Now or Never: Elder Maxson x Reader - Part 2

21 - Fix you

It's as though the storm never existed. The following morning, sunlight beams through the ratty holes in Uri's salvaged USA flag-turned-curtains. She could lay there moping forever if the other side of the bed wasn't empty... Telling the others about her past took a toll on her; she wasn't confident she'd even wake up till early afternoon, but her Pip-Boy reads 7:47am and Arthur is nowhere to be seen. Before Uri can start questioning his whereabouts, a series of clatters echo through the house, quickly followed by a string of curses. With a threat of a smile, she climbs out of bed and slips on her beloved vault suit.

"Sir, I would be delighted to make breakfast if you would stand aside--"

"No, Codsworth. It's alright. I just... I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with all these cupboards. Preserving pre-war kitchens isn't exactly the Brotherhood's main priority."

"Thank god it's not," Uri snorts, capturing their attention. Arthur is just turning to her when she slides past him. She scoops up the fallen plates from the ground, thanking her past self for collecting plastic kitchenware over ceramic.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up so early," the Elder comments, propping open the correct cupboard for her. Uri returns the plates to their designated place and thanks him with a kiss to his cheek.

"Neither was I, but I'm here. Hey, Codsworth. How're things?"

"Oh," the Mr Handy sighs, "They could be better, Miss Sanchez. Colonel Garvey told me about Shaun... I... I'm awfully sorry. I fear that I am partially to blame. I had considered attempting to enter the Vault so many times. If I had only--"

"Hey," Uri's voice breaks as she presses her palms against the bot's cylindrical body, treating it as she would the face of a panicked friend. "You can't blame yourself. I'm pretty sure cracking open vaults goes against a dozen of your protocols. For all you knew, you'd've been putting the residents in danger. You had no way of knowing what Vault-Tec had planned for us, Codsworth. Please don't blame yourself."

He makes a noise kin to a sniffle, but bobs his middle eye in a singular nod. Understanding this as an agreement, she moves away. A false smile adorns her face as she looks at him.

"Now, I'd be delighted if you'd cook us up some breakfast. Not that I don't trust you in my kitchen, Arthur, but... Well, I don't trust you in my kitchen."

"Nor do I," He chuckles, electing to play along. Codsworth begins working his magic, and Uri tugs the Elder out to her makeshift porch. It's nothing more than a rickety bench covered with a sleeping bag and old oil lantern sat on a rotting crate, but it's a porch all the same. So far, only the farmers have begun their work for the day. A couple of guards stand rubbing tired eyes and stifling yawns, probably counting down the seconds until their shifts end. Diamond City Radio floats out of the main house, but it's far too quiet for Uri to make out which song is playing. With a sigh, she snuggles into Arthur's side, resting her cheek against the fur of his coat collar. His hand rests against her shoulder, drawing her closer.

"I haven't thanked you, yet," She murmurs. "You didn't have to do all this. You know that, right?"

"Uri, please," He pulls back to meet her eyes, but finds himself unable to stop from cupping her face in his palm. She's so damn small. It's entirely endearing. "Anything I can do to help, I'll do. Don't worry about me."

"But you're Elder - you've got duties. Important, man-in-charge duties. I know I crack jokes about it all, but I do get it. You're pretty vital to the whole Brotherhood machine. You shouldn't be wasting time on--"

Kissing her to shut her up is starting to become a thing, but Uri finds she's not at all against it. It's chaste and gentle, but it soothes the anxiety. Abolishing the sharpness of her breath and tension from her body. She wants to deepen it. To clutch at his coat and bite at his lip, but someone coughs from down the path. Arthur turns his head to the side, then nods in greeting.