Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It was easy for them to turn a blind eye to Nate’s newfound wasteland snack. Both Hancock’s “do what you gotta” attitude and MacCready’s own wasteland struggles made them the perfect enablers. In retrospect, they both realized that their lack of judgment allowed things to get so bad.

At first it was just one corpse, a few strips of meat cut away from the flesh and hastily shoved into his mouth. The first time Hancock and MacCready walked around a corner and caught him in the act he looked genuinely embarrassed and scared. Both companions just winced and turned their backs. “You uh, you enjoy that one, it’s all yours,” Hancock said through tight lips.

MacCready looked away and said, “Yeah, tuck in buddy, I’ll uh, I’ll be in the next room.” Nate looked from his friends to the corpse and back again before taking another few strips and eating them. He figured he might as well finish what he started.

After waking up two hundred years in the post-apocalyptic future Nate was surprised to learn that even though murder, slavery, looting, arson and kidnapping were all alive and well, cannibalism was still very much a taboo. The first time they came across a raider compound that decided to indulge in that sort of behavior he was surprised at the harsh negative reaction Nick and Piper had. They had to wait a full five minutes before Piper’s stomach stopped turning and she wasn’t going to throw up. Nick just seemed equal parts disgusted and disappointed. But Nate couldn’t muster up the disgust.

He was beginning to think something was wrong with him. No, not beginning, more like finally realizing something was wrong with him. Nate always figured that when the walls of society came crashing down there would be more people who thought the way he did. That meat was meat, and the taboo just added to the sweetness. But now that he was actually inside the world where society had fallen and seen that no, people still find that disgusting, well, maybe he was disgusting. Maybe he was wrong.

He never talked about the strange urges he had. When he was a kid growing up he figured everyone must wonder what people taste like. Chicken? Everything tastes like chicken after all. Maybe pork? He couldn’t see people tasting like cows or deer, but pigs seemed reasonable. But as he grew older and the thoughts never fell away he began to realize that maybe they weren’t as normal as he thought they were. Nate knew how society dealt with cannibals and he knew it was disgusting and wrong. He also knew that if given the chance he would absolutely cave and give into his curiosity.

That chance was finally given to him one afternoon. They were clearing out a rather large raider compound. He had instructed Preston and Codsworth to head to the other side while he and Hancock cleared out the raiders in the front of the building. He saw someone crouching behind a wall in a secluded area of the warehouse. They didn’t see him. A quick headshot ended that raider’s life and like any other normal kill Nate went to loot the body. The raider was wearing hardly any armor. His breath caught in his throat when he leaned over the corpse to dig through the pouch strapped to his waist. There was a combat knife in among the caps, and Nate pulled it out to examine it.

It was then he felt it, something stirring in the back of his mind. A whisper, an urge, a dare. “Go on,” it cooed. “Nobody’s watching and you’ve always been so curious.” And he was curious, so damn curious. Nate stood and checked the warehouse; he could hear gunshots from far away. Part of him wanted to take the caps and bullets and go help his friends, but the other part of him saw a golden opportunity he might not ever for a long time. So he backed up, shut the door, wedged a chair against the handle and went back to the body.

The knife blade was well sharpened and easily carved through flesh on the raider’s arm. He peeled the skin back and cut a chunk of red muscle away from the limb. He held it in his hand, warm and wet. His hesitation wasn’t unexpected. This was something he’d never dreamed he’d be doing. He shook his head. No, that was a lie. He had dreamed about this, not this particular lead up, but the end result. The meat sat in his hand for another few moments while his brain went over the consequences of this action.

He decided that before his brain came up with a good excuse to bail he should just get it over with. Without chewing he shoved the piece of meat in his mouth and swallowed. At first all he tasted was copper from the blood. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t unpleasant either. Normally he cooked all his meat, but obviously there wasn’t time for that. He didn’t gag as the meat slid down his throat and that only excited him. It was the same feeling he got as a kid when he was doing something he knew was wrong. Like taking a cookie from the cookie jar before dinner. Nate grinned at the comparison and dug the knife back into the cookie jar and sliced out another fleshy cookie.

When he wiped the blood from his mouth and stepped back from the corpse his stomach was pleasantly full of his secret sin. There was a brief moment of shame, of guilt, that flooded through him. He had eaten the flesh of another human. But it was a secret, one that only he would ever know about. There’d be no way to tell he did this. Even if one of his fellow companions found the body today there’d be no link to Nate having anything to do with the mutilation.

Raiders do shit like this after all. Well respected generals do not. He’d be safe.

Safe. He licked his lips, smiled and walked out of that room, confident that his curiosity had be sated and he’d be able to move past this gross fascination.

Nothing was ever that simple, and only a few days later he found himself over another corpse. The desire burned deep within his gut and he just knew he wasn’t walking away without tasting another mouthful of fresh meat. It was an exciting game he started playing. During a firefight he’d locate a raider that was away from the others, shoot it, then drag the corpse somewhere out of view. There he’d grab a few desperate, rushed; exhilarating bites, and be back in the fray moments later.

He couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination or not, but after eating from another person he felt stronger, the wounds he had hurt less and he was filled with energy. He was almost certain it was just his mind playing tricks on him, or the adrenalin from getting away with another gruesome act.

The game he played was dangerous, some of his companions he knew would be disgusted if they ever caught him. That worry was always hovering in the back of his mind, but it couldn’t override the thrill and pleasure of stripping meat off of a corpse during or after a battle. He was walking on a tight rope, where his respect and character were his balance. One false step and he’d plummet into disgrace.

His heart nearly stopped when he heard MacCready and Hancock open the door to the room he was in. His back was to them, so all they could see was the corpse. He prayed they’d assume he was just looting and leave him be, but that wasn’t the case. After a month and a half of playing hide and go seek he was finally found. Once they realized what was happening they both turned and left, giving him privacy. His once dead heart was now hammering in his chest, and anxiety made his blood run cold but sweat bead on his skin.

The two people he cared about the most and loved beyond all else saw him eating a dead body. They didn’t say it outright, but he could hear the disgust in their voices. Nate wiped his chin and picked the caps off of the corpse and box of ammo, .38, useless in any of their guns but it’d bring in a few more caps. Even after being discovered his mind still thought about caps, there was definitely something wrong with him. He stood on shaking legs and walked out of the room.

Hancock was leaning against a wall and MacCready was counting caps on a stool. “Hey, uh, we should head out.” Nate knew his voice was wobbling as much as his legs.

Hancock and MacCready looked up. They saw Nate’s pale skin and wide, scared eyes. They exchanged a look and Hancock broke into an easy smile and smooth reply, “Sure, sure. Lead the way.”

“I managed to nab like, 80 caps,” MacCready said, sliding off the stool. “That’s enough to buy a round of drinks at a bar.”

Relief washed over Nate and he laughed, the laugh broke into a sob and he pulled ahead of the others, trying to get a hold of himself. MacCready was quick to catch up and throw an arm around Nate. “Hey, hey, no need for that,” MacCready said.

Nate wiped his face but the water wouldn’t stop. “How can you both be ok with what you saw?”

“Uhh, well, ok isn’t the word I’d use,” MacCready said. “But we both agreed it’s none of our business what your diet decides to include.”

Hancock stood on Nate’s other side; his arm wrapped itself around Nate’s waist. “While you were finishing up we decided that we aren’t going to judge you.”

“You should though; you should judge the hell out of me.”

Hancock shrugged. “Ok,” he said. “Here’s my judgement: You’re a great guy Nate. You really fucking care about the Commonwealth. You’re building communities and bringing families together.”

