone by until she saw Nick's eyes peering singularly back at her. There was a strange day-dreamy look on his face that faded soon after she noticed him.
"Ready to go, Nick?"
"As I'll ever be." He grunted, favoring his leg slightly as he got up. He probably needed a tune up, but it wasn’t anything serious.
Night had fallen by the time the two detectives made it back to the town of Far Harbor and they made a beeline for The Last Plank. Between a full day of rough travel and defending oneself against an island full of crazed animals, it made one long for a soft bed - and maybe a hard drink.
As they sat at the bar, Nick had the same distant look in his eyes as before paired with a subtle smile.
"What's got you by the ankles, Nick? Thinking about something?"
He hummed once and shifted his eyes at her without turning his head. "Thinking about a song I heard today."
"Was it something on the radio? Travis usually plays the same old stuff."
"Mmm... No..." His tone was sort of playful.
"Well?" Nora prodded.
Nick’s smile grew and he turned to stare at her for a second before finally leaning his elbow on the bar and resting his cheek on his hand. "Where’d you learn to sing like that, Nora?”
Her eyes widened a little and she stuttered. “I...N-Nick, I thought you…”
“I... may have caught the end of it as I was waking up.”
The way Nick’s eyes softened when he turned to look at her and the way they darted back to his hands on the counter made her heart pick up pace. He looked… bashful, almost.
“I… didn’t learn.”
“Oh… I see.”
The two became very silent as they sat next to each other, worlds apart. Before too long, Mitch came by and piped up in his loud, boisterous way.
“Another drink for the mainlander? Or how about a room for the night? Don’t tell me you’re plannin’ on sailing back any time soon! Radstorm’ll be brewin’ before too long.” He raised his head as if sniffing the air. “You live out here long enough an’ you feel it in your bones…”
“Um, yeah, we’ll take a room.” Nora mumbled dismissively.
“Another night in paradise, eh?” He laughed as they traded caps for key. “Fine, just fine.”
After Mitch wandered back out to the floor, the heavy awkward silence returned.
Nick cleared his throat and sighed. “It’s hard to love music out here sometimes. Travis does a good job, but like you said it’s… usually the same tracks.” His rubbed his thumb against his glass anxiously. “There’s Magnolia, but I don’t make it out to Goodneighbor unless work takes me there.”
Nora could see his apologetic eyes in her peripheral vision looking to her for assurance that he didn’t say something wrong.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” She looked over at him from the corner of her eye and downed the last remnant of the whiskey in her glass.
“Jenny and I used to…” He paused for a moment, re-evaluating his comment. “Er, well, I remember going to clubs whenever we had the chance. She liked music too. Her mother was a professional, and it rubbed off I guess.”
Nora shifted toward him, a little taken back that Nick was opening up like this.
“There was a little place near our apartment she’d like to go and sing on the open mic nights. Sometimes when I’d be working late I’d slip in and catch the end of her sets standin’ there in the back of the room. Whether or not she saw me there most of the time - I don’t know, but every time she’d say ‘This one goes out to my Valentine.’” He smiled. “I didn’t deserve her. Not at all.”
Nick stared back down at his hands and tapped the side of his glass thoughtfully, chuckling. “Y’know, I’d try to sing along with her when she practiced, but I couldn’t carry a tune if my life depended on it.”
“Nick…” Nora interrupted his rambling. “Why are you telling me this?”
He looked up from his hands at the back of the bar and took a long sip of his drink he’d been fidgeting with all night. “I don’t... know.”
His expression settled into something vague and lonely.
“It’s… hard to admit to myself sometimes that none of that really ever happened; never happened to me.” He laughed once through his nose, scoffing. “I can’t tell you what it feels like to realize what a damn fool you are for wishing someone would love you that way.”
Nick didn’t realize how cold his words were until he spoke them.
Nora was speechless. This time Nick looked directly to Nora with regret written all over his face.
“No, I…” His jaw just fell a little loose, not knowing what to say next. Nick’s eyes almost looked fearful; exposed, like a deer in headlights. “I’m… sorry.” He finally breathed. “I didn’t mean that.”
Nora watched the learned and well-rehearsed behavior of human Nick melt away in front of her, leaving just the bleeding heart of synth Nick behind.
“Valentine,” She said lowly. “Do you… want to get out of here. I think I’m done with my drink, and… I take it - so are you.”
Nick just nodded and slowly pushed the glass away from him to let Mitch know they were leaving.
Nora put her hand in her pocket to make sure she still had the room key he’d given her and slipped off of the bar stool.
“Hey, I… Think I’m going to step out for a smoke. You go on ahead.” Nick mumbled solemnly with his back turned.
“Sure.” She replied. “I’ll leave the door open for you.”
Nick’s hand plunged desperately into his pocket once he made it outside and fished out a stale cigarette and the lighter Nora had given him. His hands were trembling and he could hardly keep it between his metal fingers to take a draw from it.
Rain fell against his hat in large drops and rolled off the brim to his feet.
What the hell did he think he was going to achieve by bringing up Jenny in the first place.
