[Maximus (+vaultknight) // The Meek Shall Inherit - Little Shop Of Horrors]

[Vaultknight // A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton]

Norm and Maximus bond over being incapable of living peaceful lives. Set after Jane, You're Early.

Norm wiped the grease from his fingers on his worn handkerchief before stuffing the fabric back in his pants pocket. Lucy had grown tired of his restlessness and kicked him out of the farmhouse to go fix something.

“It doesn’t matter what,” she’d said. “But you’re driving us a little nuts.”

He knew she was right. Settling down in the wasteland was harder than he’d assumed it would be, and not because of the occasional radroach. Life was quiet now. And he didn’t know how to handle quiet. His days were no longer filled with high-stakes Overseer meetings, terminal hacking, or sneaking through vault tunnels. Now he was fixing Janey’s toys, or teaching El reading and math…

And fixing the water pump.

A shadow fell over him, obscuring his vision. Norm looked up to see Maximus standing there with two glasses of sarsaparilla. It was odd, seeing him out of that ridiculous tin can he called armor. But Norm supposed there wasn’t much need for it anymore, not on the ranch.

“I wanted to see how the mechanic was doing,” Maximus said, holding out a glass.

Norm accepted, taking a grateful sip. The cool liquid helped quell some of his frustration over the broken pump. “Well, Lucy banned me from the house for pacing.”

Maximus took a sip of his own drink, his brows furrowed. “I have a hard time believing Lucy would kick anyone out for the night.”

Norm let out a huff. That was the closest he got to really laughing. “No, no. She just wants me to relax. Go do something productive.”

There was a beat of silence. A moment of understanding. Maximus sat down in the dirt, his posture more relaxed than Norm had ever seen it. Both glasses of sarsaparilla were sat side-by-side in the dirt, almost touching but not quite. Just like their owners.

“I get it,” Maximus said, his voice lowering imperceptibly. “I probably put up about a mile of barbed wire yesterday.”

Norm’s face scrunched. He’d noticed the new barbed wire fence around the perimeter this morning. He’d meant to ask Cooper about it when he got back from town, but it seemed he’d get his answer sooner than he’d expected.

“What could we possibly need a mile of barbed wire for?”

He looked sheepish, averting his eyes from Norm’s face. “Oh, well.. I just… I figured it was better than a wooden fence. Keeps stuff out easier.”

There was a lot left unsaid in that answer. A testament to who Maximus really was under the pounds of steel and order. Their surroundings may have changed, but they hadn’t. Norm was still fixing things, Maximus was still keeping them safe.

“You’re good at that.”

For once, Norm’s tone was genuine. No quips, no eye rolls, and no sarcasm. Maximus seemed to recognize the shift, one of his feet moving to nudge against Norm’s. He reached out to wipe a smudge of grease from Norm’s temple with his thumb. Norm’s shoulders tensed before relaxing, the worry lines in his brow smoothing as he closed his eyes.

The touch lingered, Maximus cupping Norm’s face in his hand. He turned his face into the warmth of his palm, exhaling softly through his nose. Norm wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that before Maximus’ hand dropped back to his lap. Maximus fidgeted with the fabric of his pants, like he wanted to reach out again.

Wordlessly, Norm nudged his foot against Maximus’.

Maximus sighed, the tension in his muscles finally releasing. The feeling of Norm’s foot against his was a reassurance. A confirmation that this was okay, he could keep going. Maybe neither of them had quite settled into ranch life yet, but that was okay. They weren’t in a rush anymore.

If Lucy and Cooper could do it, they could too.

“Make yourself useful and hold this up for me,” Norm teased, his voice still softer than usual. Maximus smiled and did as he was told.

“If we don’t bust our asses Lucy’s going to come see what’s taking so long.”

Norm laughed, for real this time, grabbing his wrench. Before he got far into tightening the last bolt, the pattering of footsteps made both men turn. Janey and El were running out to greet them, shepherded by Kali.

“Inspection!” Janey cheered, throwing her arms around Norm. El followed suit, though much more carefully, not wanting to knock over their drinks. Kali sat between Maximus’ legs, trying to look like she wasn’t enjoying herself. Maximus froze a moment before letting his arms settle around the oldest kid. It was considered a great honor amongst the adults to be chosen to receive affection from Kali.

Maximus made eye contact with Norm over her head, and they both smiled. Maybe a quiet life wasn’t so bad after all.

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