ghost of a chance.

[goodfight]

The Capital Wasteland. It's a wasteland. It has dead trees. There are trash, debris, and rotting corpses everywhere. It's Neil's hometown. D.C. ain't pretty, but D.C. is where he comes from. A crappy start, literally.

Neil's hardly phased, though. Despite Alex's clear opinions regarding the area, the younger guy has been looking forward to getting back. Years have passed since he last laid eyes on the Capital Wasteland; some positive change must have occurred. Or any change, really. Anything would be fine.

As they pass through Megaton's gate, however, Neil catches a glimpse of that thing, and he stops dead in his tracks. His eyes widening to show white.

"Da... Dad?"

Comments

[goodfight]

It isn't until he peeks into his bedroom, its contents picked through and looked at, that Neil bothers to respond to Alex. The younger man stomps down the stairs, appearing quite a bit older than he was prior.

Dogmeat barks again, and in a rare moment, Neil snarls at the poor dog. "Not now!"

[doubletap]

In an uncharacteristic move, Alex steps in front of the dog, expression angry. "Neil! Stop fucking around! Don't take it out on people that don't deserve it and deal with your shit."

[goodfight]

Dogmeat whimpers plaintively, his tail slipping between his legs, and Neil--

Neil bites down hard on the harsh words that surface. Alex is right. Of course, he's fucking right, and the idea of it deflates Neil's anger enough for the guy to shake his head.

"Sorry," he gives, to dog and man both.

[doubletap]

Eyebrows raised, Alex moves aside with a pointed look down.

[goodfight]

Neil swallows his words and walks past Alex to Dogmeat, who looks practically miserable. Neil immediately bends down to one knee to hug the poor kid. The dog whimpers, whines in his sorrow, wondering if he had done something very, very wrong.

"No, boy," murmurs Neil. "You're a good dog. A very good dog. I'm sorry I yelled at you, and I'll clean your bowl as soon as I can, okay?"

This seems enough for Dogmeat, whose sadness quickly shifts to tail wagging and sloppy kisses. All of which Neil accepts without complaint.

[doubletap]

Better. Alex moves to lean against a part of the wall not covered in shit and waits for the kid to finish with his dog.

"So someone broke in when you were gone and stol--"

He cuts himself off, looking irritated. "But you had to unlock the door to get in here. Who in town has another key?"

[goodfight]

With Dogmeat satisfied in his goodness, Neil slowly rises to his feet. A hand pushes through his damp hair, a gesture born more of frustration than anger.

"Lucas Simms, but he knows better than to give anyone else a backup key." Neil sighs before turning to face Alex. "Unless someone offed him and took it." A very likely possibility. He doesn't recall seeing the self-proclaimed sheriff's face around anywhere.

[doubletap]

"Welp, it's something we're going to have to find out. Should inventory your important shit--" This is said with a semi-doubtful look at the mess. "--and see what's still here. But before that--"

Alex's eyes snap to Neil and hold. "So your dad's up, I see."

[goodfight]

Oh, god. He had pieces of that special T-51b power armor in one of the lockers. And Jingwei's sword. Hopefully they were left alone.

Alex, however, changes topics, and Neil's expression moves from frustration to what can be construed as death. "Yeah," he says lightly. "Thought he was never going to wake up. Guess I was wrong."

[doubletap]

He takes a beat. Exhales tension. Steps away from the wall nearer to Neil. "...You look like you'd rather he hadn't woke up."

[goodfight]

"That's..." He thinks to deny it, to say he would never think of such a thing. Instead, Neil releases a shuddering breath. "I guess I'm a shit son if I look like that."

A pause. There's a soft look to his eyes. "I am glad, though, that he's alive."

[doubletap]

Alex's mouth twists slightly, and he reaches to touch Neil's shoulder. "I didn't mean it like that, kid. He's... uh. A hard guy to deal with, it seems."

Look how nice Alex is being.

"And at least you know now. He's healthy and... busy, so he's probably happy or something."

[goodfight]

A hard guy, huh? "It's funny," replies Neil. "When I was a kid, I thought my dad was easy to talk to. Uh, although--" He coughs, appearing extremely uncomfortable. "Sorry he was implying that your work wasn't important. He's hyper-focused on that project."

He slowly puts his hand over Alex's.

[doubletap]

Alex softens at the words, further at the touch. He turns his hand to take Neil's, then pulls it to his mouth to kiss. "Sorry, kid," he says quietly. "This can't be easy for you."

[goodfight]

The gesture calms him, pulling him away from fathers, projects, and words. Neil muses on the why. Wonders how Alex has become that sort of existence.

"It's fine," he says quietly. "I'll be okay. Besides, we're finally here. In my recently robbed Crap Shack." A smirk tugs at his lips.

[doubletap]

"Such an impressive place," Alex drawls sarcastically. "Though I guess it has a... rustic charm."

He frowns, as if noting a problem. "Definitely needs to be christened, though."

[goodfight]

"If by 'rustic', you mean rusted completely through," Neil responds, bringing out the full smirk.

He notes the frown and tips his head. "Christened?"

[doubletap]

Charming. So charming. And it's not the Crap Shack. Alex reaches out to twine his hands around Neil's back, tugging him into Alex.

"Christened," he says, with a familiar look.

[goodfight]

Neil has to be trapped against Alex, his arms surrounding the younger man, before comprehension hits. Before something in him decides to allow the steps taken.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Neil asks lightly.

[doubletap]

...With Alex pressed against him when Neil speaks, Neil should be able to tell the full affect of his words. Alex's eyes darken, and he leans his head down to take Neil's lips.

[goodfight]

There is no mistake where these steps are taking them. Alex ducks his head to meet lips with like, and Neil inhales at the sensation, the pressure against him. In one of those rare moments, the man does not resist. Does not raise a fuss. Instead, he simply allows everything, as if passively enjoying the moment.

[doubletap]

This is rare--Neil against him, reciprocating without a fight. For a moment, Alex thinks Neil might be more upset than he seems-- Then Alex just accepts it, taking joy and pleasure in the act without reading into it. He shifts Neil's arms to his shoulders, pulling them closer together.

He deepens the kiss, tongue teasing Neil's mouth, and it's strange, Alex thinks. Because he thinks he hears a lock turning.

[futilemartyr]

The door opens to James' only son pressed shamefully close to the man James had just met--the man's hands on Neil and their lips locked--

Disgusted and overwhelmingly repulsed, James barks out, "Neil!"

[goodfight]

His arms slip onto the other man's shoulders easily, and he murmurs a content sound. It's so strange. Somewhere, Neil thinks--

Like a nightmare rising out of an otherwise delightful dream, like a knife cutting through living flesh, a new voice tears through the air. In utter shock, Neil pulls his head away from Alex to stare, wide-eyed, at the intruder. At the person, Neil understands in an instant, who likely is responsible for the property damage around them.

"Dad?!"

[doubletap]

There is a part of him, removed from the situation, that can see where this is going. Both in the current, perfectly ruined moment, and some place unknown down the line. This is the start, he thinks, something in his broken brain. This start of some kind of ending.

At the moment, though, he is not removed, and nowhere near the place of distance he should be in this kind of situation--well-known and unwanted. Neil radiates shock but has not pulled away. Alex doesn't think Neil understands.

But that tone. Alex knows that tone well.

He drops his arms from Neil, takes a step away and forward, face shuttering closed. Words hover at the edge of his tongue, but-- Maybe he's wrong. Maybe this is different from what he thinks. Maybe--

Maybe this is none of his business, like the kid keeps telling him.