“Well… how does getting a bite at the Third Rail sound?” Carlos suggested. “I wonder if we could get a table over close to Magnolia’s stage, or maybe just spend time in the VIP room.” Carlos then smirked slightly at Hancock. “That’s not to say that I’m going to be drinking, however. If I did, then things would get boring pretty quickly.”
“Darlin’, we can get a table wherever we want, I own the place, remember?” He teased lightly. “That sounds wonderful. You know how much I enjoy listenin’ to her sing, heh, though it doesn’t matter much what we’re doin’ so long as I get to spend time with you.”
Carlos snorted softly. “Kinda takes away the illusion of me treating you when you say things like that, babe,” Carlos teased him with a grin. “But, uh, yeah… I think a table by the stage sounds great.” Carlos loved Magnolia’s singing too. It reminded him that even though the world supposedly ended, people were still creating new things. It just always put him in a good mood. It would make his night with Hancock that much better, he thought.
Carlos smiled at Hancock. He wished he had a bigger coat, but the labcoat was not meant to be used for warmth at all, and Carlos’ sweater was only built for one person. He cuddled back against Hancock as best as he could – at least it was a short walk back to the Statehouse.
“I’d like to look and see if we have milk too,” Carlos said. “If that’s okay.”
Now… back to chocolate… “Chocolate… it has like a sort of weird, rich flavor to it,” he started to explain. “I don’t know how to describe it… it felt kind of like warm milk when you chewed it because it had a low melting point and would spread all over your tastebuds. Kind of like ice cream, but not exactly the same.” Carlos laughed. “Gosh, I really don’t know how to make that make sense… but the science behind it is that chocolate can help improve blood flow and oxygen availability when you breathe. It just… feels really good to eat.”
“We can always pick up some more on the way home if you’d like.” He offered with a smile and pecked him lightly on the cheek. As he listened, only a little of what Carlos told him, clearly their experiences hadn’t been at all the same, because he was only able to relate to bits and pieces.
“I’ve….. actually never had ice cream before. That does sound good though, I wish I could try it. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find some someday, huh? Won’t be the same as whatever you had in your vault but should still be good, right?”
Oh shit, that’s right. Damn…
“Um, the thing with ice cream, Hancock, is that it’s frozen. It’s literally frozen milk and cream ingredients. And if we did find a container of it, it’d probably have not only melted but spoiled and petrified. I guess there’s a possibility that dehydrated ice cream still exists. It tastes the same, just drier. But if there was any to be had, I would assume that it would have been one of the first things to go.”
Carlos wished more than anything in that moment to have somehow rationed even a single piece of chocolate or a small package of dehydrated ice cream just to share it with Hancock – share as in give it to him since he had never tasted any of it before. But Carlos knew how ridiculous that thought was and tried to shake it away.
Carlos rooted through the drawers, picking up inhalers he found and reading the label. Why did Addictol inhalers have to look like damn Jet inhalers?
But finally Carlos found one that was labeled Addictol and seemed to be full. Before he turned to get back to Hancock though he had mind enough to go to the cooler and grab a can of water as well.
Carlos came back, watching his feet so he didn’t step on something and hurt himself, before he knelt back beside the couch.
“Here, Han… some Addictol,” he said, offering it to the ghoul. “Do- do you need help taking it?”
Hancock began to drift off again as Carlos searched, eyes slipping shut as he tried to catch a few minutes of rest. When he began speaking again, the ghoul groaned and forced his eyes open again, looking up at him groggily.
“What….?” He asked softly, confusion on his face. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember why the other man wanted him to take something. He frowned and reached out for the inhaler, giving it a look before putting it to his lips and sucking in a dose of the medicine. Dropping it then, Hancock made another face and settled back down, unfocused eyes drifting back up to Carlos.
“Y’gonna stay with me? You’re not gonna leave me, right?”
Carlos watched Hancock take the Addictol. He took it like he was huffing Jet. Did he already forget what it was that Carlos got him? He reached to take the inhaler and ensure that it was empty when Hancock had looked at him.
Carlos felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Hancock was like this because of him. Obviously. This had Carlos wondering, again, if they should stay together in the long-term if he was going to just be a source of pain for Hancock.
But he really couldn’t make that decision now.
“I… I’ll stay with you, Han,” Carlos said. He took Hancock’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m going to help you feel better. I’m going to take care of you, okay?”
((Aw, Carlos u shy bean. That’s so nice though and she’d be happy for it. Even if she tries to shrug it off in order to keep herself from getting too worked up about it. ❤ HAVE A KIRA KISS U LUCKY BEAN))
Kira places a very quick and small kiss to his cheek, leaving a red imprint from her lipstick with a wide smile.
Carlos froze at the touch of her lips. He looked at her but then ducked his head shyly, a corner of his mouth (the one she couldn’t see) turning up slightly as he blushed.
Carlos just kept smiling. “Sure thing, hon – I’ll absolutely go with
you. You worked hard at mayoring today, so you deserve to take it easy.”
