marshal :3

i’m a fairly new writer so don’t expect good writing , im mainly doing this to get all of the ideas that swim in my head , out

i’m also a stoner , so i blame that for any mistakes in my writing !! /hj

im in a bunch of fandoms , whether the media is a video game , an anime , a manga , or a comic , ive probably consumed it !

i’m an xreader truther and also poly so expect a lot of that from me because it’s literally all that runs around in my head :3

i also believe that there is a sad lack of platonic fanfics so expect a lot of that !!

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requesting boundaries ^_^ ( i’ll probably make this into a strawpage soon )

if it seems like i’m ignoring your request , please don’t re-request it , i read all my asks , i may just not want to do the request or it may take me time

will do:

angst (depends on my mood)

fluff

smut (will expand on what im willing to write)

really anything platonic

child reader (youngest i’ll go is 12)

trans readers (probably only ftm because im ftm)

i’ll add more as i go

won’t do :

bimbo reader

innocent reader

weak reader (unless they are a child)

omegaverse when the omega is ‘inferior’

i’ll add more as i go

with smut i wont write: anything with piss or scat, non-con/rape or dub-con, vomit, pregnancy/mpreg, raceplay, incest, detrans, lactation, vore, feet, ageplay, ddlg/b , misogyny kink , feeder , daddy kink , fauxcest , heavy gore , necro , public humiliation , dehumanization , public / semi public sex , i’ll add more as needed

smut i will write : cnc , forcemasc , forcefem , blood/knife play , somno , asphyxiation , daycryphilia , bondage , restraints , spanking , wax play , omegaverse , brat taming , degradation (not heavy) , slurs , primal play , ill add more as needed

fandoms i'm currently accepting requests from :

cod

jjk

one piece

rdr2

DC (mainly batfam but i do fw superman)

Marvel

"are those deviled eggs ?" you say in poorly concealed horror. Lucy nods, a bright smile on her face. "yeah ! do you want one ?" she holds the box out to you. you shake your head quickly. you can only imagine what it took to preserve those.

Lucy shrugs lightly , taking one last bite before closing the box. she places it off to the side.

she looks over to the cloth-wrapped head , picking it up. you reach out to stop her but pause , seeing her unwrap the head.

she examines it carefully , “alright. what is so special about you ?” she starts to feel around the head , carding her hands through his hair. your face scrunches up at that until something… pricks her? your eyes light up in curiosity.

“what was that ?” you scuttle closer , trying to find what it was. she turns the head , pressing her finger to the back of his ear again , a small zap being heard. you jump back slightly , startled. Lucy shakes her finger out , trying to rid the pain. “okay , okay.” she straightens the head in her lap. “keep your secrets , sir.”

Lucy stares down at the head , thinking for a moment before bringing up her Pip-Boy covered wrist. “just in case.” she pulls something out. “to keep you extra safe.” she quickly connects the tracker to her Pip-Boy , confusing you. you didn’t know they could do that !

she examines the head for a spot to put the tracker before tilting her head , a light hum leaving her. you watch as she pushes the tracker into the head's nose , grossed out. “there. snug as a bug.” you chuckle lightly , shaking your head in amusement. she huffs lightly before lifting the head off her lap and placing it beside her , petting his hair.

“boy , that knight really was something , huh ? i wonder who he was…” she doesn’t seem to be talking to you , weirdly. you hum lightly , looking away from the head. you gaze out at the vast wasteland , keeping an eye out for anything dangerous.

“hey uh.. i just realized , i never got your name.” she perks up , hands coming to clasp in her lap. “oh ! i’m Lucy Maclean !” she holds a hand out—which you take , shaking it lightly. “Y/N L/N. did you say Ma-cle-an ?” you enunciate her last name , putting more emphasis on the end. she nods , slightly confused.

“huh. small world.” you smile towards her , pulling your backpack off and placing it in the sand. she tilts her head to the side , going to speak up—only for you to start speaking before her.

“i think i’m gonna get some rest.”

she pauses before nodding , “good idea. i’ll uh.. take first watch ?” she says it like it’s a question , watching as you get comfortable. you don’t take your Pip-Boy off , instead turning on the radio. “It’s A Man” starts to play softly , putting you slowly to sleep.

——————

you walk just behind Lucy as you pass the remnant of a car , passing near a bus and coming up on what appears to be a lake. Lucy smiles before looking down at her Pip-Boy , zooming in on the map. “you’re gonna have to show me all you can do with those things.” you shake your head lightly as you say it , watching as she works the Pip-Boy expertly.

she nods lightly , smiling at you. “i’d be happy to.” she continues to walk , “during our next break.” she throws you a smile over her shoulder , watching as you jog to catch up to her to be walking side by side.

you gasp quietly , catching sight of a fawn. lightly tapping Lucy , you try to get her to look as well. she smiles , tilting her head slightly before walking over towards the gutted school bus and crouching down and grabbing a handful of grass.

you follow behind her slowly , clutching the straps of your backpack as you walk closer to the fawn. “you like grass ?” she whispers the words as she walks closer , crouching down and holding her handout to the fawn. you scuttle to her side , knees quietly thumping on the ground. the fawn walks towards her slowly , sniffing her curiously. you look around , searching for the fawn's mother. it should be around here somewhere-

suddenly , a weird roar is heard , startling you. Lucy stands and you’re quick to follow , stepping away from the water. Lucy looks around the forest , slowly pulling her gun from its holster. you see it before you hear it , a grotesque hand reaching out of the grass near the water and snatching the fawn. you yelp as Lucy fires a dart , aiming in the creature’s direction.

you slip trying to back away fast enough , making you have to stand quickly before you could scrabble the rest of the way up the small incline. Lucy is quick to follow , stopping once you pass the bus and aiming out at the water. a sound is suddenly heard from behind , giving you just enough time to lunge and get out of the way before Lucy is grabbed.

you fall , crawling frantically to try and get to Lucy fast enough as she’s dragged backwards. she’s quick to reload a dart into the chamber , aiming towards the creature and firing. it lets her go with a roar of pain but not without taking a prize.

it took the head.

oh fuck !

it took the head !

you stand up fast , Lucy following , watching as the creature moves back into the water. you can see the head only for a few seconds before it disappears underwater. Lucy jogs back over to the water’s edge , motioning for you to stay where you are.

she takes off running suddenly , freaking you out. you are not going to be alone ! not for a minute !

you run after her , quick on her heels. you can see her just a few yards ahead , in your sights just enough that you’d know which way she’d turn. she stops running slowly , looking at the water and what you could see of the creature. you didn’t notice it before , but your geiger counter gets louder the closer you are to the water , alerting you over your radio. Lucy looks down at her Pip-Boy , watching as the tracker gets further and further away.

she comes to a decision , taking her pack off and setting it on the ground. “no.. no !” she crouches down and you follow , trying to make eye contact as she starts to untie her boots. “the rads ! i mean , think about it-!” you’re cut off by a gun cocking. both of your heads look over , being greeted by a pistol being pointed at Lucy.

Cooper tilts his head slightly , taking you both in with an unknown look on his face. you both attempt a smile , yours coming out more pained. Lucy’s head cocks , “hello again.” the butt of the gun hits her temple fast as you yelp and scrabble back in fear.

Lucy groans on the ground , pained. “where is it ?” you stare up at him , scared and breathing heavy. he keeps his gun aimed at Lucy , “the head.” all she does is whimper in pain. you quickly move towards Lucy as Cooper holsters his gun , moving away and grabbing Lucy’s bag. he starts to dig through it , dumping it out when he doesn’t find what he was looking for. your hands shake as they come to rest on her back , trying to comfort her. the dog barks once , sharply , staring out at the water.

he comes up empty-handed , no head in sight. throwing the bag down , he stares at you both before pulling his gun out and cocking it. “no..” you scrunch in on yourself in fear , eyes cast downward. Lucy raises her hands , pleas falling from her lips. “okay , okay- i-i don’t know where it is , okay ?” she breathes heavily as you lift your eyes , staring at Cooper in horror. he just gets closer , the gun pointing directly between her eyes. “i lost it !”

she pants , staring up at him earnestly. “i lost it.” a small hum leaves him as he looks around. Lucy pants while you scurry over to her scattered stuff , gathering it all together and stuffing it back in her bag. Cooper walks away a few feet , gazing down at something and smooshing it with his foot.

he walks back over , a wicked grin on his face. “a Gulper got it , huh ?” ..that thing was called a Gulper ?!

——————

Cooper has forced you to sit down against a metal box , hands tied firmly together in front of you. he’d tied Lucy up as well , attaching her to an anchor and a hand-cranked pull system attached to a metal beam.

currently , he was working on tying her legs to the dock. “stop , please !” you keep quiet out of fear , trembling in your spot.

Lucy jerks around slightly , continuing to try and convince The Ghoul to let her go. “my dad , he’s an Overseer.” the dog barks incessantly , startling you almost every time.

“he-he got taken by raiders , and i need that head to get him back. if you help me find him , he’ll do whatever you want.” she tries to plead her case but The Ghoul just pushes her forward , sending her into the water.

“Lucy !” you rush to get over to the crank but are stopped short by The Ghoul aiming his gun at you. you pant heavily , eyes filled with fear as you freeze before moving back slowly. once you’re back to your original spot , Cooper holsters his gun , starting to turn the crank and pulling Lucy up and out of the water.

“stop ! stop ! torture is wrong !!” Dogmeat has finally stopped barking , now watching eagerly as Lucy is pulled up.

Cooper sucks his teeth lightly , tilting his head down. “you know , they used to do these things called ‘studies’.” Lucy’s geiger counter has started to go haywire , loudly informing you all of the rads in the water. “why , you couldn’t open a newspaper without reading about one study or another.” you can see Lucy study her Pip-Boy , starting to realizing just how much danger she really was in.

“anyways , this one particular study came out , and it said that torturing a person don’t do shit.” he drops her back into the water , startling a scream out of her.

you flinch when she hits the water , curling into yourself more. “what the fuck is wrong with you..?” your voice trembles but Cooper just chuckles mockingly , leaning against the metal beam responsible for assisting in pulling Lucy out. he lets her jerk about for a minute before pulling her back out.

she gasps for air , choking on water. “it made sense.” Cooper throws a hand out lightly. “i mean , a man hurts me , i wouldn’t want to do him any favors.”

he starts to walk over to Lucy , “and yet the practice of torture failed to vanish from this earth.” he grabs the rope attaching her to the pull system , inspecting her. “in fact , as time marched on , i’ve personally noticed a decided uptick..”

you should push him.

you should push him into the water.

it would give you a few seconds to get Lucy free and you do see a knife a few feet away.

he plucks something off of Lucy’s shoulder , examining it. Dogmeat licks her chops , eyes locked on the small worm-like animal. “…in the amount of torture being doled out across the board.” he tosses her the worm and she jumps to catch it , chewing it happily.

“sir , please , i need the head. it’s the only way i can get my father back.” Cooper just barrels over her , “my point is..” he lets the rope go , walking back to the crank. “if you ask me , them studies , they was right. torturing a person don’t do shit.”

Lucy pants as she responds , trying to get her lungs back under control. “then why… why are you doing this ?”

Cooper tilts his head as he talks , “well , i ain’t torturing you , sweetheart.” he looks down , hand grasping the crank. “i’m using you as bait.” and there she goes. once again , ducked unwillingly in the water. Cooper walks forward a few steps , whistling as Lucy jerks about. he gazes out at the water , searching.

Lucy starts to jerk more , catching sight of the creature she was baiting.

“pull her up !! what are you doing ?!” he rolls his eyes , starting to try and turn the crank. only for it to get stuck.

luckily , he’s quick to act , grabbing a wooden pole with a hook on the end and pulling on the metal beam. she’s pulled out of the water , the Gulper coming with her. you scream , scrabbling to get on top of the metal box.

it roars , exposing its mouth and all the fingers moving inside.

it looks like a fucked up axolotl. a very fucked up axolotl.

Lucy tries to get away , being unable to due to the anchor being attached to the side of the creature’s mouth. it snaps its appendage-filled mouth at her as she kicks back. it catches her foot just as Cooper stabs the wooden pole at it.

he gets smacked away in the process , making him fall to the ground in pained shock. you watch in horror as the creature drags Lucy towards it by her foot , dragging her from side to side. her hands reach out to grab anything , catching on Cooper's saddle bag.

she hits the creature over the head with it , smacking it until her foot is released. it roars at her in anger and Lucy throws the saddle bag into its mouth , scrambling back further. it chews on the bag for a moment before spitting it out.

you watch in shock filled horror as Dogmeat runs into action , attacking one of its human-like hands. it roars in pain , coming up and falling back into the water.

Cooper gets up quickly , grinding his teeth and panting. he looks over at Lucy before snatching up his saddle bag , taking out a tin case. he snaps it open , being greeted with a terrible sight. he grabs some of the glass pieces , letting them fall out of his hand as he looks towards Lucy.

you’re still frozen , eyes locked on the water with fear. Cooper slamming the tin case down breaks you out of your trance though , startling you enough that you fall from your perch. “motherfucker !” he draws his gun , cocking it.

you try to rub your tailbone with a small wince , glaring at The Ghoul.

Lucy looks up at him with a slight crazed look , shrieking. “oh , i’m sorry , i should have just let you use me as bait,“ she rises to her knees , “in a poison river ?!!” Cooper pants for a moment before lowering his gun and turning sharply , starting to pace.

you crawl over towards Lucy , examining her with guilt. “you can’t treat people like this !”

“yeah ? why’s that ?” he says it mockingly , not realizing she’d take the question seriously.

“because of the golden rule.” she starts to lift herself up further , “”do unto others as you would have done unto you.”” you quirk a brow. sounds like something you would have learned in Kindergarten.

doesn’t make it any less true though.

Cooper huffs , muttering something you couldn’t catch. he turns back sharply , walking towards you both and picking up his saddle bag.

Lucy stands with your assistance , panting softly.

“no. no , no no.” she tries to step back but he just keeps marching forward , putting his lasso around her neck and tightening. “no stop..!” he pushes you in front of him as he does this , forcing you to start walking.

he tugs Lucy along as he walks into the foliage. “where are we going ?” she trips slightly , her head being pulled down uncomfortably because of the grip he has. “what about the head ? i need the head to get my dad back!” she’s frantic as she speaks , looking up at him with earnest eyes. you glance at them over your shoulder , scared.

“yeah , well , the Wasteland’s got its own rules.” you hike your shoulders up , curling in on yourself as much as you could. “what’s that ?”

“thou shalt get sidetracked by bullshit every goddamn time.” Lucy looks back at Dogmeat , watching her bark at the water. “what about the dog ?”

“he ain’t mine.”

he continues to tug her along , not looking back and keeping his eyes on you and the path.

——————

you and Lucy walk side by side , Cooper following close behind.

your eyes slowly drift to the side , catching sight of an abandoned bus , skeletons seated like they were still getting a ride. Cooper slows to a stop behind you , making you both stop as well. he pulls out his canteen , taking a slow gulps as Lucy watches. you gaze out at the desert before your attention is caught by Lucy speaking.

“sir.” she swallows what spit she has , “sir , please. i need water.” Cooper just looks at her apathetically. “please.” your tied hands can’t do much but you still attempt to grab your water as Cooper pours the rest of his in his mouth.

“please !” he pours out what’s left in the canteen , staring Lucy down all the while. you manage to grab your water , handing it out towards Lucy. you mumble a small ‘here.’ as you hold it out , eyes cast downward.

you flinch as it gets snatched away by Cooper , a stern look on his face. “you are either drinkin’ it , or it’s gettin’ poured.” he shakes the bottle , mocking you. “so get to drinkin’.” he shoves the bottle back into your hands , staring at you expectantly.

you glance at Lucy , a guilty look on your face. she tries to smile , motioning for you to drink. you know she wants the water and that makes it even worse as you lift the bottle , taking a few gulps.

once Cooper was satisfied , he snatches your bottle back , putting his canteen and yours in his saddle bag. he takes his pistol from his holster , keeping it by his hip as he motions for you two to get moving again.

slowly , you turn , starting to walk. Lucy shakes her head in contempt , turning with you.

Cooper continues to follow a few feet behind.

after awhile , you pass by a statue and he slows , staring up at it for a moment before continuing to walk. you glance back at him before returning your eyes to the front , watching the desert.

your and Lucy’s geiger counters start going off , alerting you to the high levels of radiation that are near. walking a few more feet , you see what was causing the counters to act up—a disgusting-looking pond of water.

“water , water everywhere , and not a drop to drink.” you glance at him , seeing him watching Lucy. “ain’t much stays clean up here , vaultie. you’ll see.” Lucy swallows thickly before speaking up , “is that what happened to you ?” you wince slightly , averting your eyes and looking out at the desert. “radiation ?”

his head nods up as he speaks. “somethin’ like that.” he starts walking , making Lucy start as well. you follow close behind her , glancing back at Cooper. Lucy sways as she walks , tired , but her eyes catch on something. a Vault-Tec billboard. a small smile appears and disappears just as fast as Cooper shoots through the character's face.

your head whips around , startled. Cooper says nothing , holstering his pistol and continuing to walk.

you suddenly realize why you had felt so nostalgic looking at the billboard—it was Cooper ! originally. a cartoonized version but still him. rolling your eyes at the dramatics , you keep marching forward silently.

you stick close to Lucy as you walk , glancing over your shoulder every now and then at Cooper. each time , he just tilts his head , raising the ghost of an eyebrow. you were scared , and he could see that every time you looked back. it made a part of him , deep down , feel guilty. you were just a kid , trying to survive after waking up in the wasteland. you didn’t deserve any of this.

—————————

“why yall gearin’ up ?” your head falls to the other side , hip jutting out in the opposite direction as you put your hands on your waist. they each look between each other , seeing who would answer. in the end , Ghost is the one to answer you , giving a simple response. “the weight.” you hum in response , crossing your arms over you torso.

“when are we leaving ?”

Price chuckles , walking over to you , “now , i just have to grab the keys.” you nod , following the rest of the team out of the.. armory ? you actually didn’t know what the room you were in was called. all you knew what that it didn’t have weapons but it did have bulletproof vests and other tactical gear. you follow Nikolai as he leads you all outside.

you look around , seeing the sun still rising. you all had breakfast an hour earlier today , wanting to be on the road just before the sun fully rose.

you’re corralled into the middle of the group when you get outside , them surrounding you at every angle. they lead you to a sizable minivan , making you chuckle slightly. didn’t know the military were soccer moms.

the ride to the woods wasn’t too long , only an hour and a half away. you were surprised you got the passenger seat—you were expecting the boys to fight over it but Mactavish insisted on you taking it. you didn’t fight against him , not having to be smushed against two grown men would be amazing.

when you finally make it , Price is the first to step out of the car , stretching his back out with a groan. you quickly walk up to his side , waiting impatiently. he chuckles as he sees you rocking on your feet , excited. “alright , cmon kid.” he waves a hand , gesturing for you to follow him.

you all follow Price as he leads you into the middle of the woods. once you get to an open spot , you pause , Price pulling his phone out. he taps around a few times , getting a timer started. “five minutes starting.. now! get runnin’ kid !” he goes to shoot you a smile , just to see that you’ve already taken off , running in a random direction.

you swerve between trees , trying to make distance before you start climbing. while running , you make sure to watch the ground , not wanting to trip over a stray root and break your ankle.

you can just barely hear the alarm going off if you really strain your ears , signaling the five minutes being up and the fact you haven’t gotten as far as you’d wish. you can’t control the giggles spilling from your lips as you jump up , grabbing onto a low branch.

it breaks , sending you tumbling down. you land on your ass , a sharp pain being sent through your tailbone. you stay on the ground for a few seconds , moaning in pain and laughing.

standing , you groan , rubbing the pained spot to try and help. you can’t hear any footsteps so hopefully they didn’t hear you fall. that would be kinda embarrassing.

hopping up onto another branch , this time a more sturdy one , you swing your body up , pulling yourself onto the tree. you stand carefully , grabbing onto a higher and thicker branch. you continue climbing until you can stand comfortably with your two feet side by side.

looking down , you see that you’re higher than you expected , about 15 feet up. (~4.57 meters) you debate dropping down a few feet when you spot someone; Nikolai. you stare down at him silently , seeing him look all around the trees , never once looking up.

you stand from your crouched position slowly , trying to not make any noise.

it doesn’t work.

the branch creaks , causing Nikolai to whip his head in your direction. you freeze , suddenly terrified.

what the fuck.

what the fuck.

he’s getting closer. you hold your breath , staring down at him while staying as still as possible. he looks up directly at you , cocking his head as he gets closer to the tree. your only cover from his eyes are the thick leaves , luckily hiding you from his view.

