Chapter Text
They’re lost. Somehow they got turned around and they’ve been heading in the wrong direction for what she would assume was too large a portion of the day. They should’ve seen something by now, any sort of sign of life. Yet all that lies ahead is a vast array of sand dunes and nothing more.
Except, bless whatever god that exists, for the abandoned mine shaft they stumble across that barely peeks up out of the ground.
It’s dark and musty when she steps inside, grateful for the cover it provides from the sun. Even so, it’s like trading one suffering for another because the humidity clings to her skin like a new layer of clothes she didn’t ask for. She doesn’t have the luxury to complain though, and it’s safer for everyone--V might not have to get Panam and her clan involved.
“So this is home now?” Johnny asks, sitting on an overturned crate. Face barely lit up from the oil lamp she found laying around. “We’re gonna become hermits? What a shit show.”
She snorts, rolling her eyes in his direction, earning her a middle finger pointed angrily at her. Real mature. She’s busy searching for bandages, antiseptic, something to make sure the clawed out flesh on her stomach doesn’t get infected.
“Maybe.” Her muscles strain when she pries open a corroded locker with her hands, kneeling down to peer inside. “But at least we’re in this together. Misery loves company.”
“Is that a confession of your undying adoration for me? V, I’m flattered.”
Her lips quirk into a smile on their own accord. Amusement shining through the darkness of her inner thoughts. She hopes he realizes how much she appreciates him being here with her, even if neither of them have a choice.
The locker endeavor proves to be fruitless, and so she makes her way further into the mines. Pistol in hand, “for rogue bats?” Johnny had quipped at her, bumping into her shoulder as they walked the cramped corridor.
The oil lamp is clenched in her fist, it’s broken metal digging into her skin. Shadows bounce playfully against the cave’s walls, showing off a series of branching rooms. V’s suddenly glad that she’s never been afraid of the dark and the monsters that lurk there.
She clicks her tongue, impressed as they continue further down and they pass by bunks for sleeping, hastily thrown together kitchen units and a scattering of dank bathrooms. “Like a little bunker down here, huh?”
Johnny just nods, curious gaze flickering around animatedly. “Something from even before my time.” He reaches up for the ceiling, taller than her, his organic fingers brushing against a bronze pipe that rains down rust on them both, as if to prove his point.
She coughs, waving her hand to clear the air. He gives her an apologetic smile and shrugs, “shit’s real old. Real nova.” He passes her, spinning around and walking backwards for a few steps while his head cranes back to take it all in. “I’m surprised it hasn’t collapsed yet.”
Not a nice thought, in fact the idea hadn’t even crossed her mind until he brought it up. And he either read her thoughts or saw the way her face went pale because he grabbed her arm to tug her forward with a chuckle. “It’s been standing for years. It won’t fall on our heads today.” He throws an arm across her shoulder, “now let’s find some supplies for you, all this prep they gotta have some sort of med-bay.”
She had been doubtful of that, but turns out Johnny’s not a complete idiot. At the very end of the hall is what must be their medical center. It’s dilapidated beyond belief, falling apart from years of disuse, but some stuff has been left behind. Either because whoever lived here moved on or they were forced to evacuate.
Half an hour later, her arms and backpack full of supplies, she purses her lips in thought. “Need a mirror now, a bathroom…let's backtrack. Give Panam a call later, too. Let her know I’m not dead.”
Their bathroom’s are terribly small. Reminiscent of an outhouse instead of what she’s got at home. Strange, considering the amount of beds they came across, lined up in a large room like some sort of army camp.
She can’t complain that much though, beggars can’t be choosers and all that. It’ll work for patching herself up.
She perches herself up on the small sink, hip jutting forward slightly. Her legs knocking against the wooden drawers which at one point were probably white. Her shirt comes off slowly, her teeth gritted from how fucking disgusting she feels. Sweat and dirt and blood that clings to her like a second skin.
