After being pulled from a perfect night's sleep Lucy Kushinada could honestly say there was no sound she hated more than the persistent ringing of her internal phone. A groan inducing default tune that was pulling her from the comfy caused coma she had found herself in.
Her bed warmer was nice and toasty, pulled up against her back, just the way she liked. The blankets were fluffy and smooth, the mattress sank in just the right way, the pillows perfectly cradled her head. Everything would be perfect if it wasn't for the fucking techno-jingle stimulating her brain in the worst sorts of ways. Letting out a small groan, she reached a hand to rub at her ear, fumbling as she failed to remember how to answer the call. Feeling her shift, her bed warmer let out a tiny groan and proceeded to cling to her tighter.
It was so cute, so intimate, that Lucy really wished she had removed her bra the night prior. Partially for comfort of the twins, and partially for more skin to skin contact. She indulged his wordless wish by wiggling just a little closer, letting out a tiny coo of delight at how cute he look as she managed to answer the call.
["Hello?"] She wiggled about, gently freeing herself from David's grip enough to sit up and lean against the pillows behind her.
["Alright, that answers the question of if you were still alive."] Kiwi's voice was level. ["Just wondering where you are? You're late for our meet-up."]
["Oh shit...Sorry, forgot about that."] That brought Lucy out of her comfort haze, and she shifted further away from David. The shifting of the mattress underneath served to rouse him just slightly and he sleepily reached a hand out to search for her.
"Hmm...Lucy?" He whined, eyes still closed.
"Shh, just need the bathroom. Go back to sleep." She gently stroked his head, ignoring the inquisitive hum in favor of hearing the sleepy okay to come from her bed mate as she stood up. Keeping her steps light, she moved towards the railing encircling the loft that marked the bedroom.
["Forgetting to separate your thoughts from your transmissions again?"] Kiwi teased. ["Though what do you mean 'back to sleep'? It's nearly one o'clock unless..."] Lucy cursed at the pause in her friend's voice, feeling uncomfortable. ["You were talking to someone else? Weren't you?"]
["I, uh, no. J-just me."] Lucy knew her answer made no sense, and hoped Kiwi would just chalk it up to her being tired from yesterday's gig and let it go.
["Uh huh? And since when do you tell yourself to go back to sleep? Or are you really that skewed on the time that you were telling me to go back to sleep."] She could feel Kiwi's eyes narrow though the call.
["When...When I stay up too late watching movies?"] It wasn't a total lie, she did stay up pretty late watching movies with David.
["Lucyna..."] The fact that Kiwi went for her full name told her she wasn't buying it. ["Know you left the bar with David last night, and promised him dinner."] She heard the older woman sigh. ["Please tell me that you didn't just go home instead and spend the night watching movies?"]
["I...I did."] The younger woman nodded, despite the fact she couldn't be seen. ["Fell asleep sometime after the third one."] She added, trying to make the story more believable.
["Alright then."] Kiwi seemed to be backing off, but then she said something that caught Lucy off guard. ["So you gonna let me in or?"]
["What?"]
["I'm at your front door. Let me in."]
She heard Kiwi sigh, and Lucy knew her only option was to tell the truth. She looked around, the familiar yet alien quality of the room around her serving as a further reminder of her current predicament.["I'm...not at my apartment."]
["Oh?"] Kiwi's tone did a 180, now playfully teasing instead of mildly inconvenienced. ["Are you perhaps, at David's apartment?"]
"Just rip the bandage off..." Lucy sighed, ["yeah. Remember how David asked us all for help moving as got a new place? He wanted to show me it, and since it wasn't too far away from where we got dinner..."] She shrugged, hoping Kiwi understood.
["Dinner? Heh, Crew's got a lot of bets to settle."]
["Excuse me?"]
["Yeah, after David let it slip over the holo that you two were planning on going to dinner...We all started placing bets."] Kiwi chuckled. ["Falco owes me fifty eddies alone."]
["What? Why?"]
["He said David didn't have the balls to take you out for dinner. I said it was cute and bet that he would."] Her chuckling intensified. ["Lucy, I can feel you glaring at me."]
She wasn't wrong, and was about about to tell her off when Kiwi asked another question.
["So how was he?"]
Lucy blinked, deflecting the real meaning of the question. ["A gentleman. Took us to the bar Jackie's mom owns...Thanks to his connections, got us our food on the house."]
["Lucy...That's not what I meant."]
The young netrunner continued to poorly play dumb. ["Did you mean his apartment? It's nice. Much nicer than mine. He's got a large couch, jumbo flatscreen TV, and a pool table. Should ask him to bring the crew here at some point for a party."]
["Maybe."] Lucy could feel Kiwi's annoyance at her answer, but the older woman pressed on. ["How's his bed?"]
["Large and comforta-"]
["HA! Knew it!"] There was no doubt in Lucy's mind that Kiwi was clapping in triumph at both tricking Lucy into giving an answer, and at her answer.
["It wasn't like that...I mean, we didn't..."] She looked back at the sleeping boy, noticing most of the covers had shifted off him. He was shirtless, and possibly lacking pants if the calf she could see poking out was any indication. Curious as she was, she wasn't about to move the covers to confirm...At least, not with Kiwi still on the holo.
["Lucy, you're an adult. I'm an adult. David's a...Oh my god, David is not an adult. Oh my god...You're a cradle robber!"]
Lucy tried, and failed to form any sort of coherent thought. It was just as well, as Kiwi sounded ready to pass out due to a lack of oxygen from how much she was laughing at her discomfort and attempt at explaining. Taking a deep breath, Lucy decided to steady herself in the best way she could think of.
["Kiwi, can I call you back?"]
["I suppose."] Kiwi wheezed out after a moment, and Lucy heard her smirk and could feel Kiwi's eyes playfully judging her despite the distance. ["I can always hound you at the party tonight."]
["The party's tonight?"] The white-haired girl tried, and failed again, to play ignorant. ["Maine already made the drop?"]
["Yeah. First thing this morning."] Kiwi answered, as if it was the most obvious thing. ["Anyhow, guess I'll let you go so you can...get cleaned up or whatever you need to do."]
["Kiwi..."] Lucy whined, sending the older woman into another round of giggles.
["Don't be embarrassed, it's all natural an-"] She didn't wait to hear the rest of Kiwi's statement, ending the call with a heavy sigh. Her sigh was apparently enough to start pulling David back to the conscious realm, and she turned around in time to see him shift in such a way the covers fell off. All he was wearing was a pair of boxer shorts, and Lucy blushed at the thought that he slept like that next to her.
"Alright, that answered that an-" Her inner monologue ground to a halt as she realized she was in a similar state of undress to him. Letting out a gasp, she felt her face grow redder and she used her arms to cover herself even though no one could see her. No one except-
"Lucy?" David picked that very moment to sit up, his eyes falling upon her. They were still partially closed from sleep, but she could see the concern in them. "Are you cold? I...think I have a robe hanging up over there." He gestured to the small clothing rack just to her side.
