FO4 Companions react to Sole's chem addiction
@falloutchicken Alright! Finished it~ Sorry it's a little long, I had an idea for a different format style and I ran with it - but I love how it turned out <3
tw: addiction, drugs, trauma, chem-use as an addiction
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While trading at the Diamond City market, the Sole Survivor of vault 111 overheard folks whispering over their steaming noodle bowls about an abandoned shopping center filled with valuable loot. The only barrier between them and the score of a lifetime were the supermutants inside. The gossiping locals didnât have the fire power for such an altercation, but the sole survivor did. And they certainly would not be going alone.
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Selecting your companion:
Cait: Iâll come, but just donât make me wear anything stupid
Curie: âOh! Shopping!â She mused delightfully, her voice ringing with pleasure.
Codsworth: How delightful, mum! I do so miss shopping expeditions and, please pardon my saying, but your jumpsuit is looking rather drab. Off we go, miss!
Deacon: Sounds like my kind of dig! I could always use some new disguises.
McCready (sarcastically): Oh, we better hurry. I hear clothes practically fly off the shelves with their discounts.
Piper: Jesus, Blue. Sounds dangerous. Something wrong with the clothes you already have?
Preston: Absolutely, General. I wouldnât want you facing this on your own.
Hancock: *heh* Thought youâd never ask. Letâs get the fuck out of Diamond city.*grumbles, muttering under his breath* Never understood how these bigots can sleep at nightâŚ
Danse: I advise against putting yourself in unnecessary danger. The gossip of strangers isnât worth risking your life, but Iâll be damned if I let you face this alone.
Nick Valentine: Well, if itâs worth your time kid, than itâs worth mine *grabs his hat and coat before locking the detective agency door behind them* Lead the way
X6-88: I agree. We might find something useful. A large shopping center may have valuable pre-war goods. Right behind you, maâam.
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The Sole Survivor walks out of Diamond City with their companion, combat shotgun in hand. Though well armored and stocked with plenty of ammunition, they carefully made their way south through the ruins of Boston. Sole and their companion had not walked far from the Boston Police Rationing Site when they heard the unmistakable sounds of feral ghouls, clumsily kicking tin rubbish and bones left on the broken streets. Sole and their companion crouched behind the remains of a buildingâs wall. Daring a look, sole peaked above the wall, only to notice the dirty, ruined faces but unmistakable faces of her pre-war neighbors, Mr. Donoghue and Mrs. Donoghue. Sole immediately felt sick and dizzy watching the two ghouls stumble down the street aimlessly, eyes white and staring at nothing. Mr. Donoghue and Mrs. Donoghue were expecting a child as well. Sole had spent hours in their kitchen, chatting about the excitement of parenthood. They swapped ideas over coffee and pie. 200 years after the bombs dropped, while sole was safe in a vault, her neighbors had been turned into radiation monsters, void of the humanity they used to possess. Alive in a physical sense, but her neighbors were lost. Sole had no choice but to put them down and out of their miserable experience. Itâs what they would have wantedâŚ
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Your companion reacts:
Cait: Jesus Christ, not a way to go. At least you had the âol Vault-Tec treatment, eh? *Cait notices tears filling in soleâs eyes, rapidly decides to change her approach* I - er - umâŚ..I know this must be difficult for youâŚIâŚI am here if you need to talk, or something.
Curie: One must wonder, what causes the deterioration of this ghoul condition? Some "ghouls" are in possession of their mental faculties. Others are not. I wonder why Mr. Donoghue and Mrs. Donoghue became feral while many other ghouls have maintained their mental capacities [Sole - Those were my neighbors, Curie. Not a science experiment] My apologies, sir/madam, I didn't mean to offend you. Grief can be managed with a well balanced diet, exercise, and spending time with loved ones!
Codsworth: Oh dear *emotional processors cracking through his speakers* Is thatâŚthe Donoghues? Mum, IâmâŚIâm so sorry *offers a hankie*
Deacon: Well, that was terrible *sigh* radiation, you unbelievable bastard.[notices how upset sole is] Ah..Look, Iâm sorry. ThisâŚI mean, what youâre going through, I canât even imagine. If you wanna talk or somethingâŚ[trails off]
McCready: Oh manâŚ*He pauses, letting the information sink in regarding soleâs neighbors* Iâm really sorry. We can turn around if you want. That department store isnât going anywhere.Â
Piper: You okay, [sole]? You seem pretty shaken up. Why donât we rest for a bit.
Preston: Oh, Iâm really sorry, General. *he removes his hat, holding to his chest, tired eyes looking away in respect* Take all the time you need. I can help you bury the bodies if you would like to give them a proper burial.