MacCready cut in, “You saved me from myself, there’s nothing I could ever do to repay that. And not just me, you saved Duncan’s life too.”

“Not to mention you gave a ghoul like me a chance.”

“I kill people for a living,” MacCready said. “That didn’t change your opinion of me.”

“You saw past our flaws, you saw us, I think we are capable of doing the same thing. We’d be pretty shitty husbands if we couldn’t.”

This, unsurprisingly, did not help Nate stop sobbing, but at least he knew he wasn’t going to be alone. The biggest thought that circled his mind as they walked back to the settlement was that he did not deserve either of them.

True to MacCready’s earlier statement, he bought drinks for all of them. It was a small bar, below an inn in a settlement that Nate helped build up, but it served liquor all the same. They spent the evening hours drinking away their concerns over grilled radstag and boiled vegetables.

Much later that night Hancock found himself supporting for his two human lovers; they really couldn’t hold their liquor like he could. He half dragged half carried MacCready and Nate up the stairs to their room. Neither of them would get sick, but goddamn they both got a bad case of jelly legs. He deposited them on the bed and started shrugging off clothing. Someone whistled when his shirt slid over his head, probably Nate. Mac was focused on the wall like it was the most important thing he’d ever gazed upon. Hancock knew that look well from when he was human, that was clearly the look of someone who thought, “If I stare hard enough at this picture frame the world will stop spinning.” It never did.

He pulled off Nate’s boots and got MacCready a can of purified water. The kid was going to have one hell of a headache come tomorrow. It was never a good idea to try to keep pace with a ghoul, in chems or alcohol. “Either of you gonna hurl?”

“No,” Nate said lying back on the terrible mattress. He would kill for a mattress with proper supports.

“Probably not,” MacCready replied and scooted against the wall. “Just need to drink this and maybe take a leak.”

“Just don’t piss on my stuff and we’re fine.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll aim for Nate’s.”

“You will not,” Nate murmured. Eyes half closed. “Hey,” he said, and hoped his voice wasn’t too slurred. “Thanks for understanding and not throwing me to the curb… I mean it,” he added. And he did, this wasn’t the booze talking. Nate was never more grateful to have MacCready and Hancock beside him.

“Hey, we all got our bad habits Sunshine.”

“Yeah,” MacCready said, his words definitely not as sober as Nate’s. He swung the can of purified water around. “Some people smoke, or drink, gamble, or do boatloads of jet. And some people feast on raw human flesh. That’s totally on the same level.”

“I’d cook it if I could but…” Nate trailed off; even drunk he knew he was digging a hole.

Hancock slid into the bed, forcing Nate to move over. “Enough talk out of the two of you,” he said hitting the light switch. “Nate you know we love you, that’s all you need to know.”

“Y-Yeah, I didn’t mean to sound like I didn’t!” MacCready said and tossed the can aside. He moved to lie down and put an arm over Nate. “It’s just gross, that’s all, the whole human eating thing. But you’re not gross! I mean, you’re sorta gross, but we’re all sorta gross. I mean, ah hell…”

“Mac,” Hancock mumbled from Nate’s other side. “Shut up and go to sleep.”

“You said hell,” Nate laughed.

Hancock groaned and pulled the threadbare blanket over all three of them. “This is the last night I let you two talk me into a drinking contest.”

Now that Nate had a shallow form of approval from MacCready and Hancock he didn’t feel the same desire to hide that he felt before. He still took the bodies out of the line of sight, and he didn’t make a big deal about what he was doing. There was just an added amount of comfort now that he didn’t have to rush or be afraid. Hancock and MacCready would give Nate a few extra moments after each battle to do his thing. It’s not like there weren’t other things to do after every fight. There were items to loot and sort, guns to oil, caps to collect and count. They kept busy.

Of course there was unease between the two, it didn’t sit well with them, what Nate was doing in private, but it wasn’t worth ruining their relationship. It wasn’t worth destroying the best thing that had ever happened to either one of them. They kept it between the three of them as well. They knew that most of their friends would have very drastic reactions to Nate’s newfound taste. Hancock got Nate to agree to only do it around them, never anyone else. He didn’t think the risk was worth it, and thankfully Nate agreed.

“It’s not like I have to do this all the time,” Nate said. “I’m not like…” He struggled with the words to explain it. “I don’t know, it’s not like I need it or anything. My life isn’t in danger if I skip over a few bodies. I just…like the taste I guess.” His eyes moved to the floor. “God, I’m sorry. You both married a freak.”

Hancock put his hat on Nate’s head. “Knock it off sunshine,” he said. “I said it once, I’ll say it again. You and me, that’s my kind of freak show.”

“Heck, Hancock makes more human eating jokes than the actual cannibal.”

“Mac I’m not a…” He stopped his defense. MacCready was right, there wasn’t anything else he could be called.

“Ghouls get free passes to make those jokes,” Hancock said, shifting the subject. “It’s revenge for all the zombie comments.”

“I never understood that,” Nate spoke up. “Like, your skin isn’t smooth, I get that, but it’s more like a burn than anything else…and you don’t smell any worse than Mac.”

“Hey!” They all laughed. MacCready looked from Hancock to Nate before saying, “Sometime, I’ll take you into the Capital Wasteland. The ghouls there are… well; you’d understand the zombie slur that’s for sure.”

“Are they really that different?”

Hancock shook his head. “No, at our core, we’re all the same. Over irradiated humans who weren’t lucky enough to die. Us Commonwealth ghouls, and probably the ghouls from further up north too, got a slightly better deal than our brothers and sisters down south. Maybe the bombs here were different? Maybe the climate or atmosphere changed something, but we’re…better preserved is a way to put it.”

“The ghouls of the Capital Wasteland are literally missing chunks of flesh,” MacCready said. “And god they’re treated like shit because of it.” He made a mental note to avoid saying shit, but he thought the topic warranted it. “Sure the people of the Commonwealth are prejudice but… you never hear the types of insults here that you do back home. How many times have you actually heard someone call a ghoul a zombie? And how many times has a ghoul used the term smoothskin as an actual insult? One of the biggest culture shocks I got was seeing how these folks treated the ghouls.”

Hancock nodded. “They aren’t as popular as human travelers, but I’ve met a few Capital Wasteland ghouls in my time, and I will never forget the look of pure relief that they gave me when I said I wasn’t going to yell at them, or hit them. I just…” Hancock balled his fists. “We’re just like everyone else damn it. Breaks my heart to hear the horror stories.”

“The more I learn about this world, the more I wish humanity hadn’t survived sometimes.”

“Speaking of culture shock,” MacCready said. “I can’t imagine how you must feel. We grew up in this environment, this is normal, but you… It’s a miracle eating corpses was the only bad habit you developed.”

“Well, if I’m being honest, I wanted to do that prewar too. The human eating thing, I mean.” He felt his face get hot after finally admitting that to someone. “There was never the option back then though, so I kept it to myself.” He gave a shy grin and said, “Probably for the best right? I would have been locked away somewhere instead of frozen in a vault. Never would have met you two.”

“I’d advise you to keep that between us,” Hancock said. “Plenty of folks would love to make your life hell if they heard you say that.”

MacCready agreed. “You aren’t some merc, or drifter, you’re the general of the Minutemen.”

“I know, I know,” Nate said. “There’s a world of expectation riding on me and my appearance.” He adjusted the heavy backpack on his shoulders. “I kept it a secret my whole life, I’m sure I can keep it up. But, it does feel good to know I don’t have to hide anything from you two. I don’t deserve that. Don’t deserve you guys.”

“You sure as shit do Sunshine,” Hancock said. “And stop saying and thinking you don’t.”

