[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

[capcious]

If they didn't want me in their faces, they'd think twice before they opened their mouths, [she drawls, but her arm around his waist tightens, and she kisses his head. Hers.]

[ersatzeverything]

Yeah. I mean, reports are the worst.

[He knows the fight wasn't really about the number of reports he sends in. Not on Zetta's side, and not really on Dez's side either. Zetta was protecting him and Dez wanted to assert control.]

[capcious]

[She presses another kiss to his head, and another, and another, each in different places.] I guess now we gotta make a note every time a scientist takes a piss, since it's so important to surface ops. [It really wasn't about the reports. But it's what Dez used, so it's what Zetta is going to tear into at every opportunity.]

[ersatzeverything]

You stake out the women's bathroom, I'll take the men's. And, uh, hope that Lone doesn't catch me staring at his boyfriend's dick and drawing a diagram or else he might get the wrong impression.

[capcious]

[She snorts in amusement.] "My boss said so, it's important. Don't you know? Everything that happens down here affects the Railroad."

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon chuckles.]

Can you imagine the look on Dez's face if I dumped a bunch of Institute dick pics on her desk? Or the look on Carrington's face?

[capcious]

[She starts snickering.] It'd be magnificent. I feel like this means we should do it.

[ersatzeverything]

Oh, I am so on this.

[And Dez and Carrington, not being privy to this conversation, won't understand why Deacon is suddenly drawing wangs on all his reports.]

[capcious]

They absolutely fuckin' deserve it. [Not that Carrington pissed her off too much this time. No, today was pretty much all Dez. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have it coming for other shit he's done in the past.]

[ersatzeverything]

Hell, they're basically asking for it. Like, if they don't expect something like this, they don't know me very well.

It's this or writing all my reports as limericks. But this is way easier.

[capcious]

And way more funny. More reward for less effort. [Zetta starts to massage the back of Deacon's neck with her hand that's been resting there.]

[ersatzeverything]

Mmmm you can keep doing that forever please.

[His neck is tense and knotted tight and Zetta's finger feel amazing.]

[capcious]

Mmmhmm. [Zetta starts massaging more firmly, still using just that one hand for the moment.] If you want me to do much more than this, we'll have to move.

[ersatzeverything]

Yeah, but see, the problem with that is the moving part.

[But Christ it feels good.]

[capcious]

I know. I'm rather enjoying this myself. [Zetta presses a kiss against his temple.] But it's difficult to give you a proper massage like this. Oh, the difficult decisions I ask you to make, [she teases.]

[ersatzeverything]

So unfair. If I wanted to make decisions I'd be leader of the Railroad. There's a reason I leave that shit to other people.

[capcious]

[Zetta, who knows his role better by now, snickers. But he's at least right in that he doesn't make the bulk of the decisions. Just heavily influences a lot of the critical ones.] Well, this isn't one I'm willing to make for you, or else I would, [she drawls.]

[ersatzeverything]

Guess I'm just gonna be stuck here indecisive then.

[He snuggles against her shoulder. Deacon practically never relaxes entirely, but the extra tension that built during the meeting is starting to fade. Enough that he can talk about it.]

If I were a replacement, what would you do?

[capcious]

[Zetta's hand pauses, and her arm tightens around him again.] Fucking tear into Shaun, [is the first thing that comes to mind. That's the easy answer. She doesn't think she'd be able to look him in the face without screaming at him. It'd ruin the fragile thing she's been trying to build between them. But she knows that isn't what Deacon's looking for. She lets out a heavy breath.] We'd have to be practical, first. Figure out if they forced some Institute loyalty bullshit into your head. But... [She traces her fingers along the back of his head.] I still have trouble imagining a replacement Deacon would be willing to sell the Railroad to them. It's too much of who you are. Even a replacement with a loyalty to the Institute would be trying to do what we're doing, trying to save everyone. And I know Riley would accept you, no matter what. [Still not answering everything. But she doesn't have an answer for herself on a personal level, not right away.]

[ersatzeverything]

[The thought that, if he were a replacement, he'd be doing exactly what he's doing now isn't reassuring. But--]

I don't feel any loyalty to the Institute as far as I can tell. I don't want to murder them all if we can avoid it, but I still think they're mostly all assholes.

[capcious]

[... yeah. He really did take it straight to heart. Motherfucker. She should go back downstairs and break Dez's nose. Or maybe Carrington's -- If that test was his idea... Even if he suggested it to prove to Desdemona that Deacon is himself, fucking hell, he didn't think about how it'd affect Deacon. If she's honest, though, she isn't sure which would've been worse for him, the test or exile.] I'm certain if they'd replaced you, they'd want you to feel a stronger connection to it. You not wanting them all to die has more to do with your morals than any real attachment to it. Besides, the Warwick synth knew he was a replacement. And from what I understand, so does McDonough. So if you were a replacement, I'm sure you'd know.

[ersatzeverything]

Maybe. [But he's not sure.]

Barbara didn't know.

[capcious]

[Zetta sighs through her nose.] I know. [Her hand settles on the back of his neck again, protective.] But we don't know what her deal was. She was just a caravanner, right? Seems... weird.

[ersatzeverything]

Maybe an early experiment in making perfect replacements. [He's wondered why for over twenty years and never figured it out.]

[capcious]

If so, then it obviously didn't work out, since the repalcements since then have been aware of what they are.