Courtesy of a fantastic falloutkink meme prompt - rated M for sexual content. Was going to try my hand at Boone first, but once I get an idea, it doesn't let go. I hope no one is offended by my bending of Arcade's role. I was trying to keep it in the role of plausibility, but I admit I took liberty with a pseudo-fluffy ending. Any comments/criticism welcome.

Standard disclaimer: All references to any Intellectual Property, including characters and locations are property of Fallout/Bethesda.

"You do know that any normal person would be screaming in agony right now?" Arcade wondered at her ability to tolerate pain. They had finally excised her from her leather armor, and she was now laying on his table in their suites in her underwear. Blood was oozing through the gauze he had pressed up against the stab wound on her side.

"Not after drinking with Cass tonight" Meara let out a small chuckle, which turned into a wince. "Speaking of which - Boone, will you please go find Cass before she wipes out everyone at the Atomic? I'm sure the Garret twins would love to keep their casino intact."

Arcade glanced over to Boone, who was standing stiffly near the doorway with a hungry look worn on his face. He nodded and walked out, already checking for a sidearm.

Arcade bent over checked her wound again. The stimpak was already doing its magic, and the blood flow had stopped. He glanced up from the wound. Meara was wearing her maddening smile again. Her full lips pursed in a way that some would consider a smirk if they didn't know her as well as he did. Those maddening lips. Lips that stirred thoughts he hadn't had for decades. Thoughts of those lips as they were occupied in... other ways.

It had all started off innocently enough. Meara and Cass had stumbled into the suites at the Lucky 38 all sauced up. No doubt Cass was showing off her moonshine brewing skills again. Determined to find some solitude in the Cocktail Lounge, he grabbed his book and made for the elevator. He was barely two steps out of the room when Meara coiled herself around his arm.

"Uhhh, what are you doing?" Arcade asked when he realized she was trying clumsily to pull him into her room.

"Shhhh Ark. I just need your professional opinion on something" Arcade had to smile a bit when she put a finger up against his cheek, missing his lips in her attempt to shush him. Wow was she drunk. Cass was behind this, he was sure.

He groaned and flounced down on the nearest chair. He knew what was coming. For months now, ever since joining her, she would get tipsy and ask him questions. Questions on whether Cass was right about the latest "tips" she would give Meara. Why she would feel more comfortable asking a gay man than a straight man was beyond him.

"I still don't understand why you don't give Boone the third degree" Arcade leaned back, determined to be comfortable at least. He mentally prepared himself for the forthcoming awkward questions.

"You know Boone would take it seriously. The last thing I need is him misconstruing my innocent intentions." She practically purred out the word innocent. "I need someone I trust completely, and it's not like I'm going to grab some Joe off the street." He wondered at her ability to put together complete sentences despite being wasted, the slurring being ignored. He wondered, not for the last time, how she had developed the intellect she had.

A second later, and Arcade shot upright when he realized that Meara was fumbling with the buckle on his pants.

"Hh-hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"Relax Ark. Just close your eyes and pretend I'm one of those hot young guys from the Gomorrah that you refuse to look at. I just want to practice one of Cass' lessons"

He closed his eyes. It had been long time since he took the time to enjoy the finer things in life. Working for he followers was a grueling experience, filled with junkies constantly losing their lunches or control of their bowels. It didn't leave him with much in the way of desire. Sure, there was the occasional promising guy drifting through the camp, but he hadn't really tried since being shot down by the King. Granted, flirting with him while he was distraught over his dog wasn't his brightest idea.

Arcade was brought back to the moment when he realized she had tugged him to a standing position and had finally conquered his belt. He felt a moment of chagrin when he realized that he was stiffening. It really had been a long time.

Meara let out a soft sigh as she eased him out of his underwear, and a shiver ran up Arcade's spine at the heat of it. She slowly wet her lips with her tongue, and took the head of his penis in her mouth. Her tongue teased the underside, making slow, tiny strokes. The strokes quickened, and soon her head was bobbing up and down his shaft.

Arcade let out a groan when he felt one of her hands grab his ass and use it to pull him deeper into her mouth. He glanced down and realized that she had the other hand down her own pants, the movements echoing those she was making with her mouth.

Soon she was moaning, and then he realized that he wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer. The wet heat of her mouth, combined with the quickening moans that sent vibrations down his shaft, was enough to send him over the edge. He slipped a hand into the hair at the nape of her neck, and used the additional leverage to thrust himself deeper.