"N-no...Just..." Her eyes darted around, looking for her clothing. "I forgot I was meeting Kiwi today to discuss some quickhack upgrades before the party tonight." Sure, she had just blown Kiwi off, but David didn't need to know that. "Was supposed to meet her half an hour ago." She spotted her pants at the top of the steps, seeing David's on the floor next to his side of the bed.
"What time is it?" He rolled over, looking at the small radio on the table next to the bed. "Ah shit. Sorry, didn't mean to keep you here so late."
Lucy couldn't help but melt at how apologetic he looked. Never mind that she didn't know what time they had actually gone to bed. Or how long they both had slept for. Or what they may or may not have done...Still, that didn't stop her from rushing to grab her pants and pull them on.
"It's fine..." Not seeing her shirt anywhere in the loft, she scanned the floor below. After a moment, she spotted the garment in question hiding the record player. Lucy practically threw herself down the stairs, using the momentum to grab her shirt. She looked up as she pulled the garment over her head, seeing David standing at the railing. The light shining in through the windows illuminating him in all his nearly naked glory. "I mean, I lost track of time too."
"Still, feel bad that I made you late for your meeting with Kiwi." To Lucy's simultaneous delight and dismay, David threw on the bathrobe he had offered her and joined her downstairs. "Want something to eat before you go? Think I've got a package of Pierre's croissants you can have?" He moved towards the kitchen area as Lucy shook her head, starting to pull on her shoes.
"Thanks, but I'll get something when I'm out with Kiwi." She wiggled into her shoes, realizing a moment too late that they were on the wrong feet. Something to fix later when she was out of the apartment. "Sorry to have to delta like this but...Thanks for letting me crash here."
"It's fine." David smiled gently at her as she moved towards the elevator. "We can always hang out at the party tonight."
"Sure, it's at Turbo's. Party's not until seven but feel free to stop by early." She punched the button for the elevator, watching the counter as it moved. They were on the twelfth floor, it was on the second. "Come on, come on..." Lucy chanted under her breath, foot tapping impatiently.
"Uh, sure." David nodded as the elevator finally arrived and opened with a ding. "Oh Lucy! Apologize to Kiwi for me, will you?"
"Will do. Bye." Lucy replied curtly, and waved as the door to the elevator closed. She punched the button for the ground floor. The young woman could feel herself relax as she watched the floors count down, and let out a sigh as she hit the ground floor. Stepping out, she took a seat at one of the benches in the common area and fixed her shoes before rushing out the door and into the city.
01010011 01100011 01100101 01101110 01100101 00100000 01000010 01110010 01100101 01100001 01101011
Following what was possibly a 'Run of Shame' from David's apartment, Lucy found herself walking around the various parks in Night City as she attempted to rationalize what happened. It was natural, she argued, that the night went the way it did. He kept looking at and following her like a lonely puppy. And she couldn't help but admit he made her feel something she hadn't felt in awhile.
What wasn't natural was the fact that this had happened just mere weeks after she had nearly gotten the guy killed. And that he had already sort of, kind of forgiven her for that. She groaned and leaned up against a tree as the argument began again in her head. As the argument circled around once again, she realized she needed help.
Normally, she'd call Kiwi – the older netrunner had taken her under her wing in more ways than one. But she thought it would be rude of her to have blown the woman off only to now call her for advice. Calling any of the guys was out, and she didn't know Jackie well enough to trust him. Sighing, Lucy put out a call to the only other people she could think of who could help her.
["Lucy, why are you calling us?"] Dorio's voice was gentle, but there was a faint hint of suspicion in it.
["Yeah, you almost never call."] Becca sounded less suspicious and more excited. ["What's up choom?"]
Their reactions had her reconsidering her plan, but she pressed on. ["You know those favors you both owe me?"]
["Yeah?"]
Lucy sighed, hating what she was about to say. ["Need to cash them in."]
["Alright, who do we need to kill?"]
["Becca...Why do you always assume that's the favor?"] Dorio sighed, ["seriously though Lucy, what do you need."]
["Advice."] Her shoulders fell, it was such a minor request but felt so heavy.
["About?"] Becca sounded much less excited.
["...Boys."]
She heard Dorio's hum of acknowledgment. ["Okay, I can understand me...Why are you asking Rebecca?"]
["I...I don't know. Look, she understands flirting and while she swings and misses constantly, she's...got experience?"]
["One. I'm part of this conversation. Two. Don't like how you questioned that."] Lucy could hear the pout in Becca's voice. ["And three. You're really calling in favors for boy advice?"]
["Shut up."] Never-mind that Becca was right.
["Children..."] Dorio's embraced the 'Team Mom' spirit. ["Not sure how much of a help I'll be, but I've got time."]
["Giving your legs a break?"]
["Becca!"]
["Becca..."]
["Oh come on, we know you two have been fucking like rabbits since Maine got his new skinn and chrome."] Lucy heard the short-stack laugh. ["Come on Lucy, you've seen how Dory's been walking. She's gonna need new legs soon."]
["So...You want to have this conversation over the holo? Or do you want to meet somewhere?"] Dorio offered, ignoring Becca's comments.
["Can we meet somewhere and discuss this in person?"]
["Sure."] Dorio went silent a moment. ["I'm currently downtown...You know where the Electric Orgasm is?"]
["It's the fixer's place there on Union street, right?"]
["Yeah, meet me there?"]
["Sure."] Lucy agreed, thankful Dorio had picked somewhere semi-private.
["Yeah yeah, I'll meet you guys there. You want me to call Kiwi or-"]
["No! I mean, no. Kiwi's busy, already called her."] Lucy knew she was just delaying the inevitable, and now she was going to have Dorio and Becca's comments to contend with too.
["Shame. You know, when Gloria's out of Trauma's care, we all need to have a girl's night."]
["Now that I'll agree with."] Dorio laughed, ["anyhow, since I'm closest, I'll get us a table."]
["Sounds good, see you in a few."] Lucy didn't wait to hear Becca's reply and simply left the call. Sometime in her walk, she had circled back towards her apartment, and soon found herself standing next to one of the Colbys that V had acquired for them. Pilar had claimed one of them for himself and Becca, while Dorio took another so she could have a set of wheels of her own and wouldn't always have to rely on Maine and his beloved Quadra. That left the final one up in the air, and everyone had quickly voted to give it to Lucy. Hopping in, she programmed in the detes of the Electric Orgasm and took off.
By the time she arrived, Becca and Dorio were already there. The two of them were sitting side by side in one of the private booths, several bottles of beer before them as they waited for her to arrive.
"There you are. Have a seat." Dorio gestured to the open space across from her.
"Thanks. Were you waiting long?" Lucy followed the request and slid into the booth.
