#The Ghoul headcanons | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

scarletttries · 26 days

Text

When Fallout Characters Fall In Love... (Fallout Show Request)

Pairings: Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x Reader, Maximus x Reader, Norm x Reader

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has sent in a request for the Fallout show, please keep them coming as this is definitely the show that I'm thinking about the most at the moment! Also let me know if you want a part two of these headcanons or something similar :)

The Ghoul:

- Cooper Howard couldn't put his finger on exactly when he had accepted that the life he now led would be one devoid of love, but it was a hollow feeling he carried in his chest wherever the wasteland took him. Maybe it was in the decades he'd spent wandering and gaining a reputation as a heartless cowboy without an ounce of mercy. Or the fact that he hadn't met anyone that had stirred up a single emotion inside him, fearing the aching betrayal of his wife would haunt him even as lifetimes passed. Maybe it came to him in the way he flinched each time he caught his reflection in the few unbroken windows he passed, flesh slowly forming caverns and creases where once there were only the faintest of lines that showed endless signs of life. The wasteland was no place for love. That's what he had decided.

- But even in the fall of civilization there's room for a surprise, and you were certainly one of those..

- He heard rumour of you before your bounty crossed his desk, a runaway scientist from a mysterious body known only as The Institute, a target to everyone for the sheer volume of classified knowledge you might possess.

- A life on the run was no easy one, and Cooper knew that better than anyone, so it didn't take long for him to track you down to a small town just on the outskirts of the radiation's no man's land. His gun was cocked as he strutted towards the half open door of the rundown house he'd narrowed your location down to, glancing at the poster in his hand one last time before he burst inside. Even from the poorly illustrated version of you, he could see your eyes were kind, almost hopeful, like you still believed science could make right what had gone so wrong in the last 200 years. He almost felt a tinge of guilt as he steeled himself for a fight, saying a silent prayer that you wouldn't be behind the walls in front of him.

- Stepping in carefully he expected traps, or an army of robots to jump to arms, but instead he found you travelling alone, a small satchel of papers clutched in your arms as you stared him down with a calm resolve that caught him more off guard than any weapon.

"Do you still believe there's hope for this world Mr Howard?" Your voice was soft, not the trembling fear he was so used to hearing. You stared up at him without a trace of disgust in your expression, your eyes locked on his as he considered your question, and then lowered his weapon.

"And what if I do?" His heart ached at the question, so hardened by years of cynicism that even the idea of hope and goodness were almost too heavy to bear. He felt more human than he had in years as you slowly inched towards him, the creaking floorboards beneath you cutting through a tense silence that had The Ghoul feeling like he was back on a movie set, everything so perfectly orchestrated to have his stomach in knots. And then you extended your hand to him and gave him the most genuine smile he could remember receiving in this whole sorry chapter of his after-life,

"Then I think we could really make a difference. Together." Your pip-boy screeched as his irradiated hand stretched out to reach yours, but you didn't flinch, gently squeezing the twisted flesh as you shook on what you bought felt in the depths of your souls was going to be a meaningful partnership.

- It would be a straight forward life trying to use your research to get the world back on track for there to be joy and peace again. But with The Ghoul by your side you can expect; a personal bodyguard who cares more about your safety than his own by far, a gleaming look of pride in his eyes any time you tell him which Cooper Howard film was your favourite, the slow and steady acceptance that he is still worthy of love even in his new twisted form, and Cooper being endlessly grateful that you are the person who wants to give that love to him.

Maximus:

- All Maximus had ever wanted was to be a knight of the Brotherhood. He wakes up every morning and does his best every day just to try and earn his spot in this family of welded metal and unflinching loyalty. It wasn't until you arrived on the base that he started to realise there were other ways he might form a family.

- A nearby village had been half destroyed by raiders until the Brotherhood stepped in, clearing out the violent scavengers and bringing anyone with skills they could utilise back to base for assessment. Maximus was sitting alone, nursing the most recent wounds inflicted by his so-called brothers when he watched you march in alongside two soldiers, the final evacuee of your faded community, a distance in your eyes that he felt akin with from his own home's destruction. You could feel his eyes on you before you spotted him, a rag damp with blood pressed to his nose as he sat huddled against a corrugated iron shack.

- Despite the sheer joylessness of the situation, Max couldn't stop himself from sporting a smile, waving at you like you had locked eyes across the schoolyard not some barren military base. Whatever he hoped for in that moment seemed to pay off as you waved back, a small laugh escaping your lips at the absurdity of his blood soaked grin. He watched as the knights around you escorted you to the medical tent for a check up, waiting until they left their guard posts beside you to sneak behind the off-white fabric, following some unknown instinct he'd never felt call to him before. You bolted upright where you perched on one of the medical beds as he appeared, visibly relaxing when you recognised him from outside and once again waving in his direction. His mouth worked faster than his brain in that moment, heart hammering in his chest as the words gushed out with his new found affections,

"I used to live in Shady Sands. I know what it's like to have your home destroyed, your family hurt, everything changing all at once. But you're safe here with the Brotherhood, and even if it doesn't feel like it today, things are going to be okay eventually. Also I'm Maximus and if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm, like, around all the time, and no one else really wants to talk to me so I'm probably going to be available... " He trailed off as he tried to recover what had ended up a far more embarrassing sentence than he'd hoped, his lungs burning as he realised he'd forgotten to take a breath through his whole winding spiel. But when you smiled at him any shame seemed to float away, and as you patted the bed and nodded for him to take a seat beside you, the once lonely squire suddenly felt much closer to finding a family than he had surrounded by his brothers.

- As you settle into life on the base, you and Maximus only grow closer. Expect; late nights of sneaking out of your dorm so you and Max can stare up the stars and plot your escape from this life, fantasising about what a life beyond these walls and this world could be like for the two of you, someone who has your back no matter how bad things get and how low you feel, and truly some of the most god awful flirting you will ever hear.

Norm:

- Growing up in the Vault, Norm had always been told the value of belonging to a community, and how everyone in the vault was just a big happy family. But none of that stopped Norm feeling like an outsider, like he didn't quite operate on the same wavelength as the rest of the cheerful strangers he shared his deep underground walls with. After a few of the annual exchanges between vaults, he had all but given up on hoping to meet anyone he felt he could actually feel close to.

- When his overseer father had finally decided it was his turn to continue the vault's legacy and be part of what Norm considered an archaic tradition of arranged marriages between the linked vaults, Norm couldn't have been more resistant. He pleaded for the council to reject his nomination, begging them not to force some young hopeful to be subjected to his notable lack of enthusiasm for the rest of their life in this dutiful swap, but with limited options of eligible young men, he soon found himself staring down the doors of your vault. The suit previously used by his fellow bachelors had been tailored to within an inch of its life to try and fit his slight frame, the shoulders still feeling like they hung off him, threatening to swallow him up along with ground as he watched the round door slowly start to roll open.

- He thought this whole thing was stupid and outdated, and he knew there was no way he could actually find someone to love and love him in return behind those doors, so why was his stomach so full of butterflies as slowly your face started to appear in the artificial light of Vault 33. He waited to see you throw him a false smile, going through the motions as much as he had planned to, or even a look of disappointment that he was not the man you had been picturing as the door crept open. Instead he really thought he saw sincerity in your eyes, a thoughtful understanding as he choked out his name, his stammering not going unnoticed by his sister who quietly chuckled behind him.

"It's really nice to meet you, Norm." You spoke each word with intention, like it wasn't just a rehearsed greeting but an honest confession that sent sparks flying in the air between you.

