Part 9

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***

- Good morning...

I woke up later than Panam and she was already cooking a simple breakfast in my kitchen. So when I got out of bed I savoured the smell of brewed coffee and scrambled eggs and bacon. And that's one of the beauties of being solo, since regular people can't afford real food, limiting themselves to eating at diners, buying food from vending machines, or nutritional bars.

- ...smells good....

As I approached Panam, I took another whiff and didn't expect her to put down the spatula and turn around and put her hands on my waist.

- You know, I had a little test in mind yesterday when I accepted your offer....

The smile on Panam's lips became very soft and different from the way she usually smiled at me.

- ...And purposely somewhat provoked you into action. If you gave in, despite my 'reluctance' which I expressed only verbally, we would have passionate sex and then I would just disappear from your life.

I raised my eyebrow questioningly, but when Panam moved a little closer and kissed me gently I was extremely surprised.

- If you take my words into consideration and hold back no matter what, then I will give you a chance. A chance to be more than just my partner.

Another tender kiss.

- That means you're giving me the okay to--

There was a persistent knock on the flat door, but I ignored it and continued to stare intently into Panam's eyes.

- ...for courting, a little molestation, and a little hand-holding?

- Yes...

Panam grinned and reached for my lips again when there was another knock on the door.

- Alright, go open the door while I finish my breakfast....

I sadly let go of Panam, whom I had already hugged, and headed for the door, which revealed, well, who would have thought it, Becca.

- Hi Rebecca...

- I already told you Dev, you can just call me Becca, and you can have something nice to emphasise our relationship....

- Really?

- Yes! (Laughs)

There's hope in the eyes of a girl who doesn't look her age.

- Then how about Breadwinner?

- Hey!

- So you're back here since your brother spent all his money on chrome again, aren't you?

- Yeah...

She lowered her gaze.

- And as always you want me to give you some food?

- Yes...

I sighed.

- Okay, hold on here, I'm going to get you a couple of burritos from the vending machine... You want the mega spicy ones as always?

- Yeah, and my cretin brother can have the vegan ones.

I chuckled. In the time I've lived next door to this gun maniac, I've learnt that her brother hates anything that doesn't have meat in it. The only thing he hates more is anything spicy. So Becca's using this as a way to get back at him.

- Wait, what smells so good?

- My girlfriend's making breakfast.

- Cooking?

Becca caught on to the word and her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

- Did you say cooks? Not reheating? Cooking? And your girlfriend?

- Yes, his girlfriend...

This was answered by Panam, who appeared behind my shoulder and gave Becca a slightly mocking but still friendly look. Still, she knew that she visited me too often and made rather transparent hints about sex.

Even though Becca herself, despite her diminutive size, was quite attractive, and Panam always wondered if I'd been able to resist sticking it to her. With the neighbour's persistence.

- Oh, shit.

Becca kicked the doorjamb.

- It's my height, isn't it?

She looked up at me with a slight hunch.

- It's more about being overly persistent. Well, it's also because I don't want anything to do with your boss. I didn't like him when I saw him. Too chrome-plated, too dangerous to do business with. He's too chrome-plated to be dangerous to do business with.

- Are you serious now?

- Yeah.

- What about you?

I've had a suspicious look round.

- Standard kit in the form of a scope and a deck, plus a Sandy I foolishly installed. I don't have anything else, though lately I've been thinking about a string or mantises... I'm doing fine without them for now, though.

- Would you like to join us for breakfast?

- А?

Becca looked at Panam in surprise, but I expected something like that from her and just stepped aside to let the little one into the flat.

- Um... yeah... thanks for the offer....

It was the first time I'd ever seen her so confused.

She walked into the flat and the door closed with a quiet hiss, after which we walked to the large table where Panam had set out a simple but hearty breakfast.

- Is this real food?

- Well, yeah...

I shrugged.

- Panam and I are still solo, working in a team... And not for the last fixer of the city.....

- И? I'm a solo too... We have a good team, we often work even on orders from Bestia, but the real products....

Becca inhaled the smell of scrambled eggs.

- I can't afford it.

- Well, you're the one who swears at your chrome brother a lot. It's probably eating up the lion's share of the profits. Not even the lion's share, considering you don't even have enough money for a burrito.

- And David often gets raises from Regina.

- Raises?

- Well, Regina prefers to keep her work quiet, come and go, and nobody knows what's going on. And that's how David works. Quiet, quiet, you've heard of Tycho, right?

