so vaulty

I love your headcanons about the Railroad gang. So how do you think the rest of the RR would react to finding out Deacon and the Sole Survivor are in a relationship?

Aw, thank you! I love thinking about these misfits, and I’m lucky people send in questions that me ramble about them.

@allmyvault and I kinda riffed on this concept one night and it went like this:

Fraternization is never good because shit can get complicated and awkward if things go south, but no one can really tell Deacon what to do. I mean, Dez can try but he’s often off working on whatever he wants. He’s a lifer, he’s not going to be kicked out of the Railroad for bad behavior (they tried a few times, but he just keeps showing up).

There’s a general air in HQ of “do not fuck this up, Deacon” because the Railroad is already running on borrowed time and they don’t need a setback or a new enemy in the form of a jilted lover who knows where their secret HQ is, and they really can’t afford Deacon doing his usual disappearing act if he gets hurt.

Desdemona is a bit more on edge about it than everyone else, just because this is another thing that can potentially go wrong on an already long list of things that can go wrong. She definitely does a few shots once she finds them making out somewhere for the first time. She asks Deacon later, in all seriousness, “Are you sure about this?” and when he nods his head and responds, “Yeah, Dez… sure as I can be,” she wants to believe him.

Drummer Boy really likes the idea. Deacon’s such a great agent, and the Survivor is too, so what could be better than the two of them together? They’re some sort of super squad. Drummer Boy writes friend fiction about them, complete with drawings. A few copies of their Rated-R adventures circulate through HQ, and you’re goddamn right Deacon and the Survivor read them together.

Carrington initially thinks it’s neither the time nor place for this kind of thing, but it’s happening whether he approves or not. He has one conversation with Deacon about it, it goes nowhere fast, and he drops the subject. The two agents do get quite a lot of work done, so if anything, it seems like a great motivator, for however long it lasts. Deacon does seem a little less… flighty with the Survivor around. 

Glory may not be Deacon’s biggest fan, but she’s not heartless. She fought hard for the life she’s built, including the love in it, and she wouldn’t deny anyone the same right. Plus, she’s a hopeless romantic, which is why she’s the first in line for Drummer Boy’s monthly friend fiction stories. She and Dez really enjoyed the crossover friend fic that Drummer Boy did with them and Deacon and the Survivor, titled “THE DOUBLE DATE OF DEATH” where the four of them took out an entire nest of Super Mutants with nothing but swords and grenades.

P.A.M. places the statistical probability that they will last more than six months at 33.333%. Once the Institute is dismantled, she recalculates it to 68.94%.

Tinker Tom is happy for them once he notices it. He doesn’t ask a lot of questions about it, he’d rather know Deacon’s other secrets (TIME TRAVEL), but Deacon talks less and smiles more, and the Survivor seems more relaxed, so that’s good, right? He hopes it stays that way.