Unable to hold himself back any longer, he came into her mouth. Meara had thrust her mouth deep onto his cock at that moment, and was swallowing to keep pace with the deluge Arcade had presented her with.

Arcade removed himself from her grip and glanced down. Meara's cheeks were flushed and she pulled her fingers from between her legs. A string of her juices followed, which she absently wiped on her underwear.

"That was nice" she murmured, and crawled up on the bed. Arcade stood in awkward silence, until he realized that she was breathing deeply in sleep.

Arcade let himself out in a daze, and tried to forget the slightly used feeling that he was experiencing.

"Glad we got you back in one piece. I thought you had learned your lesson on starting fights the last time I had to patch you up." He cleared his throat. Surely she was too sauced up at the time to remember that particular incident.

"Well, I would say that I learned my lesson, but we both know that's not true." Meara let out a tinkle of laughter. "In my defense though, I didn't start out the night planning on my next fight. The Atomic is the only place I'm not banned from gambling. It's not my fault it's on the rough-and-tumble side of town"

Arcade shook his head, knowing the futility of arguing with her. He helped her up from the table, and walked Meara to her room.

"Is it always this cold in here?" she murmured as he helped her settle into bed. The crack in her bravado worried him. Meara was never one to show weakness. He held a hand to her head, and was surprised to find it cold and clammy.

"Blood loss." A stimpak could knit the flesh, but it couldn't replace liquids that were already lost. "You crazy fool" he muttered under his breath. Arcade rushed to the refrigerator and grabbed a Sunset Sarsaparilla. Quickly uncapping it, he pressed it to her lips.

"You need to drink Mer. You lost a lot of blood. You need to up your blood sugar. Doc's orders." At the last addition, she began drinking and didn't stop until the bottle was empty. Belatedly, he realized the cold beverage wasn't going to help her body temperature.

Arcade stripped down to his underwear, and crawled under the covers. "Sheesh. You weren't kidding about being cold" he whispered as he pulled her body against his. It seemed like ages before her teeth stopped chattering, and he drifted to sleep shortly afterward.

"You know, you talk in your sleep." Arcade felt the words vibrate against his chest before he was able to register the words.

"It was enlightening, I hope." He said, still trying to work out his bearings.

"Oh you know it. I think I even heard you mention Benny a couple of times." Meara let out a deep chuckle. "On a more serious note, thanks for everything Arcade. You know I wouldn't be here without you... several times over."

"Yeah, well try not to let it go to your head." He grunted. "Not everyone has their own personal doctor on call, you know."

He felt her lift her head from his chest and looked down. She met his gaze and cocked her head to the side. "Not that I'm complaining, but how did I manage to get you near naked in my bed?"

Arcade let out a surprised cough. "Well if someone would stop selling every blood pack we come across, maybe you wouldn't have been so faint from blood loss. It's not like we need the caps at this point." He paused, then added "You were so cold, I figured I'd lend you some of my body heat."

"You're chiding me for selling the two random blood packs we've stumbled across? You wouldn't seriously give me blood we found in some bloke's abandoned shack would you?"

Arcade had to laugh at the incredulous look on her face. "Well now that you put it that way, no I wouldn't." He brushed a lock of hair off her face, and was transfixed by the small pout those cursed lips wore so well. "I suppose this is a small price to pay for your well-being."

He distractedly noted that there was a definite flush in Meara's cheeks as her lips pulled into her signature almost-smirk. "Well, whatever the reason, I must commend you on your bedside manner Doc." She wriggled herself up higher on the bed and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

He surprised himself by grabbing her arm as she turned to go. There was a tense silence. "Uhhh, something wrong Arcade?" Her lips remained slightly parted after her soft utterance.

Arcade let go of her arm, and traced her bottom lip with his index finger. "So soft" he murmured quietly as he pulled her close for a light, lingering kiss.

Meara pulled away first. "Look, Arcade. I'm sorry I took advantage of you before. I shouldn't have abused our friendship in that manner."

Arcade cupped her chin and pulled her face up to meet his gaze. "So you do remember. You left me wondering." His face twisted into a sardonic grin. "And relax. I don't remember putting up a struggle at the time."

He pulled her back into his embrace. His kiss was more insistent this time. He found that if he focused on her hot wet mouth, and the sensation of her tongue dancing around his, he could ignore the fact that her curves filled his hands in all the wrong ways.

"You don't have to do this. I know I'm not you're type." She had pulled away again. Maddening. "Mer... if you start talking again I may have to gag you. Lets just consider this an experiment. Assuming you're up to it, of course."

