#vik vector x self

[thatfanficgurl]

God I'm so fucking exhausted this week but Vik keeps looking at me like I'm a million eddies.

[wastedyouth-wasteddreams]

This insane piece by @pointdotiozao

I just love it so much...I've already ordered another

[cynical-sprite]

Cyberpunk 2077 Preferences: How They React When They're Sexually Frustrated With You

Johnny Silverhand- You'd be able to tell immediately when Johnny is sexually frustrated. He'd be even more moody than usual, snapping at just about everyone and everything; everyone else would definitely notice as well. He'd want you close to him all the time, constantly touching you and pulling you close to him. When you point out his behavior, he certainly won't deny it, and he'll probably tease you, suggestively saying that it's your fault and that you should do something about it. He'll purposely annoy you until you finally give in, letting him pull you close to feel his hard cock, hands all over you as he whispers in your ear about how hard you've got him and all the things he wants to do to you.

Viktor Vektor- Viktor is very subtle about it, doing his best not to show it; it's only small details that give him away, and though others might notice him acting a little odd, you'll probably be the only one to figure out the reason for his behavior. He'll be a little less his usual patient self, getting irritated at things he wouldn't normally. Normally he enjoys his work, but, he wouldn't be in the mood to see any patients and he'd come up with excuses to get you to stay around the clinic with him. He'd probably try and distract himself by watching boxing, but he would often shift around in his chair and he'd yell a little louder than usual at the TV. When you'd point out his his behavior, he'd get a little flustered and brush it off, coming up with an excuse. As you'd kiss him and run a hand up his thigh, he'd sigh, melting into your touch and admitting you were right about the reason for his behavior.

Goro Takemura- Takemura would be even more intense and brooding than usual. He'd glare at just about anyone who dares to even look in his direction, and he'd grumble and complain about everything as he'd be more irritable. He wouldn't want to be around anyone besides you, making excuses as to why he needs you around while going out of his way to avoid everyone else. When you'd point out his behavior, he'd get flustered and deny it vehemently, insisting that it's ridiculous for you to even suggest such a thing. But, when you pull him close and kiss him, he melts into your touch, kissing you back a little more roughly than usual, confirming you were right about his behavior.

@werewolfgirl1995

[uchihashisuii]

Viktor Vector/Female V spanking

blame the vik thirst squad for this

it’s very short and VERY self-indulgent

(Recommended Listening: Use Me by PVRIS)

Read it on Ao3 here!

enjoy! x

.....

The room is swathed in the colours of dusk; blue and purple and orange combined with the reflection of neons through the open window. The sounds of traffic far below can be heard, no louder than V's labored breathing.

Her panties are already drenched, and they'd barely begun. V is laying across Vik's lap, stomach against his thighs and her nails digging into his jeans. The gooseflesh bumping across her naked skin is a heady contrast against him, still fully clothed as his hand roams over the curve of her ass. V's jaw is clenched hard enough to crack, the tension rolling off of her in waves. So far he'd only rubbed his hand across her, fingers refusing to delve where she needs him most; her cunt clenches at the thought, breath leaving her in a moan.

Vik only chuckles at her. "Need something?"

V laughs breathlessly, head hanging limply. "Yeah. Need you," she says in a whisper, flush bright on her face as she squirms in his lap, chasing his touch.

His hand comes down hard on her ass, making her jerk and gasp, thighs clenching together. He rubs the spot he spanked, shaking his head.

"Cant hear you, sweetheart."

V huffs out a breath, eyes falling shut as she swallows thickly. And stays silent.

Vik swats the other cheek, making her gasp his name. He waits before putting his hand gently over the mark, giving her plenty of time to fidget and pout before he eases his fingers over her, massaging the sore spot.

"Wanna try that again?" He asks, voice deeper and sounding impatient.

V bites down on her bottom lip, fingers digging harder into his leg. "I want you," she breathes, louder this time, "I need you, Vik."

He hums under his breath, nodding his head. "You think you deserve that, doll?" He moves his hand over her ass and down to her thigh, fingers curling just under her cunt. V stiffens at the barely-there touch, back arching as she pants. She's getting to her breaking point and they both know it, her thighs trembling even as she pushes them together, seeking any friction she can.

V swallows both the lump in her throat and her pride, wriggling her hips against him. "Please," she says, not recognizing her own longing voice, "please, Viktor."

Vik groans at that, grabbing a handful of her ass in thick fingers. He leans forward to press a kiss to her sweat-slicked back, making her sigh softly. "Good girl," he whispers against her skin before righting himself in the chair, pulling her panties off and down her legs. The moment she's naked V shivers, tossing her hair back and biting down on her bottom lip.

Vik runs his fingers slowly over her naked ass, her only warning a hitch in his breath before he spanks her, harder this time.

V arches her back, a small whimper passing her lips. "One," she counts, sounding as though she'd just run a mile. Vik rubs the spot tenderly, feeling his cock twitch at the sight of her reddened skin.

It goes on like this for minutes, maybe hours; all V knows is that she's drenched between her thighs, shaking and panting and writhing in his lap, tears springing in her eyes from the addictive mix of pleasure-pain, desperate for his touch where she needs it most.

By the time she counts twenty she's half-delirious, twitching at every breeze against her raw skin. She can feel Vik's cock against her stomach, hard and probably aching as much as she is, right now. His breathing is heavy, voice a near growl every time he croons sweetly to her how much of a good girl she's being, how well she takes it.

He's groaning softly when he curves his palm down the bottom of her ass, his fingers dipping finally, finally, between her folds. V shudders in his lap, moan sounding more like a sob as she grinds herself against him.

His fingers stroke over her cunt, rubbing slowly back and forth before delving deeper, tip of a finger reaching her clit. V feels her stomach clench as her vision goes white, throwing her head back. Vik pushes her hair over her shoulder, leaning down to bury his face against her crown as his free hand moves to hold her neck, squeezing gently.

She cant breathe; not from his hand, no, he'd never, but from the sheer eroticism of it all. Hand on her throat and the other stretched to hold her entire cunt in the palm of his hand, fingers brushing over her clit expertly. V takes in a shaky breath as her back arches, taut as a bow, cunt clenching hard on an aching emptiness -

His fingers work faster over that little bundle of nerves, pressing a kiss to her hair. "That's it, sweetheart. You did so well, beautiful - let go."

Her breathing stops completely as her thighs tighten around his fingers, everything coming to a complete standstill as she reaches the precipice. She's wound too tight, much too close already from all the build up. Vik's fingers circle her clit faster, and V -

V falls.

She comes with a hoarse scream, toes curling and eyes scrunched shut. Vik tightens his fingers on the sides of her throat, and it only heightens the feel of her thundering heart, the waves of pleasure breaking over her like a wave. There's a roaring in her ears as her hips twitch, chasing the friction his fingers offer. She can feel more than hear Vik's chuckle, whispering delicious words in her ear about how beautiful she is, coming apart in his hands like this.

