473. Fixing the Buildings PT.2

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They clinked their mugs together, and for the first time in a long time, Sico let himself believe that maybe—just maybe—the Commonwealth wasn't beyond saving.

The next day started early, with the first rays of sunlight barely breaking over the ruins of Boston when the workers were already moving.

Sico stretched as he stepped out of his room at the Dugout Inn, rolling the stiffness from his shoulders. The previous day's work had been grueling, but the results spoke for themselves. Diamond City was starting to look like a real city again. The dust and wreckage from the battle were nearly gone, the market was bustling, and the people walked with something that almost resembled hope.

Still, there was work to be done.

He made his way to the market square, where Sturges was already directing people, gesturing with a half-eaten piece of bread in his hand.

"Alright, folks, let's get this done," he was saying. "We've got the last stretch today. If we keep up the pace, by sundown, Diamond City's gonna be looking better than it has in years."

Sico smirked, crossing his arms. "And here I thought you'd sleep in after all that drinking last night."

Sturges snorted. "Please. I've been runnin' on coffee and stubbornness for years. Ain't stoppin' now." He shoved the rest of the bread into his mouth and dusted off his hands. "You ready?"

"Yeah. Let's get this over with."

They split up the work like before, each team handling different parts of the city. Martha led a group back to the marketplace to reinforce the last few stalls and patch up the stone pathways, while Jake took charge of the Lower Stands, focusing on repairing walls, roofs, and whatever else needed fixing.

Sico stuck with Sturges, heading toward the Upper Stands, where the damage had been the worst.

The first task was reinforcing the outer walls. After the attack, some sections had been hastily patched with whatever materials were available, but now they had the time to do it right. Sico and his team worked through the morning, replacing weak boards with solid metal sheets salvaged from old warehouses.

At one point, Vadim strolled by with a bottle in hand, shaking his head. "I do not know why you work so hard," he said. "City was already mess before battle. Now it is just slightly less of a mess."

Sico wiped sweat from his forehead and grinned. "That's progress."

Vadim laughed. "You Americans and your optimism. Fine, fine. You want drink?" He held up the bottle.

Sico glanced at the whiskey and shook his head. "Maybe later."

Vadim shrugged. "Your loss." He wandered off, taking a swig.

By midday, they had moved on to the residential areas, patching up doors, reinforcing windows, and making sure that the homes were actually livable. One old man, whose house had been missing a section of its wall since the battle, clapped Sico on the shoulder after they finished rebuilding it.

"Didn't think I'd see my place fixed up in my lifetime," he said, voice gruff but grateful.

Sico just nodded. "You'll have a real home again."

By the time the sun was beginning to dip, they were working on the final buildings—small homes that had been nearly forgotten in the chaos of rebuilding. The people who lived there had been making do with scraps, patching leaks with whatever they could find.

Sico barely had a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow before the sudden crash split the air. It wasn't a gunshot, wasn't the distant roar of a mutant—just the unmistakable sound of something giving way. A moment later, dust and debris billowed into the street.

"Shit!" Sturges cursed, already moving.

Sico was right behind him, cutting through the crowd of workers who had stopped in their tracks. As they turned the corner, they found the source of the noise—a section of an old brick building had finally given up, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. Chunks of stone and wood lay scattered across the ground, but there were no cries of pain, no bodies pinned beneath the rubble.

"Everyone okay?" Sico asked, scanning the area.

A handful of workers coughed and waved away dust, but no one seemed hurt. One of the younger laborers, a kid named Lucas, wiped his face and gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah. Scared the hell outta me, but we're all good."

Sturges exhaled in relief, stepping closer to inspect the damage. He ran his hand along the jagged edge of the wall, knocking gently against the bricks. "Damn thing was barely holdin' together," he muttered. "No signs of sabotage—just a whole lotta time and wear."

Sico nodded. "Guess it was gonna happen sooner or later."

"Yeah, well, I'd prefer later," Sturges said, stepping back. "We'll need to reinforce the whole structure if we want it to stand a chance. Otherwise, we're just puttin' up more dead weight."

Sico turned to the workers. "Alright, let's get started. If this thing's coming down, we're gonna take it down the right way."

They moved quickly, shifting debris out of the way and carefully dismantling the rest of the wall. It was slow, tiring work, but no one complained. The collapse had put everyone on edge, but there was a shared understanding—this wasn't just about fixing buildings anymore. It was about making sure people had homes that wouldn't fall apart overnight.

By late afternoon, they had managed to clear out the worst of the rubble and stabilize what remained of the building. Sturges wiped his hands on his pants, glancing at Sico. "Well, we ain't makin' the deadline I was hopin' for, but at least this place ain't gonna crush anyone in their sleep."

Sico sighed, stretching his sore shoulders. "It's worth taking the time to do it right."

Sturges chuckled. "Never figured you for a perfectionist."

Sico smirked. "I just don't want to have to fix this place again in a month."

With the sun dipping lower, the workers started wrapping up, securing their tools and checking over the last few buildings. Vadim strolled over with a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth and a bottle in each hand.

"I am thinking we have earned drink now, yes?" he said, waggling his eyebrows.

Jake, who had just finished hammering in the last few planks on a nearby structure, groaned and wiped his forehead. "Goddamn, Vadim, I thought you'd never ask."

