Chapter Text
A Tough Row to Hoe: A difficult situation to face
Lucy walked between Cooper and Dogmeat, trying not to show her agitation as they got closer and closer to New Vegas. Cooper told her this morning that they were only two or so days from their destination. She’d double-checked her PipBoy, heart sinking at the realization that he was correct.
Oh, she was happy their walking would soon be over, but she was also terrified about what awaited them. Lucy still wasn’t sure if she should kill her father or if she should just let Cooper do it. Part of her wanted to be the one to take vengeance for her mother, but when push came to shove, she wasn’t sure if she could actually pull the trigger. No matter what he’d done (and he’d done a whole heck of a lot), he was still her father. She hated him for all the terrible things he’d been a part of, but a small part of her still loved him. She remembered the man he’d been her entire life--the dad who’d read books with her, laughed with her and treated her like his beloved daughter.
Could she look Hank MacLean in the eyes and pull the trigger?
Lucy didn’t know. Sure, he deserved to die, make no mistake. But what would it do to her if she was the one who ended his life? Would she be able to live with herself?
Also, there was also the whole issue with Cooper’s wife. Even though Lucy knew he loved her, there was still a tiny niggle of doubt she just couldn’t seem to rid herself of. A worry about what Cooper would do when (if) they found his wife.
Ex-wife, she reminded herself.
Still, he’d spent years with his ex and only a fraction of that time with Lucy. Plus, his ex-wife was the mother of his daughter. There was obviously going to be some residual feelings there.
Not that Lucy would know seeing as she wasn’t a parent and she had zero interest in having babies anymore. Also, it wasn’t like Cooper could still have kids anyway. His rad count was way too high for that. Not that she thought he wanted other children beside Janey, so that wasn’t really a concern. Not that any of that was important at the moment. Or ever, really.
But still…could he really walk away from his (former) wife without a thought?
Lucy wanted…no, needed to believe he could. But the closer they got to New Vegas, the harder that was for her.
Even if she knew in her heart she was being ridiculous.
“You alive over there, darlin’?” Cooper interrupted her worrisome thoughts, his brow wrinkled slightly as he watched her.
“Of course. Just thinking,” she replied, trying to interject as much positivity into her voice as humanly possible. “Gosh, it’s getting chilly,” she added in a (poor) attempt to distract him when it looked like he didn’t buy her act.
He continued to eye her suspiciously. “Uh-huh, ‘cause I know how much you love discussing the weather. You going to ask about the local sports team next?”
“I don’t know what that means.” Lucy understood what a sports team was, obviously, but why would she talk about it? Did sports teams even exist anymore?
Cooper rolled his eyes. “It means you’re making pointless small talk. Not really your style. Sure, you like to flap your gums, but it’s rarely as boring as the weather.” Cooper came to a stop and placed his hands on her shoulders while he looked down at her, forcing her to meet his dark eyes. “So, how about you tell me what’s really going on in that pretty head of yours?”
“I’m just thinking about what we’ll find in New Vegas. I don’t know what to expect and it’s making me…anxious, I think.” Lucy wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the concept of anxiety, but this was a whole new level of stress. She was finding she didn’t like it and would very much like it to stop.
“Makes sense. There’s a lot of unknowns at the end of this trail.” Cooper cupped her face with his gloved hands, staring deeply into her eyes. “But no matter what we find, we’ll deal with it.” He paused to press his lips to her forehead. “Together.”
Her heart swelled in her chest at his reply. She could see the love in his eyes and felt it in the way his hands gently held her face.
And, just like that, her worries about his ex faded for the moment. He loved her, not that other faceless woman.
She just needed reminding sometimes.
Instead of replying, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly, delighting in his enthusiastic response. His hands moved from her face to her hips, his fingers digging into her skin as he pulled her close.
After a few minutes, he reluctantly pulled away. “How’d you feel about continuing this in a hotel?”
Lucy, who’d been disappointed when he'd stopped kissing her, perked right back up. “Is there one close by?”
He laughed at her excitement before saying, “if I recollect, there’s a town near here. Luck or Prosperity…maybe, Fortune? Fuck if I know.” Cooper shrugged. “Regardless, it’s close. Check that overpowered watch of yours.”
Lucy ignored his opinion of her PipBoy, adjusting the dial until the map appeared on her screen. “It’s called Fortune and it’s an hour or so southeast of here.”
“Alright then, let’s shake a leg so we can get there before it gets dark.”
Lucy nodded and hitched her bag higher, a renewed sense of purpose moving her forward at a speed that made Cooper laugh and shake his head as he followed behind her.