"Cut the pleasantries and get to the detes." Becca playfully demanded. "Come on, how much trouble did you get in with David last night that you're coming to us." She leaned across the table, and Lucy pushed away from her as much as the booth allowed. "Oh don't look at me like that. Everybody knows about your little dinner date with our rookie."
"Down Becca." Dorio hooked the green-haired girl by the collar of her jacket and pulled her back. "And though I don't agree with her methods. Got to be honest and admit I'm also curious about your date." The blond pushed one of the bottles to her, an offering of peace and a boost to her courage.
"So...Yeah, I went out to dinner with David last night." Lucy accepted the bottle and downed a third of it.
"Okay?" Dorio raised an eyebrow, not quite seeing the problem.
"And then after dinner we went back to his apartment..."
"Okay?" It was Becca's turn to question, though her eyes widened and danced in anticipation.
"And watched a couple movies...with snacks and drinks" A smile briefly tugged at the corner of Lucy's mouth as Becca's face fell just slightly.
"Sounds like a nice evening." Dorio took a drink, "as such. Still not seeing a problem Lucy."
"It's what happened during one of the movies." She took a deep breath, chased it with another swallow of beer, and explained what happened. "...And then he misquoted the line, but it was so sweet and I couldn't help myself and I-"
"Fucked him?" Becca was once again leaning across the table, arms effectively pinning Lucy in where she sat. Her trademark gremlin smile was on fully display as she stared at Lucy, waiting for confirmation of her guess.
"No, I kissed him." Lucy replied, and Becca collapsed on the table, whining about both of them dying as virgins as she slumped back to her side of the booth.
"You kissed him?" There was a tiny smile on Dorio's face as Lucy nodded. "Did he at least return the kiss?" The white-haired girl nodded again. "Well, least you know he feels the same."
"That's all?" The short-stack seemed to have become one with the booth she had sunk down so low in it. "You're looking for advice because of a kiss?"
"More than that..." Lucy blushed, remembering the feeling of David's lips as they explored her own. "And because we slept together."
It looked as if someone had taken an industrial shock baton and smacked Becca with it given how quickly she jumped back up.
"So you did fuck him!"
"Becca, that's not the problem!" Pure mortification took over Lucy's face, neither girl realizing the dual meanings of their words. "Focus please!?"
"Fine..." The gremlin chuckled and sat back down, rubbing her hands together in delight.
"So what exactly is the problem?" Dorio signaled to a passing server for another round. "Are you regretting having done it? Shit, still regret my first time when I think of it..." The blond's cheeks had just the faintest hint of color and Lucy was raising an eyebrow, her own face tinted red. Dorio rubbed the back of her head, "sorry. Just trying to relate to your situation."
"It's okay." Lucy assured her. "And I mean, I don't regret spending the night with him but...I can't help but feel we rushed things. And his father...You saw him that night." Lucy actually shivered at the memory. " He's replaced the monsters in my nightmares and while David is nothing like him, I just can't help but feel this is one long con from V to get revenge or..." The netrunner hid her face in her hands. "I just...don't know what to do or how to feel about this?"
"Shit, sorry Lucy." The blond nodded her thanks as the server set down the latest round of drinks. "Look, V's working with us and has been open about a lot of things. Had a feeling if he really wanted us gone, we wouldn't be here right now."
Lucy couldn't argue that. V had been ready to off them all that first night, and would have done so if cooler heads hadn't prevailed. "I know, but it's just one of the little things undermining the whole situation."
"Then let's remove V from the conversation." Becca chimed in, taking a fresh bottle, "and just focus on you and David."
"Right. Way I see it?" Dorio gestured at her with the bottle. "He's on the tail end of going through puberty. And you've been crushing on him, bad. And he seems to be doing the same, given how often I caught him looking at you and vice versa. Couple that with putting the two of you alone in a room together and something was bound to happen."
Lucy whined and hugged her original bottle close as Dorio apologized again for her lack of experience with cases like this. Becca made no apology, and simply agreed with Dorio's assessment.
"I just don't want to risk losing him as a friend." Lucy admitted, lowering her head. "Is that bad? I mean, I would love to be more than 'just friends' with him but...There's just so many hurdles with this. He's the son of a friend, and a teammate. Then there's his relationship with his mom, with V...Ugh, too much to think about."
"Then stop thinkin' and start drinkin'!" Becca pushed another bottle towards Lucy as she finished her first bottle. "If we can't actually help solve your problems, maybe we can help you forget them."
"Becca..."
"Hate to say it, but I think she's right." Dorio gently swirled the contents of her bottle. "You yourself said Becca's been swingin' and missing, and Maine's the most serious relationship I've had outside a few flings that lasted a week at most."
"I guess so..." Lucy sighed, picking up the new bottle.
"That's the spirit." Becca raised her bottle in toast, "to alcohol! The cause of and solution to all of life's problems!"
"Cheers." The girls echoed, Dorio with a little more enthusiasm than Lucy.
"Great. Now, what's this about you regretting your first time?" Becca leaned over into Dorio's side, and though her own problem hadn't been solved. She felt a small amount of schadenfreude at seeing Dorio stammer through her explanation about how the guy didn't do anything to prepare her, and basically kicked her to the curb after having his fun.
"Not gonna lie, that kind of turned me off the idea of sex for awhile." Dorio clutched her bottle, "took awhile before I warmed up to the thought of it again."
"How'd you get over it?" Lucy asked, hoping it may provide just a little insight that she could adapt to her own problem.
"Just took meeting the right guy." Dorio answered, head tilted away from her audience. "One who, despite being a bit rough around the edges, was actually a real sweetheart. And you can not tell Maine I told you this...but he was a total gentleman with our first time. Said that my 'second first time' should be special, and took amazing care of me. Even spiked his utility bill by letting us take a hot shower as part of the aftercare."
"Really? Ugh, if I wanted something to rot my teeth, I'd have ordered the Pina Colada." Becca pouted, even though it was her who had brought it up in the first place. "I wanted steamy, not tepid!"
Lucy felt a laugh escape her as the two women went back and forth, though her mind was thinking about Dorio's answer. To her, David had been a total gentleman. Letting her stay the night at his place. Offering her his robe when he thought she was cold. Offering to cook her something before she left. Having heard both sides of the relationship spectrum from Dorio though, Lucy couldn't help but wonder if it would be easier to deal with if David had been an asshole.
"Probably not." Dorio offered after Lucy had voiced the thought. "Even though he was a dick, it took me a bit longer to get over Kevin than I care to admit." The netrunner let out a sigh and let her head hit the table, and she felt Dorio's hand on her head. "Sorry. Probably not the answer you wanted."
"S'fine." Lucy looked up, seeing Becca frowning. "What do you think?"
"I think...Since you don't seem to want to forget the drama, I'm gonna break out the big guns." She grinned, "group call, hide participants..." Becca muttered, one finger held to her mouth in a request for silence from the other two for the time. Lucy's eyes narrowed as she heard a vaguely familiar voice on the other end of the line.