His chest was killing him.
Nora sat on the bed and began unlacing her boots, thinking about how strange Nick had been acting lately. If something was wrong she wanted to help him, but what if it was more complicated than that? She knew he was lonely. Nora sensed that from the moment they met, but… did he really feel unloveable?
A new, more vulnerable side of Nick that she had never seen before had been showing itself more and more… Maybe it was on purpose. Maybe that’s what he wanted her to see.
A few moments later, Nick stepped into the room. He was wet and looked so tired. He searched absentmindedly around the room for somewhere to hang his coat and hat without realizing there was a rack right by the door. He was emotionally exhausted and it showed.
“Nick,” He almost flinched at her gentle call. “Would it be okay if I took a look at your leg?”
“Um… Sure.” He croaked weakly.
Thunder rumbled in the distance and rain fell heavily against the roof and windows of the hotel.
“Go ahead and lie down on the bed.” Nora dug into her bag, pulling out a few tools. Nick obeyed without protest, untied his shoes and set them next to Nora’s boots, and patiently laced his fingers together across his middle.
The rapping of the rain was calming and it felt good to lay on a soft surface. His eyes closed momentarily to lie still and take in his surroundings, but he was soon disrupted by the feeling of Nora climbing over him on the mattress to prop his leg up into her lap.
“Let’s see…” She hummed quietly, popping off the plate on Nick’s right calf. “You can still feel this, right?” She gently brushed her finger against the surface of the plate. Nick nodded. “Alright…” She confirmed to herself under her breath.
She worked in silence for a few minutes by soft lantern light before speaking up again. “So, Nick, I didn’t want you to think you made me uncomfortable by talking about Jenny. I guess I was just… sort of surprised you wanted to talk about her. The last time you did, it wasn’t really under the greatest circumstances.”
It took a while for Nick to respond, but eventually he opened an eye and sighed. “I didn’t really mean to. It just came out. I thought about your singing and, well,” He shrugged. “...it was just something to say.”
“I see. Well, that’s alright.” She softly assured, still working diligently.
The storm raged on outside, which somehow made being inside feel more cozy than perhaps the old battered Far Harbor building should’ve felt.
“Thank you, by the way,”
Nick opened his eyes again.
“For liking my singing enough to mention it.” She explained.
“Any time.” He said, more warmly than his previous replies.
After a few more minutes of tinkering, she had finished her repairs on Nick’s leg, but she kept it propped in her lap anyway. He seemed relaxed and content where he was. She didn’t want to disturb him.
She rested her back against the cool wall and closed her own eyes. Quietly she began humming. This time, just for Nick. Then after gaining confidence, she sang. His expression seemed to soften at the sound of her voice.
He shifted slightly, propping his back a little more upright, and opened his eyes again.
Nora’s heart beat a little faster when she saw his adoring gaze. It was easier to sing when she could pretend that he was asleep.
Suddenly, his deeper voice joined her.
He was a little off-key in few places, but he finished the song with her.
“Not bad, Valentine.” She whispered.
“Not bad yourself, angel.”
Nora cast her eyes to the ground. If she was caught in Nick’s stare any longer she wouldn’t be able to stop the blush rising in her cheeks. She snapped the plate of synthetic skin carefully back in place and rubbed the seam tenderly before rolling his pant leg back down.
“Nick…” Her voice stayed low. “You didn’t mean what you said earlier, did you?”
She could still feel his soft yellow eyes burning a hole through her heart. He planted his feet on the ground and sat on the edge of the bed next to her.
“...I don’t know, Nora. Such a long, long time ago I just came to accept the fact that my loving days were long gone. Not just because of Jenny, but because of who I am.” Nick stared at his metal hand for a moment. “Love… isn’t something synths usually get to look forward to. Especially not when you look like I do.” Nick sighed softly, dejected. “Look at me.”
“Look at me.” Nora guided his cheek with her hand so he could face her. She looked over his features for a moment; all the things that made Nick, Nick.
“I wouldn’t change a thing about you.” She smiled warmly. “ Look at you,” Nora reclaimed his words. “You’re perfect.”
Nick’s eyes fell soft; half-lidded, and smiling in a way that made the room seem a little brighter.
Her hand molded to the curve of his cheek and she gently stroked his face with her thumb. He practically fell into it. His internal fan started up and sputtered as their faces grew closer almost naturally.
“Nick…” Nora whispered, breathless, not even an inch away from his lips. Their foreheads touched first, then, in a way Nick never could have prepared himself for, the warmth of Nora’s lips spread across his. For a moment Nick felt like he was dying. The entirety of his synth body reacted in panic to his emotional state, entirely unsure of what to do. His hand weakly struggled to reach up to Nora’s cheek to cup it despite his sensors screaming at him to pull away.
In over a hundred years, the floodgates had finally broke in his heart and he couldn’t hold anything back now. He didn’t want to. Never again.