“You only uh, eat raiders and gunners and I guess, that’s uh, ok, er better, I guess,” MacCready stumbled out awkwardly. He caught Nate’s eyes and watched them fall. “I’m trying,” he offered. “I really am.” MacCready reached for Nate’s hand and squeezed it. “Gonna take some time, but I’m not leaving your side.”

---

It was a peaceful day in Sanctuary, as far as wasteland days go. Not a cloud in the robin’s egg colored sky. Nate was out back behind his house, the side door open to air out the place. He was standing over a grill and large drying rack. Spices in the post apocalypse were scarce but Nate managed. Some of the new stuff was very interesting too, apparently hubflower leaves could be ground and used to add flavor but Nate found it too bitter for meat. Blood leaf was surprisingly spicy and made a nice stand in for pepper. Thankfully salt was still an easily acquired thing and the giant garlic cloves he dug up just north of Sanctuary acted just like their pre-war counterparts, if a bit stronger. That all made jerky a food that he not only knew how to make, but could keep on making in this new world.

Nate was always proud of his homemade jerky recipe. It was a big hit with the neighbors and continued to be a hit with his companions. It just needed a few tweaks. Radstag and brahmin made the best jerky, but mole rat meat and dog worked as well. Insect meat just didn’t dry right and every batch he made tasted disgusting. Not even Dogmeat would eat it.

The grill was loaded with a wide selection of radstag cuts that he was pre-heating before he moved them to the makeshift smoker he made. Things were much easier pre-war but none of Nate’s old cooking equipment seemed to have survived, besides the remnants of one of his grills. He had turned to cooking when he returned from the war, it helped to keep him busy, and Nora certainly didn’t complain.

The drying racks held a different selection of meat, his special meat. Eating bodies raw was starting to get a bit disgusting. He’d still do it, he didn’t know why, especially now that he had an alternative. But he couldn’t seem to hold back a few bites of fresh human meat. However, when he was done eating he’d cut off chunks and pack them away in a salt rub, just like with the other animals they butchered out in the field. He was careful to leave bits of hide stuck to the animal cuts so that he and the others knew what was in each pack. That way when he started smoking and preserving meat no one would get confused. When the human strips were seasoned to Nate’s liking he’d lay them out on the drying racks. Things would go much faster if he had a dehumidifier, but he couldn’t track one down in the ransacked stores. He stayed hopeful though. His usual recipe worked quite well for his special jerky and it made a very tasty snack while they were out on the road.

Nate was usually the one who carried the food on their travels, he was known not only for being a hoarder but also for being very organized. He kept two pouches of jerky in his pack, one green and one red. The green bag held normal animal jerky and the red bag was his special blend. The separate colors were a lifesaver when most meat after smoked and seasoned looked identical to each other.

“Smells good, what’s on the menu?” MacCready asked strolling into the backyard.

“I was thinking roasted radstag with boiled tatos and carrots,” Nate replied, turning the meat on the grill. “That ok with you?”

“Perfect.” He wandered over to the table that had the finished jerky from the last batch that Nate was working on.

MacCready picked up a few pieces from the tray and walked back over. Before he could pop one in his mouth Nate said, “The stuff on that table’s for me, yours is on the counter in the kitchen.” He laughed as MacCready stared at the meat in his hand like it would suddenly grow sharp teeth and bite him. “Pass it here before you drop it,” Nate said with a smile. He handed it over brushing his hands on his pant leg. “You should try it sometime, it’s actually pretty good,” Nate joked and chewed on the dried meat. “Tastes like pork.”

“What is pork? I see it on those bean cans, but what is it?”

“Pig? You know, curly tail, likes mud, has a big nose?” MacCready stared at him. “Wow, ok, no radhogs then.”

“I’ve heard the word pig, but I didn’t think it was an animal. They were farm creatures?”

Nate nodded. “Yup, along with chickens, sheep, cows, goats, some people ate horses too.” Nate flipped the meat and thought back to the days he spent at a friend’s dairy farm. Those were the days, he thought wistfully.

“Must have been nice not having to eat to giant bugs,” MacCready said. He left and returned with the jerky that Nate had promised him was on the counter. “You’re a great cook, you know that? I haven’t eaten so well in…ever.”

“I take it things weren’t the best in Little Lamplight?”

He shrugged. “We were kids, we ate what we had, and what we had wasn’t much. Once I left I scrounged around, you’d be amazed at how much food was still left in the ruined houses. But that made me sick more often than not. Later Lucy cooked, then I was…back on my own again. Learned a few things, but nothing great.”

“I never used to like cooking,” Nate admitted. “Then I came back from the battlefield and I just… needed something to distract me. There was a food shortage just before the bombs fell, but I don’t know, sometimes, looking back it felt like a fairy tale. People all over were struggling for rations yet we seemed untouched in our little white picket fenced sanctuary.” Nate shifted uneasily, and finished, “The point of the story is that I got good at cooking.”

MacCready moved closer and rested his head on Nate’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his chest. “Thank god one of us can cook, or we’d be eating Mac’ and Cheese and unseasoned radroach out there.”

---

Nate heard the door open and close behind him. “Something wrong?” He asked and turned his head to look at MacCready who flinched. Neither of his friends liked walking in on him when they knew he was eating. So something must be up.

“N-No, nothing is wrong, I just wanted a word with you…” he added, “alone.”

“Ok,” Nate said and moved to stand. He walked over to his pack and took out a rag to wipe his face with. “What’s on your mind?”

“I uh, I just think maybe you should slow down on the corpse eating thing,” he said and rubbed the back of his neck. Everything about this conversation was awkward for him.

“Slow down?” Nate pulled out one of his sharp hunting knives and set to work cutting off pieces of flesh to season later. “I’ve only had like one or two kills I think that’s pretty-“

“One or two?” MacCready interrupted. “Try seven in just these past five days!”

“What? No…” Nate stared down at the mutilated body of the raider under him. “That can’t be right…”

MacCready sighed and leaned against the door. “I wasn’t…I wasn’t going to say anything but I’m getting worried.” His eyes looked out through the dirty glass at no one and he continued. “Hancock and I agreed we weren’t going to give you any shi-trouble over this. But you’ve been getting…obsessive? Yeah I’d say obsessive recently.”

That didn’t make any sense to Nate; he shook his head and looked back up at MacCready. He searched his face for any traces that this was a joke, but he couldn’t find any. “I…Mac you’d think I’d remember killing and eating someone.”

“You’d think,” He said a bit too cold, a bit too bluntly for his liking. He swallowed and tried again. “That’s why I decided to have this little talk with you. I don’t think you’re aware of it, maybe it’s become a habit, or something worse, I don’t know. But you… sometimes you aren’t subtle and one of us will walk up on you just going to town.”

Nate gave it some more thought. He really tried to remember the past few days, what they did and where they’d been. There were plenty of run ins with raiders and gunners between Goodneighbor and Diamond City, their current goal. The more he thought about it the more he realized that he did sample someone from each attack. “Oh god,” he said, his eyes widening. “I…that is a lot of people.”

“Twice in one day if I remember correctly.”

“And you do,” Nate confirmed. “I guess…I really hadn’t noticed just how many it’s been.” He pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. “Thanks for talking to me Mac. I’ll try to cut back,” and with those words he stood from the body and packed up his things. There was more than enough meat in his pack and he had enough jerky for weeks. MacCready was right; he had been overhunting and not even noticed.

“That’s all I’m asking,” MacCready said, though he had hoped to hear Nate say he’d stop for good. That, however, was something he doubted he’d be hearing. They let Nate indulge and now he didn’t think there was anything that could stop him.