["Hey Gloria! How's life in the Trauma house?"] Becca kept her voice light, though her eyes were shining with evil.
"You bitch." Lucy mouthed, and Becca gave her an unrepentant thumbs up.
["Becca, it's good to hear from you."] Gloria's voice was warm, something Lucy could appreciate.
["You busy? I got something to ask ya."]
["No, just going over treatment notes from the doctor."]
["Ooh. Is mommy getting some sweet chrome?"] The green-haired girl wiggled excitedly in her seat, and both Lucy and Dorio had to hold back laughs.
["It depends on your point of view. I've got my eye on something amazing, but I need V to sign off on it since he's the policy holder."]
["You go girl! Milk that sugar daddy for all he's worth!"] Becca made a gesture like she was tugging on a cow's udder...or something else.
["Uh-huh. You sure about that? A little birdy told me about how you've been flirting with my baby boy's daddy."] Gloria's tone was laced with mischievous disapproval.
["Choom, there hasn't been a bird flyin' Night City for fifty years. Just say that Kiwi is a gossiping bitch. "] Becca poked the table, demanding answers.
["Fine then, is Kiwi right?"]
["There's no ring on 'em, no names tattoo'd on him, and no lady on him. He's up for grabs."] She made a grabbing gesture at the air, once again making the other two women have to fight back laughter.
["Becca..."]
["What? I figure we could work together. Give him the three way of a century! You're already draining his wallet, so then you should have no problem helping me drain his balls!"]
["Please tell me this call isn't just so you can try and talk me into a threesome with my ex?"] Lucy could hear the oxygen rushing out of the room along with Gloria's tolerance to Becca's antics.
["No, I had another reason to call!"] She twirled one of her pigtails around a finger, waiting for Gloria's reply.
["And that is?"]
["What do you think of Lucy and David hooking up?"] Becca shot Lucy a flirtatious wink, and it was only Dorio's quick reflexes that saved Becca from being strangled by Lucy's monowires.
["Shit, hang on..."] Gloria's end of the call went silent a moment. ["Sorry, accidentally disconnected something and set off an alarm. I'm not sure if I'd rather talk about you trying to sleep with me and my ex or listen to you play matchmaker for my son..."]
["That's the best part. I'm certain the two are gonna be a thing. I just wanna speed it up with permission from you first."] Becca batted her eyelashes at Lucy.
"I'm going to kill you..." Lucy mouthed back, gently holding one of her wires between her hands.
["Well..."] Gloria's tone was light, but there was a weight to it that wasn't lost on the younger girl.
["I recognize that tone! You have somethin' juicy to share!"]
["I may or may not have been sent stills from Jackie last night..."]
"I'm gonna kill him..." The wire in Lucy's hands tightened, annoyance shifting from Becca to Jackie...Even though the man was nowhere nearby, Lucy hoped he could feel it..
["Ohh! Very juicy detes! Gimme. Gimme, gimme, gimme!"] Becca's eyes were wide and bright, hands grabbing at the air for whatever Gloria would offer up.
["Apparently my boy took Lucy on a date at the Cojo last night."] There was a pause, and everyone received a file. ["I will admit, I'm having these printed to hang up when I get out of the hospital."]
["Very nice."] Becca grinned at what Gloria sent, while Dorio nodded approvingly. Much as it embarrassed her, the two did look nice in the photo. She just wished it wasn't of the moment David let her try a bite of his fajita. Both of them smiling in delight at the flavors...and nothing else. ["So... you don't have probs with the two of them together?"]
["I'm not as close to her as the rest of the crew, but she's a good girl. One who has her act together, and I don't have to worry that she's made BDs for the Mox for fun. As long as she keeps her head on straight and does him right, I see no reason they can't be together."] The end of Gloria's sentence turned up in a smile.
["Hear that Lucy? You have his mother's blessing."] The green-haired gremlin danced in her seat, making Lucy sigh.
["Becca... why?"] Lucy cried, hiding her face.
["Rebecca, you cunning little shit."] Dorio shook her head, impressed. ["Hey Gloria."]
["Guilty and not sorry!"] Becca struck a pose, no shame to be found anywhere near her.
["Hey Dorio. Hello Lucy."]
["Hello Ms. Martinez."] The netrunner sighed, feeling defeated.
["Don't make it sound like I'm your executioner. I'm an unemployed mom stuck in a medical bed."]
["You have an Arasaka assassin at your beck and call. You don't need to off me yourself."] Lucy could feel the tears starting to sting at the back of her eyes.
["Are you being this meek and miserable for a reason?"] Gloria's voice was gentle and filled with motherly warmth.
["I dunno how to feel, I'm just... mixed up? I feel like I'm rushing into this, and I nearly got him killed, and-"] Her rambling was interrupted by Gloria laughing and gently shushing her.
["Sweetie, hush. The fact that you feel about as torn up as I am is enough to win me over."]
["What?"] Her emotions blanked, mouth hanging open.
["If you'd jumped into bed with my son for your own means or pleasure, I'd have no issue pulling myself from this bed and makin' you wish for V to hunt you instead. The fact that you're not only hesitating but thinking about him so much that Becca pulled this-"]
["Still not sorry."] The gremlin cut in, making a toast to the air before downing her drink.
["-That your friends would call me up about this to confirm, shows me that you care enough about him to be good for him. Not saying this will be 'till the end of time or whatever, but that in the here and now you can make each other happy."]
It was such a honest and sweet thing to say that Lucy forced herself to reboot so she could respond. ["I-I... Um... Thanks, Ms. Martinez."]
["Lucy, just go back to calling me Gloria. You're making me feel old on top of bored and lonely."]
["Sorry."] Her head tried to retreat into her shoulders, something Gloria seemed to sense.
["Stop apologizing too. If you want forgiveness from me, make my boy happy."]
["I will."]
["Good, I gotta hang up. The Gemini lady is back and I can't do two conversations at the same time."]
["Later Gloria! Visit you soon."]
["Please do. Goodbye."]
With that, Gloria ended the call, leaving the three women sitting at their table in silence. After a moment, Lucy opted to break it, hands pressed flat on the table in a show of restraint. "I should really hit you for that."
Becca looked at her with the most unconvincing frown she had ever seen. "That's an odd way to say thank you."
"I feel like its pulling teeth but... Thank you Rebecca." Lucy drawled after a long breath.
"No prob, What are chooms for?" She reached across the table and gently poked Lucy's hand back towards her drink. Beside her, Dorio just laughed.
"Next time can you skip the detes on how bad you want V's dick?"
"Not till he stops revving my engine, and fills me up instead." Becca mimed pumping CHOOH2 into a car, making both women shake their heads and roll their eyes.
"Why are we chooms?"
"'Cuz I'm awesome." Becca flagged down the server once again, and ordered up several appetizers and another round of drinks. Feeling lighter thanks to the efforts of her friends, the three of them sat around eating and trading jokes for awhile. Currently, Becca was regaling them with one of Pilar's latest antics when a rockerboy looking man showed up at their table. Dorio gave a nod, Lucy recognizing him as Dino Dinovik, the owner of the bar and one of the local fixers.