Less than an hour later, likely due to Lucy’s power walking, they arrived in Fortune. It wasn’t much to look at, but there was a hotel which was all Lucy cared about at the moment. So, of course, she immediately headed in that direction. Cooper apparently felt differently because he grabbed her arm and stopped her before she even made it three feet.
“Hang on. Let’s get some drinks and mingle with the locals first. I know once we get into a room, you ain’t going to be leaving any time soon.” He clicked his tongue to summon Dogmeat, who’d gotten distracted by sniffing a trash bin and crunching down a radroach with pure doggy delight. “And try not to get into any trouble.”
Lucy ignored his comment and his pointed look as she wrapped her arm through his. He sighed, but didn’t shake her off, so she considered that a win. She was determined to make him comfortable with showing affection, especially in public. It was slow going, but she’d made some headway.
As they walked down the main road, a few people gave them an eyebrow raise, but no one was overtly rude. Several people even waved at the two of them, smiles of welcome on their faces. Lucy waved back, of course, while Cooper mostly ignored everyone.
So, exactly like every other time they’d been in a town. Or a settlement. Or around people in general.
Would it kill him to say hi to someone once in a while?
When they arrived at the bar, Lucy grinned at the hand-painted sign over the door. “The Drunken Molerat,” she read aloud to Cooper, who frowned at the name. “Cute! I love it already.”
“Of course you do,” he grumbled, opening the pub door and gesturing her inside.
The bar was well lit, the smell of stew and beer wafting through the air. Candles were placed on top of each table, their soft glow adding to the cozy ambiance of the place. The tables and chairs looked as if they’d be scavenged and didn’t quite match, but there was something about the place that made it feel intentional and welcoming.
Lucy loved every square inch of the place. Heck, it might just be her new favorite spot in all of the Wasteland.
Not that there was stiff competition for that. Most of the bars they’d been in, Lucy could say with all honesty, made her feel sticky.
“Grab a table, sweetheart, and I’ll get us some drinks.” Cooper adjusted his duster so everyone could see his guns and strode towards the bar like he was ready to murder anyone that got in his way.
Lucy laughed, finding him a bit dramatic and more than a little paranoid. Not that she had any intention of telling him that. She understood that being around people made him crabby. So, he coped by being the most dangerous looking person in the place…which wasn’t hard for him. Maybe it was the duster swirling around his ankles like a villain’s cape. Or the way his eyes narrowed from beneath the brim of his hat as he stared at anyone who got close. Or it might’ve been the way he moved across the room like a deathclaw stalking its prey.
Whatever it was, people moved out of his way and no one even attempted to talk to him.
He’d relax after he realized there wasn’t anything to fret about.
Well, and once he had a few drinks in him. That usually helped.
“Here.” Cooper returned, setting down a drink in front of her. She smelled the dark liquid, uncertain exactly what he’d given her. Once it passed the sniff test, she took a tentative sip.
“For fuck’s sake…it’s just Nuka Cola and rum. It ain’t poison.”
Lucy gave him her scariest glare which he ignored. One of these days, she’d manage to put the Fear of Lucy into him. But today was not that day.
Sadly.
“I didn’t think it was. I just like to taste something before I put the whole thing into my mouth and swallow.”
Cooper choked on his bourbon at her (mostly) unintended innuendo. “Warn a man before you say shit like that.” He glanced around the room as if making sure no one could hear them. “Especially in public.”
Lucy waved off his concern, not terribly worried about people over-hearing her rather tame comment. Sometimes, he was just so uptight. Maybe it was the pre-war manners or some strange facet of Cooper Howard. Either way, it amused her. Especially when he got all sputtery.
“Did you find out anything?” Lucy asked, taking pity on Cooper and changing the subject.
Before responding, he took a sip of his drink and lit a cigarette. “Well, New Vegas is still standing.” He tapped the ash off in a chipped ceramic dish and took another drag. “And it’s about a day and a half away.”
Lucy frowned in confusion. “Were we worried that it might not be?”
“Eh, a bit. Last I heard about New Vegas, the NCR and Caesar's Legion were duking it out over the Hoover Dam while House did whatever he does when he’s not plotting the apocalypse.” He took another pull of his cigarette and spread his arm across the back of the booth, his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat.
“I know what the NCR is, but what the heck is Caesar’s Legion? Like the Roman emperor?”
“In a manner of speaking. They took all the shitty stuff from ancient Rome and LARP’ed their way all over the Mojave.”
“Like what?” Lucy sipped her drink, enjoying the fizz from the cola and the hint of rum on her tongue. She’d never had hard alcohol before, only wine on special occasions. Well, and that one time she’d tried Cooper’s bourbon. She hadn’t liked that at all, but she was enjoying the rum.