“Fuckin’ gross,” she mutters, tossing her tank top out the door and into the hall. She hadn’t looked before but she’s sure she’ll be able to find a new change of clothes.
The oil lamp is balanced on the edge of the sink, giving her enough light to twist in front of the stained mirror. The water doesn’t work when she turns the handle of the spigot, all she gets is a rumbling groan from the pipes.
She spits into her hand and wipes the mirror the best she can. Her eyes flick briefly back to where Johnny’s standing against the opposite wall, one hand hanging limply by his side while the other nurses a cigarette between his ‘borg fingers. He holds her gaze for a moment too long and she raises her eyebrows expectantly.
He doesn’t say anything though, just stares and stares.
V doesn’t have time to feel bothered under his sudden attention. She’s more focused on dabbing expired alcohol wipes on her cuts and sewing herself up with shaking hands.
The gauze comes next. Tape not sticking as well as she’d like with being as old as it is, but it works for now. She hops off the sink, hands nimbly popping the button on her jeans to shimmy them down her legs. They’re also covered in a mixture of dust and sweat, and it’s such a relief to finally get them off.
Her shoes and socks come off with her pants and then she’s left standing there in her panties. Wondering how the hell her life turned upside down so quickly.
With a sigh she turns back to the mirror, hands braced on the corners of its old wood. It creaks as she digs her nails in, frowning at her reflection. She twists her face into different expressions. Varying levels of smiles and frowns, a pout and a wide silent laugh that flashes her canines.
Johnny’s still sulking behind her, looking like he’s undecided on whether he wants to laugh at her or ask what the hell she’s doing.
The relic’s taking a toll on her sanity.
She dips her head down, looking away from her dirty face. “Johnny?”
There’s a pause. “Yeah?” He flicks his cigarette away, wiping his hand on the front of his jeans in what must be muscle memory.
“Why’d you take such good care of me? A couple weeks back…? When all I wanted to do was curl up and die—“
“I told you. We’re brothers in arms now, soldiers fighting the same war. I couldn’t just let you fall by yourself.”
She nods in understanding, still not looking up. But she feels him right behind her, hands settling on her waist as he pushes up against her. It’s reminiscent of when they were last naked in her bathroom together, her teasing him with the playful jut of her ass.
This is somehow different.
Even if his hands are wandering. Slowly smoothing up her ribs, coming around the front to rest below the cups of her bra. He hooks his chin on her shoulder, staring at her through the mirror. Soft, faux breath tickling her ear.
“Johnny, what are you doing?”
He removes his hand from her body, the chrome reflecting the lamp’s light so prettily, to take off his glasses and look at her properly. “Just enjoying myself.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.” She reaches back to squeeze his hip. “Let me rephrase that. What are we doing? Where do we stand?”
“Fuck, V. Now? We’re doing this now?”
“What, is there a better time for it?”
“Mhm.” He tugs one of the cups of her bra away from her skin, peering inside with a pleased hum. “Maybe when I’m not trying to get my dick wet for the first time in 50 years.”
“Is that all this is then? If you ended up in some other gonk’s head you’d fuck them, too?”
He pauses, frowning at her through the mirrors before his expression goes light and airy. Only slightly peeved as an idea pops in his head. “What’re you jealous ?” He snorts when she doesn’t answer, his metal fingers going in to swipe at the rosy bud of her nipple. The sensation makes her tremble. “God, I swear, chicks sometimes—how can you be jealous about some impossible ‘what-if’ scenario you just made up inside your head? Enjoy the moment, V.”
“Johnny—“
“Wanna be my input or something, is that what this is about? You’ve gone and caught feelings. How utterly fucking cliche.” He spins her around then, hands bracketing her waist with a painfully tight grip that is sure to leave bruises—if that’s even something a hologram can do. “I can ask you out nice and proper if you want, then I’ll fuck you right in front of this mirror just like I thought of doing when you stepped out of the shower and showed off for me.”