- Suddenly the pressure of matrimony didn't feel so all consuming. And maybe this system was more advanced than he had appreciated. And there might be a small chance that he wasn't destined to spend his life feeling like he was on the outside, that he might finally have someone that could take him as he is, darkness and light, for better or for worse.

- Whether you stay in the vaults, or make your move to the surface world, with Norm by your side you can expect: Sarcastic comments muttered under his breath at inopportune moments just to see the way you fail to contain your laughter, being the sounding board for all of each other's thoughts and feelings no matter how serious or silly they might be, Norm clinging to your side through everything knowing that he only feels himself when he's stood in your light, and being the one person Norm would do absolutely anything for, bringing out the bravery and intelligence that was always just below the surface of this sweet man.

417 notes · View notes

blades-edge · 23 days

Text

pre-war cooper who assembles a flower bouquet for you every year on valentine’s day. pre-war cooper who books a vacation for your wedding anniversary and treats you to all things special.

post-war cooper who keeps those memories close to his heart as he wanders the wasteland, afraid of it all fading away with time.

#cooper howard #cooper howard x reader #fallout #fallout imagine #fallout amazon #the ghoul #the ghoul x reader #the ghoul fallout #the ghoul fanfic #cooper howard headcanons #cooper howard fanfic #the ghoul headcanons

170 notes · View notes

loui3e · 6 days

Text

Part of me thinks a relationship with The Ghoul would be solely transactional. You’re just a person he keeps around to fuck when he needs relief. In return you get given protection. He’ll grip your tear-stained face while you sniffle about him treating you terribly. Smirking down at you with that crooked grin of his because god, you’re so pretty when you cry.

#the ghoul x reader #cooper howard x reader #the ghoul headcanons

72 notes · View notes

tinalbion · 17 days

Text

'𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝' ||

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: The Ghoul x fem!Reader

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄! Minors, DO NOT interact! Smut with plot, oral (male receiving), blowjob, vaginal fingering, cowgirl, penetration, creampie murder, canon typical language

𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡: 8k

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: I saw someone mention that they think the Ghoul hasn't had sex in 200 years, (their personal headcanon) they figure he would be a little bit rusty. So this is what stemmed from that post, which isn't exactly too on point but it's something! This is for you!

It had been hell in the Wastelands as you struggled to survive, but you were always a tough one and managed to make it on your own, though using that experience you gained only made you stronger, smarter, and less likely to be taken off guard. Well, you had thought so, but life managed to always try to surprise you.

The Ghoul came and changed all of that.

You happened to run into him by complete accident as you were scrounging for scraps, anything you could sell or trade in, and there he was, walking by without a care in the world as he readjusted the saddle bag on his shoulder. You saw him, but he didn't see you, or so you thought.

It was funny how most ghouls on the surface had all but withered away and turned feral, but this one seemed to have a purpose, your eyes focused on him for a good long while as he was searching for…something. You weren't sure what exactly, but you still watched him to pass the time, especially since he was one of the most interesting people you'd seen out here in a very long while.

He stopped and looked straight at you like he knew you were there the entire time, and your heartbeat quickened. What would he do? Would he rob you for what you had? Shoot you for fun? No, he didn't do any of that, he just stared for a long moment, tilted his head as the brim of his hat covered his stare, and then went on his merry way.

That was the first time you saw him.

The second time you'd met him wasn't too long after. You were making your way around once again, in search of jobs, and you'd frequent local bars, or what passed as bars nowadays, and you'd been drinking a cheap bottle of probably piss, and he had walked in. The entire room went silent save for a few who could have cared less about a Ghoul's presence. Not a lot of folks cared for them, saw them as less than people, but you didn't have an issue, just with the ones who posed a threat.

He sauntered up to the bar, slapped a folded piece of paper down, then took a seat. The jingle of his spurs echoed in your head as he sat there, his intimidating aura radiated off of him to the point you were too afraid to look anywhere but stare at your drink. he must have sensed your unease and he shifted, staring at you, his eyes glared toward you in sunken sockets, his prominent brow furrowed.

There was talk amongst the bar again, more hushed than it had been, but it was there all the same. You heard the stranger's voice speak up this time, but you focused so hard on anything but him that it seemed to be muffled talk with the bartender. Your eyes flickered over to look at his hands, which rested on the counter, gloves covered his hands as he remained as calm as ever while he tapped his digits against the defaced wood.

“Well, sweetheart, maybe you could point me in the direction of someone who has a damn sense of what they're sayin’ to me, ‘cause I'm havin’ a difficult time finding anyone who doesn't seem to be hidin’ something.”

You turned to look at him in surprise and stared for a moment. “What?” You asked.

He scoffed. “I said, you seen this fella?” He slid the paper toward you, it was now unfolded with a sketch of a man you think you saw a few nights ago in this same dive.

You nodded and looked up at him for the first time, staring into his eyes, and they pierced yours, stunning you for a moment. “Yeah, saw him here, was talking in the corner with a few other men, but I didn't stick around long. They were being loud and bragging about some bounty they were taking on,” you explained.

The Ghoul listened, took in your words, and then craned his neck back toward the bartender. “See, now I come in here askin’ so nicely for some information, and here you are hurtin’ my feelings.”

The bartender shot you an annoyed glare and then stared back at him. “Look, I don't want any trouble in my bar, and I get a bunch of people in and out of here, ain't nothing special about some bounty hunter, we get loads of you guys.”

The Ghoul didn't like that response from the man, so he leaned further onto the counter and slid the empty glass toward him. “Top me off, and I'll be on my way.”

You turned away from the Ghoul and tried not to get more involved than you already were. You had a feeling that once he left, the bartender would cut you off, shoot you probably, who knows. So you scooted out of your stool and threw your caps onto the counter, then turned away to make your way out. Once you left through the doors, that's when you heard the sound of a gun go off, and you were thankful you got out of there when you did.

Where you'd go next, you weren't sure, but sticking around the area would be an awful idea, so you decided to get as far away from the dive as possible. As soon as your feet touched the ground, the door swung open.

“Leavin’ before you could miss all the fun?” His voice called out to you, his boots heavy on the wooden stairs as he walked down toward you, and the jingle of his spurs echoed behind him.

“Figured it wouldn't be smart being inside where I could get shot, as much as I'd like to stick around, getting injured ain't fun.”

“You know more than you're lettin’ on, sweetheart, and I ain't in the mood to play games. Where can I find him?”

You figured you had nothing to gain or lose on this man, this bounty wasn't in your interest nor was being around the fool, so you figured you'd give him what he wanted. “Overheard him saying something about a hideout in the middle of the Mojave, said it's fortified with turrets, but I don't know how true that is.”

The Ghoul stared at you, obviously suspicious of your willingness to hand over the information, but he didn't argue. It almost seemed as if he were debating what to do with you from then on, but if your information proved to be wrong, he figured he could just find you again and shoot you.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked off, once again making his way across the desert to find his bounty. You figured that would be the last you’d ever seen of him, or at least you had hoped so considering he kind of scared the hell out of you. Truthfully, not many people did anymore, you’d seen a lot in the wastelands that you wish you hadn’t been exposed to mostly for your own well-being. But not much scared you or disturbed you anymore, though something about the Ghoul gnawed at you, it was a fight or flight response at best.

Of course, that was not the last you saw of the Ghoul.