"Hello ladies." He greeted them with a smile. "I trust everything is well?"
"Well as it can be." Lucy answered, returning the smile.
"Good." Dino nodded, "though forgive me for interrupting, but I was hoping you ladies could help me out with something."
"Depends what it is." Dorio answered, taking the roll of leader.
"Got an offer for you." His eyes flicked to the empty space next to Lucy, wordlessly asking if he could sit. Lucy nodded her okay and he took a seat. "Look, know you've been working with V. Got a priority package that needs to be delivered to him tonight. Offering each of you ten k to take it to him."
"If it needs to be delivered tonight, why wait around?"
"Original runner got caught smuggling by the NCPD earlier." Dino shook his head, "was trying to find someone else to take the package to him. Then by sheer luck you three walked in."
"And what is in this package?" Dorio asked, her eyes on Dino the whole time.
"A modified Zetatach bombus that Rogue wanted me to acquire for V." He replied, "so what do you say?"
The three girls took a moment to discuss the job, with Becca calling V to confirm that he would be at the party. It wasn't like they had to go out of their way, and the extra eddies would be nice.
"Becca says to comp our tab in addition to the eddies and we'll do it." Dorio answered after a moment, and Dino nodded in agreement.
"Consider it done." The man smiled, sending each of them their eddies while summoning some of his grunts to bring him the case. Setting it on the table, he opened it to show off the basketball sized drone within. "Thanks again, really appreciate this."
"No problem." Dorio closed the case and the fixer dismissed himself with a nod. She waited until he was out of earshot before speaking with them again. "I don't know about you, but if we've got nothing else going on...Thinkin' we should just head over to Turbo's and hang out there."
"Do a little pre-gaming to waste time?" Becca smiled, finishing her drink.
"Isn't that what we've been doing?" Lucy questioned, eyes on the case.
"Nah, this was a 'drink and bitch' fest. Totally different than a pre-party." Though the case was roughly half her size, Becca picked it up with ease. "Say, not that I mind carrying this thing, but did anyone bring a car? Pilar dropped me off so he could have some 'alone time'. Sooner we get to Turbo's, sooner we can unload this thing and get back to the fun."
"I took the train, sorry." Dorio answered. "Could call Falco to get us?"
"Don't worry. Brought the Colby." Lucy answered, thankful that she had opted to drive over. "Though, would one of you mind driving? Feeling a little tipsy."
"Sure, I got you." The blond motioned to the door, and the two followed behind. Becca hopped into the bed, allowing Lucy to sit on the passenger's side with the drone. Shortly after they started driving, Lucy opened up the case and started tinkering with the drone. Seeing her actions, Becca poked her head inside the cab.
"What are you doin'?"
"Just installing a little tracker program. Nothing major or anything that will interfere with how it works." She answered, uploading the program.
"Why?" Dorio glanced over quickly, before looking back at the road.
"Just want to know what he does with it..." The netrunner sighed as the program finished uploading. "Or if he's got it anywhere near me." She admitted as Becca gave a hum of agreement and Dorio nodded. Knowing they wouldn't say anything about her additions, she closed the case and opted to just relax the rest of the way.
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By the time Lucy and the girls arrived at Turbo's, it seemed the party had already started. Three portable food stalls had been set up outside, along with a handful of tables and chairs. A DJ had been hired as well, and was currently playing some techno song or another as he adjusted his equipment. Various patrons and people off the street were stopping by, checking out everything or staying and enjoying the music.
"Think any of the others are here already?" Becca questioned, hopping out of the truck's bed.
"Maine says he's finishing up something, but will be here sometime within the next hour." Dorio offered as she and Lucy climbed out of the Colby, the drone safely locked up inside. "Any word from the others?"
"Just messaged Kiwi. Says she and Falco are on their way." Lucy added as plainly as she could manage. "Please don't let her have told anyone else...or let her have gotten the pictures." She would have wished and prayed more, but was interrupted by a long and skinny arm being draped around her shoulders.
"Hey hey! There you are!" Pilar's voice was suddenly in her ear, and she turned to see the techie's head made an appearance between her and Dorio and that his arms were around the two. "Welcome to the party! Grab some drinks, grab some grub and relax." He pointed at two of the stalls, before noticing Becca had a kebab in one hand and a drink in the other. "See? Becca's got the right idea! You go sis!"
A muffled hell yeah was Becca's reply as a chunk of whatever was on her kebab vanished into her mouth. With a loud gulp, she swallowed whatever she had eaten and nodded. "Boss man really went all out for this gig, huh?"
"Can you blame him?" Pilar raised his arms and stepped away from the girls, spinning slightly to encompass the scene before the diner. "This recent gig went off without a hitch. Plus, we got all those preem extras. 'Bout time we celebrated properly."
"Either that or we just got lucky and a party was already planned and we're crashing it." There was a tiny smile on Dorio's face as her eyes briefly lit up as she sent a message.
"Does it matter?" Another bite of kebab punctuated Becca's question. "I'm with Pilar, let's party! But first...You better not have beaten my high scores while I was gone." The green-haired girl ran inside the diner, brother hot on her heels. Lucy and Dorio both laughed, before deciding to check things out for themselves. The two of them had grabbed one of the tables, sharing some kebabs and drinks when Falco and Kiwi had arrived. They had greeted their friends warmly, helping themselves to the food and just talking about whatever. When V arrived with David and Jackie in tow, Dorio excused herself from the table and delivered the drone while Lucy hung back, observing.
"Thanks Dorio." V accepted the drone, setting the case on the roof of his car. "'Preciate you doing this."
"Eh, no big deal." She gave a nod, eyes drifting from V to where Maine's car had just rolled up.
"What's all this?" Maine hopped out of his Quadra, a small cooler in his hands. "Wasn't expecting a such big crowd."
"May have greased a few hands at the NCPD and spoke with the owner about turning your little get together into a full-on block party." V was giving his plastic smile, going around to the back of his van as he started removing additional drone cases from the back. "Eh, figured you guys deserved it...Plus, wanted to celebrate David's first successful gig."
"Makes sense." Maine nodded his agreement, before holding up the cooler. "Though don't think I'm sharing these with the rest of the crowd. This is for the crew only."
"What's in there?" David looked at the cooler.
Dorio tapped the cooler. "Let me guess, a dozen of those frozen hockey pucks you like so much?"
"Not exactly." He motioned with his head for her to open it, and smiled as Dorio's eyes widened. "They are in the sense they're the frozen burgers, but these are the 'ganic ones, not the synth kind."
"Maine bought the 'ganic burgers?" Pilar had come upon the group unheard by all, "fuck man! You get Dorio pregnant or something?"
"Pilar!" Both blonds exclaimed with varying levels of exasperation and embarrassment.