Her pupils blow wide at his words, at the omission that lies heavily there. She sucks in a tight breath and shifts her weight between her feet nervously.
“I jus’ don’t see where this is coming from...tell me that all you want is to get laid. That’s fine. I just don’t want to be strung along and l-love you.” She closes his eyes so she doesn’t have to see his expression. She hadn’t meant to use the “L” word. She continues on with a hitch in her voice. “Especially if I’m gonna wind up losing you.”
He flounders for a moment. Seeming at a loss for words, which she never thought possible at one point.
His grip on her waist tightens and her eyes snap open. “I think going to find Alt in cyberspace gave me closure to that chapter of my life, if you really want me to get all honest here.” He looks away then, and she traces his stubbled jaw with her eyes. “I’m not...alive. I guess. But I’m real enough. I’m... me. Same thoughts and personality and shit like that.”
“You sayin’ Johnny Silverhand wants another shot at love?” It’s meant as a joke. Just a way to tease him, but he doesn’t answer her right away. Staying deathly quiet, staring off into the distance. And as more time passes she realizes that she might be right. “I’m your muse, then, your magnum opus for the next part of your life. I like the sound of that.”
He pulls his hands away, lets them hang limp at his side. The loss of his touch is more difficult to cope with then it should be considering that he’s still so very close to her. Sharing the same air with each passing breath.
“You know you’re gonna lose me either way. Eventually I gotta go and let you have your body back, so you being strung along...that’ll happen no matter what when we figure out a way to get rid of me. We can’t change that.” He pulls her in by the back of her neck, brushing their noses together. His lips are inches away from hers but she doesn’t want to be the one to close the gap.
She wants to see that he really needs her.
With a gentle sigh he leans in to kiss her. It’s accompanied with a soft nip on her bottom lip, then he’s pulling back and it’s over as soon as it had began. His hands go back to her waist and without warning he lifts her up--stronger than she ever gave him credit for--giving her ass an appreciative squeeze before placing her on the small space the sink offers. Careful not to knock the lamp over.
It’s not the view she had been promised, and she can’t help the rush of disappointment thinking she won’t get to watch him at work. He doesn’t leave her upset for long though, he steps into her space, huddled between her legs, and kisses her again. He’s good at it, spurred on when she winds her legs around his slim waist and crosses her ankles, effectively trapping him against her body.
His tongue swipes at her lips, asking for entrance which she grants without thought. He explores her mouth as if he’s trying to commit it to memory, and in turn she does the same. Intent on giving him equal treatment. She wants him to feel good, to forget about what’s at stake and the fact that this may never happen again.
The thought makes her pause, her mouth stops moving with his but he doesn’t let up. Just shifts away from her lips, plump from his attention, and goes down to her neck. He nibbles at her skin and she wonders if he’ll be able to leave a hickey in his wake. Some sort of evidence of his being here.
“You think too goddamn much,” he mutters against her throat. Lapping at her pulse point after a particularly hard bite that has her gasping as her knees shut in closer around his ribs. He shakes his hair away from his face, his organic hand going behind her back to fiddle with her bra clasp. It takes him a couple tries and a muttered curse but he gets it undone and groans low in his throat when her breasts bounce free.
He tosses it somewhere behind him and crowds in impossibly closer. As if she’s some sort of lifeline he can’t live without. Which hits a little too close to home when she thinks about it a tad longer than she should.
But then he’s licking at her nipple, his tongue flashing bright pink for a second. He does the same to the other one, just a soft flick that isn’t anywhere near enough. He gives her a wicked grin and blows on her nipples, still coated in his saliva. The sensation is strange, unfamiliar in the best sort of way, making her gasp out of surprise.
