selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist:

Carlos looked over at him and smiled. “Awe, but if you know when it is then how can I surprise you?” he asked, his voice taking on a cheerful and teasing tone. He gently nudged Hancock. “I’m just kidding,” he clarified. “Yeah, if you want me to I’ll mark ‘em on your calendar or something. Speaking of which, when’s your birthday?”

“Heh, surprises are fine as long as I ain’t feelin’ like I fucked up by forgettin’.” With a little smile, Hancock leaned in and pecked him on the cheek, eyes going back to his bowl when he pulled away again. “I uh…. I don’t actually celebrate my birthday anymore, haven’t for a long time.”

Carlos smiled at the kiss, feeling an absolutely lovely tingling sensation go down his spine. He then looked at Hancock curiously. “Why not?” he asked gently, going for his own bowl of noodles again. He tried to be careful not to make it sound like he had to know the answer right then… the way he said it Hancock could easily brush the question away for another time.

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos put his chopsticks down into his bowl. He leaned into Hancock more, sort of cuddling up to him. “You do so much for me already, Hancock,” he said. “You basically let me live here rent free and you let me eat your food… you keep the nastier folks away from me because you know I can’t handle myself in a fight… Han, I get so much from you. Yeah, the holiday means something to me… but that was basically another life. I… I know the day doesn’t mean much to you, but I just wanted an excuse to repay you back at least some of the kindness you give me… you know?”

He could mention that he treated just about everyone that way, offering food and a safe place to sleep, but he did pay especially close attention to Carlos’ needs, he supposed. Still, in his mind, he wasn’t going above and beyond to make the other happy. “I….. I get it. I still feel guilty, heh, but I get it. I can learn to care about holidays and shit, it’s never really been somethin’ I’ve ever paid attention to, but I’m happy to celebrate with ya in the future, I just uh…. need to know when it is, heh.”

Carlos looked over at him and smiled. “Awe, but if you know when it is then how can I surprise you?” he asked, his voice taking on a cheerful and teasing tone. He gently nudged Hancock. “I’m just kidding,” he clarified. “Yeah, if you want me to I’ll mark ‘em on your calendar or something. Speaking of which, when’s your birthday?”

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos looked at him, his eyebrows starting to scrunch together in worry. “Wha… Hancock, I didn’t want you to feel guilty!” he told the other man. “I – you don’t have to! You already do so much for me! And I wanted to do something nice for you! It’s okay, I promise.” Carlos put an arm around Hancock to pull him in for a side-hug. “I don’t want you to feel bad, Han…”

“It’s a holiday that means something to you, I should have been more on top of things. I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He leaned into the hug, looping his free arm around him as well and placing a soft kiss to Carlos’ cheek. “I promise I’ll be better about these things in the future, I want ya to feel appreciated. I want you to feel like I care, cause I do. I care more about you than anyone else in this hellhole.”

Carlos put his chopsticks down into his bowl. He leaned into Hancock more, sort of cuddling up to him. “You do so much for me already, Hancock,” he said. “You basically let me live here rent free and you let me eat your food… you keep the nastier folks away from me because you know I can’t handle myself in a fight… Han, I get so much from you. Yeah, the holiday means something to me… but that was basically another life. I… I know the day doesn’t mean much to you, but I just wanted an excuse to repay you back at least some of the kindness you give me… you know?”

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos nodded a bit and finally leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Hancock’s mouth. He sat back and took a deep breath before smiling again. He was trying not to cry, and it was working. Hancock was just so sweet and it touched Carlos… but he really didn’t wanna cry yet when he wasn’t even done with the presents yet.

“Um… Let’s finish eating, “ he said. “I’ve… I’ve got something else for you, but I left it in the warehouse. So… mind walking with me to go get it? After we eat?”

“There’s more?” He had a guilty look on his face, how was he supposed to keep up with that? Anything he did at this point would seem like an afterthought, like he was just trying to make it up to Carlos for being a bad partner to begin with–– at least in his mind. “I’ll–– yeah, of course I’ll come with you. I hope you didn’t go overboard though, I’m already feelin’ pretty guilty about not doing anything for you.”

Carlos looked at him, his eyebrows starting to scrunch together in worry. “Wha… Hancock, I didn’t want you to feel guilty!” he told the other man. “I – you don’t have to! You already do so much for me! And I wanted to do something nice for you! It’s okay, I promise.” Carlos put an arm around Hancock to pull him in for a side-hug. “I don’t wan’t you to feel bad, Han…”

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos just kept smiling. “It’s alright, Hancock… I promise. I knew you wouldn’t remember. I just wanted to do something nice for you… I like doing that for you when I can. Because you know… all you do is give to me and others.” He kissed his hand again. “If you wanna make it up to me though, I’ll let you. But believe me when I say I don’t mind – you’ve provided so much for me already.” Carlos swallowed around a little lump in his throat that was starting to develop from his talk… he should probably stop talking if he didn’t wanna tear up. Hancock could probably even hear it in his voice if he was paying attention to that.

