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Johnny’s fingers fall from the strings of his guitar with a sigh. The absolute silence still spooked him at times, and the creeping feeling of being utterly alone haunted the back of his mind.
Even since Mikoshi, he spent nearly all his time at V’s side. He’d promised her if they both got out of this alive, he was all hers, no reservations. Not that he needed to promise, at times it felt like his heart beat simply to keep him at her side, to see that glowing smile aimed at him. Not that he’d openly admit that.
And hell if he knew how he got so lucky. 35 years of being an angry asshole. 50 odd years locked away alone in cyberspace. Then the first thing he did when he got out was bash her face into a window. Yet somehow… they moved past that. He started to care. She started to effect him. Where once anger coiled in his gut, waiting for some sort of momentary release; now sat an overwhelming fondness for the merc. One she by some miracle returned. Not that he thought it was a miracle at first.
After their first kiss, and the first night she spent breathless under his flickering form; it almost seemed more like a curse. A curse that he’d find contentment, acceptance, love… after death, in the person he was unwillingly overwriting. Some sick story of destroying the one thing you truly love.
But V was never one to give up. She said she’d get them both out of the situation alive and at each other’s side, and hell if that isn’t exactly what she did.
He’d never been more grateful for someone in his life. For saving him, staying by him, loving him, and understanding even the feelings he found hard to vocalize.
As much as he loved being back in his body, actually existing to the world, and actually being able to feel her warmth under his hands… he desperately missed that connection they had.
V still understood him. Picked up more things from his expressions, posture, and demeanor than he thought possible. But not being able to open his mind and feelings to her when his throat closed up and sentences couldn’t be strung together as his heart beat wildly in his chest… he missed it.
Spent so much damn time trying to close off access to his mind. Trying for her to not see those things. Now… well fuck if it wouldn’t be easier. Her constant presence had quickly become second nature. Her thoughts and emotions swirling through his brain. Leaving no moment quiet enough to think about being in Mikoshi, to think about how he lost 50 years of his life, how he was dead. Her voice trickling through his head reminded him he wasn’t still stuck in that darkness. He was here. Maybe not alive, but here.
Then it became a calming thing. Knowing constantly if V was alright. The slightest off balance triggered in him as well, he always was at her side in every situation. She was in danger on the regular, but at least he always knew she was alive and not bleeding out alone in some back alleyway because of some…
Shit. No he couldn’t focus on that. Not right now. He flexes his grip on his guitar, trying to focus on his own breathing instead. Not the immense silence in their apartment, not that V had been acting odd… hiding something from him lately. And definitely not that she said she’d be gone two hours, and the clock was getting close to striking four hours since she left.
His breath restricts in his throat, his eyes squeeze shut as he hears the blood rushing in his ears and his heart pounding against his rib cage. His metal hand grips the neck of his guitar tighter, his whole frame shaking.
She’s fine. She’ll be home soon. Just got busy. She’s safe. You’re safe.
His organic hand runs through his hair roughly, his inner monologue not exactly helping.
Setting his guitar down, he walks out to their balcony and stares out at the city. Half hoping somehow he’d see V’s form amongst the nearly ant sized people on the street below.
To Night City, she was some invincible legend. Hell, guess they both were. Though whispers of his invincibility and rising from the grave came only because she made it so. But her. Every fixer in the city was chomping at the bit to get her on the line and running one of their jobs. She’d also somehow become Rogue’s protégé, Princess of the Afterlife as he liked to tease her. An unstoppable force that made things happen, made things change. Made the city and nearly reality itself bend to her fuckin’ will.
But he knew the real V under it all. The unfortunately not invincible street kid that took a stupid gamble and ended up with his fucked up head inside her. The woman who despite being broken down by the chip he resided on, took the time to get to know him and care for him. The woman his heart nearly stopped over after every injury, every relic malfunction, every bloody cough. Neither were invincible, but fuck he wishes they were.
After some time, he hears the front door to their apartment opening and practically scampers to the door as V steps in carrying boxes.
Their eyes meet for a moment, a smile forming on her face only to turn into a look of concern, making him realize he probably looked like a mess.
Within seconds he’s pulled the boxes from her grip and wrapped her in a tight embrace, his lips pressing to her hair as he lets out the tension in his body with a sigh. “You’re late,” he murmurs.
“Sorry,” her muffled reply comes from being smushed into his chest. “Got held up longer at Judy’s.”
