Where is that simpsons meme. "Can you kids lighten up a little!

Salutes

Got it boss

But basically Hiromi turned 15 this year already. (I didn't do a B day for her which sucks.)

Yoink

If Hiromi's mother acted even half as affectionate as Gloria Martinez, Hiromi was sure she would have died in embarrassment.

Yoink
Well, I did want to give the writing thing a go again after so long.

Cue scene after David and Hiromi omake friendship arc in background

Martinez Family Cooperation

She had no idea what she was doing here right now. Well, no she did but...ughh. Gloria Martinez shouldn't be so persuasive.

Might as well get this over with.

She knocked on the door - actually knocked, thing didn't even have a doorbell - and she had just lowered her fist when it opened to a somewhat glowering David Martinez looking down at her.

"You're almost late."

She looked down at him and just because she could and felt like it she wrinkled her nose at him. "My timetable is different from yours, I'll remind you."

The ass very visibly rolled his eyes at her.

"Right, executive time."

"See, you can-" Her smile dimmed when he just shut his apartment door behind him and after a few steps turned to look at her without bothering to hide his amusement.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"C'mon Hiromi."

"What do you mean c'mon?" She protested even if she started to walk alongside him at a much slower pace.

"Time for your surprise."

Hiromi was surrounded by gonks.

"You have got to be kidding."

Hiromi glowered at the storefront, a two story thing that needed to be renovated some thirty years ago, even if the sign did seem newer-

"Quit snickering, David!"

He did not stop. She could still hear it even though he raised his hand to his mouth. As knew it wouldn't do anything.

"You were so freaked out."

"I was not!"

A raised eyebrow was her answer and she could feel the organic skin on her cheeks heating up just the slightest.

She decided to change her approach to making him realize how utterly stupid the thing they just did was. "You made me walk through- Quit it!"

"Yeah, lets." He agreed easily, amusement still absolutely present on his face and the ass even stopped his token gesture to hide it, making it plain to see as he opened the door, "C'mon choom. We're gonna be late if you don't get your corpo princess' ass inside."

"I'm not a corpo princess."

"Middle management princess if you want to be prissy about things, still counts."

She finally let loose the slap on his back she had wanted to give him starting near an hour ago when he made her walk through these unsafe, unknown streets instead of taking her fast, safe, Kusanagi to get her to a clothing store of all damn things.

Hiromi drew satisfaction that he was trying to very visibly not twitch at the impact.

Bioware was the best, she decided then and there.

A chuckle broke her attention, and she decided to beat her self up later for those slip ups as well as her lack of attention as her eyes snapped towards the front to see a very amused looking woman leaning against the counter.

"This the girl you warned me about David?"

"The very one Sofia."

She shrugged before straightening herself, the admittedly decent dress she had on doing the same as she opened the security door and waved him in.

"Your's is the left, hers the right." She called as she began picking tapping away at a pad.

Wait.

"What do you mean, mine?"

David's smile returned.

"This is so stupid."

"No please," Sofia muttered as she put another pin into the fabric on her form, "Say some more to the person who has the pointy objects in her hands."

"I could be armored you know."

"Ah, then I guess I don't need to be as careful?"

Truce

"I just meant I have plenty of dresses."

"Neo-militirism, gang-chic and those monstrosity of Neo-Kitsch you likely have ain't gonna track for this, Hiromi."

She turned to David as he stepped out of his own dressing room and had to pause as she looked him over.

"You? In formalware?"

His eyes narrowed at her while she took him in with a raised brow. It seemed something distinctly traditional at the base, though then updated and modernized. Black, with a red sash and accents of gold meshed well with the secondary whites present. His slicked back hair was a nice touch.

What was it called? She was sure she had seen photos about it before.

"I can dress up."

She ignored his pointed tone, the implication and everything there. "You can, sure. But when do you ever?"

His pause was brief before he let out a snort.

"You're seeing it now aren't you?"

"But why?"

He looked at her like she was an idiot.

"And then you call me uncultured."

The pinch he received from Sofia earned her a big tip in her opinion. Whenever this whatever thing finished anyway.

Wait, when had she finished with her and gotten up?