“..просто птица..” (“..just a bird..”) mhm! yep ! yessir ! whatever you say , russian man !

he walks away.

you don’t risk moving until you can’t see him anymore , letting out a deep breath when you think you can relax. you hold on to the tree tightly , making your way onto another thick branch. looking over , you can see another tree interlocking with the one you’re standing one. carefully , you step one foot onto it , testing its strength.

it’s sturdy , not bending even the slightest under your weight. giggling , you hop over to the other branch , grabbing tightly onto the tree when you make it. you breathe heavily , looking down; a fall from this hight could be pretty dangerous.

slowly , you lower yourself onto a lower branch , listening to the telltale creak of the branch bending.

you stop.

you can hear leaves crunching. holding your breath , you lift yourself back onto the stronger branch.

“i can hear you.” that’s not scary. at all.

you stay silent , hoping Nikolai would leave like last time. “Y/N” nuh uh. you’re not here. “i can see you , kid. you are up in the trees.”

“nuh uh !”

he chuckles , shaking his head lightly.

“y’know. i think ya gotta catch me , pretty sure that was in the rules. ‘must physically touch Y/N to be considered finding’!” as you’re speaking , you’re moving , making your way down and to the other side of the tree— maybe you could get away if you had a head start.

“ahh yes , the rules. well , i am not climbing that tree , so-” you jump down , breaking your fall with a roll. you hop up quickly , breaking out into a sprint through the trees. “kid-!” you can hear him behind you , running. faux fear is certainly a good way to get your adrenaline pumping.

you swerve between trees , trying to lose the russian man. it was all for naught though as he appears directly in front of you , within arms reach. without thinking , you swing , clocking him directly in the chin.

“oh my god!” his head is tilted back , eyes closed as a hand comes up to rub his jaw. “i am so sorry ! you scared the shit outta me-!” you cradle your hand , suddenly aware of the pain in your knuckles—you didn’t really pull your punch.. “fuck ! holy shit , that hurts !” you shake your hand , distracting yourself from the pain.

Nikolai chuckles , a sly smile appearing on his face as he stares down at you. “technically , i caught you.” you look up at him with disbelief before giggling , scrunching your nose up.

He motions for your injured hand , then pulls out a walkie-talkie. “caught the kid.” he’s feeling around your hand as he talks , pressing on your knuckles to test the pain. it doesn’t hurt much , probably just going to be a small bruise. he stares at your face as he feels around , watching for the slightest hint of discomfort. you just sway on your feet , looking around the forest. Price comes on the radio , “alright. we’ll reconvene at the starting point.”

Nikolai just responds with a simple ‘affirmative’ before getting back to your hand , turning it over this time. he feels around your palm , making sure to put some pressure.

you don’t react.

“we should probably get walking.” he nods , sending you a smile. “your hand seems fine , it will probably bruise.” you nod , following him as he leads you back into the original opening.

everyone is quick to make their ways back , luckily for you. you won’t have to wait long before your running again. Price of the last to return , his boots being slightly wet. “alright , you ready ?” you nod quickly , pulling your eyes away from his boots. “okay.. starting-” he holds a finger up , staring down at his phone , “now !” he points at you as you take off , running past him.

he watches as you run away , staring until he can’t anymore. Mactavish jerks his chin in Nikolai’s direction , a teasing smirk on his face. he can see a small cut on Nikolai’s lip , like he bit into it accidentally. “the kid hit ya or somethin’?” Nikolai chuckles , “да (yes) , they have a good swing.”

“wait what-?!”

you can barely make out the conversation anymore , just being able to make out the last Nikolai said. you didn’t mean to hit him , he spooked you and it was your natural reaction to seeing someone pop out suddenly. you continue running in the direction Price came from—maybe if your get far enough you can see how his boots got wet.

you continue to sprint , staying in a mostly straight line. listening closely , you can hear the sound of rushing water. stopping , you strain your ears , trying to hear what direction it’s coming from. it’s still straight ahead , so you continue running.

within just a few more meters , you find a small creek. looking both ways , you see that if you go left , you continue downstream , but if you go right , you go upstream.

hmm.. where do you go.. if you go downstream , you may be able to find a lake or something of the sorts. but if you go upstream , you could find a mini waterfall. you decide to go downstream , you could find critters in the water easier that way.

you follow the creek , jogging along its edge and looking at all the cool rocks. five minutes has definitely passed by now but you didn’t hear any alarm so you think you got further away this time. after a few minutes of walking and stopping anytime you see a cool rock or hear leaves crunching , you find a sizable pond. you gasp happily when you see it , rushing over towards its edge. you scare a few small fish as you crouch down excitedly.

peering into the water , you watch the small minnows swim around. they swim in circles around each other , keeping you entertained. suddenly , you catch sight of something red.

a crawdad. crayfish ? what do people call them here ? brushing that thought aside , you focus back on the fish , watching as the crawdad gets closer.

the crayfish suddenly strikes , attacking a weaker minnow. your eyes widen in excitement , hands starting to clench and unclench unconsciously. you’re so focused on watching the crawdad eat that you don’t hear the crunching of leaves and gravel behind you.

“boo !” hands suddenly encase your shoulders , startling you. hard.

you scream , whipping your head around in terror. as you do , you lose your balance , falling onto your knees. you hope you didn’t crush any minnows.

hands grip your shoulders , holding you steady to the chair as punches-

“shit ! sorry kid , i just wanted to spook ya. i saw ya watching the water and-” you’re breathing heavy , hand against your chest as you try to control it.

“the fish.” you gasp out. you were watching the fish. the crawdad eating the minnow. they normally won’t hunt for minnows as adults , like the one you saw , but if the opportunity presents itself , they’ll take the chance. they’re opportunistic omnivores , eating a wide variety of food. while young adults and juveniles tend to be more carnivorous , adults tend to be herbivores.

“yeah ? hm , didn’t know that.” is Garricks only reply , staring at you with a guilty and fond smile.

“sorry.” your voice comes out meek , a shameful expression filling your face. breathing slowly calming as you take in your surroundings. “don’t be.” he shakes his head , standing up and holding a hand out towards you. you take it , letting him pull you up. “you made it longer this time.” he throws his arm over your shoulders , pulling you into his side. you keep your arms to your side , walking with him.

“my knees got wet.” he nods , looking around the area. “i could probably find a towel in the car if you want.”

you shake your head quickly , “no , it’s fine , it’ll dry quick.” he just nods , leading you back to the starting point.

he calls the rest of the team when you get there , alerting them to the fact you were found. you sit on the ground as you wait , knocking your feet together.

“why’re yer knees wet ?” Ghost is the only one to mention it , tilting his covered head to the side. you don’t give them a straight answer , just shrugging your shoulders. “wouldn’t you like to know , weather boy.”

the same routine continues; Price pulling his phone out to start a timer and you running off quickly. you giggle as you run away , going in the direction you know downstream is.

you get pretty far away , making it all the way back to the pond before you feel like five minutes passed. you go right back to the shoreline , crouching down to watch the fish. this time you keep your ears open , listening for any crunch of the leaves.

you watch as another crawdad swims over near you , digging around in some of the loose dirt. you want to grab it. ohh you want to grab it.

as you go to reach out , you hear the telltale sound of leaves crunching under boots. you’re quick to stand , quietly sprinting over to a sturdy looking tree.

you pull yourself up onto a low branch quickly , listening to the sound of chatter. it’s Mactavish and Ghost. you pull yourself onto a higher branch , not wanting to risk them being able to grab your ankles.

“sh.”

Mactavish stops , sputtering. “don’t tell me to sh-” Ghost places a gloved hand over his mouth , forcing him to be silent.

you move as silently as you can , hopping onto another tree.

“i hear you !” nuh uh emo ! you can’t hear shit.

you stay silent , looking for another tree to hop onto.

“are they in the trees ?” nope. you’re in the breeze. you break off a small branch—it was hanging on by a thread so you could easily snap it. climbing a little higher , you find the perfect tree to jump into. “kid ! i hear you up there !” no you don’t , emo.

“nuh uh !” they come to stand at the base of your tree , staring up at where they think you are.

“Nik wasn’t lying , they really were in the trees.” why would he lie about that ?

“mhmm ! y’all’er (you all are) too heavy to climb up so i can chill up here as long as i want !”

you throw the stick in their direction , hitting Ghost in the forehead. giggling , you leap onto the other tree , holding on tightly. Mactavish is immediately laughing , sputtering about Ghost getting hit. they stay at the base of the other tree as you move.

you lower yourself onto another branch, covered by the Scot's cackling. quickly you leap on to another tree , clutching tightly to the trunk. Ghost just stays silent , shaking his head with a hidden smile. you snap off another small branch , throwing it at Mactavish this time. he gets hit it in ear , hand immediately going up to clutch it. Ghost lets out a surprised laugh , looking in the direction it came from. “did you move ?”

“no..”

“how did we not hear you ?” hm. let’s think about that. maybe , just maybe , it was the maniacal cackles that covered you. but that’s just a theory , a game- they appear at the bottom of your tree , halting your thoughts.

“i’m not coming down.”

Ghost nods , grabbing onto a lower branch. the second he lets the branch support his weight , it snaps , sending him back to his feet.

giggling , you jump to another tree , grabbing on to a branch above you to keep steady. “stop moving around !” no. why would you ?

you climb slightly lower , finding another tree you can leap onto. yelping , you slip. quickly , you grab onto a random branch to steady yourself.

“are you okay !?”

“yeah ! just slipped.” you steady you breath , a head pressing against you heart.

“get down ! yer gonna hurt yourself.”

you jump into another tree. “nope!” looking down , you notice how close you are to the ground , only a few yards up. tilting your head , you debate you options. one; you jump and take off , hoping for the best. two; you stay in the trees , leaping around.

you decide on option one— it’ll be fun.

jumping , you break your fall with a roll again , quickly hopping up and taking off after. you keep to the edge of the pond , not wanting to run between trees again and have one of them get ahead of you.

you can hear them behind you , taking to the trees. they’re quick to catch up to you , practically running on your side.

you turn quickly , running now in the opposite direction along the edge of the pond. you’re breathing heavy , giggles pouring out of your mouth as a wide smile spreads across your face while you sprint. you divert into the trees , hoping to lose them.

you weren’t paying attention to the ground as you ran , causing you to trip over a stray root. your knees hit first , followed by your arms , and then lastly your chin , nose , and forehead. Mactavish comes up behind you , watching as you groan in pain and cradle your nose. your eyes have started to water heavily , “i think i just re-broke my nose !” you whine out , pulling your hands away from your face. they come back bloody.

you lift yourself into a seated position , tilting your head back. “alright , up you get !” Ghost grabs your hands , pulling you to your feet. he grabs your shoulders , holding you steady as he inspects your nose. you close your eyes , trying to ground yourself through the pain.

a finger is suddenly pressed to your nose bridge , causing you to jerk back in pain. “OW ! you fuck !” Mactavish chuckles , watching you swat Ghost’s hands away. your face has scrunched up , your hands coming up to cover it. “oh god ! don’t touch me ! i am in way too much pain for this right now !” you crouch down , knees to your chest as you cradle your face.

your eyes have started watering more , tears steadily flowing down your cheeks. Mactavish crouches down in front of you , hands resting on his knees. “you okay ?” you nod quickly , eyes clenching shut. “mhm. just- gimme a sec. this hurts.” you slowly lower yourself fully to the ground , head coming to rest on your knees.

you sit like that for a few minutes , listening to Ghost speak softly to the team on the walkie talkie. you get used to the pain slowly , eyes clenched shut. standing up , you pull your bloody hands away from your face , sniffling.

Mactavish winces when he sees your nose , causing panic to stir up in you. “what ? what ?”

“just- real bloody s’all , kid.”

you roll your eyes , starting to walk off in the direction you know the starting point is in.

when you finally break through the trees , the first thing that greets you in the concerned faces of the rest of the team. Price is the first to walk up to you , a small towel in hand. he gently sets one of his hands on the back of your head , attempting to hold you steady even as you pull back , uncomfortable. your face scrunches up as he wipes around your nose and mouth , clearing all the blood he can. accidentally , he nudges the bridge of your nose , trying to wipe some blood away.

“OW ! fuckin asshole…” is your immediate reaction to the pain , a small “..sorry..” following after. Price just chuckles , tilting your head every which way to make sure he got everything.

“i’m gonna put some pressure on your nose now , be still.” you whimper lowly in the back of your throat , the sound comparable to that of a wounded dog. Mactavish laughs lightly , a playful frown on his face. “ya sound so pathetic !” his tone is light and teasing.

“i am pathetic-! OW !” you whine again , eyes clenching shut. “fuck ! you asshole ! i’m done ! we’re done !” you pull your head away , hands come up to cover your nose. crouching down , you get as compressed as possible , trying to comfort yourself in any way you know. “fuck this hurts..!”

Price crouches down in front of you , waiting until your gaze lifts to speak. “i think your nose is broken. again.” your eye twitches , a strained smile overcoming your face. “oh really ?!” your eye twitches as you stand , removing your hands from your face. “just- take me to the ER.” you start walking in the direction you know the car is , forcing the team to catch up to you.

the car ride is silent , filled solely with the sound of breathing. you hold the small towel to your nose , soaking up all the blood that continues to drip. during the drive , you thought of a cover story. you knew it would be weird for an American teenager to walk into the ER with a broken nose and 5 grown men following , none sharing your accent.

“who’s my legal guardian ?”

“me.” okay , that makes it easier; Uncle Price , who’s taking care of you while you’re with a new wrestling coach. you broke your nose while wrestling. boom. cover story made up.

should you tell them ? nah…. they’ll catch on sooner or later.

when the car finally parks , Price speaks up , “okay , we need a cover story-”

“i already have one.” you start to leave the car , only to be yanked back in by Price.

twisting around quickly , you swing , clocking him directly in the chin. “dude , what the fuck !” you stare at him in shock for a second before realizing what you did. “..sorry..” you attempt a placating smile but it comes off more like a grimace. Price rubs his chin in a soothing motion while Mactavish and Garrick laugh.

the walk into the hospital was silent , you walking ahead of everyone else. you speed over to the reception desk , surprisingly not having to wait in line. the man there looks up tiredly , taking in your appearance before handing you a clipboard and a packet of papers. Price tries to grab the clipboard but you snatch it away from him , shooting him a glare as you go sit down.

as you all sit , Ghost studies you. he remembers when he first messed with you; he had put a cold water bottle to the back of your neck and all you did was whip around with a glare. you didn’t prepare to swing. you didn’t shriek in fear. and you definitely didn’t shut down like Gaz said you had. you had even teased him back !

obviously , getting kidnapped would fuck you up but.. you seemed fine ? besides the punching when you got grabbed , you seemed perfectly normal. and well , that one time you had bandages covering your neck. but besides all that , you seemed okay.

you notice that Ghost has been staring at you as you fill out your forms , confusing you. slowly , you hand the clipboard to Price while staring Ghost down , telling Price which pages he needs to fill out and complete.

pulling your phone out , you message your mom , telling her that you're in the ER because you rebroke your nose. a call immediately comes through that you quickly decline.

‘i’m in the ER lobby , ill call you when im back on base.’

she tries to call you again but you just silence your phone , putting it back in your pocket. Price’s phone is the next to ring. he pulls it out quickly , reading the name of the caller.

“why is Kate calling me ?”

“because i won’t answer her calls.” you shrug.

“answer her.” he shakes his head , going back to writing.

you shake your head lightly. “no. i told her i’d call her when i’m back on base.”

he huffs , taking his still ringing phone back out of his pocket and tossing it on your lap. “answer her.”

“bitch.” he whips his head towards you , just to see you walking away with his phone up to your ear.

“why did i have to call Pri-“

“dude. i told you i would call you when i was back on base. fuck off.” you roll your eyes , jutting a hip out.

“okay ! i know i did something wrong but i am still your mother-!”

“you are not-!” you take a calming breath. “we are not having this conversation while i’m in the ER , goodbye.” you hang up , quickly walking back over to Price as you scan the room.

you toss his phone in his lap as you sit down.

after a few more minutes , Price finishes filling out the paperwork. he stands , clipboard in hand as he walks towards the receptionist desk , handing the man the paperwork.

after 30 excruciating minutes , your name was finally called , a nurse leading you to a room. you grab Price’s sleeve as you stand , pulling him with you. he pulls back slightly , startled , but you just yank him along. you were not going to be alone with a nurse or doctor.

you space out for most of the process , only paying attention when you had to relay parts of your cover story or when the doctor was speaking. you had to get an x-ray of your face because you refused to let anyone touch your nose unless you were doped up on pain medicine—and for some reason they refused to give you anything , at least until they confirmed your nose was broke.

and as it turns out , you did break your nose again , even worse this time. the doctor told you that when your nose finally healed fully , you would more than likely have to get surgery to straighten it. if you wanted it straightened that is.

a nurse did lecture you while giving you an IV , telling you that you knew better than to wrestle with an already broken bone. you just smiled at her sheepishly in response.

“hey uh.. what’s in the IV ?” you definitely should have asked before.

“hm ? oh , it’s just some liquids. you weren’t dehydrated but you were close so we decided to give to this while giving you some morphine.” you nod lightly.

“and the morphine is for the pain ?”

“for the pain , yes.” she nods slightly , now focusing on drawing up the right amount of morphine.

you watch her as she injects the drug into the IV , ever so slightly uncomfortable. you could feel the liquid traveling into your bloodstream and it’s not a pleasant feeling. they give you around 20 minutes to let the medication start working before they try and set your nose.

the rest of the process is a blur that you don’t remember because the next thing you know , you’re walking out of the emergency room with the team in tow. you stumble slightly over a rock , three different hands reaching out to steady you.

when you make it to the car , Price opens your door , offering a hand to help you in. you take the hand , using it as an extra support while you stumble in.

you buckle up , quickly pulling your knees to your chest and resting your head on them. “hey , no. put your legs down.” you just mumble incoherently , getting more comfortable. “okay , that is not a response , put your legs down.”

“nooo…. im tired. let me sleep…” mumbling , you angel your body towards the window , now laying your head against the seat.

“kid-” Price huffs , shaking his head in exasperation.

soft snores start to leave you , causing Mactavish to chuckle. Price just shakes his head , putting the car in drive and pressing on the gas. the drive back to base is quiet , the team chatting away as low as they could. every time you would move or adjust , they would stop , thinking they woke you up. you never do wake up though , staying sound asleep for the whole ride back to base.

you awaken to Ghost leaning over you , standing outside your door and unbuckling your seat belt. when he leans back you close your eyes , faking still being asleep. you were too tired to walk and it looked like he was already going to carry you. he smirks slightly under his mask , amused.

he knew you were faking being asleep—he caught your eyes close.

shaking his head fondly , he puts his arms under your back and knees , picking you up. he walks steadily with you in his arms , heading towards your room. you fall in and out of consciousness as he carries you , head tucked into your chest.

he opens your door carefully , walking in and heading over towards your bed. he places you down gently , pulling the unmade covers over you. you snuggle into the bed deeper , a content sigh leaving you. Ghost stands quietly , leaving the room and closing your door silently.