Nate and MacCready joined Hancock in what was once the lobby of an apartment building. The ghoul was leaning against a pillar twirling a knife between his fingers. “Bored are we?” Nate asked.

“Very,” he said with a grin. “Almost died out here from it. You sure know how to torture a ghoul.”

“Don’t worry, I think I know something to cure that boredom of yours before it becomes terminal.”

Hancock arched an eyebrow, or what would be an eyebrow if he still had hair. He walked smoothly forward and grabbed a bottle of Nuka Cola from a tabletop. He pressed it between himself and Nate before the other man could lean in for a kiss. “Not so fast Meat Mouth, rinse.”

Nate groaned and took the bottle, popping the top and taking a few swigs. He even exaggerated swishing the liquid between his teeth. He hated to think about what this was doing to his enamel. It was so hard maintaining his prewar teeth without routine dentist visits. “We good?”

Hancock took out a tin and placed and a small pink tablet on his palm. “And the Mentat.”

Nate rolled his eyes and put the tablet on his tongue. “I’m gonna get addicted to this crap if you keep this up.”

“That’s what Addictol is for sweetheart.” When Hancock was thoroughly convinced that Nate didn’t taste like a corpse he went in for the kiss. “Much better, I like the taste of berry on your lips.”

Nate grinned in the kiss and wrapped an arm around Hancock’s back. “I’ll pick up a pack of mutfruit next time I’m in town if you want that so bad.”

“I’d like that,” MacCready piped up, “for different reasons however.” He slid up to Nate and Hancock only to get his hat pulled over his head with a laugh.

---

The group started back north towards Sanctuary after making a quick stop at Diamond City and Hangman’s Alley. They set up a temporary camp just off the side of the road for a quick rest. It had been about thirty minutes since the group had finished eating lunch when MacCready heard Nate vomiting into the bushes away from camp. He walked over and put a hand on Nate’s back. “You ok?”

Nate wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “I don’t know, I can’t keep anything down.” MacCready helped him back to camp, they walked slowly, but oddly Nate didn’t feel bad. The intense nausea always faded right after he emptied his gut. “You feel sick?” Nate asked. He was hoping it was mutual and they all ate something bad a few days ago.

“No, I feel fine.” MacCready made him sit by the fire and he tossed him a purified water and a package of antibiotics.

Nate wasn’t really sold on the idea of the new wave of medicine that had been hitting the market. There was too much that could go wrong, but the antibiotics and herbal remedies now being stocked by traders made the others feel better, so he took them. Later he’d ask Curie to examine several sources of these new medicines to see how effective they actually were. He took the medicine and chased it with a few gulps of water. The water helped settle the acidic state of his stomach and put something in there to make him feel like he had eaten. But he knew the feeling would pass and he’d have to try to eat something again.

They were still a few days walk from the nearest minutemen controlled settlement. He guessed it would take them even longer if he was actually getting sick. The constant stops so he could purge his stomach were taking up valuable daylight, and energy. Nate was exhausted and it was only two in the afternoon. “I’ll be good to keep moving soon, we can break down camp.” There wasn’t much to be broken down, only a single bedroll and some cooking supplies. The smell of used cooking oil made Nate gag, but he kept the water down. No sense wasting the medication he just took.

“I don’t know,” Hancock said approaching the camp. He was out doing patrols. “You look like shit Nate. Maybe we should stop here for the day.”

“It’s only two in the afternoon,” Nate protested. “We can’t lose another day because I feel pukey. Big deal, I threw up, I’ll live.”

“I know you’ll live Love, that’s not the concern here.” Hancock folded his arms and stared at him. “You might be getting sick, you might not, but if we push you when you’re weak you’ll definitely come down with something.”

“Ok,” Nate said, trying to strike a compromise. “How about we pack up and continue on for a few more hours, but we set up camp again earlier than normal?”

“Just agree with him Hancock it’ll be easier on all of us. You know how stubborn he can be. Let him get sick if that’s what he wants.”

“It’s not that I want to get sick,” Nate said. “But I don’t want to stay out here longer than we have to. Each day in the wastes is another day we could be killed.”

MacCready huffed, “What? You don’t think we can protect ourselves? I survived for years on my own in the Capital Wasteland, I think between Hancock and I we’ll be fine.”

“I’ve no doubt in your survival skills Mac,” Nate said and picked the bedroll off the ground. “It’s just that anything can happen out here, even the most prepared can end up on the bad side of a raider pole.”

Hancock scraped the remaining cooking oil and bits of charred molerat into the fire pit. The sudden flare up of cooked meat made Nate’s stomach turn and he bolted for the bushes again. His companions gave him sympathetic glances and grabbed their packs when he returned moments later.

The vomiting didn’t let up. Once again, almost as if on cue, they could hear Nate throwing up after dinner. The poor guy didn’t even make it ten minutes before he was sent running from the fire. “I think something is wrong with Nate,” MacCready said to Hancock. “He’s only been able to keep down a few strips of jerky a day and water. It’s been like, three days of this.”

Hancock nodded, something was up, he just didn’t know what. “Maybe he just picked up a nasty stomach bug? I mean you guys did just take your dose of rad away, we all know what a bitch that is on your immune systems.”

“True, true, but…I don’t know, Hancock, I think this is more than a stomach bug.” He winced when he heard Nate heave some more. “He doesn’t have a fever, he’s not in pain, no body aches…”

“Unless he’s lying to us,” Hancock pointed out.

“I’m not lying to you!” Nate called back between retches.

Before Nate came back Hancock cleared away all traces of dinner, including the pans and leftover food. They didn’t want to trigger another round of throwing up. When Nate finally did come back he sat down and leaned his head on MacCready’s shoulder. “How you feeling?”

“Tired.” Nate replied. “This sucks,” he added. “I don’t feel sick, you know? I’m not chilled, I’m not running a fever, I don’t even have a headache. I just…my stomach does not want food in it.” He sighed. “I like eating too much for this bullshit.”

“Think it was something you ate?”

Nate shrugged. “I dunno, maybe? We’ve been all eating pretty much the same things for the past week.”

“Not…entirely,” MacCready said realizing something. “Your uh, habit…”

“Shit,” Hancock swore. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because we’ve done such a fantastic job of normalizing it,” MacCready replied with a hint of disgust and disappointment. “What if you picked whatever this is up off of one of those corpses you’re so fond of eating?”

“I guess it’s a possibility,” Nate said honestly. “Sometimes I do eat it raw…” He groaned leaned even more on MacCready. “That’s probably it, there, case closed. It’s all my fault. I’ll just have to deal with feeling gross for the next few days until it passes. Then after that-“

“You’ll stop eating dead bodies?” MacCready guessed hopefully.

“No, I was going to say, “I’ll start cooking everything.””

MacCready frowned but shifted so Nate could be more comfortable against him. He ran a hand lazily through Nate’s hair. “Worth a shot,” he said. He’d bring up the suggestion as many times as he could. Maybe it wasn’t too late and Nate could go back to a regular diet. Something was gnawing at him; he just felt that this path Nate was walking was dangerous. Hancock didn’t seem too bothered, but the man ran one of the most dangerous towns in the Commonwealth. The ghoul was used to walking the line between murderer and benevolent leader. Of course his standards would be a bit swayed.

But MacCready saw with different eyes. As a drifter for most of his life he didn’t have many allegiances. He developed a strong, personal, moral code that mostly involved self-preservation. But it also let him see everyone for who they were. When you spend your life caring only for yourself you get really good at picking up the good and bad in people. Right now Nate was still overflowing with good, and maybe, just maybe, this was just a bizarre quirk, but maybe it was also foreshadowing for something much darker.