V swallows down her moans as she goes limp, completely spent. Her throat feels scratchy and she's sure her legs are mostly numb. Her ass will be sore for the next few hours and she doesn't honestly believe she can stand.

Worth it, she thinks with a breathless chuckle.

[unluckyopossum]

I Need A Place I Can Rest- CH 2 

Viktor Vector x Fem!V

Vik wants to fix things for V more than anything. V just needs somewhere to feel safe.

This chapter romance is acquired by the two idiots who struggle to appropriately discuss feelings.

Read on AO3

A jarring electronic ding broke the silence in the cramped elevator lobby. Vik had been waiting, shuffling back and forth anxiously, for what felt like an eternity. Desperately hoping he was being led to V and not a pointless chase by his guide. His only company was the small hairless cat sitting patiently by his feet, occasionally looking up at him in a way that made Vik feel the cat knew more about his situation than even he did.

The lift doors finally creaked open and the ripper darted inside slamming the roof button as soon as it lit up, the doors closing slowly again behind him. As the elevator began it's achingly slow ascent he glanced down, surprised to see the cat again. He hadn't even noticed it come in, or move at all for that matter. Maybe the little guy was just as worried about V as he was, V always being one to give the alley cat a scratch and a snack. As he bent down to give his little helper a scratch on the head, he realized he hadn't even taken off his exo-glove in his rush. Taking a moment to finally pay attention to what he was wearing he felt he looked a little disheveled. Exo glove on, shirt loose from where v had grabbed it, sunglasses on in the dark; But V had seen him like that plenty of times, and there was no time to feel self conscious now. No time to worry about how V would feel about an old man confessing to her. An old washed up legend no one even remembered. The cat mowed again sounding almost stern. “Right, now or never, nothing to lose” he said aloud, clearly only for him .

Another ding sounded and the elevator groaned to a halt, shuddering slightly. The tightness in his chest and urgency with which he scaled the last flight of stairs to the open rooftop felt like his old boxing days. Entering the ring for a fight he wasn't prepared to win, but he hadn't backed down from any of those fights either. V was higher stakes than any of those matches had ever been, more important to him than his pride, that was for sure. Rounding the corner to Misty's special retreat he heard a familiar voice, but an unfamiliar sound coming from it.

A soft whimpering fluttered through the air, barely audible over the street noise below the building. Vik was halted in his tracks by the scene in front of him as he started to exit the stairwell. V sat in one of the red plastic porch chairs Misty had set up, staring at the roof edge in front of her, lips moving and occasionally gesturing to empty air. Red neon reflected off the tracks of moisture in lines down her cheeks. She hung her head, back hunching and shaking as the sounds of a few sobs escaping her lips. Before Vik was able to move forward her head lifted back up out of her hands and she looked back at the empty space at the edge of the railing.

" God I'm so fucking stupid Johnny, what if he hates me now, or thinks I'm dumb, and a waste of his time. Just some stupid gonk brained kid." her voice was shaky in a way he had never heard before. Even with all the injuries and pain she had shown up in at his clinic, her voice had always stayed steady. Even after the news of the relic… losing Jackie... he hadn't ever seen the merc cry.

" I know, I know, 'just grow a pair V, if not now when.'" she says in a deeper almost mocking tone.

" Well there's no way he is interested in me Johnny, that's why" an exasperated sigh escaped her, a frequent occurrence in her conversations with Silverhand.

" Well I at least wanted to be his friend for the little time I have left you ass, and I blew that too" between each sentence a pause hung that Vik could only assume was Silverhand’s response. Her voice seemed to be rising slowly as the conversation moved forward and the ripper didn't know if it was his place to interrupt them.

" Not everyone thinks like you Johnny, that only works in BDs and I highly doubt Vik would be into something like that"

Like what? … whatever the rocker was telling her he wasn't sure he wanted to know, but couldn't help but be curious.

" Look Johnny, you can tell me not to care what he thinks as much as you want but I can't help it, you know as well as I do how I feel about him and... fuck I just don't want him being disappointed in me "

Finally seeing a place to step in Vik stepped out from the stairwell overhang walking towards V, trying to convey confidence with his gait.

"Could never be disappointed in you sweetheart" he passed by the empty chair next to V, instead kneeling in front of the merc. Obscuring her view of Johnny if he had judged his location right, hoping to have her focus solely on himself. She sat lips just slightly parted, eyes wide in surprise ,and a startled sputter all she managed to respond with. Vik pushed his shades up on his head, wanting to see her without anything getting in the way.

" V your the strongest woman I have ever known, how do you think I could be disappointed in you" he smiled up at her, green eyes shining so bright she could almost see her reflection in them. His gloved hand came up to her knee giving her a gentle squeeze, one that could normally be taken as supportive or just for comfort if he had moved his hand after. But he didn't, he left it firmly in place, the skin under it felt surprisingly warm for the cool night city evening.

“Scared? now that I could be… not that it’s easy for me to say sweetheart. I don’t want to lose you V, and I didn’t want to put more weight on your shoulders by making you worry about my feelings.” his bare hand reached up to wipe the streaks of tears off her cheeks. It was hard to tell with only neon illuminating her but he thought they were a bit more flushed than they had been.

“Look V you clearly know I’m no good at this, and I’m real sorry about that. I’m going to do my best though and try not to fuck this up.

“ Vik what are you” She stuttered out trying to wrap her head around everything that was happening. Still stunned that the ripper had come after her at all after she had thrown what she considered to be a childish tantrum in the clinic.

“ First I need to apologize V. I know I was mad about Silverhand, maybe even jealous, but I didn’t need to take that out on you.”

Jealous… she caught onto that word, latched on even. She couldn’t quite grasp what Vik could possibly be jealous of Johnny for, the gonk was dead and stuck inside her head with a terrible personality. She didn’t even consider that it could be all the time Johnny got to spend with her, the quiet moments at night, even waking up and feeding the cat together.

“Not being able to fix this, well it kills me V. I just want to protect you, keep you safe and not being able to do that is harder than I ever could have thought. I thought not saying anything would be part of protecting you, making your life a little more simple when things were goin crazy. Looks like I was wrong though and I should have told you how I feel a while ago.”

A pained expression came over her face as it crumpled up with a loud sniffle from her. “Vik… I have wanted to say something for so long, but you shouldn’t… you should want to be with me.”

“V why, I know it’s not my strong suit but I want to listen. I know the two of us have had a hard time speakin about these things but now sure seems like the time” He had given her knee another squeeze and placed his free hand on her forearm resting in her lap. Partially because he just wanted to touch her, but also due to the look of cornered prey she had as the concept of having to share her feelings and be vulnerable for once. He hoped the touch would be some comfort and connect them in a way. That squeeze seemed to be the only thing needed to break down the floodgates as tears began to slowly run down her cheeks again as words started to tumble out of her mouth with barely a breath in between.