———————————-

taglist : @forsakenfrogmaster , @shadowwolf8002 , @sunnyfield

incorrect quotes as a treat cuz this took me a minute

————

Price: you can play with this kaleidoscope i got for you at the airport

reader:*taking it with a scoff* what ? a kaleidoscope , i’m not five- *putting it up to their eye* shapes and colors the likes of which i’ve never seen..

————

reader: *in the waiting room , before getting their nose set* i can feel my bones and it’s fucking nauseating.

the team: *staring in confused horror*

reader: woah ! that was a lot ! sorry you guys !

————

Gaz: *exasperated* why won’t you take the meds ?

reader:*refusing pain meds* because i think that something awaits for me in the divine for resisting.

————

Ghost: Y/N are you high ?

reader: *having just taken their pain meds , on their back , hanging off the common room couch.* am i wha..?

Ghost: high ?

reader: *a bright smile appearing* hiii

————

Kate: *says literally anything*

“how far is Filly ?” Cooper had finally agreed to a break but he didn’t expect to be questioned about every little thing. he should’ve expected it though—of course you’d be curious ! l

“‘bout 3 miles (4.828 km)” you just blink at him , nodding slowly. “you don’t know how far that is , do ya ?” you shake your head , a small smile on your face. Cooper chuckles mockingly , shaking his head. “we’ll be walking for ‘bout another hour” you just nod again , taking a drink from your canteen. “besides , can’t you check with that lil’ watch of yours ?” raising your non-dominant hand , you blink stupidly. you could just check it.

“i forgot about that.” he just hums , leaning back against a dead tree and gazing out at the vast desert. you start fiddling with the map , trying to figure out how to put a pin on Filly. “you ever gon’ tell me ‘bout yer vault ?” you twist a dial , making it zoom in. cocking your head to the side , you twist another dial , making the marker move where you want it. pressing the dial in , you cheer quietly when it places the marker.

“you ain’t payin’ attention , huh ?” you look up , a smile on your face. “what ?” Cooper just shakes his head disbelievingly , an unnoticed smirk on his face. “let’s go.” he starts walking forcing you to catch up. you scramble to pick your backpack up , throwing it over your shoulder as you jog to walk next to Cooper.

after a few minutes , you ask a question that’s been eating away at you. “why won’t you give me my knife back ?”

“because i don’t trust you not to fall ass over teakettle and stab yourself.” you gasp lowly in offense. huffing , you cross your arms over your chest. you so wouldn’t stab yourself ! how rude.

after a few minutes of more walking , you speak up. “so why are we heading to Filly anyways ?” Cooper just pulls a folded piece of paper out of his pocket , handing it over. you take it with a quirked eyebrow , unfolding it and being greeted with a drawn picture of a man and a dog. “a bounty ?” your eyes narrow slightly. Coopers a bounty hunter..

is that why his outfit look so familiar ? have you seen it before ? ..maybe it’s just your brain , helping you cope with all the change.

he hums in confirmation , taking the paper back after you fold it back up.

the rest of the walk is mostly silent , the only sound heard being the music playing softly from your Pip-Boy.

Cooper keeps you close as you walk through the tunnel and down the stairs , making sure to keep you slightly in front of him so he could see your every move.

he corrals you over to the right when you reach the bottom of the steps , handing you a small cloth bag filled with caps. “i’m gon’ be sittin’ right over there.” he points towards a rocking chair. “and you ,” he points towards you now , “you are gonna get some new clothes over there.” he points towards a shop affectionately called ‘Ma June’s Sundries’.

you immediately start to protest , “uh , no , i’m not ! these are comfortable , i’m not changing.” Cooper raise an eyebrow before pushing you in the shop’s direction. “hey-! no. this ,” you gesture down at you vault suit , “is comfortable ! i’m not trading comfortability to blend in or whatever.” he sighs heavily , walking over towards the rocking chair he pointed at and sitting down. you follow him , tossing the pouch into his lap once he sits.

he sucks his teeth , picking the bag back up and holding it out for you. “get new clothes and i’ll give you your knife back.” rolling your eyes, you snatch the bag.

you make your way across the street grumbling in annoyance. but you do make sure to keep an eye on the people around you—making sure you wouldn’t be attacked.

looking into the open door , you peak your head inside before walking fully in , throwing the lady behind the counter a smile as you look around. you walk up to said counter , clearing your throat when you see that she hasn’t noticed you. she looks up , annoyed , before her eyes widen minutely , taking in your vault suit.

“hi ! just want to get some clothes.” you rock back and forth on your feet , smiling. “well i’ll be. a vault dweller in the flesh. thought y’all were dead” she closes the book she was writing in , folding her hands over it. “mhm ! uh- just want some clothes.” the woman hums , nodding her head. “don’t got none.” you nod , now looking around her shop.

“okay.. well do you have any knives or something ?” she huffs a laugh , shaking her head in mock fondness. “go home kiddo.” you lose your smile.

“knives. yes or no ?” you jut a hip out , folding your arms over your chest. she looks at you for a moment before looking back down , reopening her book and continuing to write.

you stare at her in annoyance before huffing and turning away , walking over to another item filled counter. crouching down , you look through the glass , searching for an easily concealable knife. you don’t notice it , but another vault dweller has stepped into the shop , looking around.

“uh- hi there.” you whip around , startled. you quickly take in the newcomers appearance—the clean vault suit she has on. the neat , brown hair she has pulled back in a ponytail. the Pip-Boy she has on her wrist , and the vault-tec backpack she has on her back. a vault dweller , through and through.

Ma June looks up for a quick glance , continuing to write in her book. Lucy takes a few small steps forward , continuing to speak. “i noticed that you have an assortment of Vault-Tec equipment.” Ma June just hums absentmindedly in agreement.

Lucy cocks her head to the side slightly , walking closer to the counter. “and , well , because these items technically belong to Vault-Tec…” she chuckles lightly , trying to make eye contact with Ma June. “it would be safe to assume that you do business with criminals.” that seems to get her attention. Ma June lifts her head , her pen going still.

Lucy is quick to wave her hands placatingly , words falling from her lips. “not judging you !” her hands quickly fall to her sides , her head tilting to the left before straightening. “don’t imagine there’s that many other options up here.” she takes a second , grabbing at the straps of her backpack as she speaks. “but i’m actually looking for one criminal in particular.”

you stay crouched as she talks , watching her with wide eyes.

Ma June finally responds , looking Lucy up and down as she does. “holy shit...” her eyes go from Lucy’s hands to her face. “you’re a born and bred vault dweller.” Lucy nods with a smile on her face , “i am.” Ma June breaks out into wheezing laughter , confusing Lucy. “i thought all you sardine-fucking dip shits were dead. Barv !” she calls for another woman. “get in here ! you got to see this !”

Lucy barrels over the ridicule , continuing her speech. “ma’am , the raider i’m looking for is about five-foot-nine (5’9 - 149cm).” she furrows her brows , unsure. Ma June yells out again to her partner again , “Barv !” but Lucy just barrels over it again. “a woman in her 50s , i think.” her face is scrunched in thought.

“Barv !!” Ma June angles her head toward the other room , looking for her companion.

“goes by the name of Moldaver.” Lucy leans forward slightly.

“Barv , get in here !! you-!” Ma June stops upon hearing the name. she turns her head back towards Lucy , a stern look on her face. she quickly closes her book , putting it under the counter. “get back to your fucking room , Barv.”

Lucy watches as she puts the book away , her eyebrows quirking up. “i take it you know who she is.”

“everyone knows who Moldaver is.” she shakes her head , “get out of here , vault dweller.” Lucy sputters silently for a second , “ma’am , this Moldaver broke into my vault,” she looks away for a moment , “took my dad , and- and killed-“

Ma June interrupts , cutting her off. “and i’m telling you you’re gonna go through a whole lot worse if you stay ‘round here. trust me.” she gestures towards Lucy. “i can tell by looking at you. clean hair.” she shows her teeth , making a clicking sound. “nice teeth.” she leans forward , gesturing towards Lucy’s hands. “and all ten (10) fingers.”

Lucy looks down concerned , like she expects a finger to be sliced off. Ma June just continues , tapping her hands on the counter lightly. “must be nice.”

Lucy just takes it all in stride , “well , i know that it can’t have been easy for you up here , what with all the murder and-and the dirt.” it takes all your strength to not giggle , amused with the complete opposite problems listed. Lucy continues , a desperate look on her face. “but the mission of the vault should be important to everyone.” your eyes roll involuntarily upon hearing this.

Ma June nods imperceptibly , “and why is that ?”

“well- uh.. well , you see , the idea is , um..” Lucy nods her head side to side , a small smile coming and going as she speaks. “that.. we’re going to,” she pause for a second before continuing. “save america.” she finishes with a proud smile while Ma June starts to laugh mockingly.

“and when exactly were you planning on saving america ?” Lucy seems to be at a loss for words , not having an answer for once. “the vaults were nothing more than a hole in the ground for rich folks to hide in , while the rest of the world burned.” Ma June has a small sneer on her face.

Lucy tries to find an answer , mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. she shakes her head lightly , “we vault dwellers recognize , uh” she continues with a small smile now. “and are grateful for the privileged position we were born into , and-“ Ma June cuts her off by putting her rifle on the counter , startling Lucy. “you know what people up here say about the vaults ?” she folds her hands over the gun , staring Lucy down.

“what ?” Lucy looks to the gun before lifting her eyes , meeting Ma June’s. “fuck the vaults.” Ma June lifts both her hands , flicking both middle fingers up with a bright smile on her face. she wiggles her fingers is a wave before leaning back , motioning with her head for the vault dweller to leave.

Lucy stares at her for a second , eyes flicking from the gun to Ma June’s. “okay , well , uh-“ she starts to back away , sending Ma June one last smile. “thank you for your help , ma’am.” Lucy turns away , walking a few steps before turning back and peaking over her shoulder and continuing her pace.

after a few seconds , you stand from your crouched position , startling Ma June lightly. “i thought you left.” you shake your head , pointing down towards the glass case you were standing near. “nope. can i get that knife-“ you’re cut off by a dog barreling into the shop , heading straight for a bowl of meat.

as you become distracted by the dog , Ma June walks out from behind the counter , taking her gun with her as she makes her way out of the shop. “hey-!” she steps out onto the shop patio , taking the scene in.

“you Wilzig ?” the man nods gently , his face tight. “lets get you inside.” she starts to corral Wilzig inside , sneering at Lucy. “i told you to get the fuck out of here.” she goes to step into her shop , only to be cut off by a voice calling out to the scientist.

“Wilzig !”

Cooper stands , beginning his walk over.

as this has been happening , you’ve gotten steadily closer to the dog. holding a hand out once you’re within reach , you let the animal smell you. she does so , giving your hand a small lick once she was done.

reaching up , you start to pet her head , making her ears lightly flop over.

looking to the side , you notice that you have a perfect view of outside the shop—meaning you get front row seats to the small town pausing once Cooper stops. you can just barely make out what he’s saying. “now , you wouldn’t happen to be a doctor , would you ? ‘cause i happen to be lookin’ for one.” ..drama queen. he’s got the whole towns attention though.

Ma June speaks up , unwavering. “you know your kind ain’t welcome here.”

Cooper just lifts a brow , hands clasping his belt. “well.. maybe not. but i’m gonna make myself welcome.”

Cooper starts to shout , looking around and addressing the town. “now ! a few nights ago , a bounty came in through all six agencies !” he turns his head , facing Ma June again. “a hefty price , on the head of a man that fits the description of that fella right-“ he lifts a hand , pointing towards the group. “there.” Lucy looks back at the scientist before straightening herself.

“now , i may not know much , but i do know a bidding war when i see one.” Coopers hand drifts down , resting on the gun at his belt.

Ma June smiles tightly , “maybe. but i’ve been paid a whole lot of caps to provide this man,” she gestures with her head towards Wilzig. “safe transport out of Filly-!” as she moves to raise her gun , Cooper draws , shooting Wilzig right in the shin and severing his foot.

you scramble quickly to get out of view , hiding behind one of Ma June’s counters. peaking your head over , you can see through the window , getting a relatively clear view of the fight that’s about to ensue.

Wilzig hops slightly , reaching down to grab his injured leg.

“i got a thousand (1,000) bottle caps to whoever kills that fucker !!” Ma june has taken cover behind a barrel , holding her rifle steady with both hands. “but you don’t get shit if i kill him first !!”

Cooper spins slowly , letting his gun lead him. he grins wickedly , gazing out at all the desperate fools. just as someone lifts their gun to shoot , Cooper has put a bullet into them. Lucy rushes into the shop after the first shot , catching your attention.

you can hear more shots going off but all you are focused on is the vault dweller. she walks quickly behind the counter , not even acknowledging your presence. she grabs the book Ma June had been writing in , flipping through it as you carefully make your way towards her.

the shots have stopped , concerningly.

suddenly , the dogs starts growling , facing the open door and catching your attention. she suddenly takes off , leaping out of the door. the next sound your hear is pleading coming from a new voice. “no-! no please !” looking back towards Lucy , you crouch down when you notice her looking around , not wanting to be caught.

she suddenly makes her way out of the shop , seemingly deciding something.

silently , you follow her , stopping once you get to the edge of the door and simply watching. she stands tall and firm , her gun drawn but pointed down. “i’m going to have to ask you to leave him alone.”

“now , i acknowledge that im unfamiliar with your circumstances.” you huff out a laugh , shaking your head lightly in amusement. “but, at first glance , your treatment of this man appears unfair , and i’m obliged to intervene.” Cooper hums lightly , tilting his head in what seems like amusement.

Lucy holds the hand not holding the gun out placatingly , “now, if your instinct is to harm me , as a person simply trying to deescalate a conflict , then i’ll have to assume , of the two (2) of you , you are likely the primary aggressor. in which case , i think everyone,“ she looks around , continuing to speak. “in this town would agree that force is justified.” Cooper looks around , taking in the now smoking town. you chuckle softly , making sure to keep quiet. she has guts , you’ll give her that.

Lucy starts to raise her gun , “unless you willingly stand down now.” Ma June looks up at her in pain , “fucking vault dwellers. geez.” Cooper smirks before starting his walk forward , only to be paused by a dart finding its home in his shoulder.

he plucks it from his shoulder , holding it out and examining it. “well , now , that is a very small drop , in a very , very large bucket of drugs.” he tosses it away , making Lucy falter.

he draws a gun , getting ready to shoot when a voice interrupts. “she said stand down , Ghoul.” everyone’s attention is caught by the newcomer—a knight from the Brotherhood. he lands on top of a gutted bus before flying down , landing with a resounding thud.

what really caught your attention was how he said ‘Ghoul’. unnecessary emphasis was put on the word , like it was a name.

the knight thunks forward a few feet before stopping. “Knight Titus of the Brotherhood of Steel. stand down or be cut down.” Cooper takes a second , staring the Knight down before speaking. “you’ve gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me.” he turns to Lucy , cocking his gun. the knight takes off , running to block the bullet. he overdoes it though , deciding to tackle Lucy into the building to protect her.

you take your chance with the distraction , rushing into the back room and being met with a woman relaxing. you can hear more gunshots going off , hitting the suit of armor and doing no damage. “hi.” you wave slightly , a panicked smile on your face.

“hello.” she doesn’t even glance at you , puffing away on a cigar as she holds an open can of beans. “can i um- stay back here for a little ? just until the whole fight blows over ?” you fidget with your hands , motioning as you speak.

“sure.” you nod in thanks , walking over to the table that’s in the middle of the room and pulling a chair out. you sit awkwardly , fiddling with your Pip-Boy and trying to silence the radio. just as you do so , Wilzig is helped through the doorway.

“gonna need a new foot , Barv !” your head whips up , face dropping. “trying to eat my beans , but okay.” you quickly rise from your seat , pulling it out for Wilzig to sit. he yells out in pain as Ma June grabs his injured leg , propping it up on the table. you look at the stub in horror as Ma June squeezes. “i can still make this trip.”

“you’ll be lucky is you can make it to fuckin’ breakfast.” Lucy looks around , taking in the room with a soft smile. “the foot , Barv !”

“i’m lookin’ for the foot !”

“we got a whole crate under the box with the defibrillators !”

“you keep moving things around without telling me !”

Lucy walks over a few steps , “i don’t mean to interrupt but was that a knight ?” she smiles in awe. Ma June looks at her in disbelief for a second before yelling out for Barv again. “Barv !!”

Barv walks in with a box , handing it over to Ma June. “wasn’t under the defibrillators. just sayin’.”

Ma June takes the box , hobbling over and placing it on the table. “i’m sorry for yellin’. been shot in the leg.” Barv just waves her off , walking away. “aw , eh , you’d yell at me either way.” Ma June takes a contraption out of the box , twisting a dial and winding it up. you whip your head away once you see it come to life , not wanting to see the gore.

you can hear the squelches of flesh being sliced apart and the splashes of blood , making you gag. Wilzig yells out in pain , trembling in his seat. Lucy stare in shocked disgust , “holy moly.” she steps away , gaging lightly as her hand come up to cover her mouth. Wilzig continues to yell in pain until the contraption finally comes to a stop , panting as he speaks. “she can take me.” Lucy stares is horror.

he whimpers as Ma June walks away , coming back with a metal foot. you’ve turned back around by now , disgust present on your face. “if you think this little thing can haul your limping ass across the Wasteland , you may not be as smart as people say you are.” you huff out a small laugh , covering it with a cough. luckily , your sound was talked over , meaning you won’t be noticed for another minute. “do you have anyone else you can trust in this town ?!”

“shit.” she shakes her head , looking over towards Lucy. “hey , daddy’s girl !” Lucy looks around confused , “i need ya to take this man here to my client.”

“oh uh , thank you , uh but , i’m really only here to find my dad..” Lucy looks to Wilzig , addressing him. “besides , no offense , but you’re in no condition to travel.”

Ma June speaks up , attempting to convince Lucy. “my client goes by the name of Lee Moldaver.” you perk up—you remember hearing that name. Lucy stares at her in betrayal , tilting her head to the side. “now , you ain’t gettin’ near Moldaver without something to bargain with , and delivering this guy right,” Ma June gestures towards the scientist. “here is your best option.” Lucy looks between them , eyebrows furrowed. “well what does Moldaver want with you ? i mean ,” she throws her hands out at her sides. “she steals dads !”

a laugh breaks out of you , covered by a loud boom. Ma June yells , trying to convince Lucy. “do you want your dad back or not , kid !?” Lucy sputters , looking between them. “gosh damn it , okay !”

she marches over to Wilzig , Ma June taking her Pip-Boy covered wrist and starting to put in coordinates. “now , here. this is where you’re gonna find Moldaver. she and her kind hole up across the Shithole.”

Lucy looks at her Pip-Boy , throughly confused. “what’s the Shithole ?” Ma June doesn’t give a straight answer , walking away to grab something. “uh well , just-just get to the coordinates. you know , rads move pretty quick in and out through here,” Lucy starts to lift Wilzig leg , bringing it to the ground as he whimpers in pain. “so you’re gonna need to move fast if you want to keep your skins.” Ma June comes back with a crutch of sorts and a bag. the scientist stands with Lucy’s help , wobbling slightly. “alright , i can do this.” she takes a bag Ma June has handed to her.

“yes. you can do this , sure you can. you are a vault dweller , true to your word.” Lucy nods , agreeing with the words. “this really , this could.. may-maybe work..”

“you really mean that ?” another explosion goes off , startling everyone.

you take this moment to speak up , knowing the crisis will make them more lenient. “i’m going with.” all heads whip towards you , surprise evident. “cowboy out there kinda kidnapped me , and like,” you shrug , fiddling with your hands. “i’d take any chance to get away.” you attempt a smile.

you really would. you didn’t really feel safe with him after seeing him commit acts of violence like they were nothing.

he didn’t even blink as Wilzig’s foot got severed !

