Filmon sat outside V's apartment, his heart was moving at a normal pace now, but his mind was now racing. He'd finally done it. Well, not it, but he'd finally given in and had an intimate moment with the woman. He knew it would happen eventually, he knew he would become attached to these people.

And it scared him.

Try as he might, Filmon. couldn't shake the irrational fear that went to his brain anytime something of significance happened in the world.

For V, he thought distance would be better after nearly nuking this world his first week in. Then, he'd decided to be colder toward people, like the big boss back home, everyone seemed to like the big boss, and he could manage everyone without a hassle, so he thought that would be best.

But it just wasn't him. Filmon didn't want this world to disappear and never have a chance to see his family again, his real family.

It felt wrong to think about them though, he couldn't care less about his girlfriend, they weren't too serious anyway, but everyone else he'd basically been raised by them. By not being able to treat this world as a game, would he eventually erase them from his mind? Would they be replaced?

'No... That would never happen,' He thought to himself, shaking the irrational thoughts out of his head. Though it sucked to admit it, Filmon knew he was still a kid, he hadn't done much in his life to truly handle something like this, and especially after the Maya event, he wasn't sure how to go through this world.

Game, or not a game. It felt like an easy question, but the actual answer was just something he didn't know.

There was also a continuous drop in world stability each day...

World Stability: 87%

"What's wrong~" He heard a teasing voice in his ear, snapping him out of his thoughts as V stood in front of him in a mint green jacket, a black tank top, some jean shorts with rips in them and of course her black knee high boots.

"Nothing, you all set?" He asked, smiling as he looked her up and down.

"Yeah, all set," She said and they set off.

Filmon and V found themselves in a cozy little coffee shop, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. Soft jazz music played in the background, creating a relaxed atmosphere that eased Filmon's nerves slightly.
It was quite the contrast compared to the usual night city atmosphere, though they weren't in the slums here so maybe that was the reason.

He fiddled with his cup, unsure of what to say, while V sat across from him, a small smile playing on her lips, as if she was enjoying watching him be so nervous.
She wasn't that much older than him, only 2 years, but it made all the difference in moments like this when he would stay quiet.

"So, what's your favorite thing to do in this city when you aren't playing corpo?" V asked, trying to break the silence.

Filmon chuckled, secretly glad she had made the first move, and he relaxed. "Honestly, I haven't had much time for leisure activities since I arrived in Night City, But I guess I enjoy exploring the city, getting lost in its crime-riddled streets, doing some jobs, and finding hidden gems like this coffee shop, bonus points for the badass tomboy," He finished with a playful smile as she just laughed off his words.

"What about you?"

V raised an eyebrow at Filmon's response, the playful smile on her face never fading. She was used to his cheeky remarks and appreciated his candidness, even in a city as harsh as Night City. She leaned back in her chair, contemplating her answer.

"Well, when I'm not running jobs and getting into trouble, I enjoy racing my bike through the city streets," V said, a glint of excitement in her eyes.

Filmon nodded, genuinely interested. "That sounds amazing. I've seen some of your bike mods; you've got quite the setup. It must be fun to ride..."

V grinned as if she had caught him. "Oh? That's weird, I don't think I've ever shown you my bike..." She said with a smirk as Filmon realized his mistake.

"Wait I-" He tried to say before she reached over the table, placing a finger on his lips.

"Shhh. Be honest, you've been watching me huh?"

Filmon rolled his eyes, taking her hand off of him. "Watching you is definitely an over-exaggeration, I just researched you one time when I was looking for potential candidates for Horizon."
V didn't seem to believe him, but she just smiled and shrugged, glancing at his firm grip on her wrist.

"Well alright... Not that I mind or anything, but are you gonna let me go?"

Filmon scowled and let her go, feeling awkward once again. V could really bring out the nervous teenager in him.

As they continued chatting, Filmon found himself drawn to V even more than he already had been. She lived on the edge, embracing the chaos and finding joy in the midst of it. He admired her fearless spirit and how she managed to keep going, no matter how tough things got.

The coffee date stretched on, the hours passing by unnoticed as they shared stories, laughed, and got to know each other better. Filmon couldn't help but feel a sense of ease with V, as if he could be himself without judgment or pretense.

But even as the morning wore on, Filmon's internal conflict lingered. He knew he was falling for V, and it scared him. He didn't want to admit how much she meant to him, fearing that it would only complicate things further.

"Hey, you play chess?" Filmon asked, pointing towards the group of people in the corner where the coffee shop kept old antique board games. Seems even a cyberpunk city liked authenticity every once in a while.
V followed his gaze and gave an awkward smile. "Can't say I do... Wanna teach me?"

