Nick Valentines Son

Piper is clingy, even before her and Nora started dating. She would be attached to her hip, whether that be when Nora is out questing, just hanging around Sanctuary or doing absolutely anything else. Wherever Nora is, Piper is.

Piper is always talking, somehow she always has something to say. Nora always listens. As Piper rambles on, Nora listens attentively, nodding along as she spouts her newest conspiracy theory about Mayor McDonough.

Whenever they aren't together, Piper gets antsy. She paces around, trying to find things to distract herself. Whether that be writing an article, cleaning her office or interrogating people. Everyone knows whenever Piper is anxious, it means Nora's gone somewhere.

Nora can't sleep without Piper around. After losing someone so close to her already, she's become hyper vigilant. Whenever Piper isn't around, Nora tosses and turns in her sleep, and that's if she even falls asleep. Whenever she has Piper, she holds her close, spooning her so tightly.

Whenever they have quiet moments together, Nora likes to play with Piper's hair. Wrapping it around her fingers and gently braiding it. It soothes Nora, seeing how comfortable and comfy Piper gets.

During Nora's first radstorms, before they were together, Piper would sleep in the same bed as her. She would lay at her side, careful as to not get too close to the broken woman, but close enough to protect her.

Nora mends Piper's clothes. Pre-war, Nora was an excellent seamstress, a hobby she picked up on maternity leave. The flayed ends of Piper's classic red jacket was quickly fixed when she took it off for the first time around Nora. Not to mention it's helpful when stitching up wounds. (An incredibly intimate act which leads to many many suggestive eye glances).

Despite Piper's talkative nature, mornings are quiet. Gentle kisses peppering Piper's bare back, sips of fresh coffee from Codsworth and the soft feeling of blankets.

Piper often wakes up early, before Nora. She likes to watch her breathe as the sunlight hits her chest, watching it rise and fall. Quietly watching is something she likes to do, something that Nora doesn't notice.

This also means you cannot show him an injured stray. His pack instincts plus his love for animals means he will be doing all he can to nurse it back to health, even if he has no medical knowledge or skill. He will even go so far as asking Trashcan Carla to put out the word that a veterinarian is needed in Sanctuary. Then, once that animal is healed, he will try to do the right thing and send them off back to nature… but if they don’t want to leave, who is he to turn them away? He was a stray once too. 

Loves talking to or teaching kids. When they’re small and don’t make any sense? He very seriously is agreeing with them, reacting to what they’re ‘saying’ like they’re actually holding a conversation. When they can start to form real sentences, he talks to them like they’re any other adult. When they’re in their rebellious/adults are annoying phase it’s the most entertaining thing to act like a grandpa. ‘Back in my day’, dad jokes, ‘working hard or hardly working?’, etc. And if they, or anyone really, shows interest in his work he is ready to teach them with patience and praise. 

Finding out he’s a synth was hard for him… but not as hard as it is for other people. He finds out, needs a short time to readjust, and then that’s just life to him. Yeah, he’s a synth. He doesn’t go around advertising it, but it’s not like he can change it. So he can either agonize over it or learn to live with it. It catches him off guard sometimes, going to ‘remember’ something, and the blurriness and lack of details holds a whole new meaning. But then he forces a smile and keeps going. 

The above is aided by the fact that Sturges, though he may not fully understand why it happens, is accepting of ghouls and synths. They don’t bother him none so long as they pull their weight and don’t try to hurt nobody. But he would expect the same of any smoothskin/human. He however doesn’t really think of synths as humans. People? Yes. But not humans. And he is guilty of calling ferals ‘ghouls’ on occasion, but he gets better with time. 

Again, he may not fully understand it, but he loves an ‘intelligent’ conversation. Likes to see other people get passionate and talk about things that are important. He can’t always articulate what he thinks but he’s good at analogies and agreeing or disagreeing and that can take you pretty far in an ‘intelligent debate’. Likes when Hancock visits with Sole for this exact reason. 

And because Hancock readily answers his ghoul questions, no matter how racy they get, because Hancock would rather Sturges ask him as he will tell Sturges if he’s gone too far instead of beating his ass for it. Also makes him have hope to see a smoothskin actually curious about ghouls, care about them even, outside of morbid curiosity. 

When he finds out he’s a synth, he tries to engage more with Nick or Curie. Not necessarily asking them questions about being synths, just out of a sense of companionship. ‘We are more similar than I thought’. Finds he likes talking to them not only for the same reason he likes Hancock, but because of their morals and hopes for the wasteland reflecting his own. 

In the first part I mentioned he loves adventure stories: which is why I think he would get a real kick out of Kent Connolley’s Silver Shroud radio. Possibly Kent’s number one fan but acts casual about it. He’s always punctual about tuning in and reacts like someone’s actually telling him a story in person. Gets into the comics this way, and after asking a couple times, Trashcan Carla starts keeping an eye out for anyone selling comics in her travels. 

Once they’re settled in, I could see him traveling to nearby settlements (Abernathy, Starlight, Sunshine Tidings, etc) to do repairs when they’re needed. Also training a settler or two the basics while he’s there so they can also help themselves. Likes helping people, and won’t ask for payment but won’t turn it down either. Because of this he usually ends up not being paid in caps but instead food or tools or ‘junk’ or crafts or favors. Some offer him chems but he turns those down, even if he could sell them for good money. He’s seen what the temptation of chems can do to a person and doesn’t think himself above such temptations. However, he does accept the occasional stout.