He’d get a thank you kiss for the drink later. She had a feeling if she tried it now, he’d have a meltdown.
“Slavery, torture, murder, crucifixion…you know, the usual. If Romans did it, the Legion does it worse.”
“They sound delightful,” Lucy muttered dryly into her drink. She did not want to run across any of those people. Why would anyone want to reenact the Roman empire? Seemed like an odd choice.
But, considering all the other weird things she’d seen, maybe it wasn’t actually that strange.
“On the bright side, they mostly got wiped out years ago after the whole Hoover Dam shit. The bartender mentioned there’s still a few of the pricks running around, but they ain’t an organized unit anymore. Should be easy enough for us to handle.”
Lucy finished her drink just as Cooper stopped talking. To her, this meant it was time to move on. She had Things to Do. “Can we go find a hotel? One with showers. Or baths. I’m not picky.”
Cooper rolled his eyes like he always did when she mentioned getting clean. “You with the fucking washing…,” he muttered to himself, stretching his legs out until his boot hit her foot. She responded by doing the same thing back to him. “Yes, we can try to find one with baths.”
Lucy brushed off his grumbles, giving him a wide smile as he nudged her foot again. “Can we go now?”
“Let me finish my drink. Then, we’ll go.”
“I can go get a room while you do that,” she suggested, waving her hand at the half full bottle of bourbon in front of him. She didn’t want to be here for another few hours when she could be washing. Or rolling around on some clean sheets. Or both.
He took a swing from the bottle before saying, “hell, no.”
“Why not? I’m not a child. I can handle walking down the street and getting a room.”
Cooper sighed. “Because you look like that,” he waved his hand in her general direction. “And half the town’s been staring at us--at you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen in the thirty or so seconds it takes to walk to the hotel.”
“Darlin’, you’re a magnet for trouble.” He laughed when she frowned at him. “Which I do enjoy. Most of the time. But it’s best for both of us to stay under the radar. Don’t want word getting back to your daddy or anything.”
Okay, she wasn’t that bad. Really. Cooper just had a tendency to exaggerate. Probably all those years as an actor or something.
Lucy crossed her arms, blowing her bangs out of her eyes as she glowered at Cooper, willing him to drink faster. She was very much looking forward to washing all the dirt and dust off herself before falling into a soft bed with clean sheets. And hopefully, fluffy pillows.
“Don’t give me that pouty face,” he warned, pointing one gloved finger in her direction. “I’m almost done.”
“The faster you finish drinking, the sooner we can be having sex.”
“Well, alrighty then.” He gulped the rest of the bourbon down. “I hate to keep a lady waiting.”
Lucy grinned at his sudden eagerness. At least that was one way to get him moving. She’d have to use that one again.
As they left the place, Cooper tipped his hat to the bartender. Lucy wanted to reach for his hand, but she sensed he was a little on edge. She knew he’d get grumpy if she tried since he was always worried about how people would react. Lucy didn’t particularly care, but she didn’t want to upset him either.
Even if she thought he was being ridiculous.
Thankfully, the hotel was close to the saloon, making Lucy practically vibrate in excitement. It took everything she had not to sprint down the dirt road and fling herself into the building. She didn’t because a) Cooper would not be happy with her antics and b) they arrived.
“How can I help you folks?” the man at the front desk of the hotel asked as soon as they walked through the door, a beaming smile half-hidden by his carefully waxed mustache.
“You got baths?” Cooper asked before Lucy could.
He knew her so well.
The man nodded, his moustache quivering slightly. “And showers. Did you two need some rooms?”
“And baths. Or showers. I’m not picky.” Lucy paused for a second as she considered her options, ignoring Cooper’s disgruntled muttering about being interrupted. “Can I have both?”
The clerk chuckled, his smile widening at Lucy’s enthusiasm. “Sure thing, miss. Showers are in the rooms, but the water isn’t heated. If you want a bath, we can bring up some warm water when you’re ready. That’ll cost extra though.”
Lucy gave Cooper a pleading look, hoping he was willing to part with enough of their hard-earned caps to get her both showered and bathed.
“We’ll take a room,” Cooper told the clerk before glancing at Lucy. “Bath now or later?”
“I want to shower first. So, bath in an hour or so?” Lucy gave the mustached man a concerned look, worried she was making things difficult for him. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course, miss. Just let me know when you’re ready. Will your dog also be rooming with us?” The clerk glanced in Dogmeat’s direction, who was busy licking her paw and wagging her tail to mind much.
“Where we go, so goes the dog.” Cooper leaned down to scratch her head, giving the other man a cold stare.
