Old friends- MacCready x Reader

Promise Rings

(Flashback, 13 years old)
"(Y/nnnnn), wake up alreadyyyy..." I hear, though the voice is faint and husky. I know who it is, even though I'd only just woken up, and the only reason I haven't loudly complained or told them to fuck off was because it happened to be my best friend, Robert.
I do groan a little bit though, to which I hear a snicker come from next to me, and that's when I do actually slap him, gently though so he knows I'm just playing. "Shush..." I mumble, sitting up and stretching. "Why exactly am I up so early?"
"What do you mean early." He retorts, sitting on the bed and making himself comfortable. I'm sure he can see the confused look on my face, "it's like.. one in the afternoon?" He explains, giving me a look.
Shit.
I was supposed to be out scouting today, not staying in bed like a slob. Nobody was allowed to stay in bed this late unless they were sick.
So I get ready quickly, pulling on my usual dirty t shirt and jeans, then lacing up my boots and grabbing the rifle I'd been gifted to on my tenth birthday, then made my way out to the front. I got stopped a few times, mostly just to say hello, a few people did ask where I'd been though.
Eventually I do make it out of the large cave, my sniper rifle now in my hands and ready to be shot if needed, though most the time the area around the place I call home is pretty secure. However, lately we've been having a problem with a group of people that settled up in Paradise Falls. We call them Slavers, because well... that's what they do. They took two kids last week, and now... Bumble. Bumbles left too. It was after that Vault Dweller showed up, and I know they had something to do with it. I saw them talking to the slavers, then to Bumble, and then he walked out, Bumble following happily behind him.
And that was that, we never saw him since.
I don't even notice I've been standing out in the open for a good ten minutes until I hear Mac call my name, which snaps me back into reality once again. I can see in the distance that he's motions for me to come along with him, and I know what we're doing right away. He's bringing me to out to our little fort, or I guess, an old raider camp that had been wiped out for awhile now. It was pretty big, it had a few shacks with dusty mattresses and boxes, a sniper tower, loads of platforms and areas to take cover all connected by bridges, and ever since Mac and i took over, we put a few blankets up for shade along with some chairs and snacks. Really, it was our own little haven that we thought nobody else could take or salvage. Our place that we considered our second home.
Later in the night, after we'd sat there all day, just enjoying each other's company, reading comic books and eating candy, we were sitting up on top of the sniper towers wooden roof. I was sitting next to him, what most 'friends' would consider way to close for comfort. He had his arm wrapped around me, my head on his shoulder and body leaning against his.
His hand on my thigh.
We were both looking up, the stars were shining across the sky, the only thing giving off light as it was a new moon tonight. But it was pretty, out there there obviously wasn't any artificial light anywhere near us... and there was just open sky. No clouds either. I found myself dozing off just a little, but was awoken by a shuffling next to me. Mac was only wearing a flannel and jeans as opposed to his usual get up, which i didn't mind, because personally, the more of him I could see the better. He was 15, almost 16 at the time, and I was crushing on him hard. Something about his short brown hair, his blue eyes, and just his personality made me drawn to him. I always just assumed I never really had a chance, or he didn't want to because he was busy trying to run a town made up of children.
Looking over, I noticed he'd undone his collar button, then three more buttons on his flannel, and was currently digging around in his pocket for something. I honestly had no idea what, and was only more confused when he pulled his hand out and appeared to be holding something tight in it.
"Hey (y/n)?" I hear him ask, which draws my attention up to his eyes.
"Hmm?"
"I-I uh..." he starts. It was strange for him to stutter.. most the time he was confident in himself. Way too confident. But I put that aside and listen to him, a small, yet shy, smile on my face.
Instead of continuing his sentence however, he takes my hand and slips something on my finger, which I immediately recognize as a ring. The sterling silver is glimmering from the starlight, and even though the night's breeze makes it chilly, my cheeks were burning.
"And what's this for?" I ask softly, moving my hand in front of me to examine my hand further.
"Well... it's a promise ring. I promise to always do my best to protect you, make you happy, and stick with you, okay?" He says, and I can tell right away when I look back up at his face he was blushing too. "I got it when I went out yesterday, I actually got two of them... they were a couple. Died laying in each other's arms." He explains, holding his hand out to show he's wearing a matching one on his ring finger.
"So is this your way of proposing to me?" I ask, giggling softly and flashing a smile at him.
He chuckles softly along with me and shakes his head, "yeah, you wish." He teases, the same cocky attitude and tone returning.
I don't mind though.
Present day, 10/28/2077, 9:12 a.m.
I stand in front of a dark green wall, walking past and reading the white paint that directs Robert and I towards the 'Great Green Jewel' of the Commonwealth. I can hear gunshots behind us, we'd just witnessed a small group of Diamond City Security fighting super mutants, and from what it looked like they were losing big time.
Of course we weren't gonna help them though, no guarantee we'd be paid.
Ya know, the weird thing was, Robert always disliked it when I just did things to help people out. Or would accept jobs that very obviously underpaid us. The way I see it, were better off out in the Commonwealth helping people out, making friends and making the world better, doing all we can to make someone's life right without making them give us every last cap. I'm lost in my own head again, in fact I don't even react to Mac calling my name, and the only thing that snaps me back to attention is when I run straight into a wooden stand that holds a running turret, used to protect the city's outer limits.
I can hear laughing behind me, and I just stand there in a slight daze, until I join in with Mac, giggling at my own stupidity.
"You alright doll?" He asks, and I can feel him wrap his arm around my middle, a firm grip being placed on my waist.
I blush a little bit, he's always been this way, but... it's just been awhile since I've had that with him. With anyone. He's just being friendly though, there's no way he's actually into me. He's a player. I've seen it myself, the conversations he's struck up with women and with Daisy, and while it made me insanely jealous, he definitely was charming. He could pretty much get us out of anything, and then on the flip side, get us more profit. But the way he did it.. constantly flirting. Calling them pretty, giving them other compliments. There was even one case where he cupped a pretty brunette and leaned in, fixing her hair as he sweet talked her.
I had never been more jealous in my entire life, in my mind I would've rather killed her than had him do that.
He snaps me back to attention for the third time that day, "helloooo? What's with ya' today, huh sweetheart?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at me as he starts to walk, leading me along.
I shrug a little, resting my head on his shoulder and frowning as I look down on the still silver- yet slightly dirty -ring he had given me four years back. "Nothin', just distracted today." I mumble, figuring I owe him some sort of answer.
Even if it is a half assed and only partially true one.