Lucy takes in your appearance quickly—the Pip-Boy and vault suit being the main eye catchers. she nods quickly , a soft ‘okay.’ leaving her.

Ma June rushes over to open the back door , ushering you all out. “go ! get out the back ! hurry !” you’re quick to follow , scrambling to get with the group. walking outside , you look over just in time to see Cooper being thrown by the knight.

the knight sends you all a small nod when he notices you watching , walking away and prompting you all into action. you’re all quick to walk away , taking the long way around to get to the tunnel.

stepping through the tunnel , you hear a man attempting to sell.. something. “serums to energize ! serums to invigorate !” his eyes catch on Wilzig , looking him up and down. “serums to heal your feet.” hearing a noise , you and Lucy both look up , attention grabbed by a suit of power armor flying over. Lucy smiles upon seeing him , attention going back to you and the scientist walking ahead of her. she rushes to catch up , resting a hand on Wilzig’s back to steady him.

——————

you’ve finally decided to rest after walking for miles. “this will have to do.” Wilzig gestures to the structure , hobbling over and sitting down. “it says here we’ve got about 20 miles left to go , how’s your new-“ she looks at Wilzig’s bloody foot , taking in the gore. “oh , oh golly. holy moly.” she crouches by him , pulling her backpack off and swinging it in front of her.

you sit down on Wilzig’s other side , resting your legs and taking a small sip of water. “i’m not going to make it.” Lucy smiles comfortingly , leaning closer to him as she attempts to give him a peptalk. “listen , i don’t know who you are,” she swallows thickly , “or how you know the things that you do , but you are going to get across that wasteland.” she sends him a stern look before smiling again. “and we’re gonna do it together. okay ? that’s a promise.” the scientist starts shaking his head lightly , digging into his pocket. he holds up a small glass bottle , “no , you see , i’ve just taken a cyanide pill.” your head whips over , eyes widening.

Lucy looks at him confused , looking between him and the bottle. “what ?”

“Vault-Tec Plan D.” his hands shake , “it was the most humane product that Vault-Tec ever made. it was quick , painless. t-tasted like banana. i… i was surprised it wasn’t more popular.” he twirls the bottle before letting it drop. Lucy shakes her head slightly just as Wilzig starts to speak again. “people are going to come after you.” he looks towards you for a second , “both of you. you need to move quickly.” he reaches for Lucy’s hands , “you can change the future if you can bring me to Moldaver.”

Lucy tries to smile , not understanding. “but how am i gonna bring you if you’re..”

“no , not my whole body.” he strains to get the words out , “just my head.” you’re eyes widen even further. Lucy angles her ear towards him , mumbling a soft ‘pardon ?’ as Wilzig starts to dig into his bag. he pulls out a saw , unfolding it and powering it on for a second before handing it over. you start to scramble back , taking your stuff with you. “i took the pill so that it would be less taxing for you to go through with it.” Lucy begins to shake her head , refusing. “it’ll be easier if you carry my head instead of dragging my whole body.” she looks away , a disbelieving expression on her face.

“you- you’re asking me to.. just..”

“please. i’m begging you.” he smiles softly. “and this is the only way to get your dad back. i knew i could trust you. you are a vault dweller. but if your going to survive up here…” he takes a deep breath , pushing the words out. “..you need to start acting like a surface dweller.” Lucy shakes her head , looking away. “okay… Ms. Maclean ?” he takes his a final stuttering breath.

“how do you know my name ?” she leans in , trying to make eye contact. “sir ?”.

“..sir..” she scrambles to get up and away , panting.

she walks away a few feet , gazing out at the vast desert and the city buildings ahead. you watch as she walks back quickly , picking the saw up and staring down at the dead body. she activates the saw for a second , contemplating. “okey dokey.” she starts the saw , crouching down.

“you’ll probably want to look away for this.” you nod your head absentmindedly , turning away. you can hear the saw getting to work , tearing through the dead scientists neck. you gag slightly , bringing a hand up to cover your mouth as you clench your eyes shut.

after what felt like an eternity , the saw shuts off , the only sound heard now being panting. you open your eyes , slowly peaking over your shoulder. you’re met with a gruesome scene causing you to whip your head back around and stand up. you can hear Lucy stand as well , head clutched in her hand.

turning slowly , you and Lucy stare at each other for a few minutes , trying to comprehend what just happened. Lucy is the first to start moving , grabbing her pack and pulling it over her shoulders. you kick into gear upon seeing that , starting to walk slowly.

—————————

the walk was grueling but you made it , you’re in Filly. and it only took you 5 hours to walk the 15 miles (24.14km) between your vault and the town ! swerving between people , you make sure to keep a safe distance from them. you don’t want to get pickpocketed or something of the likes.

you’re looking around , head on a swivel as you search for a particular item. approaching a chem trader , you can see that he has the items you were looking for.

you shoot the man a small smile before speaking , “hi.. um.. can i get one of those vials-“ you point to a small vial filled with yellow liquid. “and a uh , stim-pack please.” you finish with another smile , swinging your backpack over your shoulder and pulling a noisy pouch out. the man raises an eyebrow , crossing his arms and leaning back. “two-hundred seventy-five (275) caps.” you nod quickly , pulling 25 caps out of the pouch and dropping them in your backpack—handing him the cloth bag after.

he counts a few of them before pouring the bag out into a metal box , handing the pouch back after. he hands you the yellow vial and the stim-pack , watching as you place the vial into a small tin container and delicately place the tin back into your bag. you shoot him one last smile and a small wave before walking away , making your way out of the town.

your eyes dart around as you leave , making sure nobody was going to get the jump on you. sure , you could protect yourself , but if someone was stronger than you , you were fucked. what you didn’t notice was a ghoul staring you down , contemplating the worth of following you. you had the blue and yellow jumpsuit on and it looked pretty clean so you couldn’t have been on the surface for too long.

——————————————

you were cautious as you walked , more cautious than any vault dweller he’d ever seen. it’s like you could tell he was there , just not where. you kept looking around, clutching tightly to the straps of your backpack , like you were expecting a monster to jump out at any moment. he followed from a safe distance , making sure to keep enough space so you wouldn't hear him.

he grinned when he saw you coming up on a vault door protruding out of the ground. looks like lady luck strikes again.

you looked around carefully , lifting your non-dominant hand that’s connected to your Pip-Boy and carefully starting the process to open the vault. the doors open slowly , prompting him to get closer.

you walk in once it’s opened fully , not turning back once. he waits until the door is closing before he decides to enter. the beeping allowing him to slide in behind you silently as it shuts , locking you both in.

he clears his throat to grab your attention , a fist coming up to mock covering his mouth.

whipping around in terror , your dominant hand falls towards your hip; he can see the small knife you have there , preparing to pull it out at a moments notice.

he stares at you from beneath the brim of his hat , a smirk on his face , hands clutching his belt buckle. “now , what is a young vaultie like you doing up on the surface ? seems irresponsible of ‘em to send a kid up.” your hand hovers over another control panel , one near the elevator. just as you twitch to move , he draws his pistol , aiming directly at you.

you freeze , eyes going wide as you slowly lift your hands. he stalks towards you slowly , taking his time and keeping his pistol aimed on you. you flinch hard when he stands behind you and places the gun to the back of your skull. “call the elevator.” he says it so casually , like he was talking to an old coworker.

you move your hand slowly , placing it gently atop the button to call the elevator up.

the elevator makes its way up slowly , seemingly taking an eternity when in reality it only takes about half a minute.

he pushes you inside first when it finally opens , following closely behind you. you hesitantly make your way to the next control panel , pressing the buttons to make the elevator go down. the ride is quiet , only taking 30 grueling seconds. when the doors finally open , Cooper doesn’t know what he expects but it’s definitely not the growls and snarls of a ghoul turning feral.

he pushes you out first , slowly stepping out alongside you. he can see the way you tense , wanting to run towards the ghoul on the ground.

“my- my name-“ the ghoul is cut off by a pained snarl. Cooper can barely see him , just catching sight of his legs. “i- i’m pro- -tecting my-“ he’s cut off by another pained growl , legs jerking and kicking out. he barely has time to grab you before you're taking off , running in the direction of the ghoul.

he holds you tight to his body , lifting you so your feet can’t find purchase on the ground. you kick about , trying to get free. “hey-! stop! let me go !” you kick your legs out , bucking your hips to try and throw him off balance. “kid ! stop , stop ! you can’t-“ you throw your head back , trying to hit his chin hard enough to shock him.

it works.

you break free , running towards the ghoul on the ground.

skidding to a stop on your knees , you hastily pull your backpack off.

digging through the bag quickly , you pull out a small tin box. Cooper comes to stand a few feet away , pistol at the ready. your hands shake as you open the container , grabbing an inhaler and a small vial of yellow liquid.

you quickly pop the vial in the inhaler , lifting it to the ghoul’s mouth and pressing the plunger.

he breaths in deeply , inhaling the drug that keeps him sane. after a moment , his breathing stutters , a groan cutting off what he was about to say.

he’s turning , quickly , and the vials won’t do anything to save him. Cooper is quick to pull you away , his strength overpowering yours. you scream as you’re lifted , attempting to break free again. he quickly throws you behind him , listening to the clatter of your body hitting the floor.

you let out a harsh cough , getting to your knees quickly.

BAM !

your head shoots up , catching sight of the bloody scene. the ghoul is dead , a bullet through the skull. you scream , slipping as you attempt to get to your feet. you use your hands to catch yourself , pushing up as you slip in his direction.

you’re on your knees , hands shaking as you grab his body. you cradle the dead ghoul in your arms , sobbing softly. Cooper just stares at you , watching as your life comes crumbling down. he walks away slowly , the spurs on his boots alerting you to his departure.

he searches through the vault , finding nothing out of the ordinary. the only weird thing was the missing people—there was absolutely nobody else here. but if he had cared enough to search the apartments further , he would have seen that two were occupied.

instead , he makes his way to the cryo stations.

when he walks into the room he’s surprised. he finds each and every cryo pod empty and opened. he skims the names lightly , searching. his eyes pass over your name but he doesn’t consciously acknowledge it.

finding nothing of use , he leaves , walking back to where he came from.

when he arrives , he sees that you’ve moved but not by much. you’ve placed yourself sideways in the lap of the dead ghoul , wrapping his arms around yourself in a hug you’d never receive again , as your cry softly into his chest. you throw a glance towards Cooper when you hear his spurs , tensing up.

you don’t move as he walks closer , crouching down in front of you. “you gon help me get out or do i gotta force ya ?” you stare at him with unseeing eyes , blinking softly. “alrigh’.” he claps his hands on his knees , standing up. he drags you up with him , pulling you behind him as he walks to the elevator.

your feet drag as you follow , walking slowly behind him. he pushes you towards the call buttons , waiting.

slowly , you lift your hand , pressing the correct button. you feel like you’re underwater; everything is a blur and you can barely hear anything other than the blood rushing in your ears.

he pushes you in once the elevator opens , making you stumble. you walk slowly over to a corner , sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor. he steps in behind you , pressing one of the buttons to make the elevator go up.

the ride up is a blur. Cooper decides to fill the silence by whistling a small tune , glancing at you every now and then. you just stare forward , knees pulled up to you chest with your head resting against the wall.

when the doors open he pulls you up again , dragging you over to the control panel that’s connected to the vault door. he pushes you in front of it , waiting.

slowly , you start the process to open the door.

when he leaves , he’s surprised that he doesn’t hear the vault close. instead it stays wide open , filling him with unease—raiders and the likes would be free to get in and who knows what they would do to a kid like you.

he stares back at the vault , contemplating his choices. he could leave you , let the raiders do what they’d like , or , he could take you with him and protect you until he could leave you somewhere safe.

his heart wins in the end.

walking back in , he sees you curled up on the ground , trembling. making his way over , he crouches down in front of you , cocking his head to the side. you slowly lift your head , gazing up at him with hatred. suddenly , he’s knocked onto his back , hat falling off.

you’re on top of him immediately , fists raining down on his face. baring your teeth , you snarl at him as you struggle to use you knees to pin his arms. if he still had a nose , it would’ve been smashed in the second you laid your hands on him.

the hits hurt causing a pained groan to leave Cooper.

“goddammit-!”

he finally wrestles his arms out from under your sharp knees , grabbing your wrists tightly. it doesn’t stop you , if anything it makes you madder.

you jerk about , slamming your knees down onto his shoulders. screaming , you jump up , standing as tall as you could with his hands around your wrists. you lift a booted foot high , raising it over his head. just as you’re about to bring your heel down , Cooper throws his arms back , tossing you.

the second he’s free , he’s standing up and placing his hat back on his head.

you land on your back with a thud , the air being knocked out of you. coughing , you roll onto your stomach and slowly lift yourself. you rise to your knees first , lifting your head and gazing up at him with wide eyes. you’re quick to catch your breath , jumping up to your feet.

Cooper pulls his pistol out , pointing at you. you just bare your teeth as you run at him. appearing in front him within seconds with your fist pulled back in preparation-

BONK !

THUD !

you fall. hard.

he hit you in the temple with the butt of his gun , knocking you clean out. he stares at you for a long moment , debating if he really was going to take you with him.

throwing his head back with a groan , he starts to lift your body , throwing you over his shoulder.

he walks with you over his shoulder for hours , not stopping until the sky has started to darken. and even then , he continues down the road until he comes up on a mostly intact , abandoned gas station. he’s quiet as he walks through the building , one arm wrapped around your back , keeping you steady on his shoulder. the other arm holding his pistol , letting that hand lead him through the building.

when he finally confirms that the building is empty he begins to set up camp , placing you gently onto the ground of a gutted bathroom. he can see the faint swelling on your temple , a brutal bruise just waiting to appear.

he quietly starts a fire , putting a radroach he caught earlier on to cook.

you wake slowly , a palm coming up to massage your throbbing temple. your eyes stay closed , clenched tightly as you slowly rise.

you start to yawn , mouth hanging open when your eyes suddenly snap open , wide with fear. head snapping to the side , you stare the ghoul down. your hand quickly darts towards your waist , coming up empty.

your eyes snap down , looking down at your hips for your weapon. “lookin’ for somethin’ ?” he twirls the knife you were searching for in his hands , not even looking at you.

your eyes snap up before quickly snapping down again , seeing that your hands are untied. Cooper can see where your thoughts go , bringing the knife up to point it at you sternly. “aye. don’t try nothin’ , i’m not against tyin’ you up.” you narrow your eyes at him , slowly maneuvering your body the rest of the way up.

you sit crisscross across from him , staring at him with a poorly concealed glare. “now , do you wanna explain to me why nobody was in that vault of yours or do i gotta start guessin’ ?”

you take a deep breath , rolling your eyes. “guess.”

“hm.. well , i’m guessin’ that somethin’ broke into yer vault , but see , now , that just doesn’t look quite right. so why don’t you tell me.” he points the small knife at you as he speaks , enunciating his words.

“does it really matter ?” you look around , taking in the four walls. you don’t see much , just some broken bottles in the corner and a fire in the middle of you both. the ghoul sits partially in front of your only way out; the door. looking closer , you realize you were in a gutted bathroom , no windows in sight.

the ghoul hums , “y’know. i heard there was a management vault doin’ them experiments on the vaultie’s ‘round here.” he raises a brow , looking at you knowingly.

“i don’t think it’s any of your business , quite frankly.” pulling you knees up , you lay your head on them.

“well since we’re gonna be travelin’ together , we might as well get to know each other.”

a laugh comes out involuntarily , “yea- ha ! you’re funny !” you have a sarcastic smile on your face , “we’re not traveling together.”

he stares at you in amusement , nodding his head slowly. “and how are you gonna get by , huh vaultie ?”

you shrug , “i’ll probably die. not my problem.” starting to stand up just to abruptly stop , a dizzy spell hitting you.

“fuck.. you hit me hard..” you massage your head , eyes clenched shut tightly. you fold yourself over slightly , an arm wrapped around your waist as nausea strikes your stomach suddenly.

“oh , you’re fine.” he waves your complaints off.

you flip him off , “suck a dick.”

he chuckles , watching as you straighten yourself. “why don’tcha sit down.” you don’t reply for a moment , stretching yourself out. “nah. where’s my bag ?” he shoots you a questioning look. “what bag ?”

you groan , “ughh you asshole.. you kidnap me and you don’t even grab my backpack.” you start to ramble , feeing the need to get on his nerves. “y’know ! i had so much in there; like 30 caps , at least. 6 Stim-Packs at the bare minimum , a lot of Buffout , a good few syringes of Psycho , a few of Med-X , and like , at least 2 bags of Rad-Away. not to mention the clothes and food i had !” you list off quickly , bringing a hand up to count them on you fingers.

he quirky a brow , “didn’t know i had a little drugie on my hands.” you just roll you eyes , “more like a drug dealer.” that gets a chuckle out of him.

“alright , well this has been… fun.. but i’m gonna-” you click your tongue , clapping your hand together. “get goin’.” he nods , watching as you walk past him.

he doesn’t get up until he knows you left , bringing his lasso with him as he walks outside. he sees you only a few yards away , debating. “you gon’ come back in ?”

it’s dark out , too dark to safely walk. huffing , you walk back into the gas station. “i’ll leave tomorrow.” Cooper just hums , an amused expression covering his face.

as you step back into the room you woke up in , you spot your backpack leaning against the wall. you couldn’t see it earlier because the ghoul was sitting in front of it , blocking your view. quickly , you grab it , only to have it snatched from your hands.

“hey !” you go to grab it again , the ghoul holding a hand out to stop you.

“i still gotta look through that.”

“i literally told you what i had !”

he looks at you with a brow raised , a knowing look on his face. “and you coulda been lyin’ , i’m going through the bag. you can have it back after.” you groan , walking back to the corner you woke up in.

“you suck.”

he just hums , dumping your bag out. all the items clatter to the ground. your weapons are immediately taken from the pile , being put safely in the ghouls saddle bag. you roll your eyes when you see him pocket a few Jet inhalers and Psycho syringes , becoming silently salty as you’d no longer be able to make the caps from those. he rifles through your things , putting all the clothes and caps back into you bag. he places your food , water , and the rest of your chems on top , holding the bag out to you after.

you snatch it from him quickly , a glare present on your face.

“now , why don’t you tell me ‘bout that vault of yours.” you ignore him , fiddling around with you Pip-Boy. you start the radio , ‘Uranium Fever’ starting to blast from the tiny speaker. wincing , you turn the volume down to a respectable level.

“turn that off.”

“no.” his eye twitches in annoyance.

you lay down , facing the ghoul and putting your bag under your head. you watch him as he eats the radroach that had been cooking. he offers you some but you decline , deciding you’d eat later. the music plays softly from your Pip-Boy , relaxing you. slowly , your eyes start to fall closed , the pull of unconsciousness becoming too strong.

8 years before the war. (you’re 6-7-ish)

you’re spinning in your momma’s office chair , bored out of your mind. your parents decided to take you to work today , saying that they wanted you to meet some people and introduce you to their coworkers. you didn’t want to meant their coworkers though ! you wanted to play outside and read !

the door opens suddenly , your mom walking in with a little girl following her. she has her hand on the young girls back , looking down at her as she speaks lowly. you spin one last time , stopping to look at her. “mama ! ugh-” you lean back , “i’m so boredd.”

“well it’s a good thing i’ve got a friend for you !” you perk up , excited as you look at your new friend. “this here-” she pushes the little girl forward slightly , hands resting gently on her shoulders. “is little Janey Howard. she’s just a year younger than you so i expect you to treat her with kindness.” she points a playfully stern finger at you as you hop up , bouncing over. “hi !” you wave a hand at her before sticking it out for a handshake , “my names Y/N L/N ! c’mon ! let’s go play ! i know the best places !” you grab one of her hands , gently pulling her behind you as you rush out of the room.

she giggles as she follows after you , swerving between adults. you almost make it outside before a middle-aged woman stops you.

