[closed] the only constant is change

[capcious]

Who: the Fallout AU crew
Setting: the Commonwealth
Summary: BoS things, institute things
Warnings: Fallout warnings, smut
Other: [original notes] [first post] [second post] [third post] [fourth post] [fifth post] [sixth post] [seventh post] [eighth post]

- minor timeskip to when the BoS has its feet under it again, shaun asks riley to go up and keep an eye on them and deacon goes with
- they get assigned to a BoS squad composed of AU versions of chancellery guards (paladin archimedes o'hallan, knight-captain anthony norris, lancer-sargeant alex reyes, knight riley reynolds, knight everett wynter, knight henry "hal" saller, aspirant 'jack' "deacon" 'priest')
- maybe some minor quests involving getting to know them, gotta get some solid Bonding going
- sarrith (sarah, secret enclave remnant) and sal's romeo and juliet romance
- that one quest where you get the nukes from the glowing sea for the BoS
- wynter's mistake and gradual ghoulification and the position it puts the squad in
- blind betrayal

- shaun announces ferran officially as his successor
- ferran dealing with the short institute quests that result from that
- shaun discovering ferran's a slut and trying to talk to him about it
- zetta freaking out bc they're spending all this time waiting for her to recover and dealing with the BoS, and not having the time to try to figure out a way to save shaun
- zetta, in general, driving shaun slowly up the wall because she's cooped up and needs to be kept occupied or else Bad Things Start Happening, why is this shaun's life, this was not what he was expecting at all
- ferran going on missions with x6-88 / house divided, warwick
- nathan and zay's one night stand with ferran becoming not a one night stand any more
- at some point we need to have nathan call deacon a mongrel to his face so zetta can go positively nuclear
- zay finding out nathan is taking buffout

- build towards the railroad and institute being on better terms (not *stable*, but they need to be in a position where they're willing to make an alliance at the battle for bunker hill and afterwards to take the BoS down)
- probably need to do a meeting with dez and carrington, bc jfc (and ferran being the next director makes it easier to make negotiations on the institute's behalf though shaun probably doesnt fully trust him with that wrt the railroad yet, shaun needs to see ferran make decisions that benefit the institute OVER the railroad for that)

- mass fusion happens before battle for bunker hill, lighting a fire under the brotherhood's ass (still use it as the faction cut-off point?)
- at the battle, brotherhood wins -- keeping them a legitimate threat and serving as the push for the institute and railroad to work together against them

[image] [lyrics]

well, oh, it seems you're a lot like me
you dug yourself into places you never thought you would be
but don't you fret, and don't you mind
the only constant is change,
and you never know what you'll find

yeah, tomorrow i might wake up nice and clean
and i might believe the things i said i didn't mean
and this might turn and wind up just the way we'd dreamed
and i might become the things i swore i'd always be

Comments

[inhonorof]

[Riley's brow furrows for a moment, then he calls to O'Hallan.] We see one, but it hasn't seen us yet.

[gallifreynpcs]

What are you waiting for? Every super mutant you shoot down now is one less we'll have to hunt down later.

[inhonorof]

[He isn't sure why he hesitated -- is still hesitating. He just... There's something about shooting at a target that isn't aware, that isn't currently a threat -- But O'Hallan is right. It's going to be a threat later, and it'd be a threat to more helpless people, anyway. Riley presses his lips together and warms up the mini-gun.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon doesn't agree with the Brotherhood on much, but this is one thing where they've got it right. Muties have got to go. Even raiders aren't as bad. Sometimes raiders will let you live if you give them money. And they don't usually eat the limbs they sever from their victims.]

[inhonorof]

[The mini-gun comes to life, spitting bullets at the super mutant down below, trailing up behind him until they catch up to his position.]

[ersatzeverything]

[The super mutant is taken off guard, begins to turn at the first noise of bullets hitting ground, but never finishes the motion or sees what's shooting at him before he falls dead to the ground.

There's a cry from inside a nearby building and another mutant darts out into the street, gun in his hand.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley's shaky exhale is lost in the vibration and noise of the mini-gun. He turns it onto the new super mutant without letting up on the trigger.]