They let the fire die down, talking the night away. Mostly Nate just listened to Hancock and MacCready tell him stories of the wasteland. MacCready certainly had a lot of those. Hancock had a much tamer upbringing and all of his exciting stories came from the past ten years, after he became a ghoul. MacCready tried not to think about the fact that ten years ago he was still a baby faced mayor of a town of children. At least he was a badass little kid, but still just a kid.

Nate would tell the occasional tale of life prewar, and if he was feeling up to it, stories about his family. It was much easier to get him to talk about his time as a soldier. Fighting was a familiar topic and didn’t change over the centuries. War, as Nate always liked to say, war never changes. However, the vault dweller was much more content and interested in hearing about the new world.

Eventually the conversation slowed and everyone’s eyes were drawn to the glowing embers. “I think we should turn in,” Hancock said and stood up.

“Come on.” MacCready pushed Nate off of his chest and they both started to lay out their sleeping bags. Nate unzipped his all the way and laid it down first. MacCready and Hancock followed his example and set theirs on top, creating a makeshift set of blankets. They had started sleeping together a few months ago; the added closeness let everyone rest easier. Especially Nate, the man struggled with nightmares sometimes. “I’ll take middle,” MacCready said. “You’ll have easier access to escape if you feel sick if you’re not trapped between us.”

“I’m not going to be sick, it’s only after eating that I get nauseous,” Nate replied but took the outer position anyways. He wasn’t about to complain, he could survive one night of not being the center of affection. He kicked off his boots and jacket. Completely undressing was dangerous in the wastes. If they were attacked he’d much rather have pants on and not be naked. His partners agreed, there was plenty of time to get intimate inside the safety of the settlement walls. “Night you guys, I’m probably going to pass right out.”

“What,” Hancock said teasingly, “no pillow talk?”

“Not tonight,” Nate laughed. “Just sleep, sorry.” He didn’t want to worry anyone but he was starting to feel gross again. Not nauseous but a headache was creeping in and his throat felt a bit tight. He just wanted to slip into unconsciousness and hope it went away in his sleep.

MacCready and Hancock were light sleepers, you had to be to stay alive, but MacCready was far easier to wake. Especially out in the wastes. He might grumble and complain about getting up in the morning, but the slightest sound could wake him in the middle of the night. So it was no surprise that his eyes opened when he heard Nate shift and groan before rolling out of the covers. The next thing he heard was his husband coughing and the sound of liquid hitting the dirt. MacCready sat up and rubbed his eyes. Nate was just visible in the dull light of the dying fire. He was on all fours, coughing, and a string of drool hung from his lips. “You ok?” He said, crawling over to put a hand on his back. “Sick again?”

Nate didn’t reply, he just stayed focused on the ground. His whole body was ready to convulse. He took a shallow, shaky breath which triggered another coughing fit. His stomach betrayed him once more and he threw up the remaining water and bile in his gut and kept coughing. He was vaguely aware of MacCready’s hand on his back and voice in his ear.

“Holy shit, that’s blood,” MacCready said when he saw the liquid’s reflection in the dim firelight. “Hancock!” He called, waking the ghoul. “Nate’s throwing up blood.”

“Shit,” Hancock knelt on Nate’s other side. “That can’t be good.” There was quite a bit of liquid on the ground. Not all of it blood, but a good deal of it. Nate coughed again, hard and his body seized. “Nate? Nate! Love, no! Shit.” Hancock rolled his body to the side and tried to keep him from thrashing into the fire.

“What’s going on?” MacCready asked, his eyes full of fear of concern.

“I don’t know, I don’t know.”

Nate’s vision drifted in and out as his body shook and his fingers dug into the dirt, finally his eyes managed to focus on a dead tree a few yards away. He took a breath and coughed again, this time his mouth filled with a taste he knew all too well. Blood. He spat it out, only to have it fill again. Nate propped himself up with one elbow and continued to spit out blood, only now he noticed something else besides liquid on the ground in front of him. He picked one of the objects up with a trembling hand.

“Are those…teeth?” MacCready asked looking from Nate to the dull white object coated in blood.

Hancock watched as Nate spit out more blood and teeth onto the ground. “The fuck?”

“Scared,” Nate managed to say through the blood. “I’m scared.” His words were hard to make out. MacCready gripped him tightly as he body shook one last time and he sat still. Blood still oozed from his mouth and dripped down his shirt. It looked like he just finished goring another person, but all the blood was his. It rolled off his chin in thick drops.

“I think it’s over,” MacCready said, though they didn’t know exactly what “it” was.

Hancock nodded and got up. He returned with a soft cloth and a couple bottles of water. “Let’s get you cleaned up Sunshine.”

Nate felt the cloth run gently over his face. Hancock was being so careful with him, while MacCready rubbed small circles over the top of his hand. Fear was clearly present in all three of them. None of them knew what was going on. MacCready helped Nate out of his shirt and they put a new one on. “Hurts,” Nate managed to say.

“Open your mouth,” Hancock instructed. Nate did and winced in the process. His whole face felt like it was on fire, but the worst was coming from his jaw and mouth. It was like he had just finished eating glass. When Hancock looked inside he didn’t know what to think. Nate was missing all of his front teeth, only a few molars sat in the back. He’d never seen anything like it. “Where does it hurt, love?”

Nate pointed to the majority of his face. Tears were now pouring down from his eyes, not only from the pain but from the pure terror. He knew it wasn’t normal to suddenly lose teeth like that, and he knew it was equally abnormal for his body to reject all of the food he tried to feed it. Something was happening to him, and he no idea what it was.

MacCready echoed these fears when he said, “There’s something really wrong with Nate.”

“Yeah,” Hancock agreed.

Nate nodded. MacCready pressed his face to the back of Nate’s neck. “He needs a doctor, soon.”

Hancock left and returned with an armful of injectables and more water. “I know you don’t like chems Nate, I know, but I think you’ll be able to forgive some Med-X. For the pain?” Nate gave him a weak nod of consent. Hancock gently pushed the plunger in and dispensed the chem. “This one you know and love,” he said a bit lighter and held up two stimpaks. “I’ll start with one and see how you feel from there.” Nate gave him another nod, without teeth he was finding it embarrassingly difficult to talk. “There’s some swelling starting in your jaw and throat, let me know if it becomes hard for you to breathe.” Already the medication was starting to take affect and Nate relaxed against MacCready’s chest.

Nate motioned for the leftover water; he wanted to rinse out his mouth. On a normal occasion the taste of blood would be welcome. He was beginning to grow quite accustom to the coppery after taste of it. But this was not one of those times. There was so much of it that he felt ill. Having his teeth fall out didn’t help his appetite either. He swished the liquid around in his mouth and spit. He was beginning to feel more like himself again, a toothless version of himself, but still himself. The drugs were probably a major part of that. Stimpaks and Med-X were a hell of a combo.

Hancock threw some more wood on the fire and brought it back to life. Nate’s eyes were starting to get heavy and he was drifting off to sleep. Scared or not, his body was exhausted and the pain medication made it all too easy for him to sleep. He felt strong arms pull him up and he was guided away from the pile of vomit, blood and teeth to the other side of the fire. “I’ll stay up with him Mac, you catch some shut eye.”

MacCready wanted to argue but he was nearing his limits. He nodded numbly and dragged the blankets over to where Hancock was. The ghoul was sitting against a tree, the fire a good ways away, but still bright and hot. There was a bag of various chems sitting next to him. Nate was positioned against his chest and Hancock wrapped both arms around him protectively. MacCready draped one of the blankets over his shoulder and gave each man a quick kiss. “Watch over him,” he said.

