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HUB 360
This merry little haunt wasn't familiar to Nick, but the address was correct, for what it was worth. There weren't many buildings with penthouses intact, but Hancock had told him to show up here, so here he was. Honestly, as he came up the stairs, Nick wasn't entirely certain what to expect.
Was it a stash house? No, Hancock and he had a tentative understanding about chems. Nick didn't comment and Hancock didn't do them right in front of him if he could help it. It was about the best the synth could hope for, and a fair improvement on their previous arrangement of: nothing.
Was it a new settlement? Bit of a stretch but Evaris did have ecclectic moods.
Maybe he...Nick came up blank. He didn't have a clue or a chance in hell of divining one, so he shouldn't waste the breath (figurative) trying to hash it out. He just stuffed his hands in his pockets, kept his revolver at the ready in case this locale wasn't secure yet, and trudged up more flights of stairs than he cared to count.
At the top he stepped out of the stairwell and through time. One second he was in the Commonwealth and the next he was standing on fine plush carpet in Boston, MA. This place was an absolute time warp, like walking into a photograph, and Nick was entirely thrown as he let the door behind him close and cautiously wandered in.
No turrets...so that was a start.
Cameras? Didn't spot one, didn't see any mics either but he was sure there were a few. This place had electricity and...was that hum an airconditioner?
"Where the hell am I?"
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This time, when he passes it over, he sits on the edge of the bed and sticks it to Hancock's chest.]
Good idea. I was gonna install a warning light. Yours needs less soldering.
[Nick goes back to writing and this one's quick enough.]
Mind plugging me back in?
[He could do it himself, all he'd need was something decently reflective and a screwdriver, but it'd be easier for Hancock to reach in and reconnect that cable.
...thinking it in so many words did make it sound more macabre than Nick expected.
He held off writing another note, though. He didn't expect Hancock would mind, but he might have to wait a minute or two for the ghoul to regain his finer motor skills.]
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He plucks the note off his chest and squints at it whilst giving a read. ]
I'm full'a brilliance and you should come to expect it by now [ He replies to the first written note before taking a gander at the second. With a hazy kind of nod and a general good nature Hancock sits himself up again, though not without a tired groan. ]
Yeah, I got it. Lemme see what that asshole did to ya... [ He jokes fondly, swaying more than leaning towards Nick, taking a closer look at the distraught, moist mechanics of his throat. ]
Think I see the cord that popped... is it this one?
[ His touch isn't timid, but it's reasonably cautious. His fingertips coax the displaced cable into his grasp, and he holds it with absolute tenderness, the exact opposite of the blissful brutality he'd used to inflict the damage in the first place. ]
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It's easier to get at the socket without his shirt on so Nick takes the moment to finally shuck his rumpled button down and tie. When he bows his head forward, if Hancock looks carefully, there's a port and a board just behind the back of his throat. The inner workings of his trachea are fascinating, a series of mechanical irises and long woven cabling, all drawn through hydraulics and free wires. None of the other open ports match the end of that cable, though, so it's not hard to guess where it fits in.
Nick can't feel those cables, not in the same sense that he can feel touch. He knows when one disconnects, but when they do it drops the sensor data for everything downstream of it. This is a simple job, but it's about as dangerous as setting a broken bone. Hancock's delicacy is noted and appreciated more than Nick can say (hah).
The note he tossed down just says: You should see the other guy.]
NGL nice to have these two tones of interaction to bounce between
It's absolutely trippy getting a good look inside the mechanics of Nick's throat. Those devious, devious irises. Just watching them tick makes Hancock's mouth go dry. But he's on a mission here, a quest. So he slants his focus on what he's looking for.
He's still no Robotics Expert, but finding a port to match a cable is... basic science, even for grunting mammals. He's got keen enough eyes and brains that he can pick out the matching shapes after a few moments, but he's still careful and cautious in pressing the cable's connection into the port. Maybe he doesn't have to be so careful, but some poorly thought out instinct is probably suggesting to the ghoul that Nick might be 'sore'.
He finally hears a satisfying 'click' when the cable finds it's place, and he gives a little extra push to make sure it's snug. ]
There ya go, think I got it? You start speakin' Spanish or somethin and I'll give it another go.
Right? Though there are some really disconcerting parallels here at the moment.
Only know enough Spanish to ask how to get to a library.
[Nick pulls a deep, experimental breath and lets it out. He doesn't sit up right away, stays in position and waits for Hancock to move away. He can't feel those and the last thing he wants to do is accidentally catch a finger between his moving parts. Fun as it is to brutalize the others, neither of them would get a kick out of that.]
That's been loose for a while, comes out every now and again.
XD It's accidental foreshadowing?
Why the hell does everyone know how to ask that in Spanish? They got somethin' goin' down at the Libraries I don't know about?