It was a quip, but a little one. Carlos knew that Hancock did do actual
work as a mayor, he was just teasing.
A snort escaped the ghoul and he pulled back to peck Carlos on the lips then stretched before sliding off of his lap to head to his room instead. “Mayoring, huh? Well I think you worked pretty hard at sciencing today and also deserve a break, so come on, ya big goof.”
Carlos got up after him and followed, reaching ahead to take his hand.
“’And here, we see the Big Goof herding her young Goof to the nest’,” Carlos narrated, grinning cheekily. “’There they will get some much needed rest and bask in each other’s company. Tomorrow is a new day.’”
Wait,
was that a joke? Was Hancock joking? It sounded like it, but Carlos
honestly couldn’t tell. He sometimes thought about the fact that the
ghoul was technically immortal and he wondered – genuinely wondered –
what was going to happen to them in the long run.
But to Hancock’s face, Carlos didn’t like thinking about it because it was a problem he couldn’t fix.
“How’s
about a date tonight?” Carlos suddenly asked. “I was gonna ask about
it, but then we got to discussing over who’s perfect and beautiful.”
It was mostly a joke, although the ghoul wouldn’t mind it if they could find a way to make Carlos immortal as well, every time he thought about outliving him, he began to panic.
“A date sounds wonderful.” He murmured. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well… how does getting a bite at the Third Rail sound?” Carlos suggested. “I wonder if we could get a table over close to Magnolia’s stage, or maybe just spend time in the VIP room.” Carlos then smirked slightly at Hancock. “That’s not to say that I’m going to be drinking, however. If I did, then things would get boring pretty quickly.”
Carlos leaned into him without really thinking about it. “It’s not the same,” he told Hancock. “Chocolate was the first thing to go when the food stores were discovered in the Vault, so it’s been a few years for me, but I know that chocolate flavored stuff isn’t the same at all.”
But then he was curious. “Do you really have coffee? We still have some milk and sugar too, right?”
“You’ve actually tried it? What was it like? Good, right? I’m a little jealous, heh.” When they stepped out onto the street, Hancock huddled a little closer to Carlos, gripping his arm tight as the brisk night air hit him.
“I like to keep some real coffee around, yeah. Not sure about the milk, don’t remember when we picked it up, but there’s definitely some sugar.”
Carlos smiled at Hancock. He wished he had a bigger coat, but the labcoat was not meant to be used for warmth at all, and Carlos’ sweater was only built for one person. He cuddled back against Hancock as best as he could – at least it was a short walk back to the Statehouse.
“I’d like to look and see if we have milk too,” Carlos said. “If that’s okay.”
Now… back to chocolate… “Chocolate… it has like a sort of weird, rich flavor to it,” he started to explain. “I don’t know how to describe it… it felt kind of like warm milk when you chewed it because it had a low melting point and would spread all over your tastebuds. Kind of like ice cream, but not exactly the same.” Carlos laughed. “Gosh, I really don’t know how to make that make sense… but the science behind it is that chocolate can help improve blood flow and oxygen availability when you breathe. It just… feels really good to eat.”
Somewhere over there. It frustrated Carlos that Hancock couldn’t be more helpful, but really… what could he expect? But he can give it a quick look-around before pressing Hancock for details.
Carlos started to stand up to go to the indicated counter.
Fortunately, even high the ghoul had enough sense to know where he’d put something–– more or less. The addictol was in one of the drawers in the kitchen area, if Carlos were to look through them, he’d find it before too long, Hancock just wasn’t sure exactly which drawer the other should look in and he wouldn’t be any help if Carlos expected him to get up and help.
Carlos rooted through the drawers, picking up inhalers he found and reading the label. Why did Addictol inhalers have to look like damn Jet inhalers?
But finally Carlos found one that was labeled Addictol and seemed to be full. Before he turned to get back to Hancock though he had mind enough to go to the cooler and grab a can of water as well.
Carlos came back, watching his feet so he didn’t step on something and hurt himself, before he knelt back beside the couch.
“Here, Han… some Addictol,” he said, offering it to the ghoul. “Do- do you need help taking it?”
Carlos grinned at him. “You say the sweetest things,” he cooed. He pressed a kiss to the top of Hancock’s head and held him. “You sound tired… do you wanna lay down and have a nap?” What was unsaid was that Carlos intended to join him – Hancock seemed perfectly happy with him there after all.
A low hum escaped as Hancock considered that, he was pretty damn comfortable where he was, but if Carlos would rather lie down, he woludn’t put up a fight about it. “That depends….” He started softly, nuzzling the other man’s neck and pressing a few lazy kisses up to his jaw. “You gonna hold me just as tight in there? ‘Cause I’m pretty happy here in your lap right now.”
Carlos just kept smiling. “Sure thing, hon – I’ll absolutely go with
you. You worked hard at mayoring today, so you deserve to take it easy.”
It was a quip, but a little one. Carlos knew that Hancock did do actual
work as a mayor, he was just teasing.
The Perfect Scientist 