Puppet Master

A Suggestive Solution

The door to V's apartment slid open, and she stumbled inside. She was so exhausted that she didn't even wait to ensure the door slid shut and locked behind her before trudging inside. She grimaced as she saw the shimmering pixels in the corner of her eye as Johnny once more materialized.

"How long do you think it'll take the bastard to be ready this time?" He misses, taking a long drag of his usual cigarette as he leans against the far wall of the space. "seems like he just loves to take his sweet ass time."

V rolls her eyes but says nothing, walking over to her bed and sitting down.

Johnny scoffs. "I can't tell if it's more sad or adorable that you think that that Arasaka bastard is your friend. I mean --"

"Fuck." V groans, rubbing her temples as the growing headache throbs. "Do you ever shut the fuck up?"

She wasn't sure if it was his constant yammering on the ride home or the fact that the damn chip once more tried to flatline her moments after she left Takemura to deal with Hellman at the Sundown Motel.

Johnny snorts. "Whatever. I guess if anything good came out of this shit storm, at least I got some great views of Panam's ass in those tight jeans she wears as she walked in front of us. Thanks for that by the way." He smirks as he's met by a disgusted glare.

"You're a fucking pig, you know that?" V sneers. "For fucks sake, she lost her friend and many of her family. Think you and keep in your pants for five seconds? I'd tell you to go take a cold shower if you weren't dead."

She earns a derisive snort.

"What's the matter with you?" He asks, flicking his cigarette off in the distance. "I mean aside from the who biochip shit. You're being especially bitchy. Time of the month?"

"Fuck you."

"I bet you wish you could, don't you?"

"What?" V looks up, her confused look met by Johnny's smirk.

"With all the shit talking you do, I bet deep down you wish I was real so I could bend you over on that couch over there--"

"What the fuck? No!"

"You do."

"No, I don't." V hisses, rising to face him. She clenches her fists at her sides. "What did I say about keeping it in your pants, huh?"

Johnny watches her a moment, smirk still firmly in place. "I don't believe you."

"Jesus Christ, Johnny!" V exclaims, throwing her hands up. "Where the fuck is all this coming from?"

He shrugs. "Remember when you saw my memories of Alt?"

"Yeah, so?"

He smirks. "Well, I think you forget that I felt what you felt as we reenacted that moment as I fucked her in my dressing room. Deny all you want, but it turned you on."

"You're a fucking lunatic."

As she says this, he disappears once more into shimmering pixels. Once he's gone, she realizes how hard she's breathing as she feels her heart pounding in her chest. What a douche .

Taking a moment to calm herself, she walks over to her supply cache. Taking off her holsters and guns, she exits feeling light yet heavy at the same time from the exhaustion. Her head still throbbed as she checked her messages once more for any updates from Takemura. Still nothing.

Removing her boots and pants, she makes her front door is secure before setting the shutters over her windows closed. By the time she would awake, it would likely be dark but she shit them anyways. As the room darkened, the dulled neon lights lining the apartment switched on, giving the room an aura that she couldn't describe.