“ Vik we both know I’m basically living on borrowed time with my own body as a death bed, stuck in my own head as I lose myself, even though Johnny wants out. He’s the only one I can even talk to about all this because when I have tried to bring it up I can't make myself speak. I’m so scared of pushing you away Vik, so scared of telling you too much and you deciding you can’t be around me. Because who would want to be with someone who might be Johnny Silverhand at any moment. I’m so scared to love you Vik but it’s way too late for that, I want you so much, and it makes my heart hurt constantly because I try to keep away from you, which you know doesn’t last any time at all. Even in the worst times I have when all I can see is my own doom, I'm thinking about you Viktor Vector, and it's just not fair of me to put this on you. It’s fucked but I just want to spend the little time I have with you” She finished with another loud sniffle having to take time to catch her breath.

Vik took the pause as the perfect opportunity to stand and lean down to wrap his arms around the smaller woman. His impressive size may not have been as useful for his ripper work as it was for boxing, but her frame being completely enveloped in his arms made her immediately lose some of the tension she had in her. That he thought was more important than anything else.

“V you aren’t putting anything on me I don’t want, wish I had realized we felt the same way ages ago. I think I’m old enough to decide if it’s worth it to be together too, and for me it is V. It’s going to take way more than the relic to keep me from being into you V, but I’ve known that for a long time.”

He stepped back giving her a little space as he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed to admit how long he had wanted her and not said a word.

“ We’re going to figure this out V so you better count on that ‘little time you have left’ being a lot longer than you think.” A familiar smirk spread on his lips “ but if you’ll have this old man I’d spend every second with you that I can”

That finally got a smile to lift her wet cheeks as she stood to meet him, throwing her arms over his shoulders and around his neck. He head buried in his chest momentarily before looking up into his eyes, caught by them again, a frequent occurrence for her.

“ Vik you do know you aren’t even that old right? I mean just look at Johnny and Rouge, you don’t even want to know what Johnny tried to get up to with her… oh that was supposed to be private apparently.” Vik let out a deep chuckle, his hands moving into place on her hips, fingertips idly playing with the edge of her pants.

“ So Vik, even if I’m right and I don’t have much time left… would you spend it with me?”

“You don't even have to ask sweetheart, you know I will, and I’ll be here to listen even on the worst days”

“ you do know Johnny is gonna be with us every step of the way until we get this sorted right? Well of course you know.... But is that okay?”

“ Well maybe he could give us a bit of private time” He said with another smirk as she blushed furiously” V, dealing with Silverhand is a very small price to pay for being with you”

“ He said it should be an added bonus.” she giggled and smiled at him, the blush still lingering on her cheeks '' Johnny promised he would figure out a way to fix me so you can keep patching my dumbass up forever” the widest smile graced his face since he had found her, the idea of dealing with V forever was much more appealing than she could know.

” Fine, I'm holding you both to that sweetheart. Though as your ripper i could recommend being a bit more careful in your next fight.” The deep rumble of his laugh shook through his chest with her head still resting gently on it.

A tug at the back of Vik’s neck pulled his head down slightly as V stretched up to reach him. Her lips brushed his so lightly it took him a moment to register the kiss. Once it fully clicked a soft groan escaped his lips and his fingers tightened holding her waist firm and he met her lips once more. This time he met her lips passionately, firmly pressing their lips together and pulling her hips towards him so their bodies were flush against each other.

A meow at their feet broke them apart to look, both panting and flushed. The cat looked impatiently up at V clearly wanting something from her, as she shuffled her feet feeling suddenly rather embarrassed for initiating the kiss as reciprocated as it was.

“ Shit Vik, I gotta feed Nibbles, and I’m still covered in blood. I should probably head home for the night… feed this one on the way out.”

She stepped back, having to look away from him now or she didn’t think she would be getting off that roof tonight. She was clearly about to make a move to leave when Vik caught her wrist.

“ dinner tomorrow” he said, still sounding almost out of breath.

“What?”

“Let me make you dinner tomorrow, like you know… an actual date”

A grin popped onto V’s face immediately, never thinking those were words she would get to hear the Viktor Vector say to her. Words she had wanted to hear so badly.

“Deal, my place after you close up” She leaned up once more giving him another quick kiss before practically skipping to the elevator, cat on her heels. She was practically unrecognizable as the woman he had watched sobbing not much earlier, her mood clearly turned completely around.

Vik sunk down into the plastic chair letting out an exhausted sigh, still stunned at everything that had just happened. He tried to wrap his head around V actually being into him and trying to calm down from how flustered V had made him with their kiss, glad she hadn’t seemed to pick up on it.

The fingers of both hands rubbing his, he had suggested making dinner for V but definitely had blurted it out before really coming up with a plan. Figuring out what to make was his first order of business as he got up to head home and begin his recipe research. Next would be what to wear, and that would require a consultation from Misty. He had almost forgotten about her, she would be overjoyed after pushing him to say something to V for months, probably even more so when he told her the rooftop retreat had been the spot where the tell finally happened. The elevator dinged to let him know it was time to head back down to the streets and he stepped in, happy to be going home for the first time in a long while. In fact, he realized he hadn’t been this happy in longer than he could remember, finally feeling optimistic about what was to come because him and V would be facing it together.

[solari-writes-things]

Succor

 🛑 WARNINGS: Language, graphic depictions of violence, mild self-deprecation. 🛑

✨ requested by: -

✨ Pairing: Viktor Vector x OC

✨ Summary: Vik checks in on a good friend after she has a traumatic experience.

✨ Solari Says: This came to be through @sazafraz​ and I talking over Discord. I got her permission to write this out, and I hope you all come to enjoy it!

✨ Prompt(s) -

#35: You don’t have anything to be sorry for.

#80:  Your comfort and happiness is more important to me than some stupid dinner.

gif credit: to the OP

MORE VIK | MORE CP2077 | > MASTERLIST < |

Talia could count on one hand how many times she felt her palms begin to sweat. She could count on one hand the amount of occurrences left her with a chill down her spine. That left her in a sort of dazed panic, searching for any sort of excuse that could easily explain what she was experiencing. In any of the other scenarios, it seemed to have worked.

In this one, it didn’t.

Instead her hands trembled harshly, her right hand keeping as solid of a grip on the hilt of her hammer as possible. No matter how much her palms encouraged her hold to slip, no matter how much her hands seemed to vibrate, her hammer never slid through her fingers.

There was a loud, harsh screaming, a sound that Talia Song had been no stranger to. The lucrative business that she had built for herself made sure of that. Xuanwu was a name that floated around Night City through the mouths of gangs, a bit of a legend she had developed due to her own actions against Arasaka. Stealing high-grade cyberware, ripping through rampant gangs that stirred the hornet’s nest. She kept Night City under control, more efficiently than the NCPD ever had.

Mostly because she wasn’t afraid to cave heads inward.

