my fics may be cringe but i am free

You looked at his mask a little startled by the unexpected question. He rarely asked you anything about yourself. To respect you privacy, you always figured. Or hoped, if you were completely honest with yourself, because the alternative would just be indifference.

"Didn't you live here after the war?" you asked confused.

"Well, yes, but I left before everything went..."

"-tits up?" you interrupted him with a smirk.

"Yeah." he chuckled, continueing to stare into the fire. "Come on, quit stalling. The information imbalance here is still in your favor. You owe me a few good stories."

You don't know if it was the booze or the safety of the warm fire but you sighed and relented. He was right. With everything you knew about him and his family, it was only fair to share some stuff about yourself, too.

"It was... oddly peaceful, believe it or not. There was this reverend silence surrounding everything. Like back in the day on early sunday mornings after a big snow storm, right before christmas, you know?"

Aries hummed knowingly. He shifted his gaze to your face intent to listen carefully. Now it was your turn to stare into the fire. To help focus and remember, you tell yourself. Not because, even with the mask, prolonged "eye contact" with him was nearly impossible for you.

"It was hopeful, even. For a time. Following every little lead for any little scrap left of civilisation. Waking up every day thinking 'maybe today there will be someone waiting to be found and rescued'.

But... ", you sighed again, "there's only so many bodies, skeletons and ghouls you can find at the end of tattered journal pages until it starts to get to you."

"What about those fellow dwellers of yours? Did you never band together like a merry band of settling misfits?"

A scowl was beginning to form on your forehead. You were starting to remember more clearly now. "No. They started to grow bitter and... bored. Dangerously so. I think more of us fell victim to other vault dwellers than to the scorched or anything else the wasteland threw at them. Things were looking pretty grim until those folks from Foundation showed up. That changed a lot. Changed people a lot. Although, I actually do miss the quiet sometimes." You ended with a nervous laugh and another big swig of your whiskey mix, barely tasting like anything other than old Nuka-Cola.

"Yeah, some of you seem like straight psychopaths, scary dudes." Aries leaned forward a bit, resting his elbows on his legs. "No offence, Jack."

You rolled your eyes at the nickname but laughed with him. "You know, one of these days you are going to tell me where you got that name from."

"What are you talking about? You know where I got it from, it's obvious!"

"Is it now?" You raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yeah! Jack, Jackalope, it's obvious!"

"Jackalope?" Of course it would relate to some kind of cryptid. What else did you expect?

"You know, because you're just like a bunny, but weird." He took another drag of his cigarette with a barely visible chuckle. He appeared almost nervous. "All cute and adorable with a death stare and a penchant for violence."

That did get an honest smile out of you. "Well, in that case, I take it as a compliment!"

Silence settled again. Both of you lost in your own thoughts of what-ifs, could-have-beens and silent maybes. This time it was your turn to break it, now definitely emboldened by cheap alcohol.

"I don't think I ever properly thanked you..."

Even though you couldn't see his face you could tell the look Aries gave you was one of confusion. "Thanked me for what? That brotherhood business? Pretty sure-"

"No." You cut him off before you lost the courage to explain yourself. "Back then, when I was just about to give up... that's when I arrived in Lewisburg and stumbled onto those posters your sister made. It was shaping up to be just another thing that lead nowhere. I found your colleagues, your... friends. But not you. No matter where I looked. Every nook and cranny. Nothing, not even a tiny piece. Do you have any idea how much time I spent in that cellar looking for another secret door?" You interrupted your monologue with laugh, this time Aries didn't join in.

"But I couldn't find you. And... that... gave me hope again. Maybe someone really did make it. Maybe someone really is still out there. Maybe, some day, I can even talk to him. I even took one of those posters as a reminder. So... thank you. Really."

For once, Aries was speechless. And just stared at you for a little while before he found is composure again. "Well, I hope I didn't dissappoint too much!" He chuckled nervously, "Come on, time to hit the hay. I'll take the first shift."