Janey lets out another giggle upon seeing her , waving her unoccupied hand at the new person. “hi mommy !” after learning who the woman was , you wave as well , a bright smile on your face. “well , hi there , sweetheart. did Mrs. L/N introduce you two already ?” you both nod , smiles getting even brighter.

Mrs. Howard , as you now know , crouches down in front of you both , a smile tugging at her lips. “you two going to play ?” you nod quickly.

“i’m taking her to my favoritest place ! it’s just outside ! there’s this like , big-” you throw your arms up , trying to show just how big the object you were talking about is. “-willow tree ! it’s so pretty ! i love going under there to read !”

Mrs. Howard smiles , “well , i’ll let you two get to it then , have fun sweetie.” Mrs. Howard places a hand atop Janey’s head , gently moving some hair out of her face. as she walks away , Janey tugs you along , “c’mon ! i wanna see the tree !” you giggle , taking the lead again.

you awaken slowly , a small smile on your face. you missed Janey. she was an amazing friend , better than anyone you could’ve ever asked for. you just wish you had more time together.

“mornin’ sleepin’ beauty.” you groan , rolling over to look at the ghoul. you stare at him for a few seconds , blinking the sleep out of your eyes.

you sit up slowly , rubbing your eyes. looking around , you see that the fire had been put out long ago. “did you sleep at all ?”

“nope.” you narrow your eyes , “so you watched me sleep ? weirdo.”

“now , i didn’t watch you sleep , don’t be gettin no weird ideas. i made sure no raiders snuck up on us.” you nod , standing up slowly and stretching yourself out. picking your bag up , you step over the burnt out fire , stretching your arms above yourself now. “and just where do you think yer goin’ ?”

“to take a piss ? why , you wanna watch ?” you’re sarcastic comment is definitely not appreciated as you go to walk out of the room.

he scoffs , “git.”

you chuckle , leaving the room with your pack in hand. the best way to get an adult off your back is to make them uncomfortable. works every time.

well , it used to. now it’s a 50/50 shot.

you step out of the building , quickly looking every which way. pulling your arm connected to your Pip-Boy up , you pull the map up and study it. you needed to get back to Filly , but it was at least a 4 hour walk away, maybe even a 7 hour walk if you took too many breaks. you’re quick to take off , running in the direction you now know Filly is in. you can hear clatter behind you as you get further away.

hopefully he didn’t realize you were gone yet.

he knew you would take off the second that sarcastic comment left your mouth , it was obvious in your eyes; the way they shifted about as you spoke and tried to cover up your anxiety with mocking remarks. he stood slowly , gathering all of his items as he thought about what to do.

he didn’t understand why he wanted to keep you safe—maybe you reminded him of his Janey but... that didn’t seem right. he felt like he knew you. he had to.

somehow , he knew you from before the war. he just didn’t know who you were. and he didn’t like not knowing. especially when it could do with his family.

he steps out of the gas station slowly , gazing both ways before spotting you. “where ya goin ?!” he yells out at you , watching you jolt and speed up. “to piss !” that startles a hearty laugh out of him.

he starts to lightly jog , catching up enough to rope you.

he pulls his lasso off his belt , slowly getting ready to snatch you up. starting to spin the noose end of the rope , he rises it above his head before he jerks his arm out , letting the rope fly. it lands directly around you , stopping you in your tracks. “fuck..” you’re jerked back abruptly , falling straight on your ass.

“ow !” you attempt to get the rope off you , being unable to because of the tightness. you’re slowly dragged towards him , jerking about like a foal learning to walk.

once he drags you all the way to him , he speaks up , looking down at you mockingly. “where ya goin ?”

you smile lightly , “to piss.” he hums in response , pulling you up. “awful far away.” he ties your hands together with the lasso , pulling you behind him. you groan , dragging your feet as he tugs you along.

the walk is mostly silent , the only noise heard being the music coming from your Pip-Boy. you hum along to some of the songs , bobbing your head slightly as you look around.

“so.. uh , why did you kidnap me ? you don’t seem like the pedophile type.” you tilt your head to the side , watching as he stops and turns his head towards you abruptly. “what did you just say ?”

“you don’t.. seem like the pedophile type..?” you shoot him a questioning look , is he offended ? oh gods , is he offended you don’t think he’s a pedophile ? he shakes his head in disbelief , jerking you forward and continuing to walk.

“i am not a pedophile.”

“that is literally what i just said !” you throw both your hands out as you speak.

the ghoul quickly diverts the topic. “you got’a name , kid ?”

“Y/N L/N.” he stops , making you walk into his back—you hadn’t been paying enough attention to where you were going. muttering a small ‘sorry’ , you step back a few paces.

he turn towards you slowly , a soft look you hadn’t seen before in his eyes.

he studies you for a moment before getting closer , causing you to step back. abruptly , he pulls you into a hug , startling you greatly. “..okay.. let’s just-” you slowly try and pry yourself from his hold , greatly uncomfortable.

“oh kiddo.” his voice is soft , softer than you’ve ever heard. an old memory suddenly appears in the forefront of your mind suddenly. an old memory of Janey’s dad.

7-ish years before the war , 7 months after you met Janey.

you and Janey had been playing tag outside her house when you’d suddenly tripped , scraping your knees.

you cry out loudly , Janey falling to her knees next to you. “are you okay ?!” you nod softly , humming in affirmative , tears welling in your eyes from the painful sting. “i’ll go get my daddy ! stay here !” you sniffle , nodding again.

she comes back quickly , dragging her dad by the hand behind her. “-they got hurt , daddy ! we were just playing , and they tripped , and got they hurt , and ! and-!” you’ve pulled your shorts up slightly to expose your knees to the air , lightly wiping the rocks and debris away with hiccuping breath.

“hey , hey , it’s okay sweetie , mistakes happen.” he crouches down in front of you , pulling your attention away from your knees. your tears have started to fall slowly , sniffles being let out every now and then. there’s blood slowly dripping down your legs , almost reaching your ankles.

“oh kiddo.” he picks you up gently , uncaring for the blood that gets on him as he places you on his hip. he walks back into the house with Janey following quickly behind. he makes his way through the house quickly , a hand rubbing up and down your back comfortingly.

he steps into the bathroom , placing you gently atop the counter. Janey stands idly by the door , watching. Mr. Howard pulls out a bottle of antiseptic before pulling a few bandages out , making you whine lowly in the back of your throat. “i know , i know. it’ll hurt but you’ll feel better after , i promise , kiddo.” he pats your calf lightly , telling you to sit sideways and put your knees over the sink.

you do as told , clenching your eyes shut tightly. Janey slowly walks over , grabbing one of your clenched fists to comfort you. you release your tight hold on the counter , flipping your hand to hold hers.

you whine loudly as Mr. Howard pours the antiseptic on your scrapes , tears falling quicker. “i know , i know.” Mr. Howard tries to comfort you , grabbing a clean washcloth.

he wets the cloth , slowly dragging it over your knees and shins to clean off any dirt , debris , or blood . you whine loader , a hiccup getting caught in your throat as your legs unconsciously jerk.

“it’s okay , kiddo. i’m almost done.” his attempts at comforting you just go in one ear and out the other.

he places a few bandages over the scraps , wiping the tears from your eyes after.

you take a few minutes to breathe steadily and collect yourself , kicking your legs out to stare at the band-aids. “thank you , Mr. Howard !” you smile lightly , hopping off the counter and being pulled back outside by Janey.

“M-Mr. Howard.” your voice cracks. it can’t be him. it just can’t be.

“hey kiddo.” you latch onto him as best as you could with your hands still tied , sobbing out quietly. he holds you tightly , trying to provide as much comfort as he possibly could. pulling back slightly , he loosens the lasso around you wrists , letting it fall limply to the ground. immediately , you wrap your arms fully around him , holding on tight.

you squeeze your arms around him tight , trying to convince yourself that this was real , that he was actually there.

it take a good minute for you to calm down but Cooper just holds you. he cradles you in his arms , holding you softly as your sobs slowly become less frequent.

———————————————

i’ve gotten back into fallout :3

Ghost wasn’t lying when he said he would set up his Xbox.

you were currently sitting crisscross on the common room couch , a controller in hand , playing Minecraft. you were having fun , running around in a plains biome and looking for a place to build a house. you wanted to find an area near a body of water—it would be easy food. right when you finally find a spot , Mactavish walks in , followed by Garrick.

you don’t look over , staying focused on the screen.

you can see them out of the corner of your eye walking over to the couches , coming to sit near you. Mactavish decides to sit on your left , Garrick sitting on the loveseat on his left. instead of moving , you just pull your legs up , resting your head on you knees. you pull the controller in front of you , continuing to place blocks. you only acknowledge their presence when Mactavish starts to whine.

“awhh Ghosty got ta ya first.” you side eye him , judgement visible. he sprawls out beside you , taking up as much room as he could. you shimmy your body to the right , making distance between you and him. Garrick chuckles lowly , seeing the judgment on your face.

you don’t say anything , going back to the game.

you had put down a double chest , a furnace , and a crafting table already. placing a bed , you set your spawn. you dump all you items into the chest , grabbing your essentials after. you decide to go mining after placing down a few saplings.

“so what’re ya doing , kiddo ?” Garrick speaks up this time.

“playing Minecraft.” pulling your pickax out , you start to make a staircase down.

“hmm. well , you’ll have to stop soon , lunch is in an hour.” you hum in acknowledgment , nodding your head.

they watch as you play until lunch time comes. watching you wander around cave systems and mine any ores you see. Mactavish would sometimes pipe up , telling you when you missed an ore vein. you’re in the cave for the whole hour , getting more than enough diamonds to make a set of armor and tools. you make them wait until you’re back on the surface to leave for lunch.

you walk between Mactavish and Garrick , being led to a new place. you’re corralled into a large garage , a beautiful helicopter in the center. you start to wander over but are stopped just a few feet away by Mactavish , who cups your arm. gently , you remove your arm with a subtle glare , scratching the spot he touched.

you’re led over to a wall of tool tables , filled and empty chairs scattered around. your eyes lock onto your food , two bags being placed on one of the tables. you grab them both , sitting on a rolling stool after. when you look up , your eyes catch on a new face , freezing you in place for a moment.

you’re screaming , thrashing around. you’re being held gently against a sturdy body , soothing words you can’t understand being whispered in your ear. you’ve started to sob louder now , eyes shut tight.

you hear a helicopter’s blades swinging over your sobs , causing you to cry harder. you feel small , smaller than you have in awhile.

you don’t know what’s happening , where you are. all you remember was hearing loud gunshots before losing consciousness. and now you’re being transported somewhere.

when you feel your body being lifted , you open your eyes , coming face to face with Price. you cry out , grabbing onto him tightly. he freezes for a moment , surprised by you suddenly latching onto him. he kicks into gear quickly , gently holding you.

he lifts you softly , walking with you in his arms to the front of the helicopter.

he sits , placing you on his lap while letting you see the pilot. he helps to calm you down , helping you get your breathing back under control. you can feel him lightly rocking you in his arms. gently rubbing a hand up and down your back.

he whispers a name you don’t catch , pointing towards the pilot. he has slightly long black hair that’s slicked back , stubble covering his chin and cheeks. sunglasses cover his eyes. he waves a hand towards you , nodding his head in greeting. he has a gentle smile on his face , comforting you.

you look away , swallowing heavily. Price catches your eyes , smiling. he nods his head over to the new face , “that’s Nikolai , our pilot.” you nod , waving at him with a soft smile.

you focus on eating , wanting to go back to playing Minecraft. conversation goes on around you; Garrick tries to include you once just to be met with your unblinking eyes. no one else tries to converse with you after that , leaving you to eat in silence.

you finish first once again , being forced to wait. you don’t have to wait long though , Ghost finishes a few minutes later. he doesn’t move to leave , instead he starts to talk. you look at him with narrowed eyes , debating asking him to walk you.

you don’t.

you stand up , bringing your garbage with you—you saw a garbage can near the door you came in from.

“where are you going ?” you throw a glance over your shoulder , seeing Price stare at you with narrowed eyes.

“to throw my garbage away ?” you hold up the garbage with a ‘duh’ look on your face. he rolls his eyes , waving you off.

throwing your garbage away , you toss a look over your shoulder , seeing no eyes on you. smirking , you move slowly towards the door opening it gently; it luckily stays silent. you open the door just enough to get through. not bothering to close it , you start running quietly through the halls.

you don’t know where you’re going , just taking turns randomly. anytime you see anyone , you slow down , walking past them before running again.

suddenly , your phone buzzes , a call coming in.

you slow down to a stop. pulling your phone out of your back pocket , you see it’s a call from a random number. you decide to pick it up on the off chance it’s your Ma.

“hellloo..”

“Y/N where are you-?!” you hang up.

how did Price get your phone number ?

he calls back.

you let it ring.

a minute passes in silence , you staring at your phone in poorly concealed horror.

he calls again and this time you pick up.

“yess..” your tone is teasing , almost mocking.

“where are you ?!” you look around.

“hm. y’know. that is a good question. where am i ?” you sound even more mocking and you know it but you are wondering where you are !

“Kid ! this isn’t a joke ! where are you ?” he’s not yelling per say , just talking loud.

“i don’t know ! i started taking turns randomly at some point… or , well , the whole time , but technicalities-”

“kid. what’s around you.”

“doors. uhh no names or numbers or anything. just blank , gray doors.”

“..doors ? god , that’s no help. okay , start walking and tell me what you see.”

you listen , starting to walk. “doors. bro it’s just doors. i’m in an endless corridor of doors!” you spin around , trying to find a sign. you can barely hear him mutter a ‘bro’ incredulously under his breath , making you smile. “some of the lights are flickering though. if that helps.”

someone says something to Price that you can’t quite catch. “-okay. stay put , Nik says he can find you.”

“and take me to the common room ?”

he sighs exasperatedly , “and take you to the common room.”

all Price hears before you hang up is a small ‘yipppie!’.

you stay in place , sitting on the ground.

Nikolai finds you after just a few minutes , coming from the right. you stand with a light smile , walking up to him. he doesn’t say anything , just gesturing for you to follow with a fond smile.

the whole walk goes by in silence , just the tapping of feet being heard.

Nikolai doesn’t leave immediately , walking with you over the couch. he leans against the back while you sit down. picking up the controller , you turn the Xbox on. leaning your head back against the couch , you gaze up at him with wide , unblinking eyes. he stares down at you for a moment before speaking , “you are welcome in my garage anytime , i would be happy to show you around.”

you nod in response , a small smile on your face. he taps the back of the couch twice before leaving you alone.

you decide to continue playing Minecraft , enjoying the pointlessness of it. you go back to the mines , gathering a lot of deepslate for your roof. it takes awhile to get the three (3) stacks.

an hour or so goes by with you building your house in silence. you got half-way through before you were interrupted by somebody appearing. The Goth , owner of the Xbox you’re playing on. you pause , staring at him , seeing what he’d do.

he sits in the loveseat , pulling his phone out. he doesn’t say anything , doesn’t even acknowledge you as he sits there.

you go back to mindlessly playing Minecraft.

you finally finish building the outside of the house , now getting started on the interior. it’s fairly basic. you have a kitchen area with all your furnaces and a crafting table , a small storage room lined with double chests , and a basic bedroom. you’ve just placed your bed and set your spawn when more faces enter the room; Nikolai and Price.

you make an effort to not acknowledge them , only shifting left on the couch to make room. they sit next to you on the couch , chatting away. you don’t listen to them , instead focusing on sorting your storage room. you’re very particular about where things go. making sure all woods are in one chest , all nature items like flowers and seeds go in another , all ores going in one chest , everything else you got from mining in another , and your miscellaneous items in their own chest. you’re so focused on finishing the sorting that you don’t hear Price talking to you , only realizing when he waves a hand in front of you.

you pause the game , looking over at him. “hey , you have a call coming up so you’re gonna have to stop playing.” you scowl lightly , leaving the game.

Price is the only one to walk with you as he leads you to his office.

the door is left open as you both walk in. you head straight towards his desk , where a laptop is placed. Price follows close behind you , pulling the chair out for you to sit. he sets the laptop up quickly , getting a group video call started.

you watch as he leaves , not noticing the call has started. “hey , sweetheart.” you head rockets down , coming face to screen with your moms. your eyes light up , face visibly softening. “Ma !”

“hi , baby.” her face is soft , eyes kind. “how’ve ya been ?” you’re immediate response is a drawn out groan , falling backwards in the desk chair your sitting in. “i’m so boredd…” you perk up , a mischievous smile on your face. “i have stared to explore the base though ! haven’t found much.” you shrug. Kate takes this as an opportunity to interject , “i’ve heard about that.” you roll your eyes. “you can’t be doing that , i know-” you interrupt her.

“oh my godd…” you groan , “i’ve had literally nothing to do , they’ve been taking me around to do their jobs.” rolling your eyes , you bring a hand up , mocking talking. “blah blah blah , i shouldn’t run around , i don’t care honestly. i am so fucking bored. just yesterday , i was finally allowed to have fun because Garrick let me use his switch. so yes mother , i am going to run around the base and make them search for me. it’s fun” you’re not normally this rude , but Kate doesn’t get to parent you anymore. she didn’t act like a parent when she plotted to get you kidnapped , so she doesn’t get to tell you what to do.

Robin chuckles , “y’know , i’ve heard about that too,” her face is visibly amused “i think it’s good for the boys to search for ‘em , it keeps their minds young.” you hold back a laugh , letting her finish. she perks up , “oh Kate! i have been meaning to talk to you about this and it’s a perfect time ! Y/N’s here and it is about them.”

Kate raises an eyebrow , letting her wife continue. “i was thinking. we know how Y/N likes being active , and we know they’re bored. so i thought , why don’t we have John drop ‘em off in a wooded area-” you light up , practically vibrating in your seat. Kate interjects , “no-” just to be spoken over. “AND have the boys look for ‘em after like 5 minutes.”

you quickly speak up , “i , for one , think this is an amazing idea !”

“we should talk about this alone , Robin.” your eyes roll subtly.

the rest of the call is awkward. Kate tries to make normal conversation with you , acting like the last call didn’t happen. you ignore most of her questions , only responding to the more simple ones. you converse more with Robin , chatting away with her. the call only ends when Price walks in , telling you it was time to eat.

walking side by side with Price , you realize you don’t know where you're heading. after numerous turns , Price opens a door , leading you outside. you follow him towards a large tree , being met by the rest of the team sitting down and eating. Mactavish sends you a smile when he sees you , patting the spot next to him.

you sit next to him , only because he has your food in front of him. he slides the bag in front of you once you settle.

opening the bag , you’re met with fast food ! yippie !

your face lights up , smile wide. you quickly start eating , finding that the food is still warm. looking around the group , you find amused and fond faces , making your smile drop.

you keep your eyes to yourself for the rest of the meal.

surprisingly , you don’t finish first , Mactavish does! he crumbles his garbage , continuing to chat with the group. when you finish , he takes your garbage from you , crumbling it up with his. throwing a subtly glare his way , you bring your knees up in front of you , wrapping your arms around them. you’re able to sit still for a few minutes before your feet start tapping.

you look around the group , seeing nobody paying attention to you. slowly , you start shifting backwards , attempting to escape. “what are you doing ?” fuck you and your russian accent.

the conversation around you dies down , all eyes focusing on you.

you shrug your shoulders , whispering, “nothing..” Nikolai hums , watching you with an amused glint in his eyes. you curl in to yourself slightly , scrunching your neck to hide behind your knees.

