Sex, Chrome, and Rock 'n' Roll

The Ultimate Trust Fall

"Alright. Let me see if I can figure out how to explain this." Johnny rubbed his chin as he paced back and forth.

Leaning against the couch, I folded my arms, head still fuzzy from the Relic malfunction.

"Every time we've been able to maintain joint control, you feel—I don't know—stronger?"

I shrugged. "Sure. But it wains as soon as I lose it, or like what just happened—the Relic pisses on me."

"And that's exactly what I'm thinkin'. I'm no smarty pants scientist or ripperdoc, but what if there was some way to tweak your cerebral mumbo jumbo?" He flailed his hand around.

A pit formed in my stomach. "Johnny, what the fuck are you gettin' at?"

He blew out a frustrated sigh and dragged his hands down his face. "Shit, I don't know. Some kinda tweak where you wouldn't have to maintain concentration. It could just—" He fanned his palms out like an explosion. "—happen."

The sound of permanent joint control seemed to lack any control at all.

"Are you out of your fuckin' mind?" I let my hands drop to my sides and furrowed my brow.

"Yes," he quipped. "And so are you. That's why this whole fucked up situation we're in actually works."

"Johnny, right now with us, there's a locked door with a glass window. What you're suggestin' is blastin' the door the fuck away." I stepped closer to him, locking his gaze with mine.

He nodded, contemplating, mulling over my words before responding. "Yeah. That analogy works, sure."

My jaw dropped, and I shook my head as if I'd walked into cobwebs. "Do you have any idea what kind of trust that entails?"

He slid forward until the tips of our toes touched. "Yes."

"I'd have to trust you wouldn't try to shove my mind out of the picture at any moment. Because you could, Johnny. You completely fucking could."

"We've come this far. You honestly think I'd try that now? What would I gain?" He leaned closer, aligning our faces.

"A body," I whispered.

His jaw tightened. "At the expense of losin' you. I don't fucking think so." He made a tsking sound and turned away, spinning once on his heel before leaning his ass against the couch's back. "A lot has changed since the day you woke up with a surprise neither one of us could process at first. And if this cerebral shit can be done, it'll buy us some time, Val. You get that?"

Time. A fleeting word as of late.

I dragged my pinky back and forth over my bottom lip. "It'd be like naturally-induced pills."

"Yeah. And don't think the trust doesn't go both ways. You could easily omega block my ass the entire fucking time." He pushed off the couch, moving in front of me, his chrome knuckle nudging under my chin to lift it, and I felt the coolness. "But you won't."

My gaze dropped straight to his mouth, curling into a smug but confident smile. "So sure of yourself."

He shook his head, his eyes panning to my lower lip as he brushed it with his thumb. "No. So sure of you. You've had countless opportunities to take the pills, ignore me, and tell me to fuck right the hell off, but you haven't."

No. I hadn't. Any more, I enjoyed his company. And panic would strike if he didn't glitch in front of me when I called out his name. I'd become addicted to him. Addicted to Johnny Silverhand and everything he represented, everything he was, who he was.