She pulls back to look up at his face, her hands gently cupping his jaw on both sides and a thumb wiping away a tear he didn’t know had leaked out.
“J-just call me next time or something,” he growls, no actual bite in his voice. “Can’t just fuckin’ tell if you’re alright anymore.”
“I promise,” she nods, a wide smile spreading across her face. “You know what today is?”
Johnny’s eyes narrow as he searches her face and his memory, no significant thing coming to mind. Not a holiday he knew of. Not his or her birthday. So he just shakes his head.
“Today,” she says as her fingers brush across the hair on his jaw. “Is a year since we met.”
Johnny freezes at her words, confusion as he thinks back on the date. “As in the day you stole the chip?”
“No not that one,” she says softly. “That was a few days ago. Was a year since I lost Jackie on that day… was with Mama Welles for it. Sorry, I should have said something then.”
Johnny nods, things suddenly clicking into place about her odd mood and leaving the apartment so much recently without him. But another realization hits him.
“So… it’s been a year since I woke up in your head, slapped you around your apartment, and tried to kill you,” he summarizes, his shoulders sinking and gaze looking away from her.
“Well yeah that part sucked,” she agrees and runs her hands down his arms slowly. “But also one of the most important days of my life.”
“Can’t see how probably one of the worst days of your life was one of the most important,” he grumbles going to turn away from her.
Gripping his arms tighter, she turns him back toward her, “Because I met you. My whole life changed after that day. And we just… we’ve come a long way. From that day to now.”
Johnny nods slowly in agreement.
“Now here a year later… I’m alive, you’re alive, you have your body back. We have an apartment together, a cat, fuckin’ pictures of us up on the walls. Wake up to see you next to me every morning, happy just be able to reach out and touch you. Sorta got this domestic shit going pretty well for a mercenary street kid and a rocker boy ex-terrorist.”
Chuckling at her words, Johnny wraps his arms back around her, “When you put it that way…”
“So I got some surprises for you,” she grins, his brow arching.
She leans up to press a kiss to his nose before slipping from his embrace to grab the boxes she had brought in.
Setting them down on the counter, she starts pulling out bottles of tequila, beer, and several other ingredients as he smirked at her. “Got everything for my drink huh?”
She flashes him a smile then pulls out a bag from his favorite burger place and plops it in front of him on the counter, “I know what my input likes.”
-
Full from their dinner and with drink in hand, Johnny joins V on the balcony. Leaning in to whisper something filthy in her ear, he smiles and leans against the railing as a bright laugh escapes her.
Fuck she was beautiful. His heart squeezes at the sentiment. Had she always been?
Yeah. She had. Even when he first woke up in her head he could tell that much. She looked sickly as all hell and rage clouded most his judgment. But she was.
The moonlight reflects in her eyes as she looks back at him fondly, sliding closer to him to lean her head against his shoulder.
“When’s the first time you had one of these?” He asks clearing his throat and tilting his glass toward hers.
“First time at the Afterlife actually,” she responds, looking out at the city. “Jackie and me had a few minutes before our meeting with Dex about the heist. Told him to order for me and he immediately rattled that recipe off.”
“Good taste.”
“Mhm,” she agrees, swirling the liquid in her glass. “He thought you were cool. Night City Legend and all that. I’d listened to Kerry for years, but he got me into Samurai saying I had to listen to the band he was in if I listen to Kerry.”
Johnny scoffs at that, kicking his boot at the ground, “Shit reason to start listenin’ but at least ya got there.”
“We got in this stupid argument about it actually,” she grins glancing over at Johnny. “Was really confused it wasn’t Kerry’s voice when the first song started, and he had the audacity to tell me that Kerry wasn’t the lead singer. I went on this long tangent about how talented and attractive he is, how could he just be the bassist. Then Jackie argued back you’re a better singer and just a cooler dude. We just bickered about it for like a week between gigs.”
He narrows his eyes at her, moving to cage her to the railing with his arms as he peered down into her eyes, “Kerry’s the better singer and attractive one huh?”
“I might have been a bit hasty there,” she swallows hard as she looks back up at him, her hands going to his hips.
“Had you ever even seen me before making this declaration?” He asks teasingly, pressing his hips into hers.
“Nope,” she admits with a smirk. “Jackie actually found this old ass fuckin’ poster of you he gave me, first I saw of you.”
“Oh? Why’d he give you that?”
“He claimed, that he thought you’d be my type.”