Becca nodded with a surprised glance at me.

- Wait... so you are Tychon!

- Yeah...

I nodded and started cutting the egg and bacon with a knife.

- ...And just like Panam said, Regina really appreciates that I don't make too much noise at my job. And with Panam on my team, I've also become very mobile, so I can do three jobs a day.

- Three?!

- Yeah, why?

I looked at Becca in surprise.

- When do you get to rest?!

- Weekends, and not every time we work like this... if we feel tired, we take a break for a day or two.

- Mm-hmm, or if David feels tired, because I don't usually do that. And as a break we sometimes take assignments from another fixer to deliver goods from point to point. There are shootings there, of course, but not often, so ...

Panam shrugged.

We had already eaten half of our portions when Becca took the first bite and squeezed her eyes shut with pleasure.

- Delicious... those machine-gun burritos, no comparison to this food of the gods.....

- Thank you for the compliment...

Panam grinned.

- ...but David is a better cook.

- He cooks too?

- Yes.

- Listen...

Becca shifted her gaze from me to Panam and while she looked at me with rapt attention, when she looked at my girlfriend it was pleading.

- Do you want a dog or a kitty to come home to?

- Um...

Panam looked at Becca with great doubt in the girl's mental capacity, then shifted her gaze to me.

- Knowing her...

I sighed heavily.

- ...She's completely serious. And will even act like a cat or a dog.

- Meow! Gough!

To confirm my words, Becca mimicked first a cat, even folding her hands into a paw-like position in front of her, and then she mimicked a dog.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

- Except that it doesn't take into account a small detail.....

- And what detail am I missing?

- Good owners don't feed dogs and cats from their table. At least not always, it is harmful to the health of pets. In most cases, a bowl is purchased, which is placed somewhere near the door, as well as buying special food.

- Kha...

Becca grabbed her right breast.

- ...in the heart!

- The heart on the left...

Seeing me confirm Panam's words with a nod, Becca grabs her left boob.

- And not at the tit, but under it.

This time my words are confirmed by Panam's nod. And when Becca sees this, she pouts.

- Buki!

- Just don't open your mouth on someone else's pie.

Panam grins at Becca, who is happily finishing her breakfast, giving us playfully bemused glances.

- Okay, I get it, you're possessive....

- I'm not...

Panam shrugs.

- ...It's just that I don't know you at all, and sharing your boyfriend....

She took a good look at Becca.

- ...There must be a very good reason for that.

I shook my head.

- What a crazy town. Just got an agreement from one girl to agree to be my lady of the heart, and she's already considering options to share me with another girl...

- Come on...

Becca waved her hand.

- ...You guys are all perverts. Just tell you that instead of one girl you can have more than one and you immediately start thinking Mr Pepper.

I shrugged.

- You know, Becca, if I ever decide to put chrome where my dick used to be, it won't be Mr Pepper. Because that kind of stuff is...

I shook my head.

- After him only to cut off everything under zero and well if any other chrome can be put.

- If you put chrome there, I'll leave you....

- What?

Becca looked at Panam, who had said such a thing and was clearly not joking.

- It's simple, I'll have to install sex chrome too, and I don't want to turn into a sex doll. So there's only one choice, and that's to break up.

- Don't worry, I am not even thinking of installing such a chrome at the moment.

Panam nodded her head contentedly.

- Ugh... that was delicious....

Becca leaned back on the sofa.

- ...What are your plans for today?

- Well...

I shrugged.

- ...I'd like to go out with Panam, but I promised Regina I'd contact her at ten o'clock. So we'll probably do one or two tasks from our fixer, and afterwards we'll sit in front of the telly and watch a film of another Smussle Tullis parody.

- Yeah...

Panam stretched out in her chair.

- ...and you?

- Me?

She shifted her gaze from me to Panam and back again.

- I have to feed my degenerate brother, and call a couple of fixers, maybe someone will have a job.....

- Why so hesitant?

- Well, there'll always be a job for the team, but for me...

Becca shook her head.

- ...there's a lot of stuff going on that I can't fulfil.

- Pens?

The Pans were interested.

- She probably doesn't know how to work quietly, so if she's going to be sent on high-profile cases, and those don't attract really good fixers. After all, after such cases, you have to cover your tracks, so that the corporations don't follow the trail....

- Mm-hmm... okay, I'm off....