"Stop with the teasing and double speak." The older woman, though younger than Gloria so she was probably just outside of university, finally took charge after concentrating so hard and being quiet. "Aren't you a son of Santo? Just clue her in."

Saying so she gathered up her materials, measurements and the pad where they had looked through options before leaving them alone with one last raised eyebrow towards the now seated David.

"You know how you mentioned the last time we met up that you couldn't celebrate your birthday?"

"Vaguely." She started looking around for her own seat, around the scanner since she could now move. "And not quite accurate."

A frown was her response which she ignored as he stood up again and gestured to a seat that he had taken from outside her viewpoint.

"Vaguely, huh?"

She ignored that too. Not everyone put importance on such little things.

"Anyways," he continued after her glance at him, "Mom decided to throw you a Quinceañera."

He shrugged, stepping away from the chair and back into his own seat.

"Thought it would be blindingly obvious by now."

Why did that term feel so familiar?

"Hiromi." He began slowly, in response at what she imagined was noticing something on her face. "It's a very important fifteenth birthday party."

...What?

"...What?"

The sigh he let out made her want to smack him again. She decided to try to surpres-ignore the other reactions wanting to explode out right now.

"Friend calmed down now?"

"I'm justified!"

"Uh-huh." Fucking Martinez said distractedly, his eyes glowing as he fiddled with his agent.

"Well, how would you like to be ambushed about cultural things you don't know about!"

"Hiromi, we go to the same school. We get the same general cultural and sociological classes before the more advanced ones are lockdown on the credit system."

She did not fidget at that reminder. "Shut up!"

Nailed it.

Giggling reached her ears behind her, were the two little girls introduced as the woman's younger cousins (who were cousins themselves they added) fiddled with her hair as they put it up into twin buns.

"You speak funny."

She was just about done with everything.

"You switched to Japanese Hiromi."

It seemed David finally grew a missing part of his brain and figured he should actually explain things to his frie- to her.

"They don't have the translation soft. it sounds weird to them."

"...They should get it." She grumbled under her breath, "It's basics."

"It's expensive." He shrugged, seemingly unconcerned as he looked over her finished dress. She had to admit, given were she was and the somewhat simple materials, it did look pretty nice with it's neon green and silver-white accents.

"You have it." She muttered distractedly. At least she got to choose the design too, somewhat. Before her words caught up with her and she breathed in somewhat softly.

"Arasaka Academy straaight A, near top student."

She let it out slowly and relaxedly.

Then she blinked.

"You learned it?"

His answering shrug was more smug this time, as was his smile. It was starting to piss her off even if a tiny part of her was feeling just a tinier part more relieved than at the alternative.

"Do or die Mitsunashi."

Why did the people she was closest to had to be so fucking confusing?

"Thanks!" Chorused three voices, two younger and decidedly much cuter than the older one. Though she had nice purring quality to it which was also nice in it's own way. "Come back soon!"

"Cars almost here."

She turned towards David as his eyes stopped glowing gold, the color standing out more in the approaching twilight and with his predominantly black attire.

"What," she made sure to put a bit of bite to her words, "No walking this time?"

Fucker took her words like water sliding off a condo's glass view. She idly wondered if it would be better if he behaved like her minions would when she used that tone with them before dismissing the thought.

He was finally going to be reasonable after all.

"Alright, get it out your system now," he sighed at her, like she was being difficult on purpose or something, "Should be fine by the time we arrive if you get it off your chest now and not ruin your 'preem party."

Oh she would let him have it.

"How much debt are you both in for this?"

Start slow Hiromi, basics of basics. Just a probing touch.

He should also stop smiling. It was so not going to help him against her wrath from him. "None."

"...None?"

"Made a bit of a profit, actually."

She really glared at him then. "David."

"I'm not lying to you." The punk latino ass matched her glare.

She narrowed her eyes even further.

He broke his gaze first, taking a deep breath in as he brought his fingers up to his temples. His eyes glowed gold and she finally broke her gaze away to see what he had sent her.

She blinked.

Then she blinked twice more. "...How?"

"Very carefully." The gonk sassed back, making his tone deliberately slow and annoying.