Mactavish decides to save you , “do ya want me to walk ya to bed ?” you nod , quickly standing and wiping your pants off. he chuckles as he stands , taking the garbage with him. you start to walk , forcing him to catch up to you.

you make it halfway to the door before he catches up to you. he keeps silent as you walk , throwing the garbage away in the trash near the door. the walk to your room is peaceful , only the sound of tapping feet filling the space. you make it to your room within a few minutes.

stepping into your room , you leave Mactavish without saying anything. you change into comfortable clothes quickly. waltzing over to your bed after , you plop down , quickly getting comfortable. slowly , you fall asleep , the pull of unconsciousness being too strong. 

———————————

Price only has readers number because he told Kate about you running around and that was the only thing she could do to help :3

also Nikolai !!! i’ve been wanting to add him in for a while now and thought this would be the best way !

next chapter is gonna be reader being feral in trees and the team being lowkey scared

you were bored. you weren’t allowed to use any social media , not even youtube , so you had no ways to entertain yourself. you couldn’t even talk to your friends ! all messages got rerouted.

you hadn’t talked to mom in over a week now , not even a single text. she probably expects you to contact her first but you wouldn’t. she hurt you. a lot. you need to process everything before even seeing her again , otherwise you’d have a whole meltdown. every time you even think about her , you have an urge to hurt something. it terrifies you , you don’t want to hurt your mom , but you get an overwhelming urge to whenever you think of what happened.

it makes it more difficult to process things , so you haven’t been. just pushing everything to the back of you mind. it’s worked , for the most part. your mind is calm enough and you don’t want to hurt anyone else , so you call that a win.

the team is still making you eat with them , mostly in Price’s office but sometimes in the mess hall. it’s tedious ; they want a conversation you refuse to give. you barely talk unless you were insulting someone , just muttering when you need to.

you can tell it unsettles them , tempting you to continue. you can see how their insecurities take over when you look them up and down, silently debating whether you should answer. and at this point , it’s become your entertainment. fucking with the team has become something you look forward to.

like now , you opened the door to see Price standing awkwardly. after a glance towards his face , you start at his feet , silently judging the worn-out boots he’s wearing. you work your way up , now judging his unironed pants and shirt. his pants aren’t even cuffed , nor is his shirt tucked all the way in. when you finally meet his eyes , you can see how narrowed they are , causing you to smile slightly. studying him , you can see the tightness in his jaw , the slight clenching of his fists around your lunch bags , the way he tries to make himself look bigger than he is.

you close the door behind you , now face to face with him. “do you ever wear your uniform within regs ?” his eye twitches. you smile.

he starts walking and so you follow , snickering softly.

you make it to his office within a few minutes. Price hands you your food a few feet away from the door before turning , his back towards you. you could run if you wanted to , you have your food and he’s in front of you , you’d get a head start.

your halfway down the hall by the time he turns around. “goddammit !” he’s quick to follow , running after you. you can’t contain your giggles as you sprint.

laughing up a storm , you turn a corner , catching a glance of the team chasing you.

you take turns randomly , trying to lose them. and you do ! after about 20 turns and standing silently behind corners when they came too close.

you don’t hear any steps behind you anymore as you throw open a door , being greeted with the outside world. you look around for a moment , finding a decently large tree. jogging over to it , you take a seat against the trunk. you eat your lunch in silence , passively listening to a drill sergeant yell at recruits. you decide to eat your snacks this time , not caring to save them.

unfortunately , as you’re finishing eating your Pop-Tart , you hear footsteps. groaning , you look left , coming face to knees with Garrick. “hey , kid. mind if i sit ?” he surprisingly waits for your answer. you shake your head slightly , so he sits on your left. you stare at him for a moment , assessing him. he looks calm , not in a rush. he hasn’t pulled out a phone to contact the others yet, maybe he did it before walking up to you. he’s not looking at you , just gazing ahead at nothing.

you finish the last bite of your pop-tart , wiping your hands off on your sweatpants after. you both sit in silence for a few minutes before he finally speaks up. “why’d you run ?” you just shrug , not really having a good reason.

“you don’t know ?” you nod your head in agreement.

silence blankets the space for a moment. “do you wanna hang out in my office ? i have a switch i’m willing to let you borrow.” now that gets you attention. looking over at him with your eyebrows raised , you purse your lips , studying him. he looks truthful , an earnest look in his eyes. you nod slowly , standing when he does.

Garrick goes to put a hand on your shoulder to lead you , but stops short , remembering you jerking out of his touch last time with a fearful look in your eyes. you trail behind him slowly , following him to his room.

he walks in , leaving the door open in a silent invitation. you don’t follow him in , leaning against the wall opposite his door. he’s back out in 30 seconds , a Nintendo switch and charger in hand.

he takes the lead again so you trail behind him , slowly. you don’t see anyone as you walk to his office , maybe he didn’t tell the rest of the team. his office is pretty similar to Price’s , the only difference being Garrick’s couch is on the right side of the room , behind his desk. you walk in after him , slowly walking to the couch. he sits at his desk after putting the switch and charger down on the couch.

you sit hesitantly , wincing when the couch creaks. he doesn’t react , just organizing the papers on his desk. you reach for the switch slowly , expecting him to take it back. or give you some type of ultimatum before you could use it. 

he doesn’t. he doesn’t even turn around. so you turn the switch on. you quickly turn the volume down once it’s on , not wanting to bother Garrick with the audio. you look through his games for a little , finding a few you like.

now what game do you play: Stardew Valley or Hades… hmm decisions , decisions. 

you decide to play Hades , not wanting to risk ruining his Stardew Valley save.

you reach a flow state , button mashing to take enemies out. on your first run , you reach Elysium before dying ; it only upsets you slightly , you had really good boons!

you play mindlessly for a few hours , ignoring the clacks from Garricks laptop.

at around 3:45PM , the door opens , revealing Mactavish. “we still haven’t found the kid-” he goes silent , focusing his attention on your form curled up on the couch , switch in hand. you glance up at him , meeting his eyes.

“Gaz.” he’s still looking at you.

“hmm ?” Garrick doesn’t look up , continuing to clack away.

“why is the kid in here ?” Mactavish pulls his eye away from you , now gazing at Garrick.

“i found them.” he finally looks up , staring at Mactavish.

Mactavish sighs , opening and closing his mouth a few times. “why didnea ya tell anyone ?! i’ve been lookin’ ‘round for hours !” your lips quirk up in a slight smile. Garrick didn’t tell anyone where you were !

Garrick just shrugs , going back to typing away. Mactavish lets out a frustrated sigh , walking into the room and closing the door. he sits in the chair in front of Garrick , waiting for an answer.

“felt like they could use some alone time.” Garrick shrugs again , not looking up.

“well , Price and Ghost are still lookin’ for ‘em , so i do have to tell them that the kid’s in here.” your eyes may not be on them anymore , but you are paying attention.

you stiffen up involuntarily when he mentions the other two , scared of their reactions. you made them all run around like headless chickens for hours ! they’re going to be mad , at least a little. and that worries you , you haven’t seen the team mad yet , and especially not directed towards you.

you’re shaking by the time Mactavish pulls his phone out , calling somebody.

“hey…” he pauses for a moment , “yea me and Garrick found the kid , they’re in his office now.” you’ve curled up tighter , trying to mask the shaking. “he found ‘em a few minutes ago , followed ‘em both to his office.” what… the shaking slowly stops.

your confused. he didn’t follow you. “alright , we’ll stay put.” he hangs up , putting the phone down.

why did he lie ? what does he gain from it ? does he want you to owe him or something ?

“they’ll be here soon , better get ya stories straight.” he rises out of the chair , walking over to the couch and sitting on the left side. you glance up at him , assessing him. he looks mildly annoyed but not upset. he’s pretty relaxed , leaning back against the arm of the couch.

“why’d ya run ?” you shrug , not having a good reason.

he shakes his head , “not gonna work , why’d ya run ?” 

you just shrug again. he doesn’t speak again , just waiting.

“bored…” you whisper , curling in on yourself slightly.

“you were bored ?” he asks incredulously , staring in amusement. Garrick chuckles softly , shaking his head. you nod in response.

you turn the switch off , placing in gently in front of you. a few minutes go by , completely silent.

the door opens , startling you. Ghost walk in first , Price directly behind him. the room is silent for a few minutes , Price leaning against the door , pinching his nose bridge.

“where were you ?” is the first thing out of Price’s mouth.

“outside.” he stares in disbelief.

“outside ?” you nod.

Garrick chuckles softly , remembering Price telling them to check all the meeting rooms and the insides of all the buildings.

Price just nods , “and why did you run ?”

Mactavish speaks up this time , answering for you. “ah , well the kid was bored.” he has a cheeky slime on his face as he talks.

“you were bored ?” this time Ghost speaks, a chuckle in his voice. you just nod.

Price just groans , “did you at least eat ?” you nod quickly.

Price sighs , thinking for a moment before speaking , “do you wanna stay in here ?” you nod hesitantly , whispering a quiet ‘yea’. he nods , looking over towards Garrick and speaking to him , “are you good with that ?”

Garrick nods , “yeah , that fine Cap’n,”

everyone slowly trails out of the room after a few minutes , leaving you and Garrick. you stare at him for a little while , waiting to see if he’d address you.

he doesn’t. he just goes back to typing away on his laptop.

you slowly pick the switch back up , turning it on. you continue to play Hades for a few more hours , only having to stop when dinner time came.

you and Garrick filed out of his office , now on the way to the mess hall. you didn’t want to eat there but you had no say so you just dealt with it. when you walk in , you scan the room , looking to see if you could find any of the team. you couldn’t.

Garrick leans over towards you , pointing in the direction of the table. “go sit with the team , i’ll get your dinner.” you only nod in response.

you take your time getting to the table , messing with your phone as you walk. you take the empty seat on Ghost’s right , making sure to keep your distance. you pull your legs up onto the seat , wrapping your arms around them and resting your head on you knees. you can see Price glance at you from the corner of your eye but pay no attention to him. instead , you focus on Garrick , watching him in line as he gets your food.

he doesn’t take long , only a few minutes. you do see him get into a small argument with the guy serving the food. you don’t know what it was about but it looked like he didn’t want to give him the extra food , refusing until Garrick pointed towards you and explained who it was for.

Garrick comes back over annoyed. he doesn’t show it but you can see it in the clenching of his jaw and the tightness of his eyes. he places your tray down gently , sitting in front of you.

you unwrap you arms , folding your legs to sit crisscross. you don’t look at anyone as you eat , just silently shoveling food into your mouth. you half heartedly listen to them talk , not really paying attention. you only look up when you hear that you’re being talked about.

“Captain , they aren’t a soldier , of course this shits boring to them-” is Mactavish trying to be helpful ?

“well , what do you suggest i do !?” ..asshole. he’s not mad , more so annoyed but still. asshole.

“if you didnea interrupt me i would have gotten to that! i say we let them choose what to do , who to be around. i mean , i know they’ve tried to take off with me before , and i’m guessing they’ve tired with you all. we just saw them take off and succeed. ” he gets a begrudging nod from Price. Garrick and Ghost also nod , more willing to admit it.

Price speaks up before Mactavish can continue , addressing you. “and what do you think of this ?” you look over at him , wide eyed and unblinking. looking around the team , you see them all staring at you , awaiting your input. “i’d rather be near Garrick.” you see Garrick’s smug look out of the corner of your eye , smirking at Mactavish.

“is it because of the switch ? because i have one too !” you look over towards Mactavish with a playful smile on your face , not confirming nor denying. Price just rolls his eyes , going back to eating.

you’re silent for the rest of dinner , unsurprisingly. you finish eating first , waiting for someone else to finish. and to your dismay , mr. Edge Lord is the second person to finish , having not spent most of his time talking. he picks up both trays before standing , prompting you to stand as well. you don’t follow him to put the trays away , instead walking out of the mess hall and waiting. Ghost walks out a minute later , seemingly searching for you.

he finds you immediately once the door closes.

Ghost walks over , speaking as he does. “not gonna run this time ?” the question seems to be rhetorical but you answer anyway. “nah , i don’t remember the way back.” he chuckles at that , motioning for you to follow him.

you trail behind him , never straying too far. you make sure to try and memorize the path , writing down the turns you took in your notes app.

when you finally make it to your room , Ghost doesn’t leave immediately , instead he speaks up. “i have an XBOX i’m willin’ to set up in the common room if ya want.”

..he’s bribing you.

and it’s working.

you stare at him with slightly narrowed eyes before nodding slowly. you can’t see it but he’s smiling , happy you accepted his offer. he walks away after that , no more words being shared.

you step into your room smiling for once , finally being granted some autonomy.

———————————

taglist: @forsakenfrogmaster (please dm to be added to the taglist ^-^)

it was 00:07 when you stepped outside to smoke. deciding to give up on sleeping for now and just enjoy the sounds of crickets and the occasional croak of a frog. it’s been a week since you and Gaz got back from your impromptu vacation and you hadn’t been sleeping well. the team immediately moved bases after you two got back , making it even harder relax.

you were lighting your second cigarette when someone stepped outside , halting you. you couldn’t see who it was at first because you were sitting on the left side of door , leaning against the step , but once the door closed , you came face to face with Ghost. turning forward again , you flick your lighter open , dragging your thumb across the flint wheel and letting the fire light the tip of your cigarette. you don’t notice how he startles gently at your presence , too focused on making sure the cigarette was burning evenly.

to your surprise , Ghost takes a seat next to you , on your right. he pulls out his own pack of cigarettes , takes one , and pulls his mask up to place it between his lips. you pull your eyes away from him as he lifts his mask , giving him the semblance of privacy. he pulls his own lighter out of his pack , dragging his thumb across the flint wheel multiple times and sighing in annoyance when it doesn’t light. “can i borrow yer lighter ?” he sounds exasperated. without turning to look at him you hand over your lighter. a few seconds later and it’s back into your pocket.

you both sit there in silence for a few moments , letting the nature do the talking. it reminds you of home , of when you were young and used to run around in search of frogs or slugs. of when you and your mother used to sit and watch the birds , feeding them and watching them teach their young with bright smiles on both of your faces. of your grandfather taking you hunting , celebrating with you when you took down your first buck with a perfect shot.

you’re interrupted from your thoughts by Ghost speaking , “i like yer lighter , where’d ya get it ?” it’s not that cool of a lighter , being a pretty red color with no special design , so you feel like he may just be trying to start conversation. “it’s a zippo , you can get em at like , any smoke shop. i have a bunch more if you want one.” you turn your head slightly as you speak , looking at his eyes for a moment before turning away. Ghost shakes his head softly , muttering a small ‘nah’ before silence blankets the space again.

it’s comfortable as you both continue to smoke , the only sound filling the silence being the nature surrounding you and the breathing from both of you. the moment is shattered as the door opens again , this time revealing Price. you and Ghost don’t say anything as Price leans against the now closed door , just watching as he closes his eyes and relaxes.

Ghost decided to speak up after a minute or two , “hey cap’n.” the reaction is immediate. Price whips his head around , caught off guard. “christ , Ghost ! make some noise next time ! you’re like a bloody cat !” you have to stifle a laugh at that , taking a long drag of your cigarette. Price shakes his head while taking a seat on the steps , holding his hand out. you stare in confusion but Ghost apparently understands what he wants , handing Price his pack. Price takes a single cigarette , placing it between his lips. before he can grab the lighter in Ghosts’ pack , you hand Price your lighter. you can see him furrow his eyebrows in confusion as he takes it , lighting his cigarette and handing it back.

you all sit in silence for the next few minutes , puffing away on the sticks of cancer.

Price is the first to break the silence , turning to you as he speaks. “how’ve ya been , kid ? you settling in good ?” now that’s a question , how have you been ? you haven’t been able to sleep well. every time you finally fall asleep , you’re awoken by nightmares you don’t remember , sweat clinging to your skin. you’re tired most days , wishing you could sleep for just an hour longer.

but you don’t tell him that , why would you ? you just nod your head and hum out a response “i’m good , settled in easily.” he just nods back and returns to looking forward.

your cigarette has almost burned all the way so you decide to put it out , stubbing the cancer stick on the side of your boot sole. standing up and hopping up onto the step as you take your pack out and put the ashed cigarette in the box , not wanting to just throw it out in the wilderness. putting the pack away as you open the door , you see the other two stubbing their cigarettes as well.

you wait for them , holding the door open. they both nod in thanks as they pass you.

you were about to walk away when Price’s phone starts ringing , glancing at him for a moment to see him motioning for you to stay.

you stop , confused.

furrowing your eyebrows , you watch as he answers the call , greeting the caller. “Captain John Price. what do you need ?” you obviously can’t hear the callers response. rocking on your feet slightly , you watch as Price’s brows furrow in.. an emotion you can’t discern.

you honestly debate walking away and dealing with the consequences later as the call drags on , seemingly going on forever. just as you shift your weight to start walking away , the call ends. Price puts his phone down and brings a hand up , pinching his nose bridge. you can hear him mutter curses under his breath , an annoyed look on his face. he lets his hand fall and puts his phone back into his pocket before speaking , addressing Ghost and you. “go get packed up , we have to be in the States by twenty-two hundred (2200) hours” he pauses for a moment before continuing, “Ghost , i want to talk with you , and then i want you to wake Garrick and Soap. Kid , go pack up. after , i want you to meet me in building 3 , on floor 2 , room 3240. if you get there early , just wait.” you nod sharply , turning and walking away.

you walk quickly , once out of sight breakking into a sprint. on the way to your room you whip out your phone and quickly go to google.

‘how long is a flight from Romania to America?’

11-16 hours , depends on layovers and such. you don’t know if you’re going to be flying in civies so just to be safe , you assume you will be. and if your math is correct , then you have 6 hours of spare time that will be quickly swallowed up by packing and driving. giving you maybe 3 hours of time to waste. it makes you slow down slightly , you’re still running but not as quick anymore.

you get to your room quickly , pulling out a duffel bag and your military backpack.

you don’t care for folding any of your normal clothes properly , just folding them up randomly and shoving them inside the duffle bag haphazardly. you’re more carful with your uniforms , folding them properly and placing them inside the backpack. you continue to ransack your room , grabbing everything that’s yours. you fill your backpack with everything you want to take as carry-on , making sure to put a small throw blanket and neck pillow in there as well.

it takes you almost 50 minutes to pack everything and to make sure it would all fit properly. getting your shoes in the bag and making sure they fit was the hardest part , forcing you to play an unwilling game of Tetris. before making your way to the meeting room , you make sure you grabbed everything , double checking that you aren’t leaving a charger.

pulling the backpack on and pulling the duffle bag over your shoulder , you walk out of the room , leaving the door open behind you. pulling your phone out , you sigh as you see the time , 01:43. you wouldn’t say you take your time walking to building 3 but you definitely don’t rush. you make it in a few minutes , and quickly walk up the stairs to get to floor 3.

taking a look at the walls , you see a clipboard with a few pieces of laminated paper. the first is all of the meeting rooms on the floor and a time table , a map of the floor plan is on the second page , and on the last page is a set of rules for taking a time slot. examining the map , you find room 3240 and take a few moments to memorize the path you want to take.

it doesn’t take long to get there , opening the door and finding it completely empty. you flip the lights on and walk over to the table in the center of the room. after placing your duffle bag on the floor next to one of the chairs and putting your backpack on the chair , you stretch your shoulders. you decide against putting the your brace on , assuming the soreness and discomfort will fade.

taking a seat to the left of your bags , you wait for Price to show up.

you were going to wait in silence but after two minutes of just listening to your own breathing , you can’t take it anymore. pulling your phone out and starting to scroll social media.

more time passes before you see another person , surprisingly not being Price. Gaz walks into the room , taking a glance at you and giving you a nod in greeting. you nod back as he goes to sit , focus going back to your muted phone after. you expect to sit in silence with him but he speaks up , tilting his beanie covered head to the side. “how’s ya thumb ?” you chuckle softly at the unexpected question , a small smile appearing on your face. “fine. i’ve done it a lot , so it doesn’t really hurt.” he nods with soft smile , pulling his own phone out.

a minute later , the rest of the team shows up , piling into the room. Ghost settles in the chair on the right side of you , Soap settling in front of him. you notice immediately that they all don’t have their bags , confusing you. Price goes to stand in the front of the room , at the head of the table. “okay ! we’ll be in the States tomorrow afternoon , we’re flying with civilians- ,” Soap and Gaz both groan lowly , annoyed. “i know , i know , deal with it. we’ll be in California , meeting with Mexican Special Forces ,” they all seem to perk up at that. “we’ll have more information on what we’re going to be doing once we get there. all we know is that people are being trafficked across the borders.” he looks around you all , gauging your reaction in particular. “alright ! let’s go , we’ve got a flight to catch.”

you all get up , Ghost making it to the door first and holding it open for you all. you’re the last out , muting a small ‘sorry’ to Ghost as you pass him. you barely notice it , but he narrows his eyes , mask moving in a way to indicate his eyebrows are furrowed in confusion.

you all walk down the stairs , Soap in the front of everyone and Ghost behind you all. once at the bottom , you realize why Soap , Ghost , and Price didn’t have their bags with them. they left them all at the bottom of the stairs , not wanting to lug everything up just to bring it all back down.

the walk to the front office is silent but not awkward , surprisingly.

