Gob:

Lone. Is. Absolute. Perfection.

From the moment they step through the old door to Moriarty’s Saloon, Gob's jaw drops at the sight of them, and the way their mesmerizing curves are all wrapped up in that glorious, skin-tight vault suit of theirs. He almost can’t even speak when they go to approach him.

And then, in the next moment, when they’re nice to him? It’s all Gob can do not to declare his love for them after the pairs’ first conversation. He tries not to judge anyone based on outward appearances (he knows what it's like to be discriminated against for something that's beyond your control), but he just can’t keep his eyes off them any time they're both in the same room, and he can't help but want to assist Lone in any way that he can. He even goes so far as to give them discounts on their food and drink, and maybe even tell them what he knows about Lone’s father’s whereabouts, despite knowing that Moriarty is bound to tan his hide for such offenses. Somehow, for them, he can risk it.

Gob's face lights up every time they enter the bar, and he’s been known to drop whatever it is he’s doing to ask if they need anything at all. He’ll happily spend hours at a time just listening to their lovely voice, standing behind the bar as he feigns cleaning glasses and restocking the shelves just so he can talk with them late into the night. Later, when Moriarty is reprimanding him for his negligence in the violent ways he’s accustomed to, Gob still finds himself unable to regret his actions; the memories of spending time with the object of his affections more permanent than any bruises or lacerations his boss could administer.

He’s quick to compliment Lone, and will always try to assure them that he’s alright when they express concern at the ways Moriarty treats him. Now that he has them coming in to speak with him often enough, he hardly even notices the abuse. It still hurts, but maybe, now that he has something to actually look forward to, maybe it's just bearable.

Gob’s behavior with Lone never really changes before they are together. He tells them often how much they mean to him, how incredible they are, how good they always seem to look; and he wants to hear about their life, he sacrifices his own sleep every night while thinking about how good it was to see them, or how badly he misses their visits when they’re away. If ever they express any sort of negativity towards their physicality, he’ll be gobsmacked. How could they think they're anything less than utter perfection? He’ll tell them as much, meaning it with sheer genuinity as he tells them how perfect they are in his eyes, how he couldn’t imagine them any other way, and if anyone has ever told them otherwise, they’re just– they are just plain wrong. His heart would be beating out of his chest as he very nearly came clean with the depths of his affections for Lone, but he couldn’t possibly listen to them degrading themself when they’re standing right in front of him in all of their full-fledged glory.

He tries to never go so far as to tell them his true feelings outright. Gob’s absolutely convinced that Lone doesn’t feel the same way towards him. How could they? With looks like theirs, with how kind they are, how brave and generous, and personable, what could he possibly offer them that they couldn’t get from another smoothskin like them? So, he holds his tongue and just revels in the fact that he has such a pure friendship with the one he loves so dearly, content to let that be enough.

When Lone finally brings it up of their own accord, asking why it was that he was so unreceptive to their flirting these past few months, Gob would be taken aback to the point of speechlessness. Lone was flirting with him? Why? He’d finally stammer out his confusion, a blush doing the impossible and very nearly painting the ruined canvas of his pale cheeks as he asked if they were serious. When Lone assured him that they were... my, my, Lone is in for a treat. Gob would give the love of his life the whole world if he held it, and would be determined to let them know how much he values them every time he laid eyes on them.

Being able to properly touch Lone is a privilege he never once imagined he’d be granted, but once he can, it’s hard for Gob to keep his hands off of them. He’s unused to having access to reciprocated soft contact with a romantic partner, or… anyone, really. So it takes him a while to take the initiative and reach out to them, but he adores it when he finally becomes comfortable. Even though his hands tend to tremble, and his heart seems to skip a beat when he does hold their hand, or run his fingers through their hair, or place a palm on their waist, he finds himself muscling through all of those hindrances from his years of mistreatment and abuse, all of the prejudices that have been instilled in him, and all of the stop signs plastered to his subconscious when it comes to laying his ghoulish hands on the unmarred body of a smoothskin. For Lone, it's worth the effort.

Gob has loved Lone since damn near the moment he set eyes on them, and now that he’s finally with them, he wouldn’t trade what he has for anything in the world.

Nova:

Lone caught her off-guard the first time they strolled into Moriarty's Saloon, they're uncommon physique sending her imagination into overdrive even as they tutted about the bar confusedly, that signature fish-out-of-water look all vaulties seemed to have plastered on their face as soon as they entered the bar. She was used to having it the other way around. Some out-of-towner busting through the doors, hungry eyes meeting her scantily clad form as she leans tantalizingly up against the bar top in an effort to reign in another paying customer for her asshole boss. This was new though.

Nova found herself wanting to be the one to spark up conversation with the newcomer, her eyes lingering on their soft form as they tentatively stepped up to the bar. It was so deliciously different than what she was accustomed to. Everyone who came to Megaton was either all skin and bones, scrawny hands and sharp elbows; or they were hard, unforgiving muscle, and rough hands with a crushing grip. But Lone... Lone was none of that. They were damn near untouched by the harshness of the wastes. People often called her soft, but Lone... Lone had ample curves that she, or any other man/woman could never compete with. They're look made them inviting rather than imposing, intoxicating instead of intimidating, the look of their body promising a softness of heart, a gentleness of touch, an innocence Nova rarely had the opportunity to come across in the wasteland, and especially in her line of work. It's a strange thing for her, being attracted t someone like them, when she's only ever found herself falling for the bad boys/girls, the ones with questionable morals, the ones who rarely treat her right, and certainly look as hard and unforgiving as their personality tends to be. But Lone sure as hell is different, and maybe... Maybe she's okay with this kinda change, odd and surprising as it may be.

When the two of them do inevitably wind up in a relationship, after a short courting period consisting of a flustered Lone and a very forward courtesan, Nova is completely shameless about their being together. She doesn't want to have to keep her job once she's with Lone, but even if she does have to, she's completely shameless about Lone being her partner. Moriarty made some bullshit rule about her never being allowed to date her customers, but fortunately for her, Lone was never technically a customer. No, everything they get from Nova, they get for free, and they have from the start. Partly because they never did express interest in her services, just in her, as a person. Something Moriarty likely wouldn't understand, and something that even she was unused to.

Nova loves being physical with her partner, and it doesn't matter to her whether they're in public or not, she's letting everyone around them know who she belongs to, and who belongs to her. Sitting in their lap, leaning against them, having them lift her up, holding onto their arm or hand, groping at their chest and ass teasingly, it's all her favorite to get Lone all red and blushing, in public or otherwise.

She's also just much more laid back with her partner than she is with anyone else at the saloon, feeling as though she's finally able to bring down a few bricks of that sassy, defensive façade that she surrounds herself with when she's at work. It's nice to be able to let her guard down for once, but it's only for Lone. Everyone else gets the same treatment as before, and she actually tends to be even more reserved about her personal life than she used to be, given her new romantic affiliation.

It's unlikely that Lone ever feels unloved or unattractive around their partner, since Nova tends to be so damn supportive of her love at any given time. Even when she can manage to keep her hands to herself, her compliments are frequent and unrelenting. She often tells them how good they look on a daily basis, and is shameless about letting them know how they made her feel the night before. Hopefully Lone isn't embarrassed easily, cuz Nova's one of those partners that gushes about them constantly, flirts with them like they aren't already dating, and touches them as much as she can without incurring some sort of public indecency fine (that Moriarty likely made up when she started paying so much attention to the newcomer.)