Her big brown eyes were wide and riveted to his face. She gave a small nod, and quickly followed it with a more decisive one before pulling his face back down to meet him. All semblance of self control had left her it seemed as she writhed under his hands.

Where before their encounters were tender and tentative, Arcade and Meara were now matched in ferocity and intensity. He let out a small moan into their kiss when he realized that she had loosed his member from his underwear. Her other hand was cupping the base of his skull pulling his mouth harder against hers. She began short swift strokes, feeling him harden in her grip.

Arcade slipped his fingers down into her underwear, and was surprised by the wetness he found contained within. He eased two fingers in her, and began slow clumsy strokes. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but the feeling of her constricting around his fingers was an amazing experience.

Meara's moaned against him and broke their kiss. She quickly, and almost savagely pulled his underwear off. Arcade ceased his exploration and sat up. He pulled her underwear off, spread her legs, and perched over her.

She pulled him close and nibbled lightly on his earlobe. She let out a breathy whisper "What I need from you now, Doctor, is anything but tender ministrations."

Arcade nodded and rested his head against her chest as he thrust into her. Meara gasped, arching her back. Arcade used the opportunity to slip his left arm under the small of her back. He used the additional leverage to lift her slightly, and snaked his right hand under back to grasp the back of her neck.

With every thrust, Arcade lifted Meara off the bed, pulling her further down onto him. His head was still firmly planted in between her breasts. One of her hands was entwined in her hair, and the other clutching his back. Arcade was lost in the sensations of her flesh. He could tell by the resistance he felt with each thrust, that he was stretching her to capacity. Meara's reactions were conveying anything but pain however.

Meara began to buck and clutch at him even harder. Arcade took it as his cue to up the ante. Each deep thrust was now eliciting a gasp from Meara, and he could feel her constricting around him. Her body went rigid in his arms. Unable to control himself, he thrust deeply one final time and spilled his seed into her as each vaginal spasm milked him.

Arcade lowered her to the bed and collapsed beside her. He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and put them on, coughing into the awkward silence.

"Well, that was interesting." His simple statement was met with a tinkle of laughter from Meara. "You could say that again."

They lay in silence again, catching their breath. Meara eventually snuggled up against his chest, oblivious to the slickness of their sweat. She began tracing little patterns on his chest. With a small sigh, she looked up at Arcade.

"I won't say I didn't enjoy it, because I did." She paused, "I just think we shouldn't fool ourselves about what happened. I feel closer to you than anyone I have ever met before, and I'll admit it, at one time I fantasized about a future together. " Her eyes searched his while she collected her thoughts. "But I when I look into a man's eyes, I like to see barely restrained desire smoldering in there, and not end up wondering what's wrong with my mouth." She let out throaty chuckle.

Arcade arched an eyebrow. "Well as far as mistakes go, this has got to be one of the sweetest ones I've ever made." He tried not to show his relief. He had enjoyed himself immensely as well, but he knew there was nothing intimate about what had occurred. He had buried his face in her chest with his eyes closed as a means of escaping, choosing to focus solely on the physical sensations of filling her. He could admit that to himself, and probably to her if she asked.

"Thanks for clearing the air. I was afraid I was going to leave another broken heart behind me. I should have known you would catch on to my mouth fetish." Arcade laughed.

Meara grinned and quickly lifted herself to plant a quick kiss on Arcade's mouth. Which was the position Boone found them when he burst through the door.

"Aaaah. Boone! Perfect timing!" Arcade chimed cheerfully. "Meara was just coaching me on my covert bandaging technique. Care to join us?"

"Cass is fine." Boone muttered, a single twitch in his left eye the only reaction to the sight before him. "And when you're done here, James Garret would like to talk to you about damages." Boone turned on heel and left the room.

"Arcade, you're awful!" Meara elbowed Arcade. They were both aware of Boone's feelings towards Meara. Arcade was hopeful that Meara could use her effortless charm to keep Boone from slitting his throat while he slept.

"It's a good thing you're well versed in explosives. I sense a short fuse in need of diffusing. And I somehow doubt he would be receptive to my witticisms."

"Save your puns." Meara groaned. "Boone can keep. I'm not ready to face the rigors of New Vegas right now."

She snuggled back up against Arcade's chest and let out a contented sigh. He felt a surge of affection for the bundle of wonders as he wrapped his arms around her. Arcade wasn't quite sure how things were going to work out with their friendship, but one thought rang out in his head before drifting off.

Some mistakes were worth repeating.