Laughter rippled through the exhausted workers, and even Sturges cracked a grin.

---

That night, the Dugout Inn was livelier than it had been in months.

People packed into the bar, filling the air with the sounds of laughter, clinking bottles, and the occasional off-key singing. The exhaustion of the past few days had settled into their bones, but for the first time in a long time, it was the good kind of tired—the kind that came from honest, satisfying work.

Sico sat at his usual table with Sturges and Jake, nursing a drink as they watched Vadim dramatically retell a story about some legendary brawl he supposedly won.

"I swear to you, the man was twice my size," Vadim declared, throwing his arms wide for emphasis. "He had arms like tree trunks, fists like bricks! And yet…" He grinned, taking a sip of his drink. "I knocked him flat on his ass."

"Uh-huh," Martha said from her seat nearby, raising an eyebrow. "And how much were you drinkin' when this happened?"

Vadim gasped, clutching his chest in mock offense. "Martha, please. I am professional."

"Professional bullshitter, maybe," she shot back, earning a round of laughter.

Sico leaned back in his chair, letting the warmth of the room settle over him. He'd seen a lot of nights like this over the years, but they usually didn't last. In the Commonwealth, peace was always temporary.

But tonight?

Tonight felt different.

Jake raised his mug. "To Diamond City."

Sturges clinked his drink against Jake's. "To doing shit the right way."

Sico smiled, lifting his own drink. "To what's next."

The toast rang out, and for the first time in a long time, Sico let himself believe that maybe, just maybe, things were looking up.

The air in the Dugout Inn buzzed with laughter, clinking glasses, and the occasional out-of-tune singing from a particularly enthusiastic worker in the corner. For the first time in what felt like forever, Diamond City wasn't just surviving—it was living.

Sico leaned back in his chair, nursing his drink as Sturges sat across from him, looking just as exhausted but just as satisfied. The day had been long, grueling even, but damn if it hadn't been worth it.

"Not bad for a bunch of scavvers and farmers, huh?" Sturges smirked, swirling the last bit of whiskey in his glass.

Sico chuckled. "Yeah, not bad at all."

They both turned as Vadim stumbled past, loudly singing some old pre-war tune while clutching a bottle like it was the love of his life. "Tonight, my friends, we celebrate! We drink, we dance, we—"

He tripped on the edge of a chair, barely catching himself before he went down. A few people nearby burst into laughter, and Vadim grinned, unbothered. "—we maybe sit down for a bit."

Shaking his head, Sico took another sip of his drink. He let himself relax, just for tonight. He knew tomorrow would bring new problems—more repairs, more mouths to feed, more threats lurking beyond the walls—but for now, he was content to sit here, surrounded by people who had earned this moment of peace.

Sturges stretched, groaning as he rolled his shoulders. "Damn, I ain't felt this sore since we built that settlement up near Concord."

Sico raised an eyebrow. "The one that got hit by raiders two weeks later?"

"Yeah, that one," Sturges grumbled. "Least those walls held up longer than some of the crap we fixed today."

Sico smirked but said nothing. He knew Sturges was right—some of the buildings in Diamond City were patched up well enough to last years, but others were still little more than accidents waiting to happen. They had done their best, but the city still had a long way to go.

Martha slid into the seat next to Sturges, plopping down her drink with a sigh. "If I hear one more person ask when the market's gonna be back to normal, I swear I'm gonna lose it."

Sico chuckled. "People want stability."

"They can want all they damn well please," Martha muttered, rubbing her temples. "We ain't miracle workers."

"No," Sturges agreed, raising his glass. "We're just the poor bastards who have to clean up after everyone else."

They all clinked their drinks together at that, sharing a tired but knowing look.

Across the room, Vadim had managed to get himself into another exaggerated story, this time about how he had once taken on three super mutants at once with nothing but a broken pool cue. No one believed him, of course, but that didn't stop them from listening.

As the night dragged on, the crowd slowly began to thin. Some folks stumbled home, others passed out right where they sat. Sico, still sipping his drink, leaned against the back of his chair, watching the last few stragglers.

Sturges yawned. "Think I'm gonna call it."

Martha nodded. "Yeah, me too. Gotta get up early, whether I like it or not."

Sico smirked. "Welcome to leadership."

She groaned. "I didn't sign up for this shit."

He chuckled, watching as the two of them got up and made their way out. The bar was quieter now, the rowdiest of the bunch either gone or asleep in a corner somewhere. Vadim was slumped against the bar, mumbling something about vodka and regret.

Sico sighed, pushing himself up from his chair. He wasn't quite ready for sleep yet, but he knew he should at least get some rest. Tomorrow was another day, and there was still work to do.

He made his way outside, stepping into the cool night air. The city was quiet, save for the distant sounds of guards patrolling the walls. For the first time in a long time, Diamond City felt… safe.

Maybe it wouldn't last forever. Maybe tomorrow would bring another crisis. But tonight, for the first time in years, Sico allowed himself to believe that they had built something worth fighting for.

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• Name: Sico

• Stats :

S: 8,44

P: 7,44

E: 8,44

C: 8,44

I: 9,44

A: 7,45

L: 7

• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills

• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.

• Active Quest:-