The third time, you had a bad feeling that he was thinking the worst. Maybe he figured you were following him around the wastelands, that you coveted whatever he had, but it didn’t even cross his mind. When his eyes landed on you in a settlement trading post miles from where you’d last seen him, questioning some poor sucker who looked like he was trying to pull a fast one on the bounty hunter, and you had just kept on walking. He wouldn’t notice you, you were sure of it.

“Well if it isn’t my little informant from that shithole dive in the Mojave,” he said loud enough for you to hear.

You paused and looked over your shoulder, smiling nervously. “Oh, it’s you. You uh, find that guy you were looking for?” You asked him, trying to remain calm.

He cocked his head and wore a smirk. “Course I did, and your information was well worth it, glad I didn’t have to hunt you down, too.”

That was the closest to a ‘thank you’ as you’d ever get, you’d take it. “Anytime,” you hummed with a small two-fingered salute and turned back around, trying to get out of the vicinity.

The Ghoul released the man that he had gripped by his shirt and pointed harshly at him. “You keep your ass right there, I’ll be back for you. We ain’t finished yet.” He turned to walk in your direction and caught up with incredible speed. “Where you goin’, sweetheart? You seem pressed to leave whenever I show up.”

If this was his form of flirting, you weren’t sure, but you did seem to want to leave quickly whenever you saw him. “Oh, no sir, it’s just I’ve heard about your reputation and I’d rather not mix myself up with any of that,” you said straightforwardly.

This made the Ghoul chuckle to himself as he stepped in front of you, not allowing you to advance any further away from him. “You either one lucky gal or possibly a lucky charm,” he mused with a mischievous smile. “You work in bounties at all?”

Your eyes shifted from his to the ground, thinking of your response. “I thought about it, but I don’t have that sort of…command a bounty hunter has. I got different skills, though.”

“And what kind is that?”

You cleared your throat and looked up at him. “I mean no offense, but why are you asking?”

This made him chuckle again and he couldn’t help but try to size you up as you seemed so on the defensive. “Just friendly conversation is all.” That was obviously a lie, but he was definitely curious about you and how you just seemed to be there whenever he was.

Now this made you laugh and you nodded. “Sure, I suppose even someone with your reputation could be seen as friendly,” you quipped. “But I am just… a nobody. I just do what I can to get by.”

The Ghoul wasn’t sure how to read into your answer, but there was something to you. “Well, Miss Nobody,” he began as he grabbed the folded piece of paper from his pocket, “since your observance was so spot on last time, why not go round two for two? You seen this lowlife?”

You grabbed the paper from his hand and unfolded it, then grimaced at the photo. “Unfortunately I have, but this one is a bit more of a pain in the ass to get to. Runs with the Triggermen, they have a lot of solid hookups, so I wouldn’t just expect to go in guns blazing and think it ends there. But I saw him sniffing around Filly some time ago, probably doing more chem running.”

Again, he stared at you curiously. “You sure do know a lot of stuff for bein’ a nobody,” he pointed out with a low voice.

“If you’ve been around for as long as I have, you get to know quite a lot of you seem unassuming and blend into the background.”

“Around as long as you, huh?” He was mildly curious and almost amused by the wording.

You just nodded and looked around the area, and you noticed that a lot of the people seemed uneasy by the Ghoul’s presence, and you figured it wasn’t due to the fact it was because of what he was but who he was. “Look, again, you can’t just walk right in. If you’re looking for him, isolating him and taking him out alone is the best option for you. Not like you don’t know what you’re doing, I just don’t want you to end up dealing with more of those idiots.”

“What, lookin’ out for little ol’ me, Miss Nobody?” He asked with a sarcastic bite to his tone. “Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not worried,” you said matter-of-factly, as if it was the furthest thing from your mind. You wanted to call him out on how ridiculous that sounded to you, but you knew better, so you kept your mouth shut and just offered the man a sigh. “Good luck though.”

And once again, you were walking away from the bounty hunter in one piece, still with a feeling of dread lingering in the back of your head while you faced your back toward him, trying to get as much distance from him and the trouble he would bring.

Yet there you were only days later, laying in your makeshift bed in a rundown shack you took over, and you were thinking about him for some unknown reason. Why, you had no idea and wouldn’t even try to linger on the idea, you just figured it was curiosity if he'd gotten ahold of the bounty he was in search of. But there had been other moments of weakness you had that had him at the center of your attention, and it came over you when you'd people-watch, which was a good habit to have for someone like you. Your eyes would wander, curious if you’d see him again as you ate the questionable food you bought from a vendor, your thoughts miles away.

Because you’d been so distracted, you hadn’t heard the footsteps you’d grown familiar with approach you from behind, the jingle of the spurs rang out. Your eyes had been glued to the scene below as you sat on a higher ledge, legs dangling off the edge while you chewed the tough iguana meat on a stick. There was a sudden ominous feeling beside you, so you happened to look up and see the Ghoul leaning against the railing you sat between.

“Oh, it’s you,” you said, your tone a bit more enthused than you initially thought.

He looked down at you and gave you that devious smirk he was so keen on wearing. “If it ain’t my lucky little rabbit’s foot,” he teased. “Once again, your word has proven useful. You sure are an interesting specimen ‘round these parts.”

You focused your attention back out toward the crowds of people, smiling at the compliment. “Oh, it’s nothing, really.” You brushed it off, not wanting to be indebted to the bounty hunter, even in words.

“Quite modest, ain’t ya?” He commented. “No matter, Lucky Girl, took down the entire faction of the Triggermen with your help.”

You looked up at him in surprise. “You what?!” You were stunned that he just casually dropped such news, it was a huge deal considering a lot of the chem running was definitely put to a halt transiently. “I knew you were a kick ass bounty hunter, but this is… Unheard of.”

“Hell, I ain't gonna lie to you, although you don't go tellin’ anyone I said this, but you're one hell of an informant. Wouldn't mind havin’ you around.”

“I don't think having me around would make things easier,” you pointed out. “Getting shot at is something I'm not fond of, plus I'd only get in the way, trust me.”

“What if we made a little deal, then? You get protection, a cut of the money maybe in exchange for information?”

“That's… generous of a bounty hunter of your stature…” you pointed out, unsure of this decision. There had to have been some hidden agenda behind it, there was no way someone like him willingly traveled with companions because they gave him a bit of an advantage.

“It's not an offer I extend to many, especially since you seem much more reserved than most.” Whether this was a compliment or not was to be determined, but you did live up to that notion. “I just feel that you're a lucky rabbit who I can't allow others to exploit.”

“So you wanna exploit me first,” you said with an unsure smile.

This made the man’s smile grow even wider, he liked the way you could talk to him without cowering like most others did. You spoke your mind. “Now I wouldn't call it exploiting, I'd rather call it a business proposal.”

“What's stopping you from killing me when my luck runs out, then?”

Now this was a question for the ages, one he couldn't quite answer as honestly as the others. But it was a valid point regardless. “I'm sure I'll find a use for you, ain't worried about that.”

“Forgive me if I'm not jumping at the opportunity,” you replied with a chuckle. “Honestly I don't really have much going on as it is, so if you can manage to have me around, then I suppose I could help you out.”

Why did you accept? That was something you hadn’t really put too much thought into, you barely knew this man except for the rumors and stories you heard about him through word of mouth. How could you accept this so easily? You pushed the nagging thought in the back of your mind and just settled on survival, this is why you did a lot of dubious jobs in the wastelands.

You held out your hand and offered for him to shake it as your eyes met his.