Regardless of what Carlos said, Hancock still felt bad. Here he’d done something nice for him and the ghoul hadn’t even considered that a holiday was even coming up or that he should do anything special for him–– aside from the occasional spontaneous something special, that is. “I…… I should have remembered. I should have known and had something planned and I’m sorry. Holidays….. really aren’t my strong suit, I don’t uh…. I don’t really celebrate anything so I never know when something’s coming up. I promise I’ll figure out something to make it up to you.”

Carlos nodded a bit and finally leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Hancock’s mouth. He sat back and took a deep breath before smiling again. He was trying not to cry, and it was working. Hancock was just so sweet and it touched Carlos… but he really didn’t wanna cry yet when he wasn’t even done with the presents yet.

“Um… Let’s finish eating, “ he said. “I’ve… I’ve got something else for you, but I left it in the warehouse. So… mind walking with me to go get it? After we eat?”

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos smiled again. He set down his chopsticks to take Hancock’s hand in this. “I’m so glad to have met you too,” he said. “More than just that… God knows what would have happened to me without you.” Carlos brought Hancock’s hand up to his mouth and kissed the top of it, not breaking eye-contact with him. “This might not mean much to you, but… Merry Christmas, Han. This is my second Christmas out here, but it feels so much more like the real thing this time around. With you, I mean.”

A warm smile spread across the ghoul’s lips at that little kiss and he gave his hand a little squeeze. The next bit caught him off guard, however, a slightly confused looking crossing his face. “It’s–– I’m sorry, I uh…. I barely even know anyone that celebrates Christmas and I never did, myself, I didn’t realize that was today. If I’d known…. shit, I should’a done somethin’ for ya, I’m sorry, sunshine.”

Carlos just kept smiling. “It’s alright, Hancock… I promise. I knew you wouldn’t remember. I just wanted to do something nice for you… I like doing that for you when I can. Because you know… all you do is give to me and others.” He kissed his hand again. “If you wanna make it up to me though, I’ll let you. But believe me when I say I don’t mind – you’ve provided so much for me already.” Carlos swallowed around a little lump in his throat that was starting to develop from his talk… he should probably stop talking if he didn’t wanna tear up. Hancock could probably even hear it in his voice if he was paying attention to that.

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

Carlos grinned at him. “Oh, of course – your enigmatic being and charismatic personality are far too apparent to not consider,” he teased, and he leaned in to give Hancock another peck. “The Vault has population standards… only so many kids for the next generation can be made due to the amount of resources to go around. If I wasn’t going to do it because I couldn’t find a partner, someone else was gladly going to take the chance.” He shrugged slightly. “I really thought I just wasn’t going to get along with anyone well enough. I had friends, of course, but… that sort of thing didn’t click with us. Doesn’t mean I didn’t try though.”

“Hmm, maybe you were meant to be up here with us wastelanders.” He suggested with a soft smile as he reached over to place a hand on his leg, giving a little squeeze. “I for one am very happy you ended up here. I’m glad I got to meet you, sweetheart, my life’s a hell of a lot better with you in it.”

Carlos smiled again. He set down his chopsticks to take Hancock’s hand in this. “I’m so glad to have met you too,” he said. “More than just that… God knows what would have happened to me without you.” Carlos brought Hancock’s hand up to his mouth and kissed the top of it, not breaking eye-contact with him. “This might not mean much to you, but… Merry Christmas, Han. This is my second Christmas out here, but it feels so much more like the real thing this time around. With you, I mean.”

selfmedicatingmayor:

the-perfect-scientist :

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.”

“Only forty people? Shit man, that’d make me crazy.” He chuckled, shaking his head a bit. Sure, settlements around the Commonwealth weren’t very big, but at least there were other places to go and other people to see. Hell, in Goodneighbor alone there were more than forty people at any given time. “That sounds like a sad life, man. I mean…. well, I’d think you’d end up having to get with someone at some point just to keep the population goin’ if that place is supposed to survive, but shit man…. maybe ya actually lucked out gettin’ stuck up here, there’s hundreds of folks to choose from–– and most importantly me, heh.”

Carlos grinned at him. “Oh, of course – your enigmatic being and charismatic personality are far too apparent to not consider,” he teased, and he leaned in to give Hancock another peck. “The Vault has population standards… only so many kids for the next generation can be made due to the amount of resources to go around. If I wasn’t going to do it because I couldn’t find a partner, someone else was gladly going to take the chance.” He shrugged slightly. “I really thought I just wasn’t going to get along with anyone well enough. I had friends, of course, but… that sort of thing didn’t click with us. Doesn’t mean I didn’t try though.”

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.”

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.