She felt a shaky breath leave her lungs, her eyes staring at the bodies that were strewn across the ground. Some were whole, some had less fortunate outcomes. No matter how much blood painted the concrete red, no matter how many arms and legs were scattered around the ground, nothing could ever amount to the dread she felt watching the Cyberpsycho.

It wasn’t the ferocity in his movements. It wasn’t the raw power behind each innocent that he ripped apart that shook her to her core.

It was some form of familiarity that she felt in the pits of her stomach. Something... Something about this rabid man, jerking his head from side to side to search for something felt so familiar. It wasn’t until he turned to her, his attention on the shivering woman with a hammer in her hand, that made her heart drop to her abdomen.

“Where...!” the Cyberpsycho cried out angrily, turning toward her to ensure that she suffered the same way as those crumpled around him. “Where is she...?!”

Talia knew. She knew, somehow, what they had been speaking about. Who they had been searching for.

She could only remember flashes. The long, dark hair. The polite, brown eyes that they had been blessed with. How kind they always seemed, gracefully flitting around the monochromatic office. An office that Talia once called her own home. 

He was looking for her mother, who had passed when Talia was just a child.

She almost choked, wanting to call out to the Cyberpsycho in hopes to get him to stop moving towards her. Her shaky left hand found it’s way to the handle of her hammer, the weapon quivering in tandem to herself.

“Dad...” she practically whispered.

She thought he had died. She remembered him, as the Ripperdoc who worked for Arasaka. They utilized him for their own benefits, upgrading those they had under their employment. However, he once left for a task that the corporation had given him. Another assignment, that’s what the Song family was led to believe. Until he never came home.

Talia had been a teenager, when he disappeared.

Here he was, his eyes crazed. His body holding no sort of human instinct in the way that he stood, the way that he approached. Any sort of kindness that the man once had, the kindness that Talia remembered, it had been gone. He was an animal, lost and trying to find his way. However, as much as she had hoped she would be the one to provide a solace, he wouldn’t recognize her. Not with the amount of changes she had given herself. The large scar that run down the left side of her face made her much different than she had been when she was a teen.

The crazed man in front of her didn’t seem to acknowledge her quivering. Her whispers into the void, calling out to him. He only lurked closer, his eyes boring into hers with hostility. It sent a shiver down the back of her spine, perfectly tracing the cherry blossom tattoo she had in the same place.

She adjusted her arms so her hammer rested in a fashion to where she could swing hard enough to bring him down, steadying herself for a fight that she knew would inevitably come.

“Please,” she pleaded, just a bit louder so he could hear. “Don’t make me do this.”

He only continued his belligerent march towards her, practically snarling as he closed the distance.

She raised her hammer in preparation for a hard swing, eyes welling up with tears of reluctance. “Please...” she whispered once more, hoping that this would be the thing to trigger his stop.

He doesn’t. Instead, his slow approach turned into a sprint, and soon he began to move faster than Talia could see normally. His shape was nothing but a blur, a haze that moved in the directions that he would dash.

All to make sure she couldn’t get a proper reading. But all too bad, she was much used to other enhancements such as this. She knew all about the movement, and how to predict the arc of her swing.

So while choking back the lump that formed in her throat, she swings her hammer forward. There was a loud crack, as it connected to his chest. She follows through with the rest of her power, bringing him to the floor. He practically snarls as he hits the floor, causing her to almost choke on her panic.

The rest of the fight seemed like she was seeing through textured glass. It was hard to breathe, between the hard hits that he landed on her and the tears that seemed to never stop. Every single impact that she felt, a few more would streak down her cheeks. What she could always do so easily to others, felt like weight would sink on her shoulders when she did to him.

She wanted to save him, to hug him. Tell him that everything would be okay, and that she would find a way to help him that wouldn’t involve shipping him off and leaving him to be scared and alone.

But she couldn’t. The way he continuously tried to rush her down, tried to disarm her by attempting to break her body. He wanted to kill her, and she knew there was no hope in talking to him to save her own life.

So she worked at him. Diligently and diligently, she withered away his stamina so that she could have him laying on the concrete. It took quite a long time, wearing away at herself in the process. However, her determination made it so that she lasted.

So he lay on his back, feral but tired, like a stray and scared animal. As much as he wanted to scramble up and beat her, his body would give. So he could only lay there, his hostile eyes searing into hers. She choked down a sob, her hammer brought up next to her head to swing downward.

She didn’t want to do this. But she didn’t want him to suffer, not anymore. She could only imagine the horrors that he had gone through, his cyberpsychosis leading him to search for her mother blindly. It was more than a decade later, finding him again, and she didn’t want to think about how many of that he spent in torture.

Her face contorts into raw sorrow, another shaky breath pulling into her lungs. She shivers again, trying to choke back the sob that boiled up inside. “I’m so sorry...” she whispered.

Her hammer was brought down.

She could only feel the physical manifestation of white noise. Absolute nothingness, radio silence in her mind. Her office wasn’t open, she ignored every message and every call.

It had been three days since she had killed him. She felt that she was sparing him pain, in the moment, but the more her emotions dwelled the more she felt it was murder. 

She remained unmoving, body tucked in the mass of blankets on her bed. Her eyes stared at her cherry blossom bead curtain, staring at the details that shown in the dim light. She elected to ignore her hunger, in trade of staying stationary. She had no motivation to stand, to get herself something. She would do it eventually, it’s what she had been doing the past two days.

Ignoring, until it becomes too loud for her to wave off.

She hears the hatch that led to her living quarters open, causing her to jolt upright. There was only one person that she ever gave access to her home, that knew exactly where to enter in order to reach her at her most vulnerable.

Viktor.

Her heart began to race. She had ignored his calls, his messages checking in on her status. She had a day planned with him, when she investigated the Cyberpsycho attack. Watch old flicks, eat some Chinese take out. Just a day, between the both of them, to enjoy the company in more ways than one; it usually led to it.

“Talia?” he called, his voice concerned but gentle. “This is the only place that you could be... Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer, pulling her knees to her chest and tightening her eyes. She wanted to keep ignoring him, for him to disappear. Anything, to not see her like this. To not see her as this shriveled, broken woman. It wasn’t anything that he’s known her to be. He knew her as confident, headstrong. A badass in its full form.

She was none of those things, now.

She could hear his footsteps, moving for her bead curtain. His large silhouette, just shadowed on the other side, slowly approaching. She watched as his hands push through, pushing the curtain apart to reveal his face. His frown was not one that was scolding, but of worry.

She couldn’t tell if she wanted to scream or cry in his presence. 

So she does neither. She just stares, choking back on the noises that threatened to escape her mouth. She  watches, as he now was at the foot of her bed. He rounded the side, taking a gentle seat to her left to see if she would reject him. She didn’t.

“Talia, what happened?” he asked.

“I...” she tried, but couldn’t finish the first time. So she inhales sharply through her teeth, before trying again. A sob threatened to escape this time, but it didn’t. “I investigated a Cyberpsycho attack nearby, and...”