"I was just tryin' to be nice." He closed the cooler, shaking his head as Pilar laughed and crawled away on his fingers, making everyone who saw laugh. "Dory? You mind getting the portable grill from the car?"
"Well, while I appreciate the offer of 'ganic burgers...I see a taco truck that has my name on it. Been cravin' something spicy with the coolness of sour cream."Jackie wiggled his fingers and moved towards a food truck that had set itself up just outside the parking lot of Turbo's.
"Just make sure its not the 'ganic stuff." V called, ignoring Jackie's reply of flipping him off.
"Wait, not 'ganic?" David's eyes went from Jackie back to V.
"Don't tell him I told you this, but Jack can't handle the organic stuff." The suit's eyes looked around conspiratorially, "in his words, gives him 'the sour creamy shits'."
Lucy felt her heart stop a moment, unease building fast, as she heard both V and David share a laugh. She wouldn't exactly call it a father-son bonding moment, but it was definitely something more than just two guys ripping on another choom. She didn't like it at all.
"Anyhow, go enjoy the party David." V gently nudged David towards the party, "sure the rest of the crew wants to see you."
"Uh, right." The boy nodded, "so what are you going to?"
"I'm gonna give the kids something to play with. Hey kids!" V called to a several of the kids, waving them over. "Want to play with some drones?"
It didn't escape Lucy's notice that the cases were all brand new. Fresh from the store... and all the exact same model as the one that had been delivered earlier.
Lucy raised an eyebrow as the kids cheered and ran to V. She watched as he showed some of them how to pilot the drones before handing off the controllers. "Just keep them within a two-block radius alright?"
"What is he doing?" Lucy mumbled, noticing none of the drones was the modified one they had delivered.
"Hey Lucy, how'd things go with Kiwi?"
David's voice made her jump, and she turned to him, slightly red in the face. "Oh, uh...She had to cancel. Only found out after I left your place." Lucy bowed her head, one hand rubbing at her neck. "Speaking of, sorry I ran off this morning."
"It's okay." He smiled, motioning for her to walk with him. "Kind of glad you did because Jackie and V stopped by barely an hour after you left. Think it would have been awkward if they saw you at the apartment with me."
"G-given the circumstances? Yeah, that would have...made things, more awkward." The netrunner sighed, stopping beside one of the food stalls. Grabbing David's arm, she pulled him behind it, granting them a false sense of privacy.
"What do you mean?"
"Well...See for yourself." Lucy sent the pictures Gloria had taken, watching as David's face went from curious, to embarrassed, then to outright annoyed.
"Who...Who took these?"
"Jackie." Lucy looked to where the man was currently laughing with Falco over beside the taco truck.
"Shit. Didn't think Jackie could do sneaky." David commented, eyes following Lucy's.
"It's not so much that he was stealthy puppy, it's that you couldn't take your eyes off me." She whispered, causing David to shiver before he blushed. "Relax, I'm just teasing. I didn't see him either to be honest."
"Was that because...you were more focused...on me?" He asked hesitantly, trying to turn her words back on her. It was adorably awkward, and just further drove home how distracted the two had been with each other. Lucy almost cursed at how easy she suspected it had been for Jackie to get the pics without them noticing.
"Y-yeah." She admitted, turning away just slightly. "Guess we were, both distracted by each other."
"Heh, yeah. Still don't think that gives him the right to embarrass us like this though." Lucy couldn't hide her delight at the fact David had said 'us' instead of just him or her. She watched as David's eyes went from Jackie, to some of the kids, then to one of the carts providing drinks. "Excuse me a moment."
"What are you..." The netrunner got no further as David shushed her. She could only watch as he went over and talked with some of the kids not currently playing with the drones. Lucy heard them giggle before they ran off to get or do whatever David had just asked of them. His steps then took him to the vendor of the stall they were hiding behind, and after a brief discussion, was given a cup full of ice. Hiding it behind his back, he pointed at Jackie, silently telling her to watch.
"Jackie! Come on, play with us!" Lucy saw one of the younger kids David had talked to tugging on Jackie's arm.
"Yeah!" Another kid showed up, a basketball held in his hands and several other kids behind him.
"Shouldn't you kids play with someone your own size?" Jackie held his hands out to the side, allowing Lucy to see that the tallest of them only reached about half-way up Jackie's torso.
"Nah. We want you as a defender for our side." The kid holding the ball started to bounce it.
"Yeah. There's a group of older kids who keep harassing us when we play." Another chimed in, "we just want to even things out."
A chorus of yeah's sounded from the rest of the kids, making Jackie sigh. Lucy could see their words having an affect on the man, and after a moment, he nodded. "Alright, guess I can take a few minutes to shoot some hoops with you."
More cheers came from the kids as they swarmed around Jackie, the one with the basketball deciding to bounce it really hard in celebration. Lucy watched as the kid threw the ball down and slightly forward, so that it bounced up towards Jackie. Years of doing gigs in Night City had honed the man's reflexes, and his arms went up to catch the ball, leaving him momentarily defenseless. Apparently that was David's cue, and he dashed forward. In one swift motion, David had pulled back Jackie's pants and dumped the cup of ice down them. The ball fell from Jackie's hands as the kids, and David scattered.
"Hijo de puta que frio!" The big guy cursed, hopping around while shaking his legs, sending ice cubes scattering about. His actions sent everyone into a fit of laughter, more than one person taking their own photos or short videos of him.
"Ah, a thousand eddies well spent." David returned to Lucy's side, gently nudging her as Jackie continued to bitch and complain.
"You know he's probably going to kill for you for that."
"I know, but for now...Let's just enjoy the moment." He slipped an arm around Lucy's waist, holding her briefly as Jackie got the last few cubes out of his pants.
"Sobrino!?" Jackie's eyes locked onto him, and Lucy felt David stiffen as the big guy started running towards him.
"Oh shit!" It was David's turn to run as Jackie gave chase, with party-goers cheering and placing bets on the outcome. Lucy herself started laughing as Jackie managed to catch up to David and proceeded to pull him into a headlock and give him the noogie of a lifetime. Fortunately, David was saved by Maine calling the crew, and V, over for a 'special treat' of the organic burgers he had brought. Their boss had, kind of, gone all out and had 'lettuce', 'tomato', 'white onion', and 'cheese' product to top the burgers with.
The crew all sat around together, joking and laughing and enjoying each others company. That peace was shattered however when Pilar had stolen one of the burgers Maine had made for himself. Telling Dorio to keep an eye on his remaining food, he hoisted Pilar up by his belt and collar of his jacket and dragged him behind Turbo's. The only indication of what was happening being Pilar's cry of 'not again!' followed by the familiar sound of a human being forcibly shoved into a trash can. Grinning, Maine walked back to the crew, dusting his hands off as he returned to his seat next to Dorio.
"Let me guess. Trash can?" Dorio's eyes flicked to the diner as she handed Maine his plate, her own spare burger now resting on his.