“Couldn’t take my eyes off if I wanted to,” he replied.

MacCready seemed satisfied and curled up in the other two blankets beside them.

Throughout the night Nate would wake up, groaning in pain and Hancock would give him small booster shots of Med-X and sips of water. “You’ll be ok love,” he would whisper as Nate drifted back off to sleep. It was killing Hancock to watch Nate writhe in pain in his arms, knowing there wasn’t anything more he could do to help. So he held him tighter and rocked him gently through the night. He was getting good at feeling the signs of an incoming attack of pain. Nate would twitch, shudder and moan in his sleep before his eyes would snap open and he’d cry out in pain.

When the sun was just starting to rise above the horizon Nate jolted awake and screamed. Hancock was quick to cover his toothless mouth and hush him. But not before MacCready sat up, concern written all over his tired face. Nate was panting but removed Hancock’s hand from his mouth. “Sorry,” he said quietly. “Hurts.”

Hancock fished around for Med-X but not only were their supplies low, but he’d already given Nate way more than was normal. “Can you go without for a few hours?”

Nate nodded, but a tear betrayed his strength. “I’ll be fine,” he managed. Without his top teeth some sounds were tricky to make, thankfully the roof of his mouth could be used as a stand in.

“Do you need more rest? It’s still early.”

Nate shook his head. He’d rather be up and moving around. Or at the very least doing something to occupy his mind. He didn’t want to think about last night, and what it meant. Hancock helped him to stand and he walked him to some bushes so he could pee. On their way back Nate gently probed his mouth with his tongue. He counted 14 of his teeth remained, which was more than he thought. It seemed like all of his molars and his two wisdom teeth remained.

When he got back to the camp he knelt down and examined the pile of teeth on the ground. MacCready asked, “Anyone have any ideas on what this is?” Nate shook his head and picked up one of his teeth. He held it in his hand for a few moments before absentmindedly picking them up and placing them in his bag. “What about you Hancock? Is he going ghoul?”

“No,” Hancock said with a fair amount of confidence. “I’m pretty sure I know the process,” he laughed. “The only thing that happened to my teeth was that the pointy ones got a little sharper. They never fell out.”

“So…is it regular radiation poisoning?”

Nate shook his head and said. “Rad away a few days ago, can’t be.”

Hancock agreed. “And you’re not affected either, we’ve all been traveling together, no one’s left each other’s side since we started this trip. If Nate was affected you’d be too.”

“So then it’s got to be what he ate,” MacCready concluded. “How many horrible diseases are passed through human flesh?”

Hancock shrugged. Nate said, “I don’t know, but I don’t eat the brains.”

“But you don’t cook anything,” MacCready said. “Lots of stuff can be transferred that way, nasty stuff.” He guided Nate to clean side of the fire and tossed a blanket over him. “We need to get you to a doctor as soon as possible. Get you cleaned out, stop this before it does any more damage.”

Nate couldn’t disagree. Although the only pain he felt was in his jaw and mouth, last night scared him. Not being able to eat anything substantial in days and having his teeth fall out were cause for alarm. This wasn’t a normal stomach bug they were dealing with. Nate asked for a gun to clean and MacCready handed over Nate’s favorite rifle. It gave him something to do while the others broke down camp and set about making breakfast. They didn’t want to leave so early, it was still too dark for their liking.

The smell of cooking meat was both enticing and sickening. His stomach growled and turned painfully from lack of food. “Can someone hand me my jerky?”

“Nate, Love,” Hancock said, “you hardly have any teeth, how are you going to chew jerky?”

“I still have back teeth, I’m hungry and I can only stomach the jerky.” Hancock gave in and tossed him the bag of jerky; he even made sure it was the red bag, just for Nate. “Thanks,” he said and opened the bag up. There was still a good bit of meat inside and Nate’s mouth watered automatically. He popped a piece in and chewed it very slowly. It hurt like hell and he had to take a few breaks before the meat softened enough to be swallowed. It felt like his stomach instantly attacked it for nutrients. After a few more laborious strips were swallowed he was starting to feel better. Not perfect, but functional. Amazing what a little food and water can do.

They all picked up their packs and started back towards the road as soon it was light enough to see where they were going. Camping off the road was the smartest option; stick too close and anyone could stumble on your little camp. Of course more wildlife could wander in too, but the fire helped keep animals at bay and MacCready was confident he’d awake if even a twig snapped.

Every ten minutes someone would ask Nate how he felt, and he was getting rather annoyed. “I’m fine,” he said for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Seriously guys, I’m good. I’ll let you know if I start feeling like shit, ok?” They continued on until Nate froze, not in pain but in caution. “Guy’s hold up,” before they could ask he whispered, “it’s not me; I think there’s people up ahead.”

Everyone headed into the bushes on the side of the road; there were a few stalled cars between them and the group of people that were noisily walking towards them. “How’d you hear that before Hancock?” MacCready asked.

“I don’t know,” Nate whispered. “I just did.” They were silent as the group got closer. Raiders, they were definitely raiders. “We should engage,” Nate said quietly. He was already pulling out and loading his rifle.

“But you’re in no condition to fight,” Hancock argued.

Nate disagreed, “Bullshit I feel fine, and one less raider pack the better.” He quickly lined up his shot and blew a hole directly into the lead raider’s head. The others of course turned in all directions trying to figure out where the shot came from.

There were only six of them, easy pickings for the skilled team. MacCready quickly shot and killed two and Hancock broke cover to take down one, his shot gun didn’t have the same range that the rifles had. In the chaos of the battle, even one as small as this, they lost sight of Nate who had disappeared behind a rusted out Corvega. There was a raider crouched just a few feet away. Nate snuck slowly, his feet hardly making any sound. His rifle holstered behind his back and a long, sharp knife in his hand. In one quick fluid motion he wrapped a strong arm around the raider and slit his throat. The man gurgled to death, spraying blood against the pastel paintjob of the car. With the man bleeding out in his arms Nate quickly injected himself with half a dose of Med-X, his jaw burned, like his missing teeth were erupting.

He ran a finger through his mouth and they touched several small, sharp points coming from his gums. Nate pushed the rest of the plunger into his arm. He could deal with any addiction later. This raider was wearing a set of leather armor over a dirty cotton shirt. Nate stripped the leather, he could sell it or work it into something else later, the shirt he cut with the knife. Now it was just him, and the body. The usual spike in his heartrate accompanied by his mouth watering was all he needed to jam the knife deep inside the body and start slicing away. The jerky had been fine, but now he realized he was hungry.

It wasn’t the normal type of hunger he experienced daily; this was a slow, painful hunger that gnawed at his insides. No doubt this fire was fanned by the near starving condition he’d been in for the past three days. In this moment his mind blocked out everything else. It was just him, the blood, meat, and his fresh teeth screaming to be used.

Hancock was busy picking caps off the ground when he noticed Nate wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He hadn’t heard the other man cry out during the fight, which meant only one thing. MacCready hadn’t noticed his absence which was probably for the best. Hancock shouldered his shot gun and walked around the street; he hopped the hood of a dusty pink Corvega and found what he was looking for. “Making a mess there Love,” he said, which seemed to break Nate out of whatever trance he was in. “Shit, you look like a nightmare.” When Nate turned to look up at him his mouth was dripping blood, only this time it wasn’t his. Nate wiped his face but all that did was smear it across his cheek.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “It’s just been so long since I’ve eaten anything. My mind got ahead of itself.”

Hancock shook his head. “You’re just going to throw it all up again.”

“I know,” Nate said looking back at the body. “I did get a little carried away this time.”