[ Weird cultural phenomenon, that. Hancock... does not have the mental capacity to spin too many hypotheticals. Not with how his brain stutters watching those mechanics clench and click when he knows exactly what that feels like on his dick. He's just gunna... sit back now. Blink. Swallow. Breathe. Phew. ]
Overdue for a tune-up, aincha? Much as poppin' a throat cord is probably a pain, we all got quirky broken bits. Just makes ya more relatable, in my books. Ya catch I'm missin' a toe? Downright disturbing.
Does it count as foreshadowing if we finish the other one first? LMAO.
Sorry. Nine toes is a real dealbreaker for me, pal.
[Nick couldn't have sold that less than he did just then. He considers staying, kicking back on the bed with Hancock, but now that they're sated and comfortable--and now that this place has been declared his--he has to admit to a streak of curiosity. He ends up splitting the difference, grabbing his discarded button down and tie and standing up.
The master has a washroom, it would be bizarre for one this ritzy to be lacking one, and Nick meanders over to it. He's a bit of a stickler for his appearance, insofar as he can be, and he can only hope that this place has pipes that aren't solid rust. As he steps in to the bathroom Nick flicked on the light and gave a surprised, low whistle as the fixtures all came into view.
Place was black marble and gold fixtures and a sunken tub the size of a small jacuzzi. The shower was a walk in affair with one of those big square heads. Had two sinks, even, and a wall of mirror that miraculously survived two hundred years in tact. In the corner--
Nick actually grinds to a halt. He stares, processes, drops his clothing right there, straight onto the floor, and turns right back around. He's only been gone about thirty seconds but when he steps back into the bedroom his expression is stricken, shocked like he'd seen a ghost seated at the vanity in there. His gaze snaps to Hancock and, before he can even think, he's at the side of the bed, bent almost in two, kissing the ghoul as hard as he's ever done.
Nick means this one too--his hands end up flanking Hancock's face, holding him tightly. His eyes close, and that look of sweet, agonizing bliss just slides over his face like it became his default setting.]
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[ It's actually unfair how this kind of Crash and Reboot sequence seems to leave Nick like he's a morning joe on a fresh cup of black; meanwhile, Hancock, despite all his ghoulish stamina, feels like he could drop into a nap. Terribly boring of him, but the bed is soft and his nerves are sated and he feels-- good. Just, so very good. And it's nice, and maybe Hancock could get used to feeling like this.
Nick seems to get curious and Hancock can hardly blame the guy; he's been an awful tour guide, and maybe he ought to get up and start showcasing the digs... but he already sold it, didn't he? Nick wants in. Wants to be close. Just that thought alone is enough to tug a crooked, hazy smile across Hancock's mouth.
When had his eyes closed? They open in a snap when suddenly Nick is back and kissing him, inexorable. The ghoul's senses all reel back alive and light up his tired nerves, creating a delicious strain that boarders the territory of masochism. It's almost too much, in a way that can't ever be enough. He's quicker to lose this breath this round, but doesn't draw back, only steals quick gasps when a thin blade of air cuts between their mouths. ]
Hey, Casanova? What's gotten into you? Ya find the washer and dryer or somethin'?
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You could'a opened with those, you know. No need to go burying the lede like that.
[Hancock's drowsy and breathless but this might as well be a vertibird for how absurd it is. He gives him another kiss, quick and firm, before he tenderly smooths both thumbs over Hancock's cheeks and stands back up. Nick grabs Hancock's discarded coat et all and promptly darts back into the washroom.
Yeah, okay, so it's a little over the top to be so enthusiastic about this. Just a pair of antique, pre-war appliances in a broom closet, right? They might not even work, or they might not be hooked up, or the tanks might have rusted out like that soda-fountain's had, but Nick's been hand-washing this getup in a bucket for a hundred years. If this building had nothing but the washer and dryer, he'd still have contendedly moved in. (Not that he isn't ecstatic about the rest and, primarily, being a lot closer to Hancock, but this is probably the rarest find in the commonwealth and it's just...in his new home, easy as. Ellie was absolutely going to lose her shit about this.)]
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Burying the... can we pretend I made some kinda clever sex joke with that? It's a damn tempting set up but not sure I got the 'knock down' part in me
[ He just needs one of a few things: a nap, caffeine, some kind of helpful upper, maybe a shock from a security baton... usually Hancock can't stand being idle, but Nick's left him with just the right about of energy drain and quenched affection. But Nick himself... doesn't actually sleep, does he? Hancock briefly feels like a boring old man for the unavoidable organic behavior. ]
I'm glad your likin' the ritzy digs. And hey, thanks for not callin' me crazy for springin' it on ya. It WAS actually you, sayin' ya like when I'm... over zealous. Guess ya gotta be careful what ya ask for.
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Nick's legs, as rarely displayed as the rest of him, are about as banged up as his arms but the weathering is less godawful. His calves are weirdly shapely and, in a move of either forgetfulness or hubris, he's still wearing his tucked-up sock garters when he walks back out, barefoot, into what is now his bedroom.