"Trash can." He nodded, giving her a quick peck on the forehead as he realized what she had done.
"Do you mind? I'm trying to eat." Becca tried, and failed to look offended at the display of affection between the two.
"Like they're any worse than those two?" Kiwi gestured to where Lucy had set herself up with David.
"We're not that bad..." Lucy defended as she forced a frown, before laughing as she felt David's hand brush her own as they both reached for the bag of potato chips between them.
"Seriously, we're trying to eat!" Falco fixed the pair with a stern look, but there wasn't a lot of power behind it.
"Stuff it old man." David called, making Lucy laugh.
"You know he's not that old, right?" Lucy whispered, ignoring the cries coming from the others.
"I know, but it's fun to see his reaction." Another laugh escaped the boy, and Lucy found herself laughing along with them. Once their special crew dinner was complete, the group split again and took to enjoying the festivities. Much as she wanted to relax however, Lucy found she couldn't help but keep an eye on where V was. The corpo spy was always lingering on the outskirts of the party, and always at a point where he could easily disappear if he needed to. She told herself he was just being cautious, wanting to make sure that everyone was safe. But a part of her still argued that he was just playing a long con with her.
"Lucy! Come on, dance with us!" She was pulled out of her musings by Becca pulling on her arm, trying to drag her to the open area in front of the DJ's booth where several people were already dancing. The netrunner wanted to refuse, but the sight of Jackie and David trying, and failing, at dancing even with Pilar's coaching was enough to change her mind.
"Only if you know where we can find some dance chips for those two." She giggled, letting herself be pulled over to David as the DJ started playing another up tempo song. The beat of the music, coupled with the friendly atmosphere, and David's complete lack of rythem was enough to make her forget her troubles for a time. They all came rushing back though once she noticed Faraday's car pulling up to the venue, bold as brass, the man waving for Maine to join him the moment he stepped from his overpriced luxury car. Lucy watched as her boss went to meet with the four-eyed fixer, catching sight of V finally letting his Bombus drone out of its case.
Suspicious of both suits, Lucy placed a hand on David's shoulder and excused herself.
"Where are you going?"
"Bathroom." She placed a hand on her stomach for effect. "Something's not sitting right with me. Be right back." With that, she turned on her heels and made her way inside Turbo's. Hiding herself in one of the stalls of the lady's room, she tapped into the drone she had tagged and smiled as she was treated to a bird's eye view of Maine and Faraday.
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Much as Lucy was weary of V's need of a modified observation drone, she had to give the man some credit with this one. V had had it outfitted with a full media set, granting it enhanced observation powers, as well as a directional mic to pick up sounds with startling clarity. And while she couldn't control where it went or how it moved, it was obvious that V knew what he was going when he'd occasionally change the altitude, height, or angle the drone was watching the pair. Though she couldn't see outside to see the other drones, there was little doubt in her mind that this was allowing V's drone to blend in with the others.
"Alright, let's see what we've got..." Though she knew she couldn't be seen or heard, Lucy found herself taking slow and steady breaths as if she was there.
Old habits took over fast, and she had to keep focus or else she might try and take over the controls and give herself away.
It wasn't long for V to find what he was looking for: a sweet-spot among the kid-controlled cloud of peepers. The modded-Bombus was soon in a jerky patrol pattern, but always with the camera and microphone swiveled to hear the pair it was observing.
"...Slimmed down a bit since I last saw you." Faraday gestured to Maine's arms. "New chrome?"
"Yeah. Had to downgrade or risk going cyberpsycho sooner than later." Maine flexed one of his arms, black skin shining under the streetlights.
"See you went with the blank model? How...frugal of you." The suit's tone was simultaneously mocking, yet sympathetic.
"Doc didn't have my color in stock." Maine answered, crossing his arms. "Got it on order though."
"I see..." The fixer gave a single nod. "Though now, that makes me curious. Custom orders for chrome and parts, new chrome. Saw those fancy new guns of your crew's, and the new trucks." He crossed his arms, "not to mention, this last job seemed to run a bit different too. Much more...calculated than your usual 'smash and grab' techniques."
"You're not the only one we do work for. Other fixers been sending us offers." Maine crossed his arms, "Wakako's been good to us, her eddies been even better. Before, we were making do with what we had. Now? Now we've all sorts of new things to play with. Gives us more options on how to handle gigs that are sent our way."
"I see." Lucy watched as Faraday's face shifted from curious to sour, all four of his eyes narrowing. "I do hope your loyalties aren't wavering."
"Look, your gigs have been good to us in the past. Thing is, this data retrieval job is the first one you've sent us on in a couple months." The blond man shook his head. "And thing about that is we've all got bills to pay, mouths to feed, and chrome to keep shiny. Short answer – we need more work, and if you're not providing it, we have to find it elsewhere."
Faraday noticeably bristled at that, and Lucy had to admit that Maine had a point. Her pick-socketing hadn't just been for the fun of it.
"Perhaps...Perhaps I had been a bit stingy with offering you and your crew jobs in the last few months." Much to Lucy's surprise, the man relented just slightly. "Tell me, what has our dear Lady of Westbrook had you doing these last few weeks?"
"Clearin' out scav dens and idiot bountry hunters that set up in her territory." Maine shrugged, as if it was the most obvious thing. Lucy watched as Faraday rubbed at his chin, studying the man before him before giving a reluctant nod.
"She has always been a bit overbearing when it comes to protecting what's hers..." He offered, one hand reaching into his pocket to remove a data shard case. "Anyhow, If you've not got anything going on right now as I've another gig to offer you."
"What's this?" Maine took the shard, but didn't slot it.
"Data on an Arasaka executive: Tanaka." The suit replied, and Maine slotted the shard. "I want you and your team to observe the man whenever possible. Twenty-thousand eddies for the crew to just sit back and watch him."
"Fuck no." Lucy realized belatedly that Maine had said it with her.
"Look, twenty k might cover one person doing a job like this, given that it would cut into the time they have for other gigs." Maine held up a hand, fingers curling as if counting. "Even before my crew grew, that amount would have been spread thin between us. Twenty-two hundred even is all any of us stand to walk away with." Maine looked disgusted, "Not worth it unless we get a massive pay increase."
"Not worth it?" Faraday almost seemed offended, and Lucy found herself smiling. "You could all take turns, and have some of your other crew do other gigs."
"Uh huh. And who would be providing these other gigs that the rest of us would be doing in the meantime?" Maine pressed. "Because if its you...What's to prevent me from just taking one or more of those instead of this? Especially if they're more profitable."
Faraday's mouth briefly opened, then shut. While she hadn't been privy to many of the meetings between Maine and Faraday, she knew Maine usually accepted any job the man gave with little to no push back. It was clear that Faraday had expected that to be the case again, so the fact that his crew wasn't bending like they usually did was a point of contention.