Filmon nodded, thinking it might be a good pastime, anything to keep this date alive. They found an empty chessboard and took their seats, the pieces laid out before them. As they played, Filmon's mind became fully immersed in the strategic game, momentarily forgetting his inner conflicts as he taught V the basics and different moves. He was impressed by how quickly she got the hang of the game, and after four or five games, V's skills improved enough that she managed to surprise him with unexpectedly advanced moves.

Time seemed to slip away as they played, and Filmon realized that, in this moment, he felt a sense of peace. It was as if the world around them had disappeared, and it was just the two of them engaged in friendly competition.

After the game, they continued chatting about lighter topics—favorite books, movies, and their favorite places in the city. Filmon found himself laughing more than he had in a long time, enjoying the conversation and feeling a genuine connection with V.

As the coffee shop slowly emptied, they decided it was time to leave. They walked side by side down the dimly lit streets, the city buzzing with life even at this late hour. Filmon couldn't help but feel a mix of happiness and trepidation as he looked at V, her smile illuminating the darkness around them.

"Today was fun," V said, breaking the silence. "I'm glad we had this coffee date."

Filmon nodded, feeling a rush of emotions he couldn't put into words. He wanted to tell her everything, to share his fears and uncertainties, but the words remained stuck in his throat.

"Yeah, me too," he managed to say.

As they reached V's apartment building, they stopped beneath the flickering streetlight. Filmon hesitated for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest.

"V, there's something I need to tell you," he finally said, mustering the courage. It was no use being anxious about everything, and as he had said many times before this. Fuck it.

V turned to him, her expression attentive. "What is it, Filmon?"

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice. "I... don't know where this is heading, and I'm kind of scared of what might happen. But I can't deny how much you mean to me. Even if this is our first date, you've become such an important part of my life, and I really don't want to lose that."

V looked at him with her eyebrows slightly raised, processing her words before a small smile appeared on her face.. "You know, Filmon, you're not like any corpo I've ever met. You've got this aura of innocence, and you show way too much emotion," She said, causing Filmon to start to protest.

Before he could get a single word out he was hushed with a kiss, feeling V's slender fingers resting on his chest.

She pulled away, still close and leaning into Filmon.

"I don't want to put a label on this, then it'll feel too real, and bad things might happen..." She said before kissing him again, this one was longer and she let her hands slide up to his shoulders.
"But I feel the same way if that makes you feel better," She finished, staring into his eyes as he nodded silently, his heart beating at a million miles an hour.

Before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, V backed away, stretching her arms above her head. "Well, as much I love kissing you, I have some things to do today," She said, smiling as she turned and walked up to her apartment.

Filmon stood outside for a minute before finally leaving, his mind and heart even more confused than they had been earlier.

***
Filmon sat in front of his computer, his expression blank as he stared at the email he'd opened up.

"What's your problem?" Vix asked as she walked by, giving him a strange look as he didn't answer her.

"Hellooo," She said, getting close now and waving a hand in front of his face.

Seeing he still wasn't responding, she called Razor and the man was at headquarters in minutes.

He eyed Vix awkwardly, his expression tense, but examined the frozen Filmon with Vix.

"The boss isn't feeling well!" They heard from the door as Tobias came running in the lobby, sweating and still in his work uniform.

"No boss, you can't go! You don't have a next of kin and they'll tear down the bar!" The man yelled as he desperately shook Filmon.

"Hmm, this is strange, he's awake but he's not responding to anything we do..." Razor said with a hand on his chin as Vix smiled mischievously.

"Since we're all here, and all work under Filmon, how about a little wager?" She asked, smiling as the two looks at her in confusion.

"Wager?" Tobias asked.

"The one who managed to get him to respond gets 30% of the other two's monthly checks for the next six months, we can use any and all methods but if he doesn't respond you fail... sound fair?" She asked as Tobias smirked and Razor looked at the two with his usual unreadable expression.

"Hmm... I usually just get paid in tips, but 30% of a six figure salary doesn't sound too bad... You're on!" The man yelled as Razor shook his head and shrugged.
The three drew straws and decided on an order. Tobias, Vix, then Razor.

Tobias, the master of mixing different drinks and a connoisseur of recreational substances, had the perfect approach in mind to wake Filmon from his stupor. He believed that a carefully crafted concoction might do the trick. With a determined glint in his eye, he left the horizon building and went back to the bar.