Hancock: Ah shit. Old neighbors, huh? Hey, let's just get outta here. I hate seeinâ you so broken up like this.
Danse: Youâre awfully quiet. Want to tell me whatâs on your mind? [listens intently to what Sole says about the feral ghouls they had recognized and killed] I see. Take as long as you need, soldier. I canât imagine what you must be feeling right now.
Nick Valentine: âYou seemed to recognize those two, who were they?â [response from sole] âOh, Iâm so sorry for your loss,â he spoke softly, placing a supportive synth hand on soleâs arm.
X6-88: Those were your neighbors? My condolences.
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The sole survivor heaves in grief, but is eventually able to continue on, intrigued by the elaborate wooden welcome sign to Fairline Hill Estates. They had toured the gated community long ago when looking for a house. Sanctuary Hills, the houses of tomorrow, had captured their attention more, with all their technologically advanced features the estates lacked. But all that remained now were the corpses of friends turned into monsters from nuclear radiation and two lazy yao guai, chewing on the bloody bones of rotting brahmin.
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Your companion reacts:
Cait: Oh! Such fascinating creatures! Shall we get a closer look? I wish to study the effects of radiation on these beasts
Curie: Youâve got be fucking kiddinâ me. yao guai? Thatâs the last thing we need right now.
Codsworth: Oh dear. You donât think they can see us, right mom?
Deacon: That is disgusting *he giggles* How do you want to play this, boss?
McCready: *Chuckles gleefully, silently pulling out his well polished rifle* This is where the fun begins.
Piper: Well thatâs just great. Breaking news: Diamond City reporter torn to ribbons by a giant, stupid, irritated bear.
Preston: Dammit, I think we're in trouble here *pulls out his musket, at the ready* Iâm with you, general.
Hancock: We ainât alone *drops shotgun ammunition into the barrels of his gun* Those yao guai are mean bastards, they hit hard. Just lemme know when youâre ready and I got your back.
Danse: Yao guai..Not to worry, weâll send those monsters right back to hell [Charges, heavily clad in power armor, laser weapons firing away, breaking the silence of a sleepy afternoon] Die, you godless heathen! Die!
Nick Valentine: Thereâs no getting out of this without a fight *loads his 10mm with a satisfying click* You ready, kid?
X6-88: Good, I was starting to feel a little bored. You ready to engage, [sole]? This shouldnât take long
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The Sole Survivor and their trusted companion gawk at the yao guai corpses, bleeding from their many fatal bullet holes. Sole sighs in exhaustion, dropping to squat and holding their face in hands.Their companion rubs their back sympathetically and suggests the tempting idea of spending the night at Fairline Hills Estates. The area was relatively safe now, with Mr. Donoghue & Mrs. Donoghue and the yao guais dead. Keenly aware of the mental torment they both witnessed and given Soleâs fragile state, their trusted companion led the way to the southeast house. Sole collapses weakly on the sunken couch and watches as their companion wanders into the brokedown kitchen to prepare dinner for the night. They ate the meal peacefully without many words to be said about the daysâ events. The sole survivor turned down every request to talk about the killing of her neighbors and the close call they had with the yao guai in what used to be a highly sought after gated community. Their companion accepted that sole just wasnât ready to talk about. They offer to take the first watch to let the sole survivor get some much needed rest.
Once their trusted companion shuts the door to the house to begin their watch, the sole survivor slinks away to the attached garage. They had noticed the chemistry station earlier and knew exactly how to use it. There were piles of dead leaves everywhere, a natural fertilizer. Using the leaves along with the plastic from some junk lying around the house, sole knew they could craft jet - lots of jet. Sole gets to work, tinkering feverishly at the chemistry station, sweating from the withdrawal and desperate for relief. The Sole Survivor sighed in contented satisfaction, admiring their own craftsmanship. Not even bothering to step from the chemistry station, they begin taking hit after hit of jet. Sighing happily as the pain of memories and her broken heart eased into comfortable numbness. Sole wanted to take jet until they couldnât remember who they were, much less what had happened to them. Sole stumbled back slightly, the room a spiraling blur. No matter, they take another hit and watch the world slowly rise until they felt their back hit the floor. The stared blankly at the ceiling, surrounded by empty jet cartridges. Hearing the loud THUD soleâs companion rushed into the room, fearing the worst (an intruder, a kind of murderous threat) only to find in their horror, a close friend in indescribable pain.