With a moment of hesitation, he reached out his hand and shook yours, the difference in your textures had sparked something against your skin, and you shivered. It wasn’t an indication of disgust, but you felt an odd sensation that tingled up your spine.

“Guess we have a deal, then,” the Ghoul replied with a smile.

“I suppose we do,” you agreed.

Many months had gone by, and you two had become unstoppable with your knack for getting information and his knack for taking down even the biggest bounties. It was the talk amongst the raiders, the mercenaries, and the other bounty hunters. Many opposed you and wanted you out of the picture considering you made the Ghoul all the more dangerous than he already was, but you were untouchable when he was around. He knew what he had in his presence and he knew many would covet it, so he became possessive, a trait you didn’t think anyone, let alone this man, would convey toward you.

You couldn’t leave his sight for very long in fear of being hunted down, but you didn’t mind having the company. It beat being alone so much, and you were living in comfort, or in your case, as comfortable as it could get. The Ghoul never stayed in one place for too long, and it was a lifestyle you'd been accustomed to, so it wasn’t too farfetched. Whatever chem that he would inhale regularly from turning feral had come in abundance ever since you came along, so he decided that his lucky rabbit’s foot wasn’t going anywhere, but that was a front overall.

Deep down, despite the way he lived his life here after the bombs dropped, there was an emptiness, and he tried to fight the desire to fill that void for the longest time. Running into you piqued his curiosity and offered him an outward motivation more than anything, but slowly over time, he began to truly enjoy your company. He’d never admit it to you or anyone else, but the way he fought for you to keep you safe spoke louder than anything he could verbally say.

It had been almost a year traveling in the Ghoul’s company when you found yourselves in a quiet time between bounties. You’d just gotten your weapons upgraded and some better clothes that didn’t have as many holes and tears in them, it had been a good haul you and the Ghoul pulled in with this contract.

You both sat beside a fire you’d built and drank the slightly cold bottle of Nuka-Cherry you managed to get ahold of from part of someone's collection, you wouldn't soon forget the heartbreak in their eyes when the Ghoul offered for you to raid their collections after tying them up and bringing in their bounty.

The Ghoul stared at you from across the fire, watching you carefully as you lay on the ground, staring up at a book you managed to find in an old shop. It helped pass the time between jobs, but you seemed a bit distracted as you read the same paragraph over and over again. You also had a good sense of when he was staring at you, so without looking away from the page, you smiled.

“If you got something to say, I suggest you say it before I reread the same page again,” you teased, then turned your head to face him.

He didn't budge, he remained fixated on you as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. His eyes focused on you but he hadn't said much since you arrived in the small rundown shack.

You waved your hand at him and looked as if you were waiting for him to speak. “Radroach got your tongue?” You laughed and went back to your book, but that's when he decided to speak up.

“Nah, just curious.”

“About…?”

“You.”

You scoffed. “Me? Nothing to be curious about, really.”

The Ghoul stared at you, wondering if you'd let your mysteriousness slip. “Course there's somethin’ to be curious about. Haven't told me nothin’ about you since we joined up.”

“I could say the same about you,” you pointed out, deflecting. “Didn't think we had to sit in a circle and share icebreakers.”

He scoffed and shook his head at your words, but he didn't seem at all annoyed by your jokes. “Well, suppose we all have things to hide.” He looked away from you and surveyed the perimeter, making sure you two were still alone.

You turned your head to look at him and then pushed yourself up, spun to face him, and sat with your legs crossed as you placed the book off to the side. “Okay, then, what do you wanna know, like how I could have lost a limb when I was eight because I ran out into the road and wanted to get onto a trolley? Or what about-”

The Ghoul let out a sigh, one you had grown to know very well, but it only made you laugh. “Okay, fine, fine. What do you…wanna know?”

His eyes, the most human-looking eyes you’d ever seen on a ghoul, stared into what felt like your soul as he sat back and thought of a question. “What happened to your family?”

You swallowed and let out a sigh of your own, but you figured one day someone would ask, so you braced yourself for whenever it came. “We lived in Shady Sands, it was nice, I loved it, I remember being really happy. Till we suffered the bombing. It took out my parents and my brother. My brother saved my life, if it weren’t for him, I’d be dead.”

The Ghoul didn’t give condolences, he didn’t feel awkward now that something heavy had come up in conversation, but there was understanding in his eyes now that he had some understanding of who you were.

“I do what I can to survive because they wanted me to, so I mean… I know I’ve done some things people would consider horrendous, but I’m not that person anymore who shies away from it. They’d understand, I think.” You stared off at the flickering embers of the fire, and the pain swept through as you thought of them, your family. You didn’t like to do it, you were sure they wouldn’t recognize you anymore, that you weren’t the person you used to be. But times changed, and people changed.

The Ghoul cleared his throat and gestured toward the horizon. “Radstorm rollin’ in, we should get inside the shack,” he huffed and stood from his seat on the ground, then kicked out the flames of the fire. He gathered his things while you did the same, packing up your things and stuffing them in your pack, and you hid inside while you fortified the area as best as you could.

The storm wouldn’t bother him much but he knew that you weren’t immune to what he could withstand, so he ushered you inside and made sure that there wasn’t anything cracked or damaged that could allow any of the radiation to filter through.

“Should be good till it passes,” he grumbled as he looked out the partially boarded-up window. “Shouldn’t be too bad for you, smoothie,” he teased, knowing you would appreciate the nickname that most ghouls called humans.

But you didn’t laugh or joke back in return, your mind was elsewhere as you stared through the board in the window, the rolling green clouds pushed through and made their way toward you.

He walked up beside you and contemplated what was to get your attention, so he placed a gloved hand carefully on your elbow, which caused you to turn and look at him in confusion. “You good?”

You nodded even though you weren’t sure if you had been alright or not, but he wouldn't understand, he wouldn't want you, you figured. A small smile tugged the corner of your lips and you shrugged. “I'm alright.”

“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter,” he warned as his eyes narrowed and he knew you well enough now to read your body language, he could see it all over you. “My lucky rabbit ain't too happy, I can tell.”

“You don't gotta worry about me,” you assured with a small wave of your hand, dismissing the thought completely.

His hand was now on your arm, resting there comfortably while it tightened its grip slightly, and this was only the second time he'd ever put his hands on you in such a tender way. You'd thought about the first time it ever happened, and you thought for a long time about it, how good it felt. You'd wanted more, but you knew that would be crossing the line.

“Sure I do, you always looked out for me despite not knowin’ a damn thing, you just blindly followed me. I ain't used to that kind of loyalty, but I ain't gonna take it for granted neither,” the Ghoul explained. “Now, tell me what's wrong.”

You sighed and continued to stare out the window. “If I did then you'd leave, cowboy, trust me.”

Once again, he scoffed, mainly at the cheesy nickname you gave him, but also the ridiculous notion that he'd let you out of his sight. “Ain't gonna happen, bunny,” he shot back, using the nickname you hated but secretly loved hearing him say.

“If I say it, you can't get upset.” The rumble of the storm neared closer, the colors turned darker in hue and flashed a bright green, illuminating your skin through the cracks of the window. “Promise?”

The Ghoul nodded and stared down at you, waiting for your ‘profound confession’ that you were too afraid to say aloud.

“I've been… lonely for quite some time while on the move, and sometimes it's just a feeling I get, but… When you touched my arm, it felt nice.” You swallowed, your mouth dry from the nerves. “I know it's a lot and I wouldn't suggest it with anyone else, but, we've known each other for a year now, and if you had any… urges, a craving of intimacy or anything, I could…help.”