He went in the large storage facility connected to the back and gathered an assortment of exotic fruits, rare herbs, and a variety of colorful liquids, creating a setup that looked like a mad scientist's lab, but with alcohol bottles and drug paraphernalia instead of beakers and test tubes.

Nearly a half hour later he arrived back at horizon with a glass of glowing orange liquid.

"Alright, lady and gent," He said with a manic look in his as he stepped up to Filmon's desk. "Get ready for Tobias's one-of-a-kind Wake-Up Elixir!" he proclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.
Vix whistled as she stepped up and smelled the drink, wrinkling her nose as her eyes widened a bit. "I've seen you mix some crazy drinks, but this one takes the cake."
Tobias flashed a mischievous grin. "This will blow his mind, literally!"

"Wait what?" Razor said, clear worry in his voice.

Tobias stepped up to Filmon, pressing the glass against his bosses lips and forcing them open a bit to pour the drink into his mouth.

"Careful, Tobias. We don't want to make things worse," Razor warned, always the voice of reason as he put a hand on Tobias's shoulder. "Maybe we should just call a doctor..."

Tobias waved him off, his confidence unwavering. "Trust me, this will be the ultimate eye-opener!" he said as he pulled Filmon's head back and poured the contents of the drink down his throat. "Bottoms up boss!"
The three watched as the drink disappeared, leaving an empty glass which Tobias tossed to the side, looking at Filmon in expectation.

After a full minute they realized nothing had changed, except now the lobby smelt like burnt rubber and a doctors office.

"Welp, my turn then~" Vix said excitedly.

The two men watched in shock and horror as the horny 25 year old straddled Filmon's hips, her arms around his neck as she wriggled her ass to get comfortable in his lap.

"Boss~" She said as she kissed him on the cheek, her voice extra sensual as Tobias felt his face burn. Even razor was a bit overwhelmed by the unusual sight.

"Hey there, boss," she purred, her voice low and enticing. "You an't just kiss a girl under the moonlight then try and ghost her like this..." She whispered as she placed kisses on his neck, making sure to slowly grind her ass against his crotch as the two men behind her watched on.

Filmon's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but ultimately he didn't move or say anything.

Vix's fingers traced a teasing path along his jawline, sending a tingle through Filmon's body. "Hey I have an idea boss~ We can play a dirty game... How about truth or dare, you can dare me to do Anything~"
Tobias and Razor exchanged glances, both of them gulping as they were amused by Vix's tactics. Tobias couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle, "She's relentless, isn't she?"

Razor nodded, his eyes following Vix's playful moves, unusual for him. "She knows how to get under your skin, that's for sure," He said with a hint of extra meaning that Tobias caught, but didn't push further.
Vix leaned even closer to Filmon's body, slowly sliding down his body as she unbuttoned his shirt, leaving a trail of hot pink lipstick down his neck to the very end of his torso, any closer and she'd be kissing his crotch. "So, what do you say, boss? Truth or dare?"

As Vix smiled as placed her hands on his crotch though, a tinge of annoyance erupted inside of her.

"Damn it... All that and nothing?!" She yelled in disbelief as she jumped up, scoffing and stepping away. "It didn't work," She said in defeat as Tobias gave her a thumbs up.
Razor stepped up to Filmon for his turn, unslinging the large rifle he had on his back and pointing the barrel right at Filmon.

"Wait that has to be cheating!" Tobias yelled in worry as he saw Razor slowly squeeze the trigger.

Click

"Hmm..."

Razor was the strong, silent type, and he believed in straightforward methods. So, he sat down across from Filmon, his expression serious yet caring.
"Boss, we're all here for you," Razor said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "Whatever you're going through, you can talk to us about it."

Tobias and Vix rolled their eyes?

"Dude no way that's gonna work-" Vix began to say before Filmon locked eyes with Razor.

"It's nothing that serious, you guys could be working right now instead of worrying over nothing..." Filmon said, rolling his eyes as a smile came to his face, standing up from his chair.
"It worked!" Tobias and Vix yelled in unison, not believing it as Filmon smirked at the three.

"Since you're here, I guess it's only right to tell my executives..." Filmon said as he jumped up on his desk. "After a month of sending several different legal documents, forged signatures, fake names and identities, as well as proof of income, Horizon Enterprises has officially been approved for an IPO into the stock market... The only thing is, we don't really have much set up. So vix, Ghost division is going to have to be ready to launch Project Neuro..."

Vix widened her eyes, a huge smile coming to her face. "Alright!"

It was finally time for Horizon to soar to the top...