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With a wince, Valerie shrugged her heavy leather coat down her aching shoulders. A fine laceration ran across her left bicep, a parting gift from the now-dead Militech guard who stumbled upon her downloading classified documents from a restricted terminal. The bleeding had slowed, but the lining of her coat chafed the thin scab and dragged a red smear down her arm.
Valerie frowned at the messy cut, although its faint sting didn't trouble her nearly as much as the deep throb that pounded across her upper back. Militech sentries liked their batons, apparently.
"I think Arasaka's mole is getting fed bad intel." Valerie stole a glance at Goro, following his nimble fingers as they unclasped the buttons on his blood-stained shirt. "Our timing was perfect. Security wasn't supposed to be in that sector for another 30 minutes."
She laid her coat on a sleek armchair near one of the many floor-length windows that lined their penthouse bedroom. Thin rivulets of acid rain streamed down the glass panes, enveloping Night City's midnight skyline in a subtle green mist.
"Yes." Goro pulled his shirt sleeves down his arms and crumpled the soiled fabric in his hands before discarding it in the nearby hamper. A quick peek at his bare torso told Valerie most of that blood was likely not his. "The agent has no doubt been made, as you say."
"At least we were able to get the data," Valerie said as she pulled an encased datashard out of her pants pocket.
She hobbled to the dresser, her right hip also cramped after a vicious encounter with a Militech bludgeon, and pressed her index finger to the security reader on the top drawer. Valerie placed the shard in the climate-controlled compartment for safe-keeping until it could be delivered to its Arasaka custodian.
As she closed and locked the drawer, Valerie caught her disheveled reflection in the wide mirror above the bureau. Her sapphire ponytail was tangled over her chest, and her skin was sticky with a sheen of sweat and flecks of blood. Grimacing, Valerie lifted her arms to peel off her clammy tank top and then tossed it into the laundry basket. She slowly twisted her waist, inspecting the blooms of pink and red across her shoulder and above her hip. They'd be fully mottled and purple within 24 hours.
Valerie joined Goro by the hamper and wriggled out of her pants as she assessed his injuries, or lack thereof. She guessed she got the brunt of the attack; he had been standing watch at the other end of the corridor--shitty, shitty intel--when the first Militech guard snuck up on Valerie, but he did fend off the backup. Her gaze roved over his abdomen, looking for any bruised or broken skin, but as she followed the soft contours of his muscles, she quickly realized he was mostly unmarred by their recent assignment.
Not that the conclusion entirely ceased her examination. Despite the ache in her back and onset of exhaustion, Valerie found herself admiring the fine, dark hairs that trailed down his midsection. When she glanced back at his handsome face, she was met with a smirk that lit up his warm eyes.
"I was checking for injuries." Valerie smiled, a little coy, and reached for his forearm, drawing him closer to her.
"You are very thorough." His smirk grew wider.
"I am," Valerie replied matter-of-factly. She pointed to his left thigh. "Your leg is bleeding."
Valerie rubbed the tip of her nose against his, and their lips met in a tender kiss. Goro brought his hand to her jaw, his palm barely caressing her skin until she deepened the embrace, a silent plea for him to touch her. As his thumb stroked her cheek, she skimmed her fingertips down his stomach, delighting in the way his muscles twitched under her hands.
That Goro Takemura was ticklish might be her most prized piece of Arasaka intelligence.
"You are also bleeding," Goro murmured into her neck, his thumb hovering over the slash on her arm.
"We can take care of it after a shower." Valerie unknotted the red sash around his hips and unfastened the button on his trousers. "Would you like to join me?"
He whispered an enthusiastic affirmative against her ear, the raspy tremors of his voice drawing a shiver to her skin.
They finished undressing and dispensing their damp clothes in the laundry bin. Valerie raised her arms to loosen her ponytail, but her fatigued muscles immediately spasmed in protest and her breath caught as the dull pang erupted across her shoulders. Goro stepped behind her, his groin almost brushing against her bare ass, and his meticulous fingers unlooped her long hair from the band.
"Thank you," Valerie said softly.
"You are welcome," Goro replied and kissed the curve of her neck.
Valerie led them to their stately bathroom and turned on the shower while Goro untied his own hair. She reached her arm under the showerhead, testing the temperature before submerging herself under the flow of hot water and luxuriating in the light massage over her neck and shoulders. Valerie barely registered Goro joining her until he closed the glass door.
She shuffled across the coarse tile to let him rinse off and reached for her shampoo, but Goro grabbed the bottle before she could. He made a circular gesture with his finger, wordlessly bidding her turn around, before he poured a dab into his palm. More than happy to comply, Valerie tilted her head back, humming in appreciation as he massaged and lathered her scalp. Her eyelashes fluttered as she reveled in the impeccable pressure of his fingertips, firm yet gentle.
They took turns under the water and soaping up, scrubbing the blood and grime from each other, and then dried off with the thick white towels hanging by the shower. Wrapping it around his waist, Goro walked to the cabinets under the sink and retrieved a first aid kit. Valerie leaned against the countertop, wringing out her hair in her towel as he opened the container.
"Let me have your arm, please."