Is he taking advantage of Hancock's absolutely shattered state to walk around in heart boxers and sock garters like an old man from a comic book? Yes.
Is he only doing it because the ghoul doesn't have the energy to give him hell about it? Also yes.]
Nothin to apologize for--I mean, I can't say I ever expected a gift quite like this. This is damn near impossible and you handed it off to me? I--yeah--I admit it's a bit much for one synth alone.
[Nick, comfortable and relaxed despite this newfound exposure, moves to the desk and the terminal. He boots it up just to crack in and see what the last guy left lying around. Also to maybe offload some of the video he's snapped. If he's going to have photos of him being debauched (and he plans on keepin those), it's only square to have Hancock saved in his secure files.]
Good thing I got you kicking around to make it interesting.
...And having Ellie and the agency in here won't hurt, either.
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Ah-ah-ah. You already signed the lease. No Take backs. [ He's already got the stats back for ribbing, it seems, lazy as his demeanor still is. ] You're stuck with me now, Slick. Sorry to tell ya.
[ Mmph... where is his hat. Hancock's eyes are tired of neon underlighting. He can't actually be assed to move around too much though, just settling for slinging a bare forearm across his eyes and laying slack like the odd arm-bend is perfectly comfortable and natural. ]
Uh-huh. Looks like your new Landlord's thought'a everything. How the hell'd you get so lucky?
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[Nick answers without missing a beat. The terminal is kicking him back with written passwords and, since he already plans on uploading to it regardless, Nick just cuts out the middleman. He disconnects a wire in his skeletal arm and it goes slack. Casual as anything he plugs that wire right into the side of the terminal and lets it run. His background processing is more than enough to crack low end tech like a personal computer. The screen blanks and all his code is printed to it as he flies through the registry and reorganizes things to his liking.
The fact that this method hacking also lets him turn in his new office chair and leer at Hancock is not lost on him.]
Turns out he likes dancing and rust martinis, wild right?
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[ He hears that Nick is doing... things. Clicking, clocking, fussing. He's curious, but he doesn't quite peel his arm off of face for a peek. The inclination to do so just gets gently set aside; has any bed in his entire life ever been this comfortable? ]
Sounds like a sucker. Take 'im for all he's worth.
[ He still smiles, beneath the awkward sling of his arm, oblivious to Nick's leering. A subconscious stretch has him unfurl his toes and absently rub his foot against the duvet.]
'Specially if it means ya take me dancing again, heh.
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[Nick watches him stretch out, just like the large cat Nick always compares him to, toes spread against the soft blanket. Behind him, the terminal clicks away, hard drives clicking as they spin up and record the data Nick's dumping into them. In the background of it all, the sounds of a washing machine cycle going underscores the moment making the synth feel like he must be hallucinating.
This place went, in one afternoon, from a staggering novelty to feeling so domestic, so homey that if he were capable of it, he'd be choking up. He's not sure what the hell he did to deserve this, but he's not about to start complaining now.
Behind him the terminal beeps as the files finish copying over. He logs out without looking and retrieves his cable from the small computer. It's a bit of a bitch to put this particular cable back in, but it's the only one with slack so he doesn't have a lot of options unless he wasn't to fish one out of his leg. (He does not.) He gets it on the second try, as usual, and goes back to watching Hancock.]
You know that's the cover blanket right? The sheets are probably nicer.
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[ It's... undeniably comfortable, listening to the chatter of oddly domestic white noise. Hancock doesn't even have a frame of reference for that, for this-- but he likes it, this easy-breezy chill. This coupled, affectionate safety. He doesn't care much to figure out the schematics of it-- is it Nick, this place, the satisfaction of two orgasms in less than an hour?
Doesn't matter. Hancock usually doesn't feel this kind of chill unless it's chemically induced. He's doing the stubborn thing-- not wanting to sleep because it feels so good being here, awake, trading friendly banter and soaking in the insane thread count. ]
Eh? But it's so soft just layin' on it like this...?
[ Since he's employing one of his arms as a sleeping mask, it's the free hand that goes blindly groping about the duvet for an edge to catch and grab. Blanket size doesn't often square up with bed size in his rough experiences; you just can't match blankets to bed-size post-apocalypse. Except when you apparently can.
Hancock finds the edge of the blanket at the edge of the bed-- pulling it on means getting off of it though, and that's a pretty tall order. Instead, after a bit of lazy pulling and rolling, he's become a Ghoul Blanket Burrito. ]
... Yeah this works.
Do we call it for interrogation?
The synth turns back after that and tap a few keys on the keyboard. The white lights go out and the blue fade down. He feels like he's in another world.
It's going to take him ages to get used to this place.
But, while Hancock is curled up, presumably sleeping, Nick goes wandering through the rooms of his new home. Taking a tour in the dark while trying not to wake someone was, frankly, more Nick's speed than an open house.]