the-perfect-scientist:

“Well, I was!” Carlos countered with a grin. “But at that time I hadn’t been to college yet – the difference in schooling styles just really threw me through a loop, not to mention that now I usually work on my own with no one to laugh at my jokes – not even Alexa.”

“Jeez, ya can’t even get a robot to laugh at your jokes? You must be tellin’ some pretty bad ones.” Hancock teased lightly, a smirk on his face. “Well, I can’t promise I’ll laugh at all of your jokes, if they’re bad, I might give ya a groan instead, but feel free to tell as many as ya like on this little trip, I’d love to hear ‘em.”

Carlos chuckled. “Alexa has standards, surprisingly – even as nice as she is,” Carlos replied with a smile. “I promise you, when the jokes come to me you’ll be the first to know. Whether you like it or not.” He winked with a little impish smirk on his face.

A Holiday Surprise (closed w/ selfmedicatingmayor)

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos smiled at him. “I like spoiling you when I can,” he
told the ghoul as he sat down beside him with his own bowl and chopsticks. “And
I actually didn’t go anywhere. While I was bartering with Daisy and giving her
some orders to fill, I asked if she could have one of her runners pop into
Diamond City for a couple bowls of noodles.” He gently nudged Hancock’s elbow
affectionately and then just decided to lean in and kiss his cheek.

“Heh, well, I have to say, that’s a first.” Hancock smiled, giving Carlos a little nudge back then turning his head to intercept the cheek kiss with a proper kiss instead. “You’re sweet. What did I ever do to get lucky enough to find you, hmm? I don’t deserve such a good guy.”

Carlos smiled sheepishly at him. “You’re too kind,” he said softly. “And really… I could ask the same thing. I thought I’d be one of those guys who never got with anyone. You live with only forty people in a vault, it’s highly likely that you won’t be compatible with anyone.”

Food for the Soul (closed w/ selfmedicatingmayor)

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

“This will do great – I can tell which screws go where,”
Carlos told him, giving him a smile. “Thanks!” He started to undo screws on the
piece and dropped them into the bowl.

“About the cars… I get sad because they don’t run. Now they’re just miniature nuclear reactors
waiting to go off because they can’t be properly contained. And without working
parts… they’re of course completely useless.”

“Oh, I gotcha.” He shrugged, not quite getting what the issue was, but he assumed if he was as smart as the other man was, he’d probably feel the same way. As it was, Hancock saw cars more as a means to find quick cover or simply an annoying obstacle to climb over than anything. “I wonder sometimes what it was like back then, everyone drivin’ around in shit like that, but then I see one explode and I don’t mind so much that I don’t get to ride around in one, I’d rather keep all my remaining parts attached, heh.”

Carlos looked at him. “I’m guessing you’ve never had the opportunity to see a film, huh?” he asked. “I’ve only seen working cars from the film archives in the Vault. It all looks so flashy and calm – being able to travel great distances in relative leisure, a great big rumbling machine under you… I thought it looked great. You’re not the only one who wonders what it really was like. It seems like it was definitely taken for granted back then, before the war.”

Carlos turned back to carefully unscrew just about anything he saw, dropping screws and small pieces into the bowl one by one.

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos smiled a bit at the kiss on the cheek. It always gave
him little tingles when Hancock kissed him. Every
time.

Carlos got up and went to the bedroom to grab his clothes –
for now just a set of boxers and his undershirt. He thought for a moment but then also
searched for a pair for Hancock. Though what he found, distressed him a little
bit – Hancock’s briefs obviously had seen better days… maybe twenty years ago.
They were clean just… not white. Carlos decided to go grab another pair of his
instead for Hancock before heading to the bathroom, making a mental note to
find out Hancock’s waist size and seeing about ordering some from Daisy.

Carlos poked his head in and smiled over at Hancock. “Hey.”

“Hey there, sunshine.” Hancock greeted with a smile as Carlos entered. The bath was about half full already and the ghoul was in the process of undressing, his sash wadded up on the floor and shirt unbuttoned and hanging open. “You ready? I uh, I feel like I should probably let ya know somethin’. A lotta shit changed when I went ghoul and things…… ain’t so pretty down there. I just don’t want it to be a surprise, y’know? Feel like a little warning is better than just letting you find out by seeing it, some folks find it off-putting.”

At first Carlos was confused about what Hancock might be talking about. But then he remembered – Hancock had told him once a while ago. Just once, though – he didn’t actively talk about it of course.

Carlos put the clean clothes on a counter and walked up to take Hancock’s hands. “I know, Han… you told me. Honestly I’m not sure how I’ll react, but I promise I’m still with you.” He leaned in to press a kiss to the corner of the ghoul’s mouth and lingered, waiting a moment for Hancock to react.

Carlos had tried to imagine it, of course: what Hancocks’ pelvis might look like without certain… bits. But ultimately, he was sure he had been imagining wrong and would just have to wait and actually see what they were working without. He’d try his damnest to be respectful and supportive – the absolute last thing he wanted was to make Hancock feel self-conscious or inadequate in any way.

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos smiled. “Me too,” he said. “I was a Horned Serpent. I
didn’t do the partying bit so much though… Class clown, yes, but hardly any
parties.”

“You were the class clown? I can hardly imagine that, heh. I mean, you’re funny, yeah, but ya seem a little too shy to be makin’ jokes and shit in the middle’a class.”