She laid the towel on the counter behind her and extended her left arm to Goro. He squeezed a dab of antibiotic ointment on the tip of his index finger and gingerly gripped her bicep just above the elbow. Valerie hissed quietly when the balm hit the cut, and Goro wrinkled his brow in a dubious expression.
"What?" Valerie asked with a soft laugh. "That shit always stings."
"You are more dramatic receiving simple treatment than getting injured." Goro shook his head.
"Did you just call me dramatic?" Valerie snickered again as he finished applying the ointment.
"What is your expression?" He pulled out a pristine white bandage from the kit and smirked. "'If the shoe fits, wear it?'"
"Mhm, I have another one for you: the pot calling the kettle black."
Goro only smiled in response as he focused on meticulously binding the gauze around her arm. Valerie watched his elegant, chrome-lined fingers affix the sticky end of the dressing in place, and she beamed, almost giggling, when he finished by pressing his lips just above the bandage in a tender, soothing kiss. He looked up at her with his adoring brown eyes, and Valerie brushed back a few strands of damp hair from his forehead.
"Your turn," she said, holding out her hand for the antibiotic salve.
He hesitated, likely considering the probability of her just letting him do it himself, and placed the tube in her palm. Valerie leveraged her weight on her good leg and lowered to one knee. She pushed the towel aside and repeated the process on his thigh: first applying the ointment and then wrapping the bandage.
Each time her hand slipped between his legs, the downy heat radiating from his skin tempted her fingers to slide higher. Instead, she followed his lead again and kissed his thigh just above the gauze.
Goro offered his hand, helping her steady herself as she stood up. They hung up their damp towels, and Goro lightly touched the back of her shoulder.
"Would you like anything for this?"
"I think I left the analgesic gel by the bed." Valerie reached for his hand and brought his knuckles to her lips, lightly kissing them as she smiled. "I'll let you give me a massage after we get dressed."
"Truly an honor." His tone was dry, but the glint in his eyes suggested it just might be.
They returned to the bedroom and dressed for sleep, Goro in a pair of gray linen pants and Valerie only in simple black underwear. She grabbed a matching camisole but placed it on her nightstand and fetched the half-empty jar of painkiller balm from the top drawer.
"When's the drop-off tomorrow?" Valerie asked as she tossed the jar across the mattress to Goro.
"After dark." He caught it expertly with one hand.
"Oh, we can sleep in." Valerie slowly crawled onto the bed and settled in the center of the soft, silvery comforter.
"You never sleep in," Goro pointed out as he joined her, kneeling at her back.
"Maybe I just like the illusion of having choices," Valerie said wryly.
Goro slipped his fingers under her damp hair and swept the long strands over her shoulder, the blue locks falling over her bare breast. He unscrewed the lid on the jar and rubbed the salve between his palms, warming the ointment before he began working it into Valerie's sore muscles. Her neck went slack, and her eyes closed as his hands gliding across her shoulders alleviated the deep ache under her skin.
"I am sorry I was unable to reach you in time," Goro said as he turned his attention to the bruise above her hip.
Valerie's eyes fluttered open. She frowned.
"We were told the guards patrolled the north corridor, not the south. You were where you thought you were supposed to be." She reached behind her, rubbing his knee. "Don't apologize."
"You were hurt," Goro protested.
Valerie slowly rolled to her knees, shifting to look at him. She studied his beautiful face, his brown eyes warm and intense, his perfect brow knotted in self-doubt. Valerie tapped the thigh that also sustained a minor injury during their mission.
"We both were. And not even badly this time." Valerie raised her eyebrows in gentle admonishment. "It's the job."
Her hand trailed up his thigh to his stomach, her nails grazing the scar of an old bullet wound on his side.
"I don't like seeing you get hurt either. But you don't have to… You're not…." Valerie chewed on the inside of her cheek. "You're not a bodyguard anymore, Goro," she finished gently.
"Do you believe that is the only reason I wish to see you safe?" He asked in kind.
Valerie shook her head.
"I know it's not." She placed her hand on his chest, right below the Arasaka-stamped cybernetics. "But old habits die hard. Old regrets even harder."
Goro looked up at the high ceiling, considering her words, and Valerie moved her hand to his jaw, her thumb lightly stroking the stubble just above his cyberware. His gaze returned to hers, and she gave him a reassuring smile before kissing him. She pulled away gently and rested her forehead against his, reaching for his hands and intertwining their fingers.
"I wish you could know how safe you make me feel," Valerie whispered.
She opened her eyes and leaned back. Goro brought their locked hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
"That is good to hear," he said with his small smile.
Valerie smiled back and kissed him again before returning the cream to her nightstand. She pulled on the camisole, her shoulders now less painful after Goro's massage, and slipped her legs under the covers. Goro turned off the lights and joined her, wrapping his arm around her waist as he nestled on the pillows behind her.
"I mean it, you know," she murmured in a sleepy haze.
"I know, Valerie," Goro replied softly.
Only a few hours later, when the sun barely began to peek over Night City's neon horizon, Valerie stirred under the blankets, discreetly trying to slip out from under Goro's arm without disturbing him. Her efforts were in vain as she was met with gentle resistance.
"We are sleeping in, remember?" Goro murmured against her neck as he drew her closer to him.