Cyberpunk: The Magnet fruit

"Giggle… Looks like your little girlfriend got the wrong idea."

V leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Lucy disappear down the hallway. The playful smirk on her lips was hard to miss as she turned her gaze back to David.

"So?" she teased. "Why don't you hurry up and chase after her?"

David ran a hand through his hair, exhaling as he flopped down onto the worn-out sofa with a sigh. "There's no point chasing her now," he muttered. "When Lucy's mad, she needs time. If I push, it just makes things worse."

He paused, then turned to look at V with a half-curious, half-exasperated expression. "But seriously—what are you doing here this late at night? Shouldn't you be, I don't know, laying low after everything that happened?"

V simply shrugged and waved her hand casually, like the chaos of the world didn't concern her. "Why else? I'm here for you."

She said it so simply, so naturally, that for a moment David wasn't sure if he'd heard her correctly.

Then she came over, plopped down next to him on the couch, and—without asking—pulled a cigarette from her jacket. The flare of the lighter briefly illuminated her face as she took a drag.

Fsshhh—

Smoke curled into the air like silk threads unraveling.

David couldn't help but notice how composed she was. Even after being burned by Arasaka, after everything she'd lost—her position, her power, her future—she hadn't lost her edge. If anything, the fire in her eyes had only grown stronger.

She was still V.

Elegant. Deadly. Unshaken.

And, as always, unpredictable.

"You're here… because of me?" David asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mm-hmm."

V nodded as she exhaled another stream of smoke. The scent of it lingered in the air, mixing with the faint smell of machine oil and old whiskey that clung to the apartment walls.

"You think I just got bored and decided to crash your night?"

David gave a nervous chuckle. "No offense, but yeah, kinda. I mean… you do have a tendency to stir things up."

She tilted her head, then smirked. "Touché."

David rubbed his face. "Wait—are you saying Arasaka found out you gave me that equipment? That's why they cut you loose?"

To his surprise, V raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Sharp one."

That made David freeze.

"…Wait, are you serious?"

She took another drag, then looked at him with amused eyes.

"You think I'd come here joking about that?"

David stared at her for a long moment. Even with the cigarette in hand and a smile on her lips, he could see it. The truth in her eyes.

She wasn't kidding.

V had really been burned—because of him.

Guilt crept up his spine.

"V, I… I'm sorry. I didn't know."

He looked away, his voice low. "You got caught in this because of me."

But V just laughed—a short, amused chuckle as she leaned back, resting one arm along the top of the sofa.

"What are you talking about?" she said, grinning. "David, do you really think you're that important?"

He blinked. "Uh, rude?"

She chuckled again. "Relax. What I mean is—I didn't get fired just because I handed you a few pieces of gear. Sure, that didn't help, but I've been walking a thin line at Arasaka for a while now."

V stubbed out the cigarette in the old metal tray on the coffee table and leaned forward, her expression shifting slightly—serious, but not bitter.

"The truth is, Arasaka's been rotting from the inside for a long time. Jenkins was just one of many snakes. I saw too much, asked too many questions… and when I started helping people like you, I guess they decided I was too much of a risk."

David frowned. "So you were planning to leave?"

She nodded. "Not like this. But yeah… I knew the day would come."

There was a beat of silence between them. The only sound was the low hum of neon lights filtering through the blinds.

Then V smirked again, leaning in a little closer.

"But I don't regret helping you, if that's what you're wondering."

David met her gaze. "Even if it cost you everything?"

V's eyes glittered with something between defiance and warmth. "Let's just say… I was overdue for a change."

The tension in the room shifted. The air felt heavier—not uncomfortable, but charged. Her proximity was impossible to ignore. The scent of her smoke, the flicker of her eyes, the hint of a smirk that never fully disappeared.

Then her voice lowered a notch. "Besides, I never really liked wearing a leash."

David swallowed, unsure of how to respond.

What the hell is happening right now?

Was she… flirting?

Was this how she always was? Or was it something more?

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the apartment door slammed.

Both of them turned to see Lucy standing there, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

She had come back.

And she did not look happy.

To be continued…

______________________________________

Get membership in patreon to read more chapters

Extra chapters available in patreon

patreon.com/Dragonscribe31