“Smart man,” he chuckles lightly bucking his hips into hers and grinning at the soft noise that escapes her lips.
“Mhm. It one of those old magazine poster thirst traps,” her fingers hook into his belt loops on the sides of his pants to hold him in place. “You shirtless, thumbs hooked in the front of your pants, staring down the camera with that fiery look. Might have later admitted you were the more attractive one.”
“What ever happened to that poster?” He asks downing his drink before setting the glass next to them on the railing. “Never saw it in your apartment.”
“Put away, probably in a box around here somewhere,” she comments and sips her own drink. “Was up near the bathroom when you arrived. Took it down and stashed it after taking that pill to make you ghost after you rearranged my face. Wasn’t a fan at the moment. And didn’t think it would do me any favors if you saw it.”
Johnny cringes at that, his hands going up to her face and running his thumb gently across her skin, “Feel like I should apologize for that again darlin’.”
She shrugs, “One time thing after being dead for 50 years then ending up in my head. Can’t say I’d have reacted better.”
They stand in silence for a few moments before she clears her throat, leaning her face into his palm. “I’ve got a… gift… for you,” she says slowly.
“I’m not sure it’s a fuckin’ pleasant one by the way you said that,” he jokes, letting his hands drop from her face as she digs in her pockets.
“So, just remember. We don’t have to do it, or we don’t have to use them all the time if you don’t want to. Or we can,” she rambles as she finally pulls out two chips.
“What are those for?”
“So, you remember the tech Judy used to connect me and her for the diving brain dance?”
“You mean from the night I said don’t get in the fuckin’ toxic water it’s a bad idea, and you got in the toxic water anyways and had a malfunction?”
“Yep that night,” she admits sheepishly. “Well… I got to thinking. About what I could do with that tech.”
“And?”
“I’ve been over at Judy’s a lot fiddling with it and I think I’ve finally got it.”
“Got what?” He asks impatiently.
“I think… that these should let us be linked in a similar way again. No controlling each other’s bodies or seeing absolutely everything each other sees. But we should be able to communicate like we used to. Feel each other’s emotions and touches double. Maybe memories.”
Johnny’s breath catches in his throat, his eyes focusing on the chips in her hand before flickering back to her face, “You’re fuckin’ with me. How?”
“It’s taken awhile and I’ve tested it a decent amount, but I didn’t fully test its abilities. Didn’t feel right.”
“Didn’t feel right?”
“Mhm. Tested it with Judy, to make sure the basic functions were right and that it was doing things I wanted it to do. But it didn’t feel right having someone else in my head,” she answers. “Hearing and feeling someone like that again, but it not being you. Wasn’t the most pleasant part of the process.”
“Because only I can get in your pretty little head like that,” he growls into her ear. “Shit’s mine.”
She shivers in his grasp, “Is that right?”
“You don’t need to ask,” he answers. “You miss me being there don’t ya?”
“I do,” she admits. “I miss you being with me, being able to just feel and think things and you know. Being able to do the same for you. I love how everything is now, but I just… miss that too. And I was thinking maybe you did too.”
Johnny swallows thickly and nods, “Just put it in already.”
A smile immediately graces her lips and she slots one into her own head before tilting Johnny’s head to put his in.
A string of staticky numbers flash in his vision, his eyes snapping shut to will it away.
And suddenly… a familiar warmth works it’s way into his head.
His eyes flicker back open to find V staring back at him adoringly. “I love you,” reverberates around his skull in best possible way.
And he laughs. The loudest and most carefree sounding laugh he can recall ever coming from him. His hands reach for her face once again, relishing the feel of her skin under his fingers and the feel of the touch on his own face.
A brilliant smile spreads across her face, and his lips are on hers. Her mouth opens for his, and an overwhelming surge of happiness washes over his body. His, hers, he didn’t know and he didn’t fuckin’ care.
HIs hands slide slowly down her body until they reach the hem of her shirt, his thumb slipping under to brush across the exposed skin, and a shiver runs up his spine at the contact.
“Are you thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” she asks with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Do ya even have to fuckin’ ask babe?” he grins, stepping back to pull her up into his arms. “You’re not leavin’ my arms until at least tomorrow morning.”
“Only until the morning?” she teases, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
“I’ll give ya five minutes from the time we get in that fuckin’ bedroom to cancel everything you have for the rest of the week,” he growls, his lips brushing over her ear. “We’re fuckin’ celebrating.”