"Sir? May I speak with you for a moment?"
Nate ducked down under a hail of gunfire but still managed to flash an incredulous look at his traveling companion. "Can it wait 'til later, Ada? We're kinda busy right now."
"Of course," she replied before calmly firing her laser rifle at the Gunners advancing on their position.
After another quick survey of their attackers, Nate popped up over the wall they were using for cover, sighted through his customized sniper rifle, and shot through the massive Sentry Bot in the midst of the attackers, hitting its fusion cores. He ducked down again and, a few seconds later, a huge explosion rocked the area, sending debris, flaming or otherwise, everywhere. "Wait here," he ordered his companion, before peeking over the short wall, narrowing his eyes to try to see through the thick smoke.
The smoke eventually cleared, showing Nate what he expected to see: The flaming wreckage of a Sentry Bot, surrounded by dead Gunners. As was routine, the pair picked through the mess of bodies, looking for anything salvageable.
"Would now be an acceptable time, sir?" Ada asked as Nate packed the last of the loot in their travel gear.
"Let me just...there!" Nate finished, stuffing a piece of leg armor in his backpack. "This should give Cait a little better protection the next time we're out."
The former Automatron bristled slightly at the mention of the gladiator but shoved it down, knowing from her time with Curie that her feelings were those of jealousy and would do her no good to obsess over them.
"All right," the Sole Survivor said as he clapped his hands together to clear off the dust before focusing his attention fully on Ada. "Sorry to keep you waiting; what's up?"
Ada shuffled her feet hesitantly. "Sir, we've traveled together for quite a long time, and...from the time you saved me from the Mechanist's attack on our caravan – I mean, Miss Cruz...I mean-"
"Ada? You okay?" Nate interrupted as politely as he could through the barrage of words. "You don't normally have this much trouble speaking your mind."
"I'm fine, sir," she blurted reflexively, then sighed. "Perhaps I should have waited until Curie could help me."
"You don't need anyone else to speak for you," Nate said consolingly. "Just think about what you want to say. If it's hard to say, take a deep breath first; that usually helps to clear my mind."
"Thank you, sir."
Nate watched as his synth friend closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling once, then twice. He was still amazed at what the Institute had been able to create. Part of him wished he hadn't destroyed the place, but...decisions have consequences.
Finally, her eyes opened. "I will admit that it's hard to describe precisely what I'm thinking or feeling right now. All I know is that I'm very glad to have met you. From rescuing me from the Mechanist's attack on my creator's caravan, to facing down Ahab by yourself to protect me, to finding that back door to her lair, potentially saving us a lot of trouble..." She cast her gaze to the ground. "I've realized that I've grown quite...fond of you."
"Thanks, Ada," Nate replied with a warm smile. "It means a lot to me to hear you say that. You've come a long way in such a short amount of time, and you've adjusted really well. I'm really glad you got to be a human...well, as close to one as you can."
She glanced up at him with an awkward smile, and his own smile faded as her smile took him back to his early days dating Nora. "I was...hoping to get closer to a...particular...human," she said, gazing at him meaningfully.