“And?” he inquired quietly, placing his tinted glasses to the side so he could examine her expressions.

She swallowed hard, her eyes dropping to her lap. There was shame in her eyes, twisting her expression into something that Vik couldn’t bear to see. “I’m sorry...”

He saw the tears beginning to streak her cheeks, seeing her in pain brought a pang in his chest. He didn’t like the idea of her crying. He didn’t like the idea of her suffering, it made him anxious and angry at the same time. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. Please, just tell me what happened.”

Her eyes finally traveled up to look at him. He always found it fascinating, the two different cybernetic patterns she had: one white, with a black ring to imitate the iris and one a solid black, with a red X in the center. However, the little details of her face was not the important thing.

“Do you remember our talk, Vik..? When I finally opened up to you about my childhood, about my parents...?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah...?”

“Vik, the Cyberpsycho... it was my father...” she whispered, the long-awaited sob finally breaching into the open. “And I killed him...”

Viktor was silent, as the gravity of the situation began to settle on his shoulders as well. He figured it was something serious, Talia had always been prompt about answering her calls, but something about this felt so different after three days of whole silence.

He contemplated coming, and he was saddened he didn’t do it sooner.

“Holy shit, Talia... I’m so sorry,” he says quietly, one of his strong arms resting over her shoulders.

He waited for a moment, to see if she would shove him away. She didn’t, and he proceeded to bring her closer to his side. She obliged, moving towards him, and when she was close enough he brought her into a gentle hold.

She almost melded into him immediately. Something about Vik’s very calming personality made it easy for her to relax around him. She sighed, her body shaking. It was like she had just experienced it, all over again. The haunting moments where she had to end her father’s suffering.

“No... I’m sorry,” she whispered softly. “I should have called you... You didn’t deserve to be left like that, wondering all this time...”

“Hey, hey, hey,” he cooed, his arms moving up so his hand pressed against the back of her head. He gently pressed her head against his chest, pressing a gentle and comforting kiss to the top, “your comfort and happiness is more important to me than some stupid dinner.” 

More tears escaped her eyes, followed by loud sniffling. The tears dripped down, staining the front of his shirt. He didn’t mind, though, not in the slightest. He was just here to help her, now. Help her find some form of solace, some form of peace with herself. He reaches up with one of his arms, gently stroking the side of her face to wipe away more of the tears that dribbled their way out.

Her arms finally moved from their place around her chest to wrap around him, pulling herself so that she felt secure. Because now this was the one, true safe place for her.

“I feel like... I feel like I should have done something else...” she whispers quietly, taking comfort in the gentle strokes of his hands.

“Like what, Talia...?” he questioned quietly.

She listened closely to the hum of his voice emitting from his chest, the sounds of his heart beat. “I should have let him go through the stupid fucking therapy thing...”

“I... I don’t know if that would have worked...” he muttered softly. “You told me it had been decades since you’ve seen your father... Cyberpsychos, they’re long gone by two years, tops...”

She clutches his shirt gently, not wanting to hear something of the nature.

But he was right. He was absolutely right about that. Her father would have just suffered longer, trying to become a human again.

“So what do you suggest I do, Vik...?” she whispered, a genuine question.

“Stop hating yourself for your decision, Tali,” he prompted. “You... you did him a favor, whether you see it that way or not. And... let me stay here. Take care of you. You need it, even though I know you don’t want to admit it...”

She lets out a small exhale into his chest. Once again, Vik was correct. She had to live with this, somehow. She wasn’t going to be able to continue her duties in Night City, if she decided to wallow like this forever.

It would take several days, though. Several days of reclusive behavior, to ensure that she was okay to step into the public again. But she had to heal, and if she had to heal with help of Vik, she would gladly accept.

If there was anyone that she would trust herself to, it would be him.

So she sinks, into the comfort that his presence was slowly beginning to envelope her in.

__

Cyberpunk Tag List: @sazafraz :|: @tsumethedrifter :|: @angelaiswriting :|: @kind-wolf (if you wish to be added to the tag list, please comment or message me!)

[thatfanficgurl]

Chapter Two: Wicked

Dawn fell away; peach flaking off into red, burnt dead skin peeling away from a sunburn. it took everything in her to peel herself away from Viktor. She wanted him safe and yet she desired to throw herself head first into the chaos. Jennifer slipped into the ice filled galvanized metal tub of water. It was ungodly, freezing cold and yet it brought comfort. Shivers and pain brought something to the looming empty darkness. It brought something to the maddening screams of her own voice in her mind. Grasping the ethernet wire between her fingers, jacking it into the port on the side of her head just before she slipped beneath the freezing depths.

The edges of the internet were fringed with smokey lace. Webbing on the outskirts drawing themselves closer to you. Darkness dove into the bitter cold; a bottomless pit. Jenn dove deeper into darkness, the smokey lace outline fading away behind her. Blue cybernetic outline made out shapes around her. A blur of the real thing. A breeze of warmth passed behind her. There was no air here, yet the cyan digital imprint felt warm as it surpassed her. Reaching out, it reminded her of trips to the beach. Fingers reaching out, digging deep into the warm sand only to find cool water hidden deep beneath. The cyan imprint manifested into a light blue fog. Jennifer held her breath, stepping forward into the memory:

A cool, tingling sensation ran down her spine as Jenn leaned back up against the concrete pillar. Pulling her white framed sunglasses up over her nose to rest on top of her head, her eyes fixated on the figure before her. He was in his early forties; his white tank embodied every inch of intoxicating masculinity. It was soaked with sweat from practice. Beads of sweat formed across his forehead, a few strands of black hair clung to the sticky skin. Looking up, he locked eyes with her. Unearthly cyan eyes, skin tightening in the corner, wrinkles exposed. A devilish smirk swept across his lips. Hands were wrapped up with boxing tape, casually he wiped his forehead. Grabbing a can of REAL water, he took a long well deserved swig before climbing out of the ring. Jumping down to the padded floor, he shook his adrenaline off. His bicep and tricep muscles flexed under his skin. "Took you long enough. Was afraid you'd keep me waitin', dollface."

Viktor was sweet with his words. He always had been. They had been dating for four years, she was twenty eight now. Even though he was fourteen years older than her, somehow she brought out the youth in him. Something he always swore died out long ago. Absently, tucking a strand of light auburn hair behind her ear, Jenn smiled. "You said you'd make it worth my while." Stepping forward, Jenn wrapped her arms around Vik's neck. Brown eyes looking through him, so deep into his soul.

"That I did." He chuckled, reaching into the pocket of his red basketball shorts. "I saw this the other day and I immediately thought of you, doll." His hard working, calloused left hand pulled out a silver chain. At the end of it sat a silver anatomical heart pendant. Two small silver hinges clasped together. Not just a pendant but a locket.

"Viktor, I can't-" She began to protest when he held his right index finger to his lips.

