The Knight and the Paladin - A series of Oneshots

17 Seven days of Vacation, Day 6: Confessions and preparation

The last day before they had to return was the coldest so far. Not from the weather, it was just as nice as the days before, warm and sunny. But the mood between the two was icy. Kathryn had woken up with red and puffy eyes. She laid in bed cuddled up to Dogmeat who was more than happy for the affection she gave him. Although her stomach rumbled she didn't get up to eat something. She only tried as best not to look like awake and only was up once to get to the toilet. A look in the mirror made her cry silent tears again and she felt terribly bad. Dogmeat stretched once and pressed himself against her torso.

Danse was up and outside doing his workout. He already woke up at 5am and couldn't fall asleep again. He sighed a bit before he went outside. He looked at the sleeping form of Kathryn and sadness overcome him. He needed to apologize before it was too late, to tell her how much she meant to him, that he would carry her on his hands. He believed her when she said that it was a goodbye last night. He saw how the young man walked away with a hanging head. He didn't mean to be an ass to Kathryn, but he managed to be one anyway. He pushed himself harder today until his muscles went sore and he collapsed onto the ground panting. He kept lying there trying to calm his breath and the trembling of his body.

Kathryn looked up to see that Danse wasn't there. She stood up and finally gave in to her hunger. She ate a few Sugar Bombs and stared into the nothingness of her numb thoughts. She wasn't able to feel anything right now. It was like a trance when her feet decided to walk her to one of her cabinets and her hands opened the door to grab out the pack of cereals. Her stomach growled and she stopped eating. She saw from the corner of her eye that Danse was outside doing his workout. She felt like she needed to vomit and put away the cereals and returned back into her bed. Her heart ached for the comfort only a human being could give her now. Dogmeat looked at her with his sparkly golden eyes and nuzzled his nose into her face. She kissed the German Shepherd and dug her hands into his thick fur.

Danse finally was able to stand up again and dusted himself off. He went back inside on wobbly feet and made his way to the bathroom. He sighed when the hot water connected with his skin and leaned against the shower wall. The water made his hair stick to his forehead. Droplets dripped down onto his face and he rubbed it. He grabbed the bar of soap and began to wash himself. Heat rose into his face as he remembered how he had showered with Kathryn at Homeplate. She was so gentle with him, like he was as fragile as porcelain. He didn't want to miss this, he loved the intimacy they shared, it felt like home...

She heard him shower. A book laid next to her on the night stand, she grabbed it and began to read. Danse came out of the bathroom wearing nothing than a towel. Kathryn acted like she didn't see it and kept staring at the book in her hands. She tried hard to read it and failed miserably. "You're awake.", Danse said in a monotone, standing in the middle of her home looking at her. It was hard for her to act neutral. She laid the book down revealing her look. Danse's gaze dropped at her sight. She looked as terrible as he felt, he thought. She didn't need to say a word and he moved on to get dressed. Kat put up the book again and shook her head, the corners of her mouth hanging low.

Dogmeat scratched at the door and whined. He needed to get out to pee, or what ever he needed to do outside. Kathryn stood up and let him out. The canine paced out like an arrow and was gone into the bushes. Again she shook her head. The door was still open to let in some fresh air. A breeze catched Kathryn's hair and tousled it. A gentle hand put the wild strains of hair out of her face. A worried Danse stood in front of her. "Can we talk?", he asked. She looked at him slightly nodding. They both sat down at the couch Danse was sleeping on at night. Kathryn didn't need to smell the cushion, his scent lingered in the air, and somehow it gave her comfort. She relaxed herself a little.

"I want to tell you that I'm sorry.", Danse said not beating around the bushes. "And I wanted to tell you that it hurt seeing you kiss that... civilian..." He looked at her, the hurt in his eyes shot daggers right into Kathryn's heart. Her eyes got watery and her lower lip quivered. "He told me that he fell in love with me.", she said quietly. "And I told him that he and me would never happen. He asked me the same you did before, if I regret what I have done. I told him the same I told you. I said no." Kathryn took in a breath and two tears fell down onto her cheeks. "I told him that I love someone else. And I told him goodbye." Danse's mimic went from worried to something else. She couldn't tell which emotion it held besides hurt.

Danse didn't need to ask Kathryn what she meant. She threw herself into his chest and cried bitterly. He gently wrapped his arms around her and waited for her to calm down. It took several minutes before she finally stopped crying. "My worry was indeed correct.", she then said and sniffed. She looked up into Danse's brown pools, desperation clinging at her. "Danse, I was right!" He knew exactly what she meant. He kissed her forehead as a sign of understanding, and also as a promise. "Kathryn, I know that I am being an ass to you, but I promise I will never hurt you." Her eyes flicked between his. "I don't care if we have to go back tomorrow. I want to you know that you make me feel like I'm home no matter where we are. As long I have you by my side."

He sighed. "Look, I enjoyed the last few days very much. You showed me that there can be more than the Brotherhood of Steel, so much more. You opened my eyes on something very specific..." Kathryn's eyes widened. Danse caressed her left cheek with his right hand and looked deep into her eyes. "You told me that you are falling for me... I thought about that. And I found myself had fallen for you a long time ago..." Kathryn closed her eyes. A tear found it's way down her cheek. She opened her eyes again. "Then we are both lost...", she said and crushed her lips on his. Danse was overwhelmed by her sudden reaction and needed a moment to kiss her back. They both sighed into the kiss. It was passionate and slow, relieving.

They spend the rest of the day cuddled up on the couch. The sun was setting already. It was not easy for him but Danse had to get up and maintain their power armors and weapons. Kathryn followed him into the garage where her backpack still laid on the floor. She put it aside and then began to clean her weapons. They worked in comfortable silence for hours. The power armors were wired up and ready, fresh fusion cores laid next to them on the desk. Their weapons shimmered in the neon lights of the garage. They both yawned and put away their tools. The duo cleaned their hands, ate a bit and then went to cuddle up in bed. "Good night Danse.", Kathryn yawned. "Good night Kathryn.", Danse whispered.