[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]

[That catches Riley's attention, and he can't help but ask.] Have you played it?

[ersatzeverything]

Sure. [No.]

When I was seven, I was, like, constantly chilling in the RobCo service center playing holovid games on the old terminals.

[inhonorof]

[Riley still hasn't caught on to that age as a cue that he's lying.] I never did ever actually beat it.

[ersatzeverything]

Me neither. I did way better on my actual trip to Oregon.

[inhonorof]

[At least he catches on to this one. He starts to grin.] Well, I'd certainly hope so.

[ersatzeverything]

So, O'Hallan's been with the Brotherhood since, like, the first Maxson. What's the story of the rest of you guys?

[The opening is there to find out what motivates them all, to assess why they're loyal to the Brotherhood and how deep that loyalty runs.]

[inhonorof]

[Riley settles back a bit, resting his chin on Deacon's shoulder.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Hal jumps to answer first.]

I was born in the Capitol. Just a couple of months after Elder Maxson. It's weird sometimes. We were in classes together as kids but now he's the leader of the Brotherhood.

[inhonorof]

[It'd be like going to high school with the guy who ends up president of the United States.] I don't blame you.

[gallifreynpcs]

We were friends a long time ago. Before...everything. [Before the Brotherhood vanquished the Enclave. Before his father was killed by Outcasts. Before Elder Lyons died. Before Arthur became Elder Maxson. Everything was different then.]

[inhonorof]

[At that, Riley's expression softens.] I'm sorry.

[gallifreynpcs]

Don't be. The Brotherhood's never been stronger. [And his father sacrificed his life for the Brotherhood so the sacrifice of one childhood friendship is just a little thing in comparison.]

[inhonorof]

Still. Just because you think things have worked out, it doesn't mean you can't miss what you gave up for it.

[gallifreynpcs]

You mean like you ending up here, and losing what you had before the War?

[inhonorof]

[Riley's gaze immediately turns inward. His parents... The dog they never found again... Shaun's childhood... ... almost himself. ... but... as things are now... Zetta and Ferran are more free than they'd ever been before the war, and they still have Codsworth and Irene, and Shaun wasn't completely lost, and now, they have Deacon. Deacon, who they're all so much better for knowing, so lucky to be with. And, the dangers of the wasteland are -- They're horrible, but, really... Riley didn't feel any more safe before the war.] Yeah. Like that. [He leans over to ghost his lips just under the ear of Deacon's sunglasses, almost-a-kiss.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon smiles. It's an unusually goofy and lovesick smile. The feelings are bubbling up and it fits with his cover, so he might as well use it.]

[inhonorof]

[... that smile makes Riley want to tip Deacon onto his back and... ... no, he really shouldn't. Instead, he tries to appease himself by holding Deacon closer.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon leans in and rests his head on Riley's shoulder.]

You're doing it again. The "single people, witness our euphoria and despair" shit. [Alex snarks.]

[inhonorof]

Sorry, sorry, [Riley says, but he's still smiling and leaning his cheek against Deacon's head.] Anyway. Back on topic, and everything.

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon drops his hand onto Riley's knee and leaves it there. Turns out "sappy honeymooner" is a fun role.]

So what's your Brotherhood story, Alex?

[inhonorof]

[Riley happily reaches for Deacon's hand with his free one to thread their fingers together.]

[gallifreynpcs]

My Brotherhood story's not that complicated. Fucking Enclave killed my family, I wanted to hunt down Enclave survivors and fuck them up, Brotherhood seemed like the best way to do it.

[inhonorof]

[... oh. Riley's expression stalls out for a moment, then falls.] ... I'm sorry.

[gallifreynpcs]

[Alex shrugs casually.]

It was a long-ass time ago. I was a punk who didn't appreciate what he had until it was taken away. I miss my family, but now I'm a fucking vertibird pilot. I'm doing meaningful shit and have a family with the Brotherhood that's bigger than anything I could have imagined back then.

Like you were just talking about. You miss what you lost, even when you've ended up doing damn good for yourself.

[inhonorof]

[Riley thinks about the big family Alex told them about after that prank. He wants to ask if any of them at all survived, but at the same time... He's afraid of the answer. And he thinks if any of them did, then Alex would've brought them up by now. He thinks of Nathan, of the things the Enclave did, of how Nathan sees it as the Brotherhood killing his family. Suddenly, Riley feels like he doesn't know if he can do this.]