Chapter Text
The grass is green. The grass is even trimmed, it’s cared for. There are hedges that are so perfectly square that it’s odd. Bushes shouldn’t be that square! Nora laughs, actually. Out loud at her own silly thoughts. Nate’s head veers to the side, it tilts, he has his own goofy, small smile curling his lips. “Alright, the house is not that bad.” He breathes out, a joke. It’s already obvious he has a feeling that’s not what she’s laughing at.
Nora shakes her head, she is about to answer, but she raises her hand. Her ring glints so bright in the sunlight. She laughs again. He turns more towards her, the agent trying to sell them this house looks so wonderfully baffled. It’s a good thing she isn’t looking at him or she’d laugh even harder. Nate reaches up his larger hands, fingers that wrap so comfortably around her wrists. He actually shakes her lightly, everything is as light as that shake. That was a joke, the bushes are funny looking, the agent is still baffled, but smiling. Nate is now laughing. It’s nice to forget the Sino-American War is still raging. Nate did his time. Nora did her time. They deserve a laugh. “Get the house, baby. I want to live here forever.” Nora promises she’s trying to be serious, but there’s still laughter fading away from her lips.
There hasn’t been laughter on her lips for a while. It’s outstanding how dim things feel when Nora is standing at the top of Piper’s steps, looking at the one thing that has currently made her feel indescribably happy out of everything she had to go through since watching her husband die. Nora has killed hundreds of raiders, been covered in blood and other animal parts, has stood inside the disciples base with so many mutilated and gored bodies, and killed the man that killed her husband. The trauma has been unspeakable… and maybe that’s why she just fades it out. Yet, somehow watching Piper with her head in her hands, one hand scrunching up her little press hat… has to be the most emotionally painful thing she has felt since pulling off Nate’s ring from his dead body. Nora lifts her head to the ceiling, cycles through what she should say to ease this moment. She opens her mouth━
“Is Cait sober?” Piper speaks first, a three word question. She doesn’t lift her head from her hands and Nora breathes in. A deep, deep breath. As that’s asked, Cait actually laughs from downstairs. Not that Piper’s apartment has too much sound-proofing privacy, but it is proof that Cait is actually distracting and interacting with both Nat and Shaun. Nora finally moves forward, slides her hand through Piper’s hair. The wedding ring on her finger glints in the dim lightbulb of this scrappy apartment. She pushes the hat off Piper’s head, her other hand catches it and sets it on the desk beside Piper's computer. Nora’s fingers curl lightly in Piper’s hair. That absolutely gets Piper to tilt her head to look up at Nora. The words that Nora had once said: ‘I think you’re perfect for me,’ were written so precisely in the way green eyes looked at Piper. They just look at each other.
“Yeah.” Nora finally says, it sounded like a breath of relief. “The man, up there in the mayor’s office, he had something to do with your father’s death?” Nora just asks lightly, Piper’s eyes flick sideways. She blinks. Sometimes the truth isn’t spoken. Nora just nods.
“I wanted my wedding pictures at the Boston Public Library because before the bombs, getting married wasn’t just a single ceremony where someone officiates you, it was a whole entire thing. You get these professional pictures, you pick out a dress, you get a restaurant to cater you. All your friends and family come. Everything before I woke up is a whole entire world. It’s a different dimension. It's a privilege certainly, even those rich snobs up in the stands have no idea the luxuries people had that they don’t have now.” Nora’s voice is a whisper. Piper’s mouth is open slightly, that reporter is absolutely hanging onto every single word. Nora’s making a few adjustments in the middle of her speech. In all honesty, the reason she never truly did open up to anyone besides a summary of what happened is because she didn’t think they’d understand. It doesn’t really matter right now. Nora and Piper are both women who lost something utterly important to them because of violence.
“Ah can’t believe a little brat is teaching me how to play checkers!” Comes an explanation from Cait downstairs. Nora’s eyes close briefly. Yes, that’s a smile that curls her lips. Piper actually does not move an inch. She may not even be breathing. It suddenly becomes entirely obvious how infatuated she truly is with Nora. This isn’t about getting a fun story to write, this is simply about knowing Nora. Hearing more of what happened before the bombs.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, Nora’s adjustments moved her to stand in between Piper’s legs, one knee on the ground. One hand still curled in Piper’s hair, the other somehow now on top of Piper’s scarf, like fingers wanted to tuck in that material. Remove it from the neck.
“Every time I’m with you, it feels like the world isn't so different. The Boston Public Library is still beautiful because I get to tell you about it. I don’t know where I’m going with this. You’re usually the one asking me questions or telling a story.” Nora whispers, voice slightly shaky. Lips are right in front of Piper’s. As it turns out, Piper wasn’t breathing. She just took a breath in, both felt and heard. She actually clears her throat too. Piper flounders a little too. Nora sees in the corner of her eye, Piper’s hands moving around awkwardly, looking for some kind of purchase. One of them actually settles on the top of Nora’s vault suit. One finger subconsciously mirroring Nora’s finger and tucking under material.
“Maybe I just think you make this world as beautiful as I remember it, as green as the grass used to be, and as amazing as I remember my wedding photos had been.” Nora’s lips are somehow even closer to Piper’s lips. Piper is a smooth talker, she isn’t scared of anything but losing Nat, actually. But, Piper is extremely awkward when it comes to physical attraction. But –
“I want to- Can we?- Wow.” Nate is so wholly flustered, somehow you can even see a blush on dark skin. He is trying so hard to keep his hands still. He takes a deep breath in. The shirt he is wearing is tight, fits along his muscular form. Nora is absolutely waiting patiently. A knowing and little smile on her lips. Green eyes flick up from his broad shoulders to his features. A scruffy beard, blue eyes– he is honestly the most handsome man she has ever seen.
“Would you like to date me?” Nate finally gets out, smooth. He smiles next. Nora raises a brow– she’d like to do more than that, but yeah–
How Nora and Nate started dating is so wonderfully similar to how Nora and Piper started dating. A suggestion, a question, touching on emotions before anything truly intimate. Realizing that maybe they fit together, this world feels better together. Nora feels like this part is also the same. Nora is the sexual one, Nate was the awkward one. Oh, he wanted it, of course. He just had no idea what to do. Piper’s personality is exactly the same in that area.
“Wow. I did say you could talk to me about Nate at any time.” Piper finally speaks… and that sounded entirely confident. “That fucker you had thrown in jail, Blue? He doesn’t even have a cool or fun name. He is legitimately just John.” The disgust in Piper’s voice was so obvious. At least she’s talking now again. All details being filled in. The hand not in Piper’s hair moves to Piper’s jawline, thumb brushing over Piper’s bottom lip. Nora leans in–
“Piper! I’m going to beat up Cait!” Nat’s voice rings loud and clear from below. You know, last time Nora tried to do this they also got interrupted. One of these days. Nora pulls back. Both Nora and Piper have a similar smirk on their lips.
“Aye! Don’t say that! Don’t get me in trouble. All I did was win!” Cait calls out just the same. She does sound a little worried.