“You don’t say?” Hancock dug around in his bag for some water and a cloth. “Here, clean up; don’t want Mac seeing you like that.” Nate took the cloth and water gratefully and started to wipe the blood and pieces of flesh from his face. “Hey, smile for me.” Nate did and Hancock swore again. “Guess we know why your teeth fell out last night. They’re being replaced.”

“I know, I can feel them coming down. Hurts like all hell, already gave myself another vial of Med-X.” Nate got up and examined his reflection in the cracked side mirror of the Corvega. He didn’t look too bad; you couldn’t tell he was just eating someone at least. He gripped his jaw as his teeth shifted again. “Ughhh, this sucks.”

“They’re uh, pointed,” Hancock remarked.

Nate lifted his lips to reveal that they were indeed pointed. “Well, if you get the cool king of the zombies look then I guess I get king of the vampires.” Hancock laughed. “I’ll catch up with you in a moment, going to loot this guy and take a few souvenirs.”

The ghouls sauntered away to run interference on MacCready while Nate finished up. He took the sharp knife to the Raider’s arm and began slicing away strips of meat. These pieces he tossed into a separate bag that he used to carry all of his raw meat. It was hard to keep the meat from spoiling in the heat, Nate did his best by lining the bag with salts and preservatives but they’d all need a thorough cooking before they were safe to eat again. He was getting very good at quickly gutting, quartering, and skinning animals out in the field, this skill he transferred to his raider prey. Only, he usually didn’t gut and skin the humans. Since he was the only one who ate this type of meat there was no point in taking the whole body back, just the best cuts.

Nate knocked out the raider’s teeth and tossed them into the bag as well. He had begun experimenting with making different types of oil from the bone and teeth of animals. So far he hadn’t been very successful but he was onto something, he had a feeling. The armor turned out to be crap so he left it behind, but the pockets held a meager amount of caps and some more worthless .38 ammo. Before he got up he stared at the stripped arm again. His jaw burned as another wave pain spread across his face. He made a split second decision and severed the arm at the elbow, keeping the hand and bone attached to the wrist. Then he stood up and regrouped with the others.

It was almost comical how long it took MacCready to notice that Nate was chewing on the bone. He held the hand of the raider and ate from the arm like it was a giant turkey leg. Mostly he wasn’t interested in the meat but the feeling of rubbing his new teeth against the bone. “Nate are you…is that a human arm?”

“Mmhmm,” Nate mumbled biting down hard.

“Are you…chewing on that bone?” Nate nodded. “Why?”

He pulled away and lifted his lip, revealing the sharp teeth that were now halfway in place. “It hurts, Mac. Like real bad.”

MacCready stopped dead in his tracks and stared. Then he started to shakily laugh. “Oh my god, Hancock, Nate’s teething.”

“Maaaac,” Nate whined. “This isn’t funny, it really hurts.”

“This would be adorable if you weren’t chewing on a human arm, and if the teeth coming in weren’t nightmare fuel.”

“Would you rather I chew on your hat?”

MacCready put a protective hand over his hat. “No, but I’m sure we have scrap leather in a bag somewhere. You hoard enough shi-stuff to outfit an army.”

“No,” Hancock interject, “that would imply that the stuff he picks up is useful.”

“Wow, today must be pick on Nate day,” he grumbled and raked his teeth against the bone, scraping off chunks.

Hancock slid an arm around him and gave him a squeeze. “We only do it because we love you.”

“I know, I know,” Nate said.

“So,” MacCready said walking alongside Nate. “Can you lift your lip and show me?” Nate pulled back his lip so the other could see the new teeth coming in. They were all sharp, but not thin, wider, like a normal human tooth. But unmistakably inhuman. “What do you think caused this?”

“I have no idea,” Nate said as he returned the bone back to his mouth and clamped down. “Ughhh,” he groaned and bit down harder.

“I’m thinking it was rads,” Hancock said. “Everyone blames rads on everything.”

“Couldn’t be FEV…could it?” MacCready asked.

“No way, you’d be dealing with the same thing if it was. You can’t just infect single people with that shit.”

“If it were rads wouldn’t I also be feeling the same thing?”

Hancock shook his head. “No. Wasteland mutations seem to affect people differently, probably genetics or something. There’s been a lot of talk about how it’s our genes that make us ghouls and not ferals.”

Nate yanked the bone from his mouth and said, “It’s possible I ate something-“

“Someone,” MacCready corrected.

Nate rolled his eyes. “Someone who didn’t keep their system clean of rads. I only eat raiders and we all know they aren’t the best with personal care. Could be a chem too, I suppose. Or a mix of the two.”

“Never heard of a chem that would do this to the human body,” Hancock commented and frowned.

“Says the man who turned himself into a ghoul using a chem,” Nate elbowed him. “The world’s full of weird shit.”

“Yeah but…” Hancock trailed off. “I still think someone should look at you when we get back to Sanctuary.”

“I agree,” MacCready said.

Nate nodded. “Yeah, I was going to have Curie give me a full check, run any tests she wants.” He shivered. “And I mean any test…” Sometimes Curie got a little over excitable about new things, but this time her enthusiasm might be needed. “Something’s not normal. Either I just mutated or something bad happened.”

“Forget the teeth,” MacCready said. “I’m way more concerned about your inability to keep food down. You’ve been vomiting for three days straight after nearly every meal. You’re getting weaker; I don’t want this to get any worse.”

That was a worry of Nate’s as well. He did notice that the jerky he ate earlier never came up; neither did the meat he consumed from the corpse. That he kept to himself, but he hoped it was a sign he was getting over whatever stomach virus he had picked up. He bit down on the arm bone as his teeth shifted down again. It was a million times worse than when he was a kid and his adult teeth came in. He could feel the actual teeth shifting in his gums and pushing the other teeth into place. It hurt so much even the vile of Med-X he took felt useless.

A hand was kneading the muscles in his back and Nate opened an eye he didn’t even realize he closed to see Hancock standing next to him. He didn’t notice he’d stopped walking during the latest blast of pain. “Hey there Sunshine, you ok?”

Nate nodded, but he didn’t trust himself to speak, he just clamped down harder. Of course his eyes started to water from the pain and tears dripped down his cheek. They all stood around and waited for the moment to pass. Which it did, the throbbing subsided and Nate was able to think clearly again. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“It’s ok,” MacCready said. He gently lifted Nate’s lip and got a good look at the new teeth. “They’re almost all the way down,” he announced. “You’ll probably be done by nightfall.”

“Thank god,” Nate said and gingerly rubbed his jaw. “It feels like a million needles are being poked into my gums.” There were only two more attacks of pain that left him kneeling on the ground trying not to scream. Then it was just mild aching pulses that came and went quickly. Those he was able to ignore and keep walking through. The sunlight was starting to fade and the group decided to head off the road and camp out for one more night. Nate knew they were close to several different settlements that were under his control, but they decided to keep their distance until Sanctuary. Whatever was wrong with Nate they didn’t want the others to know, the less panic they spread the better.

Nate helped set up the bedding with MacCready while Hancock started the fire and gathered wood. “I’m going to lie down for a few minutes, wake me when dinner’s ready,” Nate said.

“Yeah, sure, rest up.”

They let Nate rest for two hours; no one was really hungry so Hancock didn’t feel the need to start dinner right away. “Nate needs to hurry up and get better,” MacCready grumbled while Hancock poked around a few chunks of meat in the pan. “He’s a way better cook than you.”

Hancock was going to argue but MacCready was right. “Yeah, he sure as shit is. Too bad the smell and sight of food tends to make him vomit at the moment.”

“I wonder what’s wrong with him.” MacCready picked out one of the half cooked pieces of tato to eat. “Nate’s so strong it’s hard to see him sick like this. He puts on a brave face but I can tell he’s weaker.”