"You can. This...this is the closest I'll ever get to giving you the real thing." Without hesitation, he lifted the necklace over her head, letting to settle in the dip of her ivory flesh, in the dip between her small breasts. "Promise me," he whispered, "that no matter what happens, you'll keep it? To be honest, love, it's safer with you than it ever was in my chest."

How could you!!!!

Her darkness raged through her veins, boiling just beneath the surface of the ice bath. Fear, guilt, self loathing surged through her. Jennifer threw herself from the memory. Her body rocketed up from beneath the water, a force so violent it splashed water onto the floor. Gasping for air, fingers grasping the ethernet cord, Jenn disconnected herself from the web. A well trained netrunner would have been able to control her emotions. She however was damaged. Her skin crawled covered in goosebumps, her body was frigid but her face was hot to the touch. Placing her hands on the cold metal of the galvanized tub, pushing herself out of the ice cold water, she was greeted with a friendly but concerned face. Akira Olszewski, Misty's older sister, had been the owner and bartender of Castle Crimson for the last fifteen years. Her dark green hair swept across her face as she rushed to Jenn's side. "I told you not to enter without my permission." Jenn snapped at her. Stepping out of the tub, Jenn grabbed the black towel that laid across her twin sized bed. She had been staying in this small room for the last eight months. The white walls had been painted a deep midnight blue, speckles with flecks of white and silver paint. They were meant to represent stars in the night sky. The bed, which was a little more than a mattress on wheels, was pushed into a far corner of the room. The sheets were deep royal purple with a black comforter on top. Beside the bed was a single ebony nightstand and a deep red glowing lava lamp on it. The galvanized tub sat in the middle of the room, to the far right was a door leading to a shower, sink, toilet combo.

Fingers stretched towards the ceiling, Jenn stood on the balls of her feet stretching out. Akira leaned back against the closed door that led to the interior part of the club. She pulled out a cigarette, lighting it. She was more relaxed now seeing that Jenn was not in any real danger. "Alex said he heard a splash n when I heard you gasping for air, I deemed it a good reason."

Jenn grabbed her black skort and navy hoodie. Her fingers trailed up across her chest, lingering on the necklace. "A good deed that is forgivable. I'm going out."

"When will you be back?" Akira asked, taking a long drag off her smoke.

"Who knows." Jenn remarked, pushing herself past Akira and out into the center of the jet black club. To the naked untrained eye, the room was in complete darkness. But Jenn had taught herself how to navigate through that darkness. Heavy bass music blasted from a speaker hidden somewhere in the ceiling. Many to hide the sounds from downstairs. Tonight, she had her own secrets to hide. Secrets she knew only one person she could expose them to.

_____________________

One in the morning rolled around sooner than Vik wanted it too. The events of yesterday were swept up in a whirlwind. He had not seen Jennifer's face in over five years. Yet she stood before him in the Esoterica no less than twelve hours prior. He let his hopes up as he often had. As soon as he began to let his walls down, she turned and ran. And he wanted to know why. There was a darkness that was lingering in her eyes. A darkness that he had never seen before. It loomed over her, a giant rain cloud. And although he knew how much she loved the rain, this was something deeper. Something darker. Misty had tried to explain it to him after Jenn had left. But he needed to hear it from her.

Leaning back against his metal medical cabinets, rolling his neck side to side till it cracked. His clinic doors opened with an echoing cerchink! His eyes widened at the sight of Jennifer Luna Greene standing in the doorway. Her fingers fidgeting with the heart locket he gave her years ago. "Viktor, I need to talk to you."

[thatfanficgurl]

For the OC Cyberpunk 2077 questionnaire:

3. What are your characters astrology signs? Sun/moon?

Arres McLean/Raven Cage: Leo Sun/Scorpio Moon

Lyric Murphy: Scorpio Sun/ Aquarius Moon

47. Share a headcanon about your characters and their partners?

Arres & Viktor: the scar that is on Viktor's chin, came from Arres when Victor was trying to defend her from a date she had that went wrong. Even though he saved her life, she was furious with him meddling in her affairs I'd punched him and her rain cut his chin creating the scar that remains today.

Lyric & V: after a series of tests, Lyric finds out she has an old world disease known as Lyme disease. Even in 2077 there is no cure for this. She keeps the secret from V, not wanting to burden to her with her problems and V having to deal with enough from Johnny.

56. Name 3 of your characters biggest turn offs:

Arres: Hot Shots, Jazz Music and Cheese

Lyric: bright lights, white lingerie and tofu

[wastedyouth-wasteddreams]

[unluckyopossum]

I Need A Place I can Rest- CH 1

Viktor Vector x Fem!V

Vik wants to fix things for V more than anything. V just needs somewhere to feel safe.

Read on AO3

The sun had long since set, the moon now rising steadily over Night City as the constant hum of the streets above the small clinic became more pervasive. Snippets of conversations and raucous shouts from Night City denizens filtering through the cracks and crevices of the old building. The cramped streets, and shadowed alleyways filling with increasing numbers of bodies going to the closest club, BD lounge, or love hotel. The daylight that filtered down the stairs into the dark clinic had been replaced by the neon glow of signs and adverts from above. It was well past time for any clients to drop by, other than a potential emergency, but there were 24hr joints for those. The esoterica was dim and Misty was likely back to her apartment by now, preferring to leave before the streets became so busy.

    Vik sat at his desk finishing up the day's paperwork and idly tinkering with his exo-glove. A habit more than a hobby at this point, since there was only so much that could be done for the gloves precision at a certain point. He had started taking his time closing up in the evenings, not because he was behind with his work, or wanted a moment of quiet time for himself after a busy day. Instead, for the small hope that a certain little merc might come and fling open the gates. V had started coming by the little clinic in the evenings frequently, shortly after they first met, and the addition of the relic to her person had only increased her visits. Vik relished in any time he was able to spend close to V, but the ripper in him hated what caused the encounters. The merc always seemed to be struggling with a new relic malfunction or scrape from one of her increasingly dangerous missions. From what little she had told him, the search for answers and how to remove the relic had her treading dangerous waters. Though it seemed even the gigs from fixers and ncpd hustles had been getting her into his clinic several times a week. Most of those visits just involved a quick bandage or cleaning a scrape; first aid she was more than capable of doing for herself now that he thought about it. The older ripper didn't think too long about it, not wanting to give himself any false hope that these visits were more to see him than to receive medical attention.

    Most of the time he felt helpless before V. Unable to save her from what the relic was doing to her, unable to find someone who could, and unable to express his feelings to her. So he instead had to trust the merc to find the answers herself, and pretend to be busy at the clinic late into the night on the off chance he could do the smallest thing to help her, trying to fight back the helpless feeling of not being able to fix this. Helplessness was not a feeling he managed well, and certainly not when it came to her. If he thought about it too much -like he did many nights- a deep feeling of self loathing would creep up for not being able to help one of the few people he considers close to him. If anyone should be helping her it should be him ...right? He should be able to keep her from dying like Jackie.