The Ghoul was in shock by your statement and had no idea how to react, so he remained standing beside you in complete silence as he stared down at you. You refused to meet his gaze and couldn't look him in the eyes after that, afraid that he'd belittle you or cut you off altogether.

“It was an idea, a stupid one at that, but it doesn't have to change anything between us, we can drop it and pretend it never happened. No harm, no foul.”

And still, he continued to remain there, rooted to the spot as he played your words over again in his head. Finally, there was something that clicked in his head. “You're sayin’ that… you'd want to get… intimate… with me?” There had been offers given to him through the years, and there had been times when things were rough, but having you here right now telling him you had more than just a quick fuck in mind was not what he was expecting to hear. What was going on in his head, you wanted to know.

You finally turned to him, your expressions carried the shame, the embarrassment, all of the feelings you'd been suffering through during his silence. “That's what I'm saying. It's just like our proposal of helping each other out, it's just another version of that, if it's easier to look at it that way.”

The truth was he hadn't been intimate in a long, long time. It wasn't something that came naturally to him anymore, it was but a distant memory of the time he had back on this earth before everything was destroyed. But you offering something like that, you of all people, it was a deliciously tempting offer that he maybe shouldn't refuse.

“A proposal,” he reiterated as his hand slid up your forearm slightly, his eyes flickered down to your face to gauge your reaction.

You smiled warmly at his attempt, and maybe it was an odd offer, but it seemed he was considering it. “We don't have to–”

“I ain't done this in… a very long time, bunny. I ain't the kind of ghoul who can supply that lovey feelin’ you're lookin’ for.”

“It doesn't have to be that, exactly. Besides, you already offer me protection, this would be just… an added bonus.”

He thought about it, truly thought about it, and the rumbling outside was drowned out by one thing that pushed forth in his mind: you.

“I ain't sure how–”

“I could help,” you offered with a soft tone, wondering if he'd allow such a thing as you took a small step closer. “Again, we don't have to do anything, it was just something that passed my mind. No harm done.”

The Ghoul's hand pulled at your arm, which made you look up at him, questioning his intentions as his gaze went from hard and stoic to softened and tender. It was a strange look to see on his face, but you welcomed it nonetheless. You stepped closer to him, filling the gap between your bodies as you lingered for a moment, but he closed that space and looked down at you in a new light. He tried to channel that human side of himself when he was known as Cooper Howard. It was an old name, an ancient person that hadn't existed in years, but he was buried deep down within him. He had his moments of weakness, which belonged to the man he used to be, but maybe if you were here to remind him what it felt like… how could he refuse?

“You ain't gonna tell a soul about this…” It wasn't a question, it was a warning.

“Of course not, cowboy, our little secret,” you assured him with a smile.

That’s all it took to allow him to delve into that buried side within him, his hand lifted and gently placed it on your shoulder, then slowly skated down to your collarbone. He caressed the softness of your skin, allowing himself to become acquainted with your body slowly but surely, all while trying to remember how to make this enjoyable for the both of you. It was a learning curve, but the way you'd already begun responding to his touch only urged him to continue.

You began to shrug out of your jacket which left you in your semi decent tank top, which clung to your body and accentuated your natural curves and dips. The Ghoul couldn't help but watch you eagerly, getting lost in the way you were taking things slow on his behalf as his hands slid around your waist. You wouldn't pressure him, or rush him, you'd allow him to do what he wanted as he explored what made you tick and what turned you on.

Soon, he had guided you toward the floor where you laid out your blanket in an attempt to make it as comfortable as possible. Per his request, he had you lay back while he hovered over you, his hands easily removing the rest of your clothing –with your assistance, of course.

Seeing you there in just a bra and underwear was a lot for him to take in, but he swallowed that image of you and couldn't find the strength to take his eyes off of you. “Damn, sweetheart…” He muttered as he grabbed you, squeezed you, and did what he could to lose himself in you. He wasn't sure what to start with first, so he looked to you for guidance.

With a smile, you grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to you, looking into his eyes while you smiled softly. “Is it okay if I help?” You asked softly.

The Ghoul didn't speak, he just nodded in response and hovered closer toward you, but when you captured his lips between yours, it was a surprise to be sure. He pushed himself firmly against you, keeping himself propped up with his arm while he placed the other around your neck, his fingers softly stroking your jaw as you kissed. His tongue pushed past your lips and swirled around in your mouth, but that smile he wore just made you feel all the more turned on by him. While you kissed him, your hand guided his toward your inner thighs, allowing him to feel how you'd already soaked through your underwear.

He was impressed by how turned on you'd been and he'd done close to nothing, so to feel his handiwork, he slipped two of his fingers beneath the hem and slipped them through your slick. “Fuck, darlin’, you're so wet…”

He wasn't sure if you'd want him to touch you more between your legs, but your hand was already guiding him to push those fingers inside of you, curling into your cunt.

“Oh fuck, cowboy,” you sighed against his mouth, your eyes closed while you felt your body tense from the touch. It had been ages since you felt this good, and he'd barely begun.

While he dipped his fingers deep within you, he could feel himself growing painfully hard, and he thanked whomever above for the fact he still had his equipment to work with because soon he'd need to bury himself inside of you. He wasn't sure what was taking over right now, but the way you moaned out and moved your hips in tandem with his hand was a lot to handle for him. He'd want more, needed more.

“Want me to keep goin’...?”

“Yeah, like that,” you begged while your hand began to rub circles against your clit, helping yourself get to that point where all you could feel was the growing sensation that burned in your lower belly. It had been ages since you had someone pay attention to you like this, but the way he moved his hands seemed that he hadn't been prepared for something like this.

“Hey, cowboy, want me to… show you some attention?” You offered softly, smiling up at him as you pushed yourself up, leaning on your elbows.

He slowed his actions and slowly curled his fingers inside of you, watching as your face fell and you lost your thoughts, only focusing on his ers. fingers inside of you. His hollowed eyes stared at you and considered your offer. Was he ready for something like this? He was silent while he tilted his head, looking over your body as you lay there before him.

Wordlessly, he sat back and shifted his weight on his legs, allowing you the space you needed to do what you needed to do. He didn’t say a word as he watched you fumble with his gun belts, but it was entertaining to watch as you seemed more nervous than he was, yet internally, he felt the urge to panic. But he wouldn’t give anyone the satisfaction, not even you. He pulled off his other glove slowly, watching your eyes as you stared intently at the action, and he was curious if you liked his hands and how your gaze would be so fixated on them.

“C’mon then,” he said as he slowly shrugged out of the weathered duster jacket, “you gonna give me some attention or were you just talkin’ big?” He always poked at you, toyed with you, and loved seeing how you reacted. Most times you paid him no mind, you just knew he was a big talker with the actions to back it up, but now, you were the one who could show him just what he needed.

When you leaned forward to go for his pants, you took notice of the body language he displayed; how his body tensed up whenever you’d touch him, how his breathing became almost nonexistent whenever you leaned in close, or how it seemed that he was too nervous to even lay a hand on you. It was fine though, you were helping each other out and that’s all you hoped you could do, so you didn’t leave him in suspense as you allowed him to spring free from his pants. You weren’t sure what you were expecting when you first started, but it definitely wasn’t this, and you wouldn’t complain. A smile crept on your lips as you stared at him, your face lowered ever so slightly between his legs, wanting any sign of consent or objection. When all he did was stare, your tongue darted out to moisten your lips while your hand slowly grasped him.