“Not eating for three days will do that to a person,” Hancock said. He was worried as well, though he tried not to show just how much. “We’ll be in Sanctuary by tomorrow, and then Curie can take a look at him. She’ll have him better in no time. Or, at the very least, force him to actually lie the fuck down and rest.”

MacCready laughed and said, “We’ll have to post a guard outside his room, make sure he doesn’t try to do work.”

“That might kill him faster than the actual disease he picked up.”

“You guys making fun of me again?” Nate said from the sleeping bag.

“Just your workaholic nature Love,” Hancock replied. “You ready to try dinner?”

He groaned and sat up. “Yeah, I think so. I’m feeling a hell of a lot better.” Nate sat down next to Hancock and grabbed a plate. “What did you make?”

“Well, I ain’t as fancy as you are, so it was just rehydrated radstag with tatos.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Nate replied and gave Hancock a quick kiss.

“Hey, let’s see those teeth of yours,” MacCready said. Nate opened his mouth and pulled his lips back. MacCready tried and failed to hide his reaction. “Well…they look uh, healthy I suppose.”

Nate took his finger away and frowned. “How noticeable are they?”

Hancock and MacCready exchanged looks before Hancock awkwardly said, “Well Sunshine, at least we won’t be able to figure out if the strange looks are directed at me or you.”

“They could be rotten like mine,” MacCready added.

Nate moaned and covered his face with a hand. “Great, just what I wanted, to stand out even more than I normally do.”

“Maybe you can file them down later?” Hancock suggested.

MacCready shrugged and said, “I don’t know maybe people won’t care? There’s ghouls and supermutants, some pointed teeth might not even register.” He was trying to be hopeful but they all knew that those teeth of his were very prominent.

“Yeah,” Nate said with a laugh, “I’m sure no one will notice that I look like I walked out of a comic book. Totally normal.” They changed subjects and Nate focused on chewing with the new teeth. They were very, very, sharp and he caught himself nearly slicing his tongue on more than one occasion. The last thing he needed was to chop off his tongue too. Halfway through the meal Nate felt the familiar sign of his stomach churning and bile creeping up his throat. He excused himself and rushed to the outskirts of the camp where he promptly threw up what he had just eaten.

He swore under his breath between heaves. Nate thought that after he kept down the jerky for breakfast and the raider for lunch he’d be good for dinner. It just didn’t make any sense. With a newly emptied stomach he sat down next to his companions and drained his water. At least he didn’t throw up that. Both Hancock and MacCready gave him sympathetic smiles. They’d have their answers tomorrow when Curie was able to take a look at him.

Thankfully his stomach didn’t cause him any more problems and no new teeth needed shedding so he slept through the night without any incidents.

They reached Sanctuary by mid-day and Nate hardly set his packs down in his room before being shoved out the door by MacCready and Hancock and across the street to the medical building where Curie and the other doctors in training worked. “Curie,” Hancock said calling her over. “We need you to take a look at Nate.” He looked around the room and added, “Somewhere private.”

“What seems to be the problem?” Nate lifted his lip to show her his teeth. “Oh dear, that is quite unusual yes?” Everyone nodded. “Thought so.” They followed her into a backroom and she shut the door. “Tell me everything,” she demanded. After Nate explained the whole situation Curie just frowned. “This is most curious. There are several rare and dangerous diseases that can be caught from this type of diet.” She moved around the room looking for her notebook to take down notes. “I do not have the best medical testing equipment here but I will see what I can do. Let’s start by taking a few blood samples and flushing your system with Rad-Away and Addictol.”

Nate grimaced and agreed. Addictol was a bitch, everyone knew it. The stuff kicked harder than a pissed off brahmin and left him with a headache for days. He tried to keep off the chems after his pyscho addiction in the military. That wasn’t something he ever wanted to go through again. He bit down on his sleeve Curie injected him with the clear all drug. “Fuck,” he swore and gripped the side of the table he was sitting on until his knuckles turned white.

His husbands stood by in silent support. Curie busied herself with writing down symptoms and jotting down notes on Nate’s physical condition. She asked many repeat questions and took each answer seriously. Then she pulled out several large, undamaged, medical texts and started digging through them. “You are free to leave for now,” she said. “It will take me a while to figure this out. Go rest; get some fluids and sleep, no bright lights.”

“Right, thanks Curie,” Nate said and slipped off of the table. He wobbled on his feet and was caught by MacCready and Hancock. They were a steady support for him all the way back to his house. Before they could reach the safety of the doorway they were intercepted by Preston.

“Is Nate ok?” He asked. “I saw you rush him into the medical building.”

Nate kept his mouth firmly shut and Hancock replied instead. “He’s just sick, Curie took a look at him, we’re waiting on some tests.”

“He looks terrible.”

MacCready remarked, “Feels terrible too. We’re taking him to his room for some rest.”

“Right, I suppose I can give my report later, when he’s feeling better.” He took one last glance at Nate before turning away. “Rest up, we need you General.”

Nate sighed and stumbled into their house and collapsed on the couch. “The bed would be better,” Hancock said.

“The couch was closer,” Nate replied.

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Hancock said with a smile. MacCready returned with some blankets and a pillow. “Does your head feel like its exploding?”

Nate nodded. “Addictol, gotta love it.”

“Yeah it’s shit, that’s why we try not to get addicted to anything. The stuff that cleans us out is worse than the addiction it feels like.” Hancock brushed Nate’s hair out of his eyes. “Never thought you’d be feeling this again did you?”

Nate gave a shallow laugh. “Yeah, I’ve been a good boy, staying mostly clean.”

“We’re gonna leave you be for a bit Trouble. Come find us when you’re up to it.”

Nate waved them away and rolled over to get some sleep. He wasn’t sure how long he was out but it was near dark when he woke up. MacCready and Hancock were nowhere to be found. Thankfully the splitting headache was gone, just a dull throb remained. His legs weren’t nearly as unsteady as they were. He made his way into the kitchen and grabbed one of his bags of jerky and sat down at the table. He was paging through a comic and gnawing on a strip of meat when Curie knocked and entered the house.

“What’s the news?” He asked. “Figure out what’s wrong with me?”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “N-No. This is the strange thing, your symptoms they…they do not match anything I have on record. The teeth, your constant nausea, they do not add up.” She seemed distressed. “This is most unusual.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“Yes, a few guesses, but that is all they are, guesses.”

“Well let’s hear them.”

“A combination of mutation due to radiation exposure and a bad dose of Rad-Away,” she said. “I cannot think of anything else. You are completely healthy and normal in every way.”

“Completely healthy? That’s…that’s gotta be wrong.”

“Oh but it is not. The tests all came back negative and normal. You are most certainly fine.” She tried a smile to make Nate feel better. “This should be good news,” she said brightly. “It means there is most likely nothing to worry about. I’ll continue to monitor you if you wish. Your new teeth are most unusual.”

“I’d be ok with that. Anything you can suggest for my stomach? I can’t keep throwing up everything I eat.”

Curie thought for a few moments before saying, “Yes. Try to eat simple foods, tatos, melon, some mutfruit. Stay away from complex foods like meats. Drink lots of fluids and that should help.”

“Thanks,” Nate said. He put the jerky back in the bag and reached for a handful of tarberries in a dish on the table. “Sorry I made you do so much work for nothing.”

“Oh no, it was no trouble at all! I love a good medical mystery, and this is quite the mystery.”

Curie excused herself and left Nate alone in the house. He ran his tongue over his new teeth and murmured, “Completely healthy huh? Well this is some bullshit.”