"Whose to say they'd be more profitable?" Faraday answered. "I'd say they're more akin to...what's the polite word for it? Charitable donations? Of course, if you'd like to say you need charitable donations..."
Maine shook his head and let out a disbelieving chuckle. "Don't need your charity when I've got people offering me more for the same shit that'll take half the time."
The staring contest between the two continued, neither one seeming willing to bend to the demands of the other. Even if he wasn't her boss, Lucy was in full agreement with Maine's logic. Even the most basic netrunning gig would pay her share of what Faraday was offering for the larger job if not more. Faraday seemed to realize this about the same time she did, and relented.
"Alright, you've made your point." She both heard and saw him sigh, "is that twenty thousand enough for you and your crew to instead find the Arasaka facilities that the stolen data from your last gig leads to?"
"That's gonna depend on what that data leads us to." Maine shifted his weight just slightly, but didn't relax.
"Tanaka has a black site facility hidden somewhere in Night City, and it needs to be found. The dat-"
Before she could hear anymore of Maine and Faraday's conversation, something bumped her out of the feed. She tried to get back in, but while she could tell that the drone was still flying, she could no longer observe. Her first thought was that V realized she was peeping, and shut her out. That one thought filled her with dread, and she started shaking in the stall. "No. No..."
"Lucy?" She heard Kiwi's voice come from the other side of the stall, "you good?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah..." She flushed the toilet and fidgeted with her clothing. Opening the stall door, she was greeted with Kiwi staring blankly at her.
"You sure? You were in here for like, fifteen minutes and we were starting to get worried." Concern was perfectly balanced with amusement. "Look, there's only a handful of reasons why anyone spends that much time a bathroom. And since you're not a teenage boy, I'm guessing you're either not feeling well, or...You were up to something."
"Uh, Maine's cooking isn't agreeing with me?" Lucy did her best to scoot around Kiwi and moved to the sink where she began to wash her hands.
"Alright, so why didn't you answer my messages?"
Lucy cursed internally, she had seen the message icon, but had ignored it. She doubled down, "because it...was a big...movement? And I, didn't want to, expose anyone to it?"
"You know, you could try less insulting lies." The older woman handed her a paper towel. "What? I'd probably believe you more if you said you went to rub one out because you couldn't take being so close to Da-"
Lucy's hand had moved to cover Kiwi's mask, effectively muffling the older netrunner. "Let's just...get back to the party." She removed her hand, ignoring the look Kiwi was giving her as the two returned outside. Spying an open table, Kiwi bade Lucy to sit while she went to grab them a couple drinks. "So...What I miss? Anything exciting?" She asked as the blond took a seat next to her.
"Nothing more exciting that what you probably saw peeking through that drone...Oh don't look at me like that." Kiwi handed her one of the bottles. "Figured out what you were up to the moment I saw V send his drone up."
"So did you-?" Lucy felt the tightness in her chest start to loosen.
"Kick you out? Yeah, that was me." She took a drink, eyes dancing in amusement. "A cyberware shut down doesn't always need exploding equipment or short-outs you know."
"But why?"
"Because I know you. The longer you poke around anything Corpo, the more anxious you get." She gently reached over and poked her in the arm. "And I remember you telling me you've been sleeping better recently, and didn't want anything to ruin that."
"Shit. Tell me next time you're gonna do something like that, will ya?" The tension Lucy felt at the situation had disappeared, replaced by a minor sense of annoyance.
"I did, but somebody ignored my messages." Kiwi winked, and Lucy took that moment to read them. Sure enough, the last one was Kiwi warning her that she was going to shut her out if she didn't come out in two minutes. Feeling just the faintest heat in her cheeks, Lucy apologized before going to get them another round. She returned to the table, seeing that David had joined Kiwi and was currently laughing at something the woman had said.
"So wait, you really hacked into the system just to get a free cup of coffee?"
"It was owed to me, I had the points on my card but..." Kiwi shrugged as Lucy returned to the table, drinks in hand. She set one of them before Kiwi, taking the other for herself as she sat down beside David. Lucy had just taken a drink when Kiwi asked a question to David that made her cough. "So, seen any good movies lately?"
"Yeah, Lucy and me watched a few last night actually." David looked over at Lucy, smiling. "Speaking of, know you had to cancel your plans, so sorry if it's my fault."
"Don't worry about it." Kiwi waved away his apology. "I'm just glad you and Lucy had fun with your movie night. She must have been worn out from it to have slept so long."
"Well, we did sit through, what? Three movies?" There was the faintest hint of color on David's cheeks as Lucy nodded, hoping he'd leave it at that.
"What movies?" The blond leaned in slightly, eyes going between the two to see their reactions.
"One-Eyed Jacks, Crime and Punishment and Zombies, and Some Like It Hot, the twenty-seventies remake." He paused, "though we only got about two-thirds of the way through that one before..."
"Before what?" Kiwi pressed, leaning forward slightly. By the way her eyes were shining, Lucy knew she knew what part of the movie David's mention of time lined up with.
"Before we...Got distracted." He answered, catching the look Lucy was giving him just a second too late. "I mean-"
"Distracted by what?" Kiwi wasn't buying it, the height of her eyebrow a clear indicator of her thoughts on the situation.
"I mean, I got distracted telling the story...We fell asleep." David stammered, trying to steer the conversation away from the truth.
"Oh, just admit you two went from watching the movie to watching each other." The older netrunner prodded, poking David in the arm a few times. David tried to argue that all they did was sleep, but Kiwi's banter was starting to get to him and Lucy could see him starting to flush. Lucy looked away then, noticing V's eyes were focused on the two of them. While to anyone else, V might have looked bored, Lucy could see the slight furrowing of the suit's eyebrows. A sign she learned meant V was starting to be annoyed. Having seen V's expression, and knowing the photos had probably made the rounds by now, an idea formed in Lucy's head and she acted on it.
"David, give it up." Lucy set her bottle aside, one arm wrapping around David's shoulders. "They've all seen the photos, and were bound to find out about us soon anyways."
"W-Wait, do you mean...Us?" David's face was now red, but there was a delighted smile on his face as he pointed between them.
"Yes, I do." Lucy didn't give him a chance to respond, and instead pulled him in for a kiss. She kept her eyes open long enough to see the shock on David's face before closing them as she felt his arms wrap around her as he returned the kiss. Cheers erupted from all sides, and she could hear both Maine and Jackie making comments about they didn't think David had it in him.
Opening her eyes as they broke away, Lucy found her gaze going back to V. The suit was now looking massively irked, and there was little doubt in Lucy's mind that he was annoyed by David picking her over anything else. The thought made her smile, and as David pulled her closer, she felt V's gaze fully upon her.
Still feeling bold, Lucy looked V in the eyes and mouthed a simple and easily understood message. "He's mine."
Though V's expression narrowed even further, Lucy didn't feel as threatened by it as she would usually. Instead, she did her best to move closer to David, savoring her victory while she could.