Groggily, I woke up the next morning naked in my cubby bed, but not alone. A chrome arm draped over my stomach, and I traced my finger down it—some parts smooth, others scratched. How strange to wake up with him already here and not wait for him to glitch in whenever he damn well pleased.

Johnny groaned and used his arm wrapped around me to pull me closer. "G'mornin'."

"Pretty sure it's the afternoon." I smiled and drew my knee up, sticking it out from the sheets.

"Fuck yeah, it is." Johnny threw up rock horns with a devious grin.

I pressed my hand to my mouth as I stifled a yawn, chuckling through it.

"You know one awesome thing about not having a physical body?" Johnny asked, moving both hands behind his head and interlacing his fingers.

Raising an eyebrow in question, I sat up, squinting down at him.

"No morning breath." Devilishly grinning, he bobbed his brow.

My eyes widened, and I slapped a hand over my mouth, swatting him with the other. "You asshole."

He laughed as he held his arms up to defend himself from my thwarting. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better—I can taste it."

As if my eyes could widen anymore. "Oh my—" I pushed from the bed, still holding my hand over my mouth. "I'm takin' a shower."

Johnny shifted to hang his head off the bed upside down, smiling at me with devious intent. "Want company?"

"That depends. Any more stench remarks?" Keeping my palm hovering over my lips, I raised a thin brow at him.

He pressed a hand near his heart. "I'll behave—this once."

Rolling my eyes, I jutted my head at the shower. "Come on, rockerboy."

He glitched from the bed behind me, his hands finding my hips and guiding me forward. The shower sprung to life once I swiped my hand across the controls, taking only a few seconds to steam. Johnny dragged his hands down my arms until our fingers interlaced, and he lifted my palms, pressing them against the resin wall. His organic hand trailed up my stomach until it reached my breasts, massaging them. The chrome hand drove elsewhere to my clit, pinching it and making me yelp.

Johnny's beard scraped the back of my shoulder, the feel of his smile against my skin all too telling. Closing my eyes, I let the sensations take over, let our memories conquer my every thought and whim. His natural hand fell away from my chest, trailing to my entrance, and he inserted a finger, groaning against my back over what he'd found.

Me. Soaking wet. And not from the shower.

"Fuck, Val," he growled, slipping another finger in.

I balled my fists against the wall, water trickling down my face, beading in my eyelashes. "What can I say? You—do things to me."

He nipped my earlobe. "Oh, I'm about to."

The declaration sent a yearning ache straight to my groin, and my knees buckled. Johnny's silver arm tightened around my waist, steadying me before guiding me farther forward, coaxing my ass higher. Positioning himself, he flicked the head of his cock at my entrance before slowly pushing in, bit by bit, until his hips met my ass.

He fucked me senseless with steam swirling around us in a heated embrace, the hot shower water collecting on our skin and bouncing off our chrome. And after I came undone for what seemed like the seventh time in twenty-four hours, I slowly turned to face him to see what he looked like with water-worn hair.

I pressed my back to the wall, smiling up at him. His long hair hung in wavy tendrils, some of it falling over his eyes that he hadn't bothered to brush away—the memories he offered me infiltrating my mind and blossoming. As I traced my touch over his arm, the dirt and scorch marks remained, and it was a solid reminder that no matter how real this felt he was still an engram. No one else could see him but me. No one else could feel him but me. But considering the possible short time I had left—it was enough.

"And now you should take a real shower." Johnny pressed his hand to the wall above my head, staring down at me, a challenge playing in his gaze. "Because you fuckin' stink."

Biting my lower lip, I lightly kneed him in the gut, making him grunt a few seconds later when he'd felt it, but he grinned. I slid a hand into his wet, dark locks and pulled him to me, kissing him with the hot water mixing over our lips. When he peeled away, his dark gaze dropped to my nose and he frowned.

"Fuck, V," he whispered, swiping his thumb below my nose and showing me the crimson liquid before the shower water carried it away.

I dabbed under my nose with a sigh. "Well, the Relic didn't malfunction. And I'm not hackin' up blood in here. An improvement?"

"Do you think this setup might be reversin' it?" Johnny's face went stone cold.

I wanted to tell him yes. But there was no hiding between us, no false hopes given, no white lies told to sweeten the deal.

Solemnly, I shook my head. "Slowing it? Maybe. But Johnny, we need to come to grips with your psyche takin' over? It ain't gonna stop."

His eyes cast downward, and his frown deepened, the water trickling down his long hair like massive raindrops making his appearance seem even more desolate. "I just—"

He'd started to say something when my holo went off.

"Shit. It's Regina. I should take this." I gripped Johnny's shoulder before slipping away, grabbing a towel from the rack to wrap around myself before answering the holo.

"Regina, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"V, got a job that takes finesse. A netrunner has been kidnapped and forced to jack in to handle business for a drug cartel outside Watson. It's the client's personal netrunner—and they want them back."

I grabbed another towel and proceeded to dry my hair. "Nova. Sounds easy enough."

"They want the job done quietly."

Pausing, I narrowed my eyes at her blue hologram floating in my line of vision. "As in—no casualties?"

"If it can be helped. And V, there's extra eddies in it if you can get it done as discreetly as possible."

My stomach rumbled at the thought.

"Regina, I'm not exactly a netrunner myself. I've barely even got beyond standard hacks installed."

Johnny walked from the shower fully nude with his hands on his hips. It took everything in me not to ignore Regina and pounce him on the spot.

"I know you've got other ways, V. You'll figure it out. I'm sending you the coordinates."

After she did, her image disappeared, and I let out a roiling sigh.

"You always gotta wonder about people that want things done on the down low. Especially in this day and age." Johnny flicked his wrist and he appeared in his usual leather pants and vest garb, hair dry as a bone save for the typical light coating of rock star grease.