She ignored it in favor of her continued perusal at the rather well put together report. It was impressive, detailed and had links and backlinks for ease of use a plenty, that made it a breeze to breakdown how Gloria and he planned all this.

"...Why the hell aren't your reports to me like this!?"

"The hell would I do that for? The basics are fine?"

"Idiot!" Then she continued just because, "Supreme Idiot! Monstrous idiot!"

Her finger rose up, even as she somewhat noted childish laugher in the background, and stabbed into his chest.

"Do you know how much more efficient things would be in Section 9 with reports like this?"

She very generously on her part didn't smack his head back upright when he tilted it at her. Choom had to stop spending so much time with that Netrunner that was one step away from modding in some cat exotics.

"Well, yeah?" He huffed at her, ignoring her twitching eye, "That's why I do it like this?"

"You so do not." She huffed back at him, crossing her arms carefully, "These don't look anything like your usual reports."

"To you, you mean." He responded back breezily. He turned back to wave goodbye at the storefront letting her see the back at his clothes had some rather nice embroidered design before his words hit her.

"Bitch."

His smile was all pretty white teeth as he opened the car door for her.

"...You sure it won't be a problem?" She finally said after a few minutes, the closest to a peace offering she was willing to magnanimously give.

His answering smile was softer this time and someone save her from moody latinos.

"Saw the charts, right?"

"You've sure come a long way." She could acknowledge that, at least.

He hummed. "Thanks to you and Sec 9, yeah."

Stupid car needed to get the climate control looked at.

"Well, yeah." She carefully leaned her chin on her fingers, careful to not touch her face. "At least you stopped behaving like a moody creeper."

"..A what?"

She giggled at the memory and then harder at his face.

"When you were selling BD's on your own!"

He wrinkled his nose at her, that was new, before his familiar narrowed eyes took over.

"I was being careful!"

"It's a business," she began slowly, "Inside Arasaka Academy."

Her amusement continued, even when he snorted at her.

"Easy for you to say."

She blinked. "What's that supposed to mean."

"Those are technically illegal goods."

"Barely." She continued at his brief silence, "It's not like you would have been severely reprimanded or punished."

"Says you."

"Yes," she began, then added a bit more strongly, "and common sense."

He smiled at her again, though emptier this time, "So it wouldn't have been used as a justification for the first gonks bad day excuse to destress? Or just whatever staff finally wanted to get rid off the stain on Arasaka's pristine halls? Or whatever similar scenario?"

"...You're exaggerating."

His face was a play of contrasts. His still empty smile highlighted by a passing streetlight.

"Maybe," he shrugged, "Maybe not."

"Katsuo and his little goons could have done it and never did."

His answer was quick, "And loose a convenient punching bag?"

"He's got no respect of his own or just barely." She dismissed easily, waving the fingers of her free hand to emphasize her words, "The lackeys of someone like that even worse."

David's eyebrow raised and she got the feeling he wasn't impressed which was hilarious since that should be her at this nonsense.

"So you're saying I would survive whatever little sociopaths reprisal whether targeted or afterthought to a bad day?"

"...You're not the only scholarship student. Hell, you're the one with the best grades among them."

His chuckle was amused. Amused yet still empty of something that was usually present in them.

"Just the smarts to go against corpo curicculum made for kids with tutors, chips, mods and managing to win the grades despite everything. Win the grades but not the acknowledgement of the efforts and results, year after year. Win but no connections after trying. No connections and even fewer eddies." His smile gained something then, even if a decidedly ugly one. "The true currencies of corps and thus no future."

She flinched visibly at that, remembering her thoughts oh so long ago or that's what it seemed.

"...It's different now," she tried again, trying to salvage the happy confusing hours, "You have those and more. By that logic I would also take such a big hit."

"..."

Hiromi was almost afraid to ask, "What?"

She should have interrupted him after the sigh he let out.

"Says the legacy kid." There was no bite to his words, she almost wished there was.

"...I can fall too, y'know." She said, in the too quiet car.

A brief nod was given to her. She still didn't feel the happiness that was present from before come back. "As easily or as hard, or so quickly to internal forces? Is it still the same? Which is the better scapegoat?"