He tried not to let the feeling catch him off guard, but to be touched like that after so long, hell, he was in heaven. His breath caught and he sucked in a deep breath while your mouth slowly lowered onto him, the warmth and wetness that traveled down his length sent shivers up his spine while he tried not to groan out loud. Slowly you lowered and raised your mouth on him, your hand following closely as you stroked him. He lurched forward for the first few deep plunges you made, but after that, he was almost putty in your hands while he leaned his head back and allowed himself to indulge in the way you were making him feel. His hand instinctively traveled to the back of your neck, then slid through your hair as he grabbed a handful of it. He wanted you to go faster, to bring him over that edge of the high he was chasing, but was that the right thing to do?

As if you understood what he was feeling, you picked up your pace and went faster, your mouth and tongue worked expertly together, until after a bit you pulled your mouth off with a slight pop, and you noticed how the Ghoul convulsed at the loss of your mouth. You weren’t sure how this would play out, but all you could think of was how much you wanted to feel him split you open.

“Can I ride you?”

This was a question he hadn’t expected. “I beg your pardon?”

“I want to ride you, you know, sit in your lap and do it like that, is that okay?”

Oh, that’s what you wanted, damn, he was so out of touch with this and didn’t mean to look foolish, but with simulated confidence, he shot you a smirk and patted his half-bared thigh, beckoning you to him. “Then c’mere pretty thing,” he huffed.

Smiling, you crawled over to him and straddled his lap, your eyes never leaving his while you grabbed his cock and steadied it. You both watched each other as you lowered yourself onto him, and you couldn’t recall who made the loudest moan, you or him. The feeling of him stretching you out after being so empty for so long was a feeling you wanted to hang onto, it was the way you slid onto him with slight difficulty that caused you to bite your lip a bit harder than anticipated.

Feeling the way your walls clung to him, pulled him deep inside of you while you sunk deeper into his lap, you were afraid to move in case he was in over his head, but you reached out for his hands and placed them on your breasts. Soft words of encouragement like, ‘Touch me, please,’ and ‘Go harder, I’m begging you,’ had helped him enormously. You guided his hands across your body by showing him what you liked and what you wanted him to do, so he took that as his cue and allowed his fingers to skate across your supple skin. The difference of texture against you had lit a fire beneath your skin, feeling how rough and calloused he was as his fingers grabbed you firmly at your hips, his nails digging slightly into you.

He sucked in a breath of air again and groaned out. “Fuck, you feel damn good,” he murmured while he allowed you to fuck yourself on him. He got the feeling of your rhythm, the way you bounced on him as you lifted yourself, then fell back onto him as he pushed himself deep within you. You could feel the intense pressure of him pushing himself against your cervix, but the sting of being stretched was still prominent, and that’s all you could focus on.

You cried out when he finally stopped you from moving and held you in place firmly, both hands planted on your hips while he thrust into you as the heels of his boots dug into the ground beneath him. “Oh my god,” you whimpered out, your hands placed on his ravaged chest, trying to keep your balance while he helped you out.

The coil in your belly was tightening so much that you thought you’d explode, but you curled forward against him as you reached between your bodies and began to rub yourself, to which he marveled at the noises that came from your mouth. So he opted to push your hand aside and tried to replicate the movements you made against your clit, sloppy but small, tight circles with the pad of his thumb. If this was ecstasy, you never wanted to come back to the harsh reality of the wastelands again, you could get used to being here night after night with him like this, you loved the fantasy you began to build in your mind.

“I ain’t gonna last like this,” the Ghoul warned between ragged breaths, one hand on your breast that popped out from your bra while the other was still holding onto your hip. His thrusts became inconsistent, signaling that he was close.

“Please, cum for me, oh shit-” It was difficult to string together a full sentence, your thoughts were muddled while all you could focus on was that bliss that filled your body.

You wished you could have gone longer, but you were hit with a powerful wave as your orgasm washed over you, and that tightly wound coil snapped inside of you. Your body hunched forward against the Ghoul’s chest while your hands lay flat against his abdomen, trying your best to catch your breath while his hips jerked, and with several more hard thrusts, he let himself go and pushed himself deep inside of you, holding his cock in place as he released what he’d been holding in. His bourbon-colored eyes held your gaze as you both sat in silence save for the heavy breathing, your hearts pounding within your chests as you remained stuck together, the glistening of your skin from the sweat that caused your hair to cling to your face… It was charming, beautiful even, to him.

When you finally had the energy to shift off of his lap, you pushed yourself onto the blanket as you lay beside him as he hiked up his pants, barely putting any effort into moving himself as he allowed himself to lay back, partially laying on the destroyed wood floor, halfway on your blanket. You both didn’t say much after that, but you kept looking over at him, your eyes drinking in the sight of him while it seemed he was lost deep in thought.

Maybe he regretted what you two did, but you knew you never would, you two had an understanding of one another. One that many others probably wouldn’t understand, but it didn’t matter if they did, you were content with having this for yourself, just a small slice of heaven you could recall when you wanted to escape the harshness of reality. This wasn’t about love, no, it couldn’t be, this was just something to take the edge off for you both.

The Ghoul had been looking at you while you spaced off, your eyes fluttered close and then snapped back open. You were exhausted, but you were forcing yourself to remain alert. The storm could pass any moment now, or become worse, you needed to-

“Hey, you should get some sleep,” the Ghoul instructed as he sat up, looking down at you while he rested his arms on his knees.

You grunted in protest. “What if we need to move because of the storm?”

He just scoffed at your response. “You’ll be fine, little bunny, just rest. We got a while till it clears, we ain’t gonna be caught off guard.” He leaned back a bit to stretch his limbs, allowing that calmness to wash over him.

You wanted to fight him on it, but you were just too tired, you could feel how heavy your eyes were becoming, so you yawned and sighed instead. “Alright, fine, but if anything happens… wake me.” He nodded in response, but you reached out and gently touched his arm, pulling his attention back to you. “Whatever this was, I had a good time tonight, so thank you, cowboy.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Sure, didn’t know what the hell I was doin’ after so long, but thanks for not callin’ me out too harshly on it.”

You shrugged and decided to pull some of your clothes back on despite feeling the dampness from the sweat, or the stickiness from your shared orgasms. “Ain’t no shame in it, cowboy, so long as you had fun…” you smirked as you balled up your jacket and placed it under your head. “Plus it seemed you caught on eventually.” Your voice faded slightly while your eyes closed, but you were still listening to him breathing, your body closer toward his to feel that sense of comfort you grew to appreciate from him.

After a moment, your breathing slowed, and your chest rose and fell gently while the Ghoul stared at you, admiring you in the sickly glow of green that illuminated your silhouette from outside. He smiled a little to himself while he twisted around to reach for his coat, then gently draped it over your body. He was surprised at himself for acting the way he was, but you weren’t awake to see this side of him, the side he hid from everyone and most days himself. While you slept, he kept watch as best as he could until he felt the same firm grip of sleep that slowly took hold, and as he leaned back against the softness of your shared blanket, his smile grew.

He wasn’t sure what the future held for either of you, but after tonight, the Ghoul had a strange feeling that things would be more interesting between you both, but for now, he’d bask in the feeling that this evening brought.

