We'll Meet Again ~Pre-War!Cooper Howard X Reader~

XVII

"Okay, that doesn't count, I was helping Janey look for you," I told him as he smiled, "I'm glad you did, but it wasn't that, that told me you don't like gatherings like that...it was the fact that you could've left my study...but you stayed. I remembered that and figured out that you weren't one for stuff like that meaning you would probably prefer two things" he said as I cocked my head, "campin' or gun range...seeing as a gun range isn't that romantic...I voted on campin'" he told me as he looked at his plate, "how did I end up with an extra piece?" he asked as I laughed "The bacon fairy visited you" Janey giggled as he looked at her, "Heh...bacon fairy" I said chuckling while I ate. 

~Time skip~

I hummed to myself as I packed, "you got everything?" he asked with his bag slung over his shoulder, "I think so...I'm not sure?" I told him as he chuckled, "you have clothes?" he asked as I nodded, "you have a swimsuit?" he asked as I nodded, "you've got towels?" he asked as I nodded again, "then I think we're all set, tents in the trunk and we can get goin'" he smiled, "what about the cooler with the food and drinks?" I asked as he blinked a few times, "I will be right back" he said as he turned and walked out of the bedroom, and I chuckled. 

After I ensured I had everything, even grabbing an extra pair of clothes I left the house, he put the cooler in the trunk, "What exactly did you pack?" I asked as I held my gym bag over my shoulder, "just the tent, my bag, and two folding chairs" he said as I chuckled and shook my head. He finally got the cooler in the truck and I handed him my bag which he also somehow managed to put in there with no struggle. He closed the trunk and smiled at me. "Ready?" he asked as I snorted, "I've been ready, I was just waitin' on you," I told him as he opened my door and chuckled. I climbed in, buckled up, and he got in next to me. He placed the key in the ignition, turned it, and buckled up as the car rumbled to life. 

He then started driving, "where are we going?" I asked as he smiled, "you'll find out when we get there" he said as I looked over at him, "you say that line a lot to Janey huh?" I asked as he chuckled, "Yeah, she's like you, an inquisitive cat" he joked as I laughed. I hummed along to the song that softly played over the radio as I looked out the window. I smiled as I felt him interlace his fingers with mine. I looked over at him as he tapped his thumb against the steering wheel with the beat of the song playing, he was focused on driving, and I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek causing him to smile and glance over at me. "What was that for?" he asked as I shrugged, "because I can," I said as he chuckled, "I'll take it" he smiled as he kissed the back of my hand. 

"Ooo...The Ink Spots!" I smiled as I turned the radio up and started swaying with the song playing. "You sure love music," he said as I nodded, "something about music is just soothing to me. Especially the songs on the radio" I told him as he nodded, "we'll have to see if that will help you calm down when you have a panic attack" he said as I gasped, "could you imagine, a device that would be able to play music from your pocket?" I asked, "We've got one, it's called a Pip-Boy, and it's made and owned by Vault-Tec," he said trying to hide his distaste for the company my father worked for, "no, see, that's on your wrist, plus it's big and clunky, weighs you down," I told him, "is that a fact?" he asked smiling as I nodded, "I have one back home, I never wear it because it's heavy and I hate the way it looks," I told him as he chuckled, "well, what do you mean then?" he asked, "a device small enough to fit in someone's pocket and could play music, it would connect to another device that would go into your ears so you could hear the music" I told him as he furrowed his eyebrows slightly trying to envision what I was talking about. "Tell you what, draw me what you're talking about," he said as I smiled and reached into the backseat for my extra bag, I got into the bag, pulled out my sketchbook, and drew him what I was envisioning. "Like this," I told him as he glanced at my drawing. "That would be cool," he said, "but why the pocket?" he asked as I smiled, "because then someone could go to the gym with it, so they can listen to music while they work out," I told him, "well, where would you keep it? Because you wear shorts that don't have pockets and a sports bra. "I would keep it in my bra, that's a pocket itself," I told him as he laughed. 

"How did you know my workout shorts don't have pockets?" I asked as he looked at me and then looked back at the road, "that a serious question?" he asked as I nodded, "yeah" I said as he chuckled, "Darlin' I have removed every single outfit you've worn around our place. I have removed the shorts you wear when you go to the gym from your body, I could tell there weren't any pockets" he said as I blinked, "so...when we're getting it on" I joked as he laughed, "the main thing you focus is if my clothes have pockets?" I asked as he chuckled. I watched as he grabbed his pack of cigarettes and handed them to me. "That is not my main focus," he said as I lit a cigarette for him so he could drive. I handed it to him, "But it was that day?" I asked as he took a drag from it. "You were the one quivering by the end...you tell me," he said looking at me and then looking back at the road. "All right...you win this round, Howard," I said as he chuckled, I looked out the window again.