I moved to my closet, rummaging for a pair of pants, a shirt, and boots. "Eh, usually means the asshole themselves got somethin' to hide."

"If we were to get into hot water, would you mind doin' me a favor?" Johnny slid in front of me with his arms folded.

Propping my foot on the couch, I laced up my boots. "Another one? My, my, Johnny, you're going to owe me pretty soon."

"I already do. Though I figured the ten orgasms you've had in the past day accounted for somethin'." He grinned at me, producing a cigarette and lighting it.

My cheeks flushed, and I stood straight once I did up my boots. "What's the favor?"

"Bring the Malorian. It's been a damn long time since I felt it in my palm." He held his hand out and stared at it. "And I figure with our new arrangement, I just may be able to shoot it again, if even one last time."

"What makes you think you'll get to use it on a hush-hush score?" Either way, I turned for my arsenal, Johnny in tow.

"Please. It'll start quiet, you'll get antsy, and all hell will break loose. Wanna know why?" Johnny glitched to my workbench, sitting on it with his feet dangling.

"Quiet ain't our style," we both said in unison.

I snapped my gaze to his and gulped.

"Fuck. Now we're not finishing each other's sentences. We're flat out sayin' 'em," Johnny scratched his beard with his chrome hand.

I reached past him and pulled the Malorian from the prized spot I'd displayed on the wall, holding it with two hands and staring at it. "It's a beautiful piece."

"Shoots like a damn beast too. Surprised you haven't used it yet. Not like I can." Johnny wiggled his dangling feet.

"It hadn't felt right. It's yours, not mine."

Johnny shook his head. "Nah, Val. What's mine now is yours. Doesn't matter what happens at this point. You're stuck with me, and I'll always be a part of you."

A lump formed in my throat as I weighed the hand cannon resting in my hands before holstering it. I slipped between his legs and rested my hands on the workbench near his crotch. "Funny thing, that. A sliver of you is in me, but all you gottah me is a few lousy memories."

He slipped a hand around my neck, kneading it. "A lot more than just memories leaking from that mind of yours into mine. I think I might even be growing a conscience or some shit."

Chuckling, I playfully punched his thigh and stepped back, grabbing another pistol to holster with the Malorian.

"What's all this, V?" Johnny motioned with his foot at a half-opened drawer, clothes spilling out of it.

I cleared my throat and knelt, quickly stuffing them back in and trying to close the drawer, but Johnny's grip on my forearm halted me. He pointed at the pile of clothes.

"You kept all of my shit?" He squinted at me—he wasn't pissed or weirded out, but more so…shocked and confused.

I stuffed the items back in the drawer, closing it. "Of course I did. Stuff of yours kept popping up all strewn about Night City, for fuck knows why. It didn't feel right to throw it away."

"Now wait just a goddamn minute. Open that again." He slid closer and pointed.

Gulping, I stared up at him as I slid the drawer open.

"There a pair of tags in this pile too?"

Was there?

My eyes darted from left to right before I rummaged through the clothes. As I lifted the Samurai tank, a pair of dog tags clanked to the floor. "Shit. I didn't realize those were in there."

Johnny squatted by the tags, hanging his hands between his legs and sighing. "Belonged to a buddy of mine in the war. Died saving my life."

"Yeah." I crouched beside him and picked up the tags, holding them in my palm, the fluorescent lights in the arsenal glinting off them. "I saw that. Sorry."

"Was a long time ago. But—" He rubbed his chin and, after staring at the floor for a beat, met my gaze. "—listen. I want you to wear 'em."

"Me? Why?"

Johnny drummed his fingers on his thigh. "I'm gonna ask you a question and I want you to answer me honestly. You know I'll know if your fuckin' lying. Understand?"

I nodded, the chain from the tags hanging between us.

"Say we were at war together. Fighting side by side." He cocked his head, his stare boring into me, carving another piece in my mind to call home. "Would you take a bullet for me?"

Something swelled in my chest, and my sinuses burned. The word flew from my throat without one ounce of hesitation.

"Yes."

He nodded and slid a hand over my knee. "I'm at those same crossroads, Val. If we find out that the only way to save your life is for me to get wiped? I'll—"

I lurched forward to hug him, sucking a breath to force the tears away that begged to roll down my cheeks. "Johnny—"

Johnny pushed me back by the shoulders, forcing me to look at him again. "I'll agree to get wiped," he repeated. "I will do you no wrong. It'll be my life for yours. And those tags serve as a reminder of that promise. So please—" He nudged his chin at them. "Wear 'em."

"But it's—" I gulped, vigorously shaking my head. "—it's not gonna come to that."

His grip tightened on me. "But if it does."

His dark eyes became the edge of a cliff plunging into darkness—an escape I'd rather make with him than spend the rest of my days without him knowing he'd been the reason I got not only a second chance—but a third.

With shaky hands, and sniffling, I slid the tags over my neck and tucked them into the confines of my shirt.

Cupping his cheek, I offered a weak smile. "Of all the rock stars to wind up in my head. I'll need to return that favor. I hope you know that."

"I know, Val. But you don't-"

I cut him off. "I do." My gaze snapped to the Samurai tank and I plucked it from the drawer, holding it up between us.

"What? Thinkin' of rockin' that?" Johnny asked, leaning to the side to look at me.

Grinning, I slipped off my current shirt, watching Johnny's gaze devour me before frowning once the show was over, I'd put on the black tank top with Samurai's logo. "Always wanted a vintage Samurai shirt."

Johnny blew out a breath and sat back on his haunches. "Fuck. Never thought I'd be so turned on by own damn shirt."

I pinched his chin, still smiling. "Let's delta, Silverhand. We got a gig to do together. Really do together."