[ersatzeverything]

[The second super mutant raises his gun towards the vertibird but doesn't have time to get off a shot before the minigun mows him down.

No more mutants appear. Either these two were alone or else the others are keeping cover. Deacon knows which he hopes it was. It's going to be a pain in the ass if they have to fight there way through every building in the area.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley lets the mini-gun spin down. He feels like his heart is beating faster than it necessarily should be, but at the same time, he doesn't really feel much of anything except for a distant twist in his stomach.]

[ersatzeverything]

[The vertibird begins to descend in a spot clear of trees with just dried up brown grass thinking of sending up spring shoots. It's far enough away from Fiddler's Green Trailer Estates that they won't be shot at as they're trying to disembark, but close enough to still be fresh and ready to fight after walking there.

Deacon takes one hand off the death grip he has on the rail and pats Riley's back.]

You okay, pal?

[inhonorof]

Yeah, [Riley says without thinking about it. He vaguely wants to curl up with Deacon and hide somewhere, but he knows he can't do that -- and shouldn't want to, just from this. He's okay, because he should be.]

[ersatzeverything]

[They're close enough to the ground know that it's almost not terrifying. Yeah, if Deacon jumped out the window, he'd probably survive it. So it's better. His heart begins to slow, and he feels calmer even as Riley is looking off.]

Liar. But, hey, who am I to judge.

[inhonorof]

[Riley looks at Deacon blankly for a moment, and then it seems to sink in, because then he looks guilty.] It's... [He can't say it's nothing. That's lying again.] Nothing we can do about it.

[ersatzeverything]

Fair enough. Just...don't get so lost that you forget to take care of yourself, yeah?

[If Riley died out here, he'd never forgive himself.]

[inhonorof]

I know. [Riley leans over to kiss Deacon's cheek, and wishes he could take a moment to just stay there and breathe him in, ground himself. But they don't have that luxury right now.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[O'Hallan rises as the vertibird completes landing procedures. He walks towards the exit, hydraulics in his power armor hissing with each stomp.]

Norris, Wynter, Reynolds, Saller, you're with me. Priest, you hang back with Reyes and guard the vertibird.

[inhonorof]

[Discomfort immediately prickles up Riley's spine, all the way up to the base of his head. He doesn't like this. He doesn't want to be away from Deacon. He -- He has to deal. He can't keep Deacon wth him everywhere like a safety blanket. Riley ducks his head.] Sir.

[gallifreynpcs]

I'll take point on the approach. The rest of you line up behind. Eyes peeled, there could be mutants anywhere.

[Hallan steps from the vertibird and raises a large plasma rifle, on the alert for enemies of the Brotherhood.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley allows himself one more kiss to Deacon's cheek and a brush of hands before he follows O'Hallan out of the vertibird. He draws his laser musket, fingers curled tighter than strictly necessary.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon smooths his thumb over Riley's knuckles and then a quick caress of his jaw.]

You come back okay, right? Because I cannot ride on this thing alone.

[inhonorof]

[If something happens to Riley, then Deacon is stuck up here. Not just with the vertibird -- Riley has Zetta's Pip-Boy. He won't be able to get back to Zetta and Ferran. ... Deacon would have to come find his body to retrieve the Pip-Boy. ... He needs to stop thinking about this. (He isn't aware of the way he's looking more and more shaken, the more he thinks about it.)] I won't make you, [Riley says, his voice soft. He tries again, also trying for a more normal volume:] You won't have to.

[gallifreynpcs]

We'll take good care of him, I promise. [Anthony tells Deacon as he hops out of the vertibird.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley has to force himself away, or else he never will. He can do this. He can do this. This isn't as hard as flying away from Zetta when he enlisted. He can do this. He stiffens his spine and forces himself to turn away, hurrying towards O'Hallan.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Hal takes up a position next to Riley.]

Don't worry. Jack's one of the safest one of us all. He and Alex can get airborne fast if they see trouble coming.

[inhonorof]

[Riley feels something like appreciation stir under the fear and the distance. It also takes him a second to realize he's talking about Deacon, because while he can remember that "Priest" means Deacon, "Jack" he just associates with Ferran. He offers Hal and Anthony a weak attempt at a smile.] Thanks.