“Your tits are sensitive,” he says with a laugh. Moving to grab her hips and yank her down on the floor, their chests pushed together from the proximity. “Wonder if you're sensitive elsewhere.” His hand skims down her stomach lightly, the metal from his ‘borg arm making her shiver. “Gonna let me find out?” He peers into her eyes, so close that she feels the need to hold her breath.
She gives a subtle nod and that’s all he needs to slip into the front of her panties. Fingers brushing down the freshly shaved landing strip. She sees the excitement in his eyes, the arousal too, coming across clear as day. He ghosts over her clit, neatly pushing around it with two of his fingers until he reaches her entrance.
“I could fuck you like this. Just drag my cock between your slit and have you beg for it.”
He pushes his index finger inside. It’s been too long and just the one digit fits snugly. “Y-you could. But--ah--you won’t.”
He chuckles and the husky sound makes her walls clench. “You seem pretty sure about that.”
“Mhm. That doesn’t seem your style.”
He roves his finger around, searching for that sensitive spot inside her that’ll drive her wild. “You’re smart for a merc that thought she could break into Arasaka and get away with it. Knew I liked you for a reason though.” He pumps his finger in and out of her at a terribly slow pace. It’s not enough and he knows it. “You’re right, it’s not my style at all. More of a fast, rough fucking kind of guy.” He pulls his finger out and pops it in his mouth, sucking her juices and making a show out of it.
“Take off your panties and turn around.”
He doesn’t have to tell her twice, she’s just as excited for this as he is and his authoritative tone makes it so much better. Anticipation making her fingers shake when they slip in the elastic waistband of her underwear to pull them down. She doesn’t make a show of it, no need when they’re both aching with want. They get tossed in the ever growing pile of clothes and she turns around, stomach cutting into the broken edges of the sink. More painful if only because it’s wood that’ll probably splinter and give her some sort of terrible infection instead of the porcelain she’s used to.
Johnny slides in behind her, hands spreading her cheeks with a pleased hum. “Comfortable?”
“Much as I can be.” She glances over her shoulder and her mouth runs dry at the sight he makes. He’s naked below the waist. Vest and dog tags the only thing keeping him somewhat decent. “Johnny...” Her eyes dart down, towards his cock, thicker than it is long. Curving slightly to the left and leaking at the puffy tip. He’s uncut, much to her delight, and with that revelation she can’t help but shift back into him, eager as can be.
“Think you’re stretched enough?” He takes his cock in hand, stroking languidly, the only lubrication being the spit still sticking to his fingers from when he dipped them in his mouth to taste her. “I only got one finger in you.”
“It’s fine,” V bites out, a little more force in her voice that she initially meant. As it turns out, after he teases them both by sliding his dick between her ass cheeks, once he slips inside, it is definitely not fine.
The tip goes in smoothly and they groan in unison. But that’s about as far as they get before she’s arching her back and gritting her teeth. The stretch is too much, painful past the point of pleasure.
Johnny, for his part, doesn’t try to ram the rest of his length inside. Well versed in the throes of passion it seems. He takes ahold of her hip with his organic hand and pulls her back, encouraging her to roll her hips as he does the same.
His dick tunnels inside her slowly with his ministrations, and finally their hips are flush together.
His chrome hand comes up to rest under her chin, tilting her head up until she’s staring at them both in the reflection of the mirror. She looks properly wrecked. Her eyes are wide, pupils so large that she can only see a small sliver of her iris. Her lips are parted as she pants out each breath, tongue flicking out when his thumb rests on her bottom lip.
He huffs out a breathy laugh and leans in to cover her body with his. It shifts his cock inside her, hitting a sensitive nerve deep within, and she whimpers. Eyes briefly shutting until he starts speaking into her ear.
“I want you to look at us.” He gives a small, abortive thrust and that snaps her lids open. Revealing his pleased smile. “There we go, look at how good we fit together.” He straightens back up, both hands going to rest on her hips.
