Food for the Soul (closed w/ selfmedicatingmayor)

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

“Yeah, I’ve taken apart a couple, and even put one together
for protection one night… though I didn’t have a way to power it at the time.
It was more like a scarecrow. But yeah – I can do that.” He smiled at Hancock.
If he wasn’t determined before, he definitely was now. A job, and the
possibility of follow-up work? Carlos would have even made the Terminal fly if Hancock had asked him to!

“Great, just write me out a list of parts and I’ll find someone to go out and get ‘em.” He started, a smile on his face as he watched Carlos. “I’ll still do what I can to get ya set up in somethin’ more permanent, but this’ll be a huge help the next time super mutants decide to attack.”

Carlos nodded. “Yeah, sure – absolutely,” he said. “Um – let’s
go get to working on that Terminal – I shouldn’t take too long – a few hours at
most. And I can write up the list afterward.”

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist:

“I’m thirty-six,” Carlos told him, smiling slightly. “A bit older than thirty.” He then sniffed and turned his head to the windshield,
pretending to put on a bit of a pompous attitude. “I could practically be your father!” He was joking completely, of
course.

“Well, that is a bit older than I thought, heh. Still not a huge difference though, not if ya ask me.” All he got in response to his other comment was a little eye roll and a snort as Hancock turned his attention back to the road ahead. “I still think you’re handsome as hell, even if ya are eight years older than me.”

Carlos looked at him and gave him a dorky grin. “Heh, thanks…
my dad’s still trying to tell me all the time.” He sighed. “Yeah, I know we
should technically now be in the same age group, but… I dunno, I guess I’m just
an over-thinker. Part of my job and all.”

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos laughed out loud at that. “No, no! I expect those kind of responses from you!”
he explained. “I just… I’m sorry for blurting out something so… natural,
frankly, but still gross.” He smiled over at Hancock again. “I can wash myself,
though, I promise. I’m a big boy. Besides, it’d be a little awkward with me
naked in the tub and you just standing there with a rag, wouldn’t it…?”

“I was thinkin’ maybe I’d get in the tub with you, actually. Unless you’re not into that idea.” He watched him with a curious look, gauging his reaction. “What do you think? We could try to make it nice and romantic with candles and shit if ya like, it’s up to you.”

Carlos was frankly shocked. He stared at Hancock, his eyes
wide but his face otherwise blank. Hancock wanted to be in the tub with him. He… didn’t think people did
that. Why would they do that?

“Uh… I… I dunno,” he said to Hancock, finally. “I just… I
had no idea that… was an option. Is that… something you want to do?” He was a little bit embarrassed now, but… he was curious about it honestly.

Food for the Soul (closed w/ selfmedicatingmayor)

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist:

“A network,” Carlos said, nodding to him. “Like, all of it
being attached with wires. Or without wires – it depends on if everything has
signal receivers.” He smiled at Hancock. “Yeah… if you managed to get and build
all that machinery and got some wire, I could hook it all up no problem. It’d be easy to program them from the terminal instead of just putting it together and hoping it doesn’t shoot you.”

“That…. sounds perfect for our next project–– or…. yours, I guess. I’ll pay ya to set somethin’ like that up, I’m guessin’ ya know how to build the turrets and shit too, right? I can send someone out for parts if you’ll help me put it all together.”

“Yeah, I’ve taken apart a couple, and even put one together
for protection one night… though I didn’t have a way to power it at the time.
It was more like a scarecrow. But yeah – I can do that.” He smiled at Hancock.
If he wasn’t determined before, he definitely was now. A job, and the
possibility of follow-up work? Carlos would have even made the Terminal fly if Hancock had asked him to!

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos actually giggled at that. “Come on, man… I don’t
think I’m that much older than you. Am I?” He tried to think if Hancock had
told him how old he was – he was younger than Carlos, obviously, but by how
much? He didn’t know off the top of his head.

“You’re not that much older, heh. You said you were thirty, right? I’m twenty-eight. Young, I guess, but old enough to have plenty of experience.” He shot a wink at the other man. “Bein’ close in age doesn’t change the fact you’ve got the look, though. Like I said, I appreciate a little grey hair, I think it looks nice.”

“I’m thirty-six,” Carlos told him, smiling slightly. “A bit older than thirty.” He then sniffed and turned his head to the windshield,
pretending to put on a bit of a pompous attitude. “I could practically be your father!” He was joking completely, of
course.

