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There probably wasn't a single person in Night City who wouldn't pull iron at the first sound of any unknown noise in their place at night. Especially when that noise was clearly someone fumbling around in the dark. Judy Alvarez was no exception.
She barely even got to the doorway of her bedroom before the muttered curse had her lowering the pistol in her hands. She'd recognize V's voice anywhere. Spent enough time listening to it. Thinkin about it. Dreaming about it.
"V?" Judy groaned, flicking on the lights, blinking at the slight sting. But her optics adjusted quickly.
V whirled around from where she'd been rooting through the cupboards. She wobbled a little before leaning back against the counter to steady herself.
"The hell you doin?" Judy looked over the merc as she spoke. Huh, new shirt, didn't know V was that into Samurai. "Little dark for sunglasses, doncha think?"
"Judy," V slurred a bit, but the way she said her name, almost like...testing it out? The grin that spread on her lips was different too, not that little roguish smirk, but something with waaay more confidence. "Gotta say, lovin’ the outfit." More slurring, definitely drunk. But hey, a compliment was a compliment. And a compliment from V always had an extra kick to it. Even if she was hammered.
"Well if you came here to crash, I'll let you wear a pair."
"Hmmm...they might look better on the floor though." The grin was downright lecherous at this point, which on V just looked ridiculous.
Judy chuckled, shaking her head. "God you're lucky you're cute. And very drunk."
"Oh I can be more than cute." V pushed off the counter and swaggered forward, a little unsteadily.
Judy stared at her, she'd never seen V trashed like this but...she still seemed…weird. V didn't swagger like that, like some...some pompous rock-
"Wait." Judy put her hand on V's chest, trying to stare at her through those stupid sunglasses. It was a crazy thought, V said she was...but…"Are you...Johnny?"
V laughed, taking off the sunglasses, smirking. "That obvious huh? Shouldn't be surprised, her style needs serious work."
"What the fu-what did you do with her?" There was a shot of fear but Judy was able to cover that up with a nice boost of pure fucking rage. "I swear to god I'll fucking delete you myself if-"
"Relaaax." Johnny sighed like he was exasperated. "She agreed to this."
"Bullshit!"
"We needed to get an old friend of mine to help us out. No way she'd listen to a nobody like V. Had to convince her it was really me in here too."
Judy shoved the body in front of her without thinking, hot anger flashing through her. "She's not a fucking nobody!"
"Woah, easy," Johnny laughed and Judy fucking hated that it was V's voice. "Don't worry, come morning you'll have your smitten puppy back." Johnny staggered over to the sofa and flopped down on it, kicking his feet up on the table.
"She fucking better be." Judy glared at the dead rocker, folding her arms over her chest. "Why'd you even come here?"
"Had a bit of an accident, you were closer than that dump she lives in. Come on, siddown, I'll only bite if ya ask."
"And I'll break your nose." Judy didn't budge. She couldn’t fucking believe this asshole. No wonder V hated him. But...shit it probably would be better to watch him and make sure he didn't do anything to V's body. Begrudgingly she walked over and sat on the opposite end.
"You'd really hit V?"
"She'd understand."
"No need to be that way. You know, it wouldn't really be cheating if-"
"Not another word."
"God, is everyone in this town boring?" Johnny sighed, flopping over on the sofa, arm stretched over the edge. That's when Judy saw the tattoo.
"Are you kidding me?" Jesus, V was going to freak out.
Johnny laughed, raising his arm to look at the tattoo. "Maybe got a bit carried away. Don't think she'll love it?"
"Whatever this...plan was, I'm pretty sure it didn't involve that."
"Authenticity sweetheart. Can't fake being Johnny Silverhand."
"Egotistical much?"
Johnny shrugged, the action so similar but still so different from V. God this was weird. She really hoped this was the last time they pulled this shit. She never wanted to be woken up by some dead asshole possessing her girlfriend's body again.
"Did you do anything else to her?" Judy had to ask, her eyes looking over V's body very carefully.
"Relax, she's fine." Johnny lazily waved her off. "Sorry if I cut loose a little. Can't blame a guy."
"Still don't get why you had to come here. Was it really just to try and get in my pants?"
"Told you, had an accident that may have involved V's car." Well, there was another thing for her to be pissed about in the morning. "You were close and I figured waking up here would freak her out less than some alley."
"Wow, surprisingly thoughtful of you to think of her." Judy scoffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. So now she'd have to give all that awesome news to V. Great.
Still...would...would she really feel better waking up here? God Judy had been so fucking nervous when She'd given V full access to her pad. At the time she'd been way too worked up to notice that V had given her hand without hesitation. Judy had seen the merc refuse to shake pretty much anyone's hand. Had asked her about it once, V said cause it opened her up to being shivved or shot. Also viruses that could be transmitted. V said it had been a hard adjustment from Nomad life, but only took one close call to teach her that lesson. But there hadn't even been a heartbeat of hesitation before V was giving Judy her hand, no questions asked. In retrospect, that kinda meant a lot.
Yeah they were dating now, but it was still real hard to shut that voice in her head up. The one that told her she wasn't good enough. That this would get fucked up like everything else in her life always got fucked up by this goddamn city.
"Hard to ignore, half the damn thoughts in that snoozefest of a brain of hers are about you." Johnny seemed utterly bored and borderline disgusted by the statement, but it was enough to drag Judy out of her spiraling thoughts for a moment. To give her pause.