She had no answer to that. Not one she could say as of this moment.

She blinked into focus again at the hand before her face. Looking up she saw David again, easy smile on his face and directed at her once again, complete with an amused raised eyebrow.

"C'mon Choom," his fingers wriggled playfully and subconsciously she took his larger hand in her smaller one, allowing him to pull her up and out of the now stationary car, "We've got your party to get to."

"..."

Latino asshole just rolled his eyes at her.

"Our circumstances are different." He began as he thrust his arm out at her, "Nothing to do about that. Just the way of the world, no man or woman is created equal in small or big ways."

"...Aren't you Catholic?" She joked back, her shoulders relaxing since they got talking in the car.

His reply came easy as he led her to the doors painted a wooden color. Gloria's influence, she was sure it was her education, was shining through as he kept pace with her easily despite their noticable height difference even if he wasn't so much taller overall.

The light seeping out from the floor gave her a clue to the warm golden color inside, "We are all equal under God's eyes and judgement but not to the eyes and judgements of men."

She squeezed his bicep in amusement, accompanying smile blooming on her face.

"There's that top student in lit and culture."

He just smirked at her, his eyes briefly going gold as he sent a message, while she looked around.

"Hey, David?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are we?"

"Valentino, territory."

Yeah, that made sense.

She blinked. Then blinked again and missed her next breath.

All while David Fucking Martinez chuckled, even if she knew he was laughing decidedly harder in the inside, while she tried to get her breathing under control-

The doors opened automatically inwards and the first thing she heard was the sound of trumpets that started up, greeting her while her eyes adjusted to the bright light spilling out.

"Nailed it." The ass next to her spoke, and he was spared from reprisal only because she could finally focus around the bright light. Violin and guitars starting up joined the trumpets, all from an elaborately dressed up live band present further in.

Then she saw Gloria Martinez all dolled up, all rested and all smiles. Looking like a vision in her semi flowy yellow dress, she would probably have to run interference along with David throughout the night.

"Hiromi!" She greeted her with open arms, which quickly closed around her in a hug.

She was already feeling warm from the establishment, being pulled further into it while Gloria gave her a kiss on each cheek didn't help. Should have chosen another fabric.

"You look so pretty! Doesn't she David?"

"Sure does, mama."

"Hello, mama Martinez." She interrupted the mother son duo, and up close like this all dressed up she could see where David had gotten his looks from.

"Feliz cumpleaños, mija." She laughed, hands giving a small pat on her cheeks followed by delicately cradling her face, smile turning soft on her face as she focused on her.

"Here," She began, rummaging in a little bag before pulling something out and bringing it up to her face and onto her cheeks. "That's better."

She blinked and then blinked again as David's pic reached her, showing the neon whiskers added delicately and surprisingly artfully applied onto her dolled up face.

Mother-Son duo smiled at her and she wonder how they could be present in this world, in this city.

"Feliz Quinceañera Hiromi." Muttered Gloria as she stepped to the side and threaded her arms with her free one, giving her an nice feeling squeeze.

"Feliz Quinceañera, Hiromi." David echoed, smile and gesture and all.

Her smile was strange, she didn't think she ever felt it like that. She wondered what she looked like right now?

"...I don't know anyone here?"

Gloria's laugh was bright and David's hand patting her own was amused.

"We'll introduce you! We met a few of them just some days ago too!"

Epilogue

"Ready for your presents, Mitsunashi?"

"...What?" She blinked at David, focusing on his neon painted cheeks mirroring her own, painted by her hand. She had probably heard him wrong through the haze of her spirits riddled brain.

"Your presents, from me." He repeated again, chuckling as he shifted his arm from where she was leaning against him to wrap around her shoulders and neck being careful of the necklaces that were hung there in varying tonalities of gold that some of the Valentino and not Valentino but obviously latino girls present had draped around her to 'find her color'.

"...I'm already at the party?" She blinked around again, seeing it still going on if with the tiniest bit less intensity and more teenage and childish painted faces full of whiskers in varying colors.

Man were those spirits Gloria dropped off strong. She had been kind of offended when she had set down a tray filled with a least a half a dozen shot glasses before telling David with a wink to teach her to drink them and 'help her find her preferred poison'.

