[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

[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.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Crap. The more stories Deacon hears, the more hopeless he feels about convincing these otherwise totally decent people to ditch the Brotherhood.

He turns his hand around to lace his fingers with Riley's.]

What about you, Everett? Got a tragic backstory too?

[inhonorof]

[Riley nervously rubs his thumb against Deacon's knuckles, holding his fingers tight. This... This isn't going to work. He doesn't know if he can do this. He knows what they're doing is important, that they need this in with the Brotherhood, but he... As much as his guard keeps raising around this squad, it keeps dropping again. They aren't bad people. They just... he... He doesn't think he can bring himself to betray them. But they'll never turn their backs against the Brotherhood, will they? It'd be better to ruin their cover now, before they're -- he's -- in too deep, and then run away.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[In contrast to Alex's display of casual ease, Everett tenses, his chin raising and jaw tightening like he's preparing for fight.]

My parents were Outcasts. The returned to the ranks of the Brotherhood when Elder Maxson negotiated the end of the schism.

[inhonorof]

[It takes Riley a moment to register the way Everett has hardened himself, he's so occupied with his thoughts. He blinks a couple of times, and suddenly, understanding slowly dawns on him. His reaction to the puppies -- his focus on having to prove himself -- this defensiveness... It must be difficult for him in the aftermath. He must face a lot of doubt thrown his way. Suddenly, Riley finds himself thinking of the things he had to deal with in the military, the way he'd been treated -- the way he had to work twice as hard, more than that sometimes, to prove himself to be not an enemy, not a spy. Riley's expression softens.] It must be rough, [he says quietly,] trying to navigate everything after what happened.

[gallifreynpcs]

[Everett stands down when no one attacks, the defensive instinct easing up since no one's turning on him. Everyone but Riley and Deacon already knew, but Everett still expects a bad reaction whenever someone first finds out.]

There's still a lot of bad blood. It took a long time for people to trust former Outcasts. Or their families.

[inhonorof]

I understand. Before the bombs fell... Because of the war with China, all Asian Americans got painted with the same brush. The racism was... everywhere. You couldn't avoid it. Not even in the military. It was... rough. And it never went away, no matter what we did.

[gallifreynpcs]

Then you understand. No matter what anyone else might think of me, I am a Brotherhood Knight. And I've trained hard to prove that I'm worthy of the rank. Someday, when I'm a Star Paladin, I'll show people that I deserved everything I got.

[O'Hallan interrupts.]

You can start by focusing on the mission you're on right now, Knight Wynter.

[inhonorof]

[A different kind of uncertainty swirls in Riley's chest. He feels like he should have something to say, something to try to set Everett's mind at ease, something that'll help him understand that the rank isn't necessarily going to bring him the security he's looking for -- But he doesn't know what. He doesn't know what would work, what would feel the most true.] I... [... no. He doesn't know what to say. Instead, he ends up going with,] I hope it works out. [It sounds lame to his ears.]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon wishes that Anthony would finish his guard watch already so he could turn his nosiness on him. Just a quick conversation and he's got a decent bead on all of them. Everett's the real wild card. Ambition like that can make a person do crazy things sometimes. It could make Everett cling to the Brotherhood like there's no fucking tomorrow, just to prove that he would. Or it could make him turn on the organization that he feels isn't appreciating him.

From an enemy ops standpoint ('cause despite the friendly chatting, that's what he and Riley are--enemy operatives--and he hopes Riley isn't forgetting that), Everett is the weak link.]