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos stiffened. He shut his eyes, cursing himself mentally
before looking over at Hancock with an apologetic smile. “Sorry for the TMI… I
guess I shouldn’t have said that out loud.” He sighed. “Are we okay on water
for me to take one tonight?” He ignored Hancock’s flirting for the moment –
Hancock was always flirting with him. Not that that was a bad thing however…

“Are you apologizing because ya feel like ya overshared or because you didn’t like my response?” He was genuinely curious, even after all this time, after finally getting together, he was still being rejected when he tried to flirt with the scientist and it was just…. damn confusing, honestly. “We’ve got plenty if ya wanna wash up, you don’t have to ask, sunshine.”

Carlos laughed out loud at that. “No, no! I expect those kind of responses from you!”
he explained. “I just… I’m sorry for blurting out something so… natural,
frankly, but still gross.” He smiled over at Hancock again. “I can wash myself,
though, I promise. I’m a big boy. Besides, it’d be a little awkward with me
naked in the tub and you just standing there with a rag, wouldn’t it…?”

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos laughed softly. “You know, I don’t hear that sort of
thing very often,” he said. “Mikey teases me about the grey all the time, but
not meanly. I just haven’t really thought of it as making me ‘distinguished’.”

“Well, you should hear it more. I think you’re a very handsome man and you deserve to be told that more often.” He paused, then added. “Besides, that ‘salt and pepper’ look has always done things for me–– but that may just be me having a thing for older men, who knows?”

Carlos actually giggled at that. “Come on, man… I don’t
think I’m that much older than you. Am I?” He tried to think if Hancock had
told him how old he was – he was younger than Carlos, obviously, but by how
much? He didn’t know off the top of his head.

Food for the Soul (closed w/ selfmedicatingmayor)

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos thought. “Well, say you had a network. And you had
devices attached to that network. Um… completely hypothetical, but what if
Charlie was attached? You could theoretically use the improved terminal to manage
his work and his protocols. I’m not saying hook him up, because I don’t think
he’d appreciate that, but you could.” Another idea suddenly hit Carlos. “You could
also wire it up to turrets, lights, and alarms. For security’s sake.”

“A network?” He squinted, trying to figure out exactly what that meant. “Turrets….. that’s somethin’ there. Is that something you’d be able to do? I wouldn’t mind increasing security here, it helps a hell of a lot to have something like that running when super mutants turn up and try to bust the gates down.”

“A network,” Carlos said, nodding to him. “Like, all of it
being attached with wires. Or without wires – it depends on if everything has
signal receivers.” He smiled at Hancock. “Yeah… if you managed to get and build
all that machinery and got some wire, I could hook it all up no problem. It’d be easy to program them from the terminal instead of just putting it together and hoping it doesn’t shoot you.”

selfmedicatingmayor:

@the-perfect-scientist from x

“God, I need a bath,” Carlos murmured aloud. He’d just
caught a whiff of himself and yeah – he wasn’t comfortable with what he was smelling.
He sighed deeply and mentally put it on his to-do list for the day.

“Is that so?” The ghoul responded from across the room, looking up from the book he’d been reading to give Carlos a curious look. “Well, if you’d like a little help with that, I’m more than willing to lend a hand~”

Carlos stiffened. He shut his eyes, cursing himself mentally
before looking over at Hancock with an apologetic smile. “Sorry for the TMI… I
guess I shouldn’t have said that out loud.” He sighed. “Are we okay on water
for me to take one tonight?” He ignored Hancock’s flirting for the moment –
Hancock was always flirting with him. Not that that was a bad thing however…

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos got a little flushed at that. He smiles sheepishly,
dropping his gaze. “C’mon… I’m not really ‘handsome’. I’m thirty and I’m already
greying, see?” He laughed nervously, smiling at Hancock.

“Are you serious, mate? I happen to think it makes you look distinguished, for one thing.” He smiled over at him. “There’s nothin’ wrong with a little grey hair, and if you have a problem with it, there’s always dye or magic to cover that right up. Regardless of hair color though, you are an attractive man and I don’t wanna hear you sayin’ otherwise. No putting yourself down, my friend.”

Carlos laughed softly. “You know, I don’t hear that sort of
thing very often,” he said. “Mikey teases me about the grey all the time, but
not meanly. I just haven’t really thought of it as making me ‘distinguished’.”