    He wasn't one to share his feelings but on the rare occasion Misty had caught him in one of these spirals she had given him one of her knowing looks and reminded him that having supportive friends and somewhere safe to go was helping V, a lot. She didn't neglect to add that V did seem to run right to him when things went wrong, so he was clearly doing something right.

    At the time it had made his heart feel like it would beat out of his chest as he tried to remind himself that of course she would see her ripper first. It wasn't like she was going to see Vik specifically or anything, he was just her ripper. Though that wouldn't explain all the times she has visited Misty to talk about some new tarot mural and always came down to see him. Often bringing him a coffee exactly as he would order without him ever asking for one first.

He shook his head letting the thought roll off of him, breaking out of his daydream with a long deep sigh.

    Not that he hadn't been paying attention to her since Jackie first introduced then, but he found himself getting stuck thinking about her more and more often. While Jackie was alive he told himself he was just thinking of her as a new choom. One who always made him laugh and could talk him into silly plans even Jack couldn't. A friend who he worried about on missions late at night and whose eyes held light in a way he had never seen even with the most advanced optics. One who probably didn't think of him as anything more than that. He had realized that he felt more than that when losing V became a reality, and he spent more time pushing those thoughts aside than he would admit... even to himself.

    Finally settling down his tools he ran a large hand through his hair, wincing towards the back of his head reminding himself that his chance at something more with her was likely long past for the aging ripper. Staying close friends and making sure to support her as she tried to survive was more than he could ask for.

    Before his thoughts began to spiral again he checked his monitor a final time. The corner of the screen let him know he had been lost in thought longer than he expected. V knew he was normally long gone by now. There was no point in him hanging around any longer if she wouldn't be dropping by, and he had long since passed any excuse that he was there to do paper work.

He rose to his feet slowly resigning himself to locking up and leaving for the day. His apartment was close by, but the idea of returning to an empty home wasn't an appealing one tonight. Normally he wouldn't mind the quiet time alone at home after a long day; to have a drink and decompress. Yet tonight being left alone with his thoughts the way they had been going was daunting.

    Bending back down to the desk he roughly snatched the keys off the surface to lock up the gate, turning to leave. It would have been clear to anyone watching his disappointment with the evening by the way his broad shoulders drooped as he made his way to the clinic exit. Heavy boots dragging across the floor, exhaustion more present in his gait than the normal reserved swagger he carried himself with. Reaching for the gates he halted in his tracks, his heart skipping, and a panicked weight formed in his stomach.

    The scuffed toe of a familiar pair of boots was just visible through the gaps in the gate grating. The leather barely peeking from the corner by the stairs leading to the alley above. Panic fully set in as Vik took a breath and time began to slowly move for him again, pushing him into action. He flung the gates open with more force than he felt he ever had before, and as he whipped around the corner was confronted with V's still form.

    Haphazardly slumped against the wall, her eyes were closed but the rise and fall off her chest was all Vik needed to breathe a sigh of relief. Her breathing was steady and deep letting him know that if she was in danger it wasn't immediate. Unconscious was a world better than what his first reaction had been, unconscious he would work with. A quick glance over showed one of her mantis blades stuck extended, metal twisted and warped where it connected to her arm. Her hands and forearms were splashed with drying blood, hers or anthers he couldn't be sure. Though based on the burgundy tint covering the entirety of her blade he could tell at least most of it wasn't from V. Kneeling next to her he placed a hand on her shoulder, and with no response, called out her name softly.

"V? Can you hear me sweetheart?... V? Valerie?" He tried at last.

Her full name was known to wake her after even the most degenerate nights out with Panam.

No response.

     In a flurry he popped back in the clinic grabbing a tarp to cover the exposed blade. Neither of them would be happy if one of the two was injured because he was rushing. Kneeling down he wrapped the blade securely and slipped one powerful arm under her knees, the other under her back. Lifting her off the ground as gently as possible the thought of how light she felt in his arms flooded through his mind for a short second before being cast aside by the hammering dread of what might have happened. As he turned to take her into the clinic she finally began to rouse. Looking up into his sharp green eyes barely visible over his shades she gave a weak smile.

"guess I didn't make it in the door huh"

she reached up her good arm, shaking slightly, and placed it gently on his cheek.

"yep not dreaming, sorry Vik" she kept speaking before he could even ask what for.

"' S’okay though, not my blood. Blade got messed up, but I'm fine" She mumbled and squeezed her eyes shut as Vik set her down in his procedure chair.

"V?"

"Sorry… it's just the relic, acted up real bad on my way over, that's why"

She gestured loosely towards the gate. A frown made its way across Viks face before he could control it. The relic, an ever present sore spot for him, a man he has never met slowly taking V away.

"I know what you're thinking Vik, but really, I'm alright... it's already passing"

She tried to comfort him, giving his forearm a delicate touch as he powered up the screens by the table, letting the touch linger as long as she could.

" Is it getting worse v, you  taking the blockers?"  A sheepish half smile creeps to her lips.

'' Well, I'm not taking them regularly..."

Which he knows means never.

" We just have a lot to do, and having him around is really helpful Vik"

“How much is he really helping sweetheart, he's the one killing you” A hint of malice laced the rippers words.

V’s face crinkled as she looked at the far side of the clinic, as if having a conversation with someone he couldn't see. Vik realized it was the dead rocker, he could help but be irritated that Silverhand was in his clinic, not that he had any say in the matter.

“It's not like he wants to” V said barely above a whisper.

”Wants what V?” He asked moving to unwrap her blade, and address the reason she was in his clinic in the first place.

“ For me to die, said he would trade in a heartbeat... well not that he has one anymore, other than mine” she shifted in the seat looking uncomfortable as if she didn't want to disappoint either of them with her response.

    She had to know how Vik felt about Johnny, it wasn't like he could hide the disdain in his voice when the parasitic rocker was brought up. Johnny was her friend now, and while they gave each other shit all the time she didn’t want Johnny to think she blamed him. She also didn’t want Vik to be disappointed in her for befriending the engram slowly killing her. V didn’t give a shit what most people in Night City thought of her but Vik was on the short list of people whose opinions mattered most. Higher on that list than she was willing to admit, and higher than Vik could know. Vik sighed, thumb and forefinger rubbing across his brow drooping his head.

“ I know you don't like him Vik, but he helped get me to you” The ripper peaked back up at her eyebrow slightly raised.

“ I know V, hard to separate him from what he’s doin to you though, don’t want to lose someone else to the relic, especially not you”.

    He hadn’t meant to remind her of Jackie but he couldn't help but think of him, dead in his clinic. Trying to clean up his best friend for his family when arasaka ripped him away. Their relic threatening to rip V away from him in a way that felt so similar. It was hard to admit but losing V terrified him more than even losing Jackie, the terror ever growing the more she wormed her way into his heart.

She had started to frown, he realized, probably thinking about Jackie. He worried that he had made what she was going through even worse, he had hurt her.