501 notes · View notes

bonncy · 5 months

Text

trying out my ghouls headcanons

i like that he has blue ocean eyes since he was a water ghoul to begin with but when he's angry his eyes turn out orange with fire, his horns grown and his hair changes to blonde too annnnd HE HAS FRECKLES OFC and a bridge piercing why not (for me all the ghouls have darker arms demon like idk)

#ghost band #band ghost #ghost the band #the band ghost #nameless ghouls #nameless ghoul #sodo ghoul #sodo #dewdrop #dewdrop ghoul #headcanon #ghoul headcanon #nameless ghoul headcanon #ghost fanart #sodo fanart #dewdrop fanart

1K notes · View notes

ghoulfuckersincorporated · 19 days

Text

Cooper realizing he's falling in love with his companion would be so weird for both of them.

I imagine it would be a long, awkward, painful (at least for Coop) road dotted with increasingly significant gestures, increasingly intimate moments...but there would also have to be a sort of "healing" from the way things have been so far.

I mean, he's only stayed alive this long by being ruthless, selfish, doing whatever he needed to do to look out for number one. Falling in love with someone, caring about them, fucks that M.O. up pretty badly.

If he wants you to stick around, he has to show you he can treat you well. We know that he loves so passionately and deeply when he does, that he has the capacity for it. But, at the same time, it's so difficult for him to be vulnerable enough to show that kind of tenderness to someone again. He's confident in himself when it comes to most things, but this is fairly uncharted territory. He's not even sure he fully remembers how to romance a lady.

He never sleeps, so he always sits up keeping watch overnight. You wake up one morning to find that he's cleaned your guns, sharpened your knives while you slept. Soon, that becomes a regular occurrence. Another morning, after a particularly cool night in the desert, you find that his duster is draped over you. Low-pressure gestures like this, ones he can perform when you aren't watching, are the easiest for him at first. You always thank him for these things, but for a long while you fail to truly realize their significance. As far as you're concerned, he's just demonstrating that he finds you tolerable, which is better than he's acted towards you in the past. Maybe he's even apologizing for being shitty in his own way.

But slowly, the gestures start to happen in the light of day. He'll slow his pace to walk side-by-side with you, instead of leaving you struggling to keep up with his long strides. He lends you his hat when the scorching sun roasts your face, at least, until he finds another one for you. One day you come across an expanse you'll need to cross, but its up to your shins in disgusting muck and water. He offers to carry you across. You look at him like he has six heads, completely unsure if he's mocking you or not. You don't accept the offer...this time around.

If you're doing drugs together, he offers you the last hit, the last line, whatever. Funnily enough, this is what makes you start to realize that he may be trying to communicate something else; he's selfish about a lot of things, but his drug stash is undoubtedly the biggest. You were floored enough when he'd offered to share at all. When he makes that offer the first time, you look at him for what feels like a long while before you accept.

You also lean in and give him a kiss on his rough, pitted cheek when you take whatever it is from him, terrified that you're misreading the situation and he'll shove you away. But he doesn't; he smiles at you, a more genuine and relaxed smile than you think you've ever seen on him before. But then he looks away, almost shyly, and things are quiet again.

That night, you lay your head on his lap when he sits down beside you. He doesn't say anything, but as you're drifting off to sleep, you feel him start to play softly with your hair.

#this is so sappy #don't mind me #cooper howard #the ghoul #cooper howard x reader #cooper howard x you #ghoulcy #vaultghoul #cooper howard headcanons

579 notes · View notes

dewinabsentia · 5 months

Text

i like the idea that each of the ghouls died long ago in different centuries but what i really like is thinking that phantom died pretty recently before his summoning so he has all this internet kid lingo and knowledge and meme references and the other ghouls are all what the absolute fuck is coming out of your mouth

#this one’s loosely a headcanon #like my sneezing hc is law but this is subject to change #ghost band #ghost bc #the band ghost #nameless ghouls #phantom ghost #phantom ghoul #ghoul hcs #ghoul headcanons #nameless ghoul headcanons #ghost headcanons #throws this and runs away

715 notes · View notes

kelthebarb · 4 months

Text

Dew’s element change, except it wasn’t traumatic.

he goes into the ceremony and he transforms into this beautiful ball of fire, his eyes turning an orangey color, his gills seeping back into his skin and they leave little scars that look like tiger stripes, his horns fading to a black with the tips ever-so-slightly red, and it doesn’t hurt him.

it feels warm, and it finally feels right. he finds peace in the fire.

#i needed my baby to catch a break tbh #the band ghost #nameless ghouls #ghost #dewdrop #dewdrop headcanons #dewdrop ghost #dewdrop ghoul #swiss ghoul #phantom ghoul #rain ghoul

591 notes · View notes

cupid-ghoul · 2 months

Text

ghouls have fur and toe beans

that means they probably clean the spaces in between their toes like cats do

ghouls groom themselves and each other to bond and for comfort

that means there will be hair balls

can you imagine you're a sibling sneaking through the ministry at night and hear the typical cat hacking sound only to see swiss on all fours on the ground, his body doing the 🦗🦟🦗🦟🦗 , dry heaving and hurling up a huge hair ball

after that he just scurries off and you're left in the dark hallway with a hairball the size of a golf ball

461 notes · View notes

scarletttries · 19 days

Text

When Fallout Characters Have Their First Kiss...(Fallout Show Request)

Pairings: Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x Reader, Maximus x Reader, Norm x Reader

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who voted on my last poll! It was so fun seeing the votes come in so I'll definitely do that again! Please keep sending in Fallout requests, or for any of the other poll options :)

The Ghoul:

- Life in the wastelands has always been tough, and Cooper Howard's skin has had to grow even tougher, literally and metaphorically. His defenses have slowly steeled themselves over the last two hundred years, every awful encounter and exchange adding another barricade around what was once a warm and friendly heart. He thought that tough exterior was what had kept him alive that long. He also thought your purpose in his life must have been to prove that thought wrong.

- From that first surprising encounter the ghoul found himself drawn to your gaze, your touch, your presence. The way you gave him all three so unflinchingly. Your eyes could look into his without disgust or pity, your hand never snatching away as if the slightest graze could curse you to the same cruel fate. Cooper tried to tell himself the kindest thing he could do for you was to keep your partnership of survival a strictly platonic one, but as nights in each other's company passed one by one he could feel himself inching closer and closer to the warmth you seemed to radiate towards him.

- So used to being in control of every situation, it only shook him more to feel so uncertain of your feelings and if he should act on his own. He feared you being the first person in a century to show him kindness had turned his brain entirely to confetti, that his heart had no choice but to hope you'd take it from his cavernous chest. But your kindness was who you were to everyone, regardless of what they deserved. It didn't mean anything about how you felt about him. So why couldn't he stop himself having that most dangerous hope that maybe his heart wasn't the only one aching with every step you passed side by side, hands hanging just shy of touching, so easy to grab and finally embrace that deep seated truth that this was becoming something more.

- Cooper prided himself on taking the brunt of any danger the world seemed to throw your way, happy to be stitched back together by your soft and caring hands. That day though, he'd been thrown from your side a moment too long and watched helplessly as a half-crazed raider slashed at you with some clumsily wielded machete. You did your best to hold them off, but before Cooper could rise to his feet and grab his pistol you'd taken a hit to the arm, blood dripping from the tip of the blade and red spreading across the tattered fabric of your shirt. The ghoul had never felt such rage encompassing him, ripping through the gang in a violent frenzy that he would have worried would frighten you if he wasn't so focused on his need for overkill.