Pale green glow filled the room, and the eerie crackling of a coming radstorm rattled the outside air as their lips parted. Nora nestled closer to his neck and lovingly stroked the back of his head with her fingers. Nick’s chest heaved in and out in shallow, anxious breaths. He tentatively looked into Nora’s eyes, fearing any moment she’d tell him she had made a mistake
“What’ve you done to me, Nora…” He pined.
"I don’t know,” She whispered. “I was hoping you could tell me.”
Nora’s lips found him once again and once again his body felt limp. Without pulling away from him, she pressed very gently to his chest and made him to lie down. Propped up only halfheartedly by his forearms, he drank in every touch. Drenched in virescence, Nora looked like a dream; a wonderful dream.
She touched him unafraid of what he was, and never minding the rough texture of his battered skin. She touched him like he was a man, like he was a lover.
Nick relented and let himself rest against the mattress so he could hold Nora closer. He didn’t want to lose himself so much in the moment that he’d let it simply pass by. Their kiss was interrupted by Nora giggling softly as she let herself fall beside Nick on the bed.
“I did that to you, huh?” She smiled. Nick nodded bashfully. “Well, I could do it a little more, if you want.”
“Couldn’t hurt. Hell, I might even like it.” He smiled back.
Nick invited her into his arms and let her loosen his tie and place it aside. “Nothing wrong with getting a little more comfortable, is there?” Nora cooed.
“No, can’t say there is.” Nick replied coyly.
Nora kissed and nipped gently at his neck, what was left of it, and made her way to his collar. A smile crept onto her lips as she heard Nick’s first soft moan escape from him. She kissed his mouth firmly and her hands moved to unbutton his shirt, causing Nick’s eyes to open and shoot her a mild questioning look.
“Nothing wrong with getting a little… more comfortable, is there?”
“Do what you’ve gotta, sweetheart, but if this keeps going the way it’s going, don’t blame me if old Nicky needs more than just a tune-up in the morning.” He smirked.
“You keep talking the way you’re talking and I might make you own up to those lovin’ words, detective.” She winked.
Nick kissed her cheek sweetly. “I really hope you’re not just looking for a raise.”
Nora laughed. “You don’t pay me, Valentine.”
“So this is a pro-bono job, eh?”
“Something like that... if you consider loving a stubborn old synth an act of public goodwill.”
Nick chuckled nervously to mask the sound of his fan sputtering again. Nora moved to lay her head on the beat-up pillow next to Nick’s.
He pulled the thin blanket at the end of the bed around them both and Nora laid her head against his bare chest, content. She could hear the faint rush of coolant being pumped around his torso. It was a soft and soothing sound not far off from a heartbeat. She had never been so close to him before to hear it.
Nick fell quiet, but wore a soft content smile on his face. Nora’s hand slipped under his arm and she stroked his back, tenderly exploring all the seams and bolts her fingers passed over. The faint and familiar scent of his cigarettes and the earthy smell of his well-worn trenchcoat clung to him.
"It feels good to be able to lay with someone like this again.” A gentle laugh left his nose. “Well, I say again, but honestly I haven’t… I think about all these times I’d sit on my bed at the agency while Ellie’s asleep and feeling like a fool… waiting for something to come to me; a memory, anything of Jenny. Even if those memories weren’t mine, sometimes I’d give anything to feel loved if only for a moment.” His brow furrowed. “It’s hell… to realize that most people are scared to death of you or just plain want you dead.”
Nora’s eyes watched the emotions on Nick’s face closely and listened.
“God, I… don’t know if this is the right time… It’s just- If you haven’t noticed by now I…” He exhaled. “I’ve got it bad. I’ve got it real bad for you…” He grinned nervously. “I don’t even know how or… or when it happened, but… I guess it doesn’t matter. At some point- after everything we’ve been through together, after all my bull-headedness, all my fear… You’ve been there.”
The internal pump in Nick’s chest grew louder, struggling to keep up with his distressed body.
“I found myself thinking about you; worrying about you, and I hated… I hated considering that maybe it was because I cared for you more than I wanted to. If I admitted to myself that I felt what I did, how long would I be able to keep it inside? How long before I slipped up and admitted the awful truth… and lost my partner forever… all because the metal man keeps forgetting his place.”
He smiled weakly. “After a while, no matter how hard I tried to tuck it all away, it tore me up all the same because I knew you cared about me. I knew it didn’t matter to you that I was a synth; that I wasn’t the real Nick Valentine… but still, I couldn’t tell you. I was making myself sick because I didn’t know how.”
His metal hand slowly, gently curled around hers.
“I don’t know if it’s too soon, or if I’m being… presumptuous… but whatever it is between us, whether this was something impulsive or something deeper that you feel for me… I just want you to know that I’m so happy.” His voice wavered slightly. “... Just being here… And I won’t ask you to love me, but if you could just hold me through the night the way you are right now; give me a memory, I could go on never wishing for anything more… as long as I live.”
Nora peered up at Nick through misty eyes. “And what if I want to hold you like this until there’s nothing left of you to hold.”
“Then I guess I’m yours, angel.” He whispered into the top of her head, holding her tight to his chest, trembling slightly. “I’m yours.”