Price walks up to the half asleep person at the desk , knocking lightly on it. he requests to get someone to drive you all to the airport and they oblige , calling a Private to drive.

the Private is obviously tired but doesn’t complain , telling you all to follow them as they grab a pair of keys and make their way out of the building.

the drive to the airport is awkward but not uncomfortable , unsurprisingly. it takes half an hour to get there , giving you all 30 minutes to get to your gate and check a bag or two.

you get to bypass TSA , getting caught by Border Protection for a moment and having to show all of your ID’s and passports to be let go. it’s annoying but you can’t dwell on it , trying to make it to the gate quick enough to have time to spare to get snacks.

unfortunately , you don’t have time to get any snacks because as soon as you approach the gate , they call for active duty members to board. you all get on , shuffling into the back of the plane. you put your duffle bag in the overhead area , taking your backpack off and putting it on the floor in front of you once you’ve sat down. you’ve got the window seat with Ghost in the seat on your left , Gaz being on his other side. Soap and Price are across the aisle , Price taking the window seat as well. you didn’t realize it , or well , consciously realize it , but Ghost changed his mask , having a typical medical face mask on now. 

you’re quick to get your blanket and neck pillow out , getting comfortable. you buckle the seat belt overtop of the blanket , securing it in place. you settle in , getting as comfortable as the small seat will let you. suddenly , you remember you brought an eye mask , pulling it out and placing it over your face.

you can hear the shuffling of the other passengers getting on , placing their bags in the overhead compartment. luckily , you didn’t have anyone sitting behind you , meaning you don’t have to worry about anyone kicking your seat or anything.

it takes seemingly forever for everybody to board. you were almost asleep when a flight attendant comes onto the speaker overhead , startling you out of your light sleep. you quickly go back to trying to sleep , resting your head back.

you expect the flight to be relatively silent and you’re correct , for the most part. once the plane started moving , Ghost decided to speak up , a chuckle in his voice. “you seriously want to play tic-tac-toe ?” you can hear the offended noise Gaz makes in reply , going to defend his honor. you try and tune them out but find it difficult , the banter between the two making it impossible.

you pull the eye mask up , letting it rest on your forehead. glancing down the aisle as you lean forward to grab a pair of headphones , you see Price in the same position as you , except he didn’t have an eye mask. which you were going to fix.

grabbing the spare eye mask you had in your bag , you hand it over to Gaz , requesting he hands it to Price. he chuckles lowly as he takes the mask , hand it off to Soap so he can give it to it’s intended owner.

Price receives the mask with a look of amusement , glancing down the aisle at you when you speak up. “i had an extra. and look ! we’re twinning now !” he accepts the mask with a smile , chuckling.

the rest of the flight is uneventful. for you. you were either listening to music or napping the whole flight. Price , on the other hand , had to wrangle the rest of the team like a group of toddlers , begging them to be silent and not play a three-way game of tic-tac-toe. he failed but it was worth a shot.

you were woken up by your blanket being shifted , waiting for a few seconds to see if it was deliberate.

it happens again , this time with an added light brush against your shoulder. raising both hands to remove your headphones and eye mask. looking to the left , you see the rest of the team standing , getting ready to leave the plane. unbuckling , you fold up your blanket quickly , storing it in your bag. your neck pillow and eye mask go next , being placed gently inside your bag. you decide to keep your headphones around your neck.

standing up and swinging your backpack on , you mutter a small ‘thank you’ to Ghost , assuming he woke you up. he doesn’t respond , doesn’t even acknowledge your thanks.

you brush that off , following the rest of the team off the plane after grabbing your bag from the overhead compartment.

you follow them to the baggage claim , waiting patiently as the bags start falling. Price and Soap finally see their bags , grabbing their suitcases and heading towards the exit.

catching up to Price , you ask a question that’s been on your mind , “where are we being picked up ?” Price pauses for a second , pulling his phone out and typing frantically. the rest of the team pauses , staring confused at Price. staring at him in astonishment for a few seconds before whipping your head around to the rest of the team. “do you guys know where we’re being picked up !?” they all shake their heads , confused.

Ghost looks over to Price , seeing him now on a phone call. he walks over , tapping him and raising an eyebrow in question. Price just hold up a finger , nodding a few more times. “alright… okay.. thank you.” he hangs up , letting out a deep sigh before addressing you all. “okay ! we have to head to the parking garage , they’re at the top.” you all nod , following Price as he wanders and tries to find the exit.

it takes way too long to find the garage.

30 minutes later , and you’re finally in the elevator in the parking garage , rising to the top floor.

once out of the elevator , you see a single car.

“ya think that’s them ?” slowly , you turn your head to Soap and stare. he stares back , a cheeky smile on his face. walking away and towards the car , you hear him cackling , making an amused smile appear on your face.

you all make it to the car fairly quickly , throwing everything in the trunk. opening the back door , you realize that everyone won’t fit unless people pile up.

sliding in quickly , you settle into the middle seat , muttering a small greeting to the two men in the front and passenger seat. Gaz is the next to realize the problem , whispering a small ‘fuck’ when he sees you in the middle.

the rest of the team is annoyed. you’re happy.

Ghost has Price on his lap , arms wrapped lightly around his waist. Price has his arms crossed , thoroughly annoyed. Gaz and Soap aren’t in a better position , Gaz sitting on Soaps lap. you can’t look at any of them without giggling , getting a kick out of seeing a fully grown man sitting in another fully grown man’s lap. 

after 30 minutes , Price speaks up , introducing the two in the front seats. pointing to the man in the passenger seat , “Colonel Alejandro Vargas. and-” pointing to the man in the driver seat , “-Sergeant Major Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Parra.” you nod sharply , murmuring. “sirs.” they both side eye each other hearing that , not expecting the professionalism. Price then points to you , introducing you to the men. “Corporal Y/N L/N.”

you all make it to the new base relatively quickly , only taking an hour and a half.

getting out last , you make your way to the trunk , only to be stopped by the Colonel. “don’t worry about that , we’ll have someone bring your stuff to your barracks.” you nod hesitantly.

following after the team , you’re brought into a meeting room , surprisingly empty. you all sit down around the table , Colonel Vargas standing at the head. you focus your attention on him , not noticing that Ghost had changed his mask to a plain black balaclava. “alright ! you each have a file in front of you , read it.” you want to laugh at the blunt tone , but hold back , reaching forward to grab the file.

you flip it open , the first couple pages being everyone’s personal file , not containing many redactions. you skip them all , not particularly caring for their private information.

after reading everything , you feel disgusted , forcing you to take a moment to breathe before putting the file down. you were the first to finish reading , now just silently waiting. taking a look around , you notice the board behind the Colonel , being filled with pictures and random maps. you study the board , eyes catching on someone who looked familiar.

the Colonel speaks up after seeing all the files back on the table , “alright-!” he claps sharply , demanding attention. “-i’ll have Rudy show you to your barracks. sleep , and we’ll pick this up tomorrow morning.” you stand after seeing the rest of the team rise , following Rudy.

he leads you all to your barracks. a single room with three bunk beds pushed against the left wall. the right wall has three fairly big wardrobes , six drawers on each. you see all of your bags in the middle of the room , being placed randomly.

giving Rudy an appreciative nod as you pass him while entering , you beeline for the bags. grabbing both of yours , you bring them over to one of the wardrobes. “kid , what bed do you want ?” looking over to Price , you just shrug. “i don’t care.” he nods at your unhelpful answer , addressing the rest of the team. “Soap , top or bottom ?”

“sir ! that is a very personal question-!”

“MacTavish !” he sounds exasperated. 

you break into giggles , trying to stifle them as you search for some night clothes.

they get the bed situation dealt with , Ghost and Gaz on one bunk bed , and Soap and you on the other. Price obviously gets his own bunk bed. you and Ghost both take the bottom bunks respectively.

finding your clothes , you pull your shirt off swiftly , confused by the shocked gasps behind you. tossing a glance over your shoulder , you see them all with their hands covering their eyes , looking away.

you’re pulling the new shirt on as Price speaks , “christ , kid ! a warning next time !” you’re even more confused. this is the military , they 100 percent had to change in front of other before , you don’t understand why they’re being like this. taking off your shoes as you question him “what.. are you not- have you never-” you take a moment to collect your thoughts before speaking again. “has no one ever changed in front of you ?” pulling down your pants and underwear , you quickly replaced your underwear. his gasp sounds almost offended , “shut it and finish changing , Corporal !” he sounds exasperated.

you’re heart jumps.

right. this is your Captain.

you go on autopilot , pulling on your sweatpants and quickly pulling your socks off.

you stuff your clothes in your bag , mumbling a quiet ‘done.’ as you walk past them and to your bunk. laying down , you get comfortable , pulling the blanket over you and clasping your hands over your stomach. you slowly fall into a dreamless sleep , oblivious to the concerned glances the team sends you.

you awake abruptly , taking a moment to examine your surroundings.

your breathing calms as you see the team asleep.

swinging your legs over the bed , you stand quietly. tip-toeing over to your bags , you rummaging around as silent as you can , finding your pack of cigarettes and your lighter. turning around , you’re startled as you find Ghost standing behind you. you make an embarrassing sound , a mixture between a squeak and a yelp. covering your mouth , “what the fuck ! you scared the shit outta me !” you’re whisper yelling , glancing at the rest of the team , worried they’d wake up.

“you goin’ ta smoke ?”

you nod.

“can i come ?”

you nod again , this time more hesitantly.

you both pull your boots on , not bothering with socks.

you take one last glance at the team before following Ghost as he leads you outside.

you’re on the roof , overlooking the whole base. you sit with Ghost , leaning against the wall guarding the edge of the roof. pulling out your pack , you take out two cigarettes and hand one to Ghost. you avert your eyes as he lifts his mask , placing the cigarette between his lips. taking out your red lighter , you hand it to Ghost first , lighting your cigarette after he hands it back.

you sit in silence for a few minutes , just enjoying the fresh air.

“why don’t you look at me ? when i don’t have my mask on.”

you almost whip your head towards him , aborting at the last minute. you shrug , not having an answer to the sudden question.

he lets the words sit , waiting for your answer.

you eventually give it up , finding the words to articulate it perfectly.

“i guess i wanna respect your privacy. i mean , you wear the mask for a reason obviously , and i want to respect that.” you shrug again as you speak , not knowing if he would take your answer.

he’s silent for a few moments before seemingly deciding something. he grabs his mask from the top , pulling it off swiftly. you whip your head to the other side , “sir-!” he laughs. genuinely laughs at you and your reaction. “aw c’mon , kid. you think i’m ugly ?” he’s very obviously teasing you now.

“fuck off !”

all he does is laugh again , placing his hand on your head and lightly shaking you. you swat his hand away , turning towards him with a playful glare.

you take in his looks , quickly cataloging everything. his hair is light , almost a white blonde color , his eyelashes and eyebrows being the same color. you see the scars , some more severe than others. it looks like someone tried to cut open the edges of his mouth , unsuccessfully. only the left side of his mouth is wider , but not by much , the scaring still going almost to his ears on both sides. you see the scar that goes cleanly through his right eyebrow , the scar tissue causing only some of the eyebrow to grow back. his crooked and hooked nose. the part of his left ear lobe missing. the few moles that speckle his face , making a constellation , unlike any you’ve ever seen.

he’s beautiful , respectfully.

rolling your eyes , you turn away , taking a drag from your cigarette. “you’re full of yourself.” reasonably so. he just laughs again , shaking his head lightly.

you both finish your cigarettes relatively quickly , stubbing them out.

you both make it back to the barracks silently , making sure not to wake the team as you enter. you take your boots off quickly , stashing your cigarettes away and going back to your bed. you flop down softly , getting comfortable and falling back into a dreamless sleep.

——————————

i love unreliable narrators ^-^

this took so long because i had no idea what to write because i don’t have a ‘big bad’ for them to fight other than Markov

okay if you don’t wanna hear me yap about my thoughts on this chapter , please skip this , it’s just gonna be me explaining why reader is acting the way they are and my thought process behind it

so i feel like people may question the whole getting changed in front of the team with no regard for their own privacy and the reason i did this is because in basic training , you share barracks with like 20 other people , you have no privacy and any privacy you do have isn’t real. reader does understand that in non military settings , you don’t just get changed in front of people , but in military settings , they don’t see the problem , it was normalized for them during basic and they trust the team not to be weird.

i don’t know if i really like how Ghost reveals his face to reader , i don’t know if it seems realistic but i wanted to show reader respecting his privacy and the fact he doesn’t show his face willingly , like with them looking away while smoking or not staring at him on the plane , those times he really didn’t have a choice but to show parts of his face , and yeah he can not smoke with reader but plot yknow

okay so the military is like really fucked , the way they train soldiers is borderline torture , they ‘break’ the persons minds just to rebuild it to be submissive to those above them and i wanted to show that a bit and how that has affected reader and how their relationships with higher ups will be like / have been like.

they automatically shut down once hearing their rank , an immediate reminder that they are inherently below Price and the rest of the team. now Price DID NOT mean it like that , he was just joking in the way he would with other members of the team but because reader is still so new , they don’t know and understand the dynamics and the power dynamics especially.

alone. you were utterly alone. maybe not physically , but you’re alone.

you haven’t left the room you’ve been staying in yet , a week of total isolation. you liked it honestly. it let you think about everything. like if Ma knew , and if she did know , what the fuck ?

you tried texting her but every message either didn’t send or got a dumb automated response that basically said the number wasn’t in service. so you can’t even talk to the one person you do trust. the only saving grace was that the team didn’t force you to leave the room. they let you isolate , leaving food , water , and the occasional treat outside the door. it was always left in a plastic bag , in the same place. just to the left of your door.

you don’t know who leaves it and you don’t really care to know , just that it’s always there at specific times. one in the morning , around 6 AM , two bags around noon , and one more bag at 7 PM. they never have more than what you need , a simple meal , some drinks , and snacks sometimes. you have a bad feeling about the fact you never get more than the basics but brush it off , stockpiling the snacks you do get.

you keep picking the scab on your eyebrow. the pain you experience from reopening the wound helped calm you down whenever you got too worked up. you know if you keep going it’ll scar but the pain and clear head was worth it. and it helped you think about everything. about what Mom said and what happened.

you hate that you don’t care anymore. you’re still hurt , emotionally and mentally , and it’s going to take a while for you to trust her again. and as much as it pains you , you understand where Mom was coming from. whoever it was that knew you were alive probably did try to snatch you as well. unsuccessfully. but they hopefully left some kind of trail leading back to them.

tonight was another quiet night. you ate the dinner left at your door a few hours ago , now just laying in bed. as you’re sprawled out , you’re mind can’t help but fall into memories.

memories you never want to remember.

memories you wish you could forget.

you hear the camera turn off , a faint beep sounding out , before your head suddenly snaps to the left. pain blooms on the right side of your face , making your eyes water immediately. you don’t have the chance to right yourself before your face is suddenly grabbed , lips being forced to pucker uncomfortably. “Oh , you are going to regret that !” you already do.

you breathe deeply , abruptly brought back to the present. you take a moment to gather yourself , grounding yourself in the moment. sitting up and swinging your legs over the edge of the bed , you stand up. running your hands over your face and clearing all the tears that were unknowingly shed as you walk to the bathroom connected to you room.

you speed over , turning the shower on and cracking it to hot. just as you’re about to strip , you catch sight of yourself in the mirror. you see all the bruises , the swelling of your eyes , the bandages over your nose.

you don’t recognize yourself.

you don’t. recognize yourself.

you. don’t. recognize yourself.

you. don’t. recognize. yourself.

you don’t know how long you stare into the mirror , lost in your reflection. the mirror starts fogging up before you finally snap out of it.

you strip quickly , throwing all your clothes off. stepping into the shower , you wince slightly from the heat of the water.

stepping fully under the shower head , you stand still , letting the water run over you. unwillingly , you’re pulled into another memory.

one of his hands rest behind you , grabbing the chair you’re seated in. the other hand is raining hits down on your face , not giving you any any time to recover. you’re screaming , attempting to move your head. hiking your shoulders up to try and shield you face.

it doesn’t work.

you can feel the blood fill your mouth. running down your throat in unwelcome gulps.

you can feel your nose crack , bones and cartilage caving in from the onslaught of punches.

tears stream down your face.

all you can hear is your screams and the laughter around you.

you slip , startling you enough to become lucid again. catching yourself before you fall , you breathe deeply. or at least attempt to.

taking a gasping breath , you’re unable to breathe deeply enough. your hands grasp for the shower handle , turning it to cold.

you stand there for a few moments , gasping for breath. the water slowly turns frigid , giving your system the shock it needs to allow you to breathe. taking a few deep breaths , you turn the shower handle again , bringing the heat back up.

sitting down , you wait for the heat to rise.

you don’t realize how long you sit there , staring at the wall. you only come to when you body starts to lean , forcing you to straighten yourself.

deciding it would be best to get out now , you reach a hand to turn the shower off. standing and slowly getting out , you grab a towel and start drying off.

walking back into your room , you rummage through a duffel bag , grabbing clothes as you dig deeper. you get changed quickly , shivering from the cold air.

making your way over to the bed , you plop down. as you stare at the ceiling , you can’t help but close your eyes , slowly falling asleep.

you don’t get to rest for very long , gasping as you wake up. you don’t recognize your surroundings for a moment , blinking erratically as you attempt to ground yourself. your breaths come in short huffs. throwing the blankets off you and sitting up , you grasp for your chest , hunching over as you hyperventilate.

you don’t know how long you sit there , trying to catch your breath. you just know that you’ve scratched up your chest and neck , made apparent by the blood currently drying under your nails and slowly streaming down your chest.

you stand shakily , making your way to the bathroom slowly. crouching down , you rummage around underneath the sink , looking for something to clean the scratches.

you find a large medical kit. huzzah. standing back up and opening it , you find what you were looking for. alcohol pads and bandages.

you try to focus strictly on cleaning the scratches but ultimately fail. staring at your own reflection , you can see just how tired you look. the way your eyes are sunken in slightly , the tear stains you haven’t cleared away , the redness and puffiness of your eyes. you look a mess and you can’t even find it within yourself to care.

you finish up quickly , cleaning everything and dressing all the scratches that broke skin.

walking back to the bed after putting the med kit away , you grab your phone and notice a message from an unknown number. groaning , you open the text , expecting some random telemarketer offering you a job. instead , you’re met with a surprisingly loving text , making you’re eyes tear up as you read it.

i miss you , kiddo

you attempt to message the number back , replying with a simple ‘ma ?’ , but the message wouldn’t go through. sighing , you put your phone down , curling up comfortably.

you slowly fall into a dreamless sleep , only being awoken when you hear a familiar ringing.

rolling over , you blindly reach for your phone , squinting your eyes as you try to read the name. giving up and just answering the call , you’re met with silence.

after a few moments , you speak , breaking the silence by muttering a simple and groggy ‘hello ?’. you’re met with more silence.

sighing , you go to hang up but are stopped by a voice. “hey kiddo,” you’re eyes well up when you hear her voice. “Ma !” you’re more awake than you have been in months , happy to finally be talking to your Mama.

your sniffing must have alerted her to your tears , because the next words out of her mouth are ‘aw baby don’t cry’. she says it in such a loving tone that it just makes you cry harder. “i missed you Mama” you’re voice shakes as you speak , making her coo softly before she speaks. “i missed you too kiddo. how’ve you been ? i heard what happened.” the softness in her voice as she speaks just makes you cry even harder.

struggling to catch your breath , you stutter your way through your response. “i- Ma i h- hate it ! i’m so- so scared ! and i ju- just-” sobs cut off your sentence. she waits for you to calm down slightly before speaking , “aw baby , i know , i know. i wish i could be there.” she diverts the topic slightly , not wanting to work you up anymore. “have you been spending any time with the team ? it could do you some good to socialize with ‘em,” she speaks so softly and oh so kindly , it just makes you miss her even more.