V’s about to beg for him to move, to try and convince him that she’s more than ready, but he beats her to the punch. He pulls out fast and shoves back in, too quick for her to even pass comment. All that comes out is a groan, and that noise alone seems to spur him on.
His pace is exactly what she would’ve assumed, what she saw in his memories with Alt when they fucked. That hasn’t changed about him. And for that she’s grateful, after her own dry spell she wouldn’t be able to handle slow and sensual.
She feels his cock nudge deeper inside her with each punishing thrust. She arches back into it, her walls squeezing tight around him, toes curling against the dirty tiles when pleasure sparks low in her belly. A sharp feeling that he doesn’t give the chance to dissipate.
“Johnny!”
“Fuck,” he stills inside her for a second, holding his release back. “God, you sound good, fuck, okay.” He lets out a strained sigh and rolls his hips slowly. Testing the waters. He groans, head dipping forward to rest his chin on his chest.
His hand comes around to part her folds, finding her engorged clit with ease. He dances circles around it, humming out a pleased note when she lets a whimper slip free.
“There we go.” He nips at her ear and finally starts moving again. Just as quick as before.
“Gonna make me cum, Johnny.”
He laughs, fingers moving faster in rough strokes against her nub. “That’s sorta the point.” He goes to hold onto the back of her neck with his other hand, metal fingers making her skin ache. “And when you do it’s gonna be the most beautiful fucking thing. You’re gonna milk my cock so good .”
Her pussy clenches at the sound of his voice and that earns her another booming laugh. She’s painfully close to the edge, rocking back into him until the deafening sound of his hips hitting the flesh of her ass fills her ears.
V cums with a strangled yelp of his name. Foot kicking out against the wood of the sink and breaking it further. Making her toes ache. Her hand comes up to plant in the center of the mirror and she gets to watch Johnny break apart as her cunt goes tight around his dick and he finishes right after her.
He doesn’t waste time pulling out to watch his seed drip out of her and run down her thighs. Enraptured by the sight for a few quiet seconds, spurred on by her ragged breaths to swiftly scoop up his semen and press it back inside.
Her eyes shutter close at the sensitivity of his finger delving in once more. “Holy shit…”
“Nice to see I’m still a good fuck after all these years.”
V nods rapidly, whining when he withdraws his finger and wipes her slick carelessly down her spine.
“If you’re not careful my ego’s gonna get a whole lot bigger.”
“Don’t think that’s possible at this point, Samurai. You’re your own biggest fan.” She collects herself the best she can, straightening her back and turning around to face him properly. Her chest is heaving, and it draws his eyes downward, fingers twitching with the want to grope her tits. The images flash in her head and another rush of arousal greets her.
A round two is the last thing she can do right now though, even if Johnny’s cock is starting to perk up again at the implications of going again. She wouldn’t be surprised if he got some sort of enhancement for his junk just to make the refractory period smaller.
“What’re we doing now?” It feels weird to ask him that when she’s supposed to be the one in control here. But they’ve been leaning on one another for too long for her to get prideful now. She needs him to keep her going, even if, in the end, he’s reaching for a goal that’ll wind up with him gone for good.
If it was up to her she’d give up her life for his.
“No.” Johnny looks slightly cross, stepping forward to grab her shoulders and give her a little shake. “I’m not doing that. We’re not doing that, V. This is your life and your body...I’m dead but you’re young. You can have everyone in Night City at your beck and call, fucking hell, you still got your whole life ahead of you. I’m not taking that.”
She tips her head curiously, wondering if he’d really be able to stop her if she kept on walking through the desert, right out of Night City, and never looked back. They could see as much of the world as their limited time allowed until eventually the relic stole her mind away and passed it over to Johnny. Neither of them would be able to stop it.
It’s a tempting idea. But one she can’t hide from him. He hears her loud and clear, judging by the way he recoils and glitches out into the hallway to put some kind of space between them. He hates that idea.
Too fucking bad she’s the one in the driver’s seat.