- He's uncharastically quiet as he practically carries you back to camp, ignoring your insistence that it's just a scratch until he's been able to examine you himself by the familiar glow of your campfire. He kneels beside you and scrutinises your arm, always slightly captivated by how soft your skin has remained in this unforgiving wasteland. Once he realises that you're right, and you'll be just fine, he can feel the swell of relief and terror hitting him all at once, the awful realisation that he could have lost you without ever getting to try and be as close to you as he craves. So he stills his gaze on your face, eyes flickering down to your lips as he inches closer, bracing himself for the rejection of your retreat. Instead you meet him halfway, your lips more warm and soft than any he could remember. In that sweet moment Cooper Howard feels more alive, more human, more safe than he ever did before the bombs hit. He feels like his body is warming from the inside out, a rush of blood bringing him back to the man he once was.

- He may not look any different as he reluctantly pulls away to let you breathe, but he is a changed man inside from your kiss. He realises that it's not his callous cynicism that's kept him alive this long, but his once soft heart, desperate to find hope again. Hope that he's now found, with you.

Maximus:

- It was hard for Maximus to put his finger on exactly what he felt when he was around you. He knew his entire being ached to be near you, and even when he was, it somehow wasn't close enough. He knew that when you smiled it made him smile, no matter what the context or motivation. He knew that the longer he went without seeing you, the dimmer the world seemed to be, like you were his lens to all the joy and colour around him and he was lost in grey oblivion about it. Maximus felt a lot of things around you that he'd never felt before, but he didn't really know what to call it. And he certainly didn't know what to do with all those feelings.

- The Brotherhood wasn't exactly the best place to learn about feelings growing up, everything complex and difficult hidden behind a layer of steel and obedience. Thankfully if you put enough young people together, eventually gossip will reign supreme. And so Max heard about the idea of a crush from two tables over as he sat eating alone in the canteen. He strained to pick up the conversation between two of the older guys who'd been out on more missions, setting down his cutlery and shuffling closer as he heard one of them talk about the way his stomach was in knots every time one of the new recruits looked at him. By the time they'd described the hot flush in their cheeks when the object of their affections smiled, and how they plagued their every thought, Max was sat with his mouth hanging agape and a renewed sense of purpose for the next time you came knocking on his door to sneak out to see the stars.

- In fact he couldn't wait for that moment to come and instead you found him breathless and fighting with the opening of your tent when you came back from your latest supply run. Upon spotting you he quickly unravelled himself from the ropes that had captured his limbs in his stealthy attempts to sneak a peek inside, and offered his hand to you in such a matter of fact motion that you had to stifle a laugh at the serious expression on his face. He leads you to the quiet corner of camp the two of you frequent, a tarp tucked against a loose fence panel that almost feels like a loveseat made just for you.

"Do you know what a crush is?" Max looked equal parts concerned and excited as he tried to read your puzzled expression.

"Yes Max, do you?" You knew there was something growing in the way you and Maximus had come to rely on each other, and pass every free moment tangled in each other's company, but you also knew he didn't have the best understanding when it came to the more human parts of his life and didn't want to risk misreading the delicate situation.

"I think so, but what should you do when you have a crush on someone?" He looked up at you starry-eyed and hopeless, desperately wishing that you two could be far away from here and working all of this out without the horrors of war hanging over you. You could see the straining heart behind his wide-eyed gaze, his hand still nervously clinging to yours, and decided to take pity on the young soldier.

"Do you want me to show you?" You ask softly, inching closer to his face almost feeling the heat rising in his cheeks as he frantically nodded. Lifting the hand he hadn't claimed, you let your palm rest against his cheek, feeling his body start to tremble in anticipation of what might come next. You leaned in, eyes focusing on his soft full lips until they met yours, pressing gently into him until his brain caught up and finally he started to reciprocate. Unsure and desperate, his free hand found the small of your back, pulling you closer and making sure you wouldn't stop this wonderful feeling in a hurry. As your lips moved slowly against his, he found a rhythm with you, drinking in your sweet warmth and praying this moment would never end, because somehow this strange and overwhelming feeling was still so much better than the years of emptiness that had stretched before it. Finally you pull away from him, searching his eyes for some insight into how he's feeling after such a pivotal first for him. You're met by the widest smile you've ever seen, and a simple question, "Can we do that again?"

Norm:

- Norman Maclean couldn't help the overwhelming cynicism that flooded through him every time it was the day of another vault-exchanging wedding day. He wanted to enjoy the delicious array of food, without thinking about how insufferable it must be to suddenly live with a perfect stranger. He wanted to enthusiastically navigate the dancefloor like everyone else, without thinking about how the new couple must be feeling so uncomfortable despite how happy they looked. He wanted to be able to soak in the joy of that magical first kiss without feeling this strange hollow ache inside himself that he tried to write off as an aversion to the falseness of this whole charade. But as he watched yet another 'happy couple' lock lips or move intertwined across the dancefloor, a small part of him knew that his distaste for the day was down to one much more simple feeling: Envy.

- There wasn't even anyone in the vault he wanted to share those kinds of embraces with, but that knowledge did little to assuage the aching loneliness that was nestled deep under layers of logic and intelligence that he let guide him instead of his heart. Or at least there had never been anyone in the vault that had made him feel that way by the time the council decided it was his turn to take part in their little tradition of arranged marriages. And in a most pleasant surprise to the slight young man, he felt a touch of optimism as his wedding day rolled around and he found himself face to face with you. And in a twist of fate that had Norm quite unable to believe his own luck, he was destined to wed someone that stirred those same desperate, longing feelings inside him with no sign of relief.

- The short-lived, perfunctory kiss with which the two of you had sealed your vows had been enough to set his heart ablaze, even with the eyes of the vault on him, even though it only lasted for a split-second, even though he wished the circumstances were entirely different. And as the two of you found common ground and shared secret jokes as the night went on, Norm only found himself falling deeper under your spell and praying when the night was through that you wouldn't resent following him back to a room that might finally feel like home.

- As the music from the old record-player swelled you threaded your fingers through his and pulled him over the sparsely populated dancefloor, most of the Vault 33 having long given up on seeing Norm dance and retreated to their own private quarters. As the lights grew dimmer on the projected skyline you seemed only more beautiful in Norm's eyes, his slender arms finding your waist and holding onto you like he feared he might drift away in an ocean current that threatened to pull him back to reality. He watched the soft smile spread effortlessly across your face, the ease with which you swayed to the music making him dance before he even realised he was moving. His mind replayed the briefest touch of your lips and suddenly he found himself unable to concentrate on anything but closing the distance between you, every nerve in his body sending electricity through him that finally promised to illuminate the dark, aching loneliness that had resided in him for as long as he could remember.

- He prayed your smile was genuine as he stepped ever closer, taking a visibly deep breath before finally taking the plunge and landing what he hoped would be the first real kiss of many in your marriage. His chest pressed firmly against yours as he tried to remove all space between the two of you, every ounce of hope and affection pouring out into a kiss that had your head spinning, pure dedication from your new husband clear in his every touch. It felt all consuming to finally be so connected to another person, a feeling Norm feared would never find him but now seemed a tangible part of his present and future. By the time he pulled away his lungs ached and he worried his eyes would well up if you kept staring at him with such intensity. He felt himself freeze on the spot as he awaited your verdict; on his kiss, on the marriage, on him. A moment that stretched out an eternity passed before finally he watched a smile grace your lips, feeling your hand find his again as you said softly in his ear, an unfamiliar gleam in your eye,

"Which of these rooms is ours, husband?"

231 notes · View notes