“n- no , i’ve just been in- in my room most of the time.” your breath hitches in between words , splitting up your sentence and annoying you slightly.

she hums thoughtfully at your answer , thinking for a few moments before responding. “well , i think it would be good for you to spend some time with ‘em. of course , you don’t have to , but i think if you could talk to people and get your mind off everything , you may feel a bit better.” you’re reminded of why you always go to her when you need advice. she’s always there to help , even if you don’t enjoy what she says or the solution.

your groan can be heard through the mic , making her chuckle lightly. “i know ! i know , hunny. i heard allll about what happened between y’all , but i think being around them may help. they’re a nice group of people , and i think y’all’ll get along swell.” you just groan louder , tossing your head back and forth in annoyance for a moment before responding. “ughhh f-fine. tomorrow morning i’ll have breakfast with them or something. probably lunch actually. but i’ll sOciAliZe (socialize) with them.” your tears have slowed down , making it easier for you to speak finally.

Ma giggles at the way you say ‘socialize’ , your voice jumping and lowering at random. “thank you , kiddo. i know you don’t want to but-” you cut her off , the smile obvious in your tone. “it may help. i know Ma , i just- they let me get kidnapped and i just…, i don’t know if i can trust them.” she sighs , taking a moment to think before replying. “i’m not asking you to trust them hun , nobody is , i’m just asking that you don’t isolate yourself.” she pauses for a second , hesitating but ultimately continues speaking. “and i know you probably don’t want to hear this , but they were just following orders.”

you debate hanging up the moment she says that but don’t because you don’t know when you would be able to talk to her again. you decide to change the subject , “so.. where’ve you been ?” she sighs softly at the question , taking a second before responding. “you know i can’t tell you that , but i have been doing good , as good as i can be , being so far from you and Kate.” the conversation slowly dwindles off after that.

after that phone call , you decide to just stay awake , seeing as it was already 5 AM and you only had about an hour until breakfast showed up.

the knocking on your door alerts you to the fact that breakfast has arrived. checking the time , you see it says 6:03 AM , exactly 7 minutes earlier than yesterday. you debate going out then and eating breakfast with them but decide against it , you can always do lunch. and besides , you look a mess and that’s putting it lightly.

you wait for a few minutes after the final knock , making sure they’ve left. standing and making your way over , you open the door a crack , being startled by Price standing there. he has an awkward smile on his face as he holds the bag of food , “hey kid.” you hastily wipe the tears still on your face away , opening the door a smidge more and peeking your head out. “..hi.” you stand awkwardly for a moment , looking down at the food in his hands and back up at him. “can i have my food ?”

he intakes a sharp breath , “no.. but ! you can come eat with the team in my office ?” he makes it seem likes he’s asking a question , but in reality he’s telling you to eat in his office.

you scrunch your face up in displeasure , “can we reschedule that for , like , lunch ?” you’re not whining but it’s close. he chuckles lightly , shaking his head in amusement. “nope ! sorry ,” you don’t sound sorry. “but we’re all busy at lunchtime , so let’s go.”

rolling your eyes and letting out a big sigh , you’re definitely whining now “can i at least change ?” he just nods his head in response.

closing the door , you’re quick to grab a pair of sweatpants and socks and throw them on , as well as a hoodie. at the last second you grab your phone. opening the door , you find Price in almost the same spot you left him in , this time he’s leaning against the wall. stepping out , you closing the door behind you before spinning around towards Price.

you both stare at each other for a moment before you gesture for him to start walking.

that seemed to do it , as he’s now leading you down corridor after corridor.

you try to memorize the path , but every hall looks so alike that it’s hard to find a landmark to remember. in no time you make it to his office , being met with the rest of the team already there and sitting. Mactavish and Garrick are both sitting at the desk , leaving one chair open for Price. Mr. Emo is seated on the couch off to the left , a small coffee table in front of him with his food.

Mactavish and Garrick smile upon seeing you both enter. Price hands you your food and shoos you inside , closing the door after. he motions you over to the couch next to Ghost so you reluctantly walk over. placing your food down and sitting in the farthest corner from the group , you get ready for a silent meal. only to be sorely mistaken , thinking you’d get a quite meal. almost immediately you’re being pulled into conversation by Mactavish. 

“how’ve ya been , kid ? we haven’t seen ya in a minute , thought ya got bored of us,” he has a cheeky smile on his face as he speaks , making you smile back unconsciously. rolling your eyes , you go to reply but are stopped by Garrick speaking first. “HA ! if anything , they got bored of you , i’m amazing.” that got a laugh out of you.

“i’ve been good , really tired , but good.” accompanying those words is a convincing smile but you don’t know how well it works , considering your appearance. you can tell with the way their eyes flicker back and forth between your neck and face that they don’t quite believe you.

the conversation continues from there , mostly between Mactavish , Price , and Garrick , with Ghost chiming in every so often. you decide to not speak up , just listening to them chatter.

while focusing on eating, you don’t notice the looks the team send you and each other.

you finish eating first , so now you’re forced to wait for someone else to finish so they can walk you back to your room.

when Price notices that you’ve finished , he informs you of your plans for the day , “once Ghost is done eating , he’ll take you back to your room so you can shower and change , and then you both are going to head to the gym because Ghost has to train Privates.” your face scrunches up in displeasure but you don’t argue , just nodding with a small pout on your face.

—————(small time skip cuz im lazy)—————

you just got to the gym and you already regret not pushing back against Price earlier. literally every Private is staring at you , either in confusion or judgement.

Ghost forces you to stand next to him , making the stares ten (10) times worse. “this is Y/N , you will treat them with respect and if you can’t do that , you will ignore them. now-!” can the floor swallow you ? now please ?

Ghost doesn’t let you stray from his side , always making sure you’re directly to the right of him. it’s definitely getting on your nerves. you just want to sit down and scroll on your phone but noo , you have to follow knockoff Batman around. you even asked to go sit in a corner but he refused , stating he needed to keep an eye on you and the physical activity would be good for the brain. you just rolled your eyes and continued following him.

currently you both were watching a multitude of Privates do pull ups , some doing worse than others. like the one you were actively watching. he was on the pull up bar with a decent grip , the only problem was the shaking. every time he pulls himself up , he shakes like a leaf.

you go to say something to Ghost but he beats you to it. “do you see that kid ? you don’t want to look like him while doing pull ups.”

you chuckle , “he’s shakin’ like a dog shitin’ razor blades.”

you can hear Ghost’s neck crack from how quick he whips his head towards you , “a dog doing what ?” he chuckles incredulously. you cock your head to the side , slightly confused. “have you never heard that saying before ?” you can almost see the deadpan on his face , “no... that’s a say-” you cut him off , “yeah , it’s a saying , my Ma says it all the time.” he stares at you for a moment before shaking his head and turning away.

he has you follow him as he walks over and corrects the Private. you actually try and walk away to go sit in a corner , but you couldn’t even make it a few feet before Ghost caught you. literally. he grabbed you by the nape of you neck , making your head jerk forward to escape the ticklish sensation. all he did was release you and chuckle while telling you to get back to your spot.

this routine of him going to random Privates and you following continues for longer than you hoped for. you wish you could’ve just stayed in your room , but alas , you needed food and got tricked into socializing.

okay , well you weren’t tricked , but it felt like a trick.

after what felt like an eternity , you were allowed to go back to your room. Ghost walked you to your room , two plastic bags in his hand. you honestly hope that it’s your lunch and they’re letting you eat in your room but you know it’s unlikely.

once you get to your door , he handed you the bags , telling you to enjoy before walking away.

oh yeah… Price did say they were all busy during lunch time , you forgot about that.

once you were in the comfort of privacy , you changed clothes. throwing on a random tank top and some basketball shorts and throwing yourself down on the bed.

you make quick work of the lunch they gave you , actually eating the snack and sweet treat they gave you this time.

—————————————

originally , the team was going to just stop giving them food until they left their room but i thought that was too mean so i changed it to them being forced to leave or not getting food

you wish you could say you don’t know how you ended up here but that would be a lie.

it all started with you using the airports bathroom.

walking out after washing your hands , you remember feeling a hit to the side of your head before everything went black. you really don’t understand how 3 trained military men could lose a teenager because they went to the bathroom. or how they didn’t see your limp body being dragged out. but alas , they didn’t see you , resulting in your kidnapping.

you woke up in a dark and dingy room. lifting your head up , you realize that there’s a camera propped up right in front of you. looking around for anything else you see nothing , just a gross looking puddle of water in the corner. wiggling your hands you find that they are tied up pretty tight behind you. your legs aren’t tied up though , meaning you could stretch them out. and you do just that , attempting to hit the camera as entertainment.

what you didn’t realize about the camera was that it was on and broadcasting. the team was watching everything that was happening over the camera.

you’re pretty close to knocking the camera over when the door opens , revealing 3 men who look to be going through a midlife crisis. one man is balding and just won’t let his hair go. another has a terrible-looking mustache , like he can’t grow facial hair but is still trying , it almost looks like he glued pubes to his face , and the last is bald with a gleaming head.

they all step in and move over to the camera , muttering about something. “no , the red light being on means the cameras on.” says baldy.

“no it doesn’t. it means it’s off.” argues the man with the pedo mustache.

it goes on like that for another 5 minutes before they decide to just look it up. “see ! i told you. light being on means the cameras on.”

they look over towards you , startling slightly at the sight of you being awake. one of them walks closer , the balding guy who simply won’t let the three strands of hair he has go , he crouches down to your level. he goes to grab your face but before he can you kick up one of your legs , hitting him right in the dick. he keels over as you cackle.

your laughter is cut off by a strike to the face , causing your lip to be cut on a tooth , “OW ! asshole !!” the camera cuts off.

the camera cuts back on , revealing you , now with your legs tied up as well. the cut on your lip looks to be slightly worse , a bit more bloody.

the bald man holds up a note , telling you to read out loud. you squint your eyes , trying to read the first sentence. “bro you’re gonna have to get closer , i cannot read that.” he groans before walking a few feet forward. your eyes squint as you attempt to read the note , leaning forward , “mother i have been abduct. i am fine-”

baldy interrupts you , “abducted.”

you lean back before replying , “it says abduct.”

he gives you a deadpan look , shaking the note slightly. rolling your eyes , you continue reading , “i have been abducted. i am fine right now , but i may not be for.. loring. if you do not pay the sun of one million doolers.” you have to fight to keep a chuckle down. “loring? the sun of one million doolers. what the-” baldy decided to interrupt you again.

“that’s what it says.” you shrug with your words.

“that’s long and sum of one million dollars. you know what it means.” attitude.

“i don’t know what it means. you told me to read , you didn’t tell me to improve.” maybe you shouldn’t be mocking your kidnappers but you’ve had a long day. that means you get a pass.

he’s muttering random things under his breath as he walks closer to you , crouching down and pointing his finger in your face. your mind goes blank as you focus in on the finger , its close enough you wouldn’t have to lunge far.

launching your body forward , you snap your teeth at the finger.

you’re successful. your jaws close down hard , severing the man’s finger just past the nail.

he scrambles back screaming as you spit out the chunk of finger and a glob of blood.

the camera cuts off again. this time they have to wait 10 minutes until it turns back on and when it finally does , what they see doesn’t surprise them. your head is hanging as you let your body fall as far forward as your tied hands will let you. if they looked for close enough they’d be able to see the blood dripping down from your nose. they hear the door close with a slam , making you flinch slightly , the movement alerting the team to the fact your still conscious.

five minutes pass before you move again , leaning back into the chair and letting your head fall back. a sharp gasp is heard when the team sees your face , nose mangled and bloody and a new cut going through your eyebrow. you turn your head to the side to spit out a glob of blood , leaving your head resting on your shoulder after.

———————————

you don’t remember much , really any , of your rescuing. you remember the hours of silence you were forced to endure, only broken by the faint plop of a water droplet every 5 minutes. the last thing you remember was the sound of gunshots , fear overtaking you as they got closer and closer.

the next thing you remember is the white ceiling of the private hospital room you were relocated to. you find comfort in the ceaseless beeping of your heart monitor , it reminds you that you’re not still in that room. that’s you’re alive and not there anymore.

you don’t remember much else about your stay in the hospital , just that mom visited every now and then. she never spoke , just watched you breathe as you withdrew into yourself. you recall her muttering outside your door once , but couldn’t make out any words.

you were transferred to a different military base , in a completely new country , after a week. Mom didn’t come with you; she decided to stay in America to continue the search from a different location, saying it would be safer for you. you sort of understood her point , but that didn’t mean you had to like it. and you made your position know , objecting at any moment possible. it didn’t work , obviously , but at least you made her feel a little bad.

today you were resting in the room you were given after eating lunch. watching videos on your phone , when your isolation was suddenly interrupted.

knock

knock

knock knock

knock

you don’t automatically recognize the knocking pattern , which confuses you. getting up slowly and walking to the door cautiously, you open it slightly, peeking an eye out. you relax upon realizing it was just Garrick , opening the door wider. you tilt your head , questioning why he was there , “yea ?” he motions for you to follow after him , muttering a quiet ‘follow me’.

stepping out into the hallway and closing the door , you follow Garrick down the hall. looking down at your phone , you see a few unread messages but decide to ignore them for the time being.

following Garrick into a meeting room , you’re met with Mactavish , Price , and Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way- sorry Ghost , sitting scattered around the table. Price is standing at the head of the table , clacking away on a laptop. Mactavish and Ghost are seated across from each other , silently watching their captain.

Price looks up when the door closes , calling you over to him. you wander over , looking around the room as you do. once you’re close enough , Price pulls out the chair , motioning for you to sit , pushing you in once you do.

you focus your attention on the laptop , noticing a video call was being set up. the laptop was slid in front of you , a call to Kate Laswell being shown on the screen.

the call is accepted quickly , Kate popping up on the screen with a small smile. “hi sweetie.”

“hey mom.” your smile is barely visible , just a small quirk of the lips.

she scoots in closer , “how’ve you been feeling ?” scared. “tired. good , but tired.” she tilts her head , silently asking you to continue. you don’t , picking at the scab on your eyebrow to fill the silence. Kate sighs , watching you whip your head around when you hear Price moving to sit down. she notices how you keep your eyes on him , staring in distrust , until he sits down.

she decides to continue the conversation , trying to get more information on your thoughts. “how’s England been ? the team behaving ?” she laughs lightly. you bite your lip in thought , debating telling the truth. you shrug as you speak , “i don’t know. it’s been okay , i guess.” Kate looks at you with an eyebrow raised , “you can tell the truth , hun. i’m not going to be mad if you’re having a bad time , i’m expecting it honestly. as bad as that sounds.”

you let out a bitter laugh before speaking , “i hate it. i know literally nobody here , and the people i do know , let me get kidnapped. i’m terrified-” Kate’s face drops , “they told you?” “-TERRIF- what?” the room goes silent. you look up , scanning the room and being met with the team staring down at the table or each other , no emotion on their faces. “mom. what do you mean ‘they told me’?” she’s almost frozen , opening her mouth to speak but being interrupted by you. “Mom. what do you mean by they ‘told me’.” she can see the thoughts running through your head.

“MOM. did you let me get kidnapped ?!” she doesn’t immediately refute the accusation , telling you everything you need to know. “MOM! MOM WHAT THE FUCK ?!” she holds her hands up in a placating gesture , “you need to understand-” that wasn’t the right thing to say , judging by your response. “I NEED TO UNDERSTAND?! Mother , you had me kidnapped. they broke my fucking nose!! did you conveniently forget about that in the two weeks you haven’t seen me ?!” yes you’re being hard on her , she needs to understand how this hurt you.

“mom i thought i was going to get raped. they could have killed me and raped my dead body , are you not comprehending this ?!” Kate intakes a shape gasp at that , not appreciating the reminder. “i obviously knew this ! but it was a risk i had to take-” you cut her off quickly , “YOU had to take ?! sorry , did you get kidnapped as well ?! No?! fucking thought so. so no , it wasn’t a risk you had to take. it was a risk I had to take. be forced to take really.” you take a deep breath , leaning back in your chair and shaking your head in disbelief.

“i know it’s not ideal ,” you scoff , rolling your eyes. “but it had to happen. if it hadn’t been them who kidnapped you , it would’ve been who we were looking for. i know it’s not ideal , i know , but sometimes this type of stuff needs to happen to solve the problem.” you raise and lower your eyebrows in on quick motion , rolling your eyes in annoyance. crossing your arms , you slide down the chair slightly , “whatever.”

“no , not whatever. i need you to understand where I’m coming from , i know it wasn’t right but it had to happen.” you scoff , shaking your head , “whatever. i don’t care. i can’t change what you did , what happened , so whatever.” silence befalls the room as you debate hanging up. “for what it’s worth , i am sorry.”

you shake your head , reaching a hand to the mouse pad and hanging up. you close the laptop after , getting up and making your way to the door. Mactavish and Garrick scramble to get up , Mactavish goes to block the door as Garrick comes up behind you. he goes to lightly grab your elbow , causing you to jerk out of his grip and whip your head around with a glare. Price and Ghost just watch , not knowing how to handle the situation gently.

you stare at Garrick is disbelief for a few seconds before turning around and walking to the blocked door. stopping a foot (30.5 cm) away from Mactavish , you raise your head slightly , staring him in the eyes before speaking. “move.” he raises his hands in a calming gesture while speaking. “i think you should talk to yer ma kid.” you suck your teeth and nod you head , “if you do not move , i am going to hit you so hard in the dick , it’ll eliminate all chances you may have of having children. move.”

you walk a small step forward , Mactavish not moving. you nod again , a bitter smile on your face. and in that moment , Mactavish knew you were going to follow through with your threat. he barely had a second to think before you were rearing your leg back , ramming your knee directly in his balls. he crumbles with a squeak , hands cupping his junk as he curls up in a fetal position.

you step over him , leaving the meeting room and starting the walk back to the room you were given.

you’re interrupted by Ghost's footsteps but decide not to stop. “do you even know where you’re going ?” you speed up slightly before answering , “yes. can you not.” he chuckles lightly , following you the rest of the way in silence.

you make it to your room pretty quickly , walking in and promptly closing and locking the door. Ghost waits outside for around 5 minutes before knocking. “kid , c’mon. you gotta talk to your mum.” you groan , calling out to him from the bed. “fuck off ! tell her to text me or we aren’t talking.”

he keeps knocks for another 5 minutes , but eventually gives up when you don’t reply.