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Your companion reacts:
Cait: â*tsk* Havinâ a good time now, are we?â Cait teased, pointing on the jet in soleâs hand as they slouched against the chemistry station. Caitâs eyes scanned the scene further, noticing the familiar signs of a serious addiction problem.Given the amount of empty jet canisters scattered on the floor around sole, it was a miracle they were even still alive.] I think youâve got a wee bit of a drug problem, [sole]. Which ainât right, especially after everythinâ you watched me go through. Why would you let yourself get hooked on the stuff? Canât believe youâre doinâ this to yourself?!â She shouted, breathing deepling like sole had taught her to calm down. âYouâre an idiot, [sole]. But Iâll help ya, just like how you helped me. Letâs go, weâre getting you cleaned upâ
Curie: She stares curiously, âI have more than enough data on the physiological effects of chems, there is no need to provide me with more data, sir/madam.â She notices the dilated pupils, racing heart beat, the sweating⌠âAre you alright, sir/madam? I believe you should see a doctor, we cannot treat your condition here.â
Codsworth: âAre you well, mum?!â Codsworth panicked, desperately trying to assess the situation. A Mister Handy bot was designed for household duties, not crises.
Deacon: Wow, looks like youâve been partying pretty hard with out me. Miiiight want to lay off cause I think youâve enough.
McCready: *Slaps the empty get out of soleâs hand, they glare at him angrily, demanding an explanation* That crap is gonna rot your mind. This stops right now (Dad-mode activated)
Piper: Ooooookay (nabs all the empty jet cartridges) I think youâve had enough, Blue. (Stares at the insane amount of jet in the room). I think we better get you to a doctor. I just hope itâs not too late (she sighs heavily, emotion tightening around her neck hotly) This is why I wanted to talk, Blue! So you - you wouldnât do anything stupid! Arg! What a mess. Come on, (she lifts sole up) letâs get you to a doctor.
Preston: This is how it ends, [sole]. You keep this up and Iâll have to bury a friend. The Minutemen need you. I need you. And you donât need those chems. You have people who love and care about you.
Hancock: âWoah!â Hancock froze, staring at the used jet scattered about the room. 2..4..6..three over there, that makes 9âŚpile of 5 in the corner makesâŚ14? 14! How are they alive? Hancock glanced at the sole survivor, slumped pitifully against the chemistry station, empty jet still in hand. They just kept staring at his boots, completely unresponsive, but he could see the steady rise and fall of their chest with each shallow breath. Hancock began to sweat, panic sweeping in, staring at soleâs chest. What if it they stopâŚwhat if they breathing stops - heâs mayor, not fucking doctor.âH-hey, stay with me, now! Look,â He turnâs soleâs face to look at him only to be greeted with dull and empty eyes. âHey, sunshine. Itâs me, remember? Hancock. D-donât go, you canât do this to me. I need you, please. Donât leave me alone.â Tears welled in the crevices of Hancokâs face as he sat beside the sole survivor, holding their hand. He gasped as a familiar smooth hand rested on his. âI could never forget you, Hancock.â The mayor choked back sobs, gripping soleâs hand like it could fade away any moment. âDonât you ever do this again. Never trip alone. Weâre getting you help. Like, now now.â He takes soleâs arm and wraps it around his shoulderâs, pulling them to their feet.
Danse: [Stares in stunned silence mixed with disgust and concern] He crouches beside sole, pushing the drugs away, and whispered angrily, âHow can you fight when your brainâs clouded with those drugs? Youâre going to get yourself killed. And Iâm not just gonna stand here and watch brotherhoodâs best, my friend, die unnecessarily. Weâre getting you clean and thatâs an order.â
Nick Valentine: âSHIT!â Nick hissed under his breath. He'd see a lot of folks at their worst in his line of work. Heâd seen this scene too many times before. A case closed in an overdose. There were even some rare occasions where he found Mayor Hancock after a few too many chems. But usually, there were warning signs. How could he call himself a detective when he couldnât even save his friend from themselves. Nick crouches beside the body, holding their limp wrist in his. A pulse, weak but still there. âAlright, now youâve done it, kidâ He scooped up the sole survivor into his arms. âWe need to get you to a doc.â
X6-88: Oh godâŚ[composes himself] You donât look so good sir/maâam, Might want to lay off the chems for a while. Iâll be throwing these away (disposes of all the chems the Sole Survivor made and had on their person)
The Sole Survivor wakes up in a familiar bed at the Castle, a stack of addictol was left on the nightstand. This was certainly a more permanent detour to Fallonâs Department store than they planned for. Soleâs companion apologizes for moving them and delaying their trip to the department store. But soleâs close friend promises profusely that it was and always will be for the sole survivorâs own good. They promise again and again that they do not feel any different about them and still deeply appreciate the relationship that they share. So much so, they couldnât bare to lose their friend to addiction. After some time and regular check-ins with the Minutemen Surgeon General, The Sole Survivor will finally leaves thre Castle and continuing their journey.