“She’s very well-trained. I promise,” Lucy reassured the clerk, not wanting to get kicked out before she even got to shower. “You won’t even know she’s here.”
He wavered but finally surrendered when Lucy gave him her best doe-eyed look. She didn’t like to bust them out too often, but this was a matter of urgency, so she was willing to use them to her advantage.
“Sure thing, miss. Now, you wanted how many rooms?”
Lucy could tell the man had some hopes regarding her. He hadn’t been disrespectful or obvious towards her, but she sensed his interest. Hopefully, he wouldn’t take it too badly when he realized Lucy wasn’t available.
“One. We need one room,” Cooper said impatiently, his voice taking on a bit of a growl. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the clerk’s attraction.
“Right,” the other man bobbed his head. “Will that be a single or a double?”
Lucy glanced at Cooper, unsure what the man meant. Cooper sighed. “He’s asking if we need one bed or two.”
“Oh.” Lucy nodded in understanding. “One bed, please.”
“You sure about that, miss?” The man’s eyebrows rose towards his hairline. When he looked in Cooper’s direction, he paled. Lucy didn’t know exactly what face Cooper was making at the man, but she figured it wasn’t very friendly.
She made a note to herself to leave the man a few extra caps in the morning. He deserved a tip for still letting them stay there even if Cooper was glaring at him like he was contemplating maiming and/or murdering the poor man.
Which he probably was, now that she thought about it.
“We’re sure, thank you.”
“Right. Here you go then. That’ll be thirty caps. And ten more for the bath.”
Cooper paid the increasingly nervous man while Lucy waited, her skin starting to itch at the thought of her upcoming shower. And bath.
“Alright, darlin’, let’s get you cleaned up.” He gave the clerk a deliberate stare as he placed a possessive hand on her waist and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
She knew his sudden willingness to show affection was due to the clerk’s interest in her. He probably wanted to stake a claim on her or some such nonsense, but she still basked in the feeling. When it came to public displays of emotion, Cooper was rarely the one to make the first move. So, no matter what his reasons, she planned to enjoy it while it lasted.
“Yay! And then you can get me all dirty again.”
The clerk pretended not to hear her comment as he stared at a spot just to the left of her ear, but she could see his cheeks flush and his moustache quiver. Wastelanders were just so weird about sex. She’d never get used to that.
But it was very entertaining on occasion. Like now.
While Lucy continued to contemplate the prudish attitudes of Wastelanders, Cooper got the key and steered her in the direction of their room.
“I think you traumatized him,” Cooper said while he opened the door and ushered her inside.
“Really?” Lucy dropped her pack on the floor with a sigh and sprawled across the bed. I live here now, she decided as she burrowed deeper into the soft mattress. “If anyone traumatized him, I would’ve thought it’d be you with all the glaring and growling.”
Cooper set his bag beside hers as his eyes swept the room. It was small, but cozy. Lucy had no complaints. Plus, the pillows were, in fact, fluffy.
“I wasn’t growling.” He took a seat on the overstuffed chair in the corner of the room and swung his boots up onto the table. “I think he had some ideas about you.”
Lucy raised her brow at his gruff tone, a small smile teasing the corners of her mouth as she hugged one of the very fluffy pillows to her chest and tried not to squeal in joy. “Are you jealous?”
He scoffed. “No. I just don’t like the way he was looking at you.” When she continued to stare at him with an arched brow, not buying his weak explanation, he exhaled sharply. “Fine, yes. A little.”
She stood up from the bed to make her way over to him, staring into his eyes when she came to a stop in front of him.
“What?” he demanded impatiently as she continued to watch him.
“Nothing,” she said, placing her hands on his cheeks as she leaned down to kiss him. Lucy liked that he was a bit jealous. It wasn’t something she should enjoy, but she couldn’t seem to help her feelings. Something about him getting all growly over her made her heart skip a beat.
Not that she’d ever tell him that or anything. Then he might end up acting all possessive and grumbly way more often. They didn’t need him ending up in a gunfight every time someone smiled in her direction. That would not be good.
“Now, how about,” she began as she started to unbutton her shirt. “You get rid of all those clothes and join me in the shower?”
Instead of replying, he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss that she returned with equal fervor as her hands gripped his duster in order to pull him closer. He stopped kissing her long enough to laugh and wrestle himself free of his coat, bandolier and vest.
Lucy, growing rapidly impatient with all his layers, started to work his shirt buttons free as they walked towards the bathroom. It wasn’t easy since he was trying to unzip her pants while she was shoving his shirt down his arms. But somehow, they managed to make it into the small shower, letting the lukewarm water pelt down on them as she spent the next hour or so showing him exactly why he didn’t need to be jealous.