“Well, I was!” Carlos countered with a grin. “But at that time I hadn’t been to college yet – the difference in schooling styles just really threw me through a loop, not to mention that now I usually work on my own with no one to laugh at my jokes – not even Alexa.”

A Holiday Surprise (closed w/ selfmedicatingmayor)

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos grabbed the chopsticks and a bowl in each hand before
turning to head over to the couch. He smiled at Hancock as he a bowl down in
front of him and offered a set of chopsticks to him – one of the closest
matching sets he could find.

“Thanks, sweetheart.” The ghoul replied as he took the chopsticks, before even taking a look at the food in front of him. When he finally looked down and noticed the noodles, his face lit up. “Oh shit, I didn’t even realize–– when’d you sneak off to get these? Thank you, sunshine, you spoil me, heh.”

Carlos smiled at him. “I like spoiling you when I can,” he
told the ghoul as he sat down beside him with his own bowl and chopsticks. “And
I actually didn’t go anywhere. While I was bartering with Daisy and giving her
some orders to fill, I asked if she could have one of her runners pop into
Diamond City for a couple bowls of noodles.” He gently nudged Hancock’s elbow
affectionately and then just decided to lean in and kiss his cheek.

Food for the Soul (closed w/ selfmedicatingmayor)

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos grinned again. “It’s kinda nice,” Carlos said. “I
like seeing all the order and knowing that things are connected in a special
way. I can’t tell you how many cars or machines that I’ve seen that just made
me sad looking at them. I’ve always wanted to ride in a car.”

Carlos took the casing off and set it to the side, upside
down as a make-shift tray for parts. A thought occurred to him. “Oh – can you
get me a bowl for the screws I get out?” he asked Hancock. “I’m sorry; I didn’t
think of it until now.”

“Wait, is the inside of a car messy? Never really looked in one’a them either, never had a reason since they don’t exactly run, y’know? I’ve always wanted to ride in one too, wonder if I ever will.”

At Carlos’ request, Hancock got up and headed over to the cabinet to grab a bowl, carrying it back over and setting it down beside the other man as he took his seat on the floor again. “This work well enough? Don’t need a couple for different sizes? I dunno if that’s a thing, heh.”

“This will do great – I can tell which screws go where,”
Carlos told him, giving him a smile. “Thanks!” He started to undo screws on the
piece and dropped them into the bowl.

“About the cars… I get sad because they don’t run. Now they’re just miniature nuclear reactors
waiting to go off because they can’t be properly contained. And without working
parts… they’re of course completely useless.”

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos kept smiling and nodded. “Yeah… sure,” he said,
trying to sound at least a little casual and not nervous at all; or not as
nervous as he was. “Do you… wanna run and get us some towels while I look for a
fresh pair of underwear?” Carlos cringed a little at his wording – he should
have just said ‘clean clothes’.

“Yeah, alright. I’ll get the bath started and find us some towels.” He still wasn’t sure Carlos really wanted to do this, but if he said he did, he’d trust the other man was telling him the truth. With a little smile, Hancock got up and pecked him on the cheek then headed into his bedroom, stripping out of his first few layers of clothing before stepping into the bathroom to start a bath and pull out towels, setting them near the tub.

Carlos smiled a bit at the kiss on the cheek. It always gave
him little tingles when Hancock kissed him. Every
time.

Carlos got up and went to the bedroom to grab his clothes –
for now just a set of boxers and his undershirt. He thought for a moment but then also
searched for a pair for Hancock. Though what he found, distressed him a little
bit – Hancock’s briefs obviously had seen better days… maybe twenty years ago.
They were clean just… not white. Carlos decided to go grab another pair of his
instead for Hancock before heading to the bathroom, making a mental note to
find out Hancock’s waist size and seeing about ordering some from Daisy.

Carlos poked his head in and smiled over at Hancock. “Hey.”

A Holiday Surprise (closed w/ selfmedicatingmayor)

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos went to the drawer indicated and found what he was
looking for. He nodded, grabbing the serving spoon and a couple sets of
chopsticks. “Found them,” he called out. “Thank you!”

Carlos went back to the
stove and busied himself with filling their bowls. He looked over at Hancock. “Where
do you wanna eat?” he asked, smiling widely.

“Depends on whether ya wanna sit down or stand over the counter.” He chuckled, glancing back over the couch again to meet Carlos’ eyes. He breathed in through his nose then, letting out a pleased little hum afterwards. “Man, my sense’a smell might not be so great anymore, but I can tell whatever that is is gonna be delicious, heh. C’mon and sit, let’s eat, sunshine.”

Carlos grabbed the chopsticks and a bowl in each hand before
turning to head over to the couch. He smiled at Hancock as he a bowl down in
front of him and offered a set of chopsticks to him – one of the closest
matching sets he could find.

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos smiled and nodded to him. “No, you can’t,” he
agreed. “And… thanks, I guess. For
thinking I’m interesting. Heh, I would’ve thought that I was too geeky for you…
but it seems like you’d be very interested for me to talk nerdy to you, huh?” Zing! And this car trip was off to a great start!

“Honestly…. I was into a lotta nerdy shit in school.” He admitted, offering a little shrug and a smile. “I know I probably don’t seem it, but I was real into my studies back at Hogwarts, one of the best students in my year until my folks died and I kinda lost that drive. Of course, I was big into partyin’ too, but I always made a point to get shit done first. It’s a shocker, I know.”

Carlos smiled. “Me too,” he said. “I was a Horned Serpent. I
didn’t do the partying bit so much though… Class clown, yes, but hardly any
parties.”