"Bullshit." No way V thought about her that much. She was out there taking on half the city, scrambling to save her own life. It's not that Judy doubted V's words, but it was hard to believe she was more than an occasional thought.
"Fuck, I wish. Every third thought is 'wonder what Judy is doing.' Or 'oh I wonder if Judy would like this.' Shouldda heard her freaking out like a fangirl when you asked her out."
"She did not!" Judy really hated that she was kinda smiling but the idea of V being that excited...course, she felt like it was probably smart to take anything Johnny said with a truck full of salt.
"She did and I was embarrassed for her. Called that nomad buddy of hers later to freak out about it. Swear it was worse than watching a B-Movie chick flick." Johnny blew smoke into the air, waving his arm lazily. "It was a fucking nightmare."
"You're bullshitting." She wouldn’t put it past the dead rocker to wildly embellish on this, if nothing else than to just be a dick.
"Wish I was. You say jump and she'll ask how high."
Judy stared at her hands, fingers twisting and weaving with each other. She didn't even know she was smiling till her cheeks started to hurt. "Why're you tellin’ me this?"
"Cause I'm drunk and you asked. Can't believe you didn't already realize it."
"I…" sure she'd hoped, worried about it incessantly. If V felt even half of what she did. A lifetime of insecurities was hard to shut up. "You shouldn't be tellin’ me this." If what Johnny said wasn't total bullshit, then it should come from V or something.
"Suit yourself," Johnny sighed, rolling onto his back, pulling some kinda pill from V's pocket and swallowing it quickly. "Was good to be back," he more slurred than muttered, finally conking out.
Judy sighed, rubbing at her face. She wasn't sure if V was gonna wake up right away or not for a while. The time was...shit, no point in even trying to go back to sleep now. Not that she really had anywhere to be, could edit all her BD's here. Probably best to stay up and keep and eye on V though. Who knows how much liquor and god knew what else he'd dumped in her system.
She covered V up with a blanket, not able to resist tucking her hair back behind her ear and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Blowing out a breath, Judy stood, made a quick breakfast for herself then plopped down at her work station. She'd normally be blaring music, but she'd spare V that. Besides, the quiet was a perfect excuse to work on their BD. The thought had Judy smiling, eager to dive back in.
She thought V would be out half the day, so was surprised when only an hour had passed when she heard a painful groan of "Fuuuuuuck."
She pulled off her headset and hurried back into the main room. V had sat up, one hand cradling her head, the other looking around in confusion.
"Hey, how ya feelin?" Judy asked, walking over to crouch in front of the hungover merc.
"Jude? Wh...how did I get-oh shit look whatever I said or did-"
"Relax," Judy laughed a little. She couldn’t help it, V looked like a terrified puppy. An amusing look to see on the imposing looking, regularly-killed-her-way-through-scav-haunts, merc. "Johnny was a bit of an ass, but hey, you warned me about that."
"Ugh, so you two met. Sorry about that." V ran a hand over her face, grimacing. "Please tell me he didn't do anything."
Judy hummed, "Well, here, no. Tried to talk me into bed but he's not as charming as he thinks."
"Fucking dickhead," V hissed under her breath, eyes flicking slightly over Judy's shoulder. Was Johnny there?
"But before he got here, well….look at your arm."
"Wha-" V shot up, staring wide eyed even as she winced in pain. Eyes locked on her arm. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
"He tell you about the car too?"
"What happened to my fucking car?!"
Judy opened her mouth but closed it when V's eyes went back over her shoulder and after a moment muttered a series of curses. With a grimace she sat up, staring down at her shirt which prompted another quiet curse.
"Holy fuck, my head." V groaned, cradling her head.
"Yeah might wanna take it easy today." Judy tucked some wayward hair behind V's ear. The merc let out something that was half groan and half sigh as she pushed her cheek further into Judy's palm, those long lashes fluttering prettily as her eyes fell closed.
Ok, so maybe hungover V was kinda cute. "Why don't you get some more sleep and then I'll make ya somethin to eat?"
V hummed, still sleepily nuzzling into Judy's palm and subsequently making the techie's heart just ooze warmth and happiness. Being with V just once had been a dream, but these little moments, this moment right here? Fucking unbelievable.
"You gotta leave?" V's voice was raspier than usual, easier to notice now that she wasn't grumpling out a stream of swears at her construct. Really the whole gist was that V's voice was always sexy, always a little rough. But sleepy V's voice, damn that was in a class of its own.
"Nah, can work from here and don't got much to do." Had a few pending BD's for clients but she still had a few days till the deadlines.
"Mmmm," V's eyes fluttered back open sleepily, her black and white cats eyes adjusting to light quickly. God they were so striking. They had been the first thing Judy noticed about the merc.
"Nap with me?"
Judy almost melted on the spot. She had never heard the fearless merc sound just so damn sweetly innocent. There wasn't any scenario Judy could imagine where she turned down that offer.
"Come on then," She smiled so hard it hurt, standing back up and holding out her hand to V, who took it without hesitation. The action and the meaning of it was not lost on Judy.
When they laid in bed, V practically burrowed under the blankets and into Judy, head tucked under her chin and letting out a sleepy, happy sigh. Judy's heart shouldn't have been able to feel any more full, nut god did it ever. And she couldn’t remember feeling happier.