She then went to get more before later sitting down and joining, offering her own tips and commentary.

The lemons were more surprising. Like actual, fucking 'ganic, lemons. She had stared at the two bewildered as they laughed their nice warm laughs and David has whispered to her jokingly.

You should know better than thinking Night City didn't have secrets to discover.

Fucking gonk. Normally Night Citys' secrets were it to them to find actual harmless nice secrets.

"This is your party Hiromi." David, interrupted her thoughts, his eyes glowing gold as a file was transferred her way.

She blinked, then blinked again into focus while David shoved a glass of Realwater in her hand.

"A contract?"

"Umm-Hmm." Her gonk friend nodded in affirmative against her head and she didn't swat him away if only because she knew her twin buns were already kinda messy. She still looked good, as a quick pic check she did a half an hour ago with him showed, so she figured she could go for bit of partygirl-chic right now.

It was her party anyways, heh.

She set her empty glass down and she was glad she had done so and already swallowed as she reached the end.

"A Danger Gal contract!" She was proud how she managed to keep that down to just the two of them. "How?!"

"Dumb fucking luck, choom."

"No shit."

He snorted and pressed another glass of Realwater into her hand that he had personally poured from a sealed bottle.

"It's just a publicity contract. Some pics together, wearing some merch, the like."

"This is still Danger Gal David!" She set her glass down, "It's an old company with a rep that has some ties to Aras- what?"

David looked amused, too amused even.

"Not hitting you yet?"

"The hell are you on, choom?"

"Page 13."

She blinked at him then narrowed her eyes at him, was he messing with her?

"It's a standard contract? We have to abide by some of her terms but that's normal?"

His smile turned brilliant and she didn't listen to the thoughts that told her to smack him because it was entirely friendly. Even when he pressed his finger up against her nose as he leaned further forward.

Wait, scop for brain was using his middle finger! She might just actually-

"Motoko with cat ears."

"...What?"

"Motoko," he began slower this time, tiny flick of her nose ignored in favor of keeping her sweltering cheeks under control, "With Cat ears and Danger Gal accessories."

He hummed purposefully, the wonderful ass. "Might even give her a tail?"

She had just the response to that but it was interrupted as the person in question messaged her.

Motoko ❤️: Hiromi! How come you didn't tell me your birthday passed! You know I don't remember this stuff! I'll throw you a supernova party and pick the best presents!

"I thought you said a party wasn't a present." She uttered instead as she leaned her flaming face into his cologned chest.

"This party isn't." David said and his words rumbled in her ears even if he was a scrawny latino teen that was still filling out with mcusle from Section 9 training, "Neither will that party be. You'll get more of them there."

"You're alright Martinez." She peeked one eye up at him, her hands accepting a shot glass as she positioned her hand so he could put some synth salt onto the side and an actual fucking organic lemon wedge into her fingers.

"Right back at you Mitsunashi."

She smiled at him then, open and free with a lemon wedge still clamped in between her teeth while she threw him a peace sign.

My Hiromi & David friendship omake got out of hand.

Notes

- Yoink, grabs Motoko Kusanagi Catgirl pic

- I tried to go fo a more: Look at Hiromi's actions rather than her words approach, kinda inspired by the lastest chapter and Nova Hunter's Omake

- Naturally, background things have happened and advanced, like David having Eddie's and contacts. So much so that Gloria can actually take days off.

- Tried to also go for a more community approach thing said to be common among Valentino's and present in RL South and Central American Cultures. Same with physical platonic affection at the end.

- Naturally, it's more like it's in Valentino turf, there may be some Valentino present but it's a majority latino (like 80%) with others there. They're all there for the fancy block party. The contacts alternate David developed due to section 9 work and whatever let it happen and the convoluted fetch quest and interchange of favors let it happen at a profit (monetary or otherwise).

- If it makes it easier it's more like that one sixth street quest, they let you participate even if they then say it's back to business

- I think I may have gotten Hiromi's 'Voice' somewhat accurate? Alt David with a friendship with Hiromi too though I admit it's been sometime since I last watched Edgerunners

- Don't think too much, just let the friendship flow.