“ Sorry V, shouldn't have brought it up, tell me about your arm, what happened.” He desperately tried to change the subject. He wasn’t trying to make her feel guilty but seemed to be saying all the wrong things.

“ Ah... nah Vik, you didn't do anything wrong, didn't mean to worry you… don’t need to waste your time thinkin bout me.” But he always thought about her, worry or not.

She lifted the arm with the damaged blade shifting it inspecting the warped metal.

”This though, cyber psycho. Not the usual fair though. None of them have been like her so far, and you know I have butted heads a bunch of these guys so far.” She paused slightly, eyebrows furrowing ” Some maelstrom ritual on this girl, must not have gone well since she went psycho and all. Spooked me though, looked like a ghost or something. So she caught me off guard hence...” she flapped her arm in the air, the blade creaking in protest.

” She really did spook me for a second though Vik, I've seen a lot but that was a first.” the ripper finished gathering his tools with a chuckle settling down on his stool by her arm to get to work.

” Can’t imagine you being bothered by much out there V, quick pinch” before she knew it he had done a ring block on her arm to get to work.

” Yeah... I guess it wasn’t so much the ritual, or the dead malstromers, that's pretty much my everyday. I guess I doubted what was real for a second. Hit a bit too close to home ya know. Guess that was never something I had to think about until recently and now… well. You know.” Silence hung in the air, only the clicking of tools and metallic creaking breaking it.

    Vik wasn’t sure how to respond, to him V was still V. The only person who could brighten any day for him, who he couldn't stay mad at no matter how much trouble she brought through his door, and the person who made him feel like his heart would stop when she looked up at him. It wasn't just her though he knew, now when she clung to his arm trying to talk him into something he wouldn't want to do, Johnny was right there with her; And one day soon it might not be her at all. Johnny could take over whether he even wanted that, and Vik may never see or even hear from her again. Her reality was constantly in jeopardy and that was what frightened them both. Vik didn’t want to wallow in those feelings though, thinking of losing V made him feel like a nail was being hammered into his chest right by his heart, an oddly motivating feeling.

” V, you’re you... the same V Jackie introduced me to. You may not see it because you have to listen to Silverhand all the time, but those of us who know you, we can see it. You're still the same you.” he squeezed her hand gently before snapping a piece of blade back in place.

    The merc blushed lightly looking down uncharacteristically shy, squeezing his hand back clumsily due to the numbness from the anesthetic. Her eyes darted up to his where he was already staring at her, eyes locking with each other. With a loud click the mantis blade retracted back into place pulling them both back to reality.

” Alright sweetheart I’m all finished with ya, should be back in working order.” the ripper started to stand leaving her side to return his tools.

Her hand darted out fingers tangling in the edge of his loosely tucked shirt.

”Vik… I…” she trailed off keeping a stiff grip on his shirt as he set the tools on the table by the chair.

��It's getting worse Vik... and well, I’m not sure I have enough time anymore… to fix this” he didn't move away from her grip but a hand returned to rub his forehead the ripper looking almost frustrated.

“V you need to stop giving that thing control, I told you that would make things move faster” her voice raised, she had wanted to be comforted not lectured.

”He isn't a thing Vik you know that, he’s my friend, and it impacts both of us”

��V he isn’t even a person, just an engram of a long dead Rockstar”

“I get it Vik, I fucking do, I don't want to die that’s the point... but I’m fucking scared and at least he is there when I’m alone” The ripper continued rubbing his forehead and let out a low exasperated sigh.

“V for fuckssake you know I'm not good at stuff like this” He wanted to comfort her and hold her tight more than anything, but the words he wanted never seemed to be within his grasp.

“Well fucking aware Vik, shouldn’t have expected anything more form you” … shit, he hadn’t meant to get mad, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and tell her it would all be alright, that he was right there and wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. That all he wanted was for her to survive so she never had to leave his side. But none of that would help her, would just make her uncomfortable, and put added pressure on her. He wanted to tell her he loved her … but stopped himself like he had for months.

“V…”

“Don’t Vik, I don't need a lecture” the merc finally let go of his shirt, attempting to sit up and get out of the chair still looking a bit dizzy from the previous malfunction.

She refused to make eye contact as she stood, preparing to delta as fast as she could.

” The last thing I need is the one man whose opinion means a damn to me giving me shit”

Vik started to open his mouth to explain, he wasn't trying to do that. He never wanted to.

” Look I know you hate him and you don't get it, but I'm trying my best. Even if that means Johnny needs to take over some times, and look... I get it it may speed things up, and that scares the shit out of me but I don't know another way.”

“ you could ask for help V”

“ Vik I ask for you help so much I feel like a leach, like i'm taking advantage, I bother you all the fucking time… I can’t impose on your life more than I already do. I know you cant want a half dead gonk barging in here all the time… I just… fuck forget it”

In one swift movement she hopped up and walked quickly towards the door, purposeful strides carrying her away from the ripper.

” Vik sometimes I don't want you to try and fix me, I just want you to be with you”

    She moved faster towards the gates before she said something that couldn’t be taken back. Something that might ruin the friendship she had and make her look truly pathetic. She had already accepted the ripper was taking care of her out of friendship, guilt at not being able to save her, or some obligation to Jackie. She just used that to see his face as often as she could, spend what little time she might have with him. She knew she had to be a disappointment to him though, just some dumb streetkid who couldn’t get her shit together when it came down to the wire. She reached the gate and turned her head back to him one more time.

“Vik … I know you might not feel the same .. but when I’m here with you… fuck.” she swallowed her words.`` I’ll take better care of myself, I’ll get you the eddies for my arm soon” and she disappeared around the corner.

“V “ he shouted after her, frozen in place.

   Vik stood in stunned silence for the most excruciating minute of his life. He had never been all that great with his words and couldn't respond as quickly as he wished. Sharing his feelings was a weak point all his exes had pointed out and he hadn't learned much on that front as he got older. Feel the same about what? Be with him how? A flicker of recognition flashed through his mind. He may make a fool of himself but it felt like now or never. Chase after the girl or she may walk out of his life forever, which meant he couldn’t see much for himself to lose. Normally not one to make rash decisions the ripper bolted out of the clinic flinging the gate open not bothering to lock up. If V was telling him she just wanted him to be near her, well he was going to make sure he did that for as long as he could calling out after her again as he bounded up the stairs.

    At the top though, he didn’t see her, just the normal gonks hanging in the ally. The shadows and light in the clearing played tricks on his eyes through his dark shades. Glimpses at figures that could be the merc seemed to be at every exit as he whipped his head around frantically. A familiar meow sounded at his feet, the pale ally cat looking up at him eyes wide and piercing. The cat brushed against his calf then walked towards the elevator, meowing again at the closed doors, becoming him to follow it, the elevator panel indicating it was up at the roof. With